Making my own heater coil So I am working on a project to which I need a heater. Currently I am using a cheapo heat gun that I purchased at Harbor Freight which works decently but I would like my heat to be more evenly distributed in my test environment and also a higher heat output as well.  I am looking for around 1500-2000 watts of heat as my current heat gun is rated for about 1500 watts.

From what I have seen, nickel chromium seems to be the choice many people are using but have a few questions in using that.. Can you get the 1500 watts of heat I am looking for with this? It seems all the projects I found that use this method seem to be requiring much less heat.  If someone here has a better material choice please let me know.

So once I have my material, lower gauge (larger diameter wire) = higher heat output and higher power requirement right?

It also seems that the projects that I have found connect DC power to the coils.. can this not be done with AC? My heat gun uses AC and has no transformer so I would think AC would work as well?  Also stoves seem to have heat coils that plug in with two terminals.. I assume these just hook up to AC power through a switch on the stove which simple turns the power on and off?

Also what are standard techniques to "hold onto" the heater coil to mount it for a project? Is this typically just done with steel / aluminum mounts?

I know many questions but basically if someone can outline how to create such a heat coil, it would be incredibly helpful as I am sure someone is much more knowledgeable than me on this subject and probably has done it before.

The reason you don't find larger heaters than 1500 w is the max load for a 15 amp circuit. Going to a 20a 120v circuit can get you to the range you want these industrial heat guns are quite expensive but are out there and much safer than building one because they have built in safetys and the proper heat & electrical insulation / insulators to prevent a fire. But most do use nicrome wire as the heat source.


What is this device on my water heater intake? What is this device on my heater water intake?

It have a black plastic cap on top;

It have markings around its body such as:
2" Hg

It connects after the shutoff valve of the heater, and just before the water entry of the heater.

I have not found an exact match for it, but I'm fairly sure it's a backflow preventer / siphon breaker / vacuum breaker.
Nothing else makes sense with that low of a pressure marking, and I have found similar examples, just not this exact model.
The intent would be to prevent water siphoning back out of the water heater into the cold water line in the event of a pressure loss on the cold water line. Or perhaps preventing siphoning to the hot water outlets is the intent, per this section of the UPC:
UPC 608.7 Vacuum Relief Valves.
Where a hot-water storage tank or an indirect water heater is located at an elevation above the fixture outlets in the hot-water system, a vacuum relief valve that is in accordance with CSA Z21.22 shall be installed on the storage tank or heater.
The IPC also wants them:
504.1 Antisiphon Devices
An approved means, such as a cold water "dip" tube with a hole at the top or a vacuum relief valve installed in the cold water supply line above the top of the heater or tank, shall be provided to prevent siphoning of any storage water heater or tank.
504.2 Vacuum Relief Valve
Bottom fed water heaters and bottom fed tanks connected to water heaters shall have a vacuum relief valve installed. The vacuum relief valve shall comply with ANSI Z21.22.
Among the various reasons for that would be preventing the water level from falling low enough to allow the heating means to be exposed above waterline, resulting in damage to the electric element, or tank itself in the case of fuel-fired heaters.


Fixing grade on concrete garage floor? Here is a concrete garage floor that has a pitch and/or concavities that cause water to puddle inside the garage in the middle of the slabs instead of draining out the front.

What are realistic solutions to prevent the puddling of water brought in by cars?

I don't think it would be effective to grind the cement because the adjacent driveway slab starts at the same level as the current garage slab, so grinding in the garage to create a pitch would just cause water to pool around the door.

I also inquired about mud-jacking but was told that can't be done for such large slabs.

The cheapest solution is to cut a weep path that runs from the pooling point out the door, as long as you start shallow and keep increasing the depth the water would flow out.  Depending on what the drive way looks like if it is a hill that slopes down that might be all that is required.  Possibly make a cross type design with cuts to direct the water from the area your tires normally sit to a middle cut line.  I'd probably start with a 6' straight edge and find the lowest spots to mark them.

The more expensive solution is to get the garage epoxy people to do it for you.  They'll grind the concrete for it to accept the epoxy coating and should be able to use self leveler to achieve a slope before doing the epoxy.


Does the wall termination vent for a kitchen range hood need fastened to the duct tightly? 6" duct running out through exterior wall.  For my dryer wall vent, I used a pipe clamp to tightly secure the round duct around the outside of the male fitting on the wall vent.  I have access to this space if I ever need to replace the wall vent.  Once this kitchen is done, I will not have access to the space for the range hood vent.  Looking to the future, in case I ever need to replace the wall vent, do I simply friction fit the male fitting of the wall vent into the range hood duct so that I can easily slide a new one in?
I can't see any way people could replace these in an exterior wall if they secured the duct to the vent with a clamp or tape.

Ducts do not need to be securely fastened to their wall vent counterparts, nor taped.  Simply pushing the duct over the male fitting of the wall vent will suffice.


How to disassemble old Moen kitchen faucet I have an leaking older single-handle Moen faucet.  All the info I've found for such faucets shows a removable cap on top of the handle; removing that exposes a screw, which allows removal of the handle, etc.

This faucet doesn't have a clearly-removable cap; instead, it has a slightly inset surface on top of the faucet, which is covered with a 'Moen' sticker.  I tried gently prying on that, but it wasn't clear that it was meant to come off.

So, before pushing on and maybe defacing the surface, does anyone know how to disassemble this faucet?  Or, for that matter, what the model number would be.

Thanks

Edit: It turns out, the "Moen" thing is just a sticker.  Peel it back, and there's the screw.  No cap to pry off.

So far, everything I find online shows that the screw is certainly under the cap but no direction how specifically to remove the cap. Here is an image that I found:

Hope it helps!


Deck Rail Fencing For Cat I need to install some kind of fencing on the sides of my deck to keep my cat from jumping to the neighbor's balcony (lol). I have pots there now to prevent him from his adventures.
I was thinking a criss-cross or trellis style fencing that wouldn't be too dense and could possibly be used for climbing plants.
I've been having a hard time finding anything like this on Home Depot's website. Any ideas or resources for this? Also on how best to attach it to the deck railing?
Thank you for any thoughts or advice.

Rule # one with cats: they will find a way!!!, just to spite you.
I found these on a popular home store site and could be a solution. You might have to do some cutting but you could fasten them to the deck railing with some strong cable ties.


Lessen noise from adjacent room I have a housemate who tends to snore during the night. Since our rooms share a wall, I tend to hear it. We live in an apartment building made from concrete panels.

I'd like to do some basic soundproofing so that it doesn't bother me (at least not as much), but 1) I'm not the owner of the apartment and I can't make huge changes, and 2) I want the room to still look good after changes are made.

I don't need to soundproof the whole room, it's just this wall that bothers me. I've been thinking of putting up fabric acoustic tiles, but I'd prefer not to cover the whole wall for both cost-saving and aesthetic reasons.

What portion of the wall do the acoustic tiles need to cover to effectively reduce noise from the other room? How much space should there be between each? Where and how should I place them?

Or is there a better solution?

Maybe this could be approached from a different angle. If snoring is the only reason you desire sound deading then talk your housemate into purchasing a snore suppressor. Earplugs would be far cheaper and easier than creating a wall sound barrier.


What should I do with the extra wire when intalling a new remote for my ceiling fan? I am replacing a ceiling fan remote. the fan has 5 wires coming from it and the new receiver has 4 wires coming from it.  The old receiver had: fan out, common out, neutral in, live in and light out.  The new receiver has: line in, neutral in, light out and fan.  What do I do with the extra wire?

The "Common Out" lead on the old receiver module, is simply a grounded (neutral) conductor. Since the new receiver doesn't have this lead. You'll want to connect the white wire from the fixture, together with the white wire from the ceiling, and the white (neutral in) wire from the new receiver.

The new wiring should be connected as follows:

Ungrounded (hot) conductor from ceiling to Live In wire on receiver.
Grounded (neutral) conductor from ceiling to 'Neutral Inon receiver, andCommon` from fixture.
Light Out on receiver to light (blue) wire on fixture.
'Fan Out` on receiver to fan (black) wire on fixture.
All grounding (green, bare, etc.) conductors should be connected together, and connected to the ceiling box if it's a metal box.

Notes: I've tried to keep the answer applicable to all areas, however, wire colors used in this answer are for the US and may be different in other countries.


Overhead Light Fixture - Didn't Use Green Screw I, with the help of a neighbor, installed an overhead light fixture. It was a little awkward and I'm not sure the unit came with the right bracket - it didn't match the one in the instructions. The awkwardness meant that it was impossible to attach the two ground wires to the green screw. The neighbor simply twisted the two ground wires together and added one of those plastic screw on wire connectors. He said it was perfectly safe.

My in-law's house just had a kitchen fire after an electrician had done some work so I'm spooked. Should I have a professional come in and reinstall the light? Is it necessary to use the green screw if the two ground wires are firmly connected?

The reason for grounding to the electrical box is so that the whole system is grounded. If the box is not grounded then there if the hot touches the box, then the box will become energized. This creates two possible problems:

If the hot box is in contact with wood (like house framing), then it can leak electricity into the wood at high resistance. This will cause the wood to get hot. If it gets hot enough, it could start to burn.
If anybody touches the box, or anything connected to the box, they could be electrocuted. For example, you know those little screws that screw the switchplate over the switch? You know what they screw into? That's right, they screw into the box. So if the box is hot, then those little screws are hot too.


How can I prepare a wall for reasonably heavy tiles in a shower area? I'm renovating a bathroom in my apartment and would like to fit 12mm Travertine tiles in a bath/shower area. For most of the walls in this area I have used cement board (Hardibacker 500) attached directly to suitably spaced studding. However, I have one wall which is a boundary between apartments and I'm not allowed to strip it back to the stud to re-clad it.

By drilling a couple of holes I've found that this wall seems to be constructed from double thickness (~30mm) of Gyproc Soundbloc and is painted. I had planned to remove the paint, screw and glue some 6mm cement board (Hardibacker 250) to the wall, and then seal all the edges with silicone. However, I'm worried that moisture could still permeate through the backer board and gradually weaken the plasterboard.

