How to prevent outdoor landscape light water leaks? I installed low voltage landscape lights on our fencing around the perimeter of our backyard in September. The lights are supposed to be IP66 waterproof, but within a month of installing, I found water pooling inside some of the units. I then disassembled, dried and sealed off anywhere I thought water could penetrate in with silicone in hopes that water would no longer seep in.
After re-wiring and installing, within a few weeks, water was beginning to pool inside again and some of the lights were starting to malfunction. Inside, some of the connections were corroding. I did notice that it appeared that most of the water was coming from condensation build-up, which then led me to believe that the water leak could be due to temperature/pressure changes.
From my research, it seems like this is a common problem, especially here in Western Canada where temperatures can change quite rapidly. I have seen some suggestions of installing small vents made of a waterproof breathable PTFE membrane on each of the units that are meant to allow for pressure equalization. I have also read that Gore-Tex clothing is made from a semi-permeable membrane, so I was thinking about creating a small hole in each unit and then creating a barrier for the hole with the Gore-tex.
I am wondering if anyone has any further suggestions on how to prevent this from happening? Or a cheaper/simpler permeable membrane material I could use. These were purchased from Amazon and I am past the return date so I'm stuck with them. I have spent a very unreasonable amount of time on these lights and I am hoping someone might have the answer. I have included some photos below as well.

I am not sure if allowed in Canada but in the US we are allowed and even required to provide a drain in things like this a small drilled hole that will allow the water to drain out should eliminate the pooling.  I used to have multiple drains on my big 1000w metal halide lights because they cool in the winter they suck the water in just like yours. A small 1/8-1/4” hole at the lowest point will help no matter how the water is getting in.


What to do with an underground pool outlet now that the pool is gone I took down a pool that has an underground wire( through conduit) that has an electrical outlet that supplied power to the pump. What can I do to terminate the outlet ?
The yard is set to be filled and graded and I would like to bury the wiring. Can I do that??

The only safe thing to do is to disconnect the wires at the other end. That could be:

The main panel
A subpanel
A junction box - e.g., the wires might come out of the ground next to the house and go into a junction box to splice to another set of wires that go to the main panel

If you disconnect any place other than a panel (which obviously would be accessible), the remaining location (e.g., another junction box) must be accessible. Cap any remaining wires with wire nuts so they can't touch anything else in the panel or box and cause a problem.


How can I keep a door closed without a damper? Got a door which does not have the spring lock which locks the door when you close it. Leave the door closed, and it'll soon be wide open even with a little gust of wind.
Currently we're wedging a handful of paper between the door and the door frame, so that it'd stay closed when we close it. The more elegant option of course, is to use a damper which will slowly close the door once it's been opened.

But dampers are a bit expensive for such a trivial function, and then there are the installation charges too. Is there a better way to ensure the door remains closed (a simple, elegant, less expensive option. Installing a spring lock is expensive)?

EDIT: One more requirement from my Dad was that since with any of the below solutions the door will appear to be closed, the people inside the house would think it is locked, while any stranger who comes along and slightly pushes the door will be able to get in. It'd help if the door closing mechanism has a way to let the people indoors know that the door is just closed, and not locked. Safety. Problem is that an LED would require a small transformer for getting power from the AC mains (batteries aren't really a long-term option). Having a safety mechanism is a bit tricky.

A Pneumatic Door Closer

can cost you less than $10.00, and is easily installed with 5-6 screws.

Attach one bracket to the door frame.
Attach the other bracket to the door.
Install the pins to hold arm in brackets.
Done.

If that's too rich for you. A Screen door latch

Will run you about $8.00, though installation is a bit more difficult.

A Barrel Bolt

will cost you about $3.00, and requires 6 screws. Though makes opening the door from both sides tricky.

If you're really hard up for cash. A door catch is only about $2.00, and only requires 4 screws to install it.

If you only have the change you found between the couch cushions. A Gate hook

might be what you're looking for (~$1.50). Again, this could make opening the door from both side troublesome.

Help an old lady cross the street, and ask her for a dollar in return. Then you can get a Double Roller Catch.

They're typically used for cabinets, but might work for you if the wind is not too strong.


What is the proper way to solder two different gauge stranded wires? How does one properly solder a 10 AWG copper stranded wire with an 18 AWG copper stranded wire. There are plenty of tutorials on how to solder same gauge wire, but what is the recommended way to solder wires that are significantly different AWG?

If the wires are for low voltage application such as connecting 12V up to LED Strip lighting then you should consider just using twist on wire connectors instead of soldering. These have a decided advantage in that they can be removed for future wire changes and they provide an insulated cover over the wire join.

To keep strain off the low voltage wiring connections you can zip tie the two wire cables together over the cable jacket a couple of inches from the end of the jackets.


Help running ethernet between floors, with double joists in the way I will like to redo the existing Ethernet (and maybe COAX) wiring in my home. I have looked for the most ideal path from the basement through the floors into the attic and then drop into the second floor. Other alternatives required running beside (not inside) the air return duct in the wall cavity, long runs alongside power cables, or runs through exterior walls, none of which is ideal. So I decided to run through the bath closets that line up vertically on both floors. I could run along a wall in the closet but then that will require drilling through the ceramic floor tiles and cutting notches in each closet shelf. I figured it's best to run inside the wall instead since the wall patchwork in the closet does not need to be perfect.

I started to drill (3/4" paddle bit) before I realized that the bath closet walls sit on double joists. Perhaps this is because the baths are almost in the center of the house. Also the drill depth seemed more than I expected (extra stacked wallplate?), which is why I stopped and re-examined the basement (I had my orientation wrong before I started and did not realize the double joists were right underneath).

So I am trying to figure out the best way to go about this. I noticed that what previous contractors had done to run wires in the cavities above the double joists was to drill diagonally(?), then vertically. However, I expect that to be a lot easier for a single power cable and harder for a bunch of 8-14 data cables.

I found this thread but it did not describe exactly how the user solved their problem. I own regular tools (drills, impact driver, fish tape, etc.) but nothing contractor grade or "overkill". I am up to the task of drilling, doing electrical work and wall patching, but I want to avoid violating codes or compromising structural integrity.

See this answer for more information on drilling through joists.

For your case specifically, you're able to notch (and angle drill) at a depth of D/6 and a width of D/3 at a time per joist as long as you are notching in the first or last third of the joist.

  IRC R502.8 Drilling and notching.

  Structural floor members shall not be cut, bored or notched in excess
  of the limitations specified in this section. See Figure R502.8.


Can I use OSB in place of timber as structural element In few answers I've been advised to reinforce OSB shelf with wooden beam for rigidity over time. Hence interconnected questions:

Isn't OSB supposed to be more stable to elements comparing to wood? Isn't that what's all the adhesive in it is for.
Tables give me tensile strength of OSB few times smaller than wood. Can I replace 18mm x 36mm wooden beam safely with 2* 50mm strips of 22mm OSB screwed and/or glued together? That'd give me 50x44 "beam" section -- should be quite enough.
Should OSB surface and edges be treated if I plan indoor use with no proximity of water. For it's tensile characteristics to remain same over time.

Yes, it's more stable, but not to "the elements". While it is constructed with exterior-grade adhesive, the nature of thinly-shaved wood means that when exposed to moisture, repeated flex, etc. it tends to break down sooner than high-quality, solid wood. It's certainly more flat and stable than conventional plywood when kept dry.
OSB is less stiff than solid lumber in a horizontal orientation, but it is roughly as strong. You'll probably be able to carry the same load with an equivalent dimension, but it may sag more. Floor joists are commonly built with OSB vertical members, but the wood strands are oriented vertically. In your case, they'd be horizontal. Therein lies the difference.
No, though you could run a router or sander over them to reduce abrasion. They'll scuff skin in a hurry. When I use OSB for shelving I run a 1/2" bullnose router down the edges.


Plumber asking for a lot more money, after starting work A plumber gave me a quote to bring natural gas to a standby generator, which I accepted.  He began work today.  This evening he sent me an email saying that to install a larger gas meter would cost at least an additional $2,500.  (An increase of over 50%.)  He used the words "a class 500 meter bar".  He says he is willing to negotiate.

It should have been clear to the plumber that the 250 meter would not run the stove, oven, house heat, clothes dryer, and hot water heater, as well as the new whole house generator.  So he low balled me with his proposal.

What options do you suggest?

Update One:
I have decided to tell the plumber to pick up his tools (which I have relocated to the driveway), and to give me an accounting for the supplies he purchased, and a refund for the money I gave him that he has not spent.

I guess I also need to tell the city building dept to take his name off the building permit.

Does this sound reasonable?

Is there anything else I should be thinking about or doing?

