Butt joints with screws I'm building a small wooden foundation for a new shed (pic below, joints in question highlighted). I'll be using wood screws to put it all together. My question is simple, should I be screwing through the perpendicular piece into the butt of the other piece ( =|| <##)? Or try to toenail the screw from the butt piece into the cross piece ( ##> =|| but a toenail angle)?

My experience is that if you use a pre-drilled hole that includes a countersink using a tapered drill bit like this:

Picture Source
...that it can be very easy to use 2 1/2" or 3" length deck type screws in either toe screw application or thru to end grain joining. If toe screwing is done properly with three screws it is ultimately stronger then screwing into the end grain of the wood at the butt joint. It does take some extra care to make sure that when tow screwing that you keep the member aligned with your layout marks. Often times I have found it useful to pre-drill all three pilot holes (two from one side and one on the other) and then start all the screws together. This way there will be less tendency for one of the angled screws to try to pull the piece off the line.
When using screw construction like this I prefer to use stainless steel screws with a square drive bit. Large screws with a Torx drive are also OK but can strip easier than a square drive in my opinion and experience. I also keep two power tools handy at the work site, one with the pilot drill and the other with the screw driver bit. I also prefer the screw driver tool to be a unit specifically designed for driving screws as they generally have lower RPM (more gear reduction) and thus more driving torque even at low speed selected on the variable speed trigger.


Does insulating an Air Conditioner from inside (for winter) increase chance of damage? I have two window air conditioners that I'd like to seal during winter (Friedrichs).  I'm considering sealing them from inside (with blankets or foam) as they let in a lot of cold air and noise.  However, I'm thinking thermodynamically that means the AC will get a lot colder (since it's not being warmed from inside the house).

I would be installing something like this: Chillstop from Sustainablesupply.com

Does this increase chance of damaging the AC?  Can the AC (I'm thinking in particular the ball bearings) handle being in winter without thermo access to the inside of the house?

These are removable AC's but then I have the problem of storage and sealing in the window casing (it's screwed into the window itself).

Any advice/thoughts much appreciated!

The cold won't harm the AC units the internal components of the compressor are hermedicly sealed. The fan bearings are usually double shielded so there is no problem there. It's really not much different than storing then in an unheated storage space.


How can I reduce flicker on an ELV chandelier? I wired up a set of ELV lights in my dining room and used this particular dimmer switch (Lutron MRF2-6ELV-120-WH) at the switch box.

The wiring was rather straightforward. No more complicated than the attached image. At the switch box, I had everything I needed. Line, load and neutral. The light, though, has a noticable flicker--not too bad when it is turned on full, but when dimmed becomes quite noticeable, especially around 20%. The flicker
seems to be about 3-4Hz.

The common consenus seems to be that I didn't properly use the neutral wire, but I am quite sure I did.

Furthermore, I have contacted the manufacturer of the light directly, and asked them if it is known to have any issues with the switch I chose. They actually set up the exact configuration on their test bench and told me that the lights are 100% compatible with the switch and that they had no detectable flicker.

What might I be able to do, if anything, to reduce the flicker?

Is the issue in the integrity of the neutral wire? Is there anything I can do to test that it is properly wired to the breaker box and that there are no "leaks" to ground or elsewhere? Would that even cause the flicker?

Here is an example of a similar wiring situation:

Additional info:

These are the lights, there is no additional transformer. It is all built into the chandelier.

Well, I solved the problem, but not the way I expected.

Basically, I used a non-ELV dimmer switch from GE instead. Works much better. I guess the conclusion from this is that the Lutron Maestro is a crappy dimmer. Good thing they discontinued it.


What is the maximum 12/2 wire length from a 20A breaker to a baseboard heater? What is the maximum distance from a 220V/20amp circuit breaker to an 2000 watt electric baseboard heater using 12/2? At what distance would it require 10/2?

Using the values from Chapter 9 Table 8 of the National Electrical Code, you can calculate the maximum circuit distance as follows.
Find allowable voltage drop
The NEC recommends a maximum 3% voltage drop at the "farthest outlet of power, heating, and lighting loads, or combinations of such loads" (210.19(A) FPN No. 4). So you'll want to start by calculating the maximum voltage drop as follows:
Max Voltage Drop = Voltage * 3%
Max Voltage Drop = 240V * 0.03
Max Voltage Drop = 7.2V
Calculate the maximum length
To calculate the maximum length of the circuit, you'll first have to know how much resistance the conductor being used has. Table 8 from Chapter 9 of the NEC, makes this simple.  If you're using 12 AWG solid uncoated copper, you'll find that it has a resistance of 1.93 ohms per thousand feet.