How I can prepare this wall for reasonable heavy tiles, taking into consideration that it'll be a wet area?

A membrane (whether thin sheet or liquid) applied over the backerboard, is a vastly superior means of waterproofing,  This is because it sits immediately under the tile, as opposed to behind the backer.

Red Guard and HydroBan are some liquid membranes and Kerdi and NobleFlex are thin sheet membranes.


Conduit/wires to panel box Is it always two copper wires (one circuit) that you can run through when connecting a conduit to the box? The reason why I am asking was wondering if it is permissible to run four wires (two different circuits) to the panel box? Running out of connections to panel. Trying not to have a sub panel box yet. I do have one more slot that I can use if need be if you can't run the four wires or two different circuits which would be okay too.

The short answer is yes you can run 2 circuits in 1 conduit. There are some limitations depending on the size and type of wire or cable and the conduit size. If you provide the needed ampacity of each circuit and conduit size / current wire type we can provide you with what would be allowed by code in the areas we know (providing your country / state) we may be able to get quite specific.

Added:

See the comment below but you have way more room to add circuits with the wire you mentioned. You should be using wire listed as THWN most of the wire I purchase today is listed as THHN /THWN.  THWN or wire listed for a wet location  is required when the conduit is outside or a wet location. Illinois is on the 2008 NEC. The wire size, fill and type have not changed for years. Note source for NEC In ILLINOIS is the NEC In effect 1-1-2017.
Good luck and be safe.
2nd note I was lazy and used table values for #12 since there were 2 sizes. 1/2" THHN / THWN the max conductors for #12 is 9. The max fill if they were all #14 is 12 , with 12 conductors the derate would be 50% so as long as you stay below 9 conductors your wire size and ampacity is not affected.


Basement floor is damp and the top of my foundation is cracking after air sealing the attic? Two months after having my attic professionally air sealed and insulated, the basement floor became damp and the top of the foundation started to show signs of horizontal cracking.  Humidity levels in the living space are also high.  The house is a one story ranch with a brick veneer.  A gas hot water heater and dryer vent were also added to basement.

Horizontal cracking? That's odd, and I think that's unrelated to your moisture problem (even with a picture, I'm not sure I'd comment on that).

Well, you've air sealed your house, which means that now you have to actually pay attention to the V in HVAC: Ventilation. In a hermetically sealed house, I strongly suggest seeking a better filter system.

I'll take a wild guess that you lack a suitably sized fresh air intake for the furnace, as well as a make-up air inlet for the house (because most houses don't have either).

But you probably just need to look into buying a dehumidifier. Assuming that none of your power-vented equipment is over powering any of your gas-fired natural draft equipment, or that any other item like a fireplace is doing so (hopefully your CO detector will notify you of that).

Your A/C is over-sized or improperly charged. Have a tech come out to diagnose the unit. Hire whoever can explain the difference between superheat and subcooling to you, and what a wet-bulb temperature is.

And explain to them that, you need the A/C unit tweaked to run longer, whether it be from reducing the fan speed, or monkeying with the pressure to make it less efficient, with the goal being to drop out excess moisture from the air.

Central AC system not reducing the humidity in the air? –dslreports.com

  a standard AC unit will drop out more humidity the longer it runs - if it is oversized you will be too cold before it has a chance to do the job - the too large coil will make the air cold too quickly and the unit will cut off before it has time to drop out the moisture. A slower fan speed would help some because it gives the air more time at the evaporator coil and will let the unit run longer

The thread goes on about relative vs. absolute humidity for a while...

  Going back to the OP, if the AC is cooling down the house too quickly, then open up some window shades [or room doors] and give the house some heat to force the AC to run longer. This will give more time for the AC to pull moisture out of the air and lower the relative humidity. Having a proper moisture barrier is important though. Never open a window or turn on an exhaust fan. By doing so, you are pulling humidity into your home and as it hits your cool air, it will condense and feed mold.

However if it's not all that hot outside but it's really humid, "Agreed with others in that you are sort of in the 'screwed zone'."


What is the best way to seal a French drain board due to high levels of radon? The Radon level in my crawl space is above the threshold (~5.5) and the level in my basement is around 4.  I'd like to install a radon mitigation fan that sucks air from the sump pump of a French drain system.

The problem is that the French drain has a black plastic drain board at the edge between the new concrete and the cinder block wall.  It's a few inches tall.  I was told I should seal that because the radon mitigation system's fan would basically just suck air through those gaps and wouldn't do much sucking from the soil.  Furthermore, a powerful fan would create some backdraft and I may get a CO problem.

It's a pity to have to seal that thing, but looks like I'd have to do it.  What is the best thing to do?

I have some ideas but they are probably not great:

duck tape the drain board
spray foam
polyurethane spray
cement

By the way, I'm finishing the basement and putting some rigid foam insulation (1 or 2 inch) on the wall so I'd have to take that into consideration too.

If the French drain is between your basement slab and the exterior walls, it may be the source of most of your radon. Sounds like a small suction from the drain sump to the outside is a good plan. A small fan with its own exhaust pipe shouldn't be a problem for the water heater or furnace but a CO detector is never bad for closed rooms with gas appliances.


What is the function electrical device? What is the function of the device in the picture. Unfortunately, I did not make a full diagram of how it was wired, but the hot and the corresponding neutral were connected  by crimp-on leads on the right side. The hot was downstream from a lutron dimmer and there were three other 14/2 wires in the box which I'm not sure where they led to.

That is a contactor.  With the proper electrical signal to a coil underneath it magnetically draws the switching plate across the contact points and closed the circuit.  This type of unit is typically rated for 15 to 40-Amps.  It is an electrically operated switch for heavier loads.


Second toilet runs after first one flushed? When our one toilet is flushed, the other toilet will run for a short time? II have drained the tank and cleaned around the flap.

Sounds like a problem unrelated to the flapper. The "running" you hear is likely the fill valve. Perhaps the fluctuation of your water supply pressure when one toilet's fill valve opens is causing the other toilet fill valve to momentarily leak-by or open. I have seen this happen before and a rebuild of the fill valve washers (or fill valve replacement) should fix it.

Try shutting off the supply to the suspect fill valve and open it up. Inspect the valve washers for debris, lime, scale, mineral deposits. Flush the valve by cracking open the water supply while it is disassembled. If the valve washers are worn or soft (if you get black stuff on your fingers when touching them) they need replacing.


Is it ok to paint walls now and doors and casing later? Recently had carpet and old baseboards removed from my house and hardwood sanded and refinished with Provincial floor stain. Now we've hired a painter to paint three bedrooms, hallway, living room, plus install and paint new baseboards.

We decided to go with white for the new baseboards but unsure what to do about the doors, door casings and closets of each room, which is all stained wood and doesn't look very nice.

The easy answer is to have the painter paint the doors and trim white when he paints but the doors are in poor condition. The door jams and door casings are also pretty bad with chips and splintered wood. Only the closet doors look halfway decent.

Ideally I'd like to get three new prehung doors installed before he starts painting. Then have him paint the new doors, install and paint the door casings in addition to the walls, ceilings and baseboards. But this is an older house built in the 1950's and the rough opening for the doors are not standard, so I'll need to special-order them, which will cause a delay.

The painter is coming to start this weekend and is probably going to begin with patching walls and baseboard installation. So my question is it that bad of an idea to just have him paint and do baseboards now, then have new prehung doors installed along with all new door casings and have it all painted white sometime later?

Other than cost, which will depend on the painter, there isn't that much of a difference. The concerns I know of are:

Matching Paint Colors
That is (a) not nearly as much of an issue with white as with other colors and (b) if you are talking about a short amount of time (weeks as opposed to months or years), you could get all the paint at one time.
Aging
Painting part of a room 2 years after painting another part of the room may not match exactly due to aging effects from sunlight, etc. But a few weeks, even a few months, is not likely to cause a noticeable difference.


Is steam heat noisy? Is steam heat noisy compared to forced hot water?

I currently have forced hot water and the only noise is an occasionally hum from the pump (which can be annoying) and sometimes the sound of water can be heard running in the pipes. Also, sometimes the pipes will creak as they expand. In general, it is pretty quiet.

Does steam heat hiss or make other sounds?

Either system is quiet if installed and maintained correctly. Steam heat could become more noisy if the system is not maintained properly. There were 2 distinct steam systems employed for heating using either the older 1 pipe system or the slightly newer 2 pipe steam system. Of the 2sysyems the 1 pipe system always made more noise than the 2 pipe system. A hot water system should  be dead quiet if installed correctly. Even the noise of the water flow does not have to be there. I have seen all types and installed many. My choice would be hot water for my home however steam was my life and love.


How do I eliminate tub spout gap? I have a gap between the tub spout and the tile wall.
How would I straighten the pipe?
I’ve included two photos. One to show the spout and the other to show the copper pipe. This is a condo complex so somewhat challenging to turn off the water to the building. The shower valve has stops.
Separately, if I use caulk, which type do you recommend?

You need to either shorten the pipe or caulk the gap; neither would require shutting the water off (just don't open the valve while working on it).
I would just caulk it, it's not that big of a gap. Use silicone caulk labeled for use in the tub/shower/bath environment.


Can I route the neutral wire from a surge protection breaker across the panel busbars? I plan to install a whole-house surge protective device (SPD). Its instructions state that you should place it as close as possible to the connection of the mains with the busbars. Also it has a neutral wire which is supposed to be made as short as possible.
My panel already has a backfeed breaker for a generator in the top-right position (blue). This cannot be moved because there is a physical lockout device on the panel.
If I put the SPD in the top-left position (space can be made - green) then is it acceptable to route the neutral wire through the shortest path crossing the busbars?
If not, any advice whether it would be better to:

Run the neutral a longer distance (eg up and over the top of the panel)?

Add another grounding bar in the upper-left of the panel, and attach there?

Put the SPD one down from the top-right?

Something else?

(The purple arrow is not specific as to the exact terminal, its just generally pointing to the intended area.)

I did see a brief discussion about a similar issue in the comments to https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/69282/41781 but it didn't seem definitive.

