How do I drill additional holes for adjustable-height shelving? I have a set of cupboards with shelves that adjust in height, by means of moving pins that hold up the shelves to different holes:

Unfortunately, for some reason, whoever made the cupboards didn't put in enough holes. Thus: is it possible to drill another row?

The problems I see are:

drilling the proper depth (in particular, not punching through - the other side is exposed, and it's a rental)
placing the holes with sufficient precision that the shelf is level and doesn't wobble

Is this a DIY job? If so, how do I do it?

Do you need more shelves, or do you just need one of the existing shelves to be at a different height?

If it's the latter, it may be easier for you to add some supports underneath one of the existing shelves like this:

The supports should run the depth of the cabinet, and you can attach them with command strips or double-sided tape.  Be careful removing them because shelves are often covered with paper that's printed to look like wood.

If you need more shelves, it may be better for you to build a new shelf using the same idea, but have the new shelf resting on one of the existing ones.  You'd lose a little bit of space on the lower shelf, but you'd avoid the risk of breaking your rental agreement and/or losing your deposit.  You'd also need to be careful not to overload the lower shelf or the whole thing could come down.


Can gas water heater thermostat temperatures drift? I have a gas water heater about 15 years old, I flush it about once a year. The water seemed too hot ( measured 135 F at a faucet) , it had not been that hot before. There are about 10 temperature marks on the control[ It was on #4 , I moved it to #2 . Good temp, then 110 F. Wife thought it too cool so I set to #3 ; temp now 120 F. That was a week ago , today it is definitely cool ( not measured but about 100 F). I turned it back to #4 ; the burner came on and the water is now warm. I never had the temperature drift in a water heater before , Can this happen? The heater is a generic ( "State") from plumbing supply chain , not a big box store. There is no "bumping" to indicate stuff in the tank bottom.

Yes a thermostat can malfunction and it's certainly possible that what you're seeing is related to a bad one.  You might consider replacing it because an erratic thermostat can be dangerous.

At 15 years old, however, you might consider replacing the entire unit.


Help: Replacing a Leviton Dimmable switch with a Regular Switch I'm a newbie when it comes to installing light switches. My staircase light would randomly turn on in the middle of the night and it has 3 dimmable Leviton light switches that control the staircase light. I've already successfully changed one of the three light switches to a regular light switch. However, when I'm attempting the second light switch, I'm super confused on how to connect the wires and screws.

2 black wires connected to the black screw
2 Red Wires connected to a copper screw
1 white wire connected to a silver screw
1 Copper Wire connected to green screw

Here is the original setup of the Leviton Dimmable switch:

Here's my new switch that I'm trying to install:

What I have attempted so far (I know I'm doing something wrong here). Please advise.
Light Switch 2 Attempt

Back of Dimmer

Thank you!

Here is how "old-school" 3-way wiring works.   Black is always-hot, white is neutral.

Here is how 4-way wiring works.

Note how the 4-way switch changes very little about the wiring.  This second diagram shows that the wiring sequence could vary.
Your smart-switches are using the wiring in a completely different way.  You will need to figure out how to reallocate the wires to find 2 "travelers".
Of course your wires are not yellow. There are no color codes for 3-way wiring. Certain wires must be certain colors because of Code requirements; the travelers get the wires that are left.  I am extremely fond of re-marking them yellow using a pack of multi-color electrical tape... but they don't get that way by themselves.


How to repair leak mould under bathroom floor tile? The attached picture is a bathroom floor. The tile worked loose and on lifting it I found extensive black mould under it (killed and cleaned off it before the picture was taken with a mould killer product). The surface under the tiles looks like a thin layer of plywood. The very dark coloured patches in the picture have completely disintegrated to a rotten mush and have clearly been wet for a significant period of time.

To the right of the picture is a shower cubicle which previously leaked (small sealant failure AND a small grout crack) - these leaks have both been fixed. It is likely the source of new moisture has now been stopped.

I believe what has happened is the shower leaked under the tiles, and over time the boarding has rotted in some small places, which has allowed tile movement that has then led to grout failure and a loose tile. It's only at that point I found the mould.

As I see it I have three options:

Make best attempts to kill the mould (which is almost certainly under the adjacent tiles), dry the area as much as possible, remove and fill the small rotten areas visible, and refit the tile. Downside: Mould may continue to exist and still find a route to emit spores into the living spaces.
Lift all the adjacent floor tiles (and further if necessary), remove all the damaged boarding, dry the area out and kill any mould, fit new boarding, reinstall the tiles. Downside: Tiles may break when lifted and I have NO spare tiles and probably cannot buy matching.
Rip the whole floor out and fit new board and new tiles. Downside: Cost, risks of damage to other tiles areas, and extends the area to be re-tiled as ALL tiles of that type need replacing whether affected or not.

The room is on the upper floor of a house (1st floor to us Brits, 2nd floor to my American friends). The floor construction is wooden timbers (likely immediately under the sheet boarding that has rotten) which are left-to-right in the picture, so would probably support movement of water to the affected location. The bathroom is fairly well ventilated with a constantly running humidity sensing fan.

What would you do?

Sorry to say this, but number 3 really is your only option. First the reasons why:

I can tell just by looking and from your description, your subfloor is rotten and now unstable. More tiles and grout are going to crack, come up.
The mould is almost certainly inside the sub-floor and maybe even the jousts. Cleaning the surface will very likely not do much of anything except stir up mould spores into your house. Don't reuse stuff that has mould on it. Throw it away (including the tiles).

A few things to keep in mind:
You cannot with 100% certainty identify what type of mould it is just by looking at it. It might be worth your time to have a sample tested. The mitigation methods for certain types of mould are much more stringent. However, you could just assume it's the worst case and mitigate it that way. In any case, you're going to want to have your house tested once all mould is removed and BEFORE putting new coverings or sub-floor back in. That's just one of the steps. Do some research on how to mitigate. It's not a simple process and it's not to be taken lightly.

Potential health problems from mould exposure can be much worse than many other things including asbestos. You'll want to do some research on how to mitigate this. Things like respirators are an absolute must regardless of the type of mould and full hazmat gear may be required recommended. You'll likely need to seal off the location and provide negative air flow to the outside. You'll likely need some air-scrubbing filters.

Sorry for the bad news, but mould is bad business. It's very likely already causing health issues that you may / may not be aware of as yet especially now that you've tried to surface-clean your sub-floor and stir up the spores. Regardless of whatever product you're using advertises, they don't always work.
Do your research with this one, don't just buy a product / clean it and hope it's good to go.


Air Handler with no condensation I have notice that I never have any water being pump out from my first level air handler. I have one air handler on the first level and one on the second level.  The second level, which I assume is gravity drain, is working fine, but the first level has a pump to send water out.  I have never seen water come out of the first level drain hose.  The pump sits in a container and is dry as if water has never been there.

Is it normal to NEVER have water?

The air handler seems to be working fine in both hot and cold weather.  There are no signs of any water around the air handler area.

I just thought that you were always supposed to have some condensate water coming from an air handler.  To have NONE just seems wrong.

What can you advise about this matter?

Yes, the second level unit is most likely gravity drained and the first level unit needs the ejector pump.

The ejector pump is used to pump condensate water to a higher level. It only operates for a minute or so when there is enough condensate water in the container to trigger the controls. It is not a continuous thing.

However, there will only be condensate when the humidity is high enough to collect on the evaporator. So, you need high humidity and a cold surface on the evaporator to collect condensate. This only happens while running the air conditioning.

So, depending on where you live (they call it the desert southwest for a reason) you could have very low humidity. In that case the condensate could evaporate quickly or never form at all.

Additionally, heat rises and the second level unit could be removing most of the humidity. Leaving the air too dry for the lower unit to collect any condensate.

Finally, as long as water is not collecting in the wrong place, leaking or damaging something, the units are operating normally. Don't worry about it.

Happy Day!


How to wire two light switches, two lights, and one duct exhaust fan so lights work independently but fan works on either switch? How do you wire two separate bathrooms in order to have the bathroom lights work independently while being able to turn on the single inline duct fan?I have two bathrooms. The bathroom vents have two separate ducts that eventually lead to a single duct with an exhaust fan on the sing duct. I want to be able to turn on the bathroom lights independently from one another while being able to turn on the single exhaust fan from either bathroom. Each bathroom will have a single light switch. Each bathroom light switch should turn on its individual bathroom light and the single duct Fan. I want each switch to work for its bathroom only and not the wired to be able to control the other bathroom light. I have access to run all new electric including wires and there is nothing installed currently.

This is very similar to a question I answered here. Use DPST switches, such as those intended for water heaters.

Note that this solution already contemplates the issue of the ligths/fan not all being on the same circuit.

It does not consider having the switches some distance apart. No matter; one of them will be a switch loop.


Turning a hard to access nut? Working on the propane conversion of my gas stove. One of the orifices to be changed is in a very hard to access location - shown in the photo. The orifice is the "nut" I'm referring to, which you can fit a wrench onto.

Although it is possible to get a wrench on it there is a very limited range of motion due to surrounding apparatus. I've tried to mark this in the photo with the red lines.  The very short arc that the wrench can turn in means that it never gets a 'bite' on the orifice / nut and I can't even loosen it.

It would be much more work to disassemble the other parts in this area, so I'm hoping for a solution to remove and then reinstall just the orifice part. Maybe there's a specialty type of wrench... or something else I'm not thinking of.

A Crowfoot Wrench would work nicely. A 10 piece set of these is only $15.00


Can I vent a portable air conditioner unit through a heat vent? I have an old house and don't have a window to open for the portable AC to vent to. Can I vent it out through a heat vent (my home has modern ventilation)?

You will be pushing humid warm air into the ductwork. That is not a good plan for a number of reasons.

