Would retrofitting weep holes reduce dampness? Our house is two story brick veneer and currently has no weep holes on the bottom level. It does have a damp course and some moss under the damp course. I'm currently getting moisture and dampness and want to know whether weep holes or vents would make a difference.

Also, would a bricklayer be the best person to contact to do this work? The house is on a concrete slab on the ground.

The answer is pretty much, yes. I think someone with experience needs to see what you are dealing with (the "level" of the moisture). The damp course should be preventing moisture issues... my question would be why isn't it, or why do you have so much moisture, or is this actually a moisture issue? There might be some other issue, like rain leaking into the wall cavity.

Weep holes and/or vents could help (if they are necessary). A brick layer should have the experience to do this. It is not terribly complicated procedure; I would expect many construction workers would have the know-how to perform the "surgery". The one thing critical to having any contractor work on your house is that they are bonded and insured.


Using a bathroom fan with a smaller duct - is there a minimum size? I am looking for information on how to properly replace a bathroom fan which is not working well enough (probably insufficient CFM).
The bathroom fan I need to replace is a 90mm fan rated for 65m3/h (about 38CFM) and is connected to a long PVC duct to the outside.
This answer nicely explains how to take into account the bathroom size and the duct length to estimate the needed CFM.
I have not taken measures yet, but I think I will need a 110CFM fan (e.g. 560 cu.ft bathroom with 50feet equivalent duct length).
However, the long duct is also smaller than the fan: the fan is 90mm, while the duct I think it's 80mm (slightly more than 3 inches). The duct is connected to the fan with a duct increaser.
My question is: how to account for the smaller duct?
In this other question there is a table (IRC table M1506.2 Duct Length) that says 3 inches duct cannot be used for fans with 80 CFM or more. However, no answers were provided.
Here instead, the answers say that it's ok to use a bigger duct for a smaller fan, however I am in the opposite situation (fan larger than the duct).
The new fan that I would like to purchase and install is even bigger (100mm, about 105CFM) but I do not want to waste money if the smaller duct will make the new fan useless.
Note: I cannot increase the duct size since it would require masonry work that I cannot do.

The small duct will not make your fan "useless".  However, the fan will not perform to its published air handling or noise specifications. Further, its lifetime may (or may not) be diminished and its warranty might be voided. Buy from a seller with a liberal return policy, try it, and return if you are not satisfied with the result.
Another consideration: You could replace the duct with the appropriate size for its entire length EXCEPT for the point where it penetrates the masonry. Although not ideal, this will be much better than with the undersized duct because of the duct's length.  Finally, performance will be even better if the duct is replaced with one that is oversized. This is probably good practice anyway due to its fairly extreme length and this will partially compensate for the flow restriction at the masonry penetration.


Installing Drywall on Concrete Ceiling? I have a concrete ceiling in my basement and would like to cover it with drywall.  Specifically, I would like to take the flat surface concrete ceiling and put another ceiling under it so that I can install electrical, lighting, etc.  The entire basement will need to be framed and I would like to add interior soffits.  What is the best way to add the new ceiling?

In apartments that I have renovated it is standard to install metal channel furring strips.  If you want depth you cross these with 1x or 2x4.  The channels you glue and screw into ceiling.  The wood is screwed into the channels.  There are plenty of LED lighting kits that are sold now that can fit into 2-3 inches of space (remember you have the drywall thickness too).

Just to add some clarity we use channels that look an awful lot like

The difference is ours has preset holes on the lips for drilling, the lips are a little wider and I am pretty sure it is a thicker gauge than this.  Do not use the cheap/thin metal furring strips from big box.  They might work for concrete walls but not ceilings.

Also to give more detail:

We install these every 12-16".  12 if doing 2x lumber which I think we have done once.  The installation is dependent on the type of concrete.  Often the owners of the property have told us what other have used and we follow that.  Most of the time it is tapcon with semi-predrilled holes.  Note that the strips should be glued before being drilled.  Also note that the stronger the glue the more chance you take out chunks when uninstalling - that's a different question though.  For the screws practice before you go in with a plan.  Don't buy 300 of a type of screw and then find it will take 20 mins per screw doing it that way.  How many screws you need is dependent on the flatness/shape of concrete and how well the furring strips have contact.  Most installs I have done were two screws on the ends and then stagger sides every 12-16".  A 20' strip might have just 15ish screws.
We leave a small gap (1/8th") on each wall and try to run them the entire length.
We then install L channels on the two walls that hold the ends.  We try to get a very thick gauge and hammer L channel up so that it is effectively holding the channels.


Is it safe to use portable electric stove as space heater? TLDR: I have an unused portable electric stove. Can I use it for heating air around without putting anything on top?

Long explanation:
I am cleaning up, repairing and adding insulation to a basement so that I can live there. I bought a 1200W infrared heater to make it warmer while I do stuff there, but it's not enough. I don't want to spend money on another heater because maybe I won't need it after I install the hatch and insulate it. So I thought I can temporarily use stove as a space heater.

Appliances are designed and manufactured with safeguards appropriate for their intended use. If you look at radiant heaters they have protective grills over the exposed heating elements to prevent some unfortunate person from touching the hot part, and to prevent combustibles from inadvertently contacting the heating element. They also have features like "tip-over" switches that shut them off if someone trips over the cord, and over-temp thermal cut-off switches if they overheat.

Your burner is designed for short term supervised use as a cooker, not a heater. I can't say that it won't work as a heater, but I can say that you should not use it for that, especially in a basement that could become a deathtrap for the occupant if there was a fire.

p.s.- the manufacturer user guide says:

  Do not use appliance for other than intended use.


What size subpanel and wire do I need for a swimming pool? I need to install a 100A subpanel for an in ground swimming pool.  The main panel is in the garage and subpanel will be mounted on exterior of house about 30’ away.  The subpanel will be more than than 5’ from pool.

Will a 6 space 100A MLO 3R load center work being fed by 2P100A breaker in main panel? Pool builder states he only needs 4 spaces.

Assuming three runs of #4, with #6 ground run in 1-1/4” SCH 80?

#4 copper is not legal for 100A.  You would need #3 for that.  Some people go around saying #4Cu/#2Al are good enough for 100A; there's a reason they think that, but they're wrong.
Most electricians doing this work for themselves would actually do one of two things.

For the full 100A, use #1 aluminum.  You may have heard negative things about aluminum (you're not getting the whole story)... but aluminum feeder of this large size is perfectly fine and there has never been a problem with it.  Besides, the panel lugs are aluminum lol, as are the buses on most panels.

Re-examine the requirement for 100A.  Quite often people pick it "just because it's a nice round number" without having actually done any load analysis.  If 90A is acceptable, #2 aluminum is a pricing and availability "sweet spot" and several types of cable are available in that size which aren't in #1.

As far as panel spaces, the worst mistake you can make is going with too small a panel.  Feeder (especially 80+ amp feeder) can power a whole lot more stuff than you think it can.  Even a 12-space panel will run out of spaces before it runs out of power.  So I would advise something more like a 24-space, even a 30 would not be excessive.  Breaker spaces are laughably cheap compared to the cost of having to change out a panel because the originally-chosen one was too small.
There's no worry if the bus rating of the panel exceeds the ampacity of the feeder.  Bus ratings are like tire speed ratings; you don't have to drive 130 mph :)   If the panel has a main breaker, it's also fine if the subpanel's main is larger than the supply breaker.  You can never predict which one will trip first anyway.
Spend the money on breaker spaces, not copper wire.


How can I shorten the end overhang of a countertop? My bathroom countertop has a long extended 6 inch wide section that extends over the toilet.  I'd like to saw it off, then repair the drywall behind it.

I'm not going to take the top off to cut it.  If I can't do it in place  I'll just leave it.

I plan to cover the countertop with a granite looking contact paper so the  sawn edge just has to be smooth.

Formica you can either use a skill saw or jig saw to cut the overhang. Tape the line you are cutting in order to make a clean cut. Stay off the line 1/16th and take a belt sander to smooth the edge. I would suggest gluing another laminate edge on the cut side in order to have something to adhere the product.It may get hard to cut if it butts against the wall and may require removing the jigsaw base or using a sawzall

Solid Surface - (Corian) Carbide tip blade skill saw. Router with a straight bit in order to clean up the edge. The only problem is that you would need to take the existing cut-off material and glue it back on the exposed edge. You would have to purchase Corian glue somewhere. Please note that Corian can be refinished to look new again.

Granite -  Diamond cutting blade....leave this to the experts and call a granite company. They would probably remove that section of counter and take it back to their shop to cut and clean the edge. Or take it outside in order not to dust out the house.


Why is it acceptable to interlay felt with cedar tapersawn shakes? My question relates to the difference in shape (not thickness) between cedar shingles and cedar tapersawn shakes, both of which are sawn (unlike standard shakes which are split), and therefore have a smoother surface than a split shake.

I think the shingle is a right-triangle and the tapersawn is an isosceles triangle. Is that right?

I am trying to understand which specific difference between a shingle and a tapersawn shake makes it unacceptable to interlay felt with cedar shingles but acceptable to interlay felt with tapersawn shakes.

It's all about the headlap. The reason for the felt interlay on Tapersawn Shakes is so you can maintain the weather exposure at 10". 10" weather exposure on a 24" long shake only creates a 2-ply system. Once the felt interlay is added, it creates a 3-ply system, essentially adding 14" to the top of your course of shakes. Shingles are installed with a much shorter weather exposure, 7 1/2" max. on 24" long shingles. The felt interlay between shake courses allows you to increase the weather exposure, but maintain the appropriate amount of headlap needed for the shake roof installation. By doing this, you also decrease the amount of shakes needed to cover the roof area, as well as, lower your material cost.


lights do not go on but i can verify that power is delivered from the switch to the light My basement lights do not go on.  I have tested the breaker and there is continuity.  I tested with a sniffer that power to the light from the switch is good and that the switch will cut power in the off position and deliver power in the on position.  I tested the light bulbs on the fixtures and they are good.  To be clear it is all the lights on the floor, not just one or two.  I am confused as to why the light does not go on if there is power and the bulb is good.  One day it worked and the next not at all.