Having the neutral cross the hot bus is not a code violation.
However since neutrals are not protected for overcurrent, if for some reason a second circuit was tied in and the insulation melted it could damage the panel badly enough to require replacement. I have seen this.
I would route the wire around as not to create this remote but possible hazard.
But your wire is too short? Then splice enough to make it around and this would be a safer method that is also code compliant.
This is the reason electricians that do remodels hate to see wires with no service loops, now the wire requires a splice or less than desirable routing.


Who pays for plumbing? Do I pay if a plumber did more than asked for on a job? Asked to replace a hot water shut off valve handle. He removed both shut off valves and replaced them.

In general, a broken handle on a shut-off valve is a STRONG indicator that the valve needs to be replaced - otherwise the original handle would not have broken. Replacing a handle on a valve that requires so much force to operate that the handle breaks is not good workmanship, and does not solve the problem of an inoperable shutoff.
If the one was bad (sounds like a fixture hot - cold pair, but you didn't say) it's commonly the case that the other one is as well.
So, you pay the plumber. You might ask questions, but you pay the plumber.
If you are upset about a fairly normal "you see this problem (a handle) the plumber sees that problem (a pair of valves that are failing or failed)" then be immediately available when the plumber is working to discuss changes in scope and why they are being changed. And be very clear that you want to discuss any changes in scope beforehand.
This time, you pay the plumber.


Choosing the correct LVL beam size I have a single story ranch and am doing a reno by myself as a long-term project.
Originally, the home was a small cabin and later it was expanded with addition.

The wall that I need to remove supports roof trusses which were originally part of the original cabin's roof. Left and right walls sit on the concrete perimeter foundation wall.

The span is 19ft and I am thinking about using 3x12" LVLs for this purpose (http://www.menards.com/main/storeitem.html?iid=1444438525506). I would love if someone could help me to determine if this is sufficient and I am interested in math, not in advice to hire an engineer.

Nope, a 2 ply 1-3/4" x 11-7/8" LVL can't span that long with this much roof on it. With a 19' span (and completely guessing on the roof span and live loading for your area) you're looking at at least a 2 ply 24" LVL or a steel beam that would be impossible to install at this point.

The best solution to open this up is to run a 3 ply 11-7/8" LVL full length but with an intermediate support in the middle making two 9.5' spans with 1 beam. The intermediate bearing post will have 18,000+ pounds on it, so you'll need a PSL or steel column.

You'll also need a new column the same size directly below it in the basement. Your existing strip footing won't be able to handle a point load that large, so you'll probably need to pour a new pad with a bunch of rebar there, and that size changes based on your soil type and conditions.

So like the other answer said, get a contractor or an engineer to help you. I'm making educated guesses on everything based on one photo and knowing you want a 19' clear span, so take that for what it's worth.


Removing a glued down wood stair tread I have a wooden stair tread glued down to a ply wood stair frame. The miter cut on the step was just not done right, it would take too much caulk and  I've decided to replace it.

I thought the poor miter cut would be OK before gluing, but now that I'm at it, I'd rather just redo the cut, it's the only step I messed up so I'm OK with it.

Fortunately, there is no riser above the step yet.

How would would go about removing this glued down tread ?

Unfortunately if it was glued properly and has fully dried it may be almost impossible to get the tread up. Wood glue is extremely strong (it can actually be even stronger than the bond between the wood fibers).

I don't know what to suggest other than going at it with a demo pry bar. If you are able to get most of it up you can clean up the plywood with a chisel and/or a belt sander.


WIFI thermostat no C wire I hooked up a Honeywell WiFi thermostat last fall.  There is no C wire in the furnace & the Honeywell rep suggested I wire up a small separate transformer with new wires going to the C and RC terminals (no jumper between R and RC) on the new thermostat.  Heat worked fine all winter & I just switched the thermostat over to cool, but the AC will not come on.  "Cool on" is flashing on the thermostat but there is no fan or compressor action.

The furnace is a 1986 Trane model BLU162E960B1.  Natural gas - forced air.  AC is much newer.  The transformer is wired up for 24 volts.

The existing wiring includes a G, W, Y, and R. The C and RC wires go to the small (doorbell-type) transformer. There is no C wire marked on the furnace wires or on the schematic.

What am I missing?  No help from Honeywell.

Get rid of the external transformer, and pull a proper C wire.

It's not working because you have one side of the contactor coil connected to one transformer, and the other side connected to another transformer.  There's not a complete circuit.

When the thermostat is calling for cool, your circuit looks like this

If you follow the circuit, you can see that it's not a complete circuit.

I've highlighted the R wire in red, and the C wire in blue.


What kind of wall texture is this? Can someone help me identify this texture and how it was created. This is not a ceiling it is on my walls.


Clear densely-packed snow from driveway? I'm experiencing my first real winter. Our house has an asphalt driveway about 100' long. I've been shoveling it when the snow gets too deep, but cars going in and out have left 2–3" of densely-packed snow that is very difficult to get up. I got out my metal garden shovel and used that a bit, but it's slow going and is probably damaging the driveway. Is there a better way?

An ice chopper with some weight in the business end, such as this one can be very effective; you can use it to scrape the ice/compressed snow up, and if needed, can chop at the tougher stuff.   The tradeoff for the extra weight is more physical exertion, but I find that I make much faster progress.


Resources for designing new HVAC Our house is a bungalow with full basement and is currently heated via electrical baseboard heaters in every room.

I'm converting this to a central air system heated by a gas furnace, and possibly A/C.

Since I don't have any existing ductwork in my home, I'm wondering what the best resources, online or print, are for designing and running new duct work (Sizing, Zoning, register placements, etc).

This conference presentation (PDF) seems to lay out the process fairly well. It also mentions a few resources that go into more detailed calculations and considerations.

The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association has an overview guide available here (PDF) for improving efficiency. They also have entire standards available for download for a fairly hefty price tag too.

There's also this seemingly in-depth duct loss calculator here.

It's by no means comprehensive, but you may be able to get a basic understanding of the design process.


Window AC in a Dormer I just finished our attic, and while central AC is part of the long-term plan, I need a temporary solution for this summer. The only window in the main room is in a dormer in the middle of room, which basically means it’s at the end of a short hallway (maybe about six feet long).

My understanding is that a window AC is vastly more effective, but I’m worried that setting it back like that will harm the effectiveness of the unit. Should I consider a free-standing unit instead? Or perhaps upgrade to a higher BTU rating? Or am I just overthinking it? Part of my concern is that if I buy something now, I won’t realize there’s a problem until summer really gets into gear and it’s too late to return things.

Any advice appreciated.

EDIT: Window is a standard single hung, so a regular window AC will fit just fine. Room is 330 sq ft (not including the dormer), which requires an 8K BTU AC according to this Energy Star chart. Aside from the obvious monetary consequences of getting more AC than I need (both in purchase price and energy usage), I've also been reading that too much AC can actually lead to a less comfortable environment so I'm really unsure which is the best way to go.

If the window is of the type to accept a window unit (single or double hung, up sliding) use a window unit in the window. I think the cold air will spill out into the room just fine, but, if necessary, you could get an inexpensive pedestal fan or floor box fan to increase circulation.

As far as the BTU rating, how large is the room?


Does a drainage pipe need to be continuously sloped? I need to move water from the back yard to the front yard, to combat the monsoon season, in which a 50 gallon container in the backyard can fill up in 1-2 minutes. I bought some 4" piping, and will have it collect water in a drain in the higher back yard, and divert it in a half-circle around the house to the lower front yard.
I'm finding that due to the length of the pipes, about 150 feet, it is difficult to make it continuously downhill. There already is a slight slope of 1" per 10 feet horizontally. Is there any issue if the pipe is not perfectly sloped, and in places goes slightly higher than before, so long as all of the pipe is lower than the entry drain?

It's true that, so long as the exit is lower than the entrance, water will find its way through the pipe even if there are low points in the path. However, as others have noted, debris could accumulate in those low points. So the answer to your specific questions "does it need to be continuously sloped" is a squishy "yes.. unless you're willing to install mitigations."
One mitigation you could consider is one or more sump pits/traps/catch basins along the path. Here's a sketch from Dejana Industries:

This construction is specifically designed to catch debris in storm water systems. That's not what you're after, so we can modify the design a bit.
Run pipe with a continuous slope at a sufficiently steep grade so that debris will carry along well. When you reach a point that the pipe is getting too deep in the ground, install a catch basin there. Take an exit pipe out of the pit at a level higher than the inlet and proceed to the destination.
During a storm water will fill the catch basin. Eventually the water level will rise high enough to flow out the exit pipe. Some debris will settle in the basin; other debris will float up and flow out the exit.
Construct the basin to be leaky so that after the storm the water remaining in the basin slowly drains away. That'll minimize the chance of breeding mosquitos or odors. From time to time you'll have to clean out the debris from the bottom of the basin, but it's better to have it there than in some unknown and inaccessible section of pipe buried in the yard!


converting 110V chandelier to 220V I have a Kathy Ireland chandelier bought in the US with 110V.  Can I use this chandelier in the Philippines having 220V Electricity?

Yes.

The bulbs required for most chandeliers are either the candelabra type, or Edison base type.  Just need to order some rated @ 220v.  Rewiring the chandelier is not necessary.

If using a dimmer, take note of the dimmers maximum wattage rating which here in the US are usually rated at 600 watts. 10 bulbs x 40 watt is 400 watts regardless if the voltage is 120V or 240V.


Why would only part of a foundation be stabilized? I just came across a foundation repair report, and I noticed that the area of the home that most significantly deviated (bottom left) from the reference point was the only part not stabilized. What's the rationale for such a partial stabilization? It's a 1 story home with the same ceiling height throughout, built on a slab.

After seeing the 2nd question the home is brick faced. Based on this information I believe they would not want to do any lifting as the brick work would be damaged especially in the sections that have been repointed. The assessment of the current soil conditions must be stable so no work would be needed in that area.


Looking to modify behavior of aux heaters In my condo I have a heat pump with electric strips for auxiliary heat. When the outdoor temperature is quite cold, the heat never turns off. It reaches the set temperature, but keeps running.
When this happens, the aux heat turns on and off repeatedly. It seems like the same situation described here:
Question: Can  anyone recommend a solution that allows adjusting the behavior of the aux heat (E.G. a separate CPH setting for the aux heat), so that the aux heat stays on longer.