Update Two:
The plumber should have disclosed the cost of everything up front that was a necessary part of the project.   A couple of hours after I complained to the electrician who recommended the plumber, the electrician sent me an email saying the plumber only intended to charge $400 additional for the meter bar, not the $2500. The $400 is about what it costs. I have sent an email to the plumber to call me if this is true. (I do not have his tele number and it is not on his prop.)  Would you recommend rehiring this plumber?

Update Three:
On the advice of the city plumbing inspector, I called the county official in charge of consumer protection in such matters.  It seems that official is also the person in charge of issuing plumbing and electrical licenses.  That official got some documentation from me and then called the plumber.  He negotiated a $1,000 refund from the plumber.  The check is to be made out to me but sent to the official.  Then it will be forwarded to me.  I am optimistic. (This is not an ideal solution because the original plumber did no professionally competent work, so I am still out $1,000 of the $2,000 I gave the plumber up front.)

Most of the time the Gas company will provide a larger meter in my area. He quoted the install and missed this. I would verify his license and bonding sounds like ?. Since you won't be running everything at the same time you may not need that big of meter. Call the gas company and ask them for the size required and the cost of an upgraded meter. Then check with the better business bureau and file a complaint if the larger is not needed and the work quoted is not done at the contract price.

Below is part of an Oregon CCB bonding statement -

  The surety bond guarantees that contractors comply with the Oregon Revised Statutes. In the event that the contractor’s non-compliance results in third party damages, a claim may be filed against the bond. A property owner is entitled to file a CCB complaint against a contractor for improper work or breach of contract. The CCB may then direct the contractor to reimburse the property owner for damages for a valid complaint. If the contractor does not do so, the bonding company is obligated to pay the funds due to the property owner, up to the amount of the bond. The contractor is legally obligated to indemnify the surety for any losses as defined in the indemnity section of the surety bond application.

At least in Oregon and Washington states the bond protects the owner from unsafe building. This is true even if it passed inspection and a damage causing failure is later found. I don't remember how many years they can go back, but I keep my old code books, and there used to be an exception for exterior outlets over 6.5'. A buddy of mine put several eve outlets in standard receptacles. A new home owner was putting up Christmas lights in the rain, got shocked and fell. The insurance company and lawyers were going after him for damages because that was no longer the code. I found the code book showing it was legal when it was installed, and he did not have to pay, but it still cost him several thousand dollars in legal costs.


Water shutoff valve for refrigerator We need a shutoff valve for our refrigerator.  We live in California.  We have a copper water line to the fridge.  My questions are:

The line kit included a small brass shut off valve.  The installer said that we need a box shut off valve installed into the drywall.  Are we supposed to have both of them?
The icemaker shut off valves sold at Lowes differ by the type of connection: PEX, CPVC x Comp, sweat, etc.  In California, do copper lines to the fridge need to be changed to PEX? What are those other types of connection?

If there's a shutoff requirement a single valve will satisfy it. There's no need to use two. The kind that installs in a box in the wall behind the fridge are a little more intensive to retrofit but they're convenient to use. I can't speak to whether you might have state or local codes that require this in-wall style -- and I'll wager the Best Buy delivery crew aren't trained on the subject any better. In most places a valve at the supply end of the tube is a fine an alternative to the recessed box behind the fridge.

Line kits often include a self-piercing saddle valve. It's a pair of half-round straps, screws to squeeze them together, a 'stinger' on the inside which pierces through existing plumbing, and a small pin as a handle to operate the valve. They're easy to install but they're always junk. They restrict the flow and they eventually leak at the site and/or the valve won't close fully when you need it most. Use this valve only as a last resort.

It's much better to have a normal valve installed appropriate to the kind of plumbing in your home, then adapt it down to the 1/4" tube for the fridge.


What is the name of this old glass pattern? We've accidentally managed to break the glass above our front door, by letting the door slam. I'd like to match the glass replacement, so it matches next door. I have no idea what the pattern is called, and don't know where to look to find a match.

We've had a glass fitter around to quote, who suggested that he had not seen this style and that it is likely not made any longer.

Does anyone know the name of the pattern or could possibly tell me of any good places / sites to look for old glass patterns?

I found this site which lists many different styles of textured glass.

I think the particular one you had is somewhat close to the Florentine Wissmach on that site.

As for the best site to search, I'd say google image search, honestly. https://www.google.com/search?q=textured+glass+window&source=lnms&tbm=isch


Remote Halogen Light Dimmer switch A 2-in-1 ceiling fan and halogen bulb remote switch has stopped operating the light bulb (either on/off or dimmer) but still operates the fan properly.

Any ideas?

If like the one we have the light is remote controlled from a small keypad or rotary control.
This operates either wirelessly or wired. The actual dimming is done in the housing where the lamp and fan motor are located. The solid state device that does the dimming has failed. Why? The light that was in the fan....you did replace it didn't you ? probably became a short circuit when the filament failed like tungsten lamps do. This short caused more current in the control device can handle so it became a fuse and failed. This is seldom a user replaceable part. You can obtain a replacement control module.

You'll need the manufacturers name and model number.  Do a web search for Fan Parts. If the site you find listing the fan model included photos find the comparable control be appearance. There is a good chance thats the one you need. You will find the price to be about $40.
If you aren't comfortable with tools or wiring or standing on a ladder ask the dealer to reccomend a repair person.

If the control IS NOT wireless it might be a module mounted the wall switch box and that's a pretty easy fix and less exspensive. Be safe and call an electrician rather than risk fire or electrocution.


What's the best method to chalk a line parallel to a wall? I have read some great listings on setting a chalk line but remain with a question ... if you are trying to get the line to run perfectly parallel to a wall, it is for hardwood flooring, so that the line will be parallel to a wall that may not itself be at a right angle, and/or uneven, how do you do this?  If I use the wall to measure out, say a half inch, and the wall is not straight, by the time I get to the other side of the room I may end up with boards that are all not perfectly parallel to the wall.

Help!

"Parallel to a wall" is a subjective thing. Parallel to what? Parallel to a line crossing the corner points? Parallel to an average wall line?

Generally, a carpenter takes one of two approaches: Either measure out from each corner, taking into consideration anomalies such as rounded plaster or drywall, and use that. Or, if there's a nearby perpendicular wall that's considered more trustworthy, use the 3-4-5 technique to strike a right angle from that, or from a line snapped parallel to it.

The key to any such process is getting as wide a sample as possible. Minimize extrapolation (extending your chalk line beyond measured or calculated points) and use as much length as you have available to make your line marks.

In the case of your flooring, it may be more important from an aesthetic perspective to achieve the illusion of parallelism, and not true parallelism. Consider your entire scenario and find the best compromise. Chances are that you'll have to rip the edge plank to fit a wavy or crooked wall regardless, depending on the thickness of your base trim, etc.

Be sure to measure across the room and determine how parallel you'll be with the opposite wall. If your flooring will extend into other rooms, examine those as well.


What's causing the sewer to back into the tub? We've lived in our house for several years with no sewage problems to speak of.

A few weeks ago, my wife was sick of the sinks not draining very well so she went online and learned about cleaning out the traps. She did this. Around the same time, I learned where our DWV plug is, because I thought it was a rock and ended out breaking it off trying to remove it (it was buried in the dirt).

The cap was off for several days before I learned what a DWV plug was and what it was for and bought another one.

I put the cap on, but I didn't have anything to tighten it very well.

After she cleaned the drains for the next several days occasionally we would smell sewage from our bathroom sinks. We put it down to just the traps being clean and maybe something else. Then last Friday night, my wife called me to say that sewage was coming up in the showers and leaking from the bottom of one of the toilets.

She cleaned it up, and a friend came over and pulled the DWV plug, and there was sewage up to the top of the pipe, which is about 3' deep. He had one of those accordion style plungers and plunged the DWV pipe and after only a couple of plunges the pipe cleared.

We thought that everything was OK, though today I smelled some sewage from one of the bathroom sinks. Then about an hour ago my wife got home, went inside to take care of some stuff and surprise! More sewage. I was able to pull the DWV plug and plunging had the same effect: about 20-30 plunges and the sewage drained again.

We just spent the last hour or so pulling up laminate flooring and sucking up wastewater. It's been a crappy day, let me tell you. It's really the pits. It stinks.

So what could be causing this problem with the sewage going on in our house? And better yet, how can we fix it?

It turns out that there was a partial blockage in our drain between the DWV and the main sewer line.

Because it was a partial blockage, some water could drain, but when there was a lot of water, and especially solids going down the drain, the line got blocked, and plunging opened a smaller hole in the blockage.