1) This is essentially the same as venting the portable ac into the house since the ductwork feeds air to the house. The ac unit is trying to remove heat and humidity from the house to cool it. That is why the vent needs to exit the living space.

2) introducing moisture into the ductwork  will cause mold to grow  in them and may cause them to rust if they are metallic.

3) The humid air pushed into the duct work will find its way to the expensive parts in your furnace and damage them as well.

I would try thinking of it like a clothes dryer that you need to vent to the outside of your space. Could you add a duct through a wall with a weather cap on the outside termination?


How do I fill my grill's propane tank from my house tank? Anybody have a good method to transfer propane from the 500 gallon tank to the grill tank? Seems that the filling the grill tank costs about $4 a gallon but the 500 is $1.50.

Whats the rig that works the best and doesn't break the bank? I anticipate its an Evacuation Valve onto the Dip Tube and a hose and a tank valve.  What else should I be looking for?

When I asked our builder and the gas supplier about this, I was told unequivocally no. None of them wanted to get involved in any way in allowing a homeowner to be able to fill a propane tank.
I was told that this was a "safety issue". As has been typical, the people I was actually talking to don't know the code chapter and verse and so could not of course document any actual legal prohibition. But they were adamant that there was in fact a legal prohibition, and that being able to fill a propane tank at home was a non-starter.
Even if it turns out that their information isn't perfectly accurate, it's clear that filling a propane tank is at least a little finicky, and you will want to make sure that the equipment is installed by a professional, and that you are given adequate training not only on the process, but how to deal with things if/when the equipment doesn't work as expected.
Some quick research online, and I can add to the above:

At the very least, it is likely you will need your bulk propane tank retrofitted. Filling a grill tank (typically a 20 lb tank) requires liquid propane. While your bulk tank has liquid propane in it, the propane that comes from it for domestic use is the gaseous propane at the top of the tank. You would need a separate "liquid propane tap", which involves connecting to a different line attached to the tank that pulls from the bottom of the tank. It seems that while it is common for this line to be present, it normally is not configured to be usable by the homeowner. Your gas supplier would need to attach appropriate hardware to the tank to allow its use. Which brings us back to the point above.

(Aside: you need to fill with liquid propane, because just as evaporating the liquid propane reduces the temperature, allowing frost to accumulate on the outside of the tank, compressing the gaseous propane enough to condense it will heat it up. Even if you had a pump available capable of compressing the gaseous propane that you get out of your bulk tank, to fit it into the grill tank over any reasonably short period of time you'd wind up heating the propane up enough to be dangerous.)
The bottom line is: if you can find a gas company that is willing to help, this is possible. But it's not DIY, at least not to get things set up initially.
There is, no surprise, a lot of conflicting information to be found online. IMHO, a lot of it comes down to just how willing you are to risk blowing yourself up. FWIW, I found this post one of the more useful and apparently well-informed.
My favorite quote from that thread, regarding the wisdom of installing the necessary adapter equipment on your bulk propane tank yourself:

if you insist on doing it yourself, get you family to go out for the day, move your car or truck at least 100 yards away and leave you wallet and a note in your vehicle. It will help the emergency response folk understand what happened if there's an accident.

You may also find some useful discussion here: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/137881-20lb-propane-tanks-can-you.html. As always, take everything you read with a grain of salt. That's especially important here; looking through these threads and others, it's clear a number of people have successfully filled their own propane tanks without killing themselves, only due to them having remarkably competent guardian angels.

For what it's worth, what you _can_ do (i.e. what my gas supplier has done) is provide a quick-release tap near the grilling area, so that the propane grill can be connected directly to the household supply.
Note: this may require some tweaking of the gas regulator(s). Weber, for example, requires the customer to contact them directly to obtain the hook-up kit. I have read in their customer reviews (though didn't see anything in their official documentation) that propane grills require 14 water column-inches of pressure, while normal household pressure is 11 wc. This would require a separate regulator for the gas hookup than for the other household taps, something that the gas supplier would need to provide for when installing the tap.
Update: Since writing the previous paragraph, I have acquired a Weber grill and the necessary parts to connect it to our household bulk propane. Note that I already had the gas installers provide a pipe with a shutoff valve at the barbeque area. To order the Weber parts for the hookup, I was required to provide them with the serial number for my grill. Even with that, the parts included only the two mating parts of a quick-release connector, along with the hose and regulator to connect to the grill. I still needed to purchase the necessary adapter fittings to go from the quick-release connector to my gas line (if I recall correctly, the Weber parts had a 3/8" threaded connector while the gas line was 1/2").
The gas pressure turned out to not be an issue. The Weber parts are designed to work correctly with the standard household pressure of 11 water-column inches.


How do I prepare this cracked deck wood surface for staining? (Picture) My deck is about 15 years old. I believe the previous owner stained it only once, when it was built. I've pressure washed it, and now am getting it ready for re-staining. However, a lot of planks have cracked surface, pictured below. What should/can I do to prepare areas like this for re-staining?

Ouch, that looks like a splinter waiting to happen to someone barefooted. You won't like the answer: sand, sand, then sand some more. A belt sander with coarse paper would take it down to smooth pretty quick, then you could switch to a vibrating sander for your medium and fine grit sanding steps.

You might consider renting a commercial type drum or vibrating sander normally used when refinishing hardwood floors, depending on the size of your deck. I would definitely consider it to save my back!


How should I decide between an HRV and ERV for a northern climate home? I have a 33 years old house in Bedford, Nova Scotia, Canada. The existing air exchanger is out of order and need to replace with something newer. Question is should I get a HRV or ERV system.
As I understand:

HRV only recovers heat
ERV recovers both heat and humidity (C$200 more)

That kind of easily makese sense to go for an ERV system so that in winter it doesnt get too dry and in summer it doesnt get too humid inside the house.
But at the same time it may not make significant difference depending on the weather in my location. Thats where I need an expert opinion or someone already have a previous experience on this.
Question is:
Which one would be a good choice to go with HRV or ERV? How can I make the decision?
Thanks

I'm in the same situation. I think it depends on size of your home and number of people. If you've many people and do lots of cooking, shower, laundry etc and have smaller home then HRV is better because it will get rid of excess moisture. If you you've a large home, few people and air is very dry in winters then ERV is better. Also read ERV is better for old drafty homes (1960s old).
We opted for HRV because it is cheaper, we've a small house and we already have vented hood and exhaust in bathrooms.


Why are steam radiators used in the USA? In the UK, we use water radiator systems when the boiler heats the water to about 70°C, this allows the boiler to get most of the energy out of the gas (or oil) by condensing the steam you get from burning gas.

I can’t understand why anyone would design a system that could not operate with a condensing boiler – what am I missing?

The US has a mixture of systems. I'm not sure what the prevalence is, but I've lived in homes with both steam and hot water heating.

Steam offers the following advantages:

One-pipe systems
More heat transfer for a given radiator surface
No distribution pumps

Steam offers the following drawbacks:

Furnace needs to be a low point
Corrosion
Finicky distribution

Modern installations tend to favor hot water. The New England region has a legacy of steam heat that stems from coal furnaces and basements. Those systems were selected a century ago, and refit would require replacing the entire system. Steam was the leading technology in New England during its greatest period of growth.

Further, New York City had a substantial influence in the area with its district steam heat operations. Also, another good article that discusses steam legacy, why replacement is a bear, and how steam works in general.

Finally, in large distribution environments, there's the high pressure factor. If you need to move a lot of heat energy, you can do so space-efficiently with high pressure steam (smaller pipes). Harvard's Blackstone Steam Plant heats over 160 buildings and drives a 5 megawatt turbine. At larger scales like this, the thermal loss at the chimney is far lower than the combined loss that would be had from running at sub-boiling temperatures.


Should you chamfer CPVC pipe before gluing? In know that PVC should be chamfered and even lightly sanded before gluing for better insertion on the fitting (and probably some other reason).

What about CPVC, a manual told me to just cut, apply glue and insert the pipe into the fitting keeping pressure. No sanding, no chamfering and no wiping with primer. Another article told me to chamfer the edges before gluing. So what is the correct procedure?

About the only reason I could see to chamfer the end is that it would seat a mm or 2 deeper in the fitting. In that the glue is solvent welding the plastic, I doubt it makes a lot of difference in the strength of the joint. That said, I don't see that it would be a problem if it helps in joining unless you overdo it (like sharpen the end).

As far as I know, primer and sanding serve the same purpose - primer softens the surface and sanding gives more surface area.  Both of these improve the performance of the solvent.  Whether you need primer or not depends on the glue - there are single step glues that combine the primer and cement and there are two step glues that require priming then gluing.


Replace Old 200A Main Breaker with Newer Breaker Going through warranty hell. Main breaker is crap, and alternating pairs of breakers are not getting power (so, 50% of appliances/outlets are out).

I've been fighting for a new panel because the panel is ancient with old Crouse Hinds breakers, but now I'm told my family will need to wait over a week before they can get it special ordered (the main breaker is an old Crouse Hinds MD-A 200A bubble breaker).

Can the MD-A 200A be replaced with a newer Murray MPD2200 safely? Downsides?

Comments/Reviews on Amazon seem to convey that it's no problem, however nobody provided a specific model they were upgrading from, aside from saying "old Crouse Hinds" breakers, and I'm not sure why electricians say to avoid using non-original parts.

I have experience replacing a breaker here and there, and I swapped out wiring within the last few days to sacrifice the disposal for the dishwasher, but I haven't replaced a main breaker before.

Edit: Photo of panel for (some) context

The MPD2200 should be correct as a replacement...

The MPD2200 should be the correct replacement main breaker for your panel -- the old Murray breaker factory changed hands a few times before ending up in its current home (with Siemens).