When you have a heat pump the thermostat that controls it is a 2 stage thermostat. The first stage controls the heat pump and the second stage controls the heat strips. The heat pump operates off the first stage and if it can not produce enough heat and the indoor temperature falls below the thermostats set point by a certain amount the second stage energizes the heat strips. The heat pump will usually operate constantly and the heat strips will cycle on and off on the second stage part of the thermostat. There are a few different ways these units can operate depending upon the thermostat, unit and the wiring of these systems. Yours is probably the way I described. If you want to change the way the heat strips operate contact an HVAC contractor in your area and ask what your options are. Hope this helps


Installing a 4 wire timer on a 3 way/3 wire outlet I want to control an outside light with an inside timer switch. This is on a 3 way switch arrangement. The new timer has 4 wires(B/W/R and Green) and the feed only has 3(B/W/R). The diagram shows the green and red are both "travelers", Do they both get connected to the red feed? What arrangement should I use?

Your timer is not set up for a 3-way switch; it is missing the blue wire. You need to get a timer switch that has the blue wire.

In the diagram, "GROUND" is the green wire.


First time DIY tile floor in powder room--transition, leveling, grout? We've added a small half bath to an addition, and we're planning to tile the floor ourselves even though we have never done it. The room is about 20 square feet and I'm planning 12" x 24" tiles, so 10 tiles total--how hard can that be? I know, probably much harder than I realize. Some questions:

1) Transition: The subfloor is OSB. We are planning to put down 1/8 inch Ditra (orange) underlayment, then 3/8 inch tiles. The tile will end up being between 1/16 and 1/8 inch higher than the adjoining bamboo floor depending on the thinset thickness. I would like to avoid a heavy marble or wood T threshold if possible for such a small gap. Could I use one of those Schluter metal vertical strips? If I do this, how can I be sure what height to get when the thinset thickness is hard to predict?

2) Leveling: I have read that I should get some sort of leveling system to make sure the large tiles lie flat, but they are awfully expensive--$80 or more for various components that I will use once for this small room. Any advice about how best to level the tiles?

3) Grout: Is stain-free grout best for floor tile? I have read that it can be much harder to work with and to clean off the tile as you're grouting.

You need to get the schluter profile with the same thickness as your tiles.  you don't need to account for the thinset because you will press the profile down on the thinset just like the tile.

That said, the T moulding has advantages.  First, it hides imperfections.  If you have several tiles at the transitions, it is very difficult to cut them to make a perfect straight line.  Second if your bamboo flooring shrinks and expands, you need to leave a small Gap at the transition which can be covered by the T


breaker breaker.. the breaker keeps tripping I have a bathroom reno, utilizing, a gfi outlet, an exhaust fan, and an over the mirror light fixture.I want them on two switches,(the fan and light) I have a power wire coming into the double box, and a wire for each of the fixtures(light fan, and gfi outlet).I ganged the ground,the white, and black wires together individualy, with a pigtail for each of the two switches.I therefore have...4 ground wires with two pigtails, the four  white wires with two pigtails, (1 to outlet, one to fan, one to light,  the supply wire, and two pigtails, one for each switch)This is repeated with the black wires.(supply wire, outlet,fan and light wires, with a pigtail for each switch. This seems all theoretically sound to me. Why does this set up, keep tripping the breaker?

White wires don't go to simple switches. When you put them on the switch, along with the black pigtails, you create a direct short that trips the breaker (thank goodness!)

The hot wire should be tied to the outlet line (directly) and to two pigtails to the switches. The black lines for the light and fan should be on the other side of the switches.

The white wires should be tied together, but to nothing else.


Air conditioning thermostat wiring help Really need some help. I was working on the wiring of my home air conditioning and managed to mess up the low voltage wiring.  I was installing a wifi thermostat and opened the panel to add a blue wire.  Discovered a lot of corrosion on the terminals.  I took a picture and proceeded to clean each terminal.  Well long story short.  My photo wasn't clear enough for me to get all the wires back where they belong.

I'm pretty sure I got the thermostat wires correct, what has me baffled is the low voltage wires to run the outside compressor.  My thermostat has power, the fan has power,  but I can't get the compressor outside to run.

I did some testing, and got the compressor fan to turn on, but it's not making cold air.  So I undid the wires.

Question is.  I have two low voltage wires that go to my outside compressor.  What should the connect to on my terminal panel.

I've attachéd a photo.  Notice the two wires on the side to my compressor.  It's a trane that's at least 10 years old.  It's a electric furnace and single stage ac, in south Florida.

Thank you.

I am guessing B is common in your case. In that case Y and B.

I have drawn a line though the terminsals you will not be using since you have straight cooling and are using the air handler like an electric furnace.  R goes from the thermostat to the air handler but not the condensing unit as does W1 which is your heat strip. O is not used since you do not have a reversing valve. Y goes from the thermostat to the air handler then carries on to the condensing unit.  Note the common 24 volt is labeled B or B/C (this is typical with Trane products).  The B is likely labeled C on your wifi thermostat.  So C from the thermostat goes to B on the air handler and then on to the condensing unit. It does not matter which wire from the condensing unit goes to B or Y. I hope this edit clears up any confusion.


How to measure and cut square tiles to make a herringbone pattern? I have 18x18 inch square travertine tiles. I would like to know if it is feasible to cut each tile in half and make a herringbone pattern for our bathroom floor. I was planning on using 1/8" grout lines and I'm not sure how to make everything fit nicely together with the awkward measurements, spacings, and cuts.

Any tips or tricks for doing this or should I just resort to a diamond pattern instead?

PS: I love diagrams

Travertine Limestone - These are natural stone tiles with a saw cut edge.

I would rent and use a diamond saw tile cutter and use plenty of water during the cut to keep the blade cool and the lime dust down.

It's all in the setup on the saw, make sure you get the sawcut exactly centered, cut in one smooth stroke and make sure the tile is secured so it won't move during the cutting operation.

Otherwise you'll get a funny cut that will be obvious in the final layout.

Travertine and Slate are some of the softest and most easily cuttable natural tile you will work with. Be aware that either can have imperfections and can break away on the edges so have spare material available.


How do I install flex duct to existing duct including registers When my home was built in 2016 the HVAC runs from the furnace in the basement up through the house uses 7" R4.2 insulated flex duct.
I am in the process of finishing my basement and I would like to tap into the existing runs. I am not sure what type of register to use to blow downward from the ceiling perimeter of the main room or how to accomplish this. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Attached are a couple pictures

I don't believe 7" or 8" ducts are trunks, and therefore you shouldn't be splitting them. Each vent requires its own branch duct from the trunk.

Trunk lines are almost always rigid rectangular duct of 10x12" or larger. You install a starting collar and connect your flex duct to that.

If your builder didn't properly facilitate new connections for your basement, you may need to have a tinbender come in and extend the trunk appropriately.


Is my design for this drain-waste-vent system acceptable? I'm designing a drain-waste-vent system to handle two baths and laundry.  I'll be tying into 4" ABS sewage line, that has a 2 inch vent (See figure 1).  It's a Single story house with crawl space, in Southern California with very moderate temperature.  All venting will go straight up through roof.

Questions:

Are there enough vents (i.e. does the washing machine need its own vent)?
Is the location of the vents correct?
Is the plumbing sized correctly?
Any problems with this design?

[![Existing Plumbing][1]][1]
Figure 1

Figure 2

The floorplan for Bathroom B has changed and now I have a new design.  Many thanks to forum participants for all their tips.  Please let me know if I am on the right path to a good and UPC code worthy design.  Is the venting correct?

Every code authority is different. From what I was told when remodeling my house over the last 3 years, is that draining appliances on the same walls can share a vent. Each wall would need a vent. Same drain line is fine, but the vent needs to be within a certain distance of the appliance. I have 1 2" vent that my kitchen and bathroom use, on the same wall. My washer has its own, and my second bathroom has its own.


Is it safe to use a log burning stove in an old fireplace? I'm renting a property which has a wood burning stove. Recently I've been investigating ways to make my house warmer (secondary glazing on sash windows etc) and started to wonder how much air could be rushing up what appears to be a relatively open chimney.

My initial thoughts were to make or buy some sort of metal sheet to stick around the pipe which leads up the chimney. Coincidentally I had previously wondered why the fire sometimes didn't draw very well and where the soot came from which occasionally rained down from the chimney. Well now I know the answer; the pipe that comes out of the top of the stove is only about 5ft tall and is just open to the chimney.

I've been googling since I made this discovery and a lot of sites seem to suggest that this is a dangerous thing to have running as it can lead to build ups of soot and tar which are a major cause of chimney fires.

So my questions are:

Is what's already there safe.
Is it possible to add a metal sheet to cap the gap between the pipe and the chimney wall and if so, is it DIY-able or does it have to be bought?

The way fire insert stoves work is relatively simple in conversion.

You cut the damper out of the fireplace, run stainless steel pipe (6" dia.) up the inside of the chimney. The lengths are held together with 3-6 sheetmetal screws so this is an actual inside pipe assembly and it hangs off a sheetmetal cap that covers the top of the chimney and is silicone caulk sealed to the top of the chimney flue tile so it's air tight to prevent exactly the type of heat loss you mention. The pipe that extends above the sheetmetal sealing cap gets a standard stovepipe cap to prevent downdrafts and water intrusion from precipitation.

The bottom gets a piece of flex stainless pipe that joins the chimney stack to the stove.

The advantage of this is you are no longer at the mercy of cracked flue tiles  and the fire hazard that represents. The 6 inch pipe runs at a higher temperature and tends to not creosote up. There are standard round chimney brushes for these so the soot that accumulates near the top is easily removable by popping the cap off and running the brush and 3-4 rods down the length of pipe.

Depending on where you live and your county's rules, this conversion may require a permit, but it saves you a lot of lost heat and drastically lowers your liability from flue fires.

The stainless pipe will need inspection periodically for pinholes and monitoring for soot buildup and a good brushdown every so often.


