How do I ground this metal switch faceplate? (UK electrical) I'm replacing a plastic light switch with a metal one - so need to ground it.

Have done this before - where backbox has been metal, so easy to run a flywire from switch to grounding point on metal backbox.

However this time the backbox is plastic - so there's no grounding point.

See images below - do I just run a grounding flywire from the metal faceplate into the terminal block where all the unused grounding wires are currently?

Thanks,

Just don't do it if you have a differential breaker and/or the switch plate is double-insulated. If you haven't a differential look at the plate and see if there is a ground connector, if so ground to it.


Heat Pump Min Outdoor Temp for Goodman GSH130361AD I just purchased an Ecobee3 and I'd like to minimize the aux heat usage by setting the "Minimum Outdoor Temperature" setting to the lowest possible value.  Ecobee support says that anything below 35 will risk damage to the Heat Pump, but I suspect they're just worried about liability.

I have a Goodman GSH130361AD and I've skimmed through the manual (http://www.hvacpartsshop.com/manuals/gshseriesmanual.pdf), but I can't find anything about min outdoor temperatures or efficiency drop off's.  How can I tell what min outdoor temp is appropriate for my heat pump?

From personal experience, most R22 heat pumps like the Goodman GSH130361AD do not produce much heat below an outdoor air temperature (OAT) of 35F and the system coefficient of performance drops such that running much below that OAT is not very helpful.

The main concern with low temperature heat pump operation is excessive compressor discharge temperature.  As the OAT drops relative to the indoor air temperature, the compression ratio increases causing higher heat of compression and reduced coolant flow through the compressor.  Discharge temperature should usually not exceed 200F and in no circumstances be higher than 215F.

If you are really dedicated to finding the safe low temperature operating limit for your system, strap a wireless thermometer on the larger refrigerant line where it exits the cabinet of the GSH130361AD and monitor the temperature from inside your home on cold days.  When you see the discharge temperature climb to 190F, you will know you have reached the OAT low temperature cut-off.

EDIT:  Since I suggested measuring the discharge temperature outside the cabinet instead of 6" away from the compressor, I lowered the temperatures to 215F and 190F to give a margin of safety (vs. the original 225F and 200F temperatures I mentioned).


How can I install a tub over this tub box? In our unfinished basement, we have a roughed-in bath. I can see a water closet exit, a sink exit, and a tub exit.

The tub exit is covered by this product: http://www.oatey.com/products/rough-in-products/tub-box/tub-box. It's installed upside-down (the manufacturer's mark is reversed, hence my deduction). I have no affiliation with this company; this is the product the builder chose.

I tried peeling this off a bit without damaging it, and can see gravel beneath the concrete foundation. I'm not sure if there's a pipe or something else leading to the sewer from this point on.

Here's my question: What should I do with this, to be able to install a tub + surround combination in the basement?

Take it out then install your tub.  This is there to make your life easier when connecting your tub drain.  If he laid concrete where box was you would have to break up the concrete around the PVC.  It doesn't matter if it is upside down or not...


Why would water be coming out of my shower when I turn on the bathroom sink? The other day we finally installed a sink faucet and down pipe connecting the sink to the drain in the floor of our bathroom. Up until now we have been using the tub to wash our hands. We have been working on finishing the interior of a new construction here in Argentina for over a year so we were excited to finally have a civilized bathroom to use.

To our horror when we used the sink faucet for the first time, water simultaneously came out of the tub faucet. The shower has 3 knobs, left hot, right cold, and middle selects shower or tub. Water comes out of both the shower and tub facet depending on the selection while the sink facet is on.

I would like to add that we have a tank (1000 liters? enough for one home) on the roof to provide the water pressure and that the tank may not have been at full capacity/pressure at the time, since we don't have the permanent pump hooked up yet. I don't want to over react to the contractor if it just that we had low pressure, but based on other things I have witnessed I am a bit concerned that I will need to remove all our furniture and fixtures for them to make a correction.

Please tell me it has something to do with low pressure.

Any single handle/single spout faucet in effect connects the cold and hot water lines.  That's part of your answer.  You'll have to do more experimenting with the tub controls and both hot and cold water supplies.

Low pressure itself is not the cause, but low pressure could lead to flow reversal when a tap is open.


How do I handle expansion joints in corners when tiling a shower? I will soon be tiling our shower in our basement finish and I have a few questions. I have done some floor tile before, but this is my first opportunity with a shower. Installing a 30"x60" wide shower pan. I will be using 1/2" Hardibacker for the shower area, 97" ceilings. I will be leaving the recommended expansion gap between all boards covered with Alkali tape and thinset.

Is this expansion joint also needed between the Hardibacker and ceiling drywall?

If so, what is this area sealed with?

On the back wall, should I fill the expansion joint between the Hardibacker and drywall with Alkali tape and mortar there as well?

What's the best way to go about where the Hardibacker meets the lip of the shower pan? Another expansion joint? Does it go over the lip and sealed at the bottom with silicone?

I'll be waterproofing with Regard.

I was told a decade ago when doing the same thing to not worry about expansion joints in the panels but instead do them where the corners are as the expansions come from shifts in the walls in relation to the floor - basically anywhere that the tile isn't flat but makes a change in plane.  In those areas use white silicone caulk not grout.  Seems to have worked fine.
As for expansion joints between the cement board and the wall itself - didn't put anything like that in.  Only put plastic in between the board and the wall.  I'm not sure you would want the cement board floating against the wall.


How do I test a 5V doorbell transformer? In this post, both the OP and responder discuss testing a transformer. I'd like to know exactly how the user tested the transformer. I have a 5V doorbell transformer which I would like to test. Is an ohmmeter all I need? If so, how do I do it?

The easiest way to test the output of a transformer is with a multimeter which can measure both volts and ohms.

If the transformer is wired into the 120VAC, and the power is on, remove any wires on the 5V side and place the multimeter probes/clips on the two connection screws on that side. You need to read the transformer output rating to see if this is AC or DC output. Set the multimeter to the correct volt range for AC or DC (5V should fall within the range) and see what the reading is.

If the reading is in the general area of 5V (say between 4 and 6), you are probably OK. If not, the transformer may be bad.

Just knowing the ohms on the 5V side won't help because it is the ratio of turns between both sides of the transformer that counts and the wire size determines both the resistance and current output and is irrelevant in determining the output voltage.


What can I use as a temporary noise insulation on a door that connects bedroom and bathroom? our bathroom has 2 doors and we only use one. The other one remains shut and it connects to a bedroom. We do not intend on ever opening it (but we are renting the place so we need something that eventually we could remove easily).

Is there anything we could add to that connecting door to reduce bathroom noise?

Fill the cracks around the door, especially at the bottom with egg crate foam. Cut it up and pack it in. Preventing air movement will help a lot with preventing sound transfer.

An alt to the foam is weather stripping. This would be a more permanent solution that will allow for the door to be used and still help to deaden the sound. Something that would would have to bug your landlord about before doing it.

Once that is done putting something solid in front of the door on the other side like a bookcase or decorative rug will help even more. If you can hang towels on the bathroom side as well that will help a little bit.


Can I dry out insulation behind drywall? Thanks to a leak in my roof I believe I have quite a bit of wet fiberglass insulation behind one of my walls.  I discovered a fair amount of water on my kitchen floor which I believe came in through the roof then down through the wall and out the bottom.

Is there an effective way to dry out the insulation behind the drywall without having to open up the wall?  The surface of the drywall appears to be fine still and I'd prefer to not have to remove and replace it.

I've already patched up the roof and do not believe it to be leaking anymore.  My concern now is just the possibility of mold or damage in the wall due to the wet insulation.

Everything depends on the degree to which your insulation is wet.

I'd cut an exploratory trench about 6" wide across the entire width of the affected wall, both top and bottom. (Don't cut right into the ceiling corner -- stay a few inches down.)

If everything is wet, just keep pulling the drywall down. (It's not that hard to re-rock...)

If everything is just a tiny bit wet, leave the channels open for a while and check periodically.

If you're in doubt about what constitutes 'a tiny bit', I'd suggest you err on the side of demolition. Mold is not your friend.


What type of shelving should I use in my basement? We currently have single track brackets on a set of shelves 14 feet long & about ~7 feet high, with 6 upright posts. These need to be replaced with something much stronger.

The options I know about are:

Double track brackets with these wire shelves
Shelving units, with either wooden shelves or metal shevles

The shelves should be adjustable so that rules out #2, but I don't know if they're strong enough for standard basement storage (no shed or garage). Is #1 good enough or are there other options out there?

The best rugged shelving that I've used in the basement and garage is called "rivet lock" shelving. This type is quite sturdy, has adjustable shelves and can be easily disassembled and moved.

When you go to search out this type make sure to get genuine rivet lock shelving. There are cheaper shelves that try to imitate the rivet lock type but are flimsy and prone to bending and damage if trying to disassemble/reassemble.

Here are a few pictures of some rivet lock shelving in my garage showing some of its features. In this first picture see how I added 3/8" plywood sides to the shelf by bolting it onto the side rails.

This next picture you can see how the shelf units are placed side by side (and in my case bolted together) to make up a bigger storage area. In this case the shelves for a U shaped space for tool storage. I have even placed a "floor" over the top to permit storage of other items overhead below the ceiling. The bottom side of the "floor" has a pair of small florescent lights to light the area.

This picture shows a closeup of the rivets and how the cross members slide into the side rails.

You can get this shelving at various home DIY stores. Once again be aware that it will be varying grades at different price points. I always get the product that has two rivets on each cross member. It is much stronger and sturdier.

(The shelving you see in the pictures has been moved across the country and reassembled several times. Note that the particle board shelf inserts come with the shelf kits).


Footing for deck on slope with one side near grade I am extending my deck and plan to make it a freestanding deck (just to avoid attaching to the current one but it will be close on top).

