Garage foundation and leakage in the floor I found out that there was leak in my garage. And the wood is Rotten around that area and mold is growing. I started looking for any reason removed soil from outside and found out that break is broken and foundation is broken from some of the areas even plant roots was deep inside the wall. Tried to fill the gap using expanding foam but still can see the water seeping. I don’t know what to do my friend said it’s foundation issue. But I can’t afford to fix. What can I do now can I use hydraulic cement from outside? Or What can be used to stop the leak from outside ?

Sealing it really isn't solving your problem as your house isn't a boat. Below is what I would suggest to start. This can be done yourself but I'd suggest having an engineer look at the foundation to at least give you an idea of it's condition.
1 - Make sure you're not contributing to the water problem.

All down spouts should be draining at least 6 feet (ideally more)
from the structure to a spot that is either flat or continues to
slope away from the structure. IMPORTANT NOTE - Don't use
perforated pipe for atleast the first 6 feet(ideally more). This is
one of the most common mistakes that even builders make today.
Check that black pipe you have on the down spot and make sure there
aren't any small holes in it.
If you have sprinklers, shut them off at the source for a week to see
if that reduces the water. If it does, you may be overwatering or
have a cracked line.
If this is a recent problem, check to see if your water bill has
unexpectedly gone up. If so, you may have a cracked main line coming
into the house.
If you have neighbors whose yards are higher than yours, water may be
draining off of their property to yours. Depending on how close they
are, they could have downspouts that are properly sloped away from
their home, but are feeding stright into yours.

2 - You need to get the water draining away from the foundation. This needs to be done no matter what issues may be causing this. This can be done in a variety of ways. The proper slope away from the foundation depends on where you live. But anything will help to some degree. If you look online, you'll find a lot of information including things you can do yourself for little money, but will take some work on your part.
Update - @Anna, after looking at a couple of your other posts, and assuming this is the same house, I wanted to add a couple of notes.

In your crawlspace, it appears there is a concrete foundation, however you had stated that the foundation from the outside was brick. By foundation, I mean what is supporting the house underground. For a house that age, it would be somewhat odd to have a small brick foundation like the bricks you see on the outside. More common would be cinder block (gray in color, about 16 inches wide by 8 inches tall) or the concrete as you see in the crawlspace.  It is possible you have both if the foundation had deteriorated (possibly due to this water issue) and so they put a "sister" foundation in next to the original foundation which is why you'd see brick on one side, and concrete on the other. Either way, the ground outside should be a good 6-12 inches below the top of the foundation. If it snows in your area, it should probably be 12 inches. Call your city permit office and ask if they know.

Both the recent cracking in the outer brick and the more recent popped nails mentioned in your other posts could indicate that the water problem you're seeing is getting underneath the foundation, compacting the soil, and causing it to sink ever so slightly. All is not lost, you just need to deal with the water issue, and call a structural engineer in your area to come and take a look at things. If money is an issue, focus on at least getting the water directed away from the foundation. This can be accomplished by digging a small trench with a slope away from the house. All you need is a spade shovel and time. Put the dirt on either side of the little trench to help create a ridge. You might be able to get away with digging a trench only a shove wide (10 inches) and the same amount deep. It's the Basin concept seen in the upper left of the illustration below. If you start where you already have water, you'll know you're deep enough if the water that is pooled starts going down your trench.

Here's an infographic but there's information all over the internet.


How to even out the colour on wooden stair treads I am currently renovating my staircase, and I want the treads of the stairs to be stained wood while the remaining of the staircase will be painted white.

I have stripped the old paint of the treads and have now started to sand them smooth but the wood is very uneven in colour, especially down the middle of the tread where the was just varnish before.

Is it a case of the treads needing a lot more sanding to even them out or I am missing a step (no pun intended)?

You can see a photo of their current state here

Many Thanks
Sandro

On the risers (the vertical part between treads) you can see a faint shadow of the same pattern. It looks like maybe there was once a "stair runner"; a strip of carpet or other material that ran down the middle of the stairway. Sand more, try wood bleach (oxalic acid) as suggested, then use a darker stain to blend. Finish off with varnish.


Add electrical generator breaker to service box I have the service panel pictured below and I'm trying to add a Generator Interlock breaker to feed my house via a generator. I'd like to have a manual transfer switch inside the fuse box where I can set whether to allow electricity from my main utility or from my generator. I already have a L14-30 power inlet box (see second picture below) for connecting my generator. Since this fuse box is inside a concrete wall, I plan to later install one of those breaker home surge protectors.

Service Panel

L14-30 power inlet box

I know I probably don't have much room in this fuse box and will probably need to have it replaced. I need some recommendations on how to go about this while trying to save the current breakers that work fine.

BTW, the cables that are coming from the main leads are from 2 AC inverter mini split units that were installed. I'd also would like to add those to a breaker. They do already have one on the roof.

Generator interlock breaker example

Main breaker (Outside next to electrical meter)

AC Roof Breaker panel

You are not going to go very far with trying to add the things that you desire to that electrical service box. It is already completely full of duplex circuit breakers AND there is no main breaker in there to interlock with the generator breaker.

You will need to replace that box with a new larger box that is equipped with a proper main breaker and is compatible with a proper agency registered generator transfer switch.

Some things of note:

That generator inlet box looks like it is setup with some pretty small feed wires. You should think very carefully how you should really setup the limited capacity of the generator to feed only a subset of breakers and possibly relocate those to a sub panel.
There is a very sketchy use of a black taped white wire being fed from a  breaker. If at all possible you should be looking at replacing that wire run with a proper colored wire.
The wires jumpered into the lugs where the feed wires are terminated is an extreme hazard waiting to happen. If one of those wires were to get shorted somehow it would not be able to handle the current that those feed wires can deliver and will soon get extremely hot and cause a fire and melting wires and insulation. Disconnect those immediately till that can be properly corrected.
It is next to impossible to decide if this service box is a main-panel or a sub-panel. Along with that it is not possible to see if the ground / neutral bonding is properly handled in this enclosure. It would be wise to get that checked and brought up to code if needed.
With no visible bare safety ground wires it is clear that the grounding system being used here depends upon the conduits that carry all the wiring to this service panel. You should double check that every last outlet, switch and lighting electrical box is properly terminated to metallic conduit all the way back to this service box to ensure that the intended safety goals are met.


Using larger pipe for range hood My new range hood calls for 5" pipe.  I was planning to use a 5"/6" reducer to convert to 6" pipe for going through my attic to the roof.  I know that using a smaller pipe than what is called for is problematic due to restricted airflow.  But is there any problem with using a larger pipe than what is called for?

No problem up sizing and this is typically done if the run is longer than normal to minimize friction losses.

I have several HRV sheet metal runs that go from 7 up to 8" where the runs were quite long.

If you push your question out to the extreme end of the spectrum and imagine hooking up to an infinite size pipe then you've really just put the pipe end outside of your structure.


Live wire spliced in a switch to provide power to other parts of the room! I wanted to replace a single pole toggle switch with a smart switch. I opened the switch box to analyze the existing wiring. Typically in single pole switches there should be 3 wires going in. I live wire (typically screwed to the black screw) and one load wire and one ground wire ( green wire or just wire without the casing). But I noticed 4 wires in this switch. There was a black wire pinned to the same screw where the live wire went in. This black wire was getting constant power and it was providing power to other parts of the room. Like light switches in powder room etc.
My question is when I put in the new smart switch, can I put both the live wire and the other wire that was providing power to all other switches together with a wire nut?
Attached some photos for reference!

Your analysis of the current situation is correct and quite normal. The fact that this type of switch allows two wires to be attached under the switch makes it that much easier to do, as opposed to hacks (MPO) such as one wire under the screw and one in the back-stab.
Yes, it is perfectly fine to have a pigtail to the switch and connect the three wires with a wirenut.


How to fix double pocket doors so they stays in the center when closed? I have a double pocket door installed that closes together. It is installed by connecting both tracks together. Now each door can freely go from its wall to 2x to the other side.

In hindsight, I should have ordered the Johnson 1555 CONVERGING
DOOR KIT.

It is too late now. In my situation, if the 2 doors are closed and locked. I can still shift both doors to the side freely. They just become a 2x sliding door. So the lock is useless.

What is the best alternative to fix the doors/track so they meet in the center and allow me to lock them using pocket door lock?

In our high end home the company I worked for built, we never got the converging kit. There was a block of hardwood carefully cut to full the gap in the track, slightly recessed so the cut block allowed the wheels to hit it. It's length was set so each side as it closes stooped just ever so slightly over the centerline of the opening, maybe a 1/16" or 1/32" to insure the doors met well. The block would be about 5-6" long though it could be shorter if warranted. The block was carefully centered and piloted for three screws to secure it in place. Stagger the screws as much as possible in the face of the block to help prevent splitting. Mask off and spray paint the track and block flat black and it all goes away.


Using a 1-pole GFCI to test half a multi-wire branch circuit I'm searching my electrical system for defects, fixing the last guy's work. He loved to cross neutrals (grab a hot from circuit 5 and neutral from circuit 19). I've found several instances, but it's really slow going.

It seems like I could speed this up a lot by turning on every load, putting dummy loads in every receptacle chain (night lights), and temporarily installing a GFCI, and see if it trips.  I'm comfortable with that plan.

However, he also loved multi-wire branch circuits. I've given them special attention and I think they're OK, but want to test them nonetheless.  This panel is obsolete, and a 2-pole GFCI breaker is prohibitively expensive.  So I want to use the 1-pole GFCI to test half the MWBC at a time. The other hot would cause a false reading, so I just want to disconnect it temporarily.

Does this seem like a reasonable plan?

I would suggest rather than leaving one hot disconnected you connect the two hot wires together. That way you can test the whole circuit at once and you don't have to deal with a loose and potentially hazardous wire.