However, be careful here in more ways than one

However, you'll not only need to have your utility cut the power to your house to do this safely (most utilities will not charge for this service during working hours), but you should be quite careful and gentle when inserting the new breaker into the panel, following the directions precisely.  Any discrepancy whatsoever in the fit of the breaker to the bussing and interior should not be hacked around, but be treated as time to call in the cavalry (you'll have to call in an electrician and have them call Siemens tech support for advice, I reckon).  Furthermore, you'll need a torque wrench calibrated in inch-pounds to tighten the terminal lugs on the new breaker (for the incoming wires from the meter, if nothing else) to their specified torque, as well as for any other uses the install instructions may prescribe (NEC 110.14(D) requires that the breaker lugs be torqued correctly even).

Of course, if you're not comfortable with any of this, calling in an electrician is always an option.


How can I replace a 4-way mechanical switch with occupancy sensor(s)? There is a stairwell in our house, which is currently lit by a fixture controlled by three switches: a 4-way and two 3-ways. The wiring was done very recently and, I'm certain, in accordance to modern code (which may help you figure out the diagram, even if I don't know it).

I started with replacing the existing 4-way with a 3-way sensing switch from Lutron (MS-OPS5M). Predictably, one of the remaining mechanical switches stopped having any effect whatsoever. I was hoping, the second of the remaining mechanical switches will remain in control to allow explicit control of the light. This proved to be incorrect - sometimes it has an effect, some times it does not, and some times it disables the sensing switch (it clicks, but the light stays off).

While the new sensor works perfectly well detecting humans on the same floor, if a person descends the stairs from the upper floor, the light does not go on until one descends to the middle of the stairs - when the feet come to about the same level, where the sensor is.

So, it seems, I need either:

One occupancy sensor with a sensor looking up as well as sideways. This would, probably, be the easiest and most sensible option. It will let me remove the remaining mechanical switch.

or

Two occupancy sensors, that can work together - adding the second to where I currently have the semi-functional mechanical switch. This would provide the most complete sensor-coverage.

or

Figure out, what's wrong with the current setup - why is the existing mechanical switch misbehaving? I'm sure, I miswired something... Should I replace it with a 1-pole switch now, that I only have 2 switches on the circuit?

Update:

So I tried to follow Lutron's diagram linked to by mac and found it easy to connect the sole red wire on the 3-way mechanical switch to one of the black wires.

Unfortunately, that did not improve the situation much. Depending on the position of the (newly rewired) mechanical switch, the sensor either works or it does not.

I'm certain, I mis-wired the sensor when replacing the old 4-way switch with it. Could somebody set me straight, please?

In addition to ground, there were four wires connected to the 4-way switch (duh!): two red on one side, and two black on the other. The new switch has 3 connectors: one blue and two black. What do I connect to what?

You could use some Insteon (or similar) home automation devices to have two motion sensors control the lights.

You'd need two wireless motion sensors and one dual-band switch. The switch receives the wireless signal from the motion sensors and activates the lights.

You'd then deactivate the other two existing switches (or add them back as "smart" switches, see below).

When one of the motion sensors detects motion, it sends an "on" command to the switch. The motion sensor then starts an internal timer and if it does not see motion again before the timer expires, it sends an "off" command to the switch.

The only issue with this is that as you add additional motion sensors, you have a race condition to turn the lights off. This is likely not a problem for most scenarios, but if you have a super-long hallway or a giant warehouse that you're trying to cover with multiple occupancy sensors it'd be an issue.

Hypothetically, lets say you have an infinitely long hallway with doors every 15 feet. Over each door is a motion sensor, they all control the lights, and they're all programmed to time-out at 1 minute.

Someone enters from one end of the hallway triggering sensor "A", which sends an "on" command and starts its internal countdown. As they walk down the infinitely long hallway, they trigger a new sensor every 15 feet or so, each sending its own "on" command. As soon as sensor A's one minute timer goes off, sensor "A" sends an "off" command, and the lights go out.

This is where a more sophisticated commercial light control network is needed. But if you've just got three doors into a three-floor stairway, the two wireless motion sensors should work fine. If you expected people to linger in the hallway, you may have an issue, though you could just increase the time-out time to try to get around it.

You could also add additional Insteon light switches if desired to replace the existing switches--though the motion sensors would still try to turn the lights off on you!

NOTE: I've used Insteon products, but am not affiliated with Insteon or Smarthome in any way.


Filling a CMU block wall in garage I have a CMU foundation block wall in my garage that leads to my basement (picture below). Half of the cores are empty and it is about 8-9ft deep. I regularly treat this area and the garage with bifenthrin insecticide, but the open cores are continuing to attract tons of camel crickets to use as a home. I'm currently renovating the garage so I want to either either fill, cap, or finish the top of this wall off so it looks more attractive and eliminates an area for insects to live. I'm looking for suggestions on the best way to do this.
This foundation wall is from 1956 and half the cores are already filled. If I end up needing to fill them, I can do this by hand with a wheelbarrow and 5gal bucket and I was looking at Sakrete Maximizer Concrete Mix since it seems to yield the most fill per 80lb bag. The fewer I have to mix, the better. I would eventually seal and paint these walls leading down the stairs. Thanks!

Update:
This went well. Looks more finished now and the camel cricket numbers are dwindling. I screwed some 2x4s to the wall to make a form and only ended up needing about two and a half 80lb bags of concrete mix after filling the blocks with broken up pieces of rigid foam.

To insect proof the block, you only need to fill the last 4" of block. Stuff newspaper in the core down a ways to keep the concrete of masonry mix from dropping all the way down.

Filling the whole core is not needed and to attempt to fill it from the top, through those small holes will only be frustrating. It will not go all the way down anyway. It will stick to the sides and other cross webbing you do not see and start collecting in places before it gets to the bottom.


Beam too close to ceiling for fixture I'm trying to replace a light fixture. The problem is that the beam holding the previous fixture is too low and the new fixture's wires go through the nipple. If the crossbar is screwed on to the beam, there is not enough space for the nipple to go through the crossbar while leaving room for the wires to come out. I don't know if there are any 'standard' solutions to this sort of problem, but I can't think of anything short of of sawing off part of the nipple (without hitting the wires somehow!).

Looks like the small diameter nipple screws into the shorter, larger diameter 'nipple', and the second nut is acting as a locknut. Once the locknut is loosened, the inner nipple ought to unscrew with finger pressure from inside the larger, shorter threaded 'nipple'.

Once the locknut is off, you might be able to screw in the nipple deeper. Or you could cut it off without risking damaging the wires, or you could replace it with a shorter nipple (available at local hardware store, Home Depot, Lowes, etc)


Why is there no water after replacing the filter in a Samsung refrigerator? I just replaced my refrigerator (RFG297HDBP) water filter with a genuine Samsung replacement filter. However, with the new filter in, I get a short burst of water, then no more water. I can pull out the filter and reinstall it and the same thing happens ( I have pulled it out and screwed it back in about 20 times so far). I put the old filter back in and now it is has the same problem. My guess from the sound of it is that the filter is filling up with water during the turning process, but once it gets to the lock, no more water is able to pass into the filter. Has anyone else experienced this? How should I fix it?

We had the same problem as everyone else. Installed a new filter (not a Samsung filter). After we installed the new filter there was no water. Tried the old one again and same thing, no water. We tried everything and could not figure what the problem was. Finally we unplugged the refrigerator and waited a few minutes. Plugged it back in and voila, we had water! Evidently something needed to reset itself.


What would cauase a limit go bad in a furnace? On Christmas day my furnace pilot would not kick on and the blower just kept running on and on blowing out cold air. A furnace tech came out and looked at it. He said the Limit was bad and he replaced it. Now the landlord said she received the bill and the tech made a note that the reason the limit went bad is because of a dirty air filter. I find this hard to believe because I have regularly changed the filters. Additionally, he looked at the one I had in the furnace at the time, and said it didn't look bad or too dirty. So, my question is what can make a limit go bad in a furnace? Could thermostat malfunction have anything to do with it?

Reduced intake air is the most common cause.  This could be caused by a dirty filter, blocked/restricted returns, or any other restrictions of intake air.

The truth is, limit switches can only trip so many times before they break. Each time the furnace overheats and trips the limit; for whatever reason, the life of the switch is reduced.

It was likely not caused by a single trip. The problem will likely persist, if the root cause is not fixed.


Should my roofer have vented my insulated roof? Shortly after buying a mid-century split-level in the Pacific Northwest I had the old torch-down flat roof replaced with a PVC membrane. As half of the top level has a vaulted ceiling without much room for additional insulation above it, 3 inches of ISO rigid foam insulation were added on top of the roof deck. The insulation was added on the half having a shallow attic as well as the vaulted half. On the side with the attic, the roofers cut through the insulation to install roof vents.
Let's suppose, for the sake of argument, that it was reasonable to place the insulation over both halves of the roof (as opposed to only placing it over the vaulted half and then, say, blowing in more insulation in the attic for less money per R-factor). Should the vents have been added?
At the time, I assumed the venting was a necessary compromise between energy conservation and humidity dissipation, much like the ventilation that's needed in sealed homes. But, upon further consideration, it seems like the right thing to have done would have been to block the soffit vents, leveraging the new insulation's ability to prevent condensation beneath the roof deck.

You are absolutely right. The kind of roof you describe does not need to be vented, and in fact cannot be vented without compromising all the polyiso insulation you had added (that was a good idea!). The roofers have damaged your insulation layer and put your roof at risk. Call them back and make them fix it. If they won't, call the contracting board.


Replacing ceiling light with fan/light combination In my kitchen I had a ceiling light which I turned on and off with a wall switch. I replaced the ceiling light with a fan/light combination. When wiring the instructions did not tell me what to do with a single red wire coming from the electrical box. I figured it was a ground wire. The fan motor had a green ground wire which I did connect.
I just capped the red wire from the electrical box and continued with the installation.