I plan to have a row of 4 posts on the lower level (left). Each post has 4x4 on top of pier block with metal bracket (same as existing deck):

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Concrete-Pier-Block-with-Metal-Bracket-8053112/202820094

Then on the upper slope, I am planning to use 2x8 and put on top of this pier posts:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/10-in-x-10-in-x-8-in-Concrete-Deck-Block-012023A/205613606

Do you think this is OK?

Those pier blocks or deck blocks are a waste of money. It's not going to be as difficult to dig a few holes and install some real posts now as it will be after the deck is complete and has sunken (unevenly). They might be okay for a light duty shed or dog house, but nothing significant, like a deck.

Edit based on comment:


Removing residual thinset and slight highspots in subfloor before another layer of plywood underlayerment Removed tile from a plywood subfloor and there is a very small ammount of uneven thinset residue like 1/16" in spots randomly scattered. Not worried about the level as it appear flat but worried when I screw the 3/8" underlayment down over the top before tiling that I'll get some crunch noise over time. I have a random orbital and angle grinder, its a small bathroom. Should I just hit it with some 80 grit or get one of the diamond head angle grinder discs. Seems like they may be overkill and I might make it more unlevel. Or is there a product I can apply before the underlayment? Not sure about self leveler poured between the layers cracking after screwing through. Other have suggested rosin paper 1 or 2 layers

I had a similar problem and I just ran a three inch cold chisel over the areas that were a problem. Granted, you might not want to do a large area like this but for a small bathroom, it worked great. No thinset dust to breath, it just shaved the residue off the sub floor and I swept it up. Just a thought. You could use a regular chisel but you'd have to put a new edge on it afterwards.


Does the metal receptacle box for 6-30 NEMA need to be grounded? I have a 240 VAC portable heater with a 6-30 NEMA-style plug.  I am finishing the 3rd floor of our house.  I installed a sub panel fed with a 50A service using 6 AWG THHN.  Installed a 30-amp 2-pole breaker in sub panel.  10/2 black and white to breaker poles, bare ground to ground bar inside sub panel.

Does the metal receptacle box need grounded?

Yes, ground the box

Ground the box as you would for any other metal box -- with a ground pigtail that matches the gauge of the ground wires inside.


How do I know if my wood front door's finish is weather proof? We just moved into a new home. The wood front door is semi-sheltered by a small porch. The front of the house has southern exposure and has the most exposure to the weather. There was an unsightly screen door on the outside that we removed.

The door has a semi-glossy varnish-like finish, and I am worried that removing the screen door may expose the door to more moisture. The screen wasn't much protection, but it probably kept rain from blowing against the door.

How do I determine whether the door's finish is appropriate for its exposure to the weather?

All exterior wood finishes that are "suitable for sun exposure" still slowly degrade in the sun (it's worse than water, actually) and need to be renewed - Just ask the folks with wooden boats. So whether or not the current finish is "weather resistant" (since "weather proof" is not really accurate) it will need to be renewed.

The simplest approach is to re-coat it now with spar varnish or some other exterior clear finish (spar urethane would be the other common one) and then you know what it's got on there. Then plan to re-coat before significant damage accrues - it's easier to maintain a finish than to try and restore the look of wood that has been damaged or discolored by weathering.


My dryer drum quit working My dryer drum quit working but when we turn it on it heats up. I had a guy come out and look at and told me the heating element was bad and it was blowing fuses. He then gave me a quote for $230 is that the going rate?? I was wondering cause parts alone are less than $100

It sounds more like the belt on the drum broke.
Most dryers are belt driven , it is possible if you turned it on enough times the NiChrome heating element over heated and broke.

There is normally a thermal fuse that blows to protect the element.

Prices are off topic as they quickly become obsolete, I have replaced belts, elements and the thermal fuses for under 100.

Find a local repair shop call them give them the model number and ask for the prices on these 3 parts. They are easy to replace. I am sure there are u-tube videos showing how to swap out the parts. I have kept driers working for decades with these parts and some rollers for the drum when they wore out.

You may not need all of them but this will give you an idea.


tub won't drain – I think lift bucket broke off My tub won't drain. I tried drain cleaner, but then realized the "sound" of tripping the lift lever was not the same as in our other tub, making me think the mechanism to lift the drain plug "bucket" has broken. How do I verify, and fix?

Remove the overflow spout and grab the rod and see.


What size metric wire is required for 240 VAC 30 Amps located in house with run of 90M or <100 feet to a garage What size metric wire is required from a 240 VAC 30 Amps breaker located in house with run of 90M or <100 feet to a garage for washer, drier, fridge and lighting on 3 X 10 amp and 1 X 5 amp breakers located in the garage. And, please give me the URL for a good conversion site, Thanks.

In the US, a 30 ampere circuit would use 10 AWG conductors.  10 AWG is 5.261 mm². However, if you're going 90 meters (295 feet), you might have to compensate for voltage drop. You might go up to 8 AWG (8.367 mm²), or possibly even 6 AWG (13.3 mm²).

These figures are based on codes in the US, so you'll have to check local codes before proceeding.

EngineeringToolbox.com has a good conversation chart to go from AWG to mm².


Is this substance drywall joint compound? I need to get a sample of some drywall joint compound for asbestos testing in a house I'm renovating. I pulled away some of the base boards in the corner and found something that I believe to be joint compound, but I need someone to verify before I take a sample and send it in.

I'm looking at the tan colored substance by the nail in the corner (I highlighted it in the picture). Is this drywall joint compound?
FYI, we have already had some lab tests done and found asbestos (chrysotile) in the popcorn ceiling in one room and the linoleum flooring in the kitchen (currently covered up by laminate). The abatement company recommended checking the joint compound in the wall.

I believe what I see is the paper for the drywall. There are adhesives but I see wrinkled paper if there is a filler in that point not the paper a clear photo of the tan material would be needed to make a guess. Over the years I have seen everything from sheetrock mud to modeling clay used to patch drywall with even mortar in a few cases.
Note sheetrock or drywall mud can discolor yo a brown or iron oxide color when metal corners are used and if there is moisture in the room other than the torn paper to the left of the nail I don’t see tan.


Changing a Regular Outlet with Two Neutrals and One Hot to a GFCI Outlet (no ground existing) So I bought a GFCI outlet to changeout a regular outlet and when I pulled the regular, it had white wires/neutrals on both left side screw connections and one black on the top right connection.  I do not know what I should do for the GFCI outlet as the top two connections are line and bottom two are load, so I cannot hook up three wires (not even sure why a regular outlet would have two neutrals and one hot).  Any thoughts would be appreciated.  Also next to the outlet is an existing switch in the same larger outlet box.  I do not know if that would have anything to do with it, not sure why, but that is the situation.

The first rule of GFCIs is, if you don't really know how LOAD works, don't use it.

On a plain receptacle, the extra screws are spare terminals (unless the tab(s) are broken, then different deal).  Not on a GFCI.

This sounds like a picture postcard case of "don't use LOAD". (I know exactly what it does and I wouldn't use it either).   Either pigtail the 2 wires to the 1 LINE screw, or most GFCIs provide a method for back-wiring 2 wires onto 1 screw, in which you insert the back-wire and tighten the screw (a lot) to clamp them.


Necessity/value of using cardboard or weed barrier under gravel shed foundation? How important is it to use a weed barrier or some kind of geotextile between gravel and ground? In cases when crushed gravel is poured and tamped 6" deep as a shed foundation, on relatively flat ground with some trenching dug in the soil around it and top soil removed.
Site prep
I plan to dig out the top soil (root zone and a couple inches of soil) as the shed will go on a meadow with lots of herbaceous species and some trees. A few Japanese Honeysuckle are on site and very invasive, but I have uprooted (I think) all of them, or at least cut them down to stump/root.
Materials
I prefer to use minimal plastic or material that cannot be reused or safetly biodegrade (wood, metal and screws). On top of crushed gravel gravel 2" diameter and smaller, the 8'x14' shed will sit on 4"x6" of larch separated 16" on center, with larch joists and then a moisture barrier below hemlock planking. The field in front of it will be mowed and behind it is Japanese Honeysuckle thicket that will probably try to grow into the shed.
Ground barrier
Cardboard seems like a decent barrier for the weeds maybe lasting ~2-3 years, long enough to kill off what roots may try to grow back that are already under the shed. I figure I will tamp the soil that is dug 2" down all around, lay cardboard, then lay 6" of gravel (or I could lay more). How will cardboard rot under a shed? Is it likely to help or hurt its chances of settling, as it protects gravel from sinking into soil but maybe only for a short period?
I also saw this material as a ground barrier but I don't think it would help much with a shed. Maybe better than nothing, but not helping distribute the gravel weight to avoid settling:
http://www.dewittcompany.com/Garden_Weed_Barrier_.aspx?productid=66&categoryid=21

If you don't choose to use geotextile, you may (depending on soil conditions) find that over time your gravel migrates into the ground, and the fine soils of the ground migrate up through your gravel layer - that is one thing geotextile is used specifically to prevent.
Weed barrier or cardboard are not geotextile, even if one roll of black plastic "cloth" looks much like another. And weed barrier is of very limited use against weeds, in my experience - new organic material (leaves, etc) get into the spaces in the gravel along with weed seeds and you have new weeds growing on top of the weed barrier in short order, unless you are going to vacuum all the rocks up, wash them and replace them regularly - I don't consider that to be a viable use of my time anywhere, much less under a shed.
Expect your larch in contact with the ground/gravel to rot. Being totally biodegradable oriented means you'll be replacing parts that biodegrade. If you'd like to do a bit less of that but are (apparently) also avoiding concrete, consider elevating the larch on somewhat larger rocks - done right it's lasted a fairly long time in some old barns I've met. The trick is to keep the wood dry, and water likes to wick...


Why isn't my Lennox G26Q3/4-100-6 furnace firing up? I replaced the batteries, does not click when it calls for heat in the thermostat.  fan blows but no heat.  I took off inspection door, held the safety switch in, a blue light is blinking constantly, what is the cause of this, possible igniter bad or thermostat bad?

The fan for the combustion chamber is running, while two blue lights blink fast.