Since you have power you must not have a return path or neutral that is making contact. In these cases a real volt meter is helpful, but checking the neutral at the panel and any connection points you may visually spot the damage, as I did today on a circuit that was not working. I pulled the device out and the neutral wire had burned off. If you can trace the cable from the panel, make sure if it goes through any outlets you check them; also, it could be any place on the run from the panel to the light that is causing the problem.


Main circuit breaker keeps tripping my main circuit breaker keeps tripping randomly. I have hired an electrical servicing company, they have rewired the Water heater system and installed separate circuit breaker (thinking it could have been the cause) but no change. Now they want to install Ac Isolators with RCD protection (what ever that is).

Is it possible for so-called certified electricians not to figure out the exact cause of this tripping? please advise me

I had this many years ago.

My Dad and I went round the house and unplugged / disconnected every single device - clocks, tv, washing machine etc etc etc really every single one in every room.

Switched the breaker back on and it was fine.

So, room by room went round and re-connected each device...
All was well until we re-connected the washing machine - it had developed a fault and as it was 25 years old it was replaced.

So, try a logical measured approach - the solution may be simpler than you expect - worth trying as it is cheaper than letting those electricians fit anything they can think of...


How do I wrap pipe threads with teflon tape? When wrapping pipe threads with teflon tape (thread seal tape), what is the direction and recommended number of times to wrap the tape around the threads?  Any other recommendations or tip/tricks when applying teflon tape?

Wrap clockwise - i.e. in the same direction as the tightening action of the nut. This means that you are also tightening the tape around the thread.

If you wrap anti-clockwise I find that the tape bunches up and comes away.

As for the number of layers - I usually wrap the tape around at least twice, maybe even three or four times.


What's the best material to use to fill in a 1/2" gap between drywall and stairs? The previous owner of our home had a shoddy job down on some stairs leading to a rec room carved out of some of the attic space.  There are four stairs leading up to the room, and under each one is a gap about half an inch wide and deep.  There are vertical gaps alongside the stairs, too, but nowhere near as bad.  Here's a photo of all the stairs, with a closer look at a couple of the gaps further below:

I'd like to fill in these gaps between the drywall under the stairs and the stairs themselves so that I can then paint over them to make it look much nicer, but I'm not sure what the best material would be to do that.  I'm considering wood filler, joint compound, or a foam sealant such as Great Stuff.  Would one of these be ideal for this job, or is there something else I should consider?  Not having done a DIY project like this before, I don't know what material would be ideal for filling gaps between drywall and the wood planks that make up the stairs without too much worry of future cracking.

Here's a close-up of a couple of the stairs to give you a better idea of what the gaps are like:

Typically a riser bracket is used, it would help if the stair return was longer but a piece of lattice cut to follow the zig-zag of the stair may work too.

EDIT 1-5-2016

Here is another angle....


Are there lightbulb base adapters available? I've got an intermediate screw base light bulb that I want to replace (as it's burned out).  However, going around to local stores they only have the correct size & wattage of bulb available in either medium base screw or some weird looking 2 prong thing that I've never seen before.  Since adapting medium down to intermediate would probably take up too much space, are there 2 prong to intermediate base adapters available anywhere?

Yes they are definitely available though specifics as to where to buy them are generally considered off-topic for this site.

Here's a GU10-WHIP flexible socket adapter:

Or here's a more traditional Bi-Pin to Standard Base adapter:


banging sound from gas boiler I have a dual-energy system set up like in figure 5/page 11 of this manual  When the system switches to gas (at -12C outside temp), I'm getting a banging sound in the gas boiler at the end of the cycle.  I think what is happening is that the water is "stuck" in the exchanger and boiling; it takes a few seconds for the aquastat to sense that the water is at temperature and stop the boiler.

Here is what I have observed:

If the circulating pump is running, there is no banging at the end of the cycle.  But, as you can see from the diagram, the circulating pump and thermostat are connected to the electric boiler.  When the thermostat calls for heat when the system is on gas mode, it simply starts the circulating pump.  The gas boiler doesn't know anything about this.  The gas boiler only starts when the water temperature falls below the temperature set on the aquastat.
The aquastat does appear to be working.  If I roll it back to 120 degrees from 180 degrees, there is a long wait until it turns on.  From what I can see, it is a simple aquastat -- just a dial with the temp in F.

Edit

Perhaps the aquastat is not working properly.  If I set it at 120F and the burner fires without the circulating pump turned on, it will start banging.  I think this is steam being created.  It seems that the aquastat should turn the burner off as soon as senses 120F.  ON the other hand, the  burner does turn off after some banging... I'm not sure if this is the aquastat turning off or something else.

Here is the manual for the gas boiler

I'm not sure how to troubleshoot this further (air in the system? check valve?)

Edit 2
d.george's answer led me to a solution.  There is no flow-switch installed and there probably should be.  The gas boiler instructions clearly state that water should be circulating when the burner is firing.  So I stuck a relay in between the thermostat and the circulating pump connection, putting the contact side in the gas boiler thermostat loop (shown in red below).

Unless you are getting your electricity at a price that is cheaper than the natural gas used in the boiler, I see no need for the electric boiler. I am not familiar with this make of boiler so my writing is on how I feel the units should perform. In the instruction manual they mentioned an optional control that can modulate the gas input from 50% to 100% of the full input that would  or could make the boiler more efficient and save on operating cost. Since I am not physically there, to check the control wiring of the 2 units, I must assume that when the gas boiler is firing the electric boiler is shut down,  if they are wired that way. That being said there should be a device that keeps the pump running long enough to rid the boiler of excess heat. I am assuming that this unit is a coil boiler and those boilers usually  have a flow switch in the boiler's piping to insure water flow before the boiler is allowed to fire and a delay relay to insure that the excess heat is removed before the pump shuts down. You did not mention if this a new installation with a problem that you are observing or if is an older installation with a new problem. More information may be needed to properly give a proper answer. Hope this helps


Exposed lath and keys on entire ceiling We bought a house built in 1846. In one room, the ceiling has suffered immensely from a previous, serious roof leak. In said room, almost all the plaster skim coats over the lath and keys are missing, broken, falling down, etc. The room is quite large at 18x18. We have never worked with plaster before and it's a large area that we do not want to learn on.

What options are out there for fixing this?

What we have considered thus far:

Drywall..but I think it would cost a small fortune as it's a big room with 12 foot ceilings. We would have to hire someone to do this for us. Plus..I'm not sure if it would anchor properly to the lath.
Re-plastering. Again, we'd have to hire someone as we have no experience with such a large area of plaster work.
Clean out the keys and install furrowing strips (tightly together).
Clean out the keys and install shiplap or something similar.
Ceiling tiles..but again..with the lath and keys exposed..it's not a truly flat surface. We would also have to clean out the keys here. Not sure if this is a good idea.
Bead board with furrowing strips at all seams.

Any suggestions (and hopefully DIY and reasonable in price) would be great!

I would:

rip down all the remaining lath and plaster.
check how level the joists are
fix up any crazy out of levelness with shims/wedges (depending maybe apply new furring strips)
rent a drywall lift - they typically reach 15'
install the drywall boards
hire a drywall guy to do the mud / tape / sanding (unless you already know how or feel like learning that part).


Insulate and fill hole in wall that was for cables? Great Stuff doesn't look ideal, since it's going to get a lot of sunlight on the outside, and Duct Seal doesn't say anything about whether it actually insulates.

Also, the Duct Seal material safety sheet doesn't really convince me that it's %100 non-toxic to inhale, and I am somewhat sensitive to chemicals.  I'd like a really green alternative.  Mycelia?

Note--this is a different situation from the question "How should I fill a hole in an exterior wall?" since I have no cables running through the hole and simply want the hole filled and insulated.  I live in a cold climate.  Thanks much.

you don't say what the material is that has a hole in it. Great Stuff works well usually. Let it dry completely (for like a day or two). Hack saw blade (no saw) cuts off excess flush with surface. May want to push in filler to create a dent to allow for cap/finish agent. Spackle/skim over with your favorite skimming agent (something that matches existing surface). I have used vinyl spackling for smooth stuff and sanded, cementicious products for stucco and rock, I'ved used Bondo, Durham's Rock Hard...etc., etc. Great stuff is your insulator and filler then you just need to skim/cap/finish it then paint it.


Network Garage Door opener/ how does the switch work I'm trying to connect a relay/switch to a Garage door(Lift Master).  I know that there are two wires to trigger the garage door.  I'm not sure how it works exactly. I'm trying to control the garage door remotely (greater than 1 mile).

How do you trigger the door to open with the wires only?

How do you trigger the door to close with the wires only?

Is there any risks to shorting the two wires together?

Do you have a button switch on the wall to open - close? There are usually two wires going to that. I don't think it will hurt to short those wires momentarily to test it. If it did, Lift Master would get a lot of returns because I'm certain many people have shorted the wired pair upon installation. My Craftsman has two wires going to a multiple switch panel. I can open - close the door, turn on-off the opener light, and lock the remote controls. These functions are controlled by adding a resistance to the wired pair. each control has a different resistance. The open-close is just a short. the unit remembers what direction it went the time before. IE: if you short once to open the door, then short again will close the door.


Shower diverter turns but doesn't divert I just bought a house with a bathroom that has 3 spouts: bath, shower, and hand-held shower. There's a diverter knob (circled in red in image) that's used to control which spout the water goes to.
Well the knob wasn't working very well - I couldn't get the bathtub to work at all - so I played with it a bit. I turned it one way and I turned it the other way and I turned the water on and off. And that process seems to have made it worse. Now the water is stuck coming out of the hand-held shower and turning the knob does nothing.
Actually, as I turn the knob it feels like the knob isn't fully engaging. That same feeling you'd get if it were stripped just enough that you feel the pressure as you turn but then you feel a slight bump as the knob turns around over the nipple it's attached to. Well both the knob and the stem (is the image below called a stem) and nipple (what the stem actually goes into way inside the wall) looked good to my naked eye but to test I took a knob from another shower and tried it here and had the same effect.
So my question is what do I do now? Is it possible this issue is deep inside the wall? I mean I want to redo this bathroom eventually but I'd rather not right now. Is there any way to fix this?