When I finished and turned the electricity back on, I was unable to activate the fan/light from my wall switch. I could only activate it with the pull chains on the fan/light. Should I have connected the red ground wire with the green one that was part of the fan/light? No remote came with the fan/light.

I have not done anything to change my original installation.

If you don't know how to use a test device of some sort -- at least a voltage probe light -- you really should not be taking apart and reassembling your house wiring. The chance of hurting yourself or someone else is too high. Get a more knowledgeable friend to do the project with you, teaching you as they go.

Having said that...

The house-wiring color code is fairly well standardized, at least if whoever installed the circuit was vaguely competent. A table giving the conventions for multiple countries can be found at http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_5/chpt_2/2.html

In the US, the black wire would normally be the "hot", or powered, connection and the white wire would be the "neutral", or return, connection. The switch should be on the hot side. So a lamp is normally connected to the black and white wires, with the safety ground (green or bare) wire running to the body of the fixture to ensure that a short circuit, if one ever arises, causes the breaker to blow rather than zapping a human.

A red wire, in the US, is the "second hot". This is used when two circuits are run through a single cable. It's sometimes used for the connection between two-way switches (the first switch selects which of the two will be powered, the second switch selects which of the two will be connected to the controlled circuit, so the two switches have to agree before electricity flows). It's also sometimes used in exactly the situation you're describing, when there are two wall switches independently controlling two parts of a single fixture (the fan and the light, for example).

The fact that the red wire is present at all in a US installation would tell me that the box the fixture was mounted to had probably been wired in some specialized way, or at least that whoever installed that wire expected to need that wire later. (In the latter case, it may not be connected to anything at all right now.) If you can't figure out what controls that red wire, capping it with a wire nut and tape was almost certainly EXACTLY the right thing to do.

So... If that's what you've done, and you aren't getting power, either your connections are wrong or they're bad electrically. Cut the power, dismount the fixture, review the instructions that came with it, review how you actually had things connected (no assumptions!), make sure that you have connected the wires to each other properly, make sure no bare wire was exposed that could have caused a short and blown the breaker... did you check that the breaker hadn't popped? ... and fix whatever you've done wrong. If you can't figure out what you did wrong, go get that more experienced friend and have them look at it. First thing I'd do, since you didn't note how the old fixture was connected, would be to determine whether the circuit really is wired as the colors promise, and  whether the wall switch you're using controls the black wire or, possibly the red. (Or was installed in the neutral, which would be WRONG but is unfortunately possible in circuits installed by amateurs.)

WARNING: Ceiling fans are heavy and they vibrate. It is generally considered a Bad Idea to hang one from an electrical box that previously carried a lamp fixture unless you KNOW that it is unusually well secured and will not work its way loose and drop the fixture on someone's head. If the box isn't screwed directly to a joist -- and I suspect even if it is, by code -- you'd want to replace that box with one designed for the purpose, screwing the ends of the hanger bar into the joists on either side of the opening and bolting the box to that bar.


Why are my LED bulbs flashing? I recently replaced all eight bulbs on my chandeleir with dimmable led light bulbs.  They work fine when on, but at approximately half power (dimmer turned half way through), the bulbs start flashing (high and low light) in an alternate manner.  This continues even at high / full power.  When I tried removing one bulb, the frequency increases.  When I removed two bulbs, the frequency returns as with 8 bulbs.  Any help / advice pls?  Thanks!

Either because your dimmer is not rated for LEDs or your bulbs have a defect.

You have to understand that each LED now has in essence its own motherboard that controls how the LED bulbs are functioning, the dimmable ones being much more complex.  A lot manufacturers are still on their first generation of dimmables too.  They just aren't "programmed" to be used for all instances.  Whether it be the output the dimmer is giving, the way it gives it, other interference on the circuit, and so on.  Very good friend of mine manages at Lowe's and said that by far the #1 return in their store is dimmable LEDs.

So what can you do?

Make sure that your dimmer is rated for LEDs.
adjust the dimming settings on your dimmer
Try a different brand of LEDs.
Try a different style
Try a different wattage

I have track lighting above my stairs leading to basement.  Took me 4 different LED bulbs to find one that would appropriate dim without issues.  One never really dimmed (maybe got to 60-70%), one blinked like yours, and the other one only came on when the dimmer was turned at least halfway up - and when you got to 90% on the dimmer they turned off.

I would say that in almost all of these cases there is nothing wrong with your setup it is just that the technology isn't ready for the new energy consumption regulations.  Dimming bulbs became very en vogue 15-20 years ago to save energy.  Some states required dimmers for incandescent outlets...  When LEDs first came out the manufacturers weren't worried about dimmers/energy savings since their bulbs would beat out the most dimmed incandescent.


Bathroom toilet install - path of least resistance I want to install a toilet in my ugly old basement and am apprehensive about how to actually do it.
Here's what I have:

...and here's how my house is plumbed:

So I'm trying to put a toilet on this line somewhere within the blue box on the diagram above. Is this advisable? I want to minimize or remove altogether any need to break into or cut any concrete. Wouldn't mind a solution involving a small platform or putting the toilet right next to this blue box area.

Just " GOOGLE" a pump up toilet system and you will get many options. The one from Home Depot  will let you install a complete bathroom if desired and costs less than $700.00.


Where can I get, or how can I DIY table slides that will accept leaves totaling 104"? I have two identical 66" long tables with stationary pedestal bases.  The table tops slide apart to accept one 24" leaf in the middle resulting in tables that are 90" long.

I'd like to modify one of the tables so that it expands beyond 90" to 170", and accept 3 additional leaves.  In all, the 4 leaves will span 104".

What type of table sliders (rails) should I get and how should they be placed.  How far apart should I place the pedestals?

Additioanl details in case they are important:

I plan to make the extra leaves by cannibalizing the other table top.

The tables are 42" wide.

Each stationary pedestal is 30" x 24" x 26" length, width height.

I believe the tables are made of white oak.

Here are some pictures.

Short answer, vertical and strong. I have an old Saginaw Expand-o-Matic that opens from 24" to  90" and is designed to only use the end legs, no middle support. Not sure where you could find this hardware today though.

You want the sliders to be vertical because the majority of the stress will be vertical stress of the table and contents weight. It also helps load balance because you'll need more than one slider to more than double your expansion and positioned vertically, your contact points are all on the same level.

An alternative is leafed ends, so the base/original table would remain the same but you could add on leaf ends, you can either have them hinged and permanently attached or be small stand alone tables that are add-ons. You'd need to make clean edges on the original table or route out the reverse of the rounded corners into the leaves/add-ons.


Why doesn't my pressure relief valve work as expected? My water heater is 4 years old.  I noticed very hot water coming out of all faucets, no cold water and a whistling noise.  Added a regulator to stop back flow on cold water. Replaced pressure relief valve, all faucets start to leak. NEW Pressure relief valve started to leak- replaced it again, now that one leaks too!
Have a pressure reducer to reduce water pressure coming into the house on main line- set at 60 PSI.

There is an exchanger that sits on top of the water heater for in floor heat.
Can someone PLEASE tell my why my pressure releif valve will not work?  I am on the third one in three week.  I have also been through 3 water heaters in ten years.  HELP!

Sounds like you need an expansion tank for the hot water system. When you heat water, it expands. If there's no place for it to go, the pressure will rise until something gives. You might also need to adjust (or replace) the thermostat(s) on the water heater.

A PRV acts also as a check valve so 60 PSI into the house going cold into the water heater can then become a much higher pressure when the cold water is heated, if no valves are open using water. The new check valve (which you call a regulator, but I'm betting it's not) does the same thing closer to the water heater.


Red brick efflorescence I have a dark red brick house.  On the back side of my house I seem to have an issue with efflorescence on the brick.  So I did some research and someone mentioned using muratic acid or some form of muratic acid diluted in water.  Brush it on there and rinse it throughly.

So I bought this stuff:
http://www.amazon.com/Sunnyside-Corp-61032-Green-Muriatic/dp/B002MRC49E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1300315774&sr=8-2-spell

I did just that and it was gone for a good month.  I thought it did it!  Within the next month it started to reappear so I did the same thing, scrubbed it with this "Green Envy" cleaner and then rinsed it with water, again it was clean and beautiful for a good month.  Winter came and now spring is approaching and finally the snow has melted in Michigan.  I look again at my brick and the efflorescence is there again!

How do I get rid of this stuff? I have also tried white vinegar, and that didnt do anything!

Edit
It seems that ever since I got my patio deck out back this has happened.
Its a pretty high patio with pavers, they had to put a lot of water on the crushed concrete
and they then put the pave base and finally the pavers.  About 3 months later the efflorescence seemed to appear on the wall in front of the patio.  So could this be the issue?  What could be causing this and how to get rid of it?

Also I already did search this forum, and I've read the one post but that did not work for me.  I was hoping to get better / more answers.  (See comments section).

Anytime there is case of reoccurring efflorescence, it is important to find the source of the water or moisture that is penetrating or passing out of the brick. If the brick is subject to a lot of splashing, any salts etc used for ice control, that could be a cause. This link will give you a very good reference and some possible treatments.  Good Luck. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efflorescence


Replacing Ceiling Fan with Light Fixture - No Wall Switch I would like to replace my ceiling fan with a standard light fixture, however, there is not a wall switch.  What are my options if I do not want to install a wall switch?

You've got many choices. There are pull chain fixtures, Smart fixtures, Smart bulbs for a regular fixture or standard fixtures with a remote control similar to the one pictured below from Amazon


Insert eyebolt into steel tube without using nut? I have a regular round 1 1/4" steel tube, and I want to insert and eyebolt in it. The tube only has one hole (where the eyebolt goes) so I can't use a nut.