How to fix my leaking bathroom sink? My bathroom sink has a slow persistent leak, and I cant get at the plumbing to fix it, because the pedestal/wall and putty are in the way.

Is this a take the sink out and start again job, or is there an easier solution?

It leaks from where two copper pipes are joined by a fixture, to make it worse, the fixture has some milliput in an attempt to stop the leak, which is hard to remove.

The sink doesn't appear to be attached to the wall.

If you are certain that the leak is indeed coming from one of those compression style unions and you do not have enough room to attempt to tighten them in place, yes you will have to remove the sink.

Check closely at the base of the pedestal before pulling it away from the wall, there are usually bolt holes at the bottom for fastening the pedestal to the floor.


Does the granite countertop on my deck require separate footings? If I want to have a granite countertop as a table on top of my deck, do I need to support the 4 corners with actual footing, like 4x4 with concrete? Or it is possible to just bold the 4 legs on the side of the joists?

I have not weight my granite yet but according to this, it is 12.8 lbs sq ft

http://www.allstilesinc.com/granite-tiles-faqs/41-granite-pre-sales-questions/70-how-much-does-granite-weigh.html

Mine is like 3' x 9'

I am inspired by this, as I have no design yet.

I don't have the grill in my case but the countertop will be close to the railing. So for 4 corners of the 9  foot long countertop, are they supported by footing below? Or the legs are just standing on top of the joists underneath?
UPDATE 1

This is a free standing deck. Conveniently, two legs of the countertop if supported by the posts already. So the question is do I need the other 2 legs supported by posts? Or can they just sit on top of 2x8 joists that are on top of 4x8 beam?

Assuming your deck is somewhat modern and properly designed and built, it can easily handle a live load of 13 pounds per square foot (no extra footings required, no need to worry about aligning the table legs over joists, etc).

That said, I am assuming your deck is somewhat modern and properly built.
You should consider paying a structural engineer to take a look at your deck (especially the ledger connection to the house, which is a typical weak spot).  That would be a lot cheaper than pouring new footings and going crazy overbuilding it, plus it will give you a piece of mind.  You might be surprised how inexpensive a structural engineer costs to take a look at your deck and give an opinion.


Will my wiring setup work with the Nest Thermostat? I would like someone who is smarter then me to let me know if this current wiring setup would work with the Nest Thermostat?

Thank you for your help

You should take a look at the Nest Compatibility Checker to be sure. Based on having G, Y, W, R, and a jumpered Rc wire, it looks like your setup is compatible.

Note that Nest has an internal battery and does not require a C (Common) wire, but it is better to have one if you able to add it (with a currently unused wire, for example).


Can I start and stop a tile floor job? I am tiling my bathroom floor and don't soon have a full day to dedicate to the job. Is it ok to lay down a few tiles each day and come back to the job when I have time? I would only lay mortar for the tiles I have time to lay each day.

My concern is that the mortar wouldn't properly "join" to the previously laid sections of tile and cause an inferior result, but I'm not really basing this concern on any facts. That is what I'm hoping to learn with this question.

It certainly is acceptable to do a tile job in phases. There's no structural reason that tiles need to have their supporting mortar connected mechanically. The critical bond is to the substrate, not adjacent tiles or mortar. Large residential and commercial tile jobs are done in stages every day, and with no special procedures or materials.

One caveat might be the grouting. Ideally you'll complete grout work for a room in one step using grout from a single mix batch for visual consistency.


How do I reattach a SubZero refrigerator door handle? The handle on my SubZero refrigerator just came off. The "thing" that's attached to the door is fairly stiff and I haven't been able to unscrew it yet. Inside the hole in the "shim" that attaches to the handle is a star screw that holds the shim to the handle. Any idea how I would reattach this handle to the fridge?

There should be a small set screw on the inside of the handle (opposite side of the picture). This is usually driven with a small Allen key.  Loosen the screw, place the handle back on flush against the door surface, and tighten the screw finger-tight. Don't over tighten as they strip easily because they are so small.

The screw will look something like this

(source: funrcboats.com)

There might be a small plastic cap over the set screw in order to better hide it.


Adding a electrical outlet in a closet for wireless router I want to move my wifi router to a central location in my home. The only ethernet jack is all the way at one end of my house. However I have a hall closet that is centered in the house and would be a perfect location but there is not an outlet in there. On the other side of the closet is the kitchen with an outlet. Can I run wire from that outlet through the attic and back down through the top plate of one of the other walls of the closet. I plan on putting the router fairly high in the closet (about one and half feet from the ceiling) on a shelf and have the outlet right next to it. I have the tools to do the work just not sure if it would be legal.

I don't think it's legal to power an outlet that's not in the kitchen off of one of the 2 required kitchen branch circuits (i.e. counter outlets). I think it would be OK to tap off of the un-switched side of a light circuit for the kitchen.

Since you have access through the attic, is there another general purpose branch circuit (that is non-kitchen) that you can tap into for the closet outlet?

There may be exceptions to the "kitchen branch circuit" restriction in the code that I'm not aware of that would allow you to do what you want.


Warm fridge cold freezer Hi I have a zanussi zrb23200xa frost free fridge freezer. The fridge is room temperature warm but the freezer is ice cold. Did a bit of reading and have tested the following which are all working fine

The defrost timer is working it sends signal to heating element which warms up and melts ice build u

The fan spins so it's working

The fridge thermostat is working tested it with multi Meter

I have defrosted the fridge for 48 hours and still warm anyone any ideas?

Thanks
Phelim

The user manual has this in the Control panel section (page 17):

  Temperature Control Slider in refrigerator chamber
  The temperature control slider is used to
  adjust the refrigerator and freezer temperature, the slide on the thermostat is used to
  balance the distribution of air flow volume
  of each compartment. When the slider is
  turned down, there will be more air flow in the
  refrigerator and less air flow in the freezer, so
  the refrigerator will be cool faster. For normal
  operating use, keep the slider in the centre normal position. You should not need to
  adjust the temperature control dial if the slider
  is kept at the normal setting.

Is it likely that the slider control is simply at a bad setting?

Other manufacturer information is here.


Are bubbles in new exterior paint normal? Not happy with the new exterior paint job - it bubbled immediately, and the initial recommendation from the contractor was "don't pop them". We gave it time to settle, but the issue still hasn't been resolved. I am so disappointed in the appearance. I asked the owner if this:

Was satisfactory to him as a professional
Met current industry standards
Was he prepared to do nothing to remedy the situation?

It appears the answer was 'yes' to all. Is it reasonable that I ask again for this to be re-done in the spring when it is warm and dry? Please advise.

Those are very good questions you asked the contractor.

The result of the paint job is unacceptable. Besides being unsightly, the paint job will not have the longevity you want or expect, as the bubbles will pop or split on their own, and form a nice little place to hold water against your siding. The bubbling is most likely due to painting on a damp surface.


Oobleck (cornstarch & water) CLOG in DRAIN! Oobleck (cornstarch & water)was poured down my drain, maybe 4oz., by my child and is now stopped up.  Now what?  Can I unclog it or will it require a plumber?

If it's only 4oz, the quickest fix will be to fill the sink until you can get your toilet plunger submerged in it. Then plunge repeatedly. Once it starts draining rinse the starch down with plenty of water.

If that fails, take the p-trap off and give it a good cleanout. Likely the starch settled down there.


How can I test the integrity of my neutral wire? I wired up a set of ELV lights and installed a Lutron dimmer switch specifically designed for ELV lights. They have a problem with flicker. The manufacturer of the lights has advised me that having a good neutral connection is key.

Here is a brief description on the Lutron site about how Electronic Low Voltage (ELV) dimmers differ from standard dimmers and Magnetic Low Voltage (MLV) Dimmers.

I did wirenut a pigtail from the neutral terminal on the switch to neutral wires in the box.

How can I test the integrity of the connection? Some things I've thought of that might be causing a problem:

The neutral wire does not make a continuous circuit to the breaker downstairs.
There is noise on the neutral wire.
Somewhere in the circuit neutral is tied to ground prematurely.

How can I test for these situations? And what other things might be the cause of a less than optimal neutral connection?

The problem could be either (or both) a marginal neutral wire and/or an unusual load on the circuit.

To narrow it down, I would place an oscilloscope at a representative point on the circuit—such as an outlet beyond the lighting.  With a dual channel scope, probe the hot and neutral wires with the scope grounded to the circuit ground at the same point.  That way the scope will see the same conditions as the lighting.

Experiment with various sweep frequencies at a time the lights are flickering.  On the hot wire, square waves would tend to indicate an intermittent wire connection.  Spikes with harmonics in the 100 kHz to 5 MHz range would indicate arcing which could be a almost-broken wire or loose connection.

A significant signal (> 0.5 volts) on the neutral probably means the wire is not well connected.  With an assistant, see if wiggling outlets and switches affects the signal.  Or simply shut off power and open every outlet and switch and tighten the wire connections.  Also, open the breaker box and firmly screw down every neutral and ground wire in the terminal strips.  If that doesn't clean up the neutral, unplug/turn-off everything else from the circuit to see if there is any effect.  1980s-era switching power supplies (such as in computers) could cause this problem.

Follow up with a comment about any findings so someone (maybe me) can help pinpoint what they mean.


Where can I purchase push button electrical switches? Our old house has push button light switches.  I would like to find some modern replica switches and face plates for use in some electrical improvements.  I have checked at our local home improvement stores and our one (very small) local electrical supply house they did not have any.  Is there a online source?

Amazon shows them as available. Search for 'push button light switch' to find more variants (including 3 way and dimmer units).


Connecting a Gas Dryer to a Propane Tank I have a gas dryer for sale, but do not have a gas line hook-up.
Can I use a small propane tank to test the dryer for potential buyers?

It might be a duplicate but I did not see an accepted answer.
I have hooked up both propane and natural gas dryers in the past. You can hook a dryer up to a propane or some call LP gas tank with a regulator. The one difference from the instructions in both dryers and stove/ ovens is there is a different size orifice on the output of the regulator to make it work correctly, right now I cannot remember off the top of my head I can’t remember  the sizes but in the past I have set up gas furnaces, barbecue’s, water heaters and stove tops and ovens and the only difference was a small brass orifice that you changed one size worked for natural gas the other worked for LP/ propane. I am sure a quick search will verify this.