How to convert 1 1/2 inch drain pipe to 2 inches coming from my basement floor? I need to have washer and laundry sink installed in my basement. Washer drain needs to be 2". I have only 1 1/2" pipe. Do I need to replace that cleanup box? Lokks like all this is glued together. I'm wondering if there is a way to keep existing cleanup box. I do want to do everything by code. See the image.

If in your picture, the clean-out has a 1.5" to 3" adapter on top, which is glued to the clean-out and the 1.5" above, you will need to replace the clean out. It looks to be 4" bottom, 3" top. Ideally cut about 1" above the bottom of the clean-out, and cut vertical grooves into the remaining clean out and remove the last 1" with pliers. Hopefully if you do that you won't loose any 4" pipe, as you don't have much exposed. May need to sand/clean up the pipe for the new fitting. Then put in a new 3" to 4" clean out. Then you can put a 2" to 3" adapter in, and replace and necessary Ts and piping above to 2".


Why does it take a second for water to come out of the kitchen faucet? Starting about a week ago, our kitchen faucet has exhibited some odd behavior. When you lift the handle for it, nothing comes out for a second. You can hear air or water flowing, but nothing comes out. Then, a second later, the water comes out.

If you turn the water off and then on again soon thereafter, it works normally. But if the water is off for awhile, you get the delay again. This happens for hot and cold water. There are no leaks or drips under the sink that I can see.

Our kitchen faucet is the single-handle style, where you move the handle to choose water temperature, and it does have a sprayer attachment, in case that is relevant.

Over the weekend I determined what the cause was. Thanks to everyone for the helpful suggestions; the actual problem was slightly different.

The problem was that the sprayer hose was loose on the sprayer end. Since the hose is pressurized when the faucet is on, this meant that the sprayer leaked a little from the bottom while the water was on, and a little bit after turning the faucet off. This meant that the next time you turned the faucet on, the hose was partially empty of water, so it took a second to pressurize the hose before water would come out of the faucet.

Tightening the sprayer hose connection seems to have fixed the problem.


How much drainage pipe should I bury for a new downspout? I've installed a new downspout to drain a section of gutter that was getting overloaded during heavy storms. The rest of the downspouts all terminate in corrugated black tubing that's buried in the ground, which prevents the water from simply being dumped onto the lawn where it might pool and work it's way back under the slab. For my new downspout:

How much pipe should I bury (i.e. how many feet)?
How much bigger than the pipe should be trench/hole be?
How much slope should the pipe/trench have?
Should I put gravel in the trench?

For background on my situation:

I live in the South. During heavy rains several inches can fall over in only a few hours.
Our soil has very high clay content so it drains poorly. During a heavy rain as described above the soil cannot absorb the water as fast as it falls so it just runs over top of the lawn.
The amount of water this downspout has to handle would is approximately a hose at full blast, or close to it.

The length and size of your drain depend on several factors:

How many inches of rain do you get
What is the area of roof that will be draining
What type of soil do you have (sand, clay)?

For items 1 and 2, this calculator will tell you how much volume you have to be able to handle: http://www.calctool.org/CALC/other/default/rainfall

Sandy soil will dissipate water faster than clay soil.  Not sure how to measure this though.  You should probably allow a little extra if you have clay soil.

Typical slope for a gutter is 1/4 inch for every 10 feet.  I think you could do the same for your drain.

Yes, put gravel in the trench.  It's a good idea to wrap your gravel in a porous landscaping cloth that will allow water to pass through, but keep most dirt out.


Can I use a range plug (50A) to run my 30A dryer? I just bought my home and upon installing my new electric dryer I realize the plug is for a range (4 prong, 50A). I walked outside and I see its 60 amps on the breaker after testing my other appliances.
I have read a lot of conflicting information as to whether I can or cant use the range plug since it is more amps than the dryer requires.

Any advice or insight? It's a fully renovated home, not sure why they put that plug on the utility room. My only theory is it got converted from a shotgun home where the kitchen was previously in the back. thanks for all your help.

OK, so you have 4-prong wires in your walls that go from the service panel to where you want your dryer.  Currently it has a 60A(?? surely 50 or 40A??) breaker on one end, and a NEMA 14-50 range receptacle at the other end.  You want to make good use of those wires.

Is the 60A breaker not for a subpanel?

First, do an exhaustive search for a subpanel somewhere.  60A is a highly bizarre breaker to use on a range circuit.  However it's probably the most popular breaker for use on a subpanel.  Further, a subpanel is likely if your main panel is "full", or far from the kitchen.

OK, then we need to change the ends

The receptacle needs to be changed to a NEMA 14-30 type. Do not under any circumstances even think about using a 3-prong NEMA 10-30 type; I mention this because if  you walk into any random ACE or Home Depot and ask for a dryer socket, this is the one they will press into your hand.  It's universal, obsolete, dangerous, and a Code violation in all but a few installations.

Because the receptacle has been changed to a 30A, the breaker needs to be changed to a 30A also.  Generally breakers must match sockets (exception for 40A circuits since 40A sockets are not made; they use 50A sockets).

Connecting a presumably 6 AWG wire to a NEMA 14-30 recep may be a challenge.  If it's designed using the same internal hardware as the NEMA 14-50, it'll fit fine.  Otherwise, you would need to pigtail the 6 AWG wire using 8 or 10 AWG pigtails.  (and if the cable is 4 AWG aluminum, you'll definitely have to, unless the receptacle is rated CO-ALR).


What could be causing low hot water pressure to a sink? I have low hot water pressure at the kitchen sink.  I installed a new two knob faucet and supply lines (aerator is clean), but no change. The shut off valve has a PEX fitting, so I don't know how to replace that. The hot water pressure to the sinks and showers in two bathroom is fine.

Suggestions?

Disconnect the hot feed from the faucet and purge it into a bucket. Then, (re-attach it and disconnect it from the valve) put the bucket under the sink (to catch the flow from the loose line) and run the faucet in the middle (or both hot and cold).

This will purge the hot side of the facet, backwards (and make a mess if you're not careful), in case there's crud in the tap now, too. Open and close ALL valves repeatedly to clear them while you purge.


Inverters : 12V vs 24V? Searching on internet i've found some articles like this :
https://earthship360.com/what-is-the-advantage-of-a-24v-system-over-a-12v-system/
that is in favor of higher voltage system.

But on other articles , i've read that is better 12V or there's no significant differencies.

So , Is there any advantage choosing one or other system ?
Thank you !

As the inverter power level goes up, 12V inverters become totally impractical due to the required wire diameter. For example, if you have a 4kW inverter, it would be really ridiculous to design it for 12V. 4kW/12V = 433A. Even at 1kW, you are pushing limits with a 12V inverter.

There are a lot of really junky inverters out there. If you see a high power inverter that takes 12V, there is a good chance that it is a piece of junk, and that the ratings are wildly optimistic.

For off grid home use, I would recommend you work with the highest battery voltage that is practical (which is  generally 48V). This will allow you to use more reasonable wire diameters without power loss. Power loss in wire is a function of I squared, so it makes a big difference. And copper is expensive. And fat cables are difficult to work with. Etc.

If you can't or don't want to work with 48V, then 24V is the next best thing.


Replace Worn Rubber Cover Over Grohe Ladylux Cafe 33 755 Kitchen Sink Spray Head My 11-year old Grohe Ladylux Cafe Model 33 755 kitchen sink faucet still works well but the rubber cover over the spray head button is torn and needs to be replaced.  Grohe and other suppliers sell a replacement spray head for $85-$115.  I just want to replace the worn rubber cover.  While I'm at it, I'll soak the entire head in a 50/50 mix of vinegar/water to dislodge any calcium accumulations from our well water.  Can someone provide info on how to get the rubber cover and a diagram showing how to disassemble/assemble the spray head?

Call Grohe customer service and tell them to send you a free replacement part and instructions/diagram: grohe:

Residential Products: We provide the following warranties on all GROHE products to the original purchaser, installed in a residential setting. This warranty is effective for all faucets sold after January 1, 1997.
Mechanical Warranty: A Limited Lifetime Warranty is provided on all mechanical parts to be free from manufacturing defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for as long as the original purchaser owns their home.
Finish Warranty: A Lifetime Warranty is provided on all GROHE product finishes to the original purchaser against manufacturing defects in materials and workmanship


Help identifying a walkout door threshold and repair options The walkout door in my basement has a cracked threshold. I searched again and again on multiple online sites, Home Depot, and Lowes trying to find a make & model similar to mine, but couldn't find one. Does anyone recognize what this is and what are my repair options?

A quick update so the question can be closed. I ended up cutting out the old one and installing a new adjustable aluminum threshold from Home Depot. I had to saw open the hard black plastic and the aluminum ramp, breaking them into pieces. I also used an oscillating multi-tool to cut into the door jambs and scraped the old caulk around the perimeter. Finally I pried everything out. Installing was relatively easy. I just had to cut a few wood blocks to fill under the door jambs. With some cleaning, a fresh paint and caulk, the end result looks half-way decent:


If a bathroom exhaust fan does not have a duct on the side of it but I do have venting present in attic to the outside is my bathroom fan vented? My current bathroom fan is ductless but a friend looked in my attic and said it is vented outside? Can a bathroom fan be venting outside if there is not a duct connected to the bathroom fan light?

It sounds like you're venting into the attic. Just because the attic is vented to the outside is irrelevant. So you're pumping water vapor into your attic, where it's being absorbed by your insulation. That's going to be nasty.
I recommend that you put some ducting in to vent the bathroom directly to the outside.


How to remove super tight sink faucet supply hose nut I am trying to remove this supply line nut but it is on super tight.  and because it is connected to a softer pipe just right below it, the whole thing moves along when I try to unscrew the nut so I can't get much leverage as I'm afraid I might break the whole thing.
Does anyone have any ideas I can try ?
Thanks

You need two adjustable wrenches. Use one to hold the valve body and the other one to turn that nut counterclockwise. The one holding the valve can be supported by holding it against the wall.


How do I corner bead around two layers of 5/8" drywall? Here it is:

I still have yet to shave down the rough edges from when I scored and snapped it, but, after that, what can I use for corner bead?

It's entirely possible that I will end up putting up a second layer perpendicular to these two layers so that I will be able to use regular corner bead, but, if I don't need to then I will need to find some way to finish this corner.