What options do I have and can I find it at Home Depot? I was told at the store that this was not possible, so I thought that maybe I could screw something into the tube and then screw the eyebolt into this something.

Thanks.

What can you get at a typical hardware store?

Rather than focus on that one hole that you do have, look at other types of hooks.  They have eyelets that are fixed onto metal plates.  These plates can then be screwed to the pipe using some self tapping sheet metal screws:

Harder to find, but another option...

There is something called a rivnut, and as the name suggests, it is a cross between a rivet and a nut.  You can secure them from one side only like a rivet, but they have a threaded hole that you can then thread an eye bolt into.  They require a special tool to insert them, and you'll probably have to drill the hole that you have bigger to accommodate the outside diameter of the rivnut.  If you only have a few to insert, you might be able to get by without the special tool.

Low strength option

If this is light duty, and the metal of your post is thick enough, you might be able to cut some threads in it with a thread tap and correctly sized drill bit. You'd only get maybe one good thread cut into the pipe, but that might be enough if what you're holding is light enough.  You could also force an eye bolt with wood screw threads into the pipe.  Again, not very strong at all, but might work for you.


how do I know if my wood floor is damaged? I had left damp towels on the wood floors for entire day. Underneath it the floor was slippery and slightly wet. The wooden floor itself I don't know about other than its shinny and here's a pic of the area:

The floor will certainly dry out given time. If you want to speed it up, aim a fan at it. You could use a hair dryer, but don't get it too close and keep it moving.


How to fix a slightly raised stair nosing board (See photo below).

I have hardwood flooring that goes into stairs.  The horizontal wooden slat right before the stairs is very slightly raised, by maybe an 1/8 of an inch, maybe even 1/16th.  It's not a major problem, but I'm worried it's a tripping hazard which could end horribly wrong if you trip down the whole flight of stairs.

Is there a way I can make the two hardwood slats smooth with each other?

If the top step is slightly higher than the hardwood flooring it shouldn't be much of a problem to pull it up and plane down the underside to the thickness you're seeking. You just don't want to overdo it. Be patient in removing the stair slat to prevent splitting.
EDIT
If the stair is mortised into the stringer the only realistic solution is to carefully use a sanding block to bevel the back edge of the step to reduce the risk. If you can keep the bevel area narrow and not impact the flooring you might be able to apply a matching stain and seal to the bevel that will be acceptable visually.


Can I remove the insulation from flex duct I am trying to fit a 7" flex duct between some floor joists and it would fit better without the insulation. Can I remove the insuluation and just use the plastic part?

Technically I suppose you could remove the insulation around flex. Why would you want to though? I understand that it fits tight through there but in my installation of commercial duct work (on the side) we have just compressed the insulation. It is after all flexible. One thing that insulation around duct work does is prevent condensation on your ducts when you run the air conditioning in the summer. You may think no big deal but that slight bit of moisture and a couple of drops can start other issues. It's good to keep your ducts insulated. I would say either pipe it through the (and insulate the pipe) joists and put flex on after that or just squish the flex with the understanding that it may affect the airflow to that room (depending on the squish factor)


Cladding removed from sides of dormer, should it be covered if not being replaced for a week? I'm having all of the soffits, fascias & guttering replaced along with cladding to the sides of upstairs dormer windows. The upstairs windows look like this picture:

The guy doing the work started by removing all of the old wooden soffits & fascias as well as the cladding to the sides of the dormers. He has put all new soffits, Fascias & Guttering on the main roof line but has left the sides of the dormers open.

There has been a delay with some materials and he has said he will be back next Wednesday/Thursday (that's approx. a week from now for future reference) to complete the job. I should stress that I'm not worried about this being a "builder never returns" problem, I have 100% confidence that the work will be completed.

What I am worried about is the sides of 4 large dormers being open to the element for a week with heavy rain forecast! Should I be worried? Should they be covered by plastic (tarp) or perhaps temporarily boarded up? The builder doesn't seem overly concerned but I am.

I would cover the openings with plastic sheet or some other water proof material. It doesn't have to be perfect, just enough to prevent the rain getting onto sensitive surfaces. The timbers should be treated and should be able to withstand some rain, but you don't want water getting into the walls etc.

The main issue I see would be how to ensure it was properly secured, but there should be enough exposed timbers for you to staple into to get a good enough seal.


It there a easy way to handle floor cupping? Bit of a back story.

First we rent, but our land lord is awesome. As such, when things around the house need minor repairs, we tend to either just do them, or have them done. Major repairs he does, and we always work out the cost/rent issue as needed. As such, we have a great relationship, as we are allowed to do more to the house then if we were just a standard renter, and he has less upkeep.

For example, replacing ceiling fans, fixing toilets, repairing the dishwasher, we have just done, but removing trees, re insulating the attic, repairing the A/C he has always done.

The house has been expanded a number of times though the years but the original areas have real hard wood floors. This year was especially wet during the rainy season and the floors are now cupping in a few spots. I understand that some cupping is to be expected during our humid and wet season as the floors expand and pressure causes the issue. But historically, the cupping has gone away once the wet season was over.

We live in Florida, and this year has been especially wet. For example I don't think we have had enough of a dry spell in the past 5 month for the yard to stop being mud. It has rained most every day, and the days it didn't rain have not been dry enough for the water to evaporate well.

So back to the floors. This high moisture has caused cupping in 4-5 spots.  Is there an easy way for us to help along the drying / returning to normal or do we need to give up and call this major work.

What I have been able to find online has been a mixed bag. May sources say, just wait it out, with winter (our dry season) coming things should return to normal, and it's just a part of having real hard wood floors. Other sources say it's time to "rip up the floors" and start over.

Is there a place in between? Should we ride it out? Does delaying repairs to see what happens make the problem worse?

P.S. clarification: Water has not directly come in contact with the wood floors in any unusual way. That is to say that no flooding has occurred, no water set in a spot, or anything like that.

Wait it out. If this was your place, you might ponder dealing with the root cause (probably, as noted in the comment above, that they're too tight), but this will return to reasonably flat in the dry season. Delay is not a problem.


Electric panel distance from windows and/or gas service entry I can't find anything specific anywhere else, but what is the minimum distance a main electrical panel can be from a window when the panel is mounted on the outside of the house?

Additionally, is there any reg concerning the panel's horizontal distance from a gas meter on the same exterior wall?

I understand there are regs on "working space", but if these things (main panel, gas, A/C condenser, etc) exist on the same contiguous wall... are there any CODE restrictions on distance from EACH OTHER.  Can the working space more-or-less overlap?

If so, what are the relevant sources/code references?

As far as the electrical equipment goes there is nothing beyond the working clearances. The equipment can be directly adjacent to either item.

Working clearance for a panel is 30" wide and 36" deep (in front). The equipment can be anywhere in the 30" wide space.

There may be a gas code clearance issue, but I am not familiar with that code.

Might I ask why you are asking?


Thermostat not getting power and won't turn on fan or AC. Does have power with batteries, still no cooling So first things first, I live in a condo. I don't have a lot of easy access to my AC (and I would imagine my furnace? I'm only guessing where that is though it might be near the water heater instead). But I'm really hoping someone here knows what's going on.

I have a Honeywell TH1100D as best I can figure. It's an old thermostat, came with the condo-- they were discontinued back in 2013. A couple weeks ago I had the fan-- no AC, and went for a walk. When I came back the fan wasn't running and the thermostat was completely blank. I found that odd, but assumed it was a temporary issue. It's happened once, maybe twice before and came on after an hour or two. But this time it never came back on.

I took the cover off to see if anything had come loose and noticed that there were no batteries installed even though there was a spot for them. The solution, I thought, was obvious. It's not getting power, supply it with batteries. I popped two batteries in and the thermostat came back to life! But when I put it back on the wall it still wouldn't trigger the fan or the AC. I popped the batteries back out again and went to hang it back on the wall when I happened to notice the fan trigger for maybe a tenth of a second while I was putting it back in and then turn off.

After some finagling I managed to have the thermostat tilted at such an angle not-quite-fully-seated that it would kick on, cool the place, and everything worked. A bit janky, but certainly not the hackiest thing I've done. It worked well for a couple days but suddenly went off. I tried to get it back into position but it's become IMPOSSIBLE to get back. Now, I can only hear a brief "click" of it getting power not even enough to activate the thermostat before it dies again. Batteries still work, but it still offers no control.

I removed the back plate and gave the wires/contacts a brief hit with a wire brush I had, assuming there might be some corrosion, but that doesn't seem to fix the problem.

Does anyone know what might be going on or what I should do to fix it?

Ended up finding out what was wrong with it, posting it here just in case someone else stumbles on this. Since I'm in a condo, my furnace was installed in the ceiling. It also has a safety overflow switch installed: https://www.diversitech.com/en-US/item/id/2070

When the person installing the furnace popped that switch on he thought he would make it face the ground so you could see the light. But it's supposed to only trigger when the pipe is full, and condensation will always be drawn towards the ground due to gravity. After a few years enough condensation had built up to trip the SOS but not enough to drain through the pipe. I flipped it upright and everything kicked back on.


Insulating under a bay window I have a 1929 craftsman house.  The dining room has a bay window, original to the house, cantilevered outside the foundation.  The floor joists were covered outside on the bottom with tongue & groove flooring, then the interior flooring cut away to use the joists as a cold air return.  The wall is 2x4 stud, plaster & lath inside, wood lap siding outside, filled with blown polyiso foam 30 years ago.  The wood lap siding was topped with 1/8" green foam sheeting and vinyl siding in 1992.  1/2" styrofoam sheet (small white beads, like in a cheap cooler) was added under the window, most likely at the same time as the vinyl siding in 1992.  The rim joist under the window appears to have only the 1/8" green foam, vinyl, and lap siding covering it, no other insulation.