Over time calcification builds up on valves affecting their ability to function properly. Sometimes you can repair it by replacing the cartridge or possibly just cleaning it with a de-calcifying agent. Three or four-way valves seem to be more susceptible to this especially if they've been left in one position too long. It's always a good idea to occasionally rotate them through their different functions to keep them operable.
At this point I would replace the cartridge if there is one and if you can remove it. If you can remove it try to clean the inside of the valve body with a de-calc product and a stiff brush to remove any build-up. Be careful of any o-rings that might be there although they should come out with the cartridge.
If this doesn't work you might have to replace the diverter. Hopefully, you can get  access through the other side of the shower wall. You wouldn't want to mess up the attractive tile you have. Good luck.


Fridge making loud clunk when compressor shuts off Each time the compressor of my fridge shuts off there is a very loud clunk/bang (similar to the slamming of a door). I've made a video recording the sound:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/r0ww40so9z9dchy/2016-11-10%2022.41.46.mp4?dl=0

I've unplugged the fridge and poked around and the compressor seems well attached, there are no lose parts. Also the video doesn't show any vibration when the compressor stops.

How can I fix this?

If the external compressor mounts are good, then this is most likely to be internal mounts. And the problem with them is that's usually a replace, not a repair - while your food goes off.

The upside, it could keep running for ages with the clunk. I know of various ones with friends, and through online reports, that have lasted 10 or more years doing this.

But it could just fail one day without warning, so plan for a new fridge (or at least a new compressor)


What is the process for using a mold to make a concrete patio? I have a concrete mold and I would like to know how I should prepare the part of my yard where I want the concrete pattern to go and after pouring the concrete over the mold how long should the mold sit on top of the concrete before removing it and going onto the next area to be done. HELP

Lay out the perimeter of your patio or walkway with wooden stakes at each corner, with more in between if you've got a large enough area you can't eyeball a straight line.
Remove 1 inch of sod or topsoil, making sure the resulting surface is level.
Mix concrete to the ratio specified on the bag. If you're doing a large area, you may want to do this in batches. The mold should come with instructions about how much concrete it will use for each iteration.
Place the mold in the first location fill each cavity, troweling the top smooth.
Wait no more than 5 minutes, carefully lift the mold, and place adjacent to the poured concrete for the next "tile."
Continue this process until the patio or walkway area is complete. You may want to rotate the mold each time in order to add variation to your patio.
Brush sand or dry mortar into the joints, and mist with a garden hose.
Cover the concrete for 2-3 days with thick plastic sheeting to keep the surface from drying too quickly and cracking.
Apply a concrete sealer to protect your new patio.

Resources: Lowe's Tutorial, Quikrete Tutorial (PDF)


What is an appropriate sealer for a Papercrete bench? I've built a bench out of tires and papercrete two years ago. i've sealed it with lime plaster. in the past two years it held up against 500 m"m of rain in the winter and Mediterranean sun 7 month around.

the mixture of the plaster layer below the lime is 50% cement Portland, 35% mashed paper, and 15% sand.
Now the lime has started to peel

 and i want to take it all off and to apply a sealer that will have these characters:

i need to be able to find it in israel
it has to be environmentally approved
it needs to be fit for waterproofing concrete
it needs to last long (at least a 4-5 years)

I'd be tempted to use something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Rustoleum-239417-GAL-Stain-Sealer/dp/B0013TMC4E

But I really don't have much experience with these types of projects.


What is the easiest way to stop a door from catching on the floor? When I open and close my bathroom door, it catches on the floor. This makes it hard to open and close it, and also makes a really annoying sound.

What is the easiest way to stop the door from touching the floor?

If the condition has developed over time, you can try tightening all of the screws on the hinges.  If any of the screws keep turning then you can replace them with longer screws so that they grip the stud behind the frame and pull the door up.

If you recently installed carpet or a new floor then you will need to plane the bottom of the door with either a hand planer or by sanding.  There is also a planer attachment for the dremels which works pretty well for light jobs, and in some cases you can even do it without removing the door.


wiring the Air Conditioner plug Did I wire this correctly?

My understanding is that strapped wire (green/yellow) is ground, so I connected it to the middle. And blue/brown doesn't really matter which way they go, since for alternating current positive/negative doesn't really matter.

The flip side of the plug above

And the original stock plug that I'm replacing

Try looking up / googling the colour codes for your area. For instance: -

Then google your plug wiring information to see which one is regarded as live (hot) and which one is regarded as neutral. You shouldn't swap live and neutral - stick to convention.


Converting switched receptacle to overhead light I am trying to convert a switched receptacle to be a constant on outlet, and add an overhead light that is controlled by the switch. I have shut off all the power in the room and tested each outlet to ensure they are off.

I hope the pictures provide enough detail but here is the current setup:

At switch:

2 white wires, wirenutted together
2 back wires, both going to the top right screw
1 red wire, going to the bottom right screw
Box is 2" deep

At the receptacle:

3 black wires, wirenutted together
1 red wire, going to bottom right screw
3 white wires, 2 going to the top left screw and 1 going to the bottom left screw
Box is 2" deep

I would like add two recessed lights in the ceiling. This is in a second floor bedroom and I do have access to the ceiling to run the wires, although I have not done so yet.

Any help would be appreciated, I searched for a bit but didn't see many diagrams that showed this wiring configuration. Thanks in advance!

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who helped with answers for my problem and explaining the answer in a simple and consice manner! I really do appreciate it.

Hello, I thought I had it figured out. I test fit all the wires and everything worked as planned. However, now that I have shortened the extra wires and put the switch into the box the overhead lights do not come on.

Above is the new configuration at the switch, I did not modify the wiring at the outlet that was previously controlled by the switch (it now works 100% of the time). I've double checked all my connections and everything appears good, any idea where I should start troubleshooting?

Thanks for all the help thus far.

raise BoxOverflowError()

The installer who put that switch and light in wasn't paying enough attention to box fill, as the 2" deep single gang boxes in there aren't big enough to hold 5 wires + ground + the double share of a yoke, never mind a new cable!

So, you'll need to add extensions to both boxes.  A Raco 665 or equivalent will provide ample volume for both boxes (it will stick out an inch and a half from the wall though).  Once you have the fill problem solved, then you can move on to running a new 14/2 cable to either box from the new light fixture's location.  Once the cable is in place and pulled into the box, you can then follow the instructions below.

If you pulled the cable to the switch box, connect the white wire from the new cable to the existing white wires and the black wire from the new cable to screw that's now occupied by the red wire.  You can then disconnect the existing black wires from the screw, nut them together with a pigtail and the existing red wire, and hook the pigtail's other end to the other screw on the switch.  Finish by connecting the new ground in with the rest of the bare grounds and buttoning it all up.

On the other hand, if you pulled the cable to the receptacle box, connect the white wire from the new cable to the existing white wires, the black wire from the new cable to the existing red wire after it's removed from the existing receptacle, and replace the receptacle with a new one that hasn't had its tabs broken off (brass to black, silver to white, green to ground).  Finish by connecting the new ground in with the rest of the bare grounds and buttoning it all up.


Plumber's Putty on outside of tub drain is cracking: Replace with same or something better? This putty is starting to crack and leak onto my basement ceiling. Is this repair as simple as removing old putty and applying new? Or is this practice now (or always has been) frowned upon and is there a better, more professional method of resolving this leak?

Plumber's putty would be used to attach the drain cover to the sink.  It creates a blockage and suctions both pieces together.

It should be a ring of plumber's putty, when smashed is maybe a 1/2" wide.

What you have is a DIY disaster and looks like someone was trying to use plumber's putty to repair a possible leak.  The problem is if it is exposed to "air" too long it eventually gets hard, dries out, and cracks... So not so good at repairing leaks in pipes.

I am guessing there is a leak in the pipe.  You probably need to reset the drain cover with new plumber's putty.  Once installed you should barely be able to see it from below.  You will probably also need to fix the pipe leak which may mean buying a few pieces of PVC, primer/glue, and an adapter.  If you are OK with doing it yourself it is a $15 job if that.


Is PEX very susceptible to damage from rats/rodents? A friend of mine wants to re-plumb his house.  The neighborhood has recurring issues with rats.  I heard rats like to (as in "seek out opportunities to") chew through and damage PEX plumbing, whether below a house or in the attic, and that copper pipe is preferred where pests cannot be controlled.

Assuming rodents cannot be completely removed, is this a legitimate concern?

Rats are not specifically attracted to PEX, but they do have to "seek out opportunities to" chew on things all the time. Their incisor teeth never stop growing, so if left unchecked they would grow so long that the rats would no longer be able to open their mouths and starve to death. So they are compelled to keep them worn down by biting on things all of the time. In the wild it would be nut shells, eggs, grit from dirt on the food etc. But when they forage on our soft garbage, they have to find anything and everything they can to chew on to keep their teeth worn down. So anything semi-hard but still "chewable" is what they seek out. PEX is just one of many things that fits that bill.


Rules for wiring and conduits on basement ceiling with or without drop ceiling? We're doing work on a small home with 1 main floor and a basement below that, and during some work (maintenance on plumbing, HVAC ducts, and wiring) we've removed a bunch of the drop ceiling from part of our basement. As we consider removing all of the drop ceiling, I wonder if that changes the rules for all the wiring and whatnot hung up there. The basement is in three parts:

Utility room, which is unfinished and has a bare concrete floor and exposed joists and subflooring as a ceiling;
'Basement', which is partially finished with painted concrete floor, painted drywall, and a suspension frame drop ceiling;
Garage, which is unfinished like the utility room and has a door to the backyard. In parts of the garage, plywood boards and 2x4s have been thrown up to the joists/subflooring in various places to serve as a drop ceiling.

