Insulating a cathedral roof with rigid foam I am in the process of remodeling the 2nd floor of our cape and I am trying to figure our how to insulate it.  Here is what the 2nd floor looks like, roughly.

Here is another drawing that shows the venting.  You can see that it has a ridge vent, and some sort of small soffit vent.  Not shown are the gable vents, the knee walls, and the collar ties, among other things.

I'm in zone 5 and I'd like to have more insulation than the R13 I could fit in the rafters.  So because of that I am trying to decide between having spray foam insulation, or using rigid foam between the rafters.  I'm hesitant to use spray foam since I know less about it, I don't know if converting to an unventted roof is a good idea, I feel like I might need to change some of my roof sheathing soon, and I am only able to redo half of the second floor at a time.

My thought for the rigid foam would be to do whats shown in the drawing below.  Additionally I would use expanding foam to seal foam to the rafters and top plate.

So, besides costing quite a bit of money, is this a good idea? Are my reasons for avoiding spray insulation even remotely valid?

I for one like the new spray-in foam.  It does such a good job because it makes the house so tight. Infiltration is where you loose your heat.  It's the cracks that hurt you.  Nothing seals the cracks like the spray-in expanded polystyrene.  Regarding all that venting business;  they are just trying to keep the roof surface cold so the snow won't melt and cause ice dams.  Nothing out there can better keep the heat away for the roof surface.


Can I use four-wire cable from the panel to create a two-circuit duplex outlet? I am planning on adding a server to one of the closets in my house. In order to do that I need to run electrical to the location of the server. For severs they recommend having 2 independent lines of power, for redundancy, that way if one breaker trips the server won't go down. The server has 2 power supplies with independent cords. I am wondering if I can do a single 240v run from my breaker box to the location of the server and then separate the 240 to 120 and into 2 outlets, also can I run it into 2 outlet with 2 plugs, and would there be any code violations?
This is what I'm thinking, except this is all a 4-wire cable instead of 4 separate wires.

Cannot do it. Nosirree.
Cannot use a MWBC
As you have stated it in your question, you are describing a multi-wire branch circuit (MWBC).
Singular.
That is not 2 independent circuits.  It is a multi-wire branch circuit.
Further, it has a serious defect in that it is taking power from unrelated points on the panel.  Code absolutely requires that MWBCs be both opposite-phased, and handle-tied for common shutoff (which in the real world means common trip most of the time). This defeats your purpose.
Even worse, if you simply put the breakers "wherever" on the panel, then over the years as you rearrange circuits in the panel, you may accidentally wind up with both MWBC legs on the same phase.  That means instead of carrying only differential current, neutral would carry the sum of currents causing an overload of the neutral.  Neutrals don't have breakers.  On almost every panel type, handle-ties force the breakers onto opposite poles, so use of handle ties averts this danger. (Usually; looking at you GE).
So your MWBC absolutely requires either a 2-pole or handle-tied breakers. 2-poles definitely have common trip, and handle-tied breakers usually have common trip (not guaranteed but very likely from handle motion).
For the circuits to be independent, they need to each have their own neutral wires. But wait.
Cannot put 2 independent circuits on the same yoke
That receptacle there, with 2 sockets, is on what's called a "Yoke". That means a single device of any kind - switch, pilot light, GFCI, whatever, that mounts through the usual mounting screws.
So, suppose you run a second neutral. Now you're splitting the receptacle and having 2 circuits each with its own neutral, one powering each socket.  You can't do that either. Or to be more precise, the circuits cannot be independent if you do.

210.7 Multiple Branch Circuits. Where two or more branch circuits supply devices or equipment on the same yoke, a means to simultaneously disconnect the ungrounded conductors supplying those devices shall be provided at the point at which the branch circuits originate.

When 2 separate circuits serve the same yoke, again they must be handle tied, and again this defeats your purpose.
There's a very good reason for the handle-tie requirement.  Someone servicing the wiring will typically plug a radio into one of the sockets, and trip off breakers until the radio goes silent.  Then turn everything else back on, and go to work on the wiring.  Think about it. That procedure will leave one of the sockets "hot", unbeknownst to the maintainer.  So again those 2 circuits must be handle-tied.
Why would anyone ever put 2 independent circuits on the same yoke, when the MWBC approach does that better?  AFCI/GFCI.  They don't make 2-pole AFCIs and 2-pole GFCIs are expensive.  Often the only way to provision GFCI/AFCI to such a split recep is to have separate neutrals.
Socket size must exactly match breaker size if there is 1 socket
As manassehkatz noticed, you are speccing a 20A breaker that is feeding exactly one 15A socket.  Nope.  Breaker size and socket size must exactly match, NEC 210.21(B), so you must use a 20A socket or a 15A breaker.
"But people use 15A sockets on 20A breakers all the time!" Because there is an exception for 15A sockets when 2 or more sockets exist on a circuit, which is the usual situation.
You have no option that will allow you to split a yoke.
and maintain independent trip (in practice).  Further, you wouldn't want to anyway, because anyone looking at your setup would think you made a mistake by putting both power supplies on the same yoke.  (and they'd be right if you followed Code).
Your only option is to fit a 2-gang junction box so you will have 2 yokes, and run 2 independent circuits with either dual /2 cable or /2/2 cable.  (can't use /4 cable since you can't re-mark blue to be neutral).  At that point you'll have 2 sockets per circuit and 15A duplex receps are fine.  If you really want 1 socket per circuit you can get 20A simplex receps, but their rarity means cost.


Adding Insulation to Exterior Walls I am looking at purchasing an older home that is brick on concrete blocks on plaster (from the outside in).  I recently heard from someone else in the neighborhood that those homes were not constructed with insulation in the exterior walls and have inadequate insulation in the attic.  I will be talking with the home inspector about this during the upcoming inspection but am curious what kind of task it would be to take this on myself and what kind of cost I would be looking at.

If it turns out that you cannot insulate a cavity, it is possible to insulate either the inside or the outside of the walls.

If you insulate the inside then:

your walls will be "cold", this means that the materials in them will have to survive in whatever conditions you have outside, with much less additional heating from inside the house.
you will lose internal space
you will have to redecorate, move skirting boards, etc.
your windows will be recessed more on the inside.
this kind of insulation will leave cold bridges for example between the floors and where the joists meet the walls, etc.

If you insulate the outside then:

the walls will run "warm" so the materials will be kept near the temperature of the house
the walls remain part of the thermal mass of the heated space which may help you maintain a more consistent temperature inside the house, instead of it getting hot quickly when the heating is on and cool quickly when it is off.
you will have to move any external fixings (drain pipes etc) away from the wall by the amount of the new insulation layer.
your windows will be recessed more on the outside.
the external appearance of your house will be altered (although there are many finishes available, including brick veneers).
good at eliminating most cold bridges as you can cover the whole surface of the house in a continuous layer (apart from penetration by pipes, windows, etc).

In addition to thinking about how much insulation you will need and where to put it, you should also consider moisture control. Adding additional insulation anywhere will move the dew point (the temperature at which the water in the air in your house will condense), this could lead to condensation forming within the wall (interstitial condensation) and may require a vapour barrier, more/less insulation, additional ventilation, or for you to ensure that the wall can "breath" so that it can dry out when the conditions alter.


220 hot tub / spa breaker question Ok......  I had an older spa pump that went out.  I also replaced the spa pack. The old spa pack had a GFCI breaker in it and the new one does not.  So now I have to add gfci protection to the spa via a gfci breaker.  The older main panel (square D) does not make gfci breakers for that style of panel (1980's).  So I elminated the hot tub from the main and moved it into an under utilized already existing sub panel.

Here is where I am now lost..... the sub has only one bus bar, all wired attached are grounds, there is NO floating neutral bus bar. I know I can NOT run the breaker (which has a built in "coiled" neutral wire to the ground bus bar or I create a parallel circuit which will feed back current and will not trip the gfci.

So.......
Question 1:  Can I ground the hot tub in the subpanel and run the neutral into the main panel and attach it there ?  Will that create a parallel circuit?  Will that prevent the gfci breaker from tripping?

Question 2:  If that will not work....... OPTION A: is there a way to ground the subpanel, (grounding rod) and mount a new bus bar to ground box and use the other bus bar as a neutral bar.  OR OPTION B: how do I create a neutral bus bar in the subpanel...... (if this is the option I need details) I know it needs to float, but where would it connect to in the main panel ? What gauge wire would be needed?

More info..... the main panel does not have a Main disconnect breaker, the sub panel is being fed from a 60 AMP breaker in the main panel that has two wires from the breaker to the subpanel lugs, a ground and a neutral in the main panel.
The current subpanel (also Square D) bus is a ground bus running to the main panel bus.

Thank you for any and all information, I am NO electrician so any help is greatly appreciated.

It's difficult to tell from the photo if there's even a grounding conductor run along with the two ungrounded (hot) conductors, so you'll have to verify that before you go shopping for supplies. You'll also have to verify that the ungrounded (hot) conductors are the proper size. You said the panel is fed through a 60 ampere breaker, so you'll need at least 6 AWG copper conductors (solid or stranded, it makes no difference).
Shopping
Here's what you're going to need.

A grounding bus bar.
6 AWG copper THWN wire with white or gray insulation, long enough to reach from the main grounded (neutral) bar to second panel grounded (neutral) bar.
6 AWG bare or green copper conductor, long enough to reach from the main grounding bar to the second panel grounding bar (which you'll install).

If the current ungrounded (hot) conductors are undersized, you have a couple choices. You can replace them, with appropriate conductors.  Or you can install a smaller feeder breaker in the main panel, and down size the grounded and grounding conductors accordingly.
Installation
Once you have the supplies, here's what you're going to do.