For the following formula, you'll need to know the resistance per foot. This is easily calculated, by dividing the value above by 1000.
1.93 ohms per 1000 feet / 1000 = 0.00193 ohms per foot
Next you'll need to know the amount of current flowing along the conductor. Since you didn't specify this in the question, I'll use 20 amperes as an example.
The formula
Length = maximum voltage drop / ( 2 * Ohms per foot * current)
Length = 7.2 V / ( 2 * 0.00193 Ohms * 20 Amperes)
Length = 7.2 / ( 0.00386 * 20)
Length = 7.2 / 0.0772
Length = 93.264248704663212435233160621762 ft.

tl;dr
If you have a circuit with 20 amperes of current flowing along a 12 AWG uncoated solid copper conductor, and you want to keep the voltage drop below 7.2 V (3% or 240 V). You'll want to keep the length of the circuit (one way) less than 93' 4". Unless may calculations are wrong (which they sure could be).
NOTE:
Since you didn't mention the actual current drawn by the heater. The above calculations are for example purposes only.

Using Ohm's law, you can figure out the current based on the wattage you've stated.

I = P / V
I = 2000 watts / 240 volts
I = 8.33333 amperes
You can then plug this into the formula above.
Length = 7.2 Volts / ( 2 * 0.00193 Ohms * 8.33333 Amperes )
Length = 7.2 / ( 0.00386 * 8.333333 )
Length = 7.2 / 0.0321666666666667
Length = 223.8341968911917 ft.


How to best insulate an exposed waterpipe during the cold season i have an exposed (out of the ground) water pipe and during the night freezes over. What is the best way to insulate it so it does not freeze?

Insulation only helps keep in heat, but if there is no source of heat (ie: cold water or standing hot water), it will eventually cool and freeze.  Your options are:

Burry it below the frost line (take advantage of geothermal heating)
Install heat tape (electronic pipe heater)
Keep it running (or have it intermittently run; running water won't freeze easily, but this is a huge waste)


No power in one room (circuit), breaker not tripping I have one room with no electricity, flipping the breaker has no effect, and using a multi-meter to test the breaker, says there's 120 volts coming out, so its not the electrical panel. I used a receptacle tester, and I was getting a hot/ground reverse and hot/neutral on one socket, so I replaced all the outlets, found in two locations there was a white connected to black, so I connected those to the correct colors. After that I kept getting hot/ground reversed so I disconnected the wiring to an old ceiling fan and it's switch. This corrected the hot/ground reversed and I'am getting a correct reading on all sockets, but I still have fluctuating voltage when testing hot to neutral of 1-10 volts on the outlets. When testing hot to ground however, I get a full 120 volts.

Your test shows you have hot coming from the breaker (hot to ground 120 volts) but you are loosing it on the neutral side. I would start at the breaker box again only this time looking at (volt meter test) the neutral wire. If it's good go to the first junction box and test there and so on.


Mystery Pipe in the Garden (UK) Could anyone in the UK give me an idea what this pipe might be? It's sticking out of the ground about 0.5m from the back wall of my house. It seems to be capped off with a wired-shut cap or something. I'm hoping it's not gas - but I'm not sure.

The problem is that I've come to lay a new lawn where a flower bed was and found it, and it sticks up well past the level of the new lawn! :(

it's difficult to determine without a scale reference, but if I found this sort of thing in my yard, my first inclination would be to tap on it to determine that it's a solid rod and the suspect cap is a clamp used to attach grounding cables. The shape of the top of the rod/pipe appears to be the result of hammering the rod into the earth. In the USA, one can expect an 8 foot (>2 meter) long rod to meet specifications of many areas of the country.


How do I mount a TV on 1 inch of plaster that is on top of fire-board? I am trying to mount a 47 inch LCD TV on a wall above a gas fireplace. My house was built in the 1940s, and some of the construction is a little out of my knowledge base. The wall above the fireplace is starting from facing to support, around 1 inch of plaster on top of around 4-6 inches of "fire-board" on top of cement. Drilling and mounting all the way back to the cement is not an option, as you may know because, bolts would be too long to be supportive. I have asked numerous people about this, and no one thinks I can do this. Any ideas?

Neither plaster or fire-board has sufficient strength to support serious loads. Even lightweight TVs are too heavy for this kind of mounting.

Consider building a mantle and placing the TV on its stand on the mantle.

One possible alternative is to hang the TV from a beam in the ceiling, if one can be located near the face of the wall.


How to install door security guard on metal door jamb? I bought a door security guard that looks like this

The instruction coming with it says I need to drill a 1/8‘’hole first on the door jamb and put the screws in it, but I am not sure it would work for my metal jamb. All the videos I found online are about installing it on wood jamb (for example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWLZVH83FlU)

I am a complete newbie on home projects. I have a driller that should be able to drill holes into metal jamb. Can anyone give me an advice how I should approach this project?

Before I start - this is a simple task but it's not as simple as it might seem at first glance.

I would mount this with flat head machine screws.  I would take that lock to the hardware store and see what size fits right in the countersinks (the tapered part).  It might be say a size 8 machine screw.  Most of are threaded with so that there are 32 threads per inch (the thread pitch).