We're considering complete removal of the suspension frame drop ceiling from the basement area, mainly for aesthetic purposes. We like a rustic, functional look, and at over 100yrs strong, it's nice to be able to easily see the joists and subflooring to admire its health or identify problems earlier. The drop ceiling does have other benefits (some insulation, perhaps?) so we're not sure we'll remove it yet .

I ask this question in considering what needs to be done to properly uninstall the drop ceiling. Right now just bits and pieces are removed for maintenance accessibility. I certainly need to clean out a lot of cob webs, but are there changes in how wiring, plumbing pipes, or HVAC ducts need to be routed with vs. without a drop ceiling?

Also, I suspect the wiring there is currently not up to code. Does removal of the drop-ceiling require that we fix all of that any more or less than if we left the drop ceiling as is? For example, there are many segments of disconnected NM, K&T, and coax cables running parallel and at angles across the joists, above the drop ceiling. There are some connected cables which run perpendicular to the joists, stapled or hanging on an angled nail at intersections with joists and dangling between the drop ceiling and the subflooring in between joists.

Let's start with reconstructing your question to: If I am remodeling a room or area, Do I need to bring it up to code?

Answer: Yes

In general most buildings are covered under a grandfather clause. This means that if your house was built in 1968. Then your house was covered by either the 1965 or 1968 NEC (depends on start of the house and acceptance of the code by AHJ). For many reasons most AHJ allow that home to be covered under that code for perpetuity until you make changes to the original wiring in the form of replacement or remodel. so you could have a residence that was remodel three times and that means you house would fall under 3 different code versions. In this state they also have a 50% clause, meaning if it is determined by the AHJ that the remodel is 50% or more then the entire residence must be brought up to code.

In conclusion you question isn't really about what you might do during remodel but the very fact that you are remodeling requires you to bring the area up to code. I also recommend that is if you have questions about what the updates need to be. You contact them and ask. Remember, you are a taxpayer and these guys work for you and I have always found them to be friendly and are concerned about protecting you not making your life miserable. So communicating with them before you perform any work will help you to install everything properly and save you quite a bit of time, money and anguish when you have to tear it out and redo it (always the expensive method).

Hope this helps


How would I go about installing a prehung door in this opening? I've got an actual opening of 35.5" in an opening between my basement and garage. I'd like to install a prehung door (first time), and am a bit confused about the width necessary for framing.

My door opening:

From what I've read I want at least 2" between the prehung door width and my rough opening -- which I don't have yet. It sounds like this limits me to either a 32" prehung (actual 33.5") or a 30" (actual 31.5").

If I went the 30" route, that would leave me 2" on each side for framing the rough opening which seems like it would leave me with the most play and be able to do something like a 2x6 (1.5") on each side, leaving me with 1/2" gap for rough opening and making the door square.

However, I'd prefer to use a wider 32" door (because why not?), but I'm not sure how to approach the framing:

The opening minus the size of the prehung door would leave me with 2" for both sides with no framing. I'm pretty sure I need to frame at least the hinge side which would be possible with a 2x6 (1.5") leaving 1/2" for making square on either side.

Is it okay to only frame one side? If not, would a 1x6 (3/4" width) be a thick enough board for framing and would the 1/4" gap rough opening be enough?

Your idea about the 1X6 on either side is a good start. It would give you something to fasten to, in a simple fashion on both sides, although the fastening would be minimal. You may need to increase the number of nails in the jamb to keep it in place over the long haul. Same thing if you use screws.

When the 1x6, for a 6" wall, or if it fits, 1X8 for an 8" wall, is set in place, use construction adhesive between the block and 1X and let it harden. Make sure your block are clean so the glue sticks. This will give a firm base to work to. Do not skimp on the glue. Use a 10 oz tube, a half tube at least, on each side before you set the 1X. Use concrete screws to fasten it in place, they are more reliable for a first time installer. You could use masonry nails but there are places they may not hold. The screws may fail in their holding, but that will be obvious. To increase the chances of holding, use the screws only in the block, not the joints. Keep the screws about an 1 1/4" to 1 1/2 from the edges of the block. The block is thicker there and is far enough from the edge to keep from cracking out (should be). Screws also only affect a small area when they fail, nails break out larger pieces.

To answer the other part of your question, yes you could use framing only on one side, them shimming and fastening the other side is tricky. There are case hardened finish nails to do this, or even screws. For a first timer, what I mention above should do what you need.


How can I power multiple raspberry pi around the house? I am planning to power multiple Raspberry Pi's around the house. Some will be security cameras, one will be a media player connected to TV and another one will manage home network and maybe a website or something. I have phone and cable-TV cables running through walls to rooms and to the living room.

I was thinking about replacing these with ethernet cables by attaching ethernet cables from one side and pulling the original cables (in this case phone or cable TV) out from the other side. I won't need the phone (as we are not going to use land lines) but I might also insert a new phone cable to have them for a potential use in the future. But that is not the point.

As I am going to bringing ethernet (Cat6) to raspberries, I was thinking about using power over ethernet (PoE), which is an awesome technology, to spare 5-6 separate power adapter for raspberries. However, PoE ends up being more expensive than I thought. Switches are 5-6x more expensive. Standard PoE modules to extract energy to raspberries are also expensive (I will need 5 of them). There are however DIY plans, but they are not the exact PoE standard, which is a minus.

Buying multiple injectors is not a solution either. Then again I have a mess of cables and adapters.

My current plan and idea is to have a 48V DC power source next to the main switch. I need to distribute ethernet cables from there anyway. I could simply distribute 48V DC power with 2 extra copper cables (self soldered on a board to distribute the output to each raspberry) wrapped and nicely taped around each CAT6 cable. On the raspberry side, I can use a voltage regulator to bring it down to 5V. This can then be connected to raspberry with a micro USB interface.

This way I can provide gigabit connection with a relatively cheap switch and power with a single power supply.

With 48V, resistance in the cables will not be an issue over ~10 meters.

My only concern is to have 48V running close (taped from outside) to Cat6 inside the walls! Is it a fire hazard? Does this affect data transmission? Aren't shielded cables protected from such an effect?

Are there any better options, which I did not consider?

EDIT: I ended up buying a 8 port switch with 4 ports of PoE. I have found some good deals on active PoE splitters. And all together they work great!

I installed a non POE outdoor camera at a location on our property that doesn't have easy access to an outlet. The solution I came up with was to run the camera via POE with a POE to USB Splitter. A quick web shopping outlet search led me to these:

They are pretty cheap, and come in a variety of configurations / flavors. I opted for removable USB female adapter, but there are versions that have built in Micro USB plugs.

My Setup:

Indoors [Wall outlet -> POE Injector] -> 50 ft Cat 6 Ethernet Cable -> [POE Spliter -> Micro USB Cable -> Camera] Outdoor (in Plastic Project Box)

I could see this easily being implemented using a POE Switch, and routing Ethernet to where needed.


Does a 1.6 gallon toilet really flush better than a 10 gallon toilet? In the pre-1970 period toilets were 6-12 gallons per flush. Then 5 gallons became standard, until 1992 when "low flush" toilets were the only kinds allowed to be manufactured in the United States. I have read plumbers making the rather unbelievable claim that modern 1.6 gallon toilets flush better than 6 gallon toilets. Is this just a plumber trying to justify his business or some kind of reality?

All I know is that I have a house built in 1999 and the toilets flush like crap to use a pun.

As always, government regulations come on fast, with the expectation thqt industry will turn around and comply promptly.   Early on, the low-flow toilets were designed with one objective: save water to meet the looming regulations.  Flushing properly was left by the wayside in their rush to meet the low-flow requirements.

As years went by, and low-flow became the norm, they got out the sharp pencil and really started iterating on the problem of getting them to flush well.  In the interceding years, they've done very good work on that.  I no longer notice flushing problems in modern low-flows.  They've worked the kinks out.

It sounds like yours is an early "compliance model", I would shop for a new toilet.  Read the reviews.

As for "better" that kind of engineering was never really done with the old toilets.  They just did the job with an overwhelming mass of water, "throwing water at the problem", which isn't really engineering, is it.


How to lay of underlayment for a cedar shingle roof I am planning on re-rroofing a tool shed with cedar shingles. I always thought it would be a simple job of laying the #15 underlayment (tar paper) over the sheathing (or 1 x 3s) in overlapping layers and then simply nailing the cedar shingles in courses over the previously laid underlayment. After watching several youtube videos, it appears that a 3ft wide course of underlayment should be laid down at the roof edge and then the first course of shingles should be laid on top of that followed by a narrower course of underlayment that covers the top 4 inches, or so, of the shingles. Courses of shingle and underlayment are subsequently alternated in this manner up to the ridge of the roof.
What is the correct way to apply cedar shingles (not shakes) for a roof with respect to the use of #15 underlayment (tar paper)? Your help appreciated.
Dave,
British Columbia, Canada

For an unheated tool shed, you don't need the 3ft wide course of underlayment. Over a heated house, that 3ft course should be a rubbery waterproof ice barrier that seals around nails, so if an ice dam forms, water will not back up and leak through. Just run one course of the narrow paper, sticking out so that it will hang into the gutter a bit, then a starter course of shingles. If your shingles are 18" and exposure is 7", then run your next strip of paper 7.5" to 8" up from the bottom, then add your 2nd layer of shingles for the double starter course, then paper/shingles/paper/shingles to the top, ensuring that the paper never shows. That would be 14.5 to 15" up from the butt of each shingle course.

This article covers the subject quite well, and I even learned the term "interlayment" for those 18" strips of tar paper:

http://www.nachi.org/wood-shakes-shingles-part3-135.htm

(I'm in Vancouver, and just re-did my tool shed roof the same way.)