Remove the brass bonding screw from the existing bus bar in the second panel.
Install the grounding bus bar (the one you purchased), in the panel.
Move all the grounding conductors from the old grounding bus, to the new grounding bus bar.
Pull the required conductors between the panels.
Connect the grounded (neutral) conductor to the grounded (neutral) bar in the main panel.
Connect the grounding conductor to the grounding bar in the main panel.
Connect the grounded (neutral) conductor to the grounded (neutral) bar in the second panel.
Connect the grounding conductor to the new grounding bar in the second panel.
Connect the grounded (neutral) pigtail from the GFCI breaker, to the grounded (neutral) bar in the second panel.

Now you should be all set.
NOTE: Depending on where the second panel is installed. You may need to install a grounding electrode, and bond the panel to it.  Check with your local building department, to determine if this is required.


Why do touch ups on flat paint show? I just had my whole house gutted and renovated due to a fire.  I am having a problem with the paint they used.  The contractor insisted on using flat paint as it could be touched up and would not show.  Well, every place they have touched up shows a different color even though they are using paint from the original batch.  Could this be because the new sheetrock was not sealed properly before painting, thus the sheetrock keeps absorbing more paint?

At minimum, you have to let the paint cure before you can really compare it.  It will blend in over time for the reasons bib mentioned.

It might also help to wipe down your walls - smoking, cooking, dirt and grime will discolor them, sometimes noticeably.

Find out how the new paint was applied.  If the original paint was applied with a roller, and the patch with a brush, there will always be a noticeable texture difference.

If the patch was not primed before it was painted then this might cause a color difference too.

Really the only way to get a perfectly blended wall is the repaint it.


Fence to Fence Post Gap, Fix a Leaning Fence There is a big gap (at least 3") between the new fence at one side and old fence at perpendicular side. As you can see in the pic, the old fence is not connecting to the new fence post. Whoever install the new fence (different neighbors) just left the old fence hanging.

If I want to DIY this, what is the easiest and safest way to fix this?

You could just use the same fasteners they used for the 2x4s to the post. Align a sister 2x4, 2' is enough, to your 2x4s and fasten away. If you don't have a nail gun, I'd use screws for the sistering so it make it easier to align things up. Nice thing is that you just gained 3" of additional land.


How to connect a 2 wire light fixture to a 3 wire ceiling box? How do I wire a light fixture with one white and one black wire to a ceiling box with one white, one black, and one red wire.

Usually red is switched, black is hot, white is neutral. However, you should verify this with either a test light or a multimeter ($5).

So the easy way to do this is to connect white to white, red to black, and see what happens when you flip the switch.

However, red might be a second circuit or part of a three way switch -- there's no easy way to tell without testing it.  Write down the voltages between white and ground, black and ground, and red and ground with all switches in both positions -- have your assistant operate the switches while you test them.

Finally, turn off the power at the breaker, connect white to the neutral, black to the hot or switched leg (your preference), turn the breaker on, and operate the switches to make sure everything is working.


What causes this glass shower door hinge separation This glass shower door was installed in 2013. The top hinge has worked itself loose three times over six years. It's not pulling away from the wall; the internal hinge is coming apart.  Is this a common problem? What causes it? Is it a defect in the hinge? Did the installers choose a hinge that was undersized for the weight of the door?  My guess is that the threads of the screws are too fine for the weight, and need to be one size up.

NOTE: The picture gets rotated during upload. Not sure how that happened.

EDIT: I've looked closer and believe the female threads in the wall-plate of the top hinge are stripped. When I grab the outer edge of the glass door and lift the door slightly up and a little towards the wall that the hinges are mounted on, I can see the screws disappearing into the wall-plate a couple of threads. They seem awfully fine threads, given the weight of a 29 x 62 x 3/8 glass door.

EDIT2:  What I was noticing with the movement of the screw was not a stripped female thread at all,  I was wrong about that; it is evidence that the head of the screw is on the wall side of the plate, as @Michael Karas notes in his answer.

It looks to me that the hinge is secured to the wall bracket with screws that enter from the wall side of the bracket. If this is the case it would be necessary to remove the screws that hold the wall bracket to the wall in order to gain access to tighten these screws that come loose.

You may want to consider the use of a thread locker product on the threads of the screws that are coming loose. This type of product comes as a thick liquid that you apply to the threads before assembly and then it dries/sets up to help bond the screw into the mating part. You should be able to get thread locker from most auto parts stores and well stocked hardware stores. One well known brand is LocTite.

Before applying the thread locker do clean the screw threads because in a shower application like this there could be a soapy deposit on the screws.

It is hard to say what the cause of the hinge screws coming loose would be. A common reason is vibration in the hinge assembly. It is possible that due to the weight of the glass door on the hinge assembly creates a low level of vibration each time the door is open and closed. From your picture the top part of the hinge has a metal to metal tight contact that could probably use some lubrication (the right side in the rotated picture) to reduce the chance of vibration from occurring.

Update: Removing and Reinstalling Door

You really do want to have a helper to hold the door steady as you remove the screws from the corners of the wall plates. The best advice here is to work out some strategy to place some support under the bottom edge of the door that holds it up just at the correct height. This should support the bottom when the door is in a position that is at right angles to the wall. Such support should be at both the bottom corner near the wall and the other bottom corner of the door. It may be necessary craft up something made with wedges, paint stirring sticks and small blocks of wood. Since this is most likely the nominally "closed" position of the door these supports may very well need to work in conjunction with the lower frame or threshold of the door.

When the door is in the supported position it should be possible to access the corner screws of the wall plates. With the door properly supported the wall plate screws should be able to be removed without putting any strain on the partially removed screws. You should aim to remove both hinges so that the whole door can be moved to another position while you work on that upper hinge. Another thing to consider when removing the wall plate screws is that since the door is in the "closed" position you will need two people, one inside the shower and the other on the outside to be able to work on removing the wall screws. One can hold the door while the other removes the screws on their side and then exchange roles.

Once you complete the work of securing the hinge screws from the back side of the wall plates you can reposition the door back on the supports and slide it back into position. Basically reverse the procedure that was used to remove the door to once again getting it secured to the wall.


Can I use metal knockout for additional NM cable? My can light junction box has 2 black clamps for NM cables and there are 3 metal knockout holes on 3 sides of junction box. (Picture shows one of these 3 knockouts).
Given the location of LINE wire and can light locations in celling, can I attach 3 NM (romex) cables with one can light ? Can light junction box has only 2 clamps , but can I use knockout hole ( metal) for 3rd cable? All cables are NM cables
1 LINE cable (through Knockout holes)
2 cables connecting to 2 other can lights. ( Through black clamps)
Take a look at diagram with red color can in question.

You have to use something when ever NM cable enters a metal box or enclosure to protect the cable from abrasion.
If you use a clamp for two cables, it must be rated for two cables of the applicable size.
For example the Arlington NM94 is made for a 1/2" trade size knockout and can be used with one or two 14/2 or 12/2 NM cables.


Do I have to remove asbestos tiles in my house before applying epoxy floor coating? I have the old style VCT asbestos tiles in my den and want to install an epoxy coating. Do I have to pay someone to remove the tiles first? Is there an alternative?

I had the same issue. You do not have to hire an asbestos removal company for this. I purchased my epoxy from epoxyplus.com.  They told they always recommend that their customers put a product called perfect primer down over their old tiles or glue floor  (as long as the tiles were not loose), then apply their epoxies on top of that.  I took their advice and it was easy and came out great.


How to Fix Busted Pipe Under Slab I have an iron pipe underneath my slab. I busted it this morning when I was working on an adjacent pipe. It is a seam-split, parallel to the pipe's axis (i.e. the split runs long-ways on the pipe).
I feel like there's something I should be able to do to fix the dilemma, given that the pipe is right there, i.e. I already have a giant hole in the wall, the slab is already dug up adjacent to the pipe, I can reach underneath AND I have a direct vertical access to the hole, only about 6 inches from the split.
I've heard about these sort of "stents" similar to an artery stent, made to patch pipes from the inside - I've also considered cutting the pipe off underneath the slab and attaching a new fitting (though I would feel like the pipe, at this point, wouldn't be durable enough to accept a new fitting if it's in the habit of splitting at the seams).
I've also given some consideration to fiberglass repair kits, like those sold by Fernco
I really would like some input from others. What are my options to fix the dilemma?

Thanks

TLDR: I ran brand new pipes down from the attic, and disconnected corroded old ones.
Update on what I ended up doing (the idea may help someone else):
I tried using plumber's epoxy on the pipe but it didn't hold. Then I tried a fiberglass resin, and that didn't hold.
Then, I called a plumber who basically said I'm SOL, but he offered to replumb my house for a little more than I'm willing to pay. But I liked his idea, so I disconnected all the connection points for that run of pipe, then dropped new PEX tubing down from the attic and tapped in at all those points. So now I have an unused pipe sitting in the ground, which isn't a problem for me, and I have hot water again.


Roughed in electrical wire tucked in the ceiling by builder/electrician When I was checking my unfinished basement I found two very long wires being folded/tied and left between joists by the builder/electrician. What are they and how to find what are they for? Each wire is (both are white 14 gauge) at least 15 feet long. They do not have power on to them, so not connected anywhere. Wires are closer to the walls and going into the walls towards the first floor. Any one has any idea?

I put in extra circuits quite often. They could have been for an option on the home that was not purchased with a speculation /track home (homes being built prior to purchased)  it is cheaper when you hire a roping crew (they just pull wire based on the generic blueprints) then the electrician  goes in and connects everything. If you don’t buy the upgrades they are not connected in the service panel.
So they may be spares for additional lighting and or receptacles.
Ask your builder to be sure but this will be the most likely answer.
Don’t cut them off if you decide to use them in the future having them can save hundreds dollars for each circuit.


Stuck plastic tile to basement concrete floor I have a basement with some plastic or vinyl tile. The tile is cemented onto the floor. I need to remove it all.