We called our water department and they brought out an inspection camera and shoved it down the drain. We couldn't tell what the blockage was, but it was right at the end of the line. They stuck this bladder thing on the end of a hose and fed it down the line, hooked the other end up to our faucet, and turned the water on. It produced a bunch of pressure and forced the block out through the main sewer line. No clue what the block actually was.


How do I reconnect a ceiling fan light chain? A recent pull of a ceiling fan light chain caused the chain and its connector to came completely out.  Is there an easy way to reconnect the chain?  Does the electricity need to be turned off completely to avoid a risk of electrical shock?

If the chain is broken inside the housing where you can't see it, you will have to disassemble the lower light cover on the fan if so equipped(usually 3 small screws). Definitely turn off the power to the fixture and always double check with a voltage tester to confirm power is off. It is not uncommon for the chain to break or actually pull out of the switch assembly. Until you determine the extent of the problem, you can't plan the fix. If the chain is broken at a ball link, a simple snap link my solve your problem.  If it is pulled completely out of the pull switch, then you will have to remove the wire nuts and switch and get a replacement, usually available at any hardware store.  Reassemble, carefully tighten the new wire nuts, a safety wrap of electrical tape around the wire nuts and put cover back on.  It is actually a very simple fix if you have any experience with electrical repairs.  CAVEAT.  Be sure power is off before working with any wires.  Good luck.


Attaching punch bag bracket to pebble dash exterior wall the outside of my house is pebble dashed like the image below

I want to attach a punch bag bracket to the wall, like the image below

Mt main concerns are cracking

Cracking the pebble dash render - when drilling for the bracket
Letting water get in behind the render once its drilled, thus damaging it
The force of hitting the punch bag may crack the render

Any ideas on how i could get around these issues ?

Don't do it!

Former boxer here.  I put up a mounting kit in my joists in an apartment I had in college...  I split both joists it was mounted too.  I was using a 100lb water bag and weight makes a huge difference.  But I don't care if it is 25lb.  Don't do it.

Buy a pole and mount it to that and they sell punching bag stands.  The link isn't an endorsement, just an example.  Also if you mount it to your house you will have probably only 60 degrees of hitting - 30 on each side given you don't want to pop the bag directly into your house each time.

Note that you are probably attaching this to wood.  Assemblies like this are not supposed to go into wood - needs metal.  You screw this into wood and the constant reverberation, up/down/side forces will slowly make the screw hole bigger and they will eventually wiggle out over time - for sure.


Do all dimmers reduce max brightness of LED lamps? TL;DR - do all dimmers reduce maximum brightness of LED lamps?

So I had a recently bought a dimmer switch (Lutron Diva DVCL-153P) for an LED light, and I immediately noticed that the light was dimmer than before, even at full brightness. I grabbed a multimeter and tested the live wires (121v), and then the load end of the dimmer against common, with the light on (106v). I know that these new dimmers do fancy AC signal chopping (phase cut?), so my multimeter may just be confused..

Anyway, so I grabbed some other dimmers at Costco (FIET 72309) and tried one out. It was noticeably brighter than the Lutron, and the Fiet read 115v on live load with the light.

I emailed Lutron about it, and they told me that I can always expect 5-10% brightness cut whenever I put a dimmer in. This seems crazy to me - I spend good money to get brighter lights, and lose some because there's a dimmer? Why don't dimmers have full bypass at the top end? Or can I find a switch where I can toggle between dimmer and bypass?

Or am I missing something?

thoughts?

Yes, some dimmers have a bypass at the top.  And the bottom.

The game is really about wave-shaping, and nothing prevents a dimmer from giving 100% top voltage via a switch, or 99% top voltage via silicon.  However in practice, the wave-shaping is done to make the dimmer as cheap as possible while not hopelessly incompatible with LED.   Peak performance is not a priority.

Speaking of "cheap", CostCo and Feit Electric are not "spending good money"... unless we're talking "throwing good money after bad".  Big-box is a sea of junk, it's basically the Alibaba crud but with the safety hazards fixed. You have to buy much more carefully if you want performance.

On the other hand, pro grade equipment is more accessible than ever.


Is a Redundant Ground at Sub-Panel Permitted? Useful? I've searched the forum and haven't found an answer for this exact situation.
 Here's the configuration: Main 200A service panel at one end of house (exterior), and 100A sub panel at opposite end of house (interior access on exterior wall).  EMT running in crawlspace to connect panels. Both panels in one building.  I know that the ground bus and neutral bus are not bonded at the sub panel, and their respective conductors run back to the main service panel.

Question:  What are the thoughts on adding additional grounding electrodes at the sub panel side of the house, and connecting those to the sup panel's ground bus (again, not bonded to neutral) as an additional redundant ground?  Does this increase grounding safety, grounding performance?  Does it interfere with the purpose of the ground back to the main panel?  Is it a waste of money, since the main service panel has its own grounding electrodes?  Most of all, what does the NEC say, if anything, on this situation?

What you want is a redundant grounding conductor

In your situation, provided that conduit fill allows, pulling a redundant equipment grounding conductor (bare 8AWG copper is fine) through the conduit between the panels is A-OK -- simply land it on the ground bars at both ends of the run.

The electrodes you describe would violate the NEC though

Within a structure, grounding electrodes are connected together by grounding electrode conductors, not equipment grounding conductors, though, and trying to use an EMT to do both jobs at once violates NEC 250.121:

  250.121 Use of Equipment Grounding Conductors. An
  equipment grounding conductor shall not be used as a
  grounding electrode conductor.

So, forget the ground electrodes, pull the redundant EGC, and be happy.


Is my plan to drain foundation wall water reasonable? I am in the process of building out my basement and see that I have water in the cinder block walls.  I have a plan but I don't know if it will work and that is why I am posting this in the hope that someone who knows may respond.

I want to first drain the water by drilling drain holes in the blocks about 4" above the floor.  I would then drill another small hole at or as close to floor level as possible to drain all the water out.  Then I would seal the bottom hole and pump in something like self leveling cement which would fill the cavity up to the upper drain hole thus preventing water from pooling below that level.

I would then install 1/2" pvc pipe in each drain hole and seal around the pipes.  Using a 45 degree fitting turning down and connecting to a 3/4" pvc pipe running the length of the wall just above the floor and sloped to a sump at the far end.

My purpose for using this method is that when my basement was built, the builder poured the slab and footing at the same time and then build the cinder block walls on top of the slab unlike what I see where a foundation base is poured. walls build on it and the floor poured inside the walls. My other purpose is that I can do this myself, otherwise, I would have to spend considerable money to have the basement floor dug up.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

I'd be looking at something simpler, like the baseboard waterproofing systems shown here and here (links for visual reference only).

Even if you designed something similar yourself it would be easier and more likely to result in success than trying to fill the wall and seal all those pipe penetrations.


Did I damage my appliance by shorting the power wires in the junction box? Dish disposal was jammed and I unjammed it with the allen wrench but didn't take out the allen wrench and when I turned it on it wrapped the wiring around the allen wrench and pulled the wiring nuts off.

Well the white neutral wire of the dish disposal was hidden inside the cover of the bottom of the disposal and I didn't see it. I thought it was odd that there was only 1 black wire hanging out the bottom of the disposal, but I continued to wire the hot and neutral of the extension cord to the 1 black wire out the disposal and saw a spark and of course it didn't turn on.

I realized that there are 2 wires coming out of the disposal and then proceeded to wire it correctly.  The disposal does not work and does not see to have power.  Did I short of burn out the dish disposal and need to replace it??

You probably didn't hurt the garbage disposal, but you probably tripped the circuit breaker in your electrical panel. You may have also fried the switch for the disposal, or any outlets, cords or wires between the disposal and the breaker.


Replacing rusted light switches There is a four switch light plate, 2 switches haven't worked since we've lived here (almost a year). Well, the two switches that don't work control the front porch lights. The gutters we badly clogged which I think had created some major issues, leakage especially. As you can see from the first picture, the wires are exposed to the leakage, which has created problems.

When I removed the light plate, it smelled very musty - the light switches were badly rusted, especially the two that don't work. My first job is to clean rusty wires and replace the switches. My dad told me they are 'chained' to the first one.  The next job is to unscrew the front porch fixture, take a look at its condition, and assuming it's good to go (or once it is) fill the gaps with spray foam.

Am I on the right track? How do these switches look? Should I undo the daisy chaining?

Cleanup time!

The daisy-chaining simply means that instead of using short wire "pigtails" from a terminal screw on each switch to a wire nut that connects all the pigtails to the incoming hot wire, the incoming hot wire was stripped in places which were then wrapped around a terminal screw of each switch in turn.  As long as the contact surfaces of the wire and screws are still good (i.e. not corroded), things are still OK here -- any corrosion on the bared wire surfaces should be removed mechanically with a stiff wire bristle brush (think of it like prepping aluminum wire for termination) in order to preserve the integrity of the connection, however.