Toilet bubbling, foul smell, no known cause This morning the toilet started bubbling almost violently for about 30 seconds. I hadn't used any of the sinks or toilet for at least an hour prior to it happening and I haven't been able to recreate it. The toilet flushes normally and none of the drains are clogged. It made the whole house smell like sewer, we live in town so I'm fairly certain we are connected to the city sewer. I can't get ahold of my landlord, with myself being pregnant and two dogs in the house I want to figure out what it could be as soon as possible. Any help is really appreciated.

It should be no surprise that the toilet dumps its contents into a sewer pipe inside your house, and the bottom of that sewer pipe is plumbed out into the city sewer system (or septic field if you have that instead).

Less well known is that the vertical sewer pipe usually extends all the way to the roof, where there is a vent.   Gases created by food and effluent decay will vent there, instead of doing what yours is doing.

It sounds like something has gone wrong with that system.


Ceiling fan dripping in bathroom I have a problem similar to this: Downstairs half bathroom, ceiling exhaust fan dripping, first noticed during very hot weather. However, the amount of water makes me think it is not condensation.
Also, the downstairs doesn't have AC, just the upstairs, so the temperature difference would be smaller.

The dripping is not constant, but so far I haven't found a pattern. I'm not sure where the fan vents to, probably the soffit.

From attic crawl space I cannot see along the joists between which the fan sits (hidden by chimney, which itself is dry), but the neighboring joists & ceiling appear dry. The fan housing itself can't be removed without being destroyed, so investigation around the fan will involve removal of drywall.
There is an upstairs bathroom nearby, but neither the sink nor the toilet appear leaky.

Single family home ('78), the second floor was built on in the nineties. AC unit sits in attic, pipes run in exterior wall far away from issue.

What would be the best line to investigate, and should we get a plumber, handyman, ...?

Turns out this was not a plumbing issue, even though all signs pointed to it: related to bathroom use (even though with long delay), traces of moisture in hardwood floors tracking from upstairs bathroom wall to leak, 'bathroom' smell.

In fact someone installed the drip pan under the AC in the attic at an angle, so condensate leaked, soaked the insulation, tracked along second floor ceiling to return air register, along that vent down the wall onto the subfloor... There it found a convenient knot, dripped on straps, and found its way to the fan.

Fortunately we haven't used the AC too much this year, so the joists are fine and hopefully the hardwood floors will dry, too.

Lesson learned: you may want to think x is your problem, when really it's y.


Can I remove a 32" portion of a supporting wall? Update: Hopefully for better understanding, The wall showing the electric wall switch plate ( will note this wall as 'A'), I want to eliminate 32" from its end holding the 'Half wall' (will be wall 'B').
I would add two 2x10 the length of Wall (A) and tie it into to support Wall (B) but again 32" would be non supportive. So the electric plate would be removed etc.
Hopefully this makes it more clear.
I want to remove 32" of a supporting wall which connects to a supporting wall with two 2x10s which will hang 32" with no end support at the end but connect into the other supporting wall. The issue is the other supporting wall currently is a half wall that marries into the wall I want to remove the 32" from.
Simply, there will be an L shape with no under beam support for 32 inches, on one wall and the other wall which is a half wall now, will have 6 foot of un-support although the two 2x10s together which will further be 10 foot long married into the first supporting wall should support it.
This is a ranch-style home with no upstairs, just a low attic but ceiling rafter do connect on to that half wall.
Any help suggestions I would appreciate.

Any time you want to change, remove or do anything to a load bearing wall it is best to call a structural engineer to make sure you do not do something that can't be fixed or creates a dangerous situation for the occupants for that structure.  1 cut too many can cause a disaster. my 2 cents


What is this construction material under my drywall? I'm trying to understand the construction of a wall in my basement in order to determine how best to attach French cleat hangers to it. The studs I have been able to find with my stud finder have appeared to be irregular distances apart (anywhere from 6" to 26") so I suspected something unusual was behind the drywall.

Taking off a section of drywall revealed this. It is some kind of fairly crumbly 1/2" thick cement board over what appears to be plywood. The hole in the lower right was already there when I took the drywall off, though I enlarged it a bit to expose the plywood behind.

My first question is: what is this material?

Second: it clearly has no structural value given how crumbly it is (I can break off pieces with my finger), so there must be studs behind it. I think it is playing tricks on my stud finder. Any suggestions for locating the studs beyond drilling a bunch of holes?

EDIT: I was able to look at a different part of the wall via the access panel for our water shut-off valve. I think I was mistaken, and this is actually a layer of plaster with the old lath and plaster behind it. As you can see, in this section of the basement a new stud wall was put up in front of the lath and plaster. It appears in the original photo that the drywall has been attached directly to the plaster on top of the old wall. Is this going to cause me problems in the future?

I can't speak to what sort of construction this is, though it looks like cement board to me. Hopefully someone else can tell you more.

But to answer your second question, how to locate the studs, I have had similar issues with the walls in my house, which are plaster, on top of sheetrock. A studfinder won't work, but what does work, though it is a little tedious, is a magnet attached to a fine piece of string. I used a magnet you can get at a craft store, it's about the size of a crown bottle cap. I used tape to stick it to a piece of floss.

You basically run along the wall in a left right motion, back and forth, and moving up or down slightly after each pass. The magnet should stick, or hang up, where the fasteners are that hold the drywall to the studs.


Shopping for French Doors I currently have a sliding door that is 60X96.  I want to replace it with french doors.  I'm looking at DIY and am wondering whether to go used or new.  I was hoping to stay at 500 or less, which makes me thing used.  Any thoughts?

Is this an exterior or interior door?

If it's exterior, I'd recommend going with new so you get a good weather seal.

For an interior door, if you can find a good quality used door in a style you like, I don't see a significant disadvantage to getting a used one other than the trouble of making sure it's mounted correctly on the hinges.  If the door frame is included, you'll want to be sure the depth is the same and that it hasn't been cut too short for your flooring.


Correct polarity of outlets from breaker I'm putting an ice maker in my storage shed at vacation spot. Some of the convenience outlets are inverted and I can't be sure of the correct polarity?

Inverted receptacles are a thing. Sometimes it makes sense - e.g., I have a single receptacle under my gas cooktop for the igniter plug. It is mounted upside down - the theory is that since that is the only thing plugged in (it is a single receptacle, not a double), might as well minimize one small possible source of problems - plug pulled slightly out where still making contact, if something falls down it will hit ground instead of hot+neutral - not likely, but "why not". What matters is how everything is wired up, not how it is mounted.

This is a very good use for a magic 8-ball (Harper's term) tester:

If the receptacle works in general and the tester shows the correct 2 lights on, 1 light off, then it is wired correctly and you can trust that the wires are what they are supposed to be. Just pigtail off of the existing hot & neutral to connect additional receptacles or other devices.

Just remember, AC polarity is not like DC polarity.

With DC, if you get it reversed, sparks may fly and, in any case, things won't work. (Usually - e.g., put batteries in backward in an LED flashlight and it won't light up; but put them in backward in an incandescent flashlight and it will light up).

With AC, if you get hot & neutral reversed, everything will be fine until someone gets zapped or your house burns down. Your motors, lights, heaters, etc. can't tell the difference (unless they specifically reference actual ground) but SAFETY DEPENDS ON CORRECT WIRING.


Peel n Stick Tiles For Backsplash Looking to make a mosaic tile backsplash between my range and vent hood.  I am looking at the various tile options out there and am considering the peel and stick.  Do these really adhere as well as they state?  I am concerned with the adhesion level since I would be using them behind a range and the area is exposed to a decent amount of heat.

Never seen a peel and stick mosaic.

I use peel and stick vinyl for closet flooring in various places - cheap, easy to clean, and the expense of using a better quality flooring there does not seem to be worth it. The last batch I got was a tolerably well-done "wood-look" and had the added advantage of not stinking like the old ones (10 years or more ago) I had last used.

I would not put them in a hot/steamy/wet area - that would be best served by a more traditional mortar tile attachment, or (what my house growing up had) a sheet of stainless steel (it was easy to clean, fireproof, and somewhat predated the popularity of an "industrial look." It's not for everyone.)

Upon searching for "peel and stick mosaic" I see that the probable maker claims they are suited to the use, but I'd still take that claim with a heathy dose of salt, personally. As a confirmed pessimist I'd also take a scrap piece and try to set fire to it. Ceramic or glass is "fireproof" not merely "heat resistant." Likewise, consider the less-glowing reviews as well as the glowing ones.


What can I use to clean the walls in my bathroom before repainting? The paint in our bathroom is starting to peal and there are strange "brown spots" guessing from a shampoo or something (definitely not mold). What can I use to clean that up before repainting everything?

Use TSP. You can get it at HD/Lowes. Follow the precautions!


Old single pane House window has a crack, can I fix it using a resin? Old single pane House window has a crack, can I fix it using a resin?   Sort of like how a windshield crack can be repaired with resin?

I'm going to say no on this because of how a windshield is made.  They are a layered construction with glass on the outside and a plastic material on the inside.  A small crack or chip in a windshield doesn't  cause a structural failure - the other layers hold the window together.  Resin can be injected into the glass crack and pushed against the other layers with pressure to completely fill the crack.

On a single pane window, there is no backup.  A crack means the glass is literally broken in half at that point and the crack will spread very easily.  And pressure put on the glass to force the resin into the crack would probably be enough to make the crack expand across the glass.

If you were very careful, you may be able to just dab some resin on the surface of the crack and possibly reduce its visibility and give it a little extra strength, but it won't be the same fix as a car window.


How can I stop a water leak in my basement? I have an unfinished basement in 40 year old home.  Block walls are extremely clean and show no signs of water having come down or through them from ground outside but when it rains for a couple of days, I have a small puddle, and by small, not even a half inch deep or a foot wide, on floor by wall.  Since I have ruled out surface water, where is it coming from?  Could it be coming in where the flor meets the wall from some underground source and if so, why only when it rains?  Is there something I can use to seal the joining of wall and concrete floor or seal block? I would like to finish basement but don't dare put in insulation and drywall with this unresolved.