I've checked several YouTube videos about this but they only show ideal situations. My situation is terrible! The tiles are cemented onto the concrete so strongly that the only way I can get them up is by ramming a scraper (razor blade type) at the edges, over and over. It takes about ten minutes for each 12"x12" tile. It's incredibly slow and tiring (and monotonous).

There must be a better way. Chemical? Heat? I tried a heat gun but it did nothing to help. This adhesive is very strong and stubborn.

Does anyone know a trick for this?

BTW I sent in a sample to a lab and luckily it is not asbestos.

I had the same situation in my basement. I tried a scraper blade attachment with a reciprocating saw with poor results, it was hard to control and get under the tiles.

The only thing that worked for us was a floor scraper that had a long handle. It makes it easier than being on your knees with a hand scraper. Like this one 7" Floor Scraper


How to make the P-Trap sloped I am remodeling my kitchen, and am completely redoing the drain system because I have to move it over. I am looking online, and it seems that the part after the P trap to the vertical part of the drain pipe needs to be slanted. How do you make it slanted when the parts I see only make it straight.
Does it need to be slanted?
Thanks for any feedback!

(see image to see what I mean by slanted part)

Most of them are 89 degree bends (not 90 degrees) so they have about 1 degree of slope which is all that is needed.
most diagrams exaggerate the slope so that the reader can see it, and so that the picture will fit on the page.


What do I do about thinset that has oozed up between the tiles? There is too much thinset in between my mosaic shower floor tiles (in some spots it looks like grout). What do I do before grouting?

If your thinset is a couple days old or less then slight wet the thinset sticking out and go at it with a flat head screwdriver.  Usually scrapes out pretty easy the first few days.


Guidelines for poured concrete over corrugated metal It seems common in some commercial construction to use corrugated steel plates to form a 'deck' surface which concrete is later poured onto. The combined steel/concrete then forms a very strong floor surface.

I am interested if there are any guidelines for doing a similar process on a residential or DIY level. For example, an elevated shed floor could conceivably be constructed out of metal roofing over wooden joists, with concrete poured on top. Perhaps even a freestanding deck.

Ideally I'd like to find out if there are standards or guidelines for the wooden deck framing, metal gauge and other dimensions, if rebar or mesh is to be used, concrete thickness, etc. And/or what building codes might have to say about this.

Here's a commercial example just to make the general idea clear:

I don't know if such a guide is published  but if this is ever something done by contractors on a small scale then... maybe.

Also though I'm in the US where wood framing is common in many countries masonry seems to be more typical, so any global examples/information would be welcome also.

Thanks!

This is not a complete answer to the question but it is at least a residential example of this kind of construction. It shows how a front porch is put together.

So it can be done although the backgound of whether this was a custom  engineered project or how else the design was arrived at is not clear.

Steel C-channel is used as "joists" (the C-shape is facing down):

Steel deck pans are installed. These do look generally similar to roofing but seem like a purpose-made product:

The pans are cut to fit and overlap to some extent:

Concrete is poured over the deck pans:


Connect two thermostats in parallel I saw a thread about connecting two thermostats in parallel.
I could not add comment to that thread, so I put question here.
My tenants always shut off thermostat or reduce temp when they are not in their unit during winter time. It has caused several pipe to become frozen and cause a flood, though I told them many times. They just want to save money for heating.
Now based on that thread, it seems that we could connect two thermostats in parallel. I am not sure whether it could meet my requirement.
What I want to do is: on the other side of the wall (with one thermostat), I add another one (that the tenants could not see), I connect them in parallel. Once the colder months come (in our state from September to April), legal requirement is to set temp at 64 F or above. In my side, I set heating on and set temp to 64 F, to the tenant's side, even they turn off thermostat or reduce temp below 64 F , their thermostat could not do anything unless they increase temp to 64 F or above. Do the parallel connections for both thermostats work that way? Thanks.
rose

Electrically, there is no problem with it as long as you are using simple thermostats.  Smart 'stats like the Nest might have a problem with it.

Operationally, a building that is so sensitive to pipe freeze is a nightmare.  Less because of the inevitable tenant squabble (but that too), and more because that also means your house will not last long after a power failure.  You should be able to lose power for a day+ before pipe freeze becomes an issue.

Legally you are able to oblige your tenant to heat enough to prevent pipe freeze, but 65 is a pretty high bar.  I would not want to try to explain to a judge why my house couldn't handle 50.  The way that would end up playing in court is looking like you're just wasting energy because somebody else is paying for it.  I think the judge would say that's as wrong as when a tenant does it.  The tricky mechanical enforcement would only antagonize and get a harsher judgment. Wouldn't want to be defending that.


Can an illuminated switch be made to work with LED bulbs? I have an illuminated switch (made by Viko, a Panasonic brand).

The switch controls a fan with a LED bulb.  The bulb flickers when it is off and the switch is off: video

To avoid this, I have to turn off the bulb using its pull cord on the fan itself.

I realize that the switch cannot be used with LED bulbs.  But is there any way to make it function correctly?  (I.e. by adding a resistor to it, or some other, but safe way.)

A dimmer-compatible LED bulb might work. A higher wattage LED bulb could also work better, but most likely you will need a series pass element like the referenced Lutron LUT-MLC in parallel with the bulb. This is 'like' adding a resistor, but it should not get as hot. If you use a suitably rated component, it should be designed to fail safe (i.e. open circuit).

To add a bit more context... The neon indicator passes a pretty small current when it is operating, and has a fairly high but dynamic series resistance. It is quite possible for an LED power supply to extract enough voltage to just light the LEDs (maybe 30v, depending on the design). A shunt bypass element needs to pass most of the indicator current in order to ensure that the LED can't light (and the internal LED discharge resistor should help). Since all LEDs are different, there is no 'simple' answer.


How to connect 5-15P plug into 6-20R receptacle? I have a computer power supply (PSU), input voltage is 120-240V, I assume I can safely plug it into a 240V outlet. I have one those outlets in my garage, problem is that it is 6-20R type receptable and the PSU plug is 5-15P and does not fit. What should I do while being code-compliant? Change the 6-20R receptacle to a 5-15R and label it with 220V? Or, is there something like a 6-20R to 5-15R adapter that could be used? Please advise.

Assuming that your computer power supply accepts its power through a C13 socket, you could use a pigtail to make the connection.

Example: 6-20P to C13 Power Cords

Cables like this are commonly used in data centers to get 240V tolerant equipment attached to the rack PDU.


Is it ok to replace all 2-prong receptacles with GFCI ones without identifying head of circuit? I'm replacing a few 2-prong receptacles with GFCI ones in an old house. My understanding is that ideally we should identify head of circuit and only replace the head receptacle with GFCI one, while replacing downstream 2-prong receptacles with regular GFCI ones.
However since it is an old house and I might not be able to identify all head circuit correctly. I'm wondering if is it ok to replace all 2-prong receptacles with GFCI ones, is there any downside besides higher cost on GFCI receptacles?

If you want, you can certainly put GFCI outlets everywhere. Just be sure to not use the LOAD terminals on any of them. Instead, use pigtails to connect both incoming wires and outgoing wires to the LINE terminals. If you have any outlets where multiple hot and/or neutral wires connected (any the tabs are not broken), do not use the LOAD terminals to reproduce that.
Having said that, it's not that hard to eliminate the need for many GFCI outlets. Start with an outlet in a room. With the power off, remove it from the wall and disconnect all of the wires (make sure you note how they were connected if the colors are not obvious) and cover them with wire nuts. Turn the power back on and see which outlets are now dead: these are all downstream and can be replaced with normal 3-prong outlets, labeled "GFCI protected/no ground". After idntifying the incoming wires (with a voltmeter or non-contact tester), turn the power back off and replace the outlet you pulled with a GFCI outlet. Make sure to connect the incoming wires to LINE and outgoing to LOAD.
Now try another outlet, if it turns out that a new GFCI outlet is downstream, either make that an isolated GFCI or go back and replace the downstream GFCI with a normal 3-prong (labeled).
Don't forget to label all GFCI outlets "no ground".
One warning: if you try to use an outlet tester with a GFCI trip button to test your wiring, such as

be aware that this will not work without a ground. You can get around this by using a long wire with one end connected to a ground (a water faucet my work) and the other end connected to the tab on a 2-3 prong outlet converter

and plug the tester into that.


Should I remove chipped lead paint from door frames or seal and paint over? We have discovered some green paint exposed under the top layer of white paint on our doorframes. Home lead tests came back positive so my question is...
Would it be best to remove all the layers of paint including the lead or is it safe enough to seal it and then paint over it? The chips look to be general wear and tear over the years.

If the top layer of paint is peeling/chipping away, it will probably continue to do it over time and you'll be stuck repairing it in the future. Getting rid of the problem would be your best bet which was my over cautious sister's approach. I used CitriStrip and also some Peel Away to remove all the built up paint right down to the wood. No sanding was required to remove the paint, just wiped it off after letting the paint remover do its job. No fumes and no airborne particles. We were then able to finish the wood with a stain and it turned out great.


How do you remove the tip of broken screw extractor bit? I have a faucet handle with a striped hex socket screw. I tried to take it out with a screw extractor, but the tip broke off in the socket.

Is there anyway to get this out, along with the hex head screw?

The fact it broke off means the screw is probably very stuck. I would first use a penetrating oil (though WD-40 might also work), and let it sit for awhile, before trying anything further.

Hindsight is 20/20 of course, but it would have been good to do this first. If you see any corrosion or rust, or suspect it's needed and have time, this never hurts to do.

You may be able to use a small drill bit to extract the broken extraction bit, and then try again -- but be careful as you may damage the screw beyond my next tip..

If you can't get the tip out (or don't want to risk trying), I would probably use a dremel cutting wheel, and basically turn the screw into a slotted screw. This can be difficult -- not deep enough, and you'll just strip the screw worse trying to get it out, and too deep and you'll weaken the head so much it'll probably snap off when you try to turn it.