This should only be done once you are reasonably confident that no hot-hot-neutral 240V devices are connected to the circuit.


What size fasteners should I use to mount fence bases to concrete? We're anchoring several 4" x6" x 1/4" steel plates to concrete. They will be used for a fence. These bases need to be solid, but it's simply to separate one area from another (people won't be near it).

Initially, we were going to use these 3/8" x 3" anchor screws, but someone here mentioned expansion type anchors. I started searching to see what this is, and found several images: Image1, image2, image3.

Are these anchors stronger than the 3/8" x 3" anchor screws? Can these anchors be removed in the future?

A steel plate like you describe will presumably have some type of post or support attached to it. That attachment will be able to place a whole bunch of torque on the plate and the last thing you want is for the plate to start pulling loose when some chincey and cheap anchor screw starts to pull out of the concrete.

I would recommend the larger size if you are indeed going to be using the direct screw in type of concrete anchor. Be aware that the screw in concrete anchor does require an accurate hole diameter and deeper penetration into the concrete and larger diameter lead to better holding power. Follow instructions carefully on how this type of anchor is installed.

If you have a situation where:

You have a hard time drilling holes into concrete and keeping the hole diameter from getting enlarged too much.
You do not need to be close to the edge of the concrete.

...then you may want to consider some quality expansion type anchors instead. Good ones will set you back cost wise even more than the larger screw in anchors that you linked to.


Stuck valve on heating system I've just moved into a new house and the heating doesn't work, hot water isn't circulating. I've narrowed it down to a stuck valve on the inflow to the water pump, it seems that the valve is closed.
Unfortunately the thread on the valve has been worn down, so the usual tools can't attach to it (see pic).

Brute force with a spanner doesn't work, even after applying a lot of oil. I want to try gently heating it to see if that loosens things. Do any of you have some other tips or tricks that might help loosen it? I'm pretty good at home improvement but this one has me stumped...

Heat is an option, just note that if the valve seats with any kind of polymer/rubber seals you'll likely destroy them.  In my experience, heat is never gentle if it's going to be effective.

I'd go for heat first (like acetylene-hot, not that weak propane/mapp hot), but be VERY ready to have to go out and replace the whole valve.

From looking at your picture, I'd cut above the 90 degree bend and sweat in a new bend and valve. After all, you're going to want to open and shut the valve at some point in the future, if you deal with it now, you'll be thankful later.


How to fill above ground pool ditch the seller of the house I purchased removed the above ground pool, there is a 17 by 26 feet opening that is about 6 inches deep. 221 ft3.  There is a thin layer of packed down sand which has smaller rocks around the edge.  I'm interested in filling and converting the hole to a patio.

What material would I need to fill the whole as a solid base.

3/4 minus crushed quary makes a great base for just about any type of patio. I use a plate compactor and have finished with pavers and poured concrete in the past with excellent results. I would caution not to use crushed river rock as it will not lock together as well and tends to move around compared to crushed quarry rock.


Main electric service & range hood vent I'm in the midst of a reno on my kitchen, which involves some reconfiguring of the placement of appliances. As a result, where the stove is going - and hence the range hood / blower vent location would come through the roof right near where the main electrical service attaches to the house and runs to the main panel.

My question is this: is there a minimum recommended / required distance between the range hood vent location and the main electrical connection coming from the utility to the house (I'm in CA if there's state specific code on this)? Its a very shallow pitch roof so I'm unable to elbow & run the ducting through the attic to come through the roof elsewhere. If I need a minimum separation I'll probably have to run a chase along the ceiling inside the kitchen to come through the roof far enough away from the electrical main.

Thanks for your help.

NEC 110.34 (F) says, "pipes or ducts foreign to the electrical installation and requiring periodic maintenance or whose malfunction would endanger the operation of the electrical system shall not be located in the vicinity of the service equipment, switchgear, or industrial control assemblies. Protection shall be provided where necessary to avoid damage from condensation leaks and breaks in such foreign systems..." Beyond this, I don't see anything else in the NEC that might speak to your issue. It doesn't sound like your installation plan would endanger the operation of the electrical system, but that is a question you will have to answer. I did a web search for California building codes but turned up nothing that specifically addressed your situation.


Loft Insulation Alternatives (UK) The UK building regulations require 100mm of loft insulation between joists and 170mm over, ie 270mm of insulation in total.

If it were to be bordered out for use as office, with sistering the joists I would have to use 2"x12"s leaving around 30mm of air gap to stop condensation issues.

This eats a lot into the available headroom, under UK building regulations can I change from 270mm of Rockwool to a thinner amount of Kingspan or alternative?

You'd need to double-check, but does the 270mm regulation apply to existing houses as well? Otherwise, I've seen plenty of lofts cross battened with 150mm or 175mm deep timbers and boarded on top. Not sure where you want the air gap, condensation shouldn't be a problem here unless you plan on not heating the office...
An alternative is to go for a warm roof by putting the insulation in between the rafters instead (where you do need an air gap).


How hard is it to remove ducts? I have an incredibly toxic smell emanating from one of my floor vents. I think one of my cats peed in the vent. Will I be able to remove the duct-work without ripping out the linoleum and sub-floor? What do I need to do to clean ducts?

I ended up creating 'access' to the ducts by removing the drywall from the basement ceiling with the help of a hammer and crowbar. Not really rocket-science.


Why am I getting an electric shock from the water in my hot tub? I have noticed that when I touch the water of my Hot Tub when I am grounded (barefoot standing outside of tub) I am getting a very small electric shock.
Using a multimeter it is reading 2Vac between the water and the ground outside.

I have an RCD on both my ring main and a dedicated RCD on the Hot Tub, none of which trip.

Now the odd thing is that even with the socket switched off (but still plugged in) it still reads 2Vac. If I unplug the socket it reads 0Vac.

How is it reading 2Vac with only neural and earth wires connected?

Edit: This is sounding more and more like a problem with either a neighbor's electrical or the utility's supply.  See last entry.

DON'T get in that hot tub again!

The "very small" shock was due to high impedance between you and the current.  Impedance is extremely luck-based. Someone getting out of the pool might splash water where it had not been before, now the impedance is much lower and that "small" shock puts you in a wheelchair.

Hot tub miswiring is so common it's legendary.  RCDs do not protect you from all wiring errors.

Don't get in the hot tub again until you positively find the cause and remove it.

8ma vs 30ma protection

RCDs also do not protect you from shock, necessarily.  In Europe, RCDs have been used for a long time, and for a different reason - protecting houses from fires, not protecting humans from shock.  Also, since they use whole-house RCDs, they must use a higher (more permissive) threshold, otherwise small leaks from many appliances will "stack" to cause nuisance trips.   So whole-house protection is typically 30ma threshold.

Whereas in the US, GFCI is specifically for human safety, and it is 6ma or 8ma.  This is too sensitive for a whole house, so it is applied circuit by circuit on circuits where it is helpful.  (near sinks).

Your whole-house RCD would need to be 30ma, which is not enough for life-safety protection.  It's less likely to outright kill you, but it's plenty enough to stun you - and when you are in water, being stunned means drowning.

Your hot tub should indeed have its own RCD, at the 6-8ma sensitivity level. However if you walk into a store and buy any random RCD, it's quite possible you'll find yourself holding a 30ma one.  Perhaps your hot tub installer did exactly that.

RCDs do fail

I.E. they stop properly detecting ground faults. That's why the device has a "TEST" button.  Use it.

It may be miswired to bypass the RCD

In fact, this is likely if the hot tub installer hit a situation where the RCD tripped when he hooked it up correctly.  The RCD would trip when hooked up correctly, if the hot tub had a ground fault.  Typical installer move is to jury-rig it any method that will work, then get paid.

This can also happen with amateur installers. They typically refuse to learn how to do the job properly (because that takes time learning about subjects they just don't care about), and simply "try random combinations" until one works.  Many will work and also kill you.  This might be one of those.

If the hot tub has a ground fault, fix it - seriously

Sometimes RCDs trip because the downline device is connected correctly, but actually does have a ground fault.  This tends to surprise the heck out of people, they are in full disbelief -- "MY appliance has a ground fault? This cannot be!" (even they know nothing about ground faults).

I've seen people replace RCDs twice simply because they cannot believe they actually have a ground fault.  And of course they feel totally justified in bypassing safety protection altogether.

So don't be in denial about that.  There is a real possibility that the hot tub has a ground fault.  If so, fix it.

It might not even be the hot tub

There's an outside chance this shock is entirely unrelated to the hot tub.  It's possible the dangerous voltage is being sourced from some other thing in your yard, and the hot tub is correctly providing grounding, thus completing the circuit.  If so, the cure is a thorough search of your house's electrical system for any defects. And if neighbors are close, you may need to bring out someone to test for problems coming from them.

In any case, this is nothing to trifle with.


Why does my refrigerator trip the GFCI outlet? I've been reading around the net for about 20 minutes and came across a lot of talk about how the fridge should be on their own 15 or 20 Amp breaker and the defrost cycle can cause the interrupt in a GFCI causing it to flip

I have a 20 Amp GFCI receptacle on a 20A Breaker that also feeds 4 other 15A receptacles that have a load on the fridge, the oven and 3 other receptacles along the kitchen counter, My old fridge (one big door, freezer door on top) had no problems on the GFCI frosted good, made ice, defrosted, everything was fine, I got a new side by side fridge and every 24 hours or so the breaker is flipped.

If it didn't happen with my old one, why would it happen with my new one, I changed the GFCI thinking it was the loose wires or just an old receptacle, Nope. next day it flipped, so i tested and confirmed all of the others outlets were fine, no loss, no interruptions

The fridge shouldn't be on GFCI in the first place

GFCI is designed to protect humans from

typically 2-prong ungrounded,
non-metallic-chassis
appliances where the electrical parts are anywhere near a place you can reach
where the appliance may get wet, including its electrical bits
where it, or you holding it, could get into water e.g. Sink
and where all this couls possibly add up to an electric shock

A refrigerator is none of these.  It's a grounded all metal chassis that can't move, all the electrical gear is all in the very back at the bottom where  you could not possibly reach it, it won't get wet and you won't drop it in the sink.