You'll need to drill a hole the exact right size for the screw, and cut or form or "tap" matching threads in the hole so the threads bite.  The easy way to do this is buy a combination drill bit and tap for the size screw you selected, for example this 8-32 drill-tap:

You can probably see how this works, you drill the hole through the metal first, then you keep going and tap the threads with the same bit.

I would advise buying two of these drill-taps because they break easily, and practice on some thin scrap metal before you try it on your door frame.

The fine points of drilling and tapping are way beyond this answer but I'll say you want to drill slow with firm pressure, then tap with a little less pressure and the minimum torque to cut the threads.

It's always good to lubricate the drill bit when drilling metal but it's especially important with a tap.  There is special tapping lubricant made just for this job but a dab of petroleum jelly on the bit will work fine.

When you put the hardware on the door frame to mark the holes, be sure to hold it steady and make sure it's in the right spot.  It's also important to make a small dimple in the metal so the tip of the drill bit stays in the exact right spot.  The usual tool for this is a center punch but a large nail will work in a pinch.  Just place the point carefully and rap it with a hammer.  Be as precise as possible!

Again, this can be very quick and easy if all goes well, but it's very possible it won't.  If the tap breaks off in the hole on the door, you're going to have a headache.

I'd also mount the bracket on the metal first, THEN mount the part that goes on the door.  I say this because if anything goes wrong mounting it on the door, you may have to move it up or down a bit.


Break in underground UF B cable? I have a 30 year old shed 50' from my house that was wired with two lites and three outlets.  They worked had electricity when I moved in 6 months ago.  I suspect the the underground cable was somehow severed when the gas co dug a trench in my backyard in August. They deny it.
Is there any way a break in the line can be located and repaired.
I checked the circuit breaker panel and they are all on.had electricity

The break in the wire can be confirmed by placing a voltage on one end of the pair then measuring for it on the other end.

If you know you have voltage on one end then simply having lack of voltage on the other end is proof positive.

If you have 3 wires to work with, then you can use a 12 Volt battery like from a car, then put it across pairs of wires, using a multimeter on the other end, to determine precisely which wire is broken.

If a trenching machine is responsible then it is most likely they all have been cut.

The precise location of the break can be located by using a time-domain reflectometer.

If the gas company came out and dug and you haven't had power ever since then their denials mean nothing until they come out and prove that they did not cause it.

I wouldn't let them off the hook until they send out technicians to prove their denial.

I would go so far as to tell them you think there is live electricity right near where they dug for the gas pipe.  See if that will get them off the dime.


Is the wooden-stud basement wall that runs next to & parallel to the shared concrete wall separating two townhouses load-bearing? Okay gang, so here's my deal:
My wife and I recently bought a 2-story (with a half-finished basement) townhouse, sandwiched in the middle of a row of other townhouses. After lengthy negotiation, I have prevailed upon the wife to let me have half our basement - which itself is pretty much the full footprint of the townhouse - for my workshop (I grew up a cabinet-maker's son, so I know my way around wood, tools and joinery, but not quite so much around construction and framing).
Built into the the wall running parallel to the concrete basement wall we share with the neighbors - the West wall - the previous owner had installed a really quite fine workbench, atop some lovely cabinetry. Unfortunately, he wrapped the surface AROUND the 3 exposed exposed faces of the studs, anchored it into the concrete floor, and appears to have used a combination of lag screws and either wood glue or epoxy to affix the top to the cabinets below, then laminated the worksurface ATOP all the screw heads. In short, I cannot remove/move the bench without destroying it.
This would be fine (as I said, it's well-crafted and aesthetically pleasing enough), but for the fact that the surface is only 2 feet deep. Due to the space constraints the room imposes, I'd very much like to install shelving above said workbench, but attaching shelves to the face of the studs will reduce the usable work area to about a foot. "Okay," thinks I, "how about we cut out to 4' lengths of these two studs, frame the newly-created gap like I would a window (double sill, jack studs, etc.) and slide the shelving in between?"
My problem here is that I cannot determine if they're load-bearing or not. Please, see the diagram below (the three questions I'm seeking an answer for are below it):

Okay, so here're my questions

Would a builder have relied on wooden studs 2" from a poured concrete foundation? These seem awfully janky; it's entirely possible a previous owner added them in just for the purpose of hanging drywall (I'm given to understand both the walls with exposed studs were once finished, but water damage necessitated their removal.)

Would the steel I-beams run parallel to the floor joists (east/west)? I would think they'd be run north-south to use the stronger I-beams as floating support, as well as to orient them towards the exterior walls of the structure (instead of those shared by the neighboring units)

Finally, if they ARE load bearing, given that they're so close to the corner of the concrete foundation can I safely remove a few feet from each for the 90 seconds It'll take me to slide in a preconstructed frame? I'm well aware that the load must be transferred, but does it have to happen instantly?
Will the building's equilibrium/the shared concrete firewall/the studs' proximity to the foundation give me some wiggle room, or would I have to go the whole screw jack/temporary wall route? Presupposing I can both build an adequate support frame and size everything snug, can I make the 4 cuts, knock out the centers and just slide the double-silled frame into the gap? Or would the stresses hit instantly, narrowing the gap and making such a plan unfeasible?