The next thing beyond this is to use a "reverse drill bit" or "left-handed bit". You can drill right into the middle of the screw itself (with your drill in reverse), and the bit should actually come out before you've gotten all the way into it. Use a bit that is smaller than the thread size, otherwise you'll strip the threads so you won't be able to put another screw back in. Again, judgment is necessary here, too small and it won't get enough grip, too big and you'll strip the threads -- though maybe by this point you don't care that much :)


Lights turn off when dimmer switch is at 100% I have various dimmer switches around the house.  Some of them have an issue that when the lights are at their brightest the lights switch off.  When switching the lights on you have to then hold it in to make the lights go just below most bright and it will then not switch off. Sometimes this can be tricky...

It's espcially tricky after a power cut when all dimmers default to full brightness again.

What is the cause of this?

Your question is lacking details but reading between the lines it seems that you have something similar to the 'touch dimmer' switches which became available in the 1980s. The 'switch' appeared usually as a brushed aluminium plate covering the whole switch box opening (but not touching the mounting screws because that would earth the plate). Touching the plate introduces mains hum into the circuit via body capacitance. This signal is used to trigger adjustment of the lighting level. In your case you have a push-button in place of the capacitive touch plate and electronics.

Electro Schematics have a sample circuit which uses the Siemens SLB0586A chip. The OP's dimmers probably use something similar. These chips are analogue electronics. (There are some logic elements in the chip but no CPU, etc., so their not digital in the modern sense.)

The dimmer uses a triac to control the power level. These work by delaying the switch-on of the lamp on each half-cycle of the mains. Triggering close to 0° will give full power. Delaying triggering close to 180° will give low power.

Dimming by phase angle control using a triac. 100% power is achieved by turning on at 0°.

The data sheet for the SLB0586A says that the maximum brightness it puts out is 152° of 180°. i.e., the earliest it will turn on at maximum brightness is 180 - 152 = 28° into the cycle. This isn't as bad as it may sound because the voltage is low at that point of the cycle and doesn't contribute much power.

The chip needs to monitor the zero-cross of the mains to get a reference for its timing circuit.

The possible clue to the OP's problem is in his comment that he has 12 V halogens fed by transformers. Transformers are inductive and shift the phase of the current relative to the voltage. This may be enough to advance the trigger pulse (which in normal operation shouldn't start until 28°, remember?) to before the zero-cross resulting in so little power that the lights appear off.

If the OP is still interested in resolving this and can identify the controller chip in one of the dimmers we can have a look at the data sheet and see if there's a fix.


Stuck/Spinning Bolt Screw Some time ago I had a handyman install a pull-up bar with some "M10 x 75" bolt screws that came included with the pull-up bar.
When I try to take the bolt screw off to remove the pull-up bar, the bolt screw just spins. If I try tightening it, it also just spins.
I have tried using vise-grip pliers to pull the bolt screw away from the wall while I turn the bolt screw counterclockwise, but I have made no progress here. Any advice would be welcome.

I have had success using a jemmy bar (or crow bar) to "load" the bolt while turning it with a spanner or socket, this gives much more pull than just pulling with pliers.


Foam to fill toilet mating surface gap The front of my toilet is not closing the gap with a marble tile floor. I can't fix the floor. I used some shower membrane under (not visible) and some shims (visible). If I can stick a foam spray nozzle in between two shims, should I spray foam inside to form a shape that would reinforce the shimming?

Cut your shims so they do not stick out past the porcelain use some silicone to keep them from moving and make sure the toilet does not rock or move. Foam will not reinforce the shims. Use toilet shims.

Then fill the gap with 100% silicone caulk, white or beige to match the floor.


Ideal approach to level a 6x8 ft bathroom? I am in the slow process of remodeling a small bathroom. The room is roughly 50 square feet. I am down to the bare joists and have 3/4" plywood that I'm about to screw down with 3" screws. After that, I plan to install half inch cement board followed by 1" porcelain hexagon tiles. The house is about 100 years old and due to settling the floor has a very slight yet continuous dip that goes downward toward the outside wall. What I mean by continuous is that if I lay a 6ft level perpendicular to the joists they are all in contact with the level.From one end to the other (a span of eight feet) I think it's roughly an inch in difference. It's by no means significant.

Since the lack of perfect leveling isn't substantial and since I  I will be installing a new toilet and pedestal sink and will reposition the original ball and claw tub (which by itself weighs several hundred pounds) I was wondering if pouring a thin layer of leveling compound over the cement board would be the most ideal fix to my unleveled floor issue. Obviously I'm not an expert in the area but I thought since the problem is somewhat minor that using a leveling compound would be the most practical solution.

I'd especially like the toilet to sit as perfectly level as possible so I am hoping to correct this minor flaw in the floor.

Leveling compounds are a last resort. They're a pain to work with and make future work more difficult. The right way to fix this is now, while you have the framing accessible. In a room that small, an inch out of level is certainly significant. You'd feel it every time you walked in.

Either rip strips to stack onto your joists, or sister 2x4s to them with their top edges at level. The latter is simpler if you would need tapered strips. Set the outer ones first and use a straightedge or dryline to set the interior ones. Use heavy-duty construction adhesive and screws for everything, including the subfloor.

3" screws are probably overkill for your subfloor. 2" or 2-1/2" are fine if the joists are solid. If not you'll get thread stripping and need longer ones. You should be able to drive the heads slightly below flush.


What is the name of this combination of screw and rotating metal piece that locks it? I recently self assembled a wooden furniture and had to use these parts:

They are used to connect boards at 90 degrees to each other. The screw is screwed into one board and the lock is embedded in the other board. The head of the screw goes in a hole and into the lock area which is then rotated to hold it in place.

That would be the cam lock nut and cam screw fastener.

They are commonly found in DIY assembly products sold by various retailers including IKEA.  According to a recent post I've read IKEA may be looking to replace this fastener type in its products, but I haven't seen any changes yet so probably best not to hold your breath.  However, there are alternatives to this fastener such as TorpedoCSIS.


Should I sharpen or replace my table saw blade? I got my table saw second hand several years ago.  It came with a general purpose blade which has served me well without cleaning or sharpening until recently.  I made what I now realize is a mistake in trying to rip some primed lumber.  The blade now binds and the saw stalls, even after cleaning it carefully.  Did I ruin the blade?  I can't really complain if the time has come to replace it.  Are sharpening services economical?  I can buy a new blade for $10-30 and I imagine sharpening isn't cheap.

It's probably more economical to replace blades than sharpen them in your case. Sending blades out to be sharpened makes more sense for higher cost blades. Forrest's, for example, start around $100 so paying $30 to have them sharpened is quite a big savings over replacement. High quality melamine blades and stacked dados are even further into nosebleed pricing.


What kind of led strip should I use? i looking forward to install LED Strips (Cool White) in my new home. But I am not sure what kind of LED Strips should I use.

Till now I have read that I can use 5050 or 3528.

In the photo the whites demonstrates the where the LED is going to be.
The doted line is the kitchen where it is supposed to be in the middle.

The whole area where the stairs appear is about 45 - 50 m2. A middle light source is going to be in the center each room (in total 3) one in the kitchen, one in the siting room and one in the middle. Also spot lights are going to be there 24 x 3w each (led cool white).

It's hard to advise without knowing more about what other lighting will be in those areas and the type of activities you will have going on in the larger room. LED strip lights are great for kitchen task lighting under the cabinets. Personally, I prefer LED over traditional halogen in that situation because they produce less (almost no) heat, more even light distribution, and of course, lower energy usage. Putting them on a dimmer also allows an evening night-light in the kitchen, providing just a very dim glow when you are stumbling to the fridge. Here is a video that shows the differences in the various LED strip lighting.
LED Strip differences - Epoxy vs Silicon, 5050 SMD vs 3528 SMD

SMD 3528 is a single chip and SMD 5050 has three chips sometimes known as “Tri-Chip”. SMD 5050 chips are generally three times brighter than SMD 3528 chips. Also, 5050 is widely used when the application for the LED strip requires multi color (RGB). For example, each 3528 emits approximately 7 lumens per chip and 5050 emits 14 lumens per chip.

SMD 3528 LED Flexible Strips

Its dimension is 3.5mm * 2.8mm, power watts is 0.08W per LED chip

These lights are great for single color splashing of walls for both interior and exterior applications, accent lighting for plants, pictures, LED under cabinet lighting, bars and many more. 3528 LEDs can be most cost effective, but will not be as bright. However, SMD 3528 LED Strip lighting will also emit the light more evenly as these LED chips are arranged closer together on the circuit board than SMD 5050 LED chips.

SMD 5050 LED Flexible Strips

Its 5.0mm * 5.0mm, power watts is 0.24w per LED chip

5050 LED chips have 3 LED chips in one housing (Sometimes called tri-chips), and are a lot brighter than 3528 LED chips. They are used when you need high illumination for your project area. Theoretically, SMD 5050 LEDs can offer a light output of approximately 3 times that of the 3528 strips, and therefore 5050 LED chips are perfect for lighting up areas that may be subject to high levels of ambient light

Even though 5050 LED’s produce more heat than 3528, it is still drastically lower than other light sources such as halogen and even fluorescent lamps. 5050 LED’s are different from the 3528 LEDs in that 5050 can combine the three different chips to create millions of color variations which is why they are widely used in RGB LED Strip Lighting. As mentioned previously, 3528 SMD led strips come in single colors only.

Source

Edit to add my personal summary to your comment:

  If you want the LED to be a "main" source of light, then you want the
  5050. If the light is just as an accent to add some even illumination to an area, then you want the 3528. The 3528 can change colors, but I
  assume you want white. They are not as bright, but the light is more
  continuous because the bulbs are closer together. 5050 is much
  brighter but can be dimmed, so I don't see a reason not to go with
  5050 unless you want to change colors.