Compare to the Range, which definitely has no GFCI protection, and is probably even wired NEMA 10 with no ground at all, and with the range chassis bootlegged to Neutral, seriously? how can this be legal?

So yeah.

And in fact, there is no Code requirement whatsoever for GFCIs on fridges.

Use a non-GFCI supply, preferably a dedicated circuit

The fridge is probably tripping because it does have a ground fault.  You can armwave, and call it some oh/so/complicated motor issue, but it sounds like semantics to me, at the end of the day currents are not equal. The motor isn't storing quintillions of electrons, heck the new cyclotron at Berkeley Lab couldn't store that many electrons.  The electrons are being returned in real time, and we know it's via ground because that is the only reliable return.  That's a ground fault by definition.  Whatevs.  The point is that for all the above list of reasons, we don't care that much if a fridge has a small ground fault.

It's not safer; "everything's safer with GFCI" is simply not true, again for the above bulleted reasons the fridge is vanishingly unlikely to bite you.  You have more to fear from that NEMA 10 range. Seriously.

If able, give the fridge a dedicated circuit with a special 1-socket receptacle that plugs in behind the fridge, and don't look back.  Otherwise rearrange so the fridge is non-GFCI, but you still have a risk since sharing a circuit still invites an overload trip causing food spoilage.

Food spoilage is dangerous too - you imagine that "oh, the chef will taste the food first" no.  Food for children or senior citizens is typically served blind.  I have watched aides serve my mother a bowl of cereal with curdled, way out of date milk.   Again, you have to balance other safety factors with the "everything's safer with GFCI".


How do by-room electrical code requirements work for a house with open plan or nontraditional rooms? The electrical code imposes a variety of requirements for different rooms of the house, in a way that implies that the house is divided up into non-overlapping, specific-purpose rooms at construction/wiring time.

(for example: Kitchens require a large number of GFCI receptacles on high-current circuits, close-together, bedrooms must be AFCI-protected, bathrooms must have a GFCI receptacle by the sink, etc.)

Obviously this gets a bit confusing in the open-plan houses that are popular today, and I have seen no clarity as to how these are to be handled.

Beyond that, I want to know how the code handles an austere one-room house with few or no permanent interior walls at all, where there are no more than two or three rooms and they all have multiple functions, and almost nothing is permanently installed. (This is in a rural jurisdiction with minimal building code requirements, so that won't be a problem). Do I have to combine every requirement for the whole room? Do I just split it up by floor plan, even though there are no actual barriers?

There are no requirements for GFCI receptacles anywhere in any house.  Certain locations need to be GFCI protected, but you can do that with as little as one GFCI breaker if you are committed.

The bathroom must be a separate physical room, Or at the very least, the WC.  You might be able to put the shower in open space, but the users of the shower won't appreciate that none too much!

However what is relevant to the electrical codes is the areas which are near water appliances, including the WC and shower, but most particularly, the bathroom sink(s) which might be in open space.  Whatever area you designate for the bathroom sink must have receptacles nearby, on a quasi-dedicated circuit according to bathroom rules.

Code will require that your design include areas to prepare food ("kitchen countertops"). Regardless of your design intent, any "counter" areas where a person reasonably might prepare food, must have receptacles such that a machine anywhere along that counterspace only needs a 2' cord to reach a receptacle.  That bookends to a law that requires 2' cords on food prep appliances. It's not required for places you wouldn't be able to put an appliance.

The kitchen countertop receptacles must be powered by at least 2 circuits of 20A, that are dedicated to receptacles that you can justify as being in the kitchen area.  The bathrom receptacle circuit must also be 20A, and all must be GFCI protected.  However, this is not enough in practical terms. The heat applianaces typically plugged in at kitchens (coffeemaker, grill, popcorn popper, toaster) or bathrooms (hair dryer, curler) are almost universally 1500 watts.  Two of them will not fit on a 20A (2400W) circuit.

So you are really better off installing considerably more circuits, at least 2 in the bathroom and 3+ in the kitchen.  You ought to be able to toast the bread for your George Foreman grill burger while making coffee. Your house has 48,000 watts of service, it ought to be able to support 4,500 watts of appliances. rolls eyes

The extra cost of splitting 1 circuit into 2 is piff, $60 ($50 GFCI/AFCI breaker, $10 cable).


How do I deal with a joist in the way of where I need to run a pipe? I'm in the process of installing central vac lines (2" OD) in a finished house, and I am trying to run a line into the upstairs hallway. I have removed drywall in the garage below and drilled a hole down using an installer's bit, and found the hallway wall is sitting directly over top of a joist.

This is an ideal location as it is the only spot that allows me to reach every upstairs room. Any further and I have to open up walls on inside spaces, which I want to avoid.

There's a not-as-ideal alternative on a nearby adjacent wall (about 3' away) that would allow me to come down between joists, but the hose only reaches halfway into one of the bathrooms, so I'd prefer the original location if possible.

Is there a safe way to make this work? The challenge is that I will have to drill through a bit more of the joist to fit the 2" pipe in (as I already inadvertently did..).

Couple more images:

Full

Full

EDIT 2013-05-07:

I drilled a second pilot hole right at the edge of the bottom plate, and decided I had enough room to come in on an angle with a 2" hole saw. The "notch" on the 2x8 isn't any deeper than 1/4", you can actually still see the original pilot hole where I came through the joist (the groove nearest the camera). I'll need to use some flex pipe to hook this up because of the angle, but that is no big deal.

Do I still need to sister another 2x8 to this? How significantly is this really affecting the strength of the joist?

EDIT 2013-05-10

Got it done, using 2" ID flex pipe (typically used to hook up those under-cabinet vacuum sweep inlets). Thanks everyone.

My answer is to cut your two inch hole as close to your drywall as possible.  In the picture you went right down the middle and barely hit the joist.  Methinks that you could drill right along the side and have to barely notch out the joist below.  Might not even have to notch all the way through it.  No reason for vac lines to have to be centered in your wall.  Use the notch guidelines I found to help further.

Notches in floor joists may occur in the top or bottom of the member but may not be located in the middle third of the span.
A notch may not exceed one-sixth of the depth of the joist except at the very end where it may be one-fourth of the joist depth.
The length of joist notches cannot exceed one-third of the depth of the member.
Holes bored in joists must not be larger than one-third the depth of the joists.
Holes cannot be located within two inches of the top or bottom edge of the member, or to any other hole located in the member.
Holes cannot be located within 2" of any notch.

Below is a helpful chart that provides actual notch and hole size limitations for 2x4, 2x6, 2x8, 2x10 and 2x12 joists. It should be noted that limitations on the allowable notching and boring of wood joist are meant to retain the structural and functional integrity of the member.


New house ceiling lights work but not pendant lights Been in a newly build for 15 months. Kitchen has a chandelier and 6 candle lights. All good there. We also have 3 things for pendant lights that had been covered with a plastic cap.
Today I tried to install pendant lights, but doesn't look like there's any electricity getting to those. I connected the fixture, and all lights work except for the pendant lights. I tried two of the three. I also used a small voltage checker on the wires with the power on. Nothing.
Anything obvious I'm missing before I reach out to the builder?

On homes where we wired the home with extra locations like your pendant lights but did not install them we did not wire the connection at the switch either.
It would not take any longer but some inspectors will flag unused hot conductors.
Or to say it differently the hot wire to that string was not connected for safety reasons.
We usually did connect the neutral and ground and would wire nut the black.
In the switch box look for a disconnected wire, that can be landed on the switched side of the switch (not always hot side) or a double switch can be added.


What are cheap ways to build strong shelves with a large span? I have removed several old and moisture damaged built in storage units from my house. I would like to replace them with shelving. There are a number of different sized gaps (width and depth to fill).

I would like the shelves to hold quite alot of weight (large numbers of books and similar).

Some of the shelves I would like to span quite a width. For example, 2 meters, and be quite deep (say 50cm). For aesthetic reasons I would like them to be supported only at the back and each end, avoiding large brackets or similar underneath the shelves as far as possible.

One way to do it would be to buy very thick strong material for the shelves. I would like if possible to avoid having to spend that kind of money. I would like to use cheaper and lighter materials, which I can apply some kind of finish to (paint or something).

What methods of construction, other than using a single thicker stronger piece of material, can I use to improve the distance a shelf can span before deflecting too much or collapsing? What are the limits (span, depth, load) of these different methods of construction?

(I have already solved the source of the moisture problems)

I'd use plywood with a thicker piece of hardwood glued onto the front edge. This gives you very good strength. Here is an online calculator I use to find what kind of materials you can use and the amount of sag you will have. Here's a good quote from the author of the site.

  “The eye will notice a deflection of 1/32″ per running foot.”

The sagulator


How can I prevent color variants when painting over wall putty? I have used putty on the wall to fix the holes, and fill some gaps. the putty color is white while the rest of the wall is an older light green, I am painting a very dark yellow, However when painting the putty will give a darker color than the rest of the wall. how can I fix this?

You should use a primer/sealer on the entire wall, before painting.

Or select a paint and primer combination.

Or simply apply multiple coats of paint over the entire wall.


Stacking freshly stained boards I am staining boards to build a shelving unit for my dad. Staining before building, which I know is backwards but there is a reason for doing this. My question is... Can I stack the stained boards if I let them dry 48 hours?

Stain soaks in and dries to the touch in a fairly short time, though stain isn't a single thing. It's a broad class of products. Perhaps you're actually asking about sealers. There again, there are substantial differences in products, and your local climate play a role.