Drywall patch primer I have used standard drywall compound to patch little holes in my walls (very small patches- nail/anchor holes) and have sanded them down. My question is should I prime the wall patches or can I just apply the eggshell color to my wallls?
I don't want to have the "flashing" effect and have my walls look smooth without it looking "patchy"?

If the paint has a sheen to it then unprimed patchwork will show up more (internet search the term hold-out factor), especially when lit from an oblique angle or viewed from an angle. If it is flat paint I would not worry about it too much unless perfection is desired (you said "eggshell color" but the term "eggshell" can also be used to describe a "satin" or "semi-gloss" sheen so we don't really know what you have).

An important consideration is that differing textures can also affect the appearance, making the wall look "patchy". So if your patchwork is smooth but the surrounding wall is textured in any way (even just the stippled texture from a paint roller) it will show, especially with glossy paint.


What is the easiest way to get rid of a very large patio door? We have an 8'x14' patio door at a house we are doing.   Dumpster is gone.   We are going to reframe for windows.

The door is has a metal frame and it is in 3 panels - made in 60s.   Breaking it outside would be hard to clean up.   Just seeing what unique/cheap ways people would come up with to get rid of door which is a TON of glass.

Edit: Tempered glass?   I don't know.   It does not have any markings that I can see and not sure if everything was marked in the 60s.   However the patio door was in a very high traffic patio that had a pool close and basketball hoop.   I would guess it is but purely a guess.

You could get one of those large low cost plastic material tarps. Fold it out double thickness on the ground outside. Then lay the glass panels down flat on the tarp to break them up. You can successively break larger pieces down to smaller pieces that you can dispose of in the trash bin. After you have gathered up all the larger pieces for disposal you can use the tarp to bundle all the small shards and slivers of glass for disposal.


Is there a type of bulb other than incandescent that works from -50 to +40C? My experience with fluorescent lights in my garage has been dismal.  They work fine above freezing, but are very slow to reach full illumination when below freezing, and never do more than glow feebly at temps of -30.  Lowest temperature observed here on my porch is -47C

I've tried several types of LED screw in bulbs as my porch light.  Again:  They work only down to a certain temp, then get dim or don't start at all.  Alas, here in Alberta, the working temperature range is only a subset of the environmental range.

I've inquired with various bulb makers, and while -18C (0F) is common enough -- likely used for freezers, so I've not found any that claim better than that.

Is there a light bulb type that works from -50 C to +40 C (-70F to 110F) other than the traditional tungsten?

-50 degrees is unrealistic. Even mil-spec components won't work that cold.  It sounds like you just tossed that out there, so I'll assume you mean something more practical.

Fluorescent revisited

Your experience with fluorescent lights has been disappointing because you're using J random cheapie fluorescent lights, with no regard to their cold performance.

What you need is a programmed start ballast.  Those work a different way.  You know fluorescent tubes have preheat filaments (not unlike an incandescent filament) in the ends.  Those can "warm up" the tube so it takes a much lower strike voltage.  That also means less spallation on startup (the thing that leads to black rings on the tubes), which greatly increase tube life.   The colder the bulb is, the higher a voltage it needs to strike.

Instant-start ballasts, the stock-in-trade of cheapie fixtures, don't even bother using the preheats.  They just apply a very high strike voltage.  But even that is not high enough to strike an ice cold tube.
Rapid-start ballasts use the preheats, but after ~0.8 second they just slam on a high strike voltage to "force" it to start.
Programmed-start ballasts run the preheats for as long as it takes, which isn't real long with 700C filaments warming the gases in the tube!   Meanwhile they apply a very low strike voltage (only enough to strike a warmed tube) which is easy on the tube.

Programmed-start ballasts are readily available for $20-ish.  Since they use the filaments, they need 2-wire non-shorting tombstones, so if you currently have instant-start ballasts, you'll need to change the tombstones.

LED, if it's well-built

A competently built LED will also work just fine in the very cold, assuming the driver and LED can handle the temperature. It will come on instantly and reach full brightness quickly as the chip itself warms up.  Actually, it will run slightly more efficiently in the cold.

If you really must operate at -50, preheat the fixture

Add some resistive heaters on thermostats, so they preheat the fluorescent ballast, LED driver and LEDs proper.  They should shut off once the device they're heating reaches 32F.  You don't need to preheat the fluorescent tubes; the programmed-start sequence will do that.


Two HVAC units on one condensate drain line I am renting a house with two HVAC units - one upstairs and one downstairs.  There were two condensate drain lines (one per unit).  The units were older so when they quit working efficiently the landlord replaced the units.

Shortly after the new units were installed we started having problems with the condensate line for the downstairs unit.  The technician's solution was to divert the downstairs condensate line into the upstairs condensate line.  So now we have two HVAC units draining into one line.  We are still having problems with the downstairs unit tripping the safe-t-switch valve because the condensate line backups.

The HVAC company came back out and is blaming us for not keeping the line clean with vinegar every month (which we do).

Does it make sense to drain two units into one condensate drain line?  We live in Florida where we produce a TON of condensation and
Shouldn't there be a back-up drain line since the units are inside the house and the leaking could cause structural damage?  Just doesn't seem logical to have two units on one drain line especially since we are having a back-up issue.

I would never use the same line for units on separate levels for this very reason, it sounds like the line is undersized since it was having trouble and now the load is doubled. What brand are the units? I believe it would violate the install instructions to T 2 lines with standard size drain lines and may even void the warranty, this should be mentioned to the land lord.


Is this odd device some kind of lightning arrestor or primitive fuse? Help identify I found this in a junk box in an attic of a house built in the 1940's.  The original house owner repaired appliances and took stuff in trade, so it may predate the house. It is on a ceramic base.
It looks to me like some kind of lightning arrestor.  If the cylindrical elements are wound coils, then I'd be fairly confident.  Is it for early electrical connection or perhaps an early phone connection?
It's solid, whatever it is.  Anyone recognize it?

Based on this image and quote, I'm about 99.95% sure that it's an old telephone line suppressor:

Soon after telephone networks began to spring up across the countryside, the Bell Telephone Company realized that there was a danger to both the company's property, and the property of subscribers, from such perils as lightning strikes on the network, and accidental inter-connection with power lines. As a remedy, Bell Laboratories developed protective fuses, such as the one above, which were installed at the customer's location to protect the equipment and incoming phone lines against accidental voltage spikes on the line. While modern phone systems still use a fusible protective device in the terminal box coming from the phone company, evidence of these early 1900s relics can still be found in some older residences.
Image and quote source: http://www.museumofyesterday.org/museum/page3.htm - about 90% down the page.

Or, literally do an image search for Old telephone line suppressor and you'll find things that are at least nearly the same easily.


Can a bathroom fan be mounted on one of the interior walls instead of the ceiling? Can a bathroom fan be mounted on one of the interior walls instead of the ceiling, and still meet code?

You can install a wall mount fan in a bathroom and meet code in all places I have done work.  I have used them a few times (going straight out an exterior wall).  In cold regions I would never go straight out because of the backdraft but since you are on an interior wall its not a big issue.

Now if your city needs to pass this I would call your inspector and make sure what they want out of this.  Every inspector I have had wants these within a foot of the ceiling - so if you aren't needing to pass inspection use that guideline.  I am not sure where that is written in any building code (please add it if anyone can find it) but I have gotten that answer in a few places.  Here is an example of a fan you can use.

Note that using a wall mount isn't as efficient as a ceiling mount for the obvious reasons, the warm moist air can rise above your wall mount opening.  But if it is impossible or very hard to go ceiling mount they work.


What size beam should be used for a 15' patio cover span? I'm looking into building a covered patio and am having a bit of difficulty finding the proper beam size required for the spans between posts.

The cover will consist of either a ledger board attached to the exterior wall (pending structural review) OR beams on the new patio slab leading to a 15' span away from the house to 6x6 posts on galvanized anchor brackets at the other end of the slab. The patio will be 30ft. wide and 15ft. deep, but this can be adjusted if it significantly cuts down on lumber to do 14ft spans or so. So, either 6 posts in a 3x2 grid or 3 posts and a ledger board.

I live in North Texas where snow is extremely rare (maybe once a year with a couple inches). Will match roof pitch to my home (looks like a 3:12 or 4:12). I can add knee braces. Post height will be 8ft.

Wood species has not been chosen, but pressure-treated pine would be nice as I can easily source posts with that too.

This link seems to indicate I would need 3.5x11.25 #2 PT beams. I'm not sure if I'm using the right tables or not, hence my question here. It seems to me that two 2x12s with a 1/2 plywood along the grain sandwiched in-between would be more than suitable judging by some of the new construction I've seen around here. That sound right?

I would really like to figure out what would be required now so that I can figure out a rough estimate of the project cost and decide if I want to proceed with it. Otherwise, I would have just hired a structural engineer to define them for me already.

Here's an example of what I'm looking at creating. Only the ledger would attach to a two-story wall. I know a 4x6 beam likely wouldn't be sufficient and I'll have more stout 2x10 joists at the recommended spacing for the span (24" on center).

Late to the party, and I hope your patio turned out well.

For anyone finding this question in the future, the answer could be a 4x10 beam with 14' spacing and a patio span of 15' 2x8 rafters.

https://www.escondido.org/Data/Sites/1/media/pdfs/Building/InfoGuideline8b.pdf

A lot of cities or counties will have standard drawings for simple structures, and you can check building departments for things like live load and dead load requirements (snow and wind). This one seems to be a good example that includes span tables and connection details.


Is my plan to safely remove asbestos siding sound? After reading a some other questions I haven't found an answer similar enough for what I'm thinking about doing.  So here goes.

Full disclosure up front.  Before I even touch a single siding shingle, I'm going to check with local authorities to get the skinny on permits, disposal, and all that stuff.  I know that alone may scotch my idea.