Hot water heating recommendation I'm looking for a recommendation on the best course to update our hot water heating system.Some background: When we moved into our upstate NY, 2200 sq. ft. home five years ago, the home was heated exclusively by Weil-McClain 68 Boiler using heating oil. We have since updated most of the home to minisplit heat pumps. The boiler is now used to heat a small family room in the basement (but only when we have guests) and our hot water. We do not have a hot water tank.
We now use about 400 gallons of oil/year.

The problem is that a) I don't feel like using oil is efficient (but could be wrong) and b) when bathing or showering, the hot water doesn't stay very hot for long.

My question is: What would be the best way to heat our hot water moving forward? I have included a picture of the boiler's current space if that's helpful.

Boiler Information

This veers towards being "a matter of opinion" but you would seem to be of a mindset where a "heat pump waterheater" and perhaps "yet another minisplit for the family room" would be most suited to your direction of progress.

An oil boiler which is not heating much of anything but your hot water has a lot of "standby losses" - i.e. keeping itself warm while doing nothing. The heat exchanger coil that heats your hot water may be suffering from mineral deposits, and if so could be improved by cleaning or replacement, but if that's pretty much all your boiler is doing, it's a sledgehammer being used to drive tacks.

Various other alternatives are options, and the choice of "best" really comes down to your opinions/preferences - change to an oil-fired water heater (probably with tank - very few "tankless" units seem to exist in the market) and perhaps use a heat exchanger off that to provide the limited heat when needed to the family room - a system sized far closer to your actual needs than an old boiler that used to heat the whole house.

If you happen to have natural gas available at your house, it's generally a better cost than oil per unit of heat, and tankless water heaters are commonly available. Of course, if you do, it's nutty to have an oil rather than a gas boiler, but I've seen that sort of nutty...


What software should I use to visualize a major renovation? We are going to make major changes in our new apartment (remove walls, construct new walls, new windows, new doors, new kitchen, new bathrooms, paint, fake ceiling, new furniture  etc.). Where do I find a good software to visualize the changes, preferable in 3D with possibility to add light. We have the plan in drawing.

I had a look at Google sketchup but seems beyond my capabilities - a possibility would be to find someone to create the 3D work and send me the sketchup file. Where do I find someone and what should I expect it to cost.

I also looked at floorplanner.com but does not give me a real sense of how changes will look.

Sketchup might seem a little intimidating at first, but it is very easy to learn and use. There are a lot of great tutorial videos online. Also there are tons of free models available for furniture, fixtures etc.

I have tried a few specialized 3D home modeling programs. They all have a learning curve much steeper then sketchup and at the same time often produce inferior results.


How do I ensure my wood screws have a minimum of 120 lbs pull out or shear strength? Some assembly instructions for a project I am doing requires that I use fasteners (screws) with a minimum of 120 lbs pull out or shear strength.  What I plan to use is #8 2 1/2" coarse thread wood screws.  I've noticed that none of the boxes of screws I've ever bought in the past two years indicate any such thing anywhere on the box.  Is this pretty much a standard weight threshold with all wood screws or are some brands just "cheap" and don't make the cut?

Update:  I'll mark the only answer as the answer because it answers my question.  However, if you're not sure about the strength of your screws and you absolutely need to be, buy a brand new box that has the shear and pull-out strength clearly labeled on the box.  This is what I ultimately did.

The pull-out strength of a wood screw is going to be more dependent on the wood into which it is installed than on the material of the screw. The geometry of the screw thread also plays a role. "Cheap" screws therefore aren't what you need to worry about, instead, focus on the screw size.

Pull-out happens when you have a shear failure of the wood. A couple of formulas have been proposed to make an estimate of holding power

The Forest Products Lab of the US Department of Agriculture proposes the following:

p=15700*G^2*D*L

where p is the pull out force in pounds; G is the specific gravity of the wood (density of the wood divided by the density of water, see table 5-3 here); D is the shank diameter of the screw in inches; L is the penetration of the threaded part of the screw in inches. (Assumes reasonable pilot hole, screw into side-grain, etc...I haven't communicated all the nuance here. If your application is important enough to be calculating the pullout load, read the whole relevant section of the source document.)

Others have proposed a simple formula (stated incorrectly after the link, corrected here by me) related directly to the shear strength of the wood:

p=pi*D*L*S

where p is again the pullout strength; pi=3.14; D is the diameter of the screw, L is the length of engaged threads, and S is the shear strength of the wood. (make sure your shear strength is in units compatible with your length, e.g. if your length is in inches, your shear strength should be in PSI).

This simpler formula idealizes things and assumes that all the load is carried by a cylindrical region of the wood that is the diameter and length of the embedded screw threads (the pi*D*L above is the area of this surface). If you use this formula, be sure to reduce the actual load by a generous safety factor of 2 or more.

Personally, I'd read the FPL report and use the first formula.


Stucco around lumber I have a masonry wall that I'd like to hang a 2x6 on (6 side against the wall) so that I can use it as an anchor for a curtain rod. I would then like to stucco around it. I was wondering if it's okay for stucco to be in direct contact with lumber. The lumber will be prominent even after the stucco is applied as I don't plan to make them flush, so aesthetics is not an issue.

It is fine for stucco to be in contact with the lumber.  But if you are stuccoing over the lumber, you will need to protect it with a wrap and then the wire mesh for the stucco to hold on to.


Adjacent light circuit is inadvertently controlled by four-way switch wiring I have a four way switch.  I pigtailed two wires with the source power wire. One pigtailed wire is connected to the common screw terminal for power to the four way switch which is a three screw terminals.  The other is connected to give power to another switch for the outside light. And all neutral wires are connected together.

These two switches are side by side in one double-gang box.  The four way switches have no problem to turn on and off at three different location.  But the outside light could not work independently by itself.  It only works when I turn on the four way switch.   What have i done wrong?

I don't believe you have four way switches. Four way switches do not have commons as they do not control the light directly, they simply break the path of two other three ways. Three ways have 3 screws, four ways have 4. (And the ground)

Next, (to answer your question) since the exterior light only works when one of the switches are on, most likely you've connected to the final wire feeding from the switches to the light. I believe this imagine below will help you out:

Basically, you use 3 way switches coming from the power source and then leading to the light. Then you can use an infinite amount of four way switches between these two.

Since you can control your light from 3 locations, but this location has 3 screws - this switch is a 3 way. Now it's just finding out if it's either the first or the last. If it were the first, connecting to the common would give you what you want. However, you've most likely tied off from the last switch leading to the light and so it only works when the overhead light works. There is no way to split off power from the current location and work as you desire. You'll have to run another wire.


Wire size for emergency generator and 200 amp ats switch I have approximately 85 ft run between emergency generator and ats switch. 5 ft buried, then up exterior wall then through attic then down exterior wall to ats panel. I intend to use #1 awg 3 conductor SER with ground but not sure of the rated heat and if #1awg is correct.

200 amps will require 3/0 copper or 4/0 aluminum we would need to know how heavily loaded the circuit is expected to provide the correct wire size & for voltage drop.calculator This is easy to use code requires less than 3%. Put in your voltage 85' and expected full load.


Is wolmanized wood different that just treated wood? The title says it all, is wolmanized wood different that just treated wood?

Wolmanized wood is a subsection of pressure treated wood. There are many different processes that fall in the preserved wood category and Wolmanized wood used a copper azole process. It is manufactured by Arch wood products.


What can I do with these roof trusses to cover them up a bit? Relating to another question about loft conversion I also want to fill up the gaps in between the trusses on which the roof tiles lie on.

So during allot of build I heard here and there that some lofts should not completely seal off the space outside the tile and inside the tile because massive pressure differences in windy situation can cause the roof to implode or explode because there is nothing relieving the pressure. But that is not the case for all types of pitched roofs Problem is I do not know when this applies or not.

I have an idea to block piece by piece with a piece of plank- fill it with expansion foam and let it grow and easily overflow.. piece by piece(painfully slow) but end of day its extremely light weight and are porous to an extent. I do not want place plaster board as they weight too much. Then I can just smooth the foam and paint it even with the joists also saving head space (its already a bit tight in some place. I do not want to do this all the way to the bottom. Just the top to about 3/4 way down. The last 1/4 length I want to convert into cupboards / drawers - so they are not air tight but also add extra protection from cold.  The space in-between the load bearing wall and where the trusses lie onto are not insulated.. I think It has to stay like that.

Any suggestions? I am a bit stuck on this...

In the US, you can find rigid insulation panels of polyisocyanurate foam

and polstyrene foam

These can be cut to fit tightly between studs or rafters, can be flush with the face of the wood and are thick enough to be self supporting.  They are usually sealed to the wood using broad tape, such as aluminum.

They are not cheap and not very strong if hit, but have a very high R value.

They also could be covered with either very thin drywall or the new ultralight drywall.


How should I terminate a black plastic drain pipe? I'm removing a flush toilet, with the plan to put a composting toilet in its place. The old toilet was short but elevated on a small platform. The new toilet is taller, so I'm removing the platform.

The drain pipe is black plastic. I assume I can't disassemble it at a joint, but must instead cut it with a hacksaw. Is that correct?

What's the proper way to cap the pipe? Maybe some day I'll want to put a flush toilet in again, so it needs to be suitable for doing that.

You didn't mention if the drain pipe is accessible from under the floor. Assuming it does not pass directly through a concrete slab, the only safe way to terminate and seal the pipe from backwash and septic gas is to cut it off and glue the proper sized cap on with primer and PVC cement.  If and when you need to reinstall the drain, simply cut off the pipe again below the cap and use a coupling to continue the pipe run back to a new closet flange. Do not use a screw cap. They are for temp use or pressure testing only. The hardware can rust, loosen and leak.


How should I prepare subfloor for backerboard installation in bathroom tiling project? A couple questions about installing tile in my second floor powder room. There is tile in our kitchen on the same floor.