In any case, that would depend on the expected storage duration. I wouldn't expect the boards to stick together in a day or two in cool, dry conditions. That said, the safe bet is to use something to keep them separated--raw wood strips, plastic pipe, etc.


Replacing Dimmer with Switch - Online Examples Don't Match My Setup I purchased a single pole boring light switch to replace a not-really-used dimmer, and I want to be cautious and check myself. I apologize if this is a duh question.

The guides all show switches that have one set of wires, or show a switch that is labeled. I have two sets of wires, and my switch just has two identical, unlabeled looking screws on one side and a ground on the other.

To describe the picture...

The white are connected to each other
The ground are connected to each other.
The black (dark green?) are connected each in turn to a wire off of
the switch with nuts

Should I just undo the black wires and screw them to either of the copper screws on the new switch? Does the order matter? What about the ground, right now, the two grounds are just lumped together in the box.

Thanks, and again, sorry if this is obvious.

Single Pole Switch Diagram

Turn power off at electrical panel by turning off the breaker.
Connect the two black wires as shown.
Connect the ground bare wire to the green screw making a clockwise hook so the ground is nice and secure. And tighten.
When you push the switch in make sure the ground is tuck back out of the way as to avoid any problems from ground faults.
Make sure the switch is in the correct upright position.


Can't shut off towel heater? I've just moved into this house and there is no way to twist these two knobs. How do I shut off this towel heater?

Maybe your hot water always runs through the towel heater ( when the hot water is flowing to any fixture). In an older hotel in Bournemouth ; I had a room where the steam/water always flowed through the towel heater ( when the heat was on).


Is it safe to use screws in subfloor-to-joist connection to eliminate floor squeak Getting ready to have some hardwood (12mm laminate, technically) installed in our dining room, and in preparation for this, I bought some 1.25" stainless steel screws that I'll be putting down through the 3/4" sub-floor to eliminate (hopefully) any squeaking.

Are these screws acceptable for this type of use?

Yes, that is perfectly fine and recommended.  Instead of Phillips-head stainless steel screws, I would actually recommend Deckmate decking screws that have torx heads (six-pronged star) so the driver bit has more grip. I have very bad experience with stripping Phillips heads.


All outlets on one 15-amp circuit, need AC unit The central AC in our apartment is not working effectively in the summer; we are running the AC continuously for 14 hours a day to keep the temperature below 80 degrees. As you can imagine, our electric bill has become a huge problem.

(Edit: Please note the maintenance staff are incompetent and management doesn't care about our problem at all -"getting the central AC fixed" is not an option, if it's even fixable)

I bought a used portable AC unit (around 11,000 BTU, rated at 12 amps) and plugged it into an arbitrary outlet near a window, because I was always able to do so with a similar AC at my parent's house. The portable unit worked great for a couple of minutes and then tripped the circuit breaker, which also shut off my computer.

After a lot of testing I have determined that all of the outlets in the two bedrooms and in the living room run off a single 15-amp circuit (which was 'helpfully' labeled "lighting" in the circuit box). This rules out every outlet that is within reach of a window. There are two circuits labeled "plugs" in the circuit breaker, but AFAICT they aren't connected to anything (unless they're for the outlets in the kitchen).

Obviously because it's an apartment I can't do anything with the wiring, and I can't use an extension cord on an 11,000 BTU AC... Am I screwed here? Is this typical for an apartment with central AC?

The full set of circuits is (as they are labeled):

Central AC: 2x30A
Central Heat: 2x30A
Bathrooms: 2x15A
Plugs: 2x20A
Lights: 1x15A (again, this actually covers outlet in 3 rooms, there is no overhead lighting)
Garbage Disposal: 15A (nowhere near a window)
Dishwasher: 15A (nowhere near a window)
Electic Range: 2 x 40A (oven/stove)

We resolved the problem with the portable AC by purchasing a heavy-duty, 15-amp, 12-gauge extension cord and running it from the bathroom to the AC by the window. Since the bathroom is on its own circuit, the AC does not trip the breaker. A big thank you to those who suggested this in the comments.

Ironically, management has decided to replace our central air conditioner after I discovered mold in the unit, and their subsequent inspection also revealed it to have a serious Freon leak.


Dimmer causing light flickers I have two of the fixtures in the photograph mounted above a double vanity.  I installed a dimmer switch since the six bulbs are way too bright no matter what time of day.  Dimmer switch dims fine but the lights flash brightly when you first turn them on, then they steadily flicker/pulsate when dimmed.  I thought it might be something with the total wattage of the six bulbs...  I took out one bulb from each fixture and it improved slightly at first but one day later, back to flash and flicker.  How can I get the dimmer to work correctly with these fixtures and bulbs?

Are those decorative LED bulbs? Some LEDs do not play nice with analog (old-school rheostat) dimmers.

You'll want a LED dimmer switch, or verify that the LED bulbs you have are dimmable (some are, some are not).


Adding FAN feature to oil furnace from thermostat 2 questions

First, will I damage my oil furnace if I manually turn the fan on and then the thermostat calls for heat?  In normal operation the fan turns on from a temperature switch inside the air handler above the furnace burner (honeywell Tyle L498).  My concern is if the fan is running, then the thermostat calls for heat, the oil burner will have trouble firing and then heating up because the fan is already running.

If doing this won't damage furnace.

Second question is can I just wire the "G" and "Rc" terminals on thermostat to an ice cube relay (24v ac in to relay).  Then wire the ice cube relays 120v contacts in between the the 120v line in side screw and "fan on" screw on the honeywell L498 fan controller?

To answer the first question, YES. I have lived in my house for 18 years and the furnace fan has run for 18 years continuously. For the 2nd question, yes: attach the green wire to the thermostats G terminal, use it to power a relay coil (24 volts), and wire the contacts of the relay as you stated. Check all wiring before turning the power back on.


short to earth 120 v ac breaker If a hot wire is shorted to earth i.e. the hot 120 v ac wire that comes out of a Ex. 20 amp breaker is directly connected (short) to a grounding rod, why wont the breaker trip.

why wont the breaker trip.

Firstly, remember that a 20A breaker won't be OK at 19.9999 Amps and suddenly trip at 20.0001 Amps. A 20A breaker might pass 30A¹ for several minutes¹ (or more). It is mainly designed to protect wiring in the walls that slowly heats up due to overcurrent.

Secondly, soil/dirt is not a great conductor, especially when dry. It may have a high resistance that limits the fault-current.

Copper has conductivity 58,500 mS/m, Aluminium 36,900 mS/m

So the reasons are one or more of

the current isn't high enough (measure it with a clamp meter) and
the current hasn't been running long enough or
the breaker is faulty (probably least likely)

¹ All numbers guesswork for illustrative purposes


How can I fill a large container in a shallow sink? I'm moving into a dormitory building and the bathroom sinks are very shallow. I want to be able to pour water into my Brita water filter but it doesn't fit beneath the tap. I was thinking of getting some surgical tubing and slipping it over the nozzle and putting the other end in the water filter. Can anyone think of a better idea? I also thought of cutting a gardening hose and using it in the same way. Obviously I don't own the building so I can't do anything permanent. This doesn't have to work super well, if some water leaks into the sink that's ok.

You could also get one of these items and use it to transfer water from the sink tap to the Brita water filter/pitcher.


Help! Used Wrong Great Stuff I was building a subfloor in my basement.  3/4" osb on top of 1" xps, and spray foam around the perimeter.  I was in looking at Great Stuff foams saw Floor and Wall saw it was good for subfloors and foam panels so I grabbed it and went on my way.  Only until AFTER I applied it to the entire perimeter did I see ADHESIVE!  Will this still serve the purpose?  Or am I going to need to cut it out and apply the proper foam insulation?

Insult to injury I also got it on my hand :(

As long as it dries & fills, good enough. If it doesn't do those things then just door & window foam over it or minimal expanding. No biggy. Mineral Spirits will help to get it off the skin, applied & scrubbed several times, but it may still have to wear-off some.


Sealing a small crack in poured concrete foundation I have a small crack in my foundation that started seeping water when there was ice on the ground.  The water is flowing along the foundation under my fireplace bump out.  The cause of the problem will be fixed in the spring when I put in a new concrete patio, but I want to seal the crack in the basement wall to prevent future seeping.  Would a product like this be appropriate?  Is there a better recommendation?  The crack is fairly small less than 1/8" in width.

An 1/8 inch crack that is weeping water is a fairly serious fault. Wondering, is the crack displaced or flat?  Regardless, any crack that allows water to seep through means the crack if through the entire wall. Normally I would recommend chiseling a "key" or an inverted "V" into the concrete and patching it with expanding hydrolic cement and coating the crack with a waterproofing rated for up to 4 PSI.  I personally have never used the product you linked to.  What is important is that bonds soundly. I would think it might be worth a try since you intend to do a better fix from the exterior in the spring. Remember, a simple concrete pad ove the area will not fix your problem, the leak is ground water, not a little ice melting on the top of the ground.


installing bathroom exhaust fan in drop ceiling What is the best way to install a bathroom exhaust fan in a short, dropped ceiling? From what I can tell without having removed anything, the tiles look to be at most 3 inches below the actual ceiling underneath. Are there fans which include a housing that can expand downward to fill the few inch void between the grill mounted on the tiles and the actual ceiling? If not, then I assume some type of duct work needs to be added? I have not yet purchased the fan.

There's really no extension involved. You'd suspend the fan flush with the drop ceiling tile as you normally would with drywall. The specific hardware used depends on the fan. You could DIY by simply adding metal or wooden crossbars with sheet metal screws to the fan housing that rest on the tile and extend over the grid rails. Some kits may offer bars similar to what you'd get with a recessed light canister.

You'd also need to create clearance in the drywall ceiling. If there's no insulation there, that's easy. Just give yourself enough room to work and hack out a rectangle.