Next time (if there is a next time) maybe stagger the sheets? Then you end up with a regular, 1 sheet corner.


Slow spinning ceiling fan that won't turn off: dangerous? Our ceiling fan spins very slowly, and constantly, no matter how many times I pull the chain to try and turn it off.  I've tried leaving it for several minutes between chain yanks, to give it time to spin down (even though it's spinning at about a revolution per ten seconds), but it never stops.

I'm not worried about the fan working - I don't need it.  I just want to be sure it's not going to cause a fire.  Am I ok?

I had the same problem just recently, and learned that our space heater was sitting just right to create a draft and make the fan spin very slowly.


air conditioner unit I had a HVAC to came out said he put in 11 pounds it took 5 minutes. And he was smoking a cigarette sitting on the Unit while he was putting it in. I paid 1045.00

He also said he replace the evaporator which AHS paid for. Did I get ripped off? Sure feels like it.

If it is r22 that would be about the right price I know the shops are charging close to $100 per pound, if the system was running I could see maybe 1/2 that in 5 minutes maybe on a hot day (that just sounds a bit fast to me) is your system a 5 ton?  If smaller I don't think it could take 11 lbs of Freon unless totally flat and then it should have been pumped down. A very long line set may require more freon. As far as replacing the evaporator that would take hours to do. There will be a tag on your unit that stated the type of Freon and the required charge in pounds and ounces something like 13lb 8oz (I think that was the charge on a friends 5 ton I charged last weekend it took 8 lbs ) I do mostly industrial systems but help friends so I might be a bit more cautious than someone that charges several units a day. If it took 11 lbs of r22 I think the cost would be close to what the going price in Oregon is now.


how can I clean a prefinished door? I have a prefinished bedroom door and it appears to have developed a grey patch that looks like grease.  The patch isn't grease, however it just appeared by itself. Any help as to how I can get clean it off?

I would try, in order of escalating cleaning function, these series of things until a suitable result has been obtained:

Wiping with a clean dry cloth.
Apply a little (15 ml/1 Tbsp) white vinegar to a paper towel and wipe.  Rinse with a wet (water) paper towel.
Combined with vinegar or dish detergent (for hand washing), use a rough cloth or mild scrub brush (pink or white Scotch brite).
Green Scotch bright and soap.  Repainting might be necessary afterward.
220 grit sandpaper
150 grit sandpaper
100 grit sandpaper
woodworking plane
replace the door


How can I straighten bent refrigerator radiator fins? I'm a little worried about the reduction in airflow... should I be?  And if so, how should I straighten the fins?

Your efficiency probably isn't harmed too much by this—you still have basically the same area of radiator fins. If you had a fan blowing through the fins (e.g. on a computer heatsink) I might be a little more concerned because active airflow is an important part of the cooling. But how much active air circulation is really going on behind your fridge?

Anyway, if it's bothering you, you can buy a "radiator fin comb" or "fin straightener", which is basically a tough plastic comb that you can use to straighten the fins. They make them in different sizes based on the spacing of the fins, so get a multi-size comb or measure your fins first.


Studs spacing too close together to put in sub panel in workshop basement I am putting in a sub panel on a load bearing interior wall ( basement wall with 12ft ceilings )
The studs are 2x6 and around 10-12in OC so I can not fit the panel I have (14in wide)
The house was built in the early 80s, 3 story house and is on the large side.
The rest of the basement room seems to be framed the same way. The top floor of the house is framed 16in OC.
Without framing it out like a window is it acceptable to move a stud to the correct width without issues. I know code in my area is 16in OC so I am not sure if I am missing something.

Simply surface mount the panel, then it doesn't matter what the stud spacing is behind it. You'll put a piece of plywood on the surface of the wall, screw it into the studs, then screw the panel to the plywood, and Bob's your uncle!
Once you've got the surface mounted panel, you can then run a chase from floor to ceiling (thanks for the reminder, George!), framing it with 2x4 or 2x6 (as dictated by the size of your box, since this won't be structural) and covering it (the chase, not the panel) with drywall, or, even better a removable panel for easy access for future wiring updates and giving you a very nice place to hide all your wiring, as well as "embedding" the panel in a "wall" structure. Sure, it'll stick out into the room, but it will enclose all the wiring and eliminate the need to run conduit and all the complications that can entail. (Yes, there are some who prefer conduit for everything, and places where it's required for everything, but when it's not required and you're not comfortable working with it, it can be an extra hassle when not needed.)
If you want the panel to be flush mount into a load-bearing wall, then you'll need to provide a temporary support the floor above, cut a stud to make a cavity big enough for the panel, install a properly sized header, install jack studs to support the header, remove the temporary support, then install the panel in the wall
If you go the in-wall route, you'll have to run all wiring through the header (not sure of the code implications of that), or they'll have to go out the top of the panel, immediately turn to go through the studs supporting the panel, then go up.
Alternatively, you could look to see if you could find a narrower panel that will fit your gap.


How can I remove old paint from plaster walls? I first stripped the wallpaper from my bedroom walls using a steam stripper and scraper.
This revealed a lurid pink paint on the walls and a peculiar purple ceiling paint which came off in sheets like vinyl. The ceiling is now stripped revealing a blue paint which I intend to leave on and give a light sanding. The pink wall paint comes off like Mozarella cheese after the steamer has been held over it for a little while. It's painfully slow progress and I don't know whether to continue stripping it. I have considered buying a hot air gun to use instead of the steamer. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

The two standard ways to strip paint is heat or chemicals. Both are labor intensive and messy, and chemicals are caustic. I assume you are planning to strip the paint only because you are left with an uneven surface after it was already partly removed? Otherwise, just paint over it right?

It might be easier to lightly scrape to remove loose paint, then skim coat the whole surface with finishing plaster. Some light sanding afterwards, and you're ready for prime coat.


Buzzing sound relates to domestic fuse problem, or bigger issue? I noticed the light in the fridge was flickering, same with the coffee machine LEDs etc on the same plug circuit.

Fortunately, I noticed that in the garage...this house built about 18 yrs ago; this in the US, South...

... there was a buzzing / crackling sound coming from that powerboard.

It would buzz or crackle every 3-4 seconds for a second. You could hear it quite clearly if close (but not from say a few feet way).  I carefully checked for burning smell and could not smell any smells at all.

When I turned "off" the fuse (turns out it was "#12") the crackling completely stopped.

Here is the type of fuse (apologies if fuse/powerboard are not the correct terms).

Perhaps a "type QP" ?

Now, I've simply left that fuse turned off (plugged the fridge/etc in different plugs). (1) there is absolutely no buzzing now from anywhere on the powerboard.  (2) as far as I can tell, every other outlet in the house is working perfectly - no flickering lights/devices.

Note however that, perhaps disturbingly, the buzzing sound I heard seemed to come from the area indicated (up top left) rather than from "near the fuse thing" I turned off - of course it's hard to tell exactly, and it may mean nothing.

What I'm wondering,

1) Is it likely that the only problem is the "QP" fuse unit thing?  Or is it more likely some greater problem, perhaps in the powerboard generally or even the house wiring?

2) That type of fuse unit ("QP") - can I replace it, or is it a professional job? I note that the central strip of gray metal suggests one would have to pull off the whole powerboard plate / fascia? to get at it.

3) What is the scale of cost of those "QP" (?) units (ie, are they like "two dollars" or like "a thousand dollars")

Just FTR if it helps...

... that appears to be the rating of the house (it's a big house, we just rent it. I feel bad for the owner when they have to fix stuff!)

Again fundamentally, are these user-replaceable; at any rate is it likely a bigger problem which needs to be checked by a pro?

(Previous domestic powerboards like that which I have seen: the fuse-units just pop in and out for replacement - of course, I could be completely mistaken, and the situation varies in Europe, USA etc.)  Cheers, experts!

Leakage in the breaker (it's not a fuse) It produces enough heat to start a fire. I found one one where the heat was so intense it broke the plastic covers on the stove and main brakers. The aluminum feeds were so hot the insulation had melted off of them.
I replaced the feeds with copper (screw that aluminum) and the two breakers, no problem.
The breakers are available at Home Depot or Lowes. Turn off the main before swapping any breakers. The ones marked 200 are the mains. Be deliberate in what you do think before you do it.


RCBO makes one lamp blink Let me start by stating that I'm an IT (information technology) guy, but I'm a novice at electricity. I just educated myself to some degree using YouTube tutorials and some written articles. I'm trying to be as brief as possible, but it's still a very long post, sorry. So here's the deal, I pretty much nuked my old consumer unit altogether.

First I replaced the box itself and the circuit breakers (MCBs). Then added a ground fault detector (RCD, or RCCB) to the mix. Recently I decided to get an surge protector (SPD) as well. Finally, now I want to have ground-fault detecting circuit breakers (RCBOs) instead of the single-pole circuit breakers (1P MCBs) -- but as with all previous changes, I just hit a wall. Except this time I have no idea how to proceed. Here's what my main breaker box (consumer unit, or CU) looks like:

Let me explain it all. The surge protector (SPD) attaches to the ground fault detector (RCCB). Live comes straight into the ground-fault detector (RCCB), then goes through the two-pole circuit breaker (2P MCB). The consumer unit has a bus-bar, which provides live to all ground fault detecting circuit breakers (RCBOs). Then it all goes to the circuits.

Neutral plugs into the neutral bar. There earth is taken from it, goes to the earth bar via the surge protector (SPD). From the earth bar, earth goes to the circuits.

From neutral bar, neutral also goes into the ground fault detector (RCCB). From there, neutral goes to the two-pole circuit breaker (2P MCB), then it's distributed to the ground fault circuit breakers (RCBOs) with twin ferrules. From the RCBOs, neutral connects to all the circuits.

There's a "dead" circuit. I have no idea what its purpose was but right now it surely doesn't lead to anywhere. All my outlets and lamps are functional without it being wired up. The corresponding neutral and live is laying in the background insulated (under the main neutral wire). There's also 2 live wires next to these, which could be utilized if I had three-phase but I have just one ATM. These are also insulated, just in case.