I assume because of the kitchen tile on the same floor that my engineered floor truss joists are strong enough to handle tile. Safe assumption?
I replaced about half the subfloor sheathing due to rotting. The new sheathing looks much nicer and flatter than the old sheathing I left on. How important is it for the subfloor to be absolutely smooth before I lay the thin set + concrete backerboard?
I left gaps between the new and old subfloor sheathing (and the walls) of about 1/4 inch (slightly more in a few spots). Do I need to fill these gaps with anything before I lay the thin set + backerboard?

1) Safe assumption.  Your floor trusses are carrying the load of the entire room.  A little extra tile weight isn't going to matter.

2) You want a relatively level surface but the thinset itself will have enough flexibility to allow your final floor to be perfectly level, provided you take the time to make sure each tile is placed level.  If your variance is more than 1/8" you'll need to apply more/less thinset based on the relative height (lower subfloor - more thinset) in order to ensure you can get level.  If you want to remove all doubt, a thin layer of self-leveling concrete poured first (seal all holes!!!) will give you that level surface you want.

3) I personally wouldn't have put any gaps between the subflooring as long as the material is the same.  However the thinset will fill your gaps - and you don't want to fill the gaps around the outside wall because those do serve a purpose for expansion.

One other note - this is a bathroom floor right? PLEASE apply waterproofing to the floor before you proceed.  Water will penetrate grout (unless it's epoxy) and get trapped, and if you don't waterproof the wood then it'll rot.

Also - related to my comment above - you don't need to use backerboard.  Backerboard is for wall mounted tile, to be used instead of drywall (it doesn't rot).  However, as indicated in the comments below, using it is fine and may in fact be recommended as it's a better surface for water protection than wood when under a floor.


Need help determining if a multiwire branch circuit is wired correctly When I opened up my walls for a kitchen remodel I discovered what I'm pretty sure is a multi-wire branch circuit. It has a 12/3 (black + red + white + ground) NM cable going back to the breaker. I think the black wire is attached to breaker 6 (20-amp) and the red to breaker 8 (20-amp) which are both on the same side of the panel stacked one on top of the other. From reading about this it sounds like the white neutral wire is shared for both circuits. I also read that unless this is wired correctly to a double pole breaker so that the current in each circuit is on different phase there could be a fire hazard on the shared neutral.

What are some simple tests I can do to make sure this is wired safely and correctly? The house was built in 1986 so it has been this way all this time and I assume is wired safely and correctly but I want to make sure before closing everything back up. It sounds like the key to this is that the two circuits are on a double pole breaker and each one is wired to a separate pole.

Use a multimeter to measure voltage between the two hots (black to red). You should get somewhere around 240 volts. If you get 0 volts, the breakers are on the same leg.

An empty service panel looks like this

I've drawn rectangles where breakers would go, and labeled the legs A and B. As you can see, breakers across from each other (left/right) are on the same leg, while breakers next to each other (up/down) are on different legs.

If you measured between breaker 1 and 2, you'd get 0 Volts. This is because they're on the same leg, so they're at the same potential. If you measured between 1 and 3, you'd get ~240 Volts. These breakers are on separate legs, so they're not at the same potential.


How to fix chimney hole in roof? I've starting insulating the roof and that got me looking at the "old" hole where a (useless) chimney used to be. That chimney got removed for a solar panel setup.

As I'm insulating, this needs to be closed off from the weather entirely. I just have no idea on how to approach this.

What can you see (in order top to bottom) in the picture:

red roof tile (they did a shit job "closing" the hole left by the removed chimney) - will be writing them to come fix that as it just lets air in
some sort of mashed wood, possibly plywood (on top of which are horizontal strips of wood as braces for tiles)
80's roof insulation
mashed wood sheets

The brighter yellow is a filler foam that was around the chimney.

The new-looking wood bit is a small piece of plywood they (didn't) cover the whole hole with (and I now can't get to due to solar installation on top of it).

Can I fix this from the inside to be isolated from the weather? How to do so?

Sizes are in centimeters
Apologies for names of things, no idea what the names are of something like "mashed wood sheet" in English
Also no idea if this would be the place to ask, but StackExchange doesn't seem to have another site for this, didn't think the wood-working one was a good fit

This should really be fixed from the outside first and an appropriate water barrier placed over the hole. If your only concern is closing the hole you could simply cut out a piece of plywood (mashed wood) to fit the whole and then use one or two small strips of wood to screw that piece into the surrounding wood. Something similar to the below:

Then fill the cracks with a foam. However, all this would do is seal the hole from any real air flow, but would leave a potential problem for leaks if any water was to get under the tiles. As such it is really recommended to get who ever fixed the tiles to come back and do things properly.


Winter fly problem in the UK I live in the northwest UK. On Christmas Eve 2018, flies started to appear in my living room during the evening. I have never had anything happen like this before. I have a very very clean house. The home is semi detached. It is now February 3, 2019. I have cleaned my house from top to bottom and sealed any spaces that might be vulnerable. There is not a space that I don't know about. However, the flies still get inside every evening. This is driving me insane. I am at the end of my tether  and cannot solve this problem.  I have scoured the internet for possible solutions but I have gotten nowhere. What else can I do? Can anyone give me any ideas I have not thought of already?

If they are cluster flies, you have probably sealed them up inside the home. They got in during the summer and laid eggs that are hatching now. Here is a product to get rid of cluster flies. You can probably locate something similar in the UK.


How to replace this weird faucet aerator? I'm trying to remove my aerator but it doesn't seem like the standard one that you can unscrew it with a delta key or a wretch. I guess the issue is because the water pipe is attached to the aerator as in the first picture. Any advice on how I can get rid of this bad boy?

The faucet is broken. Your faucet is of a newer type where the water flows through the spout and out the aerator via a plastic tube that runs inside of the metal "spout" (this allows manufacturers to avoid metallurgical complications related to the amount of toxic lead in the brass used for the spout).
The aerator piece has broken away from its attachment point; the piece that it used to thread onto is stuck in the aerator itself.


How can I get touched up paint to match? I recently tried to touch up a spot on my living room wall.  Nearly 20 hours later, that spot looks exactly like it did when I first painted it.  I have the exact paint that the wall was painted with.  Should I water down the paint a little to help it match?  Would painting again with the watered down solution even help?  I absolutely cannot repaint the whole wall, but hope there is a way to fix this.  Will rolling over this spot with a roller brush instead of a regular paint brush make a difference?

The texture difference is most likely the function of brush vs. roller. Do not thin the paint. Try using a roller, but use very litle paint on it. You are trying to get just a bit of a top coat that give the slight stippling that vitually all rollers leave behind.


Can rigid foam board have an air space between it and rim joist? I am insulating my rim joists with 2" rigid foam board.  Most of the rim joist is bare, and the foam fits along it nicely.  Some sill boxes have some small irregularities (vent pipes, plumbing, etc) that I have worked around easily enough.

However, there are many electrical cables running along the rim joist near the circuit breaker box.  For a good 10 feet in either direction, there are enough cables that it doesn't seem practical to get the foam board flush against the rim joist.  Yes, I could carefully and laboriously cut little channels for each cable in the back of the foam, but that would take a long time.

Is it okay to simply push the foam against the cables and call it good enough?  This will leave some air pockets trapped between the foam and the rim joist because the foam will be off of the joist a 1/2" or so (the width of the cables).  Will this cause moisture or other problems?  Seems it shouldn't as long as I do a good job sealing around the foam board.

(p.s. I know that spray foam would be the ideal solution, but we are trying to avoid that, mostly for cost reasons)

Spray foam would not be either an ideal or recommended procedure to cover up all the wires where they exit from the main power panel. The first moment when some electrical problem needs troubleshooting, you need to add a new circuit or an existing wire needs moving you will be cussing that you ever thought of spraying in foam in this area.


Install Ceiling Fan Box with light only Is it possible to install a ceiling fan box (new construction) and only attach a ceiling light fixture to it instead of a fan? I would like to have the fan box installed for future application but do not want a fan installed as of now.

Yes, that's a good idea. It's essentially the same box just stronger. It also needs to be installed with the correct hardware.  Install a fan box in every room where you would typically put in a ceiling fan, the cost to do it now is minimal compared to the cost of doing it later.


Paint a twenty year old door that have some paint peeled off If one do not want to use a paint stripper to remove the remaining paint, is it recommend to paint a new water-based wood paint on the door?

First, read up on lead paint.
Second, post a photo.
Third, what's your budget?

Painting water based over oil is possible, but only with good preparation.


Why do the burners on my stove turn on and off while in use? I've got a Whirlpool RF378LXPB0.

The two front burners (that can heat a smaller, inner burner, or both the small and larger around it) do not heat up all the way. When turning them on HI, the elements heat up red but then turn off after a few seconds. Once they cool down a bit they'll turn back on and heat up a bit until shutting off once again. I'm not mechanically or electrically inclined, and am not sure where to even start looking.

The "burners" on an electric range have TWO settings - off and on. There is no in between. So they turn on and off to maintain a goal.

With the burner set to high, normally they stay on almost all the time, heating the pot on top of it to boil water. With the heat control set to an intermediate value, the burner will kick on and off repeatedly to maintain a goal temperature. However, if you leave a pot off of the burner, they will overheat if they stay on permanently. The temperature sensor recognizes this fact, and that there is no need to leave the burner on.

All of this is different for a gas range, where it is the amount of gas that is fed to the burner to control the heat.

Note that an electric range will cook more slowly than a gas range. So you may think the stove is not working properly, when it actually is working as it is designed. One other important point - a smooth top range like this cooks most efficiently with flat bottomed pots. You need good contact over the bottoms to get good heat transfer, and good heat transfer is essential for cooking. Check this fact by taking one of your pots and hold a ruler across the diameter (underneath the pot). Or take the pot and touch the edge of your counter top. Sight along that straight edge. Most pots tend to have a bit of a dish to them, so the center of the pot may stand off by as much as 1/4 inch. Those pots will perform poorly. (Sorry, but they will.)