I recently found the styrofoam under the bay was only press-fit in some areas, no fasteners, held up by a friction fit on the back side of the lap siding.  This left air gaps on both sides of the lap siding, between it and the styrofoam on the backside and the green foam on the outside.

I recently obtained a pile of 1" styrofoam panels that I would like to use to cover the existing 1/2" styrofoam on the bottom of the bay.  To cut drafts, I would like to install it all the way out to the vinyl siding, screw and caulk it in, closing the air gaps around the lap siding.

I can imagine this would close the drainage path behind the vinyl siding, if the green foam wasn't there as a water barrier.  I can also imagine closing the gap behind the lap siding could possibly reduce air flow and drying to the outside, but the wall still has plenty of air flow inside.

Question... Would adding more styrofoam under the bay, closing the air gaps at the bottom of the lap siding & behind the vinyl, or insulating the inside of the rim joist (inside the cold air return) be a bad thing?  Can I close these gaps or should I leave them for drainage & airflow?

Edit:  Added 1 pic looking in cold air return register, showing the rim joist attached to the end of the floor joists.  The floor joists are covered underneath with tongue & groove flooring (outside) and sheet metal (in the basement) to create the cold air return for the furnace & a/c.  The smooth surface between the floor joists is cardboard laying loose on top of the t&g flooring.

Also added 2 pics under the bay window showing the white vinyl siding, 1/8" green foam sheet insulation, brown lap siding, heavily weathered white trim board, and 1/2" white styrofoam.

It looks like there is a layer of foam between the siding and the house this was quite common.
I would not seal below the siding, this could trap moisture and since there is a layer of foam attached to the sheeting there really shouldn’t be any air movement and this is outside the structure, the stud bays them selves are another air space beyond that.

I might consider adding some insulation in the air chase and use spray foam to seal it in place , remember whatever you add for insulation will limit your flow but I can’t believe you need 2 bays for flow and if one is a supply and one is a return,,, well I hope their is some kind of duct work we cannot see to rout them away from each other.
The reason I would not seal the bottom is it can trap moisture, most of the siding I installed had weep holes as it did condense moisture into water at times.


Light Fixture box with 3 sets of wires (confusing wiring) I recently took off a light fixture in my home's bathroom and before I could take mental note of the wiring situation, the white wire from the fixture slipped from a wire nut (not a great sign of previous electrical work, I know..). The black wire from the fixture was connected to the single black wire on the right side of the box (presumably the switch's cable) but I do not know where the fixture's white wire was connected. I have a feeling the white wire from the fixture was connected to the two black wires on the left side of the picture, however, I'm hesitant to do that (I added the electrical tape for now). Note that the fixture/switch were working perfectly fine. Any thoughts on where the white wire from the fixture needs to be attached? Thanks in advance

What you've got here is power in to the fixture box, power out to whatever is next and a "switch leg" cable to the switch. You are probably right that the wires from the fixture were connected to the blacks with the wire nuts.  Unfortunately this isn't best practice, dangerous at best.  This setup leaves the fixture "hot" all the time and effectively interrupts the neutral.

The way to make it right is to connect the right black wire with the 2 on the left.  Disconnect the white wires and code tape black the white wire coming back from the switch.  Connect that to the black wire on the fixture and the other wire (white) from the fixture to the other white wires.   Best practice would be pigtail the whites so you only have one wire to deal with when installing the fixture.

Oh and get a wire nut on those ground wires while you're in there!


How can I hook curtains to vertical blinds? I am seeking a way to  hook Blackout Curtains with grapples like in the photo below without removing my vertical blinds or their rod. What can I hook TO?  I want block sunlight. I don't want moneying to buy something else. My Blackout Curtain is just lieing around and I want use it!
I don't know official terms for curtail rod parts. But 1. Reddish Strip and 2. White String look too thin and frail to support heavy Blackout Curtain! If I hook curtain to them, I'll break Reddish Strip and White String!

I would suggest installing a curtain rod specifically for hanging the blackout curtains instead of trying to attach them to anything on the vertical blind mechanism. Attaching the curtains would likely prevent any operation of the vertical blinds at a minimum, and possibly damage the mechanism.
The new rod could be above the vertical blind, or, if the rod is long enough, the brackets could be at the same level as the blind mechanism and the top of the curtain essentially flush with the top of the opening. This would probably depend on how wide and tall your curtains are.
Doing it this way would allow you to use your existing curtains and to continue to use the vertical blinds when you do want light and to continue to use the sliding door that I presume is behind the blinds. You would have to spend for the curtain rod, but if money is tight, you can get a very inexpensive plain rod. If you'd like to spend a bit more, you can get something fancier and more decorative.
If you're renting and worried about damaging the wall, usually a few screw holes aren't enough to cause loss of a damage deposit. Or you can buy a small container of drywall spackle to easily patch up the holes before you leave.


GFCI Outlet or Breaker As a part of my renovation of a 1900's cottage I'm completely rebuilding the kitchen.
I'm planning on running 2 20A circuits shared between the countertop outlets, fridge & dishwasher.
Is there any objective reason (or code requirement - GA, USA) to choose to do either:
1. A GFCI outlet as the first outlet in the chain (or at the 1st location in the chain where a GFCI is required like near the sink)
2. A GFCI breaker in the panel for each circuit

What leads me to ask this question is that in the country where I am originally from, it is standard practice for all outlets in a house to be protected by a single large 'Earth-Leakage Circuit Breaker' in the electrical panel, so having individual sockets protected seems unusual to me.

You can run the fridge but not the dishwasher as shown in exhibit 210.28. It also depends on where you live local code may have exemptions or tougher requirements. I usually run a dedicated circuit for the fridge. There is an exception that allows a gas stove igniter and a clock outlet on the 2 small appliance circuit.
The wording is counter top a dishwasher, Garbage disposal, trash compactor and in some cases a built in microwave require additional circuits. It really depends on local requirements. But Exhibit 210.28 clearly shows the fridge not gfci protected and on 1 of the 2 small appliance circuits. (The Exhibit is 2 drawings of methods that can be used for the required 2ea 20 Amp small appliance circuits in the 2014 NEC hand book).


Hiding rain drain pipe below the sidewalk I have a 100mm pipe (4") that comes under the garage ramp and outputs the rain water to the street. My problem is that I couldn't have the pipe goes straight to the street because of the slope needed, so I diverted the pipe 45° at the sidewalk point.

The pipe end sits a bit above the curb level, so now I need to find a way to hide this pipe. I thought of maybe using a drain grate, but I couldn't find anyone with 45° corners (I could weld something, but I would be a very tedious work). Another idea is using a heat blower to compress the pipe to that it goes below the curb level, but I think this might create clogging problems.

Any other choices?

EDIT: Added a picture of the pipe in question

Why don't you move the end a little further uphill and empty the pipe into some kind of culvert drain or splash block that slopes down to the curb?

Or you could use a pipe fixture like this:

There's a brand name behind that thing (Mitered Drain), and I'm not sure there are identical alternatives, so I'll go ahead and identify the brand. I'm not their spokesman. They just have the solution that's identical to what came into my head when I saw your question.

Or maybe you could transition to a rectangular section of pipe:


Possible To Put an Epoxy Coating on Particle Board? Is is possible/recommended to put an epoxy such as Rust-Oleum Epoxy Garage Floor Coating on particle board?  Any help would be appreciated!

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-EpoxyShield-2-gal-2-Part-Epoxy-Garage-Floor-Coating-Gray-High-Gloss-Kit-2-Pack-251870/100671422

Possible, yes. Recommended - probably not. What purpose to you intend it to serve? Why do you think epoxy coating (intended for application to concrete) makes it better for the purpose? With or without coatings, is particle board even remotely suitable for the purpose?

Responding to comment: Marine plywood would have been a much better choice of material - if the business lasts long enough for you to discover why that's the case, remember that when you have to replace the particleboard. Particleboard falls apart when it gets wet, and it will, no matter what you cover it with. Given that it's a food truck your choice of flooring will have to pass the health department inspection applicable to to the locale where it operates, and they may well have a preference, or even a list of approved materials; check with them before proceeding. Properly applied vinyl tile flooring is very likely more durable than epoxy - epoxy can be chipped. The solid vinyl tiles common in commercial kitchens take a lot of abuse, and if they are too badly damaged, can be replaced individually.


Stainless steel nails for roof? Stainless steel nails for roofing is ~$1K premium.  Assume that the commercial roof (self-storage building, with sloping roof) is on a Florida island, but not on the beach.  What questions do I need to ask to determine whether it is worth the premium?

What can I expect as the incremental benefit of stainless nails?

2014 Florida Code: Section 1506.5 NAILS - The corrosion resistance shall meet ASTM A 641, Class 1 or an equal corrosion resistance by coating, electro galvanization, mechanical galvanization, hot dipped galvanization, stainless steel, nonferrous metal and alloys or other suitable corrosion-resistant material.

Stainless Steel -  Made of type 316 stainless chromium-nickel steel with molybdenum which icreases corrosion-resistance, improves pitting resistance and increases strength at high temperatures.

These fasteners provide the maximum in corrosion protection. These would be ideal in your part of the country considering the salty conditions. Very defined ribbing in the shank which provides maximum protection in high wind conditions. Cost averages at about $11.00 per pound.

Hot Dipped Galvanized - These are steel nails immersed in melted zinc. The zinc coating is much thicker than standard electro plated steel nails. The steel is manufactured with a ribbed shank, but the hot dipping fills in the grooves which reduced the strength of the ribs. Cost averages at about $5.00 per pound.

Electro Galvanized - These are zinc plated steel nails. The zinc is not nearly as thick as hot dipped galvanizing. These nails are often not even recommended for outdoor usage. They usually have a smooth shank which will result in a lot of nail pops. Cost averages at about $2.25 per pound.