I also made a diagram but this doesn't take the actual wiring into account, this only shows which devices are powered up when the corresponding live is on:

So what's the actual question? Well, it seems that the "green" and "blue" circuits overlap, if that makes any sense. If neutral comes through a common neutral bar and live goes through the 1-pole circuit breakers (1P MCBs), all is good. But when I try to replace the circuit breakers (MCBs) with ground-fault breakers (RCBOs) and try to pair the live wires with the neutrals, it's a mess.

We have 2 neutral wires and 2 live wires, call them N1, N2, L1 and L2. Regardless of the way you plug these into the two ground-fault detecting breakers (RCBOs), you can only have one turned on at a time, the 2nd one immediately breaks like when earth connects to N or L (assuming the lamps are turned on). Here's the matrix of what happens:

Naturally the second combination seems better. Yes, I tried with a different bulb, to no avail. All my bulbs are LED ones, don't know if that makes a difference.

Guys, do you have any idea what the heck is going on? I've faced very strange solutions in this house, like outlets being powered through lamp switches and stuff, but with this issue I'm totally clueless. Could the 5th earth cause such an issue? Like I said, I've disconnected the L and N wires of the 5th circuit, but not its earth, mostly coz I don't want to accidentally "unearth" anything in the house. I have an outlet tester like this:

Should I find and disconnect the 5th, "dead" earth with this, maybe?

Edit: I solved it, check my answer below.

Yesterday I finally got pissed enough by the fact that I don't have a working light in the dining room that I got myself to go after this. I'm happy to say that a) I sorted it out b) I think I even understand the situation to some degree.

As you can see on the diagram, this problematic light was toggled by 2 3-way switches, let's call them switch A and switch B. We also have circuit 1 (green) and circuit 3 (blue).

From what I understand, the problem arose from the fact that switch B is connected to the live of circuit 1 while the light is connected to the neutral of circuit 3.

On top of that, the live of switch B is also shared with an outlet, also in circuit 1. Needless to say, this outlet is also wired to circuit 1's neutral. To be honest, I'm surprised all this mess actually worked until I installed the RCBOs.

So anyway, there's no easy way to fix this unless you're willing to do some rewiring and chiseling. That I most definitely wasn't willing to do, so instead I ended up eliminating switch B and converting switch A to a single pole switch. Now the light is wired to the neutral of circuit 3, and also to the live of circuit 3 via switch A. The aforementioned outlet is now connected directly to circuit 1's live, without a switch in between.

Everything seems to work perfectly. I checked the wires with a phase tester to see which one has phase and when, each RCBO powers the corresponding outlets and lights, and nothing else. Then I also checked with the "RCD tester" (shown above in OP) if the main RCCB and the circuit RCBOs are doing their work - the tester always trips the corresponding RCBO and the main RCCB, too (but not other circuits' RCBOs). So things seem to be fine now. Thanks everyone for the help!


40 amp range outlet as extension cord source I am running a few tools in my temporary workshop in my large balcony: air compressor, couple of space heaters, router, circular saw and some other tools. I have one wall outlet rated at 15 amps and clearly it is not sufficient.

So I am thinking of running a 10 AWG romex cable, 25' length, from the 40 amp cooking range outlet about 20 ft away. Now this will have two hots, one ground and one neutral. I am going to avoid using a power strip/surge protector and just wire 4 20 amp wall outlets in parallel. Now the outlets have two inputs for the hots and the inputs are connected via a brass plate, now I am guessing I will connect one hot to each of the two inputs, do I keep the brass plate or take it out? By taking out the brass plate I am hoping each of the 3 prong sublet on the outlet will be able to provide 20 amps separately?

Also, if I wire the 4 outlets in parallel will each of them give me 40 amps or will I only get 40 amps in total from all the outlets on this extension combined? Also, this might be a 220V since it is a 40 amp breaker, will check with a multimeter but if it is, how can I step down to 110V so I can plug in my tools safely?

10 AWG is too small for a 40A breaker, and many other problems with this plan as originally proposed.

Further, you cannot do any of this if your range receptacle is a NEMA 10-50 type (3-wire).  Since you have ground present at the location, you should convert receptacle (and oven plug, if necessary) to NEMA 14-50 by retrofitting a ground wire if needed.

Further, this is a rental property.  Only licensed electricians can do electrical work (other than plugging in of cords), however your local authority may make an exception for simple changes of sockets (e.g. changing a NEMA 10-50 to 14-50).

You are seriously underestimating your power needs. Fortunately, it is there.

You seem to think of power as "number of things plugged in". Actually, you should be thinking about the power drawn by each individual device.

Heaters are huge loads.  Those cheapie "heater-fans" are 1500 watts (12.5 amps @ 120V). They are all this magic number because that is the maximum UL will list on a plug-in 120V heater.  You can get larger heater-fans as large as 6000 watts (25 amps @ 240V) but they are 240V-only.
A compressor is also a huge load. How big varies by nameplate, so you have to read the nameplate.
Table saws and radial arm saws - another huge load, again you have to visit the nameplate.
Routers can be quite large as well depending on capacity.
Other hand tools vary wildly, and can be as demanding as a table saw, or just a few amps.

Your power available from that socket is (in 240V mode) 40A obviously, and (in 120V) two independent poles of 40A each.  So you can still power a fair amount of stuff if you arrange it properly; the trick is doing so.

Plan A: One MWBC containing two 20A circuits

In this case, you change the circuit breaker to 20A 2-pole, and change the oven receptacle to NEMA L14-20. The wire in the wall can stay the same.

How to do this in permanent wiring is a gory mess. Fortunately, this is temporary wiring.

Then, you use common, pre-made, pre-molded cords intended for generator distribution, which has a NEMA L14-20 plug on one end, and some number of 120V/15-20A receptacles on the other end.

I note that Home Depot also sells these with a L14-30 plug on the pointy end, or NEMA 14-50 plug on the pointy end.  I suspect this may not be legal, but normally Home Depot is reliable about selling things which are UL listed - don't use it if it's not. The UL listing means the agency has satisfied itself that the cord is safe, and have done torture testing and destructive testing to confirm it.   The UL listing must be on the cord as a tag, not molded in the cord (that only applies to the cable) or in the sockets (that only applies to the sockets).

Regardless, the socket must match the breaker:

15A breaker = 15A socket
20A breaker = 20A socket or 2 or more 15A sockets (special rule)
30A breaker = 30A socket
40A breaker = 50A socket (40A sockets are not made)

Assuming your house's internal wiring is 8 AWG, you are not allowed to use a 50A breaker.

Plan B: Subpanel

This is the viable way to run all your loads.  In this case you mount a subpanel somewhere and fit 15-20A breakers to feed common receptacles, or any size of breaker to feed a specialized load, including 240V.  The subpanel must separate neutral and ground!

The connection from subpanel to receptacle can be done with flexible cord with an appropriate NEMA 14-50 plug, since it is temporary and will be frequently interchanged; therefore legal under NEC 400.7. Cord will need to be 8 AWG for a 40A breaker or 6 AWG for a 50A breaker.  You can leave the breaker at its current value, just make sure your wire is sized for it.

Cable must be cordage e.g. SJOOW, not in-wall wiring such as Romex, NM or UF.

I would go with an 8-12 space panel, as they're not too expensive an this is a temporary setup. 100A or 125A busing is fine. A main breaker is not needed in the panel. You can mount the panel and nearby outlets on a piece of plywood and place it out of the way.


What can I use to determine the proper size of faucet aerator to buy to replace the existing ones in my american standard faucet? My bathroom sinks have clogged up. After ruining the little "remove the aerator with a coin" plastic inserts, I bought this tool off amazon. It was able to get the aerator out, but the teeth don't fit correctly (they're smaller than the notches in the aerator), and the aerator that came with it doesn't fit back in the fixture (it's too long for the fixture)
Is there some reliable sizing chart I can use to determine the proper aerator for my faucet?

Any sizing chart online won't be accurate because the sizes are so close together. Your best bet is to take your old aerator to a home store. They usually have a template gauge you can screw your aerator into to determine the correct replacement size. Taking it to a plumbing supply store would also work. They could tell just by looking at it.


Vinyl Fence on Deck - How to stabilize or strength the Post Support I have a 14' long fence on top of my composite deck. In the wind, it sways quite a bit and is very noisy. The fencing seems to catch the wind like a parachute. The furthest post doesn't move much as that is attached to the deck railing, however the 1st post (closest to house) and center post do not seem to be as stable thus causing the swaying.

I'm trying to come up with ideas to somehow anchor these 2 posts better or somehow maybe add some weight to the posts so they are more stable in the wind. Right now the posts have 4x4's in them that are secured to the deck using Titan post anchors. https://www.thedeckstoreonline.com/tisan-post-anchors.html

Does anyone have any ideas on how to prevent this?

The most appealing option would be to remove the 4x4s and buy ones that are a bit longer. Cut a 3 1/2"x3 1/2" hole in the decking and create an assembly similar to one in the image below.

You could also use the same posts but shorten the height of the fence by cutting the white material and dropping the 4x4s below the deck as previously mentioned.

http://embed.widencdn.net/pdf/plus/ssttoolbox/zqzekua0ld/F-DECKCODE20-p029-032.pdf


How to sister 2x4s on top of each other? In the past I have sistered lumber by putting the two pieces side by side (so if you have two 2x6s putting the 6” side next to each other) with some liquid nails on them and then putting some nails through them to connect them.
But now I’m in a situation where I’d like to join the 2x4s on top of each other - so essentially taking two 2x4s and creating a 2x8 from them.
At first I was thinking I would just get some Simpson nail plates and go all the way down the length of the seam where the boards touch on both sides, but I was worried that wouldn’t provide enough support. My other thought was to run a ~6” piece of 1/2” plywood the length of the seam where the boards touch on both sides and put nails through the plywood and 2x4s to connect them
Would either of these methods work for connecting two 2x4s on top of each other? Is there a better method that I should use instead?