That concave pot bottom is fine for a gas range. But it will hurt you with a smooth top electric range.


What do I need to use a headboard? I am hoping to get a headboard like this one. What do I actually need to use it? Is the common option to use a metal bed frame or is there some other type of bed structure that I should be using with it?

There is no reason that the headboard has to be attached to the bed frame.  I have slept quite soundly at the houses of family members where the headboard was a freestanding fixture or attached to the wall and the bed sat on the floor next to the headboard.


What's the minimum amount of electricity used by an appliance? My Kill A Watt P4400 by P3 International shows 3 watts electricity usage if anything is plugged in. Do things plugged in, regardless of whether they are ON or OFF, really use a minimum of 3 watts or is it an inaccuracy on the part of the Kill A Watt?

Pardon me if I misuse terminology; I'm not too familiar with electrical terminology, only electronics.

To test, plug a non-electronic lamp in, and turn the lamp off.  Your P3 should show zero watts, or it is clearly defective.

Many electronic devices have "parasitic" or "phantom" or "vampire" power usage: I have a toothbrush charger that shows about four watts, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  There's a radio that when off shows about ten watts.  And several Apple chargers that show a big zero when charging is done, due to better technology.

Note with the P3 you'll have to measure over a period of a few days, to accurately measure devices that draw less than one watt.

Here's an example study on the topic:
http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1046&context=eesp
See also:
How do you determine how much electricity is used by a device?


Laying vinyl floor sheets on concrete I have a concrete floor, which needs work to make it really level (i just poured it). Once I have it level enough I would like to install vinyl sheets for the finished flooring. Is it reasonably easy to make the concrete level enough, and can anyone advise me about what products to use to do this? And then, should I seal the concrete? What is the best sealer to use? I have been told that the glue used for the vinyl will not stick if the concrete is too moist, which is why I assume I need to seal it.  Thanks!

Before you decide on the flooring you'll want to do a moisture test. Vinyl floor will not allow any water vapor to escape the slab, so as moisture wicks up through the slab it will become wet below the vinyl. This can lead to mold issues and a breakdown of glues and patching compounds. There are plenty of effective ways to deal with a moisture in a slab, but without a test you won't know which to choose.

Now to the question of leveling the concrete, first step is to map out the slab to determine high and low spots. The easiest way to do this is to set up a rotating laser in the middle of the room, be sure it's sitting level and turn it on projecting a level line around the room (the height you set it at doesn't matter). Next take a straight stick, pole, broom handle, whatever as long as its straight, set it next to the laser and place a mark on it where the laser hits it. Then make your way around the room taking note where the laser is hitting the stick in relation to the first mark. Plot several points around the room (the more the better). Marks above the control line means the floor is low, below means high.

High spot are best ground down, low spots are best filled. Most jobs I've done require both grinding and filling. If you find more low spots than high the more leveler you need, more high then low the less you need. Remember to respect all control and expansion joints, and follow the manufacturer's instructions to the tee to insure a proper job.


How to cover up a gap in a badly installed cabinet? The apartment I moved into has a kitchen with cabinets as most kitchens do.
I noticed that in the mornings it has been especially cold in the kitchen, and I traced the cold air to a large gap in the corner of one of the cabinets.

The photo below was taken inside the corner cabinet. You can see a pipe exposed. A lot of cold air is seeping in through here.

What simple things can I do (without involving the slow-moving elderly landlord) to patch this up and minimize the amount of cold air that gets in?

It looks like they had to cut it out to go around the pipe.
To seal this up I would get a can of spray foam and fill the gap, the foam will seal the gap and act as insulation.


Can I add an outlet for electronics to a lighting circuit? I'd like to install some speakers in my ceilings and I'm looking to run them with a Chromecast plugged into an amplifier. Would it be possible, legal and safe to get the power from the lighting circuit already in the ceiling?

Also, any tips on how I should go about it?

No.

There are a few issues here. While what you're doing could in theory safe, the rules are designed so that "what if"s are taken care of. ie. you're installing a socket which could be used for anything, so you have to allow for that.

Sockets now require RCD protection, which you won't have on your lighting circuit.
The rating for the lighting circuit will be lower than a socket circuit.
You're required to terminate a lighting circuit in a suitable fixture. The rules allow for "a suitable power socket", but the implication here is that you'll be using a type D socket, as is typically used for things like table-lamps/uplighters on lighting circuits. Adding a type D plug to your appliance would probably invalidate it's certification.
AFAIK you'll be required to submit a "Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate" to local building control. While this can be done by a homeowner, it requires you to be competent, comply completely with wiring regulations and have tested the works properly.
Your insurance company might require that works be carried out by a qualified and suitably registered electrician.

But! But!
Ok, so for point #1 you could add an RCD socket.
For point #2 you could in theory add a FCU (fused connection unit) with a 3A fuse - but here you run the risk of someone coming along in the future and changing the fuse for something higher. This in effect rules out this potion
Points #3-5 I don't see a way around.

All-in-all - this has bad idea written all over it.


How do I split a 60-amp subpanel into 3 20-amp circuits? I'm putting a 60 amp service from my main breaker to a sub-panel.

How would I separate that to 3-20amp breakers?

And what size wire do I need to run?

It is underground and 100 feet from my house.

6 AWG copper wire (x4) for a run less than 75ft., 4 AWG copper wire (x4) for runs less than 150ft.

You can pull individual conductors through conduit, or use underground feeder cable (Type UF).  Individual conductors will have to be rated for wet locations, so you'd likely use THWN.

Since it's a secondary panel, you'll need to run a grounding conductor.  If you're pulling conductors through conduit, you'll want a white grounded (neutral), green or bare grounding, and two colored ungrounded (hot) conductors (black and red are common for hot conductors).

You'll use individual branch circuit breakers in the panel, to divide into smaller (15-20 ampere) branch circuits.

You'll also have to isolate the neutral bar in the panel, so that it's not bonded to ground. Which likely means removing a jumper between the grounding and neutral bars.


Plugging a kitchen sprayer that has a quick-connect fastener? TL;DR: Is there an easy way to properly plug a kitchen faucet sprayer when the sprayer uses a quick-connect instead of a threaded connection? Simply cutting the hose and plugging it isn't an option.

Full story: My wife and I currently rent our house, and we only have a sink with a sprayer in the kitchen, no dishwasher or in-sink garbage disposal. She managed to find a great deal on a portable dishwasher ($50 for a barely-used one that would have retailed for around $300), and snapped it up. We stashed it in the garage until I could get the time to hook it up.

Upon further research (hindsight is always 20/20), I found that hooking up a portable to a faucet with a sprayer can potentially cause the sprayer to blow. The obvious solution was to remove the sprayer and cap the feed to the sprayer hose. I figured it would be no big deal, as the guides I found online basically showed unscrewing the hose and capping it with a 3/8" brass cap, and we could just stash the sprayer under the sink & put it back when we move out. Easy-peasy, right? I popped over to the hardware store and got a cap, tape, and a plug for the sprayer hole in the sink, figuring that the faucet would have standard fittings.

Wrong again. Upon getting under the sink, I found that the faucet uses a quick-connect sprayer hose, rather than a standard threaded connection. The thing uses a Peerless/Delta RP54807 sprayer kit. This obviously torpedoed my plan to just cap the thing and be done with it, because there were no threads to screw anything on to.

This brings me to my question: Is there an easy, non-permanent way to remove the sprayer and cap that quick-connect barb, so we can hook up the dishwasher? If not, I'll happily just swap the faucet for one with standard connections, but I'd really rather not do that if I don't have to.

Home Depot carries caps for most quick connects. Go to the store and look at the RP40301 (cap for round) or the RP60295 (cap for square quick connect). Both are made for Delta to convert faucets from "with sprayer" to "without sprayer". These Delta numbers will work at other stores, too.
Hope this helps.


What is the recommended number of teeth for making finish cuts with a miter saw? I'm going to be cutting 1x6 oak planks with a miter saw, but I'm not sure what blade to use. I currently have a 24T blade in the saw (which I know for sure I don't want to use), since I usually use it for cutting framing lumber. I've never made fine finish cuts with this miter saw, so I'm not sure if I should use more or less teeth than I would if I was cutting with a table saw.

At this point I'm torn between 60T and 80T, and I'm just not sure which to choose.  As mentioned in This Question, I'm going to be making 45° bevel cuts at one end of each plank. I'm not sure if this is a factor when choosing a blade or not, but it seems like it might make a difference.

The difference between a 10" 60T and 80T saw blade is only slightly noticeable.  In practice, chip out with either isn't a huge concern, provided you go slow.  An 80T blade is naturally going to slow you down more, so that may be useful if your tendency is to yank the radial arm down and go.

Another consideration is the end grain of the piece, some trees are just flakier than others, in that case an 80T is a safer bet.

Teeth aren't the whole story.  If you throw a crosscut table blade on a miter saw it might have a tendency to feed faster than you want. If you get a miter blade then there's not a ton of difference. The miter saw blade teeth are back angled a bit to avoid pulling the arm in on you.

So the safe bet is the 80T miter blade, but I'd be surprised if a 60T gave you any trouble.


Installing a ceiling fan, 1920s home We are attempting to install a ceiling fan into our 1920s home.   The light fixture was centered in the room, above it are two wooden cross sections (I’m guessing to support the floor above).
We can’t get the new fan box/brace to center in the hole that is there.
What should we do, Cut out the plaster ceiling so the fixture will be off center from the room (not preferred)?
Or, would it be OK to cut/remove the cross section so the fan support brace will fit, leaving the fixture center in the room?

The cross bracing there is just to keep the joists from twisting and isn't required. You can cut it out.
Take extreme caution in doing so!