Photos
Per Lee's request:

Seldom do we get this amount of information regarding construction issues. However, I still need some info. I’ll make some assumptions and you tell me where I’m wrong.
First, concrete party walls are used for 1) Fire Walls, 2) Sound Control, and 3) Structural.
If the walls are built as you have drawn them, (uniform width the full length of the building with wood framing added to interior) I’d assume the floor above is concrete not wood framing, because the supporting beams are steel not wood. If it is, then the walls are structural and they cannot be supported by wood (your 2 studs you want to remove).
To verify the party wall is concrete, I’d look in your wife’s DMZ area and see if the plumbing is exposed. If so, then it’s concrete. If not, more exploratory surgery may be required.
To answer your questions:

No, I doubt if the floor is supported by a few wood studs in one room. (I’d verify that the other rooms do not have studs.)

I doubt the floor is wood frame, as noted above.

The studs are not load bearing and therefore they can be removed (modified) and no screw jack is required.

Summary:
Please verify my assumptions before you remove the studs. If things are different, please notify.


What electrical wires are ok for 90C flushmount lighs? I got a flushmount ceiling light that has a 90C wiring warning on it.

My home was built in 1956. I found the electrical wiring that runs to the light I want to change. I can't read the text printed on the wiring completely, it partially reads:

TYPE NM-B 600 VOLT9

Here's a picture of the fixture on the other side:

Anyone know if "NM-B" wiring is safe for 90C?

Thanks

NM-B is rated for 90°C.  Here's an excerpt from Southwire’s Romex® SIMpull® Type NM-B web page.

Southwire’s Romex® SIMpull® Type NM-B (non-metallic sheathed cable) may be used for both exposed and concealed work in normally dry locations at temperatures not to exceed 90°C...

From NEC

National Electrical Code 2017
Chapter 3 Wiring Methods and Materials
Article 334 Nonmetallic-Sheathed Cable: Types NM, NMC, and NMS
334.112 Insulation. ...Conductor insulation shall be rated at 90°C (194°F).

However, keep in mind that the ampacity is limited to that of a 60°C conductor.


What is this thing that looks like a light socket but isn't I recently moved into a new (to me) house and there's a thing in the crawl space that looks like a light socket, but it's not. It might be some sort of fuse? There's a chain I can pull but I'm not sure what it does.

What is this? Please see pictures.

https://imgur.com/a/B6kFC

It looks like the outer shell broke off that the lamp screws into. These are simple 2 wire fixtures with a pull chain on off switch. You can still purchase ceramic ones just like the one you have and there are some plastic ones that can be found for less than 5$. Make sure to turn the power off Remove the 2 screws and lower the fixture. Some of these have screws that the wires are attached to some pig tails. Make sure to note the wires they should be white on the shell and black on the switch and then to the center conductor. A real easy fix.


Why can I not turn off my ceiling lights? Three ceiling lights which worked for years, cannot be turned off.  There are three switches, each of which controls all three lights (they are all on or all off).  Is there a simple fix or must I call an electrician? I didn't change anything.

One of the switches has failed and will likely need to be replaced. There will be two "three way" switches and one "four-way" switch. It's the four-way that has broken. The switch may feel different when you toggle it.

Unscrew the bulbs until you get it fixed.


Best way to remove excess solder from sweat fittings for re-use? I’m disassembling and reconfiguring part of my hydronic heating system and I want to re-use several high quality 1” brass sweat-connected ball valves that would cost about $30 each to replace. (I have more time than money.) The heating system is about 15 years old but the valves are in good shape. They were originally assembled with lead solder.
I’ve already reclaimed one of them after removal by reheating the cup till the solder melts, then wiping inside the cup with a wad of fine steel wool, which seems to attract excess solder pretty well and leaves a smooth surface that will accept a piece of new pipe without interference. I’m protecting the valve body from overheating with wet rags.
Is there a better way? Something that works better than steel wool? Add a little flux? Any tips would be appreciated.

What you're doing is what I've found to be most effective also.  Don't add any flux to the fittings, however, add some to the steel wool since you want the solder to cling to it and not the pipe fittings.
Keep in mind that you're not going to want to reuse these for any sort of drinking water use since they were originally soldered with lead-based solder and it's nearly impossible to get it all off.  But for your heating system use or other non-potable water use, no problem as long as they are in good shape.


Flashing and/or sealing for vent through built-up roof (BUR)? I'm reconfiguring plumbing and need to poke a new vent through the roof of my Chicago two-flat.  It's a built-up roof of tar, felt, etc., with a slight grade.  How to finish the roof portion so that there are no leaks?