As to the switches with the rusted yokes -- I'd simply replace them with decent spec-grade switches, and make sure whatever was allowing water ingress into the box has been fixed as even when its not shocking you, the mix of water and electricity is notable for its destructive power, as you can see here. (More precisely, corrosion is an electrochemical process rather akin to that going on inside your average battery, so an external electric current source has the potential to accelerate the corrosion process.)


Should I have continuity between hot lug (at service in) and neutral bus with main breaker off? With the main house breaker turned off, I have electrical continuity between the hot lug at the service entrance and the neutral bus in my service panel.

I also have electrical continuity from neutral to one leg of the service.

Does this indicate that I have a bad main breaker?

Since you are not connected to the grid yet, the wires from your mast a probably just hanging or coiled up, and the ends are touching. Check those wires.


Is this lint buildup in my tumble dryer really lint? I have been having problems with my tumble drier (Asko T794C) thermal protection going out frequently and decided to have a look.

The tumble dryer is a built-in so the air intake is on the front panel:

Upon a closer look into the air intake I found what I thought was a really bad case of lint buildup.

The air duct is a plastic case which is really hard to open without disassembling the whole device, so I made a hook out of a knitting needle and started to pick the lint through the front grate.

Here's what I ended up with after an hour or so of work:

and from the looks of it there's more where it came from:

At this moment I'm worried if it's really lint and not some kind of thermal insulation or something like this.

It is much more dense than lint usually is. It's almost like felt.
It looks like it has quite long fibers and sometimes whole pieces of fabric:

It looks like it's built up in layers of uniform thickness (about 1 cm thick, you can see it on the grate photo).
It does not seem to block the air stream. When I turn the machine on, I can feel the air coming in alright.

What is this stuff? Should I continue picking it out?

Update:

I found schematics for my machine:

and this stuff seems to be what's left of part 6260:

Any idea what could this be and what could it be used for?

It is a sound absorber for the air inlet. It muffles the sound of the air being sucked into the dryer.
 Check the vent hood, where your dryer vents to the outside, for lint buildup. If everything is clear and your thermal protection till goes out frequently, you ought to have it checked out. It appears that the sound absorbers are deteriorated or at least loose and could be restricting flow. good luck


How to turn on a ballofix / ball valve? When I turned the valve off, it was as if it made a small click, as if it had reached a locking position.

Now I can't turn it on again.

I have one other just like this one, and that one can I turn on and off without problems.

Are there some trick to know in order to turn on a valve this this?

I have one that does the same thing; it just needs a little more twisting force to get it past that "locked" position.  I've always been able to do it by hand, no tools required.


Newby Heat-Pump question - runs in the winter? This is a super NEWB question but - I have just bought a home with a "heat pump" and it is running all day and night (in the dead of winter), some of my neighbors have their "exterior boxes/units" covered and closed - maybe theirs are only AC units?

Anyways - my heat pump (Rheem RPLB-030JAZ) has a huge fan (on top) so snow is getting inside and runs 24/7/365 ... is this normal? Should it be closed up or covered? Am I forgetting some kind of setting or something that I am not aware of?

Thanks,

Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps and  are just refrigeration systems. The following are the differences:

Air Conditioners

Dedicated cooling only systems are often referred to as Air Conditioners and have a single usage cycle that dehumidifies and cools the interior air in the living space. These are turned off in winter time for the obvious reason that you no longer need cool air inside and so often are winter-proofed to also prevent air leakage and precipitation intrusion.

Heat Pumps

Dual purpose heating/cooling systems are referred to as Heat Pumps and have a reversible cycle. They can be used to both Air Condition and Heat the living space by switching the direction of refrigerant flow.

In the summer time, they cool the interior by heating the outside atmosphere. In winter time, they heat the interior by cooling the outside atmosphere. Hence the name Heat Pump.

They run year around and therefore must have free airflow through them year around (not be winter-proofed with air-tight coverings). Having some sort of roof with clearance to allow free airflow and to keep the snow out would be a really good idea.


Electrical help on amps and wiring I recently moved my old refrigerator into my garage next to my freezer. As soon as I plug in my refrigerator the GFCI pops. I have a 15 amp GFCI and a 15 amp breaker. The refrigerator and freezer are the only two items plugged into the five outlet circuit. They are plugged into separate outlets. The other three outlets are unused (including the GFCI).

I upgraded to a 20 amp GFCI and a 20 amp breaker. My refrigerator and freezer both run now without popping the GFCI. After some friendly advice as to check the gauge of wire I was using, I checked and sure enough it is 14 gauge wire. After reading in this forum it looks like 14 gauge wire is not to code with a 20 amp breaker and GFCI. Is this just a code issue or is this potentially a bigger problem of overheating and possibly causing a fire? Thank you so much for any help and or advice!

UPDATE:
The refrigerator is currently unplugged until I can replace the 20a breaker back to the original 15a breaker.

I forgot to mention that the first thing I did was to replace the original 15a GFCI with a new 15a GFCI. It popped too. That is when I made the (wrong) decision to "upgrade" everything to 20a.

If I am having a grounding or other issue with my fridge, why did it pop the new 15a GFCI but not the new 20a GFCI?

Could I just remove the GFCI altogether and replace with a standard receptacle?

On a receptacle branch circuit wired with 14 AWG wire, nobody cares if you use a GFCI+receptacle combo device that is rated 15A or 20A.  15A devices are thru-rated for 20A.

However, they care very much if you use a 20A breaker.  That is illegal and unsafe, and you must promptly change it to 15A.  I don't know what you were thinking. All breaker sizes cost the same, so the original installer already used the largest breaker that is safe.  You must never "just upgrade a breaker".

However, you are not allowed to have a 20A socket (NEMA 5-20) which has the T-shaped neutral, on a 15A circuit.  If that is what your new GFCI is, it has to go.

As for running a refrigerator and freezer in a GFCI-protected zone, it's legal, but stupid. These aren't the appliances GFCIs are intended for.  You're not likely to drop one in a sink, nor are you likely to touch the hot parts no matter how much the unit fails. Grounding is more than adequate to protect humans.  In fact NEC makes specific exceptions for refrigerators and freezers in areas that normally require GFCI protection**.

After all, this is a conflict between two safety systems.  The refrigerator's job is to protect food, but it stands in conflict with GFCI's job to protect humans from shocks.

So your best path here is to remove the refrigerator and freezer from GFCI protection, by assigning them dedicated sockets and labeling those sockets "Refrigerator/freezer only".  There are several ways to do that.

A home-run from either a) the panel or b) the LINE side of the GFCI, that runs only to the two dedicated fridge/freezer sockets.
Fitting a GFCI receptacle at each non-fridge/freezer outlet before the fridge/freezer, and using only their LINE terminals.  Thus the onward cable will not be GFCI protected, and can deliver non-protected power to the fridge and freezer.  However it is not an efficient use of GFCI devices.

Regardless, the socket must be dedicated. Normally, you must use a single receptacle.  Like this.

This also looks good to the inspector.

Since you have both fridge and freezer, you need 2 sockets obviously.  If they are right next to each other, you can use a common "duplex" receptacle, but it will be all the more important that you mark it as dedicated.


Is there a limit to length of notch cut in "rear" stud in staggered stud wall? I am trying to flush-mount a structured wiring cabinet in a non-load-bearing closet wall (nothing above it but a truss attic). The wall is a staggered stud wall, with each row of studs 16" o.c. and the rows offset 8" o.c. from one another. The plates are 2x6. I don't know if the fact that it is a staggered stud wall impacts the answer or not, but including that info for completeness.

The cabinet will fit nicely between the 16" o.c. studs, but the staggered studs in the middle of each stud bay do not give me the depth needed for it to sit flush with the drywall. I need to notch the rear stud by 1 3/8". Since this is not a load-bearing wall, I believe this is code compliant (less than 40% of the actual width of the stud).

My question: Is there a limit to the length of the notch (which would be ~42" in this case), or does length not matter because the effective width of the stud has been reduced by making the notch, regardless of its length?

Update: After removing more of the insulation I discovered a single electrical cable going through a hole in the rear stud (but behind the front studs). I can't notch it in the same cross section as the hole, right? Or does that not apply here due to it beyond a staggered stud wall with two un-notched 16" o.c. studs on either side of it? Can I fill the hole with a dowel before notching?

The most important thing is you mentioned is a non bearing wall. You can cut out the whole section, just to exaggerate the point.

Since it is a sound wall, I would cut out 2" to totally clear the cabinet so no sound transmits through the cabinet.


Best tool & method for cutting steel tubes (table legs)? I have a table that I want to cut the hollow steel legs down to coffee table height.