If you're in an insulated ceiling you'll need to box it out and be sure to replace the insulation above, along with any vapor barrier present.


How can I replace electrical boxes with the least amount of collateral damage? I'm looking at a 1970-era house in VA.  The outlet boxes are fed by 12/2, 12/3 NM cable.  I am planning to update some of the outlets, for example to be more modern, or to be GFCI.  Unfortunately,

many of the feeder wires do not have enough length inside the box to supply the outlet
the outlet boxes are too small in my view to safely hold, say, a chunky GFCI outlet block and the wires. There's no way I could get the outlet, three wires and a pigtail or two in there for example.
the feeder cables are stapled to the framing.

So my question is how to replace the box and potentially replace the wiring that feeds it.  My options seem to be

rip open the wall to the studs.  Remove the old wires.  Put a new box in and rewire.  Yikes. Now I have a 4ft or worse hole to drywall.
somehow destroy the old box in place, without opening up the wall, and put in a new, deeper work box.

Is there an elegant solution?  Or do I just take my lumps and rip the wall off?  It seems so... extreme.

EDIT: The advice here and some more research has got me to this: to switch boxes, prise the old box slightly away from the stud and then take a hacksaw/sawzall to the nails that hold it to the stud.  Then, replace with a new box.  I was also pointed to some box manufacturers that sell boxes that are screwed into the stud from the front (eg this one) which look to be very useful for those cases where the usual blue plastic with ears is not going to work.

The answer is: Don't.

Outlets are black, beige or white, and rarely dark brown or gray. Beige came into style by the 60s and white by the 90s. Yours are probably beige.

Leave the old receptacle boxes alone. They ARE grounded, there's nothing wrong with them, they obviously do have enough wire to reach the old receptacles.  That's all you need.

"Modern" receptacles are the same size.  Just change your receptacles from whatever's in there now, to a quality $3-4 each midgrade receptacle. If replacing backstabs, get receptacles with screw-and-clamp terminals - the wires poke in the back, but clamp by tightening down the screw terminals. Slick.

If the wires are ALL 12 AWG and the breaker is 20 amps, you can use 15/20A receptacles which have a "T" shape on the neutral slot.

If you had "back stab" types before, don't cut them off because you'll lose precious wire length.  Instead, pull steadily on the wire while twisting the receptacle back and forth (not enough to deform the wire), and the wire will ease out.  It will have scratches but will work fine with screw-and-clamp or side terminal screws.  Don't use it again on a "back stab", in fact never use backstabs ever because they stink.  Also don't pry it out with a wire nipper because you'll nick the wire.

GFCI

Ground faults are current following abnormal paths, such as through a human who is being electrocuted.  Mainly, they protect people and pets from shock.   Usual cause: bathroom mistake or defective plug-in appliance.

If you want GFCI, remember the first rule: Only the first GFCI device needs to be GFCI. Everything downstream can be plain old outlets, and they inherit GFCI protection because they are fed off the "load" terminals of the first GFCI.  That's how the GFCI can be a circuit breaker.  It can also be a new receptacle you insert at the front of the chain, for instance 1 foot from the service panel.  I do that all the time.  GFCI receptacles are cheaper than breakers.

Honestly it depends what threats you're worried about, but if you're distrust your old wiring, or want to follow the latest code, I'd consider AFCI instead, or both.

AFCI

Arc faults are loose connections, broken wire etc. causing current to leap across a gap.  This makes a lot of heat and starts fires.  If you've heard the unique "sizzle", it also sounds like that on the wires.  AFCI's have a computer inside which listens for that peculiar electrical noise.  Usual cause: defective in-wall wiring or receptacles; sometimes bad appliance.

Generally the cheapest way to get AF protection is with an AFCI circuit breaker.

Combo AFCI+GFCI

You can also get combo AFCI/GFCI breakers, but they are expensive.  Watch for ones which will indicate why they tripped, otherwise you'll go bonkers.

Another way to get combo AFCI is to use an AFCI breaker, but a GFCI receptacle in the first point in the chain.  This makes it more obvious what tripped.


How to fix a leaking trim plate in shower My shower leaks when water is splashed onto the trim plate around the water dial.  I assume there is some sort of gasket that needs to be replaced.  I do not know what any of these parts are called.

Please enlighten me as to the name of the parts I'll be dealing with, and any information that may be helpful in fixing this problem.

To be clear, I can run the shower for a solid hour when nobody is in there with no leaking.  Once someone splashes water onto the handle or spigot, water can be seen leaking around the pipe (witnessed through access panel).

That is a Moen brand shower valve and trim. The escutcheon (trim plate) comes with a foam gasket surrounding the hole. When you push the trim plate over the stainless steel stop tube (cartridge cover), or when you push the stop tube through the escutcheon, the foam seals around it. The inside of the stop tube is leak free because it slides down over o-rings on the cartridge.

Italics indicate "official" part name.

You need a new escutcheon.

Can't comment on your "spigot" because we can't see it in your picture.

NOTE: this assembly is designed to resist incidental splashing. Prolonged exposure to high-pressure water douching will leak even with brand new parts. I have found them sealed up with caulking, which will work, but makes it a bitch to repair and therefore I charge more $$.


What should I do with this broken toilet flange? Is it glued in? I bought a house (foreclosed one) - and found a basement toilet was completely disconnected from the ground. So I picked it up and moved it away - and I'm gonna get a replacement toilet. But should I replace this toilet flange as well? Is it glued in you think?

More Pictures

Unless it leaks, or you have access below and want to gut the plumbing, don't touch it; just add a repair ring: (use solid 1/8" steel ones to save space, not the flimsy, flanged type which are overall larger in size; even with these you may have to shim the toilet. I find that grout fills the gap between the porcelain and tile nicely, whether or not the toilet is riding high)

Metal Toilet Flange, Quick Repair Ring (Amazon)


Reducing sound transfer of finished basement drop ceiling on a budget I have a home built circa 1960 (US).  The original subfloor on the first floor is 5" tongue-and-groove planks that are at approximately a 45 degree angle to the joists (is there a name for that type of subfloor?).  I don't know if they were originally installed wrong or have simply dried out and contracted over the years but the tongue-and-grooves no longer fit together in many places leaving a fairly weak floor with lots of gaps.  On top of that is a classic red oak hardwood floor.  It is in great shape but likewise does not quite fit seamlessly, particularly in colder, drier times.

At some point in the home's history, the basement was finished.  The ceiling in the basement is a drop ceiling with 2'x4' tiles that I suspect are pretty much the cheapest that could be found at the time.

The floor has so many gaps that sound transfers between the first floor and basement as if there is almost no floor there at all.  Someone talking or watching TV at a normal level in the basement transfers up to the first floor without much dampening at all.  On top of this, I'm in a band and we practice in the basement so you can imagine how bad that gets for people in the rest of the house.

Tearing up the floors and replacing with a better subfloor like plywood isn't really an option due to the cost, disruption of life, and the fact that the oak layer is in great shape and looks great.

I am aware of things like sound reduction rated drop ceiling tiles, insulation, etc. but not sure what will actually be effective or if there are better approaches.

What's my best approach for damping the sound as much as possible without major renovations?

Sounds travels through vibration; one molecule bumping into another.  It travels through the air, but it also travels well through relatively thin solid material (ie, wood).  What you need to do is block those vibrations.

As you mentioned in your post already, the easiest ways to help your situation would be sound dampening insulation in between the floor joists, and/or sound dampening ceiling tiles.  Another useful step would be to decouple the frame of your drop ceiling from the floor above, by placing rubber grommets/mat between the drop ceiling hangers and the floor joists.


What are the different ways to dry the winding of a water-logged pump? A follow-up to How does one determine whether a waterlogged High HP pump is electrically OK to use?

Several sites on the internet indicate it may be possible to dry the windings on a waterlogged pump using electricity. This is done by a low DC voltage to the pump, and allowing the windings to heat to the extent the water evaporates. Another method recommended is to apply low voltage AC to run the pump.

How would you go about drying the windings?

p.s. Please apply community tag to the question ; there may be more than one right answer ... and I'm hoping they will all be useful.

You face two challenges here: silt and moisture.  Silt could gum up brushings (if present) or bearings.

Assuming the pump is full of clean water the usual drying techniques apply:

Disassemble to the greatest degree reasonable.
Rinse with clean water (no need to be shy for a pump).
Use compressed air to blow water out.  A bike pump works in a pinch.
Use a heat gun/hair dryer to accelerate drying.
Place the pump in a desiccant (e.g. bowl of rice works great).
Ensure the pump is very dry before attempting to energize.


How do I make a pull out drawer? I am in the process of making some drawers for one of my cabinets. I have a rough idea of how I will do it, but if someone who has made this kind of drawer could tell me what all I will need it would be very helpful for me.

Adam Jaskiewicz covered the basics, but I'll add a few comments. I've built exactly one "furniture grade" drawer, but several "shop grade" drawers. And I've never done a dovetail joint. So take what I say with at least one grain of salt.

The basic drawer box is four sides with a groove cut into the inside for the bottom. Depending on use, you can use 3/4 plywood or 1" dimensional lumber. You could probably get away with 1/2" plywood for small drawers (for example, in a dresser), but I think the 3/4 is a better choice if you have anything heavy inside. The  can be 1/4 plywood, and it's not glued to the rest of the drawer.

You can use either wooden slides (basically, a groove cut into the back of the drawer and matching strips of wood that run front to back on the piece), or a side-mounted metal slide. I recommend the metal slide, particularly for a kitchen cabinet, which will be fully extended. I really can't recommend using wooden slides: they may be more "pure," but they're a lot less functional (and yes, for my one furniture-grade drawer, I used wooden slides; it doesn't get a lot of use).