My house was built in 1920 and has asbestos siding all round.  It's mostly in good shape, but frankly, I don't like the look of it.  I want to replace it with hardiboard or some other type of cement fiber siding.  I plan on doing this my self.  Here is what I'm thinking about doing:

First, tyvek suits and a respirator mask and eye protection.  I'm not going to take big risks on this project.
Second, carefully remove the asbestos shingles.  They were just nailed on, and the majority of nail heads are raised enough to grab the nails without cracking or damaging the tiles.  I'll be wetting the whole area down as I work to minimize dust.
Third, once I remove a row on a wall, Hang cement fiber siding panels in place.  Keep working row by row.

Anticipated problems:  I'm by myself on this, so I won't be able to get a whole wall done at once.  I'll be doing this mostly on weekends so It may take several months to complete.  Given that amount of time, I don't want to just strip the house and leave it bare for a few seasons with only house wrap for protection.  There isn't anything like insulation on the outside of the house, so I'm wondering how to do this right, but understanding my limitations on the time I can put in on this.
Am I crazy?  I'm pretty sure I'm missing something.  Is there a better method and material that will serve with my time constraints.  An alternative might be stucco.

Also considering putting something up over the top of the Asbestos Siding.  Would this be possible or preferable.

WHAT...??? You can do this. You’re working on the outside of the house so you don’t need a tent or fans. (They have the fans going the wrong way anyway.  If you were working inside the house, you want negative pressure not positive pressure. This is obviously not their forte.)

Keep it wet and try to do it without breaking it.

Stop by an asbestos abatement company and pick up a few disposal bags and find out how much it will cost you to have them dispose of your pieces of siding.


Does it matter where a pipe is reduced when splitting the line? I want to split a 3/4" cold water line before it enters the water softener.  I want to run a dedicated hard water line to our icemaker, outside faucet and upstairs sink drinking faucet.  My current 3/4" cpvc lines run about 15' after leaving the hot water heater before reducing to 1/2" cpvc lines for the remainder of the house.

My question is,  does it matter when I reduce the 3/4" line after making the Split? Can Ido it immediately with a 3/4" x 3/4" x 1/2" "T" or should the reduction be located further away from the split?

No, it really doesn't matter whether you reduce at or after the split. There's no real benefit from having a length of 3/4" pipe instead of 1/2" if it gets reduced anyway.

If you were talking about an extreme distance with many bends, maybe, or if you had extremely low pressure.


Sealing off a live wire I bought a project house last year, and unfortunately it's turned out that one of the previous owners was a keen amateur electrician. Sadly his enthusiasm wasn't matched by competence or any sense of safety, and while replacing a ceiling I've discovered a loose live wire.

Obviously I'm going to get a professional in to deal with this, but in the meantime for peace of mind I'd like to make it a bit more safe.

Is putting the wires in a terminal block the best approach, and if so does it matter if the amp rating on that terminal block is higher than that of the wire that's leading into it?

Yes, as a short-term solution, terminating the wire in a listed box is a good idea.

As a general statement, using something with a higher amp rating than necessary is fine.

If you could temporarily cut the power to the circuit, it would be even better, but I can imagine that other things are running...


Water heater on 30A breaker with 12/2 The water heater that came with my home when I purchased it is on a double pole 30A breaker and wired with 12/2 romex. The breaker seems to be sized correctly for the wattage (4500W) but should it be using 10/2 wire?
I am in Canada so would be following the CEC. Here is the label on the water heater:

Also, is this an acceptable way to secure the wire running down to the water heater?

Make sure you wait for someone with CEC knowledge. It seems some provinces include water heaters as heating equipment and apply CEC 62-114(6) and (7), which I think eliminates the 125% continuous load requirement for the wire if the wire is at least 80% of breaker. So 18.75A in a residential application would allow 20A wire, maximum breaker of 25A.
In the US the Installation Instructions are part of NRTL Listing, which override the NEC. The Installation Instructions from WHI (Rheem) say 25A breaker and #10, so we would have to use #10.


How to make a Bevel Lap Splice joint, for connecting a portable floor? I'm new to woodworking, and I've read that I could potentially create this joint using a table saw, jointer, or even a circular saw - but I do not want to rent/purchase one and find out that I can't.

Here is what it looks like / description:

  Bevel lap splice joint The bevel lap is a variation of the half-lap in
  which the cheeks of the opposing members are cut at an angle of 5 to
  10 degrees, sloping back away from the end of the member, so that some
  resistance to tension is introduced. This helps to prevent the members
  from being pulled apart.

I will be making floor panels that will hook together using this joint, and can easily be picked back up and stored.

This will be a tricky joint, and it won't be as strong as you'd like, because the 'neck' of the bevel will be pretty thin. But I'm going to explain how to do it.

You need a table saw and a jig/sled to hold your board vertically. This jig is usually used to make the 'cheek' cuts on tenons, so you may have one.

You'll make two cuts--one shallow crosscut at the deepest point of the bevel, and one face cut to make the bevel itself. Then you can optionally clean up the junction, or, you cut the notch a little deeper (at the expense of weakening the wood further); I show the latter (faster) solution here, since you'll be doing a LOT of these.

Carefully set the depth of the cross-cut to the depth of the bevel. (See picture two.) Cut a notch across the bottom of the wood.
Mount the piece of wood vertically in your cheek-cutting sled. Set the angle of your table saw to the angle of the bevel, looks like about 5-8 degrees might be enough. Adjust the left-right position of the sled so that the top of the cut lines up with the corner of the bevel. (See picture three.)

I have totally exaggerated the amount of kerf and overcut you'll get just so you can see the dangers. In practice you can make the second cut so that it doesn't overcut at all.

The annoying part is you can't test the fit until after step 2, which means you have to recreate the depth for step 1. Not the end of the world, just take your time and sneak up on the depth from the 'shallow' direction.


Converting housed stringer to open stringer I am in the process of converting our housed stringer stairs to an open stringer format and have some questions about placement of the stringers.  We have an L-shaped stairway going from the first floor to the second floor (see attached) and a straight stair way going from the first floor to the basement (see attached).

I feel comfortable removing the housed stringers and replacing them with sawtooth stringers to open it up.  However, the problem I discovered is the ceiling in the stairway leading to the basement is directly screwed to the housed stringer of the stairway leading to the second floor (see attached).

In other words, if i replace that housed stringer with a sawtooth stringer, the ceiling in the basement stairway will have to be lowered considerably.

I could move the wall in an inch on each side of the stairway going to the basement to hide the stringer, but that seems like a lot of extra work for minimal gain.

Any ideas on how I can do this without moving the wall and ceiling in the basement stairway (also, i realize that the ceiling will have to come down in the basement stairway during the project, thats no problem)? The goal is to keep the basement stairway as wide and tall as possible while still keeping the drywall there.

Thanks a lot in advance!

You can do what you want, even if they are housed but you will need to loose the ceiling material or move the stair treads ahead about 6". you could easily do that on the short lower run, but not so on the upper run.

You will need access to the upstairs after the stairs are gone, this may take 2 days to do, especially if you are a novice, maybe even 3. Seasoned carpenters really should be doing the work.

If the lowering of the ceiling is a deal breaker for doing it, no need for me to write anymore. I see no issue with lowering the ceiling 4 or 5", the square corner that projects below the sloped section in one of your pictures will still be lower than the new dropped height of the stairwell. If you feel you have enough experience to tackle this, please say so and I will edit the post if need be, but it is pretty much a gut and replace. Leaving anything in of the original will only slow down the new install or weaken what you add over it.


Help Wiring Ceiling Fan With Dimmer Switch trying to figure out how to wire a basic remote ceiling fan w light, I have. Coming out of the ceiling is 4 wires - Red (hot), Black (hot), White and Copper.

This is the switch on the wall:

Trying to wire a basic ceiling fan, with a receiver and a light kit. Coming out of the fan is only Black, White, Blue. This is the info from the manual -

Back of the receiver:

If I leave the red wire capped and just connect everything else, the fan semi works (changing speeds causes the rest of the ceiling lights to flicker?) but that seems wrong. Also the dimmer part doesn't do anything. Not sure if it should.

So basically just trying to figure out:
1) What is the red wire for? (dimming?)
2) Based on the configuration above, which wire goes where?

Thanks in advance for the help. Trying a bunch of combinations but a bit clueless.

I don't think you will be able to use a remote control unit in conjunction with a conventional wall switch type dimmer. They are just not going to be compatible.  Use a standard switch on the wall or simple wire the hot together all the time. Then use the remote control for any and all control.  You don't really need the red wire.  Just cap it off. Then just send full time power to the ceiling box on the black.


How long should I allow pressure-treated plywood to dry before applying non-skid strips? My handyman just laid salt-treated plywood on a wheelchair ramp.  He said the wood was very wet and would need several days to dry out.  How long should I wait to install the adhesive non-skid strips?

Have you read the instructions? I'd start there, especially since you haven't told us what product we're talking about.

In reality the plywood will take weeks or longer to truly dry out, and depends heavily on your weather and sun exposure. The answer to your question partly depends on the size and shape of the tape. If it's composed of narrow strips, I'd wait at least a few days (in the sun) or a week (in the shade) so that the surface is noticeably dry. If it looks dark and damp or feels cool, your adhesive probably won't bond well.

If the tape is wide or a full sheet, give the wood much longer to dry out. You'll effectively seal in the water, and it may collect beneath the tape and cause it to release.


Natural gas mini-tank water heaters? I have a need for a point-of-use style mini-tank (4-10 gallons) which runs on natural gas. I see a lot of electric mini-tanks of this kind but none that run on NG or even LP. Do they exist? I cannot find anything, anywhere.

I don't have the breaker box capacity for one of these electric mini-tanks nor the room for a full size 40-50 gallon tank so it has to be NG and small. Tankless is also not an option.

There's several models of point-of-use tankless (search under sink as well). I found this unit on Amazon. There's several others as well.

The problem with a tank that small is that keeping it at temperature eats a lot more energy. A larger tank can retain its heat better. This is why a tankless is preferred for point-of-use. You only heat what you need.