These are the table legs I have:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70217973/

What's the best tool and method to do this simply? A hack saw? Some special bit for a drill?

A hack saw is a fine tool to cut fairly thin gauge tubing (which this seems to be). You may want to use a jig of some sort, such as a miterbox, to keep your cut square to the piece.

Tape around the diameter to minimize chipping of the finish.  File down the cut edge to remove the burrs from sawing, using a metal file, followed by emory paper.

If there is a finishing cap on the bottom, you may be able to pry it from the cut off section and reinsert it in the shorter leg.

There are alternatives for cutting tubing, such as a tubing cutter (but not especially well suited to steel - save for softer metals, such as copper), Dremel-type tool (small grinding system with "cutoff wheels", basically abrasive disks - slow, better for smaller items), abrasive grinding tools (somewhat crude and messy) and metal cutting miter saws (a bit of overkill unless you have it at hand).

For all of these cuttings (especially motorized ones) use safety glasses! It's all fun and games until someone gets a metal shaving in the eye.


Dishwasher across from the sink? Way to make the pump stronger? Long story short, I renovated my kitchen and have two counters.
I have a counter where the oven and kitchen sink reside. Across from the counter (about 5 ft), I have a dishwasher across. I have a drainage tube (rubber hose) that runs from the dishwasher to the sink (about ~8-9ft long). Whenever I try to drain, the water just stays there and does not drain.

I took out the drainage hose and was able to drain the water in the dish washer in a bucket (through the dishwasher's drain cycle).
When I bought the dishwasher, I was assured that the pump was strong enough to pump the water and the drainage pump will continue to pump as long as there is water in the dishwasher.
I think the dishwasher is not draining due to the distance that the water has to travel to drain (I checked for clogs, there are none).
I am guessing I messed up big time and may need to custom fit my dishwasher with a much stronger pump? I'd greatly appreciate any advice or words of wisdom.

I can only think of three options here...
Water flows downhill
The first (less optimal) option, is to raise the discharge up and allow it to flow down to the drain connection.  In this scenario, you'll want to have the discharge tube go up to an air admittance device (AAV) or air gap. From there it should flow downhill (1/4" per foot), until it reaches the garburator connection.

Use a separate drain
The other option, is to discharge the dishwasher to its own drain.  Install a properly vented standpipe near the dishwasher, and connect the discharge tubing to that (follow local plumbing codes).

Go under the floor
The last option is to run a drain line under the floor, and attach to the sink drain below the floor. Install a trap near the dishwasher, and run a proper drain that tees into the sink drain (follow local plumbing codes).


How do I get cleaning solution into a macerator (pumping station)? I would like to know exactly how to put the vinegar in the macerator. Do i put it down the toilet bowl after turning off or unplugging the power or is there another way to get the vinegar into the blade area? Thank you.

Turning off the macerator and then pouring it down the toilet would seem sensible.


Bosch washing machine, E:00, unknown error when turning on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sI47qvVNiA

Actually works fine after this little blip.

According to bosch telephone support its a malfunctioning door sensor, but I'm not convinced as they originally said its because the door is open (which it isn't as follow-up movie shows same error with door closed).

I'm trying to avoid unstacking the dryer from above it.

Never found a solution, but bosch did replace my machine with a new one.


Attaching deck beam to side of post I know that standard deck construction involves attaching the beam on top of the post. On the small deck I am building (4X6) I would like to continue the posts up through to be the rail posts. Is there an acceptable metal bracket to make this possible?

You could attach the beams and posts using a lap joint where you cut away the thickness of the beam from the posts so that they can lock together. Similar to the picture, where the green board is the beam.

Then fasten them with a couple of lag bolts through the joint. That will provide a strong and durable joint.


Can white pine be stained to match yellow pine that has been sanded and sealed? We live in a log home that has yellow pine on the interior which has been sanded and sealed. After many years, it is now a beautiful warm honey color. We just replaced all the windows. They are aluminum clad outside but the interior is white pine and is supposed to be stained to match. However, all of the stain samples they have shown us look terrible-- they are either way too brown or way too red. We were told that it cannot be matched. Apparently, the contractor for the staining had Home Depot and Sherwin Williams try to match.

Can we match the new windows to the existing wood in our house, and if so, how?

With a little trial and error the stain can be matched, color wise. The character of the grain never will, but that minor detail will not stand out. My windows are stained pine with stained poplar trim surrounding the sash. The wood that makes up the sash does not have the size to make it a problem with the other specie of wood that is in the area. Do make a test sample to get the color adjusted to the right color. Use white pine for that too needless to say. I have made samples... got what I though was a good match, and when the finish was applied, it was still off. I have adjusted the color further by adding a little stain to the finish. In this case, I am using oil based finishes. I do not have any experience in doing this with water based finish and stain. I would think the effect is the same though. Do not add no more than 20-25% stain to the finish to tone the color of the finish. I am told it will make the finish too soft.


How do i replace the battery in this smoke detector? It wont stop beeping Its been beeping for ages and im sick of it, ive tried sliding as it says to but ive had no luck...

I was wondering the same thing and noticed there is a little latch under the text "slide to remove" which had to be lifted (with a screwdriver) to get the unit out from the ceiling. At least in Finnish version there was a text "lift the latch to slide unit off" which I noticed when I took a picture below the lid.
I know it's an ancient post but I thought this might help someone! :)


Wire Selection for a detached shop I am looking for some help in determining the proper size of wiring to run to my detached shop.  I wanted to run 100 amps copper at a one way distance of 85 ft.  I was told to use THHN 2-#2 hot, 1-#4 neutral, and 1-#6 ground (isolated in the subpanel) in PVC sch 40 1.5 inch pipe.  When I look online at calculators they show it needing larger wire.  Is there anyone that can help me determine the proper size of wiring to use?

Thanks.

One thing to remember regarding voltage drop, it is heavily dependent on the actual current draw on the conductor.  When you say that you are running 100-Amp capacity to the shop that means you are running wire that can handle that much current.  That is not the figure to use to run a voltage drop calculation.
First make a list of all the items in the shop that you would like to run;  include all items that are slated to be added in the foreseeable future, be realistic, include lighting and peripherals.   Now narrow that list to those items that likely will run at the same time.  Now determine the amp draw for each of these items.  Add those loads together.  You can add a buffer factor if you'd like.  This is the number to use in a calculation for voltage drop. Happy calculating.


Can I reduce static pressure in one room by adding a vent to an adjoining room? Our return vent for our hvac is right outside the master bedroom. The master bedroom gets very little airflow with the door shut.

It was recommended that we add secondary return duct in the master bedroom to combat the high static pressure that the house is under.

I have a question though, would it be beneficial to put a vent in the wall between the master bedroom and living room to help ventilate air in and out of the room so there is not as much pressure in the master bedroom?

Yes, adding a transfer grille or jump duct will be the easiest and most effective solution. It can be done in a way to minimize transfer of sound between rooms (see links below). Adding a return to the master bedroom doesn't guarantee that the supply/return to the master bedroom will become balanced—the resulting pressure may still be positive or even negative with respect to the rest of the house.

http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/information-sheets/information-sheet-transfer-grilles-and-ducts/

https://basc.pnnl.gov/resource-guides/transfer-grilles


New floorboards upstairs now sounding drum-like when I walk on it. How do I add sound proofing after gluing the panels in? In an upstairs bedroom, super squeaky tongue and groove planks were removed, and large panels were put in. I used that expensive tape on the joists, the panels were all cut to fit with tiny gaps by the walls. One by one they were glued and screwed down. The finish is nice, and new laminate/carpet possibilities are exiting.
Problem: footfall on that floor is drum-like now. The joists are 5 meter/yards long, and that is a long unimpeded space for a percussion effect.  I should have put some sound insulation in when I had the floorboards up. It's all glued now, though.
What can I do from below (through the plaster ceiling panels), or from above (through 22mm boards)? I'm hoping there's a minimal expanding foam injection I can do - and not have to fill the whole void, just here and there to break that 5 meter/yard "note". Then repair the holes of course.
Update [Jan 2021].
We redid the ceiling below with new panels. The previous lot were nailed up 30 years and had stippling applied as that was popular at the time. We'd tried a plaster skim over that 10 years back, and cracks were emerging as not enough PVA had been applied by the plasterer at the time. The new panels are screwed up, taped, jointed and painted.
At the same time we stuffed up rock-wool between the joists. The drum sound is a little less :( We've not done new carpet upstairs yet - pandemic slowness.