We can only guess at this point, but one theory is that when it rains, you have water seeping down the outside of your foundation until it hits the footer, at which point it's seeping into your basement.

At the point where you have this puddle, what is outside? Is there a gutter downspout there? Or perhaps the ground is sloping towards your house at that spot? Check those things first.


How do a boiler’s autofill valve and expansion tank work together as a system? How do the expansion tank and automatic fill / reducing valve work together in a hot water heating system?  It seems to me that if the expansion tank is charged too high the autofill valve will never be able to autofill the system, whereas if it is charged too lowr, the reducing valve will determine the system pressure.  Is that how it's supposed to work?  The expansion tank does not determine system pressure, but it should accept the pressure determined by the reducing valve?  I don’t really understand how they are meant to work as a system or how to test and maintain it in place.
Note: this was a multi-part question that was edited to focus on the one received answer.

The expansion tank (if intact) has a bladder or diaphragm keeping a bubble of air (which acts like a spring) separate from the system water (so the air does not dissolve into it and end up elsewhere, needing to be bled out and rusting iron/steel parts.)
The reducing valve (what I call an autofill valve) adds water to the boiler loop when boiler pressure falls below its setpoint. It does not remove water when its setpoint is exceeded - it only puts water in. For a typical 3 story building, pressure should be 18-25 PSI (1 PSI = 2.3 feet of head of water, roughly. So 18 PSI should vent up to 41 feet above. If your gauge is accurate, you're closer to 53 feet up at 23 PSI. 25 psi will push to 57.5 feet.)
Say your valve is set at 20 PSI, and the boiler is cold, and dropped to 18 PSI. The valve adds water until it's 20 PSI. Now the boiler fires up and becomes hot, and the pressure rises, because water expands as it heats (unless you are very close to freezing, where water is "interesting".) The bubble of air in the expansion tank compresses, so rather than the boiler and pipes quickly rising above 30 PSI and engaging the overpressure release valve, the air in compressed as the water expands and the pressure rises to some value less than 30, if the system is designed and sized correctly. Your boiler runs for a while, and then shuts down and starts to cool - the air in the expansion tank expands as the water in the boiler and pipes cools & shrinks, and if there are no leaks, the system ends up back at 20 PSI (at the boiler - less, the higher you are in the building) and no new water needs to be added.
The "Pre-charge" pressure on the expansion tank is typically just a little bit less than you expect the lowest acceptable boiler pressure to be, so that there's a little bit of water in it at lowest pressure, but room for more as the system heats and pressure rises. If the "Pre-charge" pressure is too high, no water is stored at lower pressures, and the system pressure will drop below fill pressure when the tank is fully empty but system pressure continues to fall as it cools. If the "Pre-charge" pressure is too low, lots of water is stored at low pressures, leaving less room for adding water and compressing air at higher pressures, effectively reducing the size of the tank, and possibly leading to operation of the relief valve as pressure rises too high when heating and expanding system water.


Option for some light between broken fluorescent lights and new LED recessed lights I'm working to fix our our basement - nothing top of the line / dream basement - just some nice enough upgrades relative to our 1970's wood paneled basement, to enjoy a few years before we sell the home.

Anyway, about 5 of my 12 fluorescent lights (2 in each panel) are broken / lit very dimly.  I would assume the ballast.  I don't have much desire to fix them AND pay for new fluorescent tubes, only to rip them out in the next 3-6 months to put in the recessed lights.

BUT, I do need a little more lighting down here so I can see when I'm tiling, painting, etc.  Any ideas of how to get something going?  Even if I have to buy it an can repurpose it later is fine.

Could I buy one of those LED type light sets that you usually hang in a garage for one of the areas that's totally out? (something like this from home depot?)
Should I buy the recessed lights and wire them temporarily without mounting them, just to get some light out of them?
OH, I have some bright white LED strips with all proper converters, etc.  I could probably just stick those up until I'm ready to install proper lights?!
Other ideas?

Thanks in advance, here's a picture of a broken one

The option that I use for this type of thing is to add light with portable lighting fixtures. These are extremely handy for adding lots of light in a localized area where you want to perform some work. I use two types.

Halogen Work Light

Picture Source

These output a tremendous amount of light. The wire cage on the front is there to protect from burns as the fixture will get quite hot in use.

LED Worklight

Picture Source

These operate much cooler but also put out less light compared to the halogen type. I selected the LED light with an internal rechargable battery. I can use it plugged in but then can also use it in a portable manner without having to be near an electrical receptacle or dragging an extension cord. The battery operation also comes in extremely handy in cases where it is necessary to work in a dark area because you have had to cut the power at the service panel.


Can I replace a 30A breaker in my panel with a 50A breaker (and new wiring)? I need to add a 50 amp breaker to be used to supply a plug for EV charging.  My current panel is maxed out of spaces, however I do have a 30A breaker that is used for our Dryer that isn't currently being used as we have a LP gas dryer.
Is it safe to remove the current 30A breaker and replace with a 50A breaker?  Obviously there will be newer wires with the proper gauge running from the Nema outlet to the 50A breaker.  Assuming this is doable, what should be done with the Dryer wires that used to hook up to the 30A breaker?
Thanks,
Phil

This is a DIY project we see a lot here. Yes, it's OK to remove your 30 Amp breaker and replace it with a 50 provided that's what your EV charger is calling for. Same for the wiring, what's called for in the installation manual. As far as the wires that used to go to the 30 Amp breaker, cut the tips off (Harper cringing), cap with a small wire nut, fold and tape them together and tuck them into the side of your panel. It's always nice to leave a note saying what the wires were for for a future homeowner or to just refresh your memory. Post a picture of your panel so if anything jumps out at us, we can further comment.


Can I build a deck close to the ground? Possible Duplicate:
  Can I build a deck this low to the ground?

Every set of instructions I've seen for building a deck requires me to put joists on top of beams attached to posts. But I only have 6" clearance above the ground. In other words, not enough room to stack the joists on top of the beams.

I'm certain I'm not the first person in the history of the world to do this, so how do I do it? Do I use joist hangers and run the joists between the beams creating a grid?  Or do I need to bury tons of posts and attach the joists directly to them (I hope not!)

Joist hangers would be fine. You can bury concrete post piers to act as your actual piers as well. Do try to leave at least a few inches of clearance though th facilitate air flow so it doesn't get too soggy underneath.

But when building a deck that low, I'd suggest you also consider a patio, instead. A stone, concrete or tile patio will outlive any wooden deck.


Low voltage on circuit after breaker turned off - induced or backfed voltage? I was planning on installing a programmable timer on one of the 4 single-pole switches on a circuit. All of the 4 switches control various lights towards the front of the house, one of which is a pair (2 pairs actually) of motion-sensor lights.

After turning off the breaker for the circuit that controls these 4 switches, I used a non-contact voltage tester to make sure everything was cold, but to my surprise I found that the live wire still made my tester chirp and alert me of a low voltage presence (i.e.2 out of the 6 leds on the tester lit up). I then proceeded to switch off more circuits at the breaker, and eventually the tester stayed silent when I tested the live wire again.

I'm obviously a novice but have done a bit of reading up before posting here. I've read a bit about "induced voltages" that show up as a result of other live wires being in proximity to the wires in the circuit in question. I've also read about "backfed voltages" that are a result of equipment on the circuit (I know some motion sensor light have capictors in them..) or are the result of other circuits.

Since the low voltage disappears when I turn off some of the other circuits, I'm still left questioning what the culprit is...and if I need to be worried at all? The reason I'm worried, is because my timer requires a neutral. So, if the culprit is of the backfed variant (specifically from other circuits) I don't know if that impacts tying into a neutral (or does it not matter in any case)?

I'm not sure the image helps at all...but I figured people always like pictures.
Am I overthinking this all, or can I just tie into the bundle of neutrals (circled) regardless of why there's low voltage on live (yellow highlight) with the circuit breaker off.

Thanks in advance - and please go easy on me if I've said (many) stupid things.

It's hard to say without much more information about the circuits, but it is likely capacitive coupling between closely routed circuits. I've seen over 70 volts when testing a circuit that shared a conduit with a live circuit. Old meters didn't pick this up because they had relatively low internal impedance that allowed the voltage to drain quickly, my good digital has a very high impedance that does not shunt the voltage as fast as it builds up so I see the 70 volts(but is good for testing low amperage circuits).
Capacitive coupling of this nature is very low total energy, kind of like a static charge it can't supply much current.

And be careful using cheapo meters on mains supplied circuits, they often have incorrect(12volt glass) fuses that will explode, arc, and burst into flames if you accidentally overload them or have the probes in the wrong holes.(eg. in the amp sockets when you think your testing volts, see https://youtu.be/R2ngaZwOgGM)
"Fluke T5-600" is great if you only do house wiring (simple single range so no good for fine electronics) won't break the bank, clever shape doesn't need 3 hands, and will last for decades.
I have a cheap $40 meter too but I only use it for current-limited devices.(small-battery power)


2x4’s embeded in the foundation wall A home is going up right next door, and I noticed that the foundation walls have 2x4’s embedded in them. Won’t that cause the concrete to crack when the wood gets wet?

Most certainly the embedded 2X4s are pressure treated (PT). Any PT lumber off the shelf usually has about as much water it can hold from the treatment process. If anything they will shrink. I can only hope they are keyed in or have hot dipped galvanized nails so they stay in place after they shrink. DaveM is on poi t I believe about the nailing for a facade, and because of that, there be plenty chance for them to dry and not get saturated again.

About the cracking, concrete will crack anyway, there is reinforcement added to prevent it from becoming a problem.