Here's a page that describes the basic cuts for a drawer: http://www.knottyplans.com/index.php?page=200422&ref=kp32ap98f (it was one of the top hits on Google that looked reasonable).

The biggest issue that you'll face when building a drawer is how to join the front and sides. This joint will take all of the stress of opening the drawer.

The traditional approach is to use a dovetail joint. If you have a router and a dovetail jig, this is a great approach. It's particularly good if you're making a lot of drawers, and can set the jig once for all of them. You can also make dovetails with a backsaw (or better, a nokogiri saw), but you'll need lots of patience and practice.

Although a dovetail joint is traditional, a finger joint is almost as strong, and you may can make it using a table saw (assuming that you have a dado blade and a vertical jig). There are several other types of joints of varying strength; Fine Woodworking did an article on them several years ago.

If you go the dovetail route, the front panel of the drawer should be the width of the opening minus whatever you need for the slides. In furniture applications that have slides, there's typically a "face" front that's attached to the structural front, and covers the gaps. The alternative is a half-blind dovetail.

However, if you're looking to create drawers that live inside a cabinet (and are therefore hidden behind a door), you can get away with an alternate joint, in which the front panel is held between the side panels, and is screwed in place:

||==front==||
||         ||

In this approach, all of the strength in the joint comes from the mechanical fasteners. So don't skimp: go thick (#8 or better), long (1-1/2 or better), and repeated (one screw per inch). You could also use finishing nails, although they do not provide the flex resistance of screws. Do not rely on glue; there is no surface area for the glue to bond (as far as I'm concerned, end-grain is useless). Oh, and pre-drill the holes.


How to secure privacy lattice to top of existing fence gate? I want to fix some privacy lattice installed along the fences at a property I maintain. Most of the lattice installed along the actual FENCE is solid - I’m assuming because the bottoms of the lattice can be securely anchored to the top of the fence.  However the lattice that’s installed along the fence GATE itself is in extremely poor condition.  These pieces are either already leaning, with the fasteners (nails) almost pulled free — or in various stages of failure, and require cosmetic and structural repair.  (Pictures below)

Is this happening because of weather changes, the decision to use nails as fasteners on a frequently moveing object or BOTH?
What is the ideal way to re-secure or rebuild the privacy lattice above the gate area specifically? Obviously the gate gets opened and slammed shut hundreds of times a year and i want the repair to be able to take that abuse. Maybe a combination of strong deck screws and possibly U-brackets of some kind to fortify?

My first choice would be rebuilding the gate with continuous stiles from bottom to top and diagonal brace running from the rail below the lattice to the bottom. You can reuse the boards and hardware, so it won't require extensive amounts of new lumber and will match the existing fence from the outside.

It's hard to say without seeing the framed side, but I suspect any repair is going to be unsatisfactory in the long run. That lattice box is just too much mass to be unsupported. Sistering a second two by to the bottom of the lattice frame and finish nailing through the boards will prevent it from moving independently, but you're really asking for trouble if people are rough with the gate.


Why does water heater closet door jump open? I have a gas water heater inside a small closet with a door.  Sometimes that door jumps open a few inches, as if there is a blast of air pressure inside.  This door even has a small vent in it.  What causes this, and is it something I should be worried about?

With a gas water heater there could be whoosh of air pressure change just as the heater comes on to heat the water. That could in turn create a suction and then a release as the air pressure re-equalizes that makes the door come open.

Mitigation of the problem may be as simple as putting a catch on the door that has a stronger detent. Or if possible install a conventional door knob and latch . . . although that will be harder if the door is only thin 3/4" or 7/8" door.

Another possibility is that the exhaust vent for the heater is not shrouded correctly above your roof line and is allowing a down draft into the closet that pushes the door open.


6.5 amp motor tripping 20 amp breaker I recently inherited a disk sander with a 6.5 amp motor. My grandfather had a standard 15 amp light switch hooked up to turn the sander on and off. My father had to take the thing apart to get it here. After rewiring the light switch back in place, the motor now trips the breaker instantly.

I thought maybe the contacts in the switch went bad, so I tried a new switch and got the same problem. I then ordered a safety switch for things like a table saw thinking maybe I needed a more heavy-duty switch. Still the same problem.

If I remove the switch altogether and just wire the motor right to the plug, it runs with no issues. It's only when I try to insert that switch that I have a problem.

Tearing my hair out on this one.

Based on picture and follow-on comments-
If it only trips the breaker with the switch insert, and runs without the switch in the circuit, you must be wiring the switch incorrectly.
From your picture, the black should be one side and the white on the other side. You have the wires going side to side, the black wires should be arranged vertical on one side and the white vertical on the other side based on the color of the terminals on the switch.

The Q&A area for the switch states that the black goes on one side and the white goes on the other side, not on top of each other.

You will get continuity on one side with the switch on, and no continuity when the switch is off. You will get no continuity from side to side, with switch on or off.

Please note, even if it work now, you may have damage the switch contacts (internal) by shorting the switch. I would replace with a new safety switch or with a normal light switch, switching only the black(hot) wire.


Hanging a floating shelf to ceramic Tried to screw through the ceramic or even Grout. Would not penetrate with a pretty decent drill.

I have hung several things on tile and brick; I always go through the grout/mortar. It has usually been pretty easy to drill with a masonry bit.


How to replace valve cartridge on Kohler DevonshireWidespread bathroom sink faucet The cold faucet is leaking, and I am trying to repair it by replacing the valve cartridge. However, for the love of god, I can't find a way to open the faucet so that I can replace the valve cartridge. I don't see a small opening anywhere and I can't seem to remove any top or tip of the faucet. I tried to unscrew the handle, but I am stuck afterwards. Any help would be much appreciated.

https://www.us.kohler.com/us/Devonshire-widespread-bathroom-sink-faucet-with-lever-handles/productDetail/sink-faucets/421739.htm

unscrew the nut under the sink and then you can turn the lever counter clockwise, sometimes there is plumbers putty that makes it hard to unscrew the lever without taking the nut under the sink off, watch this link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc7Q5666yoU


How should I ground a GFCI to a metal box? I've replaced some old GFCI receptacles in my kitchen, which live in metal electrical boxes. The old GFCIs did not have grounding conductors attached, but it seems that the boxes themselves are grounded. (I have tested for continuity between two of the boxes and I get a beep; I am assuming that the two boxes being electrically continuous is good evidence that they are both bonded to ground.)

I don't want to rely solely on the GFCI mounting screws for a ground connection and would like to connect a ground wire. The GFCI has a green ground screw, but the box does not have a green screw inside. How should I bond the wire to the box?

Here's a picture of the mid-run box. The other box is at the end of the run.

You should be able to find ground screws at any home improvement store. Most boxes have a tapped hole for this purpose. If yours does not, you should be able to find grounding clips at the home improvement store as well.

Keep in mind, however, that continuity does not equal an adequate ground. Just because you have continuity between two of the boxes, does not mean you have an adequate ground all the way back to the grounding electrode. For example, the boxes might have armored cable running between them. Armored cable is only rated as a grounding conductor, if there's an internal grounding strip (which is not always the case). Armored cable could/should connect the boxes in such a way, that a continuity test would pass but does not provide a proper ground.

If you don't have an adequate ground; or you're not sure if you do or not, the best bet is to not connect the grounding terminal of the GFCI to the box. You should also place the "No Equipment Ground" sticker on the receptacle, but this is often neglected in residential situations.


What are these called for tightening rope wire? What are these called for tightening rope wire?

I used the terms "swaged wire rope end fittings" as it's reasonably clear that there's wire rope involved. The crimping on the fitting is called swaging and the rest was up to The Google.

Most of the returns were incorrect. Perhaps the terms aren't the best, but at least one manufacturer used them for their product.

Another term that came from expanding the search is wire rope threaded end or wire rope threaded stud, although that's somewhat redundant.

The images that return from the search show both rotary swaging and bolt-cutter-type swaging and some with none at all, as seen in the drawing above.

I would expect that to enable tightening of the wire rope, one would desire a left-hand thread at one end and a right-hand thread at the other, or else one would have to pre-wind the opposite direction, then insert the stud into the fitting.


Problem with adjacent light switches I have two adjacent light switches sharing a box. Live black wire comes from house control panel to the box. Then, presumably, each of the other two wire inputs into the box go one each to an interior light and an exterior light.

The problem is that when I connect only one of these "dead" blacks to the live black from the control panel, the third black then also has power; however, neither light comes on and the two switches are not operating independently. I have not modified the wiring in any way since the house was built. Any suggestions as to why it may have been wired in this way AND how to fix this (short of rewiring)? Thank you!

Start by looking at your technique

What I see in the photo is a lot of wires in a slight spiral with the ends nibbled a bit from having been in a wire nut.  I also see all the screws snug, which tells me you are using the backstab holes. A few things about backstabs:

They are single-use, once you pull the wire out (even with the release) their spring strength is gone and they cannot be used again.  You can't ask more from four springs that are only a small part of a receptacle that costs 50 cents in total.
The wires being twisted and serrated (from prior use in wire-nuts) means they won't work with the backstab regardless, and they also look a bit short for typical backstab length, so these may be combining to make you think they're in, when they're not. Don't cut the wire ends off - read on.
Also, even if used perfectly (straight wire, virgin stab) backstabs are highly flaky and unreliable, and give most of us no end of grief.  (not least, side pressure on the wire can unwind the spring force or lift the wire off the contact blade, and that can happen when shoving wires back into a box).
The real purpose of backstabs is to allow high-production builders (who wire 10 houses a week) to work faster. That's not really applicable to the home DIYer.

The best play (generally) is Stop using backstabs altogether and doing so might solve the problem right there.  Switch to the screw terminals, form a J-hook on the wire and hook it over the screw terminal (clockwise so tightening the screw tightens the J-hook, that's not Code, just works better, you'll see).  The screw will flatten out prior bends and wire-nut serrations because it has a large area and a lot of clamping force.