The vent will be of PVC and will connect to a kitchen DWV system.  I see many rubber collars available at the hardware store most expressly prohibit use with built-up roofs.

I intend to upgrade the roof but I'd like to be able to wash my hands first.  Is this the kind of repair only a roofer can do?

As a temporary fix, spread a layer of Henry Roof Patch around the area where the Pipe Flashing will go. Then press the boot down into the cold patch. Install a screw into each corner and attach the boot to the roof. Make sure the screws are long enough to go into the decking material. Spread some cold patch over the entire boot, especially the edges and at the top. Then cut in some Glass Fabric Membrane at the edges and top. Finish it off with a second coat all over the boot. I usually tar all the way up the pipe and lip down inside the pipe as well.


Is it possible to tell if the current floor is solid or engineered hardwood? I am looking to replace the existing floor because I was told by the inspector that it is engineered and can't be sanded. But while I had the contractor came, he said it is solid which we can sand instead of replacing.

How do I tell if it is solid hardwood or something else?

You need to find an area where you can inspect the side of the boards.  If there are floor registers, remove one and inspect.  If you don't have those, look for areas around doors other areas where you might be able to easily remove a trim to inspect.  Worst case, you will need to remove a floor molding to inspect.

Also height will give you a clue.  1/2 to 5/8 is the typical heights of engineered.  5/8 to 7/8 is the typical height for solid.

And some engineered floors can be sanded once or twice depending on the thickness of the finish wood.


Filling hole after removing medicine cabinet I have a mirror that is larger than the hole left from removing a medicine cabinet in our bathroom, and I plan to mount it so it covers the hole entirely. I don't want to just leave the empty hole there, though.

I'd prefer not to seal up the hole with drywall as I believe at some point we may put another medicine cabinet in that room. I would like to put some insulation in there and I need something to hold that insulation in place.

Any recommendations? Would some sort of plastic be OK to cover the hole and hold in the insulation?

Plastic stapled to the face of the wall will work as you noted. Also any thin veneer such as a door skin so it overlaps the opening will prove to be a bit more rigid if that matters and is easily cut with a utility knife.  if you can't hit he studs the door skin should still remain in place with only some small box head-type nails.


How do I use this plumbing connector? I am looking to attach an unthreaded galvanized steel pipe to either copper or a new unthreaded pipe. See my previous post for details: Should this section of water line be replaced?

Per https://www.ridgidforum.com/forum/mechanical-trades/ask-the-plumbing-experts/38067-connect-to-galvanized-pipe-without-threads I have found this coupling:

https://www.shamrocksupply.com/itemDetailFilterPH.action?RFP=IFD&IDP=Y&codeId=9241200

However, I cannot find any other pictures nor instructions for installing it.

Can anyone guide me? I'd rather not spend ~$25 on a coupling which may not work for my application.

Would this product be a better choice for my application?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Homewerks-Worldwide-1-in-PVC-Compression-Coupling-511-43-1-1H/206667870?MERCH=REC--pipinstock--202269928--206667870--N

The product page states:

  For connecting piping and repairs of PVC and galvanized pipe

You can call AY McDonald at 800-292-2737, or visit their web site, or reference the instructions for that fitting, or see the pictures below.

But really, the outfit that sold you the fitting has some responsibility to help you in this regard, no? Call Shamrock Supply and make them earn their vig.


(UK) Timber stud sizes and types, 38mm vs 50mm Can anyone clarify why some shops sell 50mm thick studs, while others sell 38mm ones? I'm having a hard time finding explanations for this.
Some sites even list both sizes!

I need to build a stud wall on my existing brick party wall and been told to use 50mm and I don't know what to buy now. :)

Timber is dimensioned in 'nominal width' which means the size it is sawn to when it's processed. Studs are finished by planing, which reduces the nominal width to the actual physical width you'd measure when you installed it.

This webstore's description makes a bit clearer. It specifies that a nominal 50x75mm stud is reduced to 38mmx63mm by planing to produce a smooth surface.


Did I replace receptacle with exact same configuration? I recently changed a few receptacles and am seeking confirmation that I duplicated functionality in one particular receptacle. This receptacle is in the middle of a circuit. It had 2 screws for neutrals, 2 for hots, 2 back stab connectors for the neutral side and 2 for the hot side. And the usual screw for ground. One white wire was stabbed into the top neutral side, one stabbed in the bottom. On the hot side, one black was stabbed into the top slot, one black in the bottom slot. There was a single red wire attached to the top screw, hot side. And the ground was connected.

I asked around and followed one set of instructions. The new receptacle has only 2 screws on the neutral side, 2 on the hot side. And a screw for ground. I did as directed and connected one white to the top neutral screw, one to the bottom neutral screw. I maintained the same top-bottom order as was before. I then connected the one red wire to the top hot side screw and pigtailed both black wires and connected them to the bottom hot screw. And connected the ground.