Is it worth it to pay more? The better the fastener, the more likely they are not to fail in extreme weather conditions. All of these nails meet the required criteria. I would suggest either stainless steel or hot dipped galvanized. The electro galvanized are okay for felting and roll roofing but not really a good choice for shingles.

Note: Costs are based on current metal prices and will change over time. You can always expect stainless steel to be the most expensive. The hot dipped will be usually at about half of the stainless cost and the electro galvanized is usually a little less than half that of the hot dipped. You get what you pay for when it comes to nails of all types.


What to do about a gas leak on my air conditioner? I have an air conditioner that displays an error of gas leakage on the board.

What should I do? Shall I turn it off? It is dangerous?

Sounds like a leak of coolant gas.  Though I've never had an AC with indicators like this, what's the model?  It will eventually force the compressor to shut itself off or else the compressor would burn up from lack of lubrication (which is also included in the coolant).  At which point, the AC will no longer work.  You need to find the leak and fix it, then have the system recharged.  Since the coolant likely isn't available without a license in your area, you'll need a contractor for this.


How do I secure a vinyl window to the wall? When installing my vinyl windows should I put a nail into every little hole around the window? It has a flange that has many little holes around it. Also what size nails would you recommend? Finally do I need to secure the window to the inside of the rough opening, as you do with a door?

Yes put a nail into every hole.  I would recommend galvanized nails that are 1 to 2 inches in length.  If there is nothing behind the flange but plywood, anything over an inch and the nail will just be sticking through the plywood.

I assume you will hit some framing behind the playwood, so a little longer and you will hit that.  I looked over my new vinyl windows in my sunroom and there are no attachment points on the inside of the window.

I don't recall doing anything on the inside of the window when installing.  The most important point I remember was with the flashing on the outside.  Start at the bottom, then the sides, then the top so that water can be properly channelled away.  There is a video below in the comments showing an installation.  I remember it was pretty straight forward, just made sure the windows are level.


Why does my receptacle tester say open ground on my new outlet? I replaced an outlet and the tester says open ground. I checked all the wires and they are secure including the ground wire. What could be wrong?

Assuming you didn't reverse the hot/neutral, which should be detected on a standard receptacle tester, it's either a bad receptacle, bad wiring, bad connection between the wiring and the outlet, or a bad tester.

If it's a new receptacle, odds are low that it's bad. Test for continuity from the ground screw to the ground pin inside the receptacle (with the power turned off).
If it's a bad connection, you can do the same test as above, but from the ground wire instead of the receptacle ground screw.
If it's bad wiring, then with the breaker turned on, and with extreme care not to electrocute yourself, a contact tester will not show current between the hot and ground wires.
If none of these tests show a problem, it could be a bad tester, and may be worth checking it in other receptacles or getting a replacement.


A/c makes the lights turn on and off! No Joke! The lights on the first floor, upstairs bathroom and upstairs Laundry room won't work.
The breakers did NOT pop
The air conditioning was running this morning but is not working now.
When the thermostat turns the air off those lights turn off, but when the Tstat turns the air on, the lights come back on but they are slightly dim.
I have to let the Tstat think the air is on and let it run the furnace fan constantly. If I turn the A/c off, either at the breaker or the main line at the A/C unit, all of the lights downstairs turn off...no the breakers do not pop but some of the GFI's pop. The compressor on the A/C is not working (no real air conditioning)
I am in the USA. The The A/C is in the upper left of the panel, and most of the affected rooms are on the right side of the panel. The problem affects all but the last couple of breakers on the right side.
The dryer, in the laundry room sounds like it isnt getting enough power and wont completely start.
When I run the garbage disposal, all of the affected lights dim considerably.

Which country, Michael? USA, by any chance, judging from your jargon? If so... I think you may have a grounding issue at the panel or at the line coming in from the pole. I've seen similar issues, and issues with lights burning EXTREMELY brightly for a short while before they burn out, from just such grounding issues.

Especially if the AC and the 1st-floor lights are served by breakers near the bottom of the panel, or from a separate subpanel... in the former case, the grounding problem may be inside the panel itself. In the latter case, it may be in the subpanel or the wiring leading to it.


Why is the water pressure in my home clearly less than my neighbors? I own a relatively new home (3 years old) in a new development.  I have a PEX water system, which I love (as do all my neighbors).

So, I put out the "fan" sprinkler in my yard, and it shoots an anemic four feet high.  My neighbors fan sprinklers shoot a robust 15 feet or more.

I notice that in general, the water pressure in my house is less than I'd like it.

Is there something going on?  What can I do to improve my water pressure?

Look for something like this.

near or on the water meter.  This is a pressure reducing valve, and it's used by some municipalities to control the pressure entering to house.  They are adjustable, so the one in your house might be set too low.
If you have a manifold setup on the PEX system, check to make sure the shutoffs on the manifold are fully open. You can also check the main shutoff for the house, to make sure it is fully open.
If you still cannot get better pressure, you might try calling the municipality and asking them for help. It could be a problem with the system before it enters your home.
This answer assumes you are using city water, if you use well or another water source there may be more things to check.


What critter (insect?) removes sand from between paving bricks? Something is excavating sand/mortar from between paving bricks, as seen here.  I thought it was ants, but I've placed ant traps and bait and there seems to be no effect. Also, when the mounds are disturbed, no insects are visible.

Here's a close-up view of the large pile at the left.

That's a significant amount of sand/mortar being removed.

If it's not ants, what insect is causing this?

Sidewalk ants are a thing. They are very tiny. But there are also many species of wasp that do this, and are difficult to spot since they spend time either underground or in flight.


What do I look for when buying a used gas cooktop We’re replacing an electric Jenn-air cooktop with a gas cooktop. I see several used ones on fb marketplace but worry about the safety of a used gas cooktop. Am I being paranoid or are there key things to look for when dealing with a used gas-based appliance?

I would be more worried about the igniter or if electronic how often it fails.
I have been asked several times if I could repair them and the high voltage circuits are usually potted and not repairable.
With potted electronics you are stuck purchasing expensive replacement parts.
And that may be the reason to sell (or a remodel).
I am not aware of any real safety concerns and any alerts could be online using the brand and model.


Code compliance of custom wooden surface "conduit" in garage TL;DR: Would it be code compliant and safe to build a narrow wooden box to run along the base of a garage wall to protect runs of numerous electrical wires?

I'm going to be adding a load center subpanel inside my garage (fed from a 50 amp breaker in the main panel with a 4x 6-gauge cable) to make it convenient and modular to add electrical outlets for shop tools.  Initially I'd like to design the new subsystem to accommodate six independent 20-amp GFCI outlet circuits and overhead lighting, but I don't picture adding them all at once, so I want to design it so each addition will be easy and have minimum cost as I can get to it.  Although it's a lower priority, it would also be nice to have it easy to swap the 6/4 feeder cable for a larger gauge if I ever want to feed the subpanel from a larger amperage breaker.
For context, the main panel is combined with the service meter, on the exterior of the attached garage.  Where I want to locate the subpanel is on a new piece of plywood over the surface of the drywall, on the opposite side of that  wall, inside the garage.  It will probably be a few stud bays over from where the main panel is affixed.
Obviously, I want my solution to be safe and code compliant.  My location is Lehi, UT.  I do have a specific right/wrong question related to a specific solution idea (though, of course, I also welcome alternative ideas in the comments).
I prefer surface mount for both the boxes and the subpanel to minimize the need to remove and rehang the drywall or to fish wires through studs.
I have already begun a design using a single PVC conduit for running wires (It's inexpensive and easier to modify, and I'm less concerned about toxicity of burning PVC in a garage than I would be in the house).  I like the idea of a single conduit running along the wall base to carry the wires for all future outlets.  I have found charts (such as [this one][1]) that give appropriate diameters for the number of wires, but at those sizes it seems more difficult to find the right conduit bodies at a low cost.  This difficulty is aggravated if I factor in the large feeder cable for the subpanel--I don't mind a separate conduit for it, but because of details of the situation that I won't get into here, a single solution would be nicest.
So an idea I've just had is to build a long narrow wooden box along the base of the wall where I'd like to run the wires.  I've picked up a notion that wires and cables outside of conduit can be permissible in spaces such as a garage, but that code does require that the wires not be located where they could easily be damaged.  So this box would be a solution for running the wires as if outside of a conduit, but also protected.  I would use conduit to protect short  runs outside the box (such as for the outlets and for the feeder wire to the subpanel).  I could either build the box on the surface of the drywall, or cut out the drywall and give the box access to the (insulated) stud bays (I just worry if that would bring code sections to do with framing and fire brakes into play).  I would make the cross dimensions of the box large enough to accommodate all the outlet wires, the ground wire, and the 6/4 feeder wire all at once.  I could unscrew the front of the box for working with the wires, but otherwise it would remain secured.  I would secure the wires inside at regular intervals, essentially as though they were inside walls, just without studs and corners in the way.
So, my question is:  Can anyone foresee points of applicable electrical codes that this would violate?  Aside from the letter of the code, can you foresee safety issues with this solution?