What is the spacing of the joists? Whatever it is the "best" way is to reduce that spacing perhaps by adding intermediate joists.
The drummimg is due to the frequency or vibration produced by the joist/board combination. One way to stop this is to put an isolation band between the joist and board when fitting. This allows the boards to expand/contract as they change with temperature without loading the joists. As you have screwed and glued them together you may end up with problems.
If you completely fill the void with an insulation which is in contact with the underside of the floor then this might help reduce the noise produced. I am not sure if spraying foam will be effective unless you get good coverage and volume fill.


Why does an expansion tank need to be pressurized with the same pressure as the water supply? Why does your expansion tank when installing have to be pressurized with the same PSI as the home?

I've heard to pressurize it equal with the home PSI I've also heard to pressurize at 5 lb under the PSI of the home

Normally a pressure tank is charged to a few psi less than the cut in pressure of the pump. The reason is that this allows the water to be pushed out of the tank with out having to start the pump as often. If you are on city water and you have an expansion tank 3-5 psi less than the normal water pressure allows back pressure from the water heater to be absorbed. I have seen that water heater cycling actually can cause an increase in water usage because the water meters don't deduct if there is a reverse flow. Having the tank at a lower pressure allows for the maximum of space in the tank.


Do I have to strip or sand a table before painting with chalk paint? I have an old end table that has been painted 2 times I know. I want to paint it with chalk paint and have a distressed look. Do I have to strip or sand. Concerned about type of old paint used previously.

This depends on what type of chalk paint you buy and the look you want on the table.

If your table has been painted twice with latex paint it could very well be that it is started to look "round" because of the thickness of the paint.  If you want more of a flat finish you would have to strip the paint.

Almost assuredly you cannot just paint chalkboard paint right over your old paint.  Since it is a table not only will you have to deal with the normal paint adhering issues but you will also deal with a ton of dirt and oil.  At the very least a light sanding, primer based on the chalkboard paint you bought, and then paint.

Note that if you skip the primer you could end up putting 4-5 coats of the chalkboard paint on before you get 100% coverage and this is more expensive than your primer.


How can I eliminate unneeded receptacles? The house I just bought has three different outlets in the walk in closet!! I want to remove a couple of the plugs and just put a solid plate on them. The outlet has 2 black wires and 2 white ones. It also has a ground. Do I wire the black wires together and the white ones? What do I do with the ground?

Yes, if you have your heart set on removing them, then after you remove the outlet, tie the two black wires together with a wirenut, and tie the two white wires together.  That way, you will still have power going to wherever the next electrical box is.

For the ground, you can either screw it to the box, if it is a metal box and you can find a place to do that, or just leave it unconnected in the box.  If you have two ground wires (one entering the box and one leaving), tie these two ground wires together.

Don't forget: before you remove the faceplate and start removing wires, disconnect the circuit by turning off the appropriate circuit breaker, and then test to make sure that the outlet is dead.


Adding height to an exsisting deck support pole I have a small 5'x 8' deck platform that is 30" lower then my main deck. I would like to raise that platform to the existing height of my main deck. The platform has 4" x 6" supports set in concrete and are less then a year old.

How can I add to these supports to raise that platform?

Removing the platform is not a problem, that has already been done. I would just like to reinstall it at the new height without setting new poles..thanks

There may be some options on how to handle this situation but you have left out some pretty important information. Missing is how high the existing 4x6 supports are already.

It the posts are only 6 inches high then it would be pretty hard to add 30 inches on top of them. On the other hand if they are 4 feet high then the possibilities increase.

Given enough length to the existing posts it may be feasible to place vertical 2x6 planks on each side of the existing post plus the added 30 inch length. These planks can be bolted on by drilling through the whole affair. A stub of 4x6 that is 30" long can be set between the top of the 2x6's and bolted in place as well.

The added length of the posts may warrant adding some triangulation braces for support. A horizontal member added between posts at the height of the split, in conjunction with the angle braces, would help to prevent racking at that location.


Water leaking from concrete slab porch into rooms below. How do I stop the leaks? My front porch is concrete and is above a portion of my garage, laundry room, and a basement bathroom.  The house is in Zone 6b: -5 to 0 F.  The rooms are not finished and I am not sure of the ceilings construction (see photos).  I initially thought the same concrete slab makes the floor of the porch and ceiling of the rooms below, but there is some lighting in these rooms.  Possibly there's just conduit embedded in the concrete and this is still true.  If it helps, my house was built in 1940 and has a block foundation which this concrete slab sits on.

My concern is I have two cracks in my ceiling that run the width of this slab.  Both of these cracks leak anytime there is moisture above, despite the porch looking to be painted relatively recently (I just purchased the home).

The first crack is in the bathroom:

The second is in the laundry room:

And here's the porch, what's above:

I'm concerned about this because the bathroom crack has obvious signs of damage to the concrete/plaster.  It give when I push on it around the crack and I'm sure I could easily chip it away.  Also, I would like to finish the bathroom, maybe even the laundry room, and would like to hang drywall or something without concerns of moisture getting through.  Finally, it's worth noting, that this home has a home warranty and if I can anticipate any costly repairs that might be covered, I'd like to move now.

So my question is, is this a big concern, ad either way, how can I fix this?  Thanks.

Concrete always cracks and is porous to water.
What you have is a roofing question.  The only line of defense is what's above the concrete, and it better be elastomeric to account for crack expansion and contraction.

These rooms are likely not insulated.  A spray foam roofing material applied above the concrete may be just the answer.  The foam will easily absorb the crack motion below, AND give you quite a bit of R value per inch in insulation.  You'd then need to build a new porch surface on top of the foam.

Or look for products designed for walking rooftop decks. Rubber Membrane Flat Roofs (EPDM) for example, you'd basically glue a giant sheet of rubber on top of the porch.  You'd get no insulation, but your water problem would be solved.

Yes there are crack injection kits meant for radon or foundation work.  You could inject the two cracks you know about today.  But you can't inject the crack that will form next winter.  Your only sure solution is a membrane roof on top of the deck.


How can I prevent my AC condensate pipe from making my soil soggy? I live in a Townhouse in NC, in a community under a HOA management.  I've been doing some improvements on my patio.  One of them that I couldn't find a solution is what to do with the condensed water from the AC draining.  My AC is installed in the attic.  2 drain lines come from it.  One is the main one which ends on my patio , the other line has an end on the soffit area of my roof (The secondary / auxiliary line coming from the dripping pan in the attic).
The main line, specially in summers where I use AC a lot, creates a soggy area on my lawn, so wet that even the guys from the HOA landscape company have had hard time trying to mow there.

Since I live in a Townhouse, and no way to redirect the water beyond my property line, I've read several workarounds to solve this problem:

Some suggests to connect indirectly to sewer system like this post:
Connecting condensate pump to sewer

Other suggests a mini drain well with gravel:
How do I eliminate stagnant water caused by central A/C draining outside?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLNb1caVupo

In my Case, I would like that mini drain well option, however, my concerning is the heavy clay soil I have.  After just a few inches of topsoil, I see underneath just pure Clay.  I guess that's the reason why water is ponding and creating that soggy area (see pic), specially in summers.  If I create that dry well with gravel, what are the chances that the rate of water absorption of the clay underneath and around the dry well underground will be faster than the rate of water saturation of the dry well itself (being continuously and daily watered by the AC condensation line) before starting to pond water around again?  I've read that a 2 Tons AC can create between 10 - 20 gallons of condensed water per day in summers.  Is there a minimum size and depth for this dry well on a heavy clay soil to be effective, or is this solution not worth it on a clay soil?

Connecting condensate and sump pumps to sewers is rarely legal these days in most places, so concentrating on a dry well approach is probably best unless you have dedicated storm sewers you can legally connect to.

One "crude but functional" test of "size of hole" is to dig it (and not fill it in, though depending on accessibility to the public you may need a temporary fence to keep children and people who should know better from falling into it) and either add water or let the condensate drip, and see how fast it goes away. The point of a dry well is to provide storage, and a larger surface area to drain away into. If you get lucky (don't count on it) you might get through the clay layer and have much better drainage - but in any case you will have a larger area to absorb water. Most dry well systems are amenable to put one in, if insufficient, add another, (connected by pipes underground) until you get sufficient percolation into the subsoil.