I'd also undo the white wirenut and inspect the wires.  Make sure they have enough copper exposed for an effective wire-nut splice.  Ideally follow the instructions that come with the wire nut, but I aim for a strip length of about 75% of nut length.  It will "suck in" as you tighten the wire nut, and be firm with that.   Also inspect the white wires closely for any broken wires, as that would cause your symptom.

The symptoms say "lost neutral"

Lights not working and energizing either trailing hot lighting up both hots, that has "lost neutral" written all over it. Neutral current is unable to return to the panel, and that means the neutrals are also "going hot" (via the bulb filament). That's carrying hot over to the other lamp's neutral, through its bulb filament and back to the other hot.

It's also possible you are just seeing capacitive coupling from the cables running parallel for a stretch.  This capacitive connection isn't capable of providing any useful current, so it cannot light a neon-light tester or move the physical needle on a traditional analog voltmeter.  However DVMs and powered hot detectors will detect it, which can make you crazy.

If it remains a mystery, you might also try hooking only one lamp's hot and neutral direct to supply hot and neutral - when you turn the breaker back on, that lamp should light -  and then check other wires for signs of life.  If you are seeing capacitive coupling (or parallel induction), then the other lamp's hot and neutral will both show voltage, since both are disconnected, yet connected to each other via the lamp filament.


Connect to pre-wired Cat5e (no clear demarc point) In three of ours rooms, we have Cat53 wired and I can see the lines all running to a central location from an access box. Outside, we have one line just hanging from the exterior wall. I can't find a clear central access point, or a good way to use the exterior cable. After a few days of searching I wanted to come here to see if anyone had any suggestions.

For some more context, here's how it looks outside (there's a Comcast box right above it, but it only has the connector to the incoming cable line).

Inside, we have a small access box (covered by a white plastic cover) next to the main electrical panel. Opening it up shows all the cables coming in, but I can't see well where they're going:

Has anyone else seen this before or know how to set up a network in this situation? I highly doubt they would terminate in the electrical panel, but is that even a possibility? Really appreciate any help!!

Adding a shot showing the electrical panel and white access panel to the side:

And looking into the access box:

Pulled out wires:

Looks like they were tied up/stapled to the wall back there:

You won’t use the cable going outside.  You would use that if you had phone company DSL instead of  cable.

To make your other Ethernet outlets hot you need to add keystone jacks at those location as well as the location of the Comcast modem.  (Use the T568B wiring standard throughout— you could use T568A and it will work—568B is more commonly used—whichever you pick, stick with it for all jacks, or it won’t work)

You also need to purchase a “fast internet switch” (yes I mean search amazon or google for exactly those words).  It must have enough ports for the number of wires in the basement (minus the one that goes outside.  (“Unmanaged” is the type, but don’t include it in the search because not all have that label, but many do—- don’t however purchase anything with the term “managed” for this application.)

Using an Ethernet cable connect the keystone jack by the Comcast modem to a Lan port on the Comcast modem (we are sending Ethernet to the basement with this connection).

Now connect all the cables in the basement to the Fast Ethernet switch.   The wiring cabinet may have provisions for jacks, but if it doesnt the simply way is to buy cat5e surface keystones that hold 2 or 3 jacks and just wire them inside the basement panel, then use short Ethernet cable to jumper from those to the jacks on the switch.


What paint to use on polystyrene ceiling rose Does anyone know what kind of paint to use on a polystyrene ceiling rose? Thank you

Most of the polystyrene trim pieces have a white coating already applied.
This can be painted over with acrylic latex.  If no coating is present use a latex primer.
Some suggest using a latex primer first to aid in color uniformity.
Use of oil based paint is not suggested.
Have a look at this article on foam moldings for more info


Attaching plywood to laminated particle board I am connecting a piece of laminated particle board to a piece of plywood. Both 5/8” and 2 x 5’. One piece will go on top of the other piece.

In addition to a whole bunch of screws driven through the plywood into the particle board, I’m thinking glue is a good addition. But I’m not sure what sort of glue would be a good candidate.

Because of where I live (Thailand), options can be limited so perhaps you can think of an alternative in case the ideal options doesn’t exist.

Thanks for the help!

Added clarification: I’m building the top of a workbench, where I’m using the top laminated particle board to match the look of my computer desk and add the plywood layer for strength. I have support on the two outsides with two drawer blocks a foot wide, and a 3’ span of the bench where there is no support. The bench will be used for soldering, Dremel-type work, etc.

Added clarification: the particle board in question is laminated on two sides, so there is no ‘wood to wood’ adhesion possible.

You're not clear on the circumstances or the purpose for attaching them. But to answer your question any type of good quality construction adhesive is a very good method of attaching two panels of that size. you can add some screws for reinforcement.


LED bulbs in lamp sockets? I have a table lamp that had standard 75 watt bulb (I believe in a 3 way socket) which suddenly lowered to about a 40 W, or less
without my touching the switch.  I replaced it with a new 8.5 W 60 W = . The bulb appeared to flash and burn out,  I did it twice with brand new bulbs, then quit before I wasted more bulbs!
I have bought a new 3 way socket to replace in the lamp thinking it was a defective socket (I haven't done it yet as I've been pretty busy w/Christmas).
Am I on the right track, or it another problem?

You may in fact be on the wrong track.  When bulbs start blowing out, it's often a LOOSE NEUTRAL at your panel or the supply pole.  Test the bulbs in another socket: if they are really blown, then look elsewhere for a serious issue.


How do I fix this 30 ft (9 m) dryer vent abomination? The previous owner left a bit of a headache with the dryer venting setup.
Context:

This is a gas dryer

The living room is behind the right hand side wall, so that's a no-go as far as drilling

The kitchen is behind the wall behind the door

The current setup is a potential fire hazard with lint getting built up. Too many changing angles, over 30 ft (9 m) of duct. No good.

Things I've ruled out:

I don't want to have an indoor venting box
I'd prefer to not drill any more holes, but if I have to I will
If I have to hire someone, my budget is around US$300-500. If there's a DIY solution that a very novice handyman like myself can do, that would be great!

What are my options here?

Move It!
As already noted by some others, moving the dryer to the wall where the vent ends is a great idea. The location for a gas dryer needs three things:

Vent - Absolutely perfect. While you're at it, since it will be a short distance, splurge on some rigid metal ductwork. For a short length it doesn't cost much, and it is much less vulnerable than the flexible stuff to (a) lint buildup and (b) punctures. Punctures are an annoyance with an electric dryer - the worst that happens is some hot, moist air in the room. But with a gas dryer they can be downright dangerous if carbon monoxide leaks into the room.

Electricity - You may or may not be able to turn that old NEMA 10-30 into a functional 120V receptacle, but right next to it is what appears to be a standard duplex GFCI receptacle.

Gas - You're in luck here too. Your water heater is in the closet.

Put the $ 300 - $ 500 toward a qualified plumber/gasfitter and you're all set. It actually shouldn't cost very much - basically splitting off the connection a short distance to provide a connection outside the closet for the dryer.


What is the purpose of tape when finishing drywall? Sorry if this is a stupid question, but it doesn't seem immediately obvious how a thin strip of paper tape actually helps the taping process in drywall installation except for perhaps reducing the amount of mud needed between panels.
This, from eHow:

Embedded in a layer of drywall joint compound, drywall tape creates a physical bond between adjacent sheets of drywall. Although the bond does not significantly contribute to the structural support of the drywall sheets, the bond reduces the movement and cracking of the sheets.

Wouldn't simply mudding between the joints have the same strength without the tape, albeit requiring more mud?

Nope. Go ahead and try it if you don't believe me! I certainly did...

The problem with wood frame houses is that they shift in weird ways as the wind hits them and as the foundation settles. The 8 foot long side of a standard drywall panel has a LOT of mechanical force to it if it moves even somewhat independently of the sheet next to it, and the joint compound rapidly turns to powder without tape to back it up. The same can happen if there is too much or too little compound or the compound is the wrong type, you can also see this problem.

This is akin to the reason that drywall is gypsum between two sheets of paper... All you have to do to break or cut the gypsum is to disturb the paper.

The best practice I've seen/used is to use Durabond to bed the tape, and then normal green stuff over it to feather the joint.


US residential stair railing code: What is the requirement for terminating an open railing? We're trying to pick out railings for our house. Our stairs are going to have an open side and we want to use a modern railing system such as this one:

You can find plenty of similar images for similar systems out there. However, this seems to contradict a requirement in the code that my contractor pointed out:

  The ends of the handrails must either be “returned,” or end in safety
  terminals.

Is the above image in conflict with that code? I see a lot of examples of this modern style of railing system, but are they all against code? Is there an exception to code for these newer types of railings that don't use a large bulky newel post at the bottom to terminate everything into?

That handrail does not meet code, because it is not continuous from top to bottom of stairway and the ends do not terminate correctly at the bottom.

The Code (ICC R311.7.7) requires handrails:

1) Height to be between 30” and 38” above the nosing of the tread, and

2) Be continuous on at least one side of a stairway with 4 or more risers and be from a point directly above the top tread to a point directly above the lowest tread. (It can be interrupted at turns,) and

3) The size is to be between 1 1/4” and 2” if it’s round. If it’s not round, then it needs to be 4” or more around but not more than 6”. If it’s bigger than that, it needs finger grips. (It gets complicated because the finger grips are restricted too.)

4) If it’s located next to a wall it shall have a minimum of 1 1/2” clear space to the wall, and

5) The handrail end must terminate to the wall, newel post, or safety terminal. Safety terminal is not defined in the code.

The intention of returning handrails is to keep it from catching someone’s pocket, etc. Btw, we design a lot of handrails and when only one is installed, we prefer it on the right side descending.