So, did I duplicate the original configuration? I understand the red wire usually indicates connection to a switch. But I see no switches anywhere that draw power from this receptacle. I don't think the black tab between the hot side screws was broken, but when I went to check on this, the receptacle had mysteriously disappeared. I can't find a switch that is seemingly tied to this receptacle so I can't check for switch functionality. I would appreciate any advice on what the original configuration represented, did I duplicate this functionality, and am I safe as currently configured?

If everything works fine you did it right. The red can be a switched line or a hot and possibly a spare. If you did replace wire for wire there is nothing to worry about with your work other than the possibility of a switch or device you have not found if I counted correctly there was the same number of hots as neutrals so it is not a spare.


Will I encounter problems after applying interior paint over exterior? The usual story of grabbing the wrong thing off the shelf and only noticing after the work was done...

I'm not bothered by the short-term outgassing, but I'm concerned that exterior paint is often softer than interior, as it has to flex more in outdoor conditions.

I still have a coat to go on my skirting boards.

If I buy the equivalent latex paint in its interior form and use that for the final coat, will its strength be compromised by the softer first coat?  Would I be better off completing the work all with exterior paint?

Obviously the very best that I could do is sand it all down and start from scratch.  That's not going to happen.

It's unlikely that you'll encounter problems, but it depends on the specific products, of course. Exterior paint isn't exactly rubbery. I'd do it. If the manufacturer or retailer advise against it, use a sealing primer in between.


3 wire subpanel to a new 3 wire subpanel I want to add a 100 amp RV service panel to my existing, detached garage, 3 wire subpanel. I understand that my current setup is grandfathered in and code is now 4 wire but I won't be able to add this very easily to the main panel. I also understand the risk of a 3 wire subpanel and that an open neutral will put 120V to grounded metal surfaces. I've read through this site and other sites and believe my diagram shows how this would have been wired prior to the 2008 wiring codes. Still, I'd still like the experts to add their inputs. So my questions are, is this the safest way to approach this without adding a 4th wire, and do I need a separate grounding rod at the new subpanel when I already have a grounding rod at the garage subpanel which is about 30 feet away? PS, Part of this diagram was taken from this site, but I wanted to add my own setup to make sure there weren't any additional issues. Thanks and your inputs are greatly appreciated.

Absolutely not.  You cannot run 3-wire to your sub-sub-panel.

You will need to run 4-wire from the grandfathered subpanel to the new sub-sub-panel.  You will need land the neutral and ground feeders on neutral and ground buses in the existing subpanel.  You will need to separate ground and neutral buses on the new panel.

Tell you a story.  A company did a remodel on an old 2-story building.  They needed wheelchair accommodations in upstairs hallways and bathrooms. "Why?" they said, "will wheelchair users drag their wheelchairs up the stairs?" (in fact, they do).  Three years later, they built another building right next to it, with a 2nd floor walk-between.

The other shoe will eventually drop, you will want to upsize the existing feeder.  At that point you will go 4-wire, and since the new extension is 4-wire, you are Code complete.

Save money other ways

The current subpanel has the same breaker size as the intended feed to the sub-subpanel. As such, the $40 subpanel breaker feeding the sub-sub is redundant.  Get rid of it.  If the subpanel has feed-thru lugs, you can just tap them.  Otherwise you can get a lug "breaker" that fits in two breaker spaces but is just lugs.

The sub-sub does not need a main breaker.

AA-8000 Aluminum wire is your friend in feeders (not least, the lugs you'll be attaching to are aluminum, why create a dissimilar metals issue when you're paid not to).  You should use 1-1-1-3 Al instead of 3-3-3-5 Cu, so your cable cost will be $100 instead of $250.

3-wire aluminum cable in these sizes is likely AA-1350 alloy, which was outlawed except for service drops/laterals which are outdoors.

I already bought the cable. --->> At these large sizes, most of the cable's value is mineral value.  Strip the insulation off and take it to the metal recycler.


Loft board orientation for best loading I recently purchased a kit to enable me to put in some raised flooring into my loft (as my house has double-thickness insulation). This kit contains some supports which screw onto the wooden joists and some metal rails that you put on top of the supports, and you then put your boards on top of these rails.
Here's a picture I took:

As you can see the wooden joists go horizontally, and the rails and supports are at right-angles. Each joist is spaced 610mm and each of the rails is spaced 610mm (it's a 2.44m x 2.44m square).
I am going to be using 610mm x 1220mm OSB for the boards.
Now my question: what is the best way to orient these boards in order to spread the load across the joists best?
Would it be better to put them horizontally so they span three rails (Option A) or vertically so they are supported either side on two rails (option B)?
Here are some diagrams I threw together to illustrate:

The reason I ask this question is that my physics is not my strong point, so I was thinking that option B would perhaps be better since the load would be spread over three wooden joists rather than two, however, this would then place the load on two rails rather than three.