Latex Matches Perfectly Twice...Then Suddenly Darker? This may be an amateur question, but I am racking my brain to figure out what is happening. Appreciate any advice.
I am doing touchups to basic drywall with a flat latex, very light gray. I have the original paint that was used just a couple months ago, and so it has matched perfectly. One section I painted had some raised spackle though, so I sanded the paint itself and the spackle back down and painted it again. The paint matched perfectly again, but I hadn't painted as far to the edges as I should have, so a couple days later I went over it real quick with another coat.
This time, after matching perfectly twice, the same paint was a whole shade darker. It stood out like a sore thumb. The exact same paint, on the same spot, with the same roller, just two days after it had matched just fine. No dramatic temperature or humidity changes.
I've sanded the last paint coat off again, and the layer underneath is much closer to the right color, but now I don't know what to do. I've dabbed a few spots, and it seems like the paint is still drying too dark.
Is there some property of drywall that dictates that you can only ever paint it twice before paint starts drying darker? Or does one have to wait for longer than two days just to do another matching coat of a flat latex? This stuff dries in like 5 minutes so that doesn't seem right. I just can't figure out the physics of it, and I really want to be able to make it look right again.
I wish I had pictures of the whole process but I only have them as it exists now - I have sanded back down, you can still see the color and texture difference. It seems clear that just painting it again will still yield the darker color. I did a little test with primer too, but that didn't seem to change much. How can this suddenly change from matching perfectly to not matching at all?
Thanks!

UPDATE: After sanding nearly to dry wall, I tried a dab just to the right of the hole, you can see it fairly clearly. I think it matches the surrounding paint pretty darn close. Thoughts?

You probably didn't have the paint mixed well at one point and some of the color solids had settled out.
The best strategy now is probably to paint the entire wall after mixing thoroughly. Any variation will be masked by the natural light shift at the corners.


How much structural support does a Gazebo require? We are having a gazebo built on the end of a new deck. The deck is about 4 feet off the ground at the point where the gazebo will go and the contractor wants to use 4x4 posts dug into the ground all the way to the roof of the gazebo, to support the deck/and structure. The gazebo is 12x12, will have a double roof with cupola. With the roof I'm thinking it will be about 12' tall give or take. I know the inside will be about 8 feet clearance.

Will this be sturdy enough or should we use 6x6 posts?

Get an architecture plan and take it to the city for a permit.  They will tell you if the supports are sufficient.  Despite the obvious statement that you should always get a permit, you should definitely get a permit for anything built outside because otherwise a complaint from a neighbor can force you to tear it down.

Supporting the roof is not a problem.  Supporting the weight of all the people that could fit inside it is a problem.  I have a 12'x14' deck that required 10 concrete posts driven 5' deep (the frost line where I live in Canada) in order to be able to support a full load of people that could possibly fit during a big party or something.  It would have been 15 posts if it wasn't bolted to the house foundation.  I could hold an elephant on it, but that's what the city demanded (and rightly so).

Note:  Wood should not be driven into the ground.  It'll rot.  Either float it on concrete pads or put concrete posts down to below the frost line (if any).


What hardwood flooring is recommended for high traffic areas? I am having a house built and the developer wanted to charge me $10/sq ft for the cheapest $3/sq ft Bruce Oak, and more for anything better quality.  There was no charge for Vinyl so, I had them put that in and figured I would get someone else to do the wood floors.  I plan on having the foyer, dining room, kitchen and breakfast area done.  These are all very heavy use areas.  I expect lots of kids with shoes on.  What is the best hardwood for my heavy use application?  I don't mind spending the $10/sq ft for wood that's worth it.

Edit:  We have a wood subfloor.

The answer is "it depends" -- on what you need, on how well it's cared for, and how often you want to refinish it. Real wood is measured by something called the "Janka Hardness Scale"  -- oak is a good choice, as it's rated at about 1300, with only more exotic woods being harder. I was told that Oak would probably be scratched by my dogs' claws, though, and I imagine that the invariable stones stuck in kids shoes will be worse. If it's possible, get real oak and make the kids take their grubby shoes off at the door... :-P

The "engineered" hardwoods are better because they're cheaper, but worse because they're not able to be sanded smooth and refinished. You'll usually see thicknesses plus a Janka measurement or an AC rating. The thinner the veneer, the more likely you are to crack through it no matter what the hardness of the veneer or the AC rating of the floor are.

For 100% composite stuff, such as Pergo and Kronotex, you'll see hardness measured on an "AC" scale that's basically a designation for how much traffic the wood is designed to bear in a residential or commercial setting. "AC2/Moderate Residential" will be too soft for your needs. "AC3 - Light Commercial/Heavy Residential" may be durable enough for your needs, but might show wear. "AC4/Moderate Commercial" is most likely what you'll need to go with, and it's harder to find and more expensive. However, it's less expensive than wood is no matter what.

Two things you didn't say... first, what kind of structure you're installing it on. Is it a wood subsurface, or is it slab-on-grade or slab basement? If it's on concrete in any way shape or form, you definitely want to go with something that is composite and less expensive. I know that you CAN install wood on slab-on-grade, but I would never consider doing it, personally. Second, what rooms is this going in? Wood floorings, regardless of composite or engineered or natural, is not good in places that will receive water on the surface or may be exposed to leaks. So the entry hall (front door and back), the kitchen, and the bathrooms are places to avoid having wood floors. I would keep vinyl or tile in those areas, or explore the wood-grain ceramics that are becoming quite popular for those areas or over slab-on-grade.


Should I use natural decking oil on a dark wooden deck? I have some decking with a fairly dark looking wood (please see photo), although it hasn't been cleaned yet so may be lighter than it appears.

I need to clean and oil this deck and I already have some Ronseal Ultimate Protection Decking Oil in Natural colour which someone gave me. Here's a link to the product: https://www.ronseal.com/for-garden/decking/decking-oil/ultimate-protection-decking-oil/

I prefer the darker look of decking, but could also do with saving a bit of money.

Given that the decking appears to be a little dark, can you describe what it's likely to turn out like with the natural colour oil?

I'm worried it will come out looking strange, because the decking colour and oil aren't compatible. Would that be the case?

Thank you in advance!

If you want to see what it will look like with the oil finish applied, clean an inconspicuous area and put a bit of it on. Alternatively, untinted wood finishes often give the same appearance as the look when the wood is wet; clean an area and get it wet for a reasonable facsimile.

I would use what I had in hand anyway, because free is good, and natural weathering/graying will occur soon and your color choice can be changed next season (or the year after) if you prefer a finish with a dark tint.


What can I do to further reduce solar heat gain with existing Venetian blinds? Have a large bedroom window that get's very hot late afternoon sun in the peak of summer. It has basic white aluminium venetian blinds on it that from what I am aware don't offer much in the way of heat insulation or reflective properties. The portable AC has to work very hard at this time. Is there anything I could use/hang in front of the blinds to reduce heat gain other than replacing the blinds completely?

One option that can actually help a lot and can diy done is special window film that is made just for that purpose.  I have no affiliation with this company or its products but it was a first hit in a google search  just to give you an idea of what I am referring to.  It looks like they have some good information on their site. https://www.allwindowfilms.com/products/solar-window-film/reflective-window-film

My experience has been with a 3M product but I can't locate the product name quickly. 3M though charges a premium for their name.  Is it any better or not I can't really say. These types of films do work though. Not as well as a replacement window with low-e color reflective glass multiple panes and inert gas filling.  But that gets a lot more involved.

UPDATE:  I found 3M's info.  https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/home-window-solutions-us/solutions/  This is the product I would probably suggest, https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/?N=5002385+8709316+8710037+8710654+8710938+8711017+8721691+3292716663&rt=rud


Should we install beadboard paneling or countertop first? We are planning to install bead board paneling to our kitchen back splash, and new Formica for the counter tops.  Which product should be installed first, and why?

There are advantages to doing it either way.

If you put the paneling up first, and slid the counter top back so it overlaps the panel a bit, you'll get a very nice looking edge if properly caulked.

BUT, doing it this way runs the risk of water running down the back splash, and running behind the counter, creating a rot/mould risk on the cabinetry underneath (particularly if the caulk fails).

If the paneling goes over the counter top, you mitigate the water risk, but it's going to be a lot harder to get a good looking edge.


Why is the live wire reading live, but the neutral is not, in my lighting circuit? A ceiling light has failed and I have removed it.  The circuit that it was part of (eight other downstairs lights) is working fine. BUT the supply cable from this circuit to the failed light is 'live' for the live wire but not 'live' for the neutral.  So my replacement light fitting is not working. Where can the problem be?

Where can the problem be?

The problem might be that you didn't take into account that neutral is usually tied to ground/earth. In the US this typically occurs at the point the supply enters the building.


How to replace bulbs in this ceiling fan? Unfortunately I have no documentation on this ceiling fan.   I've tried doing a google reverse image search and looked at the catalogs of popular ceiling fan manufacturers.
There are no screws or tabs or anything like that.   I've tried physically rotating the glass which appears to be bonded to the inner metal housing with no luck.
There's a small circular indentation in the inner housing but appears to serve no purpose.