What is the proper replacement igniter for my York furnace? I replaced one of these before on another unit but the part number was printed on the igniter.

This one is not so, being ignorant to HVAC I just want to make sure I get the appropriate part.

York Stellar Model: M3UF044SA

I pulled the igniter and it looks just like this one but there is no model number on it so I just want to be sure.

Are most of these universal?

Hot surface igniters are fairly universal it they look the same and have the same voltage. For example the igniters on this side of the pond they are usually 120v so depending on your area yours may be a 230/240v. I have had some bad luck with after market igniters coming cracked or with a fingerprint on the igniter in a sealed bag.
Make sure not to touch the element any body oils like a finger print can cause a very short service life.
Since you have some room the one you reference if the correct voltage should work if it looks the same.


Can I lay down plywood in my attic to create a storage space? I've got an older house, built in 1919 (stacked stone foundation, brick, lots of heavy lumber) and I got this crazy idea I could build out the 3rd floor into a FAR more useful space than it is now.  I'm not sure why some other owner didn't think/attempt this so may there is something I am missing -- someone DID put a HUGE antenna in there but beyond that, a single light socket and all the loose insulation, its untouched.

The cross beams in the attic are 10x2 and stupid strong (busts nails, no really) being about 13" apart.  The roof is shaped in a steep V and high enough I can stand up easily (I'm 6'8) and it's all completely open -- 16' wide by ... probably 50' deep - all of which is utterly wasted.  I'm thinking I could feed some plywood up there to create a floor and start building it out into more useable, maybe even living space.  The biggest catch as of right now is the opening -- it's <2' by 3'.  Barely big enough to me to sneak my way in there and MAYBE bend some 8'x2' sheets up there (rip an 8x4).

Really what I need it for today is simply storage.  Long term, we'd like to build a walk-out 3rd floor but since in ~100 years no one else has bothered...it makes me think "why didn't someone?".  Any ideas/thoughts on this?

As far as the opening goes, you can put in a collapsing ladder, such as this one. I've installed one before and they're not too bad, just a little framing work and some large nails (I used 16p nails and you'll need a friend or two to help, the ladder and frame is somewhat weighty). This gives you a ladder and an easy way to get up to the attic and it collapses down to just a panel which can be painted and framed to make it look nice against the ceiling.

The attic in my house just has some plywood on the truss floor which serves as a great storage floor. Just have to be sure not to block the air flow in the attic and realize that it may get very hot in the summer and cold in the winter. I made the mistake of storing some candles in boxes one summer ..... wound up with candle blobs when I discovered them again.


Wiring a 2-wire outlet into a 3-wire receptacle? I bought new outlet for my living room that has a couple USB ports in it. The standard outlet I'm removing had 3 wires connected red, white, black). But the new one only has 2 connections. How should I wire it? Use white and black, then cap the red?

Look at the side of the original outlet the connecting tab is probably broken on the hot side. If you don't mind not having a switched outlet I would cap the red and you should be fine. Normaly the red is the switched connection but not always. If using the black the outlet is still controlled cap the black and connect the red to the outlet and you would be good to go.


My receptacle tester is giving confusing results, what should I do? I've recently put in a new electrical outlet, which was working at the time. Today I went and plugged the lamp and it was not working.

Tried the receptacle tester, and this is what I saw when plugged in :

By the looks of it it looks like the rightmost light indicator is lighting up and there is barely any light on the middle one.

And if I take a look at the receptacle legend:

There is no one and a half light on the legend, so I interpreted it as a open neutral. Then I went and removed the neutral all together from the outlet and this is that picture below

So in this one it's really just the rightmost light is on, no middle light. At this point I got confused, not sure what is wrong with this outlet.

This is how the correct lights look according to my tester:

What do I do next? How do I get to the bottom of this?

That would seem to indicate a failing neutral connection, if you get a voltage tester it will likely report something well below 120v. You'll need to trace the circuit back to find the point where the neutral first fails and then check the connections for anything loose or arcing. If you can't find any bad connections on either end, then it could be a nail or faulty wiring and you'll need to replace that section of the circuit.


Fixing a hardwood floor mistake Following a YouTube video, I tried to minimize some scratches in a hardwood floor (installed by previous owner) with Weiman Wood Floor Polish and Restorer, and instead made them look worse. See photo. How can I undo this? Thanks!

The only issue I can see is that the scuffs lack the sheen of the original finish. I'd try a wax or other polish to try and get some of that shine back. That might be all it takes.


Can you build a retaining wall vertically with no angle? I am planning to redo our front steps in stone and my plan is to essentially have two stone walls on each side of the steps coming down from the entrance. For appearances it would be definitely ideal to keep these walls completely vertical for the aesthetic, but I am worried that the weight of the compacted gravel under the steps will be too much of a force pushing on the wall. PLUS, since were up in Canada, I'm concerned that water that inevitably gets into the gravel will push those walls outwards when it freezes. Is there anything I can do to keep it vertical or is that a pipe dream? Thanks for your help!

I have built many vertical retaining walls. Drainage is the first concern then the height. Code may require rails over several feet (in my area 3' is the max). You did not specify the number of steps or the rise (if more than 3' even with drainage usually reinforcements are required). With some walls this is drilled holes that are pinned together. Some are mortar.

So yes you can go vertical but more information is needed on the height and conditions to give a specific recommendation.


What type of bulb do i need? I just bought a farm and there is an old yard light on a pole that does not work. It had no bulb in it when we moved in so we have no way to tell what to get to replace it. There is a dusk till dawn photocell, that we replaced and tried a metal halide bulb. That didn't work.
It is wired directly to live current from the house and that is controlled in the Excel Energy meter box so we can't shut it off to replace it. We would like to avoid having to call them or an electrician without first having tried everything we can.

It is likely a sodium, Na, vapor or older mercury, Hg, vapor lamp. Inside the outer glass housing, there's a second "bulb" of quartz (clear), for Hg or alumina (translucent white), for Na. If you can read writing on the lamp or fixture with binoculars, you can try to buy a replacement lamp ("bulb"); most have Edison sockets and screw in like an ordinary household lamp. However, you'll need to identify the particular lamp type -- ratings vary from 70 watts to over 1,000 watts, and bases vary.
The lamp is not connected directly to the AC mains, but through a ballast, which serves a few purposes:

It provides a high voltage (hundreds or thousands of volts) to start an initial glow discharge, which changes to an arc as the lamp heats and the volatile metal evaporates.
It limits the current drawn by the lamp in the preheat phase and when operating.
It times the preheating and controls the light, often with a separate photocell head.

If the fault is a dead lamp, it is easily replaced. A 70 watt sodium vapor lamp can be found for US$10. Use reasonable safety replacing the lamp, e.g., a lamp-replacement pole, and insulating gloves. However, replacing the ballast is not recommended, if you do not see an obvious way to shut all power at the breaker 9or fuse) box.


How can I quiet my dryer vent from the outside? I have a Whirlpool electric clothes dryer and it is under 5 years old.
 When it is drying it makes a "whirling sound" that is especially loud from the outside where it is vented. My neighbor is constantly complaining about it. We shoved a large rock up in the vent from the outside and that helped a lot, but the clothes did not dry properly as they should have on the normal setting with the normal amount of clothes that I always dry.

Absolutely do not block the vent - this could cause a fire!

The first thing to check is that your duct is free of lint and other debris.  If it is a plastic duct then I wouldn't even bother cleaning it and instead would replace it with a metal one. A rigid duct line is probably better than a flexible one but is a bit more difficult to work with.

Check for any unnecessary bends or kinks in the line - the straighter the better as bends restrict the airflow and result in additional noise.  If it is a collapsible/flexible duct, make sure it is fully extended and trim off any excess ducting.

If possible you might consider relocating the exhaust further away from you neighbor.


Can I replace a tiled shower with a fiberglass shower pan? I have a standing tiled shower (tiled floor and walls). Is it possible to have someone rip out the tiled floor and replace it with a fiberglass/plastic shower base pan?

I'm told this isn't possible without ripping out the entire thing and changing the plumbing... is this true?

I just want to replace the floor with a fiberglass shower base pan, as it's much easier to maintain and clean.

Short answer:  He/She may be correct but ask them what problems they forsee running into that made them decide that.

Long answer:
This should be possible but I'm not sure it will be visually appealing and you might have problems finding a premade pan that fits your space.  You may also need to redo the drain plumbing since fiberglass pans have standard locations for the drain unless specially ordered (usually directly in the center or centered along one of the short walls).

You will also need to remove the bottom row of tile on the walls above the height that the pan will occupy and then retile that row to properly overlap the pan edge for drainage.  The question here is if you have sufficient space between the studs in the wall and the existing tile to overlap without there being a visible change in tile angle on the bottom row.

You might also have to remove some drywall (or whatever you have covering your studs adjacent to the shower bay) in order to get the pan to slide in and then re-patch that area when finished.


Mira shower head broke off The shower head broke off, and there's nothing to grab onto to unscrew it. I plan to replace the shower head, but do I have to replace the hose as well? Or is there a way to get the plastic bit out?

EDIT: I was reluctant to replace the hose because if something went wrong (e.g. a connector broke), I would no longer have a functional shower and would instead have an urgent plumbing problem. So I spent a lot of time trying to find reverse pliers, to no avail. I experimented with using a utility knife (dangerous!) to get the plastic out, but had no success with that either. After living with the problem for about a year (I am lazy, but I've also had bad experiences with DIY plumbing), I finally got the courage to gently try unscrewing the hose. It was easy, and I was able to replace the hose and shower head.

Get a new head and hose, it's the easiest choice.
Anyway you can try to push around from the inside of broken hose with 'reversed' pliers then unscrewing.


Are turnbuckles required for cable railing? I'm installing wire rope for a fence. It would look something like this fence here: .

I was thinking of using a hand winch to tighten the rope. So let's say the winch does its job, I crimp the ends, and the wire rope is tight. My question is: do I really need turnbuckles?