A lot depends on what you need these 2x4s to support - how much weight, what kinds of stresses. Supporting a storage area/attic is different from supporting the first floor of a 2-story house. Doing this for a 12' room is different from 50' across a whole house. Lots of variables, and this may well venture into "consult an engineer" territory.
But in theory, yes they could work - metal plates or plywood.
One important thing to keep in mind: a 2x8 is actually 1.5x7.25. a 2x4 is 1.5x3.5. So 2 2x4 is 1.5x7, which is 1/4" shorter. That may or may not matter for your intended use, particularly depending on whether this is replacing or extending existing 2x8s vs. new construction.


Should both ground and neutral in an electrical subpanel be bonded to the service ground? I put in a 100 AMP sub panel from a 200 AMP service. The neutral and ground are separated in the sub panel. Would this bond the sub panel to the ground and neutral coming from service ground wire? I used 2-2-2-4 wire.

This is an example of a 100 amp Sub-panel coming off of a 200 amp Main-panel.  Note the errors to current NEC code.  Since there was an upgrade to the system, this one needed to be upgraded to current standards.

The ground had been connected to the neutral lug and the ground stake had also been connected to same.  Also, note the horizontal bus connector bar.

(Believe it or not, the local electrical inspector missed this during remodeling with added circuits.)

This shows the corrected connections in the same panel.

This is the removed bar:


Transition strip for tiled trap door I need some advice on attaching a stainless steel t-joint transition strip to my trap door which is in my laundry room.  I want to use a strip that is wide enough to cover the cut in my tile.  I want a 45-degree cut at the corners, so the strip must be at least an inch wide.  Please help!

Stainless steel will not be a user friendly material to cut. I would suggest using an aluminum angle instead. It is readily available, one leg will be on the floor level to cover the tile edge, the other will go into the opening to allow it to be secured to the framing under the tile floor.


How do I install a SensaSwitch on a 3-way circuit? I recently purchased a SensaSwitch, Manual-ON / Timed-OFF (PDF of instructions) and I cannot install it in such a way that it performs as I desire. I have a switch at the top of my basement stairs and a second by the exit, both switches control the entirety of the basement lights.

I want to install a switch that will turn off after x minutes have passed that way when I leave through the basement the lights will automatically switch off without the need of using the bottom switch. I have been able to wire the top switch to perform this function. After dark, if a person enters through the basement he must turn on the switch by the door for the lights to come on. With the configuration that auto-turns-off, the bottom switch becomes completely useless. Is there a way to wire these two switches so that they perform as desired?

Here is a diagram of the circuit:

In the Top Wire Box (one gang) are five wires; because of the age of the wires it is difficult to tell the colours, mostly the wires look black except for a yellow and a red wire which are joined. From one port come a wire which is black with bits of white throughout, a wire which is black, and a wire which is red. From the other port is a wire which is yellow and a wire which is black.

I have tried a multitude of connections to the Timer Switch, but I have not unbundled the red and yellow wires (and I hope I won't need to). The timer switch has four ports: "3-Way," "White," "Hot," and "1-Pole." The configuration which seems to work is: Black & White Wire and Black Wire in "1-Pole," Black(marked hot) in "Hot." I have managed to make it function with a different wiring but I did not record it (the Black(marked hot) was in "Hot").

This Timer Switch comes equipped with LEDs which should illuminate when the switch is off, but all I have yet seen them do is flicker randomly. The instructions say that a Neutral Wire is necessary for the LEDs to work properly. I do not need the LEDs to turn on if it is possible to make this work otherwise, at the hardware store the sample did not have functioning LEDs.

Please advise. I am very eager to make this work and am willing to try virtually every combination (in fact, I've already tried a great many unsuccessful configurations).

Unfortunately, the OP will not be able to do anything without running a new wire between the two boxes, or giving us more info about the other box -- there's no neutral at the box he's trying to put the SensaSwitch at, and the SensaSwitch needs a neutral to power itself.


Should I have current running through my neutral wire in breaker box? There's 146v on one hot pole, 106v on the other and the neutral wire has 36v on it. My tester at some of the outlets in this trailer (made in the 80's) says hot/ground reverse and hot/neutral reverse. I checked the wires at the box on the pole it all looks correct, could it be a cross up at one of the receptacles maybe? This trailer is old, just bought it and it looks like many hands have been on it.

Is this on all your circuits?  Are half your circuits under 120V while the other half are over 120V by about the same amount?
If so, turn your main breaker off IMMEDIATELY. Call your power company and report an OUTAGE.
It actually is a genuine outage.  One of the wires from the pole has broken.*  It's a 30-minute fix for a power company boom truck, happens all the time, they know what to do. Nobody else can do it.
Call the emergency outage number and report your power is out. **
When it happened to us, they had somebody out in an hour on a Sunday.
Fix it right away.  Don't fool around with it.
What's happening is that without a neutral wire, your voltages are a "teeter-totter".  It's like all the 120V loads on one leg are on a teeter-totter with all the 120V loads on the other leg.  When the loads are inbalanced, one goes down, the other goes up, and then it destroys appliances that are only made for 120V.
This teeter-totter changes instantly based on load. The coffeemaker auto-starts, and boom!
When it hit our complex, several people had their microwaves and refrigerators destroyed.

* Because of the weird way North America does electrical power, all single wire breaks don't seem like outages.  Both legs will work but with weird voltages.  Above I describe how lost neutrals behave.  When a hot wire is lost, the dead leg will still work (weakly) because power is backfeeding through 240V loads like water heater.    Some people observed their lights come back on when they turn on their oven.  That makes sense.
** DON'T go so far as mentioning that the power is out because you turned off the main breaker :)  We've had reports of service agents telling people that because their lights partially work, they don't have an outage.  That's wrong. The agents don't understand what I just said above.


Is it acceptable to use a larger gauge wire downstream of a junction box for a deep well pump? Well pump is some 300 to 400 feet down fed by 10-2 awg wire running into j-box next to the water tank. From the j-box to the main panel is 12-2 awg, 16 ft. Is this acceptable practice?

That depends on how much current the pump draws.

If it is less than 20 amps (most likely unless you have an industrial sized well pump) then this is fine and it sounds like they used #10 for the long run to reduce the voltage drop on the circuit.

The higher the current draw the higher the voltage drop on the wire. On long runs of wire we routinely up-size the wire to reduce this voltage drop. This is a very common practice.

Edit: The point raised in the comments is a very good one. #12 wire cannot be on a breaker larger than 20 amps. So, your circuit is limited to 20 amps by the #12 wire.


Should I replace my magnetron? Is there anything else upstream of the mode stirrer? I have a very nice over-the-range microwave that died after 6 years of use (or after 8 months of renting to a very messy person).  To replace with the same model used would be cost over $250, thus I decided to trouble shoot it.
If i place a cup of water in the microwave everything seems to work, but the water does not get hot.
I verified the mode stirrer rotates freely, and that it's motor actively turns when the microwave is on.  The inside of the wave-guide, the motherboard, and the magnetron are  surprisingly clean given the state the rest of device was in.
Because the magnetron is the most expensive part in the microwave, I'm a bit hesitant to order one and try swapping it out.
Are their any other parts besides the mode stirrer I should consider testing / replacing before replacing the magnetron?

Somewhere on the magnetron is a thermal fuse or cutoff. When the magnetron gets to hot, it shuts off power to the device. Some of these fuses reset once the device cools, some don't. Sounds like you have one of the later. You can replace the fuse, temp rating is usually written on the device itself.
While you're in there, clean the cooling fins on your magnetron with 409 or similar cleaner and a toothbrush. Buildup of kitchen grease on them can make the magnetron run too hot. Also check that the cooling fan, if any, is working, has a free air path, and is pointed at the magnetron fins.
When my microwave started cutting out, all it took was a good magnetron cleaning to get it running again. Sounds like your thermal fuse is a one-shot though. You might replace it with a auto-reset version.


Sparks out out of my electrical metal flex conduit I recently moved a switch from the wall to the side of cabinet and running the wires with some flex conduit (12/3).

After everything was connected, I moved the cabinets in to place and in the act of doing so, I think the metal conduit flexed a bit and I saw sparks from the wall box with the utility plate and the 1/2 inch knock out.

At the time, the conduit fitting / lock thing into the box was like the one on the box on the side of the cabinet, the kind with 2 screws and plate that presses on the flex conduit.

My thinking was that I over tightened it and it caused the sparks.
When the sparks occurred, the breaker didn't flip, so I went and manually turned it off. I removed the plate and inspected the wires and saw burn marks.
I removed the damaged length of wire and re-installed, this time with a different fitting. (Which I think is now too big and can't be replaced)

Everything else looked good, all wire nuts, box contexts etc.

Did I do anything wrong, should I be OK if I don't over tightened the connector?
Is there currently any risk?

I am not sure this is the answer, but many times when those with less knowledge connect MC to a box they may have made a common mistake. First they don't install an anti-short bushing (red devil) and second even if they did they will attach the squeeze connector too tight, thus cutting the armored cable into a conductor. That and looking for any exposed wire coming out of a wirenut splice would be the first place I would look.

Keep the breaker off, stay safe and good luck.


Hydronic radiant heat in ceiling I am looking to retrofit a hydronic radiant heating system to the first (ground floor and basement of my house. For the first floor the plan is to install the system under the subfloor by snaking the tubing between the joists. The basement floor is slab concrete without any insulation below the slab. I don't have any ceiling height to lose so adding insulation does not seem like a good idea. Further, there is a mild moisture issue with the floor so this just seems like a bad idea.

I was thinking of running additional tubing in the ceiling. I am completely unfamiliar with the concept of radiant ceiling heating and not sure if it can be combined with radiant floor heating. Can I essentially run one set of hydronic radiant heat tubing to heat the ceiling of one room and the floor of the room above it.

You'd need custom heat spreaders, and it still won't work well

The heat spreaders used for hydronic systems only spread the heat along one face (so either a subfloor or the ceiling drywall). You would need to get a custom heat spreader for a single tube to do both.

A hydronic radiant ceiling also requires much higher temperatures than a floor does, so you'd have an uncomfortably hot floor or a rather ineffectively tepid ceiling. Neither is ideal.

You could run parallel systems between ceiling/floor joists

Two systems, with different temperatures, could be placed in parallel in the same space between joists. I can only speculate that it could work, but I've never heard of this before, so you might be venturing out a bit here.