The load will be transferred to the supports mostly based on how you stack it, not how the sheets are laid.
OSB has a dedicated (and labeled) strength axis. It's normally lengthwise with the sheet. While your OSB may be thick enough that it doesn't much matter, it's almost never appropriate to run it parallel to the joists. If you don't have a compelling reason to do otherwise, install it perpendicular with the joists.
Also, stagger the sheets. You should not stack joints like you have. Instead, start the second row with a half-length sheet and lap past the first butt joint with a full sheet. This allows the tongue-and-groove connection between sheets to help support the area around the joint. Even if you're not using t&g doing so will help stiffen the floor.


sub panel breaker box I am wanting to install a breaker box inside of a house addition and the box I bought has a 100 amp main breaker for cut off. I'm only going to be pulling around 4500 to 5000 watts at the most so I was wondering if I could run 10/3 UF wire and still use the 100 amp main breaker? I read on other forums a 30 amp main breaker could used.

For a subpanel application -- what you can do is pull the main breaker out of the panel and use a set of main lugs instead, as the panel disconnect is provided by the upstream feeder breaker (which will be a 30A unit given that your feeder is a 30A feeder).  In particular, since the 100A MCB BR panels use a backfed type BR main breaker, you can simply pull the main breaker out and replace it with a BRSF125 main lug kit.

Of course, if you want a single disconnecting means at the subpanel, you can leave the main breaker in there and use it as a disconnect switch.


Why did my garage door opener stop working? It didn't work, so I put a new battery in the remote.    Worked for several days, but then not today.    Motor of opener did not engage (not a problem w/rollers etc.)  I already checked the sensors and power source etc.

the most common issue with a garage door that just suddenly stops working is the motor capacitor. Its an easy and cheap replacement part. a usual symptom if a capacitor going bad, is a garage door that starts to get slower to open. sometimes this gradual slowing happens at such a slow rate that most people don't start to notice until it finally stops working.
 The best place to find a capacitor for you particular opener is inline or at your local Garage door repair shop. I can bet the repair shop will charge you FULL RETAIL price. I can't promise you that's whats going on with your particular situation, but I can say that most our issues with a sudden stop of an opener has been the capacitor.
 I hope this helps. Good luck to you


Can a leak in a drainage pipe cause an increase in water bill? I am wondering if something like an intermittently clogged shower drain can cause an increase in water usage. The problem might be that the clog in a drain causes waste water from our showers leak into the floor and not the drainage pipe, causing an increase in water bill.

What I am really wondering is if water, in its return path to the sewer, is somehow calculated by the water company and used to offset the cost of the water that was pumped in.

Does the water company only charge you for the water pumped into your house, with no regard for the water pumped out?

You don't say where you're located, but around here (Massachusetts, and I'm guessing most places are the same), we get billed for both volume of water consumed and volume of sewage emitted. That's because it costs the city money to provide water, and money to dispose of sewage. In fact, costs per volume are often (always?) substantially higher for sewage than water.

Measuring volume of sewage is much harder than measuring volume of water, so generally cities will assume some ratio of incoming water to outgoing sewage. For example, 1 cubic foot of water in might imply that 0.95 cubic foot of sewage went out; given evaporation, and people watering plants, this is pretty close to the true value.

If you irrigate your lawn a lot (or leak water into your walls), your true outgoing sewage volume will be smaller (sometimes a lot smaller) than the calculated sewer volume. However, since the town can't tell the difference, you'll get billed the (sometimes a lot larger) calculated value. Since per-volume sewage fees are generally larger (e.g. a factor of 4) than water fees, this can really boost your bill (from personal experience this can add up to thousands of dollars). To avoid this, you can get a separate water meter for your irrigation system; water usage through that meter is not presumed to increase your sewage production.

But, back to your situation. If indeed water coming into your house leaks inadvertently into the environment, then the town will still bill you as if the water were actually making it back into the sewer. However, assuming you don't change your water use, this won't change your bill; it'll just mean that the town is billing you for "sewage" that is actually damaging your house rather than being treated by the town.

TL;DR: don't let water leak into your floor!


Should I connect the ground in the outlet for the dryer and the panel? the ground wire for the dryer is not connected at the panel, or at the outlet.
Is this correct or do, or do I need to land the ground wire at the panel and land ground wire to the actual dryer plug wall plug?

Older electric dryer circuits allowed the use of 120/240V non-grounding 3-prong receptacles. These were NEMA 10-50 configuration. In these circuits the neutral served as both the neutral and the grounding conductor.
If the ground wire existed though it definitely should have been used, but it is not uncommon to find what you describe.

I would certainly terminate the ground at the panel at the very least. A best case scenario would be to replace the receptacle with a 4-prong dryer receptacle and change the cord on the dryer to match.


Replacing GFCI outlet inside 2-gang box I am trying to replace some outlets in my garage and I ran into some confusing wiring.

There are 2 double gang boxes on the wall. Both are hooked up to the same breaker in the breaker box.