Are these tools appropriate for a roofing project? Okay so I have a 2 story house about 30 feet high and was wondering if this set up will work?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-20-Gal-175-psi-Quiet-Portable-Air-Compressor-C201H/206189626

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Bostitch-21-Degree-Industrial-Round-Head-Framing-Nailer-F21PL/100465406

I have quiet a lot of shingles to replace and would like for the power tool to run continuously. I'm just curious if it will work since the air compressor doesn't meet the SCFM requirement for the power tool i want to use. The air hose I want to use will be a 3-8-in-x-50-ft-F5-Male-x-Male-Fittings-Hose.

Will this work? If not can anyone please recommend the air compressor and hose i will need to run this power tool continuously.

I have seen nail guns that accept both roofing and framing nails; I would look for one like that. I would generally recommend a coil nailer, which holds more nails, and usually accepts roofing and framing nails (but be sure to check it before you buy it).

As for air tanks, I would look for something on the small side (like 6 gal) for roofing, because I find that you have to keep moving the tank. You also have to think about carrying or hoisting it up and down. Lighter is easier.


Speaker veneer challenge (wood repair) So I bought great but slightly damaged speakers and I would like to restore them, I understand they won't look like new but I would like to try my best.

The damage:

The wood texture detail:

I was thinking of using some wood filler/wax, do you have any experience you could share? Also I was thinking of creating an negative imprint to recreate the texture, what material could I us? Maybe silicon? Some form of dental acrylic?

Any advice is welcome!

I recently replaced the door handle on my front door.  There were two holes left from the old handle.  I filled them with Plastic Wood, then sanded flush.  Then, I took a awl and mimicked the grain pattern.  It looks spectacular.  After priming and painting, my mother could not even see where the hole was.   You can do it!


Can I install two thermostats on one furnace/act unit? I will be using one in living room, the other in a hallway The reason is that there is a gas fireplace(stove) in the living room that has the pilot on all year. Currently the thermostat is in the hall keeping the back of the house cool. The heat from the fireplace pilot keeps the living room too warm so I want to control the ac unit from the living room in the summer and the heat from the hall in the winter. I am using nest thermostats

I'd suggest looking for a thermostat that supports remote sensors. I personally own ecobees which support up to 64 wireless sensors per unit. You can decide which of the sensors participate in measuring the average temperature for each time slot of the day. I believe Honeywell offers thermostats that support sensors as well in both the wired and wireless variety.


How can I stop my radiators "clicking" when they're turned on or off? I have a central heating system on a timer, and whenever the timer turns on or off, for around ten / fifteen minutes, some of the radiators in my home make regular clicking noises, kinda hollow-sounding, coming from inside.

I've done some research and it seems that it's something to do with the hot and cold combining and something growing, shrinking, or similar.. is that correct?

I've already bled all of the radiators and there's no excess air in them.

What else can I try?

This is the sound of metal pipes and radiator components expanding and contracting. As they do so, they rub against other fixed parts, like wood framing, brackets, etc. If they stick slightly, you'll hear a popping or clicking sound as they stick and unstick from the friction against this expansion and contraction. So the solution is to locate any points that are making sounds, ensure they have space to freely expand and contract, and eliminate any points that may stick by either changing how it's attached to the structure, or changing the materials to eliminate the friction.


Float switch as emergency cutoff for well pump Our house is has a drilled well, with with 1/2 HP 230V well pump wired from a fixed pressure switch.  We've had a couple of pinhole leaks in the copper piping that would have turned into major basement floods had we not happened to be home at the time.  I would like to reduce the impact of any future leaks by using a float switch in the basement sump pit to cut power to the well pump in case the sump pit begins to fill.  My understanding is that, once the float switch triggered, this would limit the amount of water that could flood to the amount in the pressurized well storage tank (about 10-15 gallons).

The plan is:

Wire the float switch (http://www.dwyer-inst.com/Product/Level/LevelSwitches/Float/SeriesCFS2) in series before the pressure switch.  The float switch is rated 240V and 10(8)A which as I understand it is enough for the well pump -- it seems that 1/2HP 230V draws a maximum of 6A.
Use a clamp to fix the float switch cable to the side of the sump pit (which is already lined with wood so that it floats at a few inches in the sump pit.

Does this make sense?  Is there something I am overlooking?

My recommendation is to build a "float pan" under the run of Cu pipe in question.  As Ed Beal suggested, don't depend on the sump pump as a diagnostic tool.  The  pan only needs to be an inch or so deep, as you expect it to be bone-dry all the time.  Put a float valve on the pan, and tie into well pump power as planned.

BTW, I didn't come up with this on my own:  central air conditioners' air exchange handlers have this sort of arrangement, to avoid disaster if the drain line clogs.


What is 'Cellular Core' or "Foam core ABS' pipe? At a big home store today, all the black drain pipe was 'cellular core ABS' in 'schedule 40'.  What does the 'cellular' mean? The pipe was very inexpensive.

What you have is not solid.  There's a foam or cellular interior to the pipe with two thin layers of sold ABS on the outside.

It costs less and weighs less than solid pipe.  Thus it's popular at home stores that compete on price.
Not every jurisdiction allows use of cellular pipe.  However it's common in the USA.
You need to be careful about backfilling such pipe with sharp rocks, which can pierce the thin shell.
When gluing, it's a good idea to coat the ends of the cut pipe, as the foam can and will slowly transport air and water (for the same reason, this pipe is never suitable for pressure applications).
You can't use it for pressure applications: this is meant only as drain pipe.
The pipe is fragile if dropped (take a section and stomp on it, chances are it will shatter into fragments, where a solid pipe would just hurt your foot).
It's more flexible than solid pipe, which is good in some cases, but causes sagging in others.

Here's a picture from a pipe vendor, where the foam core has been made white to show the detail.  The pipe I've seen in stores all has a black core that mimics solid pipe at first glance:

Look around you'll see various opinions on the stuff.  Some plumbers say they love it because it brings them repeat business.  The vendors all claim various advantages to the pipe.

It's definitely not good in freeze/thaw weather if the ends are exposed (as they might be for a drain waste vent, or the end of a drain pipe run).

Foam core is regulated by ASTM F-628 Foam Core, and ASTM D-2661 for solid pipe.

Here's video on bursting of such pipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWoTGu5s1Ys


How do I connect original to new wiring when repairing an electrical fault in an AC unit? The AC failed at a neighbor's house and the problem was quickly diagnosed as electrical.

I saw that a few of the wires had corroded and one had actually burnt through.  The unit is only 5-6 years old.  I had some connectors and 14ga Romex wire on me and I was able to repair the unit so that it will keep her cool for the day.  But I saw that the wiring was 18ga and thickly insulated.

I am assuming I need to pick up the appropriate wiring and do I need to do anything special on the connection from AC wiring to replacement beyond applying a nut and tape?

Generally, it should never hurt anything to use thicker wire, assuming that you can make solid connections.  The wire should never be the limiting factor!  The system should already be fused so that #18AWG won't melt, so #14 will only help.

Wire nuts and tape is a tried and true method, although some would argue that soldering and heatshrink is better.

You mention "thickly insulated".  Is there any rating information (voltage, temperature, etc) stamped on the insulation?  You want to make sure the romex is at least as good.

Specifically, though, it sounds like something else is going on.  The existing wire certainly shouldn't have burnt through.  The system shouldn't have drawn more current than the wire could handle, and if it did, an upstream fuse or circuit breaker should have caught it.  I suppose it's possible that it rusted first, became less conductive, and then burned through...

If there is some sort of unprotected over-current problem, then using #14 might cause the failure point to change.  The wire became the fuse this time; who knows what wold have melted if the wire hadn't?

Anyway, just some things to think about...


What are these electrical boxes in the closet that have no breakers in a house with buttons for the light switches? My mother's home has these metal panels in the closet on the second floor, directly under them on the 1st floor is the breaker box. The house has push buttons for the lights instead of switches. There is no breakers under these panels and everytime a light is turned on or off there is a click. I am writing a paper and I need to know what these boxes are called.

Most likely the boxes contain relays that are controlled by low-voltage circuits from the push buttons.   A relay is an electrical switch that is controlled by an electrical circuit.   In this case, the relay allows low-voltage wiring and push buttons to control the light circuit.

This setup was sometimes used before modern home automation systems existed to allow control of a circuit from multiple locations or with devices that were not rated for normal line voltages, and a variation of it is sometimes used today where the switches are located near the circuit panel and remote switches are located in convenient locations.


What size wire for two 100 amp sub panels? I am running two 100 amp sub panels from a 200 amp service. My question is the wire size. I have seen the chart via The NEC provides wire sizing based on the type to be used and the application.

I am going 20 feet away from service. I have the calculator for voltage drop. What is the percentage I should use in allowable voltage drop?  1 or 3? I come up with 1 awg  which seems rather small.

I'd rather not overkill with 1/0 or 2/0 for the sake of lack of knowledge.

The size of wire you use will depend on a few factors, including how it is being run.

If you plan to use conduit to run both sets of SE cables, you need to derate them, unless the conduit is able to enforce proper spacing (which it likely isn't). For two sets of 3-wire cables (four with ground), that is 4 conductors (neutrals aren't counted since they only carry imbalance current in a split-phase cable). In that case, your derating is to 80% of wire ampacity for its temperature rating.

In this case, 2GA copper wire is appropriate because it services 130A, which derates to 104A. If you have them running separately, then you can use up to 4GA. See this table.

Lastly, you were concerned with voltage drop. I'd say don't be. 4GA over 20 ft has a resistance of 5mΩ, which means at 100A, you would get .5V total drop. If you include the return trip (40ft total length), that's still only 1V... Check out this calculator.

All of this, however, assumes that each subpanel has a separate feeder breaker in the main breaker panel. If you plan to feed-through or do a T-splice from one cable to two panels, you will need to size for 200A since the cables can carry the full 200A load.

Also see this question.


Resurface (or cover) damaged wood door? I have an odd-sized wooden back door.  The outer layers of wood on the lower half of the door are suffering water damage, but the core and inside of the door are fine.
Is there a good way either to resurface (or completely cover) the outside of the door?  Or is it too far gone and should be replaced entirely?