I've had issues finding stainless steel turnbuckles. The ones at Amazon look flimsy, and the ones I've seen at other websites are just too expensive.

When installing that way you will not be able to get maximal tension because you need some space to apply the crimps.

Also over time the cable will stretch. This means that you will need to retighten the cable a few times. That is impossible if you crimped the ends.


2-Pole 40 amp GFCI replacement for electric range tripping I am located in MA.

Do I need to have a GFCI for an electric 4 wire range?
When I replaced the current 2-pole 40 amp circuit breaker with a 2-Pole 40 amp GFCI replacement for electric range the circuit trips and does not turn on. I have confirmed that it's wired correctly and have not been able to figure out why it's tripping. The ground and neutral are connected properly.
The range is 4 wire.

This one is resolved!
Had to cut the "jumper" between ground and neutral.

Look at the wiring on the connection block on the back of the range. Make sure that the neutral and the ground are not connected. If the neutral and ground are connected, the GFCI will trip.
The neutral and ground are not supposed to be connected on the connection block with a four wire cord and ground going all the way to the panel. Some installers aren't properly trained and will leave the neutral and ground connected on the back of the range.


How do you deal with the giant foundation overhang when using ridged foam and a rain screen on an exterior wall? When designing a building that uses modern techniques like those featured in this Building Science article, such as exterior ridged foam insulation and a rain screen, how do you deal with the hideous looking overhang of materials extending way beyond the slab?

With 2" of foam insulation, 1/2" sheathing, 1/2" furring strips and 1/2" siding, there's a full 4" of wall covering on the face of the studs. So if the stud wall is built on the edge of the slab, you have 4" of overhanging materials, floating 6" above the ground. (Code requires a 6" minimum gap between the final grade and the bottom of wood members, so you can't fill the gap with dirt.)

I drew an example to scale to illustrate the problem. Essentially, the concrete wall comes up 6", then goes out 4" for the width of the materials, and then continues up. I think this is going to look ugly, especially near doors where there's a concrete patio slab outside instead of dirt.

I'm assuming that I'm doing this wrong, so could someone please tell me the proper way to design this type of wall so it's not unsightly? (And also functions as intended).

Should the slab be extended further, and the studs set back from the edge so the bulk of the rain screen, furring strips, and insulation sit over the slab?

I think the overhang is actually the better idea.

Imagine you are a water droplet running down the wall. With an overhang, you are more likely to fall harmlessly to the ground to be drained away. If you design the wall so that the slab and wall are even, that water is much more likely to wick under the wall and begin the long term destruction of the bottom of the wall.

The deeper the eaves on the roof and the wall overhang on the slab, the less likely you will be to have wall leaks and water damage.

If you want to seal the bottom of the wall you could install Z shaped flashing over the foam and under the siding.

Good luck!


Can I varnish natural wood trim before installation? When I'm installing painted trim -- baseboards, window or door trim, etc. -- I usually prime and paint it before installation.  That way I only have to fill the nail holes, sand smooth and paint one coat after installation.

If I want my trim to have a natural wood finish instead, how much of the process of applying wood conditioner, stain and two or three coats of varnish can I do before I install the trim?

The main issue would be with covering any nail/screw holes after you've fixed it to the wall. Other than that I can't see a problem with varnishing before hand.

As each coat of varnish darkens the wood you could end up with a darker patch over each nail. However, using the same approach as usual - leaving the last coat until after installation will reduce this.

Another alternative would be to glue the trim in place - that way there's no nail holes to fill.


Issues after capacitor replaced on AC unit Had a checkup on my AC/ furnace a couple weeks ago. The technician said the capacitor leaking oil and not pulling enough amps. He recommended me getting a whole new system. (My house was built 6 yrs ago.)

I said no I cannot afford, he replaced the capacitor. I asked so you tested and the amps are all good now. He responds that he did not test anything after he replaced it. That struck me as odd but what do I know I'm just a woman.

Since replacement, the lights dim when unit kicks on, which it has always done that, no worry. While unit is running the lights will dim several more times.
Each time they dim there is an audible pause in the operation of the unit.
Very very short pause like of about a second.  This worries me. I would be very appreciative of what could be the issue and what I should check on my unit.

If the lights are dimming several times while the unit is running, the only thing you can check is listen to the outdoor unit to determine if the compressor is unexpectedly starting and stopping when it should be running continuously.  Set the thermostat to a low setting and listen outside to see if you can hear the compressor starting and stopping at about the same interval as you notice the lights dim.

If abnormal starts and stops are occurring, a competent technician is needed to evaluate and repair the problem.  Whether or not the compressor is cycling unexpectedly, installation of an appropriately sized 3 wire hard start kit can sometimes alleviate lights dimming on startup due to the electric service being marginally small for the unit.

You may want to try a better technician than the one who advised an entirely new system and then replaced a leaking capacitor.  Any technician worth his salt would use a capacitance meter and not an amp meter to legitimately investigate this problem.  Also, unless your 6 year old system was installed absolutely horridly, it should not need replacement so soon.


How do I eliminate the "whooshing" sound of water running though pipes? At every faucet and toilet in our house, when water is running, it creates a loud wooshing noise in the walls. I'm not sure how else to describe it, but it's like the normal "oh I can hear the sink or toilet on upstairs" but VERY loud.

What, if anything, can I do to reduce or completely eliminate the noise?

Make sure the shutoff valves at your toilet and sink are fully open.  Inadvertently leaving them partially closed can cause sounds like you describe.

EDIT: Just noticed you said "at every faucet and toilet in our house."  I'd still check all your shutoffs just to be sure, but also make sure you check the main shutoff valve for the whole house.


New Light Wiring SNAFU The wiring box in the ceiling has black, white and red wire in it. Also a ground screw. The new light has black and white wires, plus a ground wire. Light also has dimmer feature. I hooked all up, respectively except the red wire, which I capped and taped. The light stays on all the time. What did I miss?

Nothing easier.

The clump of all-white wires is actually neutral.  The lamp actually needs neutral, and neutral must be white.   Add it to the clump.

Now let's talk about color codes.  You may think that the colors of wires are for the sole purpose of helping novices wire things up.  I have an alternate theory for you.   Go down to the building supply and look at all the different kinds of cables, especially the variety of color combinations available.  There isn't any.  Variety.  All cables are black-white, or black-white-red.   So clearly, this is a standard of manufacture, and every installation is forced to use the same colors!

So outside of "neutral is white", colors aren't a lot of help.  White isn't even necessarily neutral.   Now that's debunked, this gets a bit clearer.

the red wire is an orphan.
the fan was connected to the red wire previously, and nothing was connected to the black cluster.

Based on both facts, the lamp black needs to go to the solo red.


what do you call a female single socket extension-style plug? I can't for the life of me figure out what this female plug is called. I just need to buy the UK female plug, no cable, can anyone help please?

It's called a trailing socket (1-way).

Examples: 1. 2, 3, 4


Mount metal letters to a wall so that they are removable I have to mount some metal letters to a concrete wall. Until now the plan was to ad pins to the letters and glue them into the wall. This would have required making some holes in the wall.

Now the idea has been raised to create a mounting that makes it possible to remove the letter from the wall if necessary. Is there a mounting that allows one to fix a pin with a screw to the wall or something similar?

Have you looked at 3M command adhesive strips? They hold very well but are easily removable later on.


patch small leaks in ceramic sewage line running through basement Have a ceramic (I think?) sewage line that runs from under the bathroom across the top of the basement and goes out the wall into the yard. Have very small drips in a couple of places on this line. Would like to know if there is a way to seal these leaks so I don't have to replace the whole line at this time.

Do you have enough access to the pipe to wrap something completely around it? I know we're not supposed to get carried away with brand names here, but have you searched for anything along the lines of "perma-wrap" or "water activated fiberglass pipe repair wrap?"

Or, cut a curved section of clay or PVC pipe of the right size, clean the pipe and put the cut section over it, then seal it with an industrial sealant that adheres to both materials. Even after that, I would personally wrap the pipe with something like fiberglass. But one of these approaches might create a solid seal and get you by until you can replace the pipe.


Is a raised floor viable and safe in a basement bathroom? A contractor wants to build a raised floor for my bathroom basement that he is building for me instead of breaking the concrete. The plumbing would be underneath the floor. Is this a viable and safe alternative to breaking concrete? Or does he just want to keep the costs down for himself?

Why does he need to move the plumbing in the first place? My guess is that its simply because the drain in the concrete is in the incorrect place? I finish basements professionally for a living. Very rarely do you have the luxury of the base plumbing being in the exact right location. In almost every job that I do we move the tub/shower drain.  If you are using an experienced, professional plumber, this is a no brainer. Unless, of course their is a grade issue where he can't get the proper fall. However, if there is an existing drain under the concrete, this is a very unlikely situation. If we are moving plumbing less than 3' we use a jack hammer. if it's more than that, we saw cut. The previous reply is correct about the dust and mess of concrete saws... and it's more expensive (typically). If you are tiling the floor, just ensure that your concrete patch is very level (or just below the concrete grade) and then level quick the patch after the concrete is done. The fact that a jackhammer makes a 'jagged edge' hole is ok if you are installing flooring over it, as long as the patch is level.

For time and costs... my plumber charges $75 per hr for jackhammering (usually doesn't take more than an hour). Labor and time to rebase the drain into the correct location - $200-$350. Concrete patch - Less than $100.

To me its a no brainer... do it the right way, move it and repair the concrete. If your contractor has an issue with that, he may not be a contractor you want to finish this project for you.


How can raise a downspout drain from ground level (Picture) I have a gutter downspout in my backyard that leads to a 4" clay drain which leads to the municipal sewer line.  Currently the opening sits at ground level.  I'd like to raise the ground level a few inches to provide more of a grade away from the building.  How can I raise the opening such that it is a tight connection that will NOT allow earth infill to go down the drain?

In the picture, you'll note plastic adapters that connect rain gutter to drain (which would not prevent dirt/sand from going down the drain if I raised ground level).