I almost  certain that the glass should rotate off, the little indent in the metal will be for a  corresponding groove in the  glass cover. Some times the friction on these make them feel as thought they will not move.
If you are careful and wrap the glass in a damp towel, or some other grippy material, and try turning with a little more force it should come free. It should be counterclockwise to undo it.


spraypainting - is it hazardous to spray paint metal in your bedroom? I have a 9 foot metal baseboard heater that I spray painted with some cheap enamel spray paint by color place. It says non toxic when dry, and that it can be used for interior and exterior.

It has a strong odor and according to the SDS, ~460g/l VOC content. I've already put on 5 coats but I regret it.

This is essentially cheap spray paint on metal, if and when it fully dries is it ok to sleep right next to it?

This is in the humid climate of Ohio but there are two windows in this small room which I will try to keep open as much as possible.

Once the solvent evaporates, the only source of odor or gases would be the plastic resin in the paint getting hot enough to cook.

The outer shell of the heater isn't a problem, and if you were careful to not get paint on the heating element, you have nothing to worry about.  Be aware that when the heater is hot, it may initially expel some more solvent from deep in the paint that normally evaporates too slowly to smell.  But this will be temporary.

If you got paint on the heating element inside, the result will depend on the type of element.  If the internal heating element is a pipe of hot water or hot oil, that won't get hot enough to cook the paint (although you might get some initial odor like from the shell).  Those elements often rely on metal fins to radiate the heat, and a lot of paint on the fins may cut down a little on the efficiency.

If the heating element is a metal ribbon that gets hot, that will char any paint you got on it.  It will stink (and may smoke or ignite), and those vapors won't be good for you.  But that will happen within the first minutes of use, leave some charred paint on the ribbon, and be done; it won't be a continuing problem.  If any paint does burn, that should be contained within the heater.  But you might want to move anything flammable away from the heater when you turn it on for the first time as a common sense precaution.


Can a mud ring be used in reverse? So, we've ran into a couple folks who have annoying 3.5" octagon or pancake boxes firmly embedded into exterior walls, and want to mount a receptacle in them -- the pancake box from a linked thread is depicted below, along with a dimensional drawing of same.

Unfortunately, the screws provided on a 3.5" octagon or pancake box for device mounting don't fit much of anything besides a light fixture as they are spaced 2.75" apart -- single and duplex receptacle yokes are too big with their 3.28" standard mounting screw spacing, and flanged outlets are too small as their mounting holes are 2" apart, as can be seen below.

So, can you use a raised 4" round to 3.5" round adapter mudring, such as a Crouse-Hinds TP332 or the Raco 727 depicted below, mounted with its 3.5" side to the existing box, to provide 4" standard mounting holes which can then be used for a 4" weatherproof faceplate adapter (Taymac PRBA400G, depicted below with a different box) or weatherproof round extension box as well as a faceplate adapter (Bell 5363-0 or equivalent extension box)?  (Of course, you'd have to do some extra work to make sure things are sealed appropriately for outdoor use due to the mudring & box sticking out, but that's beyond the scope of this question.)

Here in Australia you'd probably use a surface mounting block over the top and then an IP rated outlet.

Mounting block is bigger than a round j-box. May need to seal between block and wall and then you're done.

Along these lines:

Source: http://updates.clipsal.com/assets/images/products/A00047211.PNG

Not sure whats available and standards in the US but if surface mounted over the top and larger, shouldn't be an issue but uglier than flushed.

May be able to drill/chase in a large wall box, however it's quite a bit of work.


Preventing delivery theft at condominium building Over the last few weeks, numerous residents have had packages stolen from our unit. Last night, I went down to the entrance to find that my package had been ripped open. They left the box, but took the items inside which had a value of around $1,000. My roommate had a package stolen today.

The company which runs the homeowners' association responded with details of last nights' incident from security footage, and a generic response about improving the situation:

  A homeless person entered the property behind a vehicle, and stole packages & broke into the janitorial closet as stole supplies.

  Our team will investigating how to prevent people from breaking-in.

What can I do about this situation? I have previously lived in apartments with lockers for items delivered, though unsure about how I can get this installed to our building. I have read that HOA companies are notorious for being difficult to work with.

Your right, HOA's can be impossible to deal with. They won't address this unless a majority of owners want to have it fixed. Installing lockers would be expensive and the delivery companies would have to have access to them. The USPS would probably tell you they'll deliver the packages but someone there would have to place them in the lockers. Your best bet right now is to have the packages delivered to a friend's address, or maybe to where you work. With so much shopping done online, this is becoming a major problem, even at private residences.


What are the difficulties in installing an in-floor drain in a laundry room? I’m looking into a new construction home that lacks a floor drain in the laundry room. As I’m not a plumber, I’d like to understand how trivial or not trivial it is to add this, in case the builder pushes back on the ask.

It seems like it’s real simple as it’d be a separate drain pipe that, at some point, connects to the rest of the drainage system. Is it that easy or are there complications?

You need proper slope on the pipe—depending on the location of the drain and the location of the stack this may be difficult.  At least with a crawlspace assuming sewer level is lower than the floor (ceiling assembly of the crawlspace) you should be able to make a giant mess of pipes that just hang and not have to touch framing.  A builder will probably have to pull the plumber in to make the change.  Even simple changes are going to be relatively expensive.  Probably not as much as if you hired a licensed plumber to do it later but I wouldn't expect it to be much less.

The floor where the drain is located also needs to be sloped appropriately for the drain to have the best effect.  Unless the floor drain hooks up to a pipe before a trap, it will need its own trap.  This trap will be subject to drying out since it won't be in regular use and you'll have to periodically dump water down to prevent sewer gases from coming up unless you have a self priming water valve that occasionally drips water into it.

There is also a critical arm length for the pipe from the trap exit to the vent to prevent siphoning but presumably you'll be in range since the laundry machine also needs to be within this range for its trap.

I went with a flood safe solenoid and a water sensor that turns off the water to my water heater if the sensor detects water on the floor.  These exist for laundry machines as well.  You can even get a setup that texts that water has been detected and the water to the machine has been shut off.  This might be cheaper than the floor drain route—though in principle I like passive insurance.  I also go with a washer pan under the washing machine; you could put the sensor in the pan.


Garage door down, will not open and no access inside I have a garage door that started to act up by not closing completely, I ignored it (bad move on my part).  It has now closed and will not open, I have tried the emergency release cable and it is now disengaged, still will not open. I can hear the motor running when I try the remote.  I do not have a door into the garage and the windows are super small and high (I am 68 years old and not agile).  Is there any way to force the door open ??  It also does not have a handle on the outside of the door making it difficult to get a grip on the door.  Do I just have to trash the door and buy a new one?  Any answers are appreciated.

The emergency release cable on my garage door is inside the garage. When it is pulled, the door operates manually by lifting. If the springs are weak, it will take some effort to get the door moving.

You have two questions.

The first answer may be that your door has weak springs. A lever of some sort is indicated. Consider a two-by-four of some length, perhaps with a steel strap affixed to the end to get under the door. A fulcrum attached to the lever close to the end will give you some lifting to the door. Block the door at the height accomplished, then re-position the fulcrum, perhaps lengthening it to afford additional height. Block the door each time a gain is made. There are also devices known as fence post jacks which will allow straight vertical lifting once you have sufficient elevation to access the underside of the door. Even an old-style auto jack could be pressed into service, but I've not seen one of those in years.

At some point, you should be able to lift the door by hand, as the springs take over the load.

Rather than trashing the door should the above option be out of reach, consider to contact a garage door company for suggestions. With sufficient desperation, many other options are available. My neighbor has a bobcat type loader with fork-lift blades. If my door were stuck badly enough, it would certainly open under the force of the loader.

That leads my train of thought down another track. One could construct a simple set of wedges and tap them into place with a hammer. As the door began to lift, the wedges would be stacked onto additional spacers in order to continue the progress until the springs engaged.

If your release cable snapped and did not disengage the mechanism, it is necessary to perform the lift and remote actions together or risk damaging the opener. When my opener sheared the teeth on the motor, it was strong enough to prevent manual opening but not strong enough to lift the door. Had the release not operated properly, there would have been little to no additional damage to the already worn gear.


How should I fill gaps between floorboards? We have a Girl Scout camp and I'm the new property manager. We have cabins that are on stilt-like legs, approximately 20 years old. The flooring in these cabins has large gaps in between each piece of wood plank; lots of debris gets in these cracks (a pencil fits nicely inside the cracks).

There are three cabins that need the gaps filled; what is the best solution to fill them?

I'll both disagree and agree with @RedGrittyBrick's comment. The  best solution is to treat the existing floor as a subfloor and lay a tight new floor over it at right angles or diagonally to the existing boards.

Pulling up an existing floor is almost never the best (especially when cost is an object, and it usually is) solution unless it's rotten.