If you'd rather not replace it and have some time to kill it is possible to re-surface the door.
Door skins are thin veneer sheets meant for this purpose. The difficult part is ensuring the old doors exterior is flat and secure to the frame.
Remove the knob and window frame. Patch and sand the old surface. Glue and nail and bowed/loose sections. Apply contact cement to old door and press new skin in place.
Paint or stain as normal.


Which insulation technique should I use to insulate my subfloor? I'm converting a carport into heated space and decided to install a subfloor to raise the room to the same level as the rest of the house. I have roughly 1"-3" of clearance below my floor joists, so it isn't a crawlspace. I'm not planning on making it a vented space, and I've read about different approaches to seal spaces like this for insulation purposes.

Here is a picture of the most difficult part of the insulation project before the rim joist is installed:

I'm trying to figure out which insulation solution is the best for my scenario:

It's technically an 'unvented crawlspace'. Can I use air-sealed rigid foam insulation along the rim and above the bricks and be done with it?
Should I use R19 kraft-backed batts all the way along?
Should I use R30 kraft-backed batts all the way along?
Combination of two of the above?

Note: I'm in US climate zone 3 and care more about cooling my house than heating it.

I've read about heat soaking through the floor. Would this be an issue with approach #1? Would the difference between R19 / R30 actually be noticeable?

On a similar project, I put down 2" (?) foam board insulating panels, then filled the rest of the cavity with Rockwool bats.  Inspector was happy.  Here's what it looked like from the outside, before the wall was finished (opening used to be a doorway)

Edit 1: Added picture of filled joist spaces

No, I filled the entire cavity

EDIT 2

Original plan called for (from the existing slab upwards) crushed stone, 6 mil vapor barrier, 4" concrete slab, up to near the top of the foundation wall.  Then the sill plate with the floor joists on top of that.  Final step was filling the rest of the void with closed cell foam insulation.  We deviated a bit because of the added cost of the stone & concrete.


Removing a leftover oil-burner safety switch? When I converted from oil to gas heat, the contractors left the remote "emergency off" switch in the circuit. I've since been told that these are explicitly Not Recommended for gas furnaces.

Is that true?

If so,

can I just remove the switch, splice the wires with wire nuts, slap a blank faceplate on the box (with a note on the inside surface of that plate explaining what was done) and call it good? Or
would it need to be disconnected down where the switch loop connects to the boiler's power circuit?
should I just continue to treat this as "mostly harmless" and ignore it, or put a "DO NOT TOUCH" label on it, or otherwise avoid mucking with something that is currently working?

Obviously my preference would be either for 3  or "it's fine as it is", but I'd sorta like to know what would be the least-effort but officially adequate solution.

You could leave the switch as-is but then install one of various types of switch guards to prevent accidental switch setting changes. Here are a few examples...


Distance between Sprinkler head and Air condition system I'm planning to add Sprinkler system in office area which have a central air condition system.
Does code specify how close air condition can be to the sprinklers head?
What does minimum distance between sprinkler head and Air condition system should be?

Air conditioning units can get water on them - save any internal electronics which almost always have guard/protection/enclosure.  I can't foresee any local code that would care.


Neutral and ground connected to one bus bar in subpanel; should I change? At my house, there is a subpanel that serves a pool area, served by one 30 amp 240v circuit. The panel, which I think was installed about 30 years ago, has just one bus bar that the neutrals and grounds are both connected to. The service neutral and ground wires are connected to the bus bar at opposite ends. This gives the appearance that the neutral current is run through both the neutral and ground wires back to the main panel, which I know is the wrong way to install a subpanel. Now, I've had this house for more than ten years and never had any problems with this, but I'm wondering, should I change this, or am I just misunderstanding the layout of the panel? This is the only breaker box I ever recall seeing with just one bus bar, and I'm wondering if there is something to it that I am missing. If not, I'm assuming the thing to do would be to purchase a new bus bar, install it in the panel, and run all the grounds  (or neutrals) to it, and use it to separate the ground and neutral currents, right?

EDIT: Here are photos of the box. Can anyone identify the make and model of the box? Note that some of the circuits have been disconnected from the breakers in the interior shot of the box due to the fact that I am doing some work. (There were some other things that were not installed properly that I am in the process of fixing). The main ground is the green wire on the far left.

You are correct in your assumption that your neutral and grounding conductor must be separated in subpanels per the NEC which only allows neutrals and grounds to be attached on the same bus in the Main Panel with a main circuit breaker. You or a contractor should go out and purchase a second bus and separate the conductors.

I can also say that your situation is not uncommon in the industry. This subpanel was probably installed by the pool company and whoever installed it had limited experience.

The question most people ask is, is it safe? The only answer I can give someone without a seminar, is that it is less safe the way it is and it does violate the NEC. So you have discovered it and it should be corrected.


How to wire a relay for an evaporative cooler to a thermostat? I have an evaporative cooler with 120VAC control that I want to switch on and off using a relay that is activated when the cool call comes from my thermostat. I plan on just using 1 relay to activate the whole cooler control (rather than multiple relays to control the different aspects of the cooler), so this is a simple on/off when cooling call comes from the thermostat.

All of the wiring for the thermostat goes to the air handler and then heat, fan, etc. kick on from there. I have a C wire running to the thermostat. My thought was that I just put the relay in line with the Y wire (run Y from thermostat to relay, then out from relay to the air handler). This puts 24VAC across the relay (which is what the relay is rated for), but does not throw the switch.

You'll want to connect the Y and C wires to the coil of the relay, so you end up with something like this.

When the temperature switch in the thermostat closes (calling for cool), 24 volts will be applied to the relay coil.This should pull the contact in the relay to the normally open (NO) position, allowing electricity to flow to the evaporative cooler (or whatever 120V device needs to be powered).


How do I fix the shelf support holes in my cabinets? In my pantry cabinet, the holes for the plastic brackets has gotten too large and they do not hold. The cabinets are made out of particle board. Does anyone have any suggestions?

The metric (4 or 5mm) holes can be redrilled to hold the 1/4" shelf spoons. If that does not do it, there are metal sockets for the 1/4" spoons that take a slightly larger hole, then they can be driven into place to hold the larger spoon.
If the spoons or clips already have a 1/4" hole, then you may be better off retro fitting a shelf track system. Third pic.

Instead of trying to drive nails in a tight space, use 4ga X3/4" screws instead, the cabinet will thank you for it.

The picture size is grossly out of proportion, buit the first pic is the socket that holds the spoon which is the second pic. The socket looks more like a bucket, that will hold 10 of those spoons..


How do I install a bathroom exhaust fan? I need to know how to wire a bathroom fan with a light and night light. The wiring has a black/white red/white blue/white and green. The bathroom has a light switch for the light fixture over the sinks and a switch for the old fan that did not have any lights. I think I need a 3-way switch?

The three pairs of wires correspond to the three functions. You should be able to find labels or a note in the manual explaining which is which, but for now I'll assume:

black/white: main light
red/white: fan
blue/white: night light

The green wire is a ground wire.

How you wire this up depends on what you have available. A 3-way switch will not help you here; you need multiple switches, and for that to work you may need more wires between your switch box and your fan/light fixture. Most likely, you will have a single cable (with a black, white, and bare ground wire) running to your fan. In that case, you can wire it up as follows:

bond the bare ground wire with fixture green ground wire
bond the supply white (neutral) with all fixture whites
bond the supply black (hot) with the fixture black, red, and blue

That assembly will work, but it's not ideal as your fan, light, and night light will all turn on/off from a single switch.

A better version would be to have two switched wires running up to the fan. You can do this either by adding another 2-conductor cable (such as 14/2WG) running up to the fixture, or you can use a 3-conductor cable (e.g. 14/3WG) where there is a single neutral (white) and two switched hots (black and red). Assuming you have the 3-wire cable, your setup would be:

bond the bare ground wire with fixture green ground wire
bond the supply white (neutral) with all fixture whites
bond the supply black (hot 1) with the fixture black and blue (lights)
bond the supply red (hot 2) with the fixture red (fan)

This allows you to control the fan and light separately with your two switches, but again has the shortcoming that the nightlight is only powered when the light switch is on. Which probably defeats the purpose!

And that leaves the final, best option: two switched hots as above, plus an unswitched hot power supply wire (let's call it black-unswitched). In this setup, you'll

bond the bare ground wire with fixture green ground wire
bond the supply white (neutral) with all fixture whites
bond the black-unswitched supply with the blue (nightlight)
bond the supply black (hot 1) with the fixture black (main light)
bond the supply red (hot 2) with the fixture red (fan)

This setup is ideal because you have switches to control your fan and light separately, and you have constant power to supply the night light. That means your fixture can use the unswitched power to run the nightlight constantly, and when you come in and turn on the main light, the nightlight either turns off or just becomes irrelevant.

As you can see, you have a few reasonable options for how to wire this fixture. Another variation is that you might have unswitched power in the fixture area, and only one cable running to your switch box. If that is the case, you'll be using the cable to the switch to both send power to the switch and receive power back when the switch is on. If you have that sort of set up, you could provide constant power to the nightlight even if you have a single switch controlling the fan and light together. You'll need to make a couple more junctions in/near the fixture in this case, involving the switch.

Note: a 3-way switch will not be helpful. A 3-way switch has three wires (call them A,B,C) and allows you to switch between connecting A+B or A+C. Two 3-way switches can be used together to allow switching a light from two locations. But as long as you have a switch with only two positions, you can only choose between on and off, not off, on-fan, on-light, and on-fan+light. For that you need two switches, or some sort of switch designed to control two separate fixtures.

Final cautionary note: To do this right, you will need some basic electrical knowledge, including how to properly connect wires with wire nuts and how to work on a fixture safely. If you aren't familiar with this sort of electrical work, you should get someone who is (experienced DIYer or pro) to work with you. Improper electrical work has a massive risk of hurting you, either while you're trying to install it or later on when a failure can put you at risk of fire. Good luck and be safe!