UPDATE: Thanks for the comments.  To clarify, I'm concerned that the plastic adapter (lower, yellowed plastic piece in picture) does NOT provide a tight enough connection to the drain and that it would lead to dirt/sand getting into the drain.  I'm OK with the gap between the bottom of gutter downspout and the rectangular-to-round adapter (for now).

As to some comments, I'm not looking to change the grade of the pipe, but rather the grade of the soil/mulch to allow for better water runoff away from the building (water that doesn't go in the gutter/drain).  Also in this neighborhood, it is a combined sewer/storm system.

Hopefully that downspout doesn't ultimately end up connected to the municipal [sanitary] sewer system -- my local sanitary sewer operator, and I suppose many others, bar this practice because it leads to rain flows overwhelming the sewer treatment plants, and this leads to discharge of untreated sewage.

Anyway, on to your question. That white rectangle-to-round adapter looks like an ordinary PVC downspout adapter to a 3" pipe. You could raise this by inserting a 3" coupler and short bit of pipe. These are likely available at a home improvement or building supply outlet. Some retailers might put these together with the other plumbing products; others put these drainage-related items in the sprinkler or landscape supply section instead.

Loosen the downspout from its mounting straps so that it can be lifted out of the adapter, place the coupler and piece of pipe and then re-install the adapter, and finally trim the downspout to fit the new height.


Using an incoming cat5 cable for my phone, how can I wire it so it goes to a switch and also to my phone line Currently, my house only has one wall plate, which uses a cat5 cable that utilizes a wall plate with pre-installed wires (blue, green, white, black, red, yellow) that the cat5 wires also connect to. From it, I use a splitter to connect to my phone and modem. I am in the process of installing data ports at other locations within my house. I pulled the incoming cat5 wire from my upstairs kitchen to my basement where I have a switch. I am unclear on how to connect the incoming line to the switch and then to my modem and phone. Especially since both the phone and modem have female RJ11 ports.

Are you under the impression that you have an ethernet cable that just happens to supply phone service, but will also magically supply ethernet if you plug it into a switch?
You (appear) to have a 4 pair cable (if it's cat 5) which has probably (you're a bit unclear, but using the most likely scenario) got POTS (voice telephone, or plain old telephone service) and DSL using one pair - typically the blue pair - that's presently connected to a 3-line wall plate, but (probably) only using one line (typically the red/green pair in the center) since you mention using a splitter from that to your modem (presumably a DSL modem) and your Phone (presumably POTS.) The other 3 pairs are probably dead and doing nothing.
So, what you need wherever you relocate this cable to is to either reconnect it exactly as it was to the 3-line plate you had it terminated to before, and then to your phone (probably with a DSL filter in line there) and modem (without a DSL filter so it gets DSL), and then plug the other side of the modem into your router and your router into your switch, or if your modem is a router, plug the ethernet side of your modem/router into your switch.
The telephone side of this (POTS/DSL) has no connection to your ethernet switch.
If I'm guessing correctly, you only really need to connect the blue pair to an RJ-11 jack (Red/Green - center pair) and your splitter to your telephone and modem, or connect it to TWO RJ-11 jacks and have no splitter required. You can do that with POTS/DSL. You can't do that with Ethernet. Blue/White connects to Red, White/Blue to Green.
There are a variety of less-likely-these-days scenarios involving actually using two or three telephone lines, but they are very unlikely in the current era, and I'm having to assume a great deal, so I assume the unlikely things are not what's happening here.
Alternatively, put it back where it was, and run a cable from an Ethernet port on your Router or Modem/Router to the switch.


How can I fix a broken face on a kitchen drawer? I have a silverware drawer that the face broke off when it was slammed shut.  I'm trying to figure out the best way to re-attach it.  I've tried using gorilla glue but that didn't work to well because the surfaces aren't flat (some of the fiberwood is broken).  Anyone have any suggestions?

I would try some corner braces and short wood screws.  You probably want to pre-drill some holes so you don't split the wood.


Maximum length supported by a LED RGB controller I'm looking to buy a LED RGB controller that has the following specs:

6A x 3 Channel
Output 18A Max

Given that a 12V 5050 SMD Led strips @ 60 leds/meter are 14.4W/1.2A per meter, this controller should be able to support 15 meters, assuming the driver has sufficient wattage.

And the driver should be rated accordingly + 10% ?

Yes, your numbers sound correct to me.  Another way of looking at the standard 60-per-metre 5050's is that they are 3-channel LEDs, with 400ma per metre per channel.  (3528's are 1-channel LEDs, and the same applies; 400ma/metre assuming 60 LEDs per metre).

I would not use drivers (power supplies) with a 10% derate unless I was using  top-tier suppliers (i.e. General Electric, Philips, etc.)   Most people use cheap Chinese power supplies off eBay/Amazon, and for those I recommend a 100-200% derate, i.e. buy 2-3x the power supply you intend to use.

I don't know what your topology is going to be. Given the length and the season, my guess is this has something to do with Christmas lights on the interior or exterior of your house.  These tend to have a lot of linear run distance.  Let me talk about the challenges of carrying 12VDC a long distance.

First, there's the internal wires which run down the length of every LED strip.  You can't use those.  They are quite small, and don't have the current capacity to daisy chain more than one additional strip - that's 10 metres tops - and at that, you'll still have serious voltage drop which will mean the farthest LEDs will be very noticeably dimmer than the near ones.

There are two main ways to solve that problem.

One is to run your own external "feeder" wire, and since you're RGB, you'll need to run 4 wires.  Then tie from your feeder to the strips everywhere you can - if possible, feed both ends.  The wire will have to be fairly thick - run it through a voltage drop calculator and you'll see.

The second way is to avoid the voltage drop entirely by having several 120VAC/DC power supplies (drivers) distributed around the installation.  Each driver feeds only the LED strips closest to it, so 12V doesn't have to go very far.  How do you then control R/G/B mixing?  You use a device called an amplifier (aka data repeater).  It takes your controller's R/G/B output as a control signal at extremely low currents (easily handled by thermostat wire).  It pulses each channel same as the controller was, and sends that to the lights.

A third option is to have a very fat 2-wire 12VDC feeder, and then several amplifiers distributed around as in the second option...
 so the 4-wire power only has to go a short distance.

Cost would decide which way to go: copper (wire) vs. silicon (power supplies/drivers/amplifiers).


Are two circuits allowed to have a common neutral? Don't know if the title makes sense so I'll explain what I'm doing. I'm trying to wire two adjacent fridges that each require a dedicated 15A circuit. I'm just wondering instead of running two wires if I can run a single 14/3 wire with the black wire powering one fridge, the red wire powering the other but both using white wire as neutral. My instinct says it's not up to code but I thought if ask. Thanks!

It is perfectly fine and within code. The only stipulations are that you must splice the neutral, you cannot use the screws on one device to carry the neutral to the other, and that you must use a two-pole or handle-tied breaker.


Can drill replace reciprocal saw? I need to cut some metal fence, and I don't have a reciprocal saw. I've included a picture of the fence to give you an idea of its thickness. Essentially, I'll be cutting the rail off the post. The area where I want to cut is approximately 1"x2".

Is there something for the drill that can replace the reciprocal saw for this type of job?

Thanks.

No, there isn't really a drill accessory made that will make that job easy. I wouldn't bother with any cutoff or grinder wheel. It would take a very long time and would chatter and bounce around a lot.

Beg or borrow an electric saw, or use an abrasive circular saw blade, or use a basic hacksaw. You'll probably want an angle grinder to flatten the cut, and you could actually use the grinder to make the cut.

The long and the short of it is that a drill isn't your huckleberry.


Do I seal just the grout or the tiles and grout? I just tiled the bathtub alcove and it came out great.  Now I need to seal the grout. My question is, do i seal just the grout lines or do I apply the seal on the tiles and the grout?

Thank you.

This greatly depends on the type tile you have. If it is a manmade tile such as porcelain, or ceramic, then you don't have to worry about sealing it.

Most natural stone tiles, especially softer or water permeable stone such as marble, limestone/travertine, and slate should be sealed as well. This would ideally be done prior to grouting to prevent the stone from being stained by the grout. It would also be a good idea to use an unsanded grout with natural stone, especially marble because the sand from the grout could leave scratches in the surface.


Can I add a small stud on top of a plaster wall? I am covering an old room that has ugly wavy, bumpy, stylized plaster walls. I've looked into all of the options to remove the bumps and it will be simpler to cover it with wallboard.

The issue: One wall in the room has a 2 inch jog in it. Meaning, the right half of the room is 2 inches deeper than the left half.

I'm wondering if I can screw "surface studs" on top of the plaster wall inline with the studs behind the wall to line it up with the left half? Adding those "surface studs" would even out the full length of that wall for a single smooth surface.
Does anyone see an issue with this? Or any other suggestions?

Yes, you can do that. I'd use 4" gold construction screws every 24" or so. If this results in a wavy plane, simply insert shims behind the studs near screws where needed.

I would remove the corner bead (if present) at the jog and tape to just the plaster. This will help eliminate the "ski jump" that's often present at outside corners, especially once you add another layer of tape.


Rewire attic fan from switched to always-on I have an attic fan wired to a thermostat that I'd like to come on whenever it's hot enough. The problem is, the fan is wired to a circuit that's operated by the light switch for the stairs into the attic, which also controls the light at the top of the stairs, as well as a pull-chain light in the attic. I don't want to have to leave the light at the top of the stairs on to get the fan to run! I also don't want to convert that light to a pull-chain light, since it's the only light in the stairs, and at the top. There's another switch installed just before the fan, apparently for code purposes, but it doesn't make much sense to me to only have the fan live when the wall switch in the stairs (and cosequently the light) is on.

Is there an easy way to convert the switched-hot attic fan to always-hot, while keeping the two light fixtures between the fan and the switch as switched-hot? I say always-hot, but I would leave the final switch operating the attic fan only in case of emergency.

Supply that fan switch you say is fitted for code purposes from the supply to the light switch, it will then be on all the time depending on its thermostat setting.

Leave the other light switches as is.