Vibrations from any kind of saw will jiggle lots of dust down on you and could crack the plaster on the ceiling.
MORE IMPORTANTLY: You have a wire right there and it would be very easy to accidentally cut into it.

Make sure that this wire is dead (breaker is turned off, test to be sure with a non-contact voltage checker) before working near it.
Odds are really good that in addition to the old-work ceiling fan brace you've got there (good job on picking that up!) you'll also need an extension of some sort in order for the ceiling fan bracket to actually reach the mount points on the box. Because of the height of the legs on your old-work support and the extra depth of plaster & lath, the box that comes with the support just won't be tall enough to be flush with the ceiling or slightly below. I'm not certain of the best, code approved, way of doing this in a retro-fit, so you may want to ask a new question about that.


How to find the leak in a basement? There is a leak in my basement as you can see in the picture below, probably close to the roof of the basement as I've highlighted in my picture.

Question:

How can I find that leak, knowing I cannot spot it?

PS: Should I mention , the basement's roof is close to a rain gutter. Each time it is raining, the water drops close to that basement and the leak/hole is making the basement wet and sometimes flooded (when raining heavily).

Update: This is what stand above , on the corner where the leak is happening

I can see some cracks in the cement at the top of the drain. it looks like the drain is full of debris is it draining properly? If the drain is plugged or partially obstructed the water may be backing up enough and flowing through the cracks. Sealing the cracks with hydraulic cement (outside the house) will reduce the amount of water escaping the box and that should reduce the water entering the basement. Make sure to seal the cracks all the way to the bottom if they extend that far down I cant tell in the photo.


LED lights in bathroom I have a problem in my bathroom with a switch and LED lights in the roof (6 of them).
The switch is double; the right switch is for LED lights in the roof with a dimmer and the left one is for a mirror light, also LED.
So, just by themselves, the LED lights in the roof turn off after few minutes (random time) after many, many years of working, and after that it was again turned on manually by the switcher and the LED lights in roof were just shining very faint (like when they are on the lowest level with the dimmer).
I took one LED light in the roof out, and also a transformator of that LED.
I checked the connections, checked the input in a 230V transformator, checked the output (it was something small, I don't remember exactly - 10, 12 or 24).
I took off the switch and saw everything was connected in the right way:

Maybe the connection to the switch is broken and it is returning to what it thinks is the previously set dimming level?

Or maybe the overheating or short-circuit protection in the LED-driver is activating and turning off the outputs.

The correct wiring is as shown below

Note that the "switch-dim" connection should be connected to a momentary pushbutton switch - not to an external dimmer and not to a normal two-position lightswitch.


Can I extend a light switch loop to add an outlet? I want to add a wall outlet by utilizing existing wires that are currently connected to my bathroom fan wall switch. I do not want a switched outlet. I want the outlet to have constant power. The existing fan switch only has a black and white wire connection. There are no other wires inside the fan switch box.

It's not possible. If you add a device on those lines you'll close the circuit to your light/fan and have several devices in series. This reduces voltage and creates a potentially hazardous situation.


How difficult is it to repair or replace a preserved wood foundation? I am looking at buying a house that has a PWF (Preserved Wood Foundation) foundation. Though there are some benefits to having one there seems to be varying opinions on such a foundation. I'm wondering if anyone has had experience/issues with PWF?

For those that have had experience/issues with it:

How hard/expensive is it to repair PWF foundations compared to traditional concrete foundations
If you had to replace the entire foundation how difficult is it compared to concrete foundations (both cost and feasibility).
What is the expected lifespan?

I am in Maine where climate is similar. There are very few Preserved or pressure treated foundations here. I have seen them on out buildings, barns and some summer camps. They are rarely used for dwellings, with good reason. Wood and water do not mix, regardless how well they have been treated. Even though some have been in used for over 50 years, every one I have seen during inspections has some degree of deterioration. Typical posts are 8X8 or larger and usually show a fair amount of decay at the ground line. Many have already been replaced with concrete sauna posts. Depending on the water and soil conditions, all wood in the ground is going to rot in time unless you are in the desert with no vermin eating away at it. To be honest, there is no way to accurately predict how long something like this will last.

As far as replacing them, the process is straight forward. The structure will need to be jacked up a bit and supported. The new foundation will need to be excavated and poured. How much you will need to raise the building depends on how large it is and how many points of support you need. The major factor is getting enough room to work under the structure. If only outside supports around the parameter, then you may only need to raise the building a few inches for a shallow block foundation, however if you are going to put in a frost wall, full foundation or 4 foot sauna tubes, you may need to raise and crib the building much higher to accommodate forms and machinery. This is really not a DIY project and should be tackled by a house rigger that has the tools and experience to do the work without destroying the house, windows, doors floors etc.   The basic utilities such as water, septic or sewer and electrical service usually have to be disconnected and modified as well. This can be a very expensive project.

If I were in you position and had the choice between two buildings, one on a solid concrete foundation and one on wood, the choice is easy. In your case, I would advise having a structural engineer inspect the property and render a specific opinion and possible replacement scenarios.


Whirlpool tub Wiring circuit Ran in to a whirlpool tub with a heater on 14.2 wire hooked up on a 20 amp breaker that’s all that’s on the line with a gfi plug any problems

14 Gauge wire on a 20Amp breaker is a clear code violation if you are in the USA, at least. It needs to be replaced with 12 Gauge minimum.


Can a problem with heater stack liner cause outside chimney mortar to crack and fall out I had "high-efficiency" furnace installed in 2009. In 2011 chimney required full grind-out and repoint job, and chimney saver solution was applied to prevent water damage. Service lasted only 18 months. Company now informs me that they missed identifying a faulty furnace liner, as mortar is coming away from chimney, although there are cracks throughout including front of the chimney alongside the fireplace stack. Is this likely, or is it possible that previous pointing work did not cure because of rain following day? They state that the new furnace is creating moisture and liner is in need of replacement.

Rain a day after pointing work will help, not harm, the cure. Freezing weather would harm the cure.

High efficiency furnaces output low-temperature flue gas - more heat in your house, less up the chimney = higher efficiency.

Flue gas is always moisture-laden, and starting at a low temperature and then dumping into a cold masonry chimney means the moisture will condense out inside the chimney, rather than exiting as a gas and condensing outside the chimney. Depending on the gas quality, this condensate may be somewhat acidic, thus corrosive (attacks mortar, steel etc.)

It would be worth checking your furnace manual for chimney recommendations - many of the very high efficiency units actually want to be vented into PVC that's sloped to let the moisture drain out (or at least has a drain at the bottom, if vertical.) The temperature (on those furnaces) is so low that PVC is perfectly adequate for the temperature, and it has good chemical resistance. A stainless steel liner would be another possible option - a masonry liner might well not. In any case, what you use should comply with what the new furnace wants, which may not be what the old furnace had (or needed.)


Drywall extended out from studs? I moved into a house I’m renting a few months back. I’m allowed to drill holes in the walls so long as I cover them before I move out...

So I’ve marked the studs, I drill, and there’s nothing behind the drywall. I’m no expert, but I’m a little confused as to how I’ve found a stud and there’s no stud. Could the drywall be extended?

In case you’re thinking I’m stupid (though I’m not saying I’m not! Haha), here’s a little more explaination of what I’ve done:

Found stud with Franklin Sensors Prosensor 710
Confirmed by sound (knocking on wall) after drilling and not finding a stud
Confirmed with magnetic stud finder
Still confused, used a piece of wire to check depth - there’s something in the way of the wire 4 and 1/4 inch deep, nothing in the way left or right of where the stud apparently is.

I don’t want to go cutting huge holes in the wall to figure out what’s behind them unless I have to. Could the drywall be extended out for some reason? These are the walls around the foundation of the basement.

Thanks!

Simply put...you missed the stud location when you made the hole.

You could try using a wire in the wall up, down, right and left from your hole to locate the actual stud location.

Note that stud locators and never deterministic for every situation.


How to open the cover of flush mounted ceiling light dome to change light bulb I have mounted ceiling light dome that can't twist, pull, push or open in order to change light bulb.
It looks like this:

I have tried twisting it counter-clockwise,clockwise with bear hands, with latex glows, tried pulling it down and nothing moves it one bit. I have noticed 3 small holes on the upper side that are visible on the second picture, but because of there position and size it is impossible to reach screws (if there are any) with screwdriver.
I don't even know what model is this light-fixture, because I moved in new apartment recently.

They may be set screws which would normally require  an Allen driver. That would give you access with the short part of the proper sized Allen driver.


Is gravel and sand a suitable base for concrete pavers? I'm planning to remove my old deck, and place concrete slabs 40x40cm instead. A few questions:

Is it sufficient to put a gravel on the ground and sand on top of it? I thought this should prepare a good foundation for slabs.
Should I be placing slabs right to the house foundation (it's standing ~50cm above the ground)? If slabs will be adjacent to the house foundation, will there be a risk of rain water leaking under foundation?

I found this useful video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqsc6zX6SEs

3"-4" of compacted base rock, then an inch of compacted and screened concrete sand on top of that and your good to go. Brush in some polymeric sand in the joints when y9ur done


Why my hot water goes out in less than 2 mins? All the water outlets in my condo can only supply hot water for at most 2 mins and then I am left with cold water. I changed my gas water heater 2 days ago, but the problem continues. I was desperate when I thought the problem was finally resolved but was left with cold water again during a shower. Do anybody happen to know what is going on here ? Thank you a lot.

Check the dip tubes on hot water heater.
Isolate the hot water heater to make sure the heater was running properly.
Turn off the radiant heat systems and bypass them with the built-in valves.
Open up each shower fixture and close off the water valves to take those out of the equation.
If the hot water still run cold do next:
Remove the recirculating pump and check the system.
Remove the check valves beginning with the one near the recirculating pump and discover the broken valve. If this still didn't work, they would've kept going to check every check valve in the system(three total).

Maybe it helps