This sounds like a good use for a heavy-duty surface raceway
The situation you're describing (several circuits following the same path, with future expansion as a consideration, while wanting to keep things neat and tidy vs. the "unfinished" or "industrial" look of a typical conduit installation) sounds like it'd be a good use-case for what's known as surface raceway (called "Wiremold" by electricians after Legrand's trade name for the stuff).  However, as you have noticed, the Wiremold found in home improvement stores (typically the 500 series, or equivalent nonmetallic product) is designed for low-profile work in finished spaces, and thus only has the capacity for a couple of circuits maximum.
In particular, since this is a garage, you'll probably want to use a metal surface raceway system for durability's sake.  Legrand has a suitable product in their 2400 series, although you'll need to mount your receptacles in device boxes instead of inline in order to get all your wiring to fit.  If you want the "in-line" look for your receptacles, you'll need to upgauge to the 3000 series Wiremold, which provides enough space for well, just about anything you wish to do inside it.
Note that you'll want to review NEC 386.22 for fill and derate requirements, as they are different for the larger-capacity surface raceways than they are for ordinary conduits.  In particular, raceways with a cross-sectional area upwards of 4 in2 are allowed to contain up to 30 current-carrying conductors without invoking thermal (ampacity) derates, unless you exceed 20% of the raceway's area with your wirefill.  Also keep in mind that inside surface raceways, you will want to run individual stranded THHN wires in order to keep fill and working manageable, instead of using big, stiff NM cables within the surface raceway.


How to spec buried wiring to a garden workshop In the next few weeks, I'm installing a wooden garden workshop, 25 metres from the house at the bottom of the garden. I will need an electricity supply to it, and I'm trying to figure out exactly what I need to ask an electrician for.

There's currently a supply to an existing shed with Steel Wire Armoured (SWA) cable, but I don't expect I'll be able to extend from this down the rest of the garden.

I expect, in the future, I might be using "hobbyist versions" of a table saw, wood lathe, band saw, etc. By which I mean relatively low-powered machinery.

How can I calculate the power requirements and then relate that to circuits needed, cable required, conduit???, voltage drops, etc...

Figure out what tools and equipment you'll likely use, and that will largely dictate what size circuits you'll need. For example, table saws come in a variety of powers, but the "hobbyist" ones tend to be on the lower end of that spectrum. In the US, these would be 120V 15A (or maybe even 240V), but that may be different in the UK. Don't forget to factor in lights, AC or heat, general purpose outlets for a computer or music, etc.

Consider which tools and equipment you'll be using at the same time. If it's just you in the shop, you probably won't be using the table saw and bandsaw at the same time. But, you'll probably be using a table saw and dust collector (if you have one). Don't forget about your lights and such here, too.

When you have those numbers, add up the current or power ratings for everything (using the largest rating for a group of tools which won't be running at the same time - e.g., table saw, bandsaw, lathe). Add some fudge factor to that and round up to the nearest normally-sized breaker (e.g., your tools require 32A, fudge that by 20% to 38A, round up to 40A). Once you have that, you can then calculate the voltage drop and figure out what size wires you need (search here or ask a new question for that).

One big thing to note at this stage is that it's very easy (and relatively cheap) to go bigger. The difference in cost for bigger wires is pretty negligible compared to the labor cost of installing it. So, if in doubt about what size subpanel you'll need, defer to going bigger. I've seen rules of thumb about woodshops doing well with 60A; without a dust collector you could almost halve that.


Receptacle not working I have a receptacle that notoriously trips a breaker. However this time the receptacle stopped working as in nothing plugged in will work but will work everywhere else, and it did not trip the breaker. This receptacle is #4 as there are 3 in the garage that proceed it and there are 3 GFCI's that follow it.  All the receptacles that proceed it work when you turn the breaker back on, however all of the GFCI's and the problem receptacle do not work.
  When tested the four that do not work test "hot/grnd reversed" and all the others test "correct".  I took each receptacle and GFCI out and saw they are all wired correctly as in black wire to small blade, white to large blade and they are all grounded properly. No idea as to what else to do at this point.
  Any ideas as to why this receptacle is constantly tripping a breaker, what happened different this time and what to look for on how to fix it?

"hot/ground reversed" is troubling. If there is no GFCI protecting that outlet it would mean that any grounded appliance plugged into it becomes hot and will shock you if you brushed against it.

I would gander you need to trace the wires and make sure some joker didn't cross connect the hot and ground wires. On every outlet on the branch double check each wire coming in and going out whether it is hot neutral or ground. Then if that doesn't reveal the evil-doer then do continuity checks on the wires to make sure the wire that's black stays black while it travels through the wall.


How can I add a light fixture to a three-way circuit by connecting to the switch? I would like to add a new light fixture to a 3-way circuit in my stairway. The new light will be closer to the second switch and therefore would like to wire it from there (the other fixture is in the ceiling of the second floor - so pretty far away).

The current circuit is as the following diagram:

(source: buildmyowncabin.com)

How can I connect my second fixture on the second switch? Can I use the ground of my romex between the two 3-way switches to pass the neutral for my light?

Re-designate the wires between switches to be as follows:

Black = always hot
Red = switched hot to the light
White = neutral
Green/bare = ground, as always

Find and obtain "smart switches" which support this wiring scheme.  They would need some wireless or power-line method to communicate with each other.

One option that would work slick for this is neutral required motion sensors, since they  would not need to communicate with each other.  They need to be "neutral required" types because "don't need neutral" types rely on leaking currrent through the turned-off lamp, and this won't work at all if the other motion sensor turns the light on.  It also doesn't play nice with LED/CFLs.


How do I fix a leaky hydrant? Having a problem with the release valve leaking like crazy when the hydrant is turned on. A plumber replaced the release valve a couple times and still have this issue. What can you recommend?

Here is the manual for this hydrant:

Woodford Sanitary Hydrant

Perhaps you're not pulling down on the diverter enough to close it.  If that's not it, then the diverter is either damaged or has foreign material in it that is causing it not to seal.  Either clean it out or replace it.


Addressing a shower pan that was not sloped properly My tile contractor did not properly slope my shower floor and left a lot of 2"X2" shower floor tiles with numerous lippage spots. I took out all the tile but still have some thinset stuck to the floor.
If I am able to remove all the thinset with out tearing out all the deck mud, do you think it would be alright to just patch and fill areas in the deck mud?
Or should I take out all the deck mud and start all over?
I also had to dig down to the vinyl liner around the drain because my tile contractor installed the vinyl liner over the drain flange and the locking coupling.  I was able to remove the locking coupling and install it over the vinyl liner. I think I can back fill this area with gravel and deck mud, but not sure if this is a good idea.

It sounds as if you practically have all the concrete removed. It may be wise to bite the bullet and start anew. For the sake of consistency it's better to have a floor pan from one single installation.
It certainly is possible to install patched areas in concrete and have them function as expected. Shallow chisel divots can be filled and if the area is solid without cracks and hasn't been jolted-loose from the demolition the odds are good for a repair.


Ceiling fans tripping arc fault breakers I an apartment complex I have a lighting circuit that is not on an arc fault breaker. There are 2 ceiling fans on that circuit, each having its own fan speed control.

Intermittently when fans are turned on it trips the other arc fault circuit breakers. I have been in 2 of apartments and have had in both apartments 3 out of 4 arc fault breakers trip at one time. They all have a full range fan control Lutron and I tried a 3 speed control and it made it worse. Does anyone have any ideas of how to fix? I am wondering if it is a surge or harmonic distortion.

The harmonics generated by variable speed motor controllers confuse AFCI’s and cause them to trip. This is a known defect also heavily loaded lighting circuits with modern ballast and light dimmers are known to cause tripping. They have become slightly better but still have this issue. My state allows the AFCI to be omitted for circuits with known issues. Check with your AHJ. (Authority having jurisdiction), a call to the local inspectors office will usually get a reply within a day sometimes 2 during the week.


Can I use dimmable leds without a dimmer? I recently bought "dimmable LED lights" without knowing exactly what this means. I did some research, and now I get it.  A dimmer is required to regulate the intensity of the lights, for which I don't have a need.

Is there any problem with using dimmable LEDs without a dimmer? Will they work normally? I don't actually  want to dim them, so I am not sure if I need a dimmer or not.

No, there won't be any problem. I've been using four "dimmable" BR30 LED floodlights in my recessed kitchen cans for some time now, and I don't have a dimmer. They just start at full brightness and stay there. You don't need to use these with a dimmer if you don't want to. No performance or longevity problems.


Creating a concrete mix with smooth texture I would like to create a small concrete table(~.5m diameter). To do so, I would like to create a concrete mix with smooth texture, similar to Quikrete. Since this product is not available where I live, I was wondering what is the mixture I should use to create the concrete. It's properties should be smoothness (no coarse aggregate), and durability.
I can reinforce it with still /GF if needed.
Any advice where to start?

Isherwood's statement is correct in that basement floors are smooth but the surface is made smooth using a power trowel. A power trowel would be much too large to use for your application.

I suggest using an aggregate free Portland cement and sand (or silica powder if its available). The ratio is typically 1 part cement to 3 parts sand and water of course. The trick to getting a smooth final surface starts after its poured and before it sets. You will need to create or purchase a float that will be used to produce the smooth finish. After you've poured your mix into the mold, level it out and make sure no air pockets are below the surface.

Within a few minutes the setting process begins. This is when you will see a layer of water develop on the surface. Using your float, skim the surface in one direction until the desired smoothness is achieved. It's that simple!

Also, I suggest reinforcing your tabletop with steel. Chicken wire (as it's called around here) should work well or some other mesh type steel. Good luck and post some photos of your final creation!


Is this going to be safe in the rain? Is this going to be safe in the rain?The contractor left it like this & the property manager doesn’t care. It’s directly under my bedroom window, so I’m a bit concerned.

No it is not safe. NEC requires all conductors to be installed in an appropriate enclosure or totally removed. I suppose I should give you NEC Article 110.3 for the reference that does not allow what your picture is showing.

You might want to quote this to your property manager and contractor.

Needless to say this is an unsafe situation and you might mention that they have a certain amount of liability if in fact some one is injured because of their lack of action. I am not sure if you are dealing with the installer or directly with the owner of the contracting firm that left it that way. Usually the owner is a lot more concerned than there employees. If that doesn't work I advise you to contact your AHJ have have them deal with the problem.

Stay safe and good luck.