The code does not require tube handrails to be capped, as Ed indicated.


Patch and Paint a Desk Surface I'd like to patch the chip in this desk surface and paint the entire surface. The chip is on the back, so I can afford it not being perfect, just something to level out that wont be noticeable under fresh paint.

Can someone give me advice on fixing the chip, and what paint would be best for this type of project? It will be primarily a computer desk with minimal abuse, not a workbench.

I would use a high-performance 2-part wood filler (it's kinda like auto body filler). Overfill the area then shave it down with a Surform plane (a cheesegrater plane), then use coarse, medium, and fine sandpaper to smooth.

That desk could present problems regarding paint, the surface (it looks like a shiny laminate) is designed for stuff not to stick to it. I would fine sand the top, paint it with a "difficult surface" primer like BIN, then finish off with a high quality gloss paint. If you use lame brushes, your paint job will be lame so do the opposite of that.


Subpanel breaker sizing in detached shed with electrical feed from breaker in main house panel I want to feed 240V 30A from a new 30A breaker in my home main electric panel to a new subpanel in a adetached shed.  The electric feed I want to use for the new subpanel is (4) 10awg THWN wires (R/B/W/G) to be fed from a new 240V 30A circuit breaker in my home main load center, and then through 60' of conduit across my basement and underground to the new shed subpanel.   The subpanel would have (2) 120V 20A breakers for light and outlet circuits - as well the capacity for a 240V  20A  future breaker for a compressor outlet.   I will separate neutrals and grounds in the subpanel, and will ground the shed subpanel and shed circuitry devices with a new ground rod at the shed.
I have (4) questions :

Will a new 8-slot, 125A Square D 125A subpanel with a 125A main breaker that I want
to use for a subpanel and disconnect in the shed satisfy NEC code requirements   ?
(I want 2nd opinion on early advice saying SuI'll have to swap out 125A main for 30A main)
And if so, can you please point me to the applicable NEC code section(s) ?

Will I need two ground rods at the shed ?        or just one ?
And if so can you point me to the applicable NEC section(s) ?

Wiring in the shed will be with (3) 12awg THHN wires (B/W/G)  in 1/2" EMT.  IF I run
the three wires for power from a 20A breaker in the subpanel to a light switch near
a cornner shed door, can I run the switched wires part way back to the light in the
same EMT conduit ?
And if so, the applicable code section(s) ?

Any other advice anyone can offer on this plan to provide electricity in my shed ?

Thanks for any help.

Will a new 8-slot,

You seem very wrapped up chapter and verse of complying with NEC. You're missing the point. We are not serfs to electricity.  We are the masters of this technology.  Electricity works for us.  Bare compliance is for slumlords.  Make electricity wonderful!
#1 mistake is getting the smallest panel that will serve immediate needs.  This creates a nightmare later when you want to add more stuff.  More spaces are a trivial amount of money, so while we certainly are interested in saving you money, chintzing out on panel spaces is not the place to do that.  Go BIG or go home. Bye bye 8-space. Hello 30-space.
And if you want to save some money, avoid "QO".  Eaton CH is just as good and just as compact at 2/3 the price for the breakers.

125A Square D 125A subpanel with a 125A main breaker that I want to use for a subpanel and disconnect in the shed satisfy NEC code requirements ?
(I want 2nd opinion on early advice saying I'll have to swap out 125A main for 30A main)
And if so, can you please point me to the applicable NEC code section(s) ?

Yeah, people get sucked into this mistake all the time. They get told to use a main-breaker panel as an outbuilding subpanel, but don't understand why they're doing that, and they make too much out of the main breaker, like "shouldn't that match or something?"
You do not need any main breaker at all in the subpanel. (NEC nothin'.nothin').
The only purpose of using a main-breaker panel is to provide a "main disconnect" as required in outbuildings per  (NEC 225.31).

225.31 Disconnecting Means. Means shall be provided
for disconnecting all ungrounded conductors that supply or
pass through the building or structure.

However... if you plan to carry the feeder some distance within the building before it gets to the subpanel, you will need a separate disconnect near the entry point.  If you do need that separate disconnect, then this satisfies 225.31 fully, and you do not need a main breaker at all at the panel.

225.32 Location. The disconnecting means shall be installed
either inside or outside of the building or structure
served or where the conductors pass through the building or
structure. The disconnecting means shall be at a readily
accessible location nearest the point of entrance of the conductors.

Needless to say, saying you need to downgrade to a 30A breaker is utterly laughable advice, the person is just "making stuff up".

Will I need two ground rods at the shed ? or just one ?
And if so can you point me to the applicable NEC section(s) ?

Two needed unless you can get free services from an electrician.

250.53 Grounding Electrode System Installation.
(2) Supplemental Electrode Required. A single rod, pipe,
or plate electrode shall be supplemented by an additional
electrode of a type specified in 250.52(A)(2) through
(A)(8).

You can evade this requirement if your electrode tests out as having good conductivity to earth; however the cost of doing this test is a great deal more than driving a second ground rod.  Other code calls out a minimum 6' distance, but more is better.

Wiring in the shed will be with (3) 12awg THHN wires (B/W/G) in 1/2" EMT. IF I run the three wires for power from a 20A breaker in the subpanel to a light switch near a cornner shed door, can I run the switched wires part way back to the light in the same EMT conduit ? And if so, the applicable code section(s) ?

You can't use green wire!

250.119 Identification of Equipment Grounding Conductors. Conductors with insulation or individual covering that is green, green with one or more yellow stripes, or otherwise identified as permitted by this section shall not be used for hot or neutral circuit conductors.

I would suggest "red".   Green is reserved for safety ground, but you don't need to wire that if it's EMT pipe.

358.60 Grounding. Grounding and bonding EMT shall be installed in accordance with 358.60(A) and (B).
(A) EMT shall be permitted as an equipment grounding conductor

As far as how many wires / can you do that switch, again can't prove a negative.  Certainly any number of wires or circuits are allowed in conduit, if you're willing to pay the derate in 310.15(B)(3)(a)...

However all related conductors must be together in the same conduit.

300.3 Conductors.
(B) Conductors of the Same Circuit. All conductors of the same circuit and, where used, the neutral and all safety grounds shall be contained within the same raceway, auxiliary gutter, cable tray, cablebus assembly, trench, cable, or cord...


Understanding my combi-boiler I've just moved into a new flat which has a combi-boiler taking cold water in at mains pressure, and I'm trying to understand how it works. Specifically, I'm trying to understand how I can get maximum water pressure to my shower.

My questions are:

There are effectively two temperature controls for the water supply to my shower: the shower's control, and the boiler's control. Now, I imagine that the shower's cold water comes straight from the mains at mains pressure, whereas the shower's hot water comes from the boiler at a lower pressure. So to get the highest shower pressure, I would want the most amount of the cold water, and the least amount of the hot water. To achieve this, I should set the boiler to its maximum temperature, and the shower's temperature control to only let in a small amount of hot water. Does this make me sense? Or will the shower pressure be the same for any combination of boiler / shower controls?
The combi-boiler has a pressure dial, with instructions on how to increase the pressure. Is this representing the water pressure for the central heating, or for the hot water supply to my shower, or for both? And will increasing this water pressure then result in higher pressure to my shower?

Thanks!

The boiler should not significantly affect your water pressure. Tankless boilers do put water through a somewhat more twisty path than a traditional water heater, but if the unit is properly sized for your installation and properly piped, the impact of this on water pressure should not be noticeable. If your hot water pressure, ideally tested from multiple faucets within your home, really is lower than your cold water pressure, your system may be incorrectly installed or require maintenance.

If your boiler has a pressure reducing valve, it is most likely the valve that regulates the pressure of cold water supply into your hydronic heating system. A picture and/or model number would help confirm.

Though you haven't said it explicitly, I'm guessing you are getting less water pressure from your shower than you'd like. If you aren't seeing lower hot water pressure at other fixtures, then it's also possible you have an issue with the mixing valve in your shower faucet. These can clog due to mineral buildup or perform incorrectly due to wear. You may also have a shower head that doesn't let much water through.


Electrical code and/or common sense requirements for thermostat wire I want to install a Wi-Fi thermostat, but the existing thermostat wiring didn't have a common wire. The house was originally wired with two-conductor cable since it was a heat-only system, and then retrofitted with a 2-wire to 4-wire adapter system when the previous owner wanted A/C. Rather than messing with additional adapters, I'm just pulling new thermostat wire and removing the previous add-a-wire adapters.

The thermostat wire that was original with the house runs up from the hallway into the attic going up through the top plate of the wall, then goes through the attic to the garage where the furnace is. It's plenty easy to drop new wire down the wall where the old wire is and fish it through the hole where the thermostat is. My question: is there anything special one should be doing with thermostat wire when it's behind a wall in terms of routing or protection? The previous wire was wrapped around nails hammered into one of the studs, and I'm not sure if that was to simply prevent the cable from being "lost" behind the drywall if it got disconnected from the thermostat or if it was done for a safety reason. I'm aware of the prohibitions around running low voltage wire and 120V AC through the same boxes or right next to each other, but there's no 120V AC anywhere nearby this so that's absolutely not a concern here.

Anything I should be doing to do this "right"?

The Code rules are in Parts I and III of Article 725

Thermostat wiring is the most commonly encountered example of what the NEC terms a Class 2 control circuit, and the rules for those are set out in Parts I and III of NEC article 725.  In your case, there are a few things to consider:

725.25 requires removal of accessible portions of abandoned control circuit cabling
Your work still needs to be "neat and workmanlike" as per 725.24 -- slobbering cable everywhere is no good
Strapping Class 2 cables to raceways for support is NFG -- 725.143 prohibits it
You don't need to support Class 2 cable in a wall cavity, however -- this is implied by 725.24 not mentioning any support requirements for concealed Class 2 cables