The first quad box closest to this breaker looks like this:

It has 2 lines coming in (maybe 1 coming in and one going out to the other quad box). On the left there was originally a regular 15amp receptacle. On the right was originally a GFCI outlet but in the picture I have already started switching it over to a regular outlet. I've kept the wiring the same as it was when the GFCI was connected however I don't know if this is right/safe.

So my question is, will this quad box work without a GFCI outlet and wired like you see below?

Here is the other box down the wall.

This box is straight forward and I will just replace the outlets and keep the wiring the same.

If you removed the GFCI you need to replace it with another or protect the entire circuit with a GFCI breaker.

If you are in the USA your area probably uses the National Electrical Code. The NEC requires garage receptacles to be protected by GFCI.

Good luck and stay safe!


With mechanical room ventilation is it necessary to have air supply in addition to extraction? We are building three sound insulated classrooms which will be fairly well sealed. There will be no open windows so we're to use mechanical ventilation. I live in a warm country so heating isn't a consideration.

My understanding was that we would have air extracted through ceiling vents by a motor outside the building. Air would be supplied from vents on the ceiling on the opposite side of each room drawing through ducts from an indoor patio using suction created by the same motor.

We contacted two hvac companies who both tell us we should have a second motor to pump air into the rooms which is pretty expensive.

Is this really necessary or do we just need a slightly more powerful single motor?

Is it completely necessary? No I don't think so.  As a comment pointed out, you are creating negative pressure.  This is good for sealing environments (ie: keep vapors from existing the room in a lab), or even help prevent fire from spreading via halls.

However, you will notice some negative effects to.  For one, since the air will be pulled in through any cracks under doors and windows, if a door is not latched, it will likely be forcefully opened.  Depending on the pressure, this could potentially hurt a young child who is not expecting the door to be pulled open by the pressure when they turn the handle. Having a second fan push air into the room aleviates this by balancing the pressure.  It also reduces the strain on the extraction fan which may help it last longer.

Another benefit is that if one fan fails, you still have a second either pushing cool air in or sucking warm air out; it will function with reduced capacity, but it will certainly be better than no fan at all!

My guess is that you will need two smaller fans instead of one large fan, which might also simplify electrical requirements, installation and maintenance.


what is the opposite of a shoulder screw A shoulder screw's unthreaded section has a bigger diameter than the threaded section. I'm looking for the "opposite" if you'll pardon the term.

What is the name of the screw type where the unthreaded section is just a tad smaller in diameter than the threaded section? The unthreaded section has the same O.D. as the screw at the "valley" of the thread.

They are called captive screws or captive panel screws.


How do I install recessed lights in a metal framed ceiling? I live a building with metal framing used in the walls and ceiling. I am looking to add some recessed lights to parts of my home but am having difficulty figuring out what the best approach is.

I have attached some photographs I took from a small hatch panel to provide an example of what I have to work with. Looking for suggestions on recommended approach to secure the recessed lights.  There are other rooms where I don't have an access panel, so will need to get them through a 6" hole.

Two answer some questions:

ceiling is standard drywall
when using the old work recessed lights, what would be the recommended way attach to something to get some support?

Since the ceiling is up already just use standard "old-work" recessed cans. You don't even need "IC" cans since there is no insulation.


Do I need to use a bonding agent between scratch and base coat plaster on the ceiling? I'm doing a traditional 3-coat plaster over wooden lath to repair a 4x4 hole on an interior ceiling.
I'm using StructoLite base coat plaster.
I applied Plaster Weld to the lath prior to putting up the scratch coat, but I wondered if it is necessary or helpful to use the bonding agent between base coat and scratch coat, especially as it on the ceiling. I thought it might improve the bond, but I haven't seen a many references to doing this, and the product was invented after the heyday of 3-coat plaster systems.
Is it necessary to wet the scratch coat prior to putting up the base coat otherwise?

I usually use an add mix in my stucco, thinset and mortar. Add mix increases the bond, reduces cracking and seals better. Other than this I have not used any bonding additives on stucco between coats.


Why does water come out of the hot supply line when I open the cold? Removed the water heater in a house we are renovating. I capped the copper line running into the water heater, but didn't see a need to cap the hot water line coming out, figuring it was not under pressure.

I noticed when I run the cold faucet in the bathroom water shoots out of the hot water line at the water heater. Why is this?

My sink has a hot faucet on the left side of the sink.  It also has a cold faucet on the right side of the sink.  If you want warm water, you have to mix it in the basin.

If every faucet in your house is this way, then your problem is impossible.

However, I suspect you have a valve newer than 1930, with a single spigot. Which means there is a chamber before the spigot where the hot and cold water merge and/or mix.  At the risk of stating the obvious, this means the cold and hot valves are in communication.

Water can flow from the cold pipe system, through the cold valve, into the chamber, through the hot valve, and into the hot pipe system.  Yes, it's supposed to flow out the spigot "instead", but realistically it will do both.  Pressurized water will seek every path at once, like electric currrent.

Normally, the higher pressure in the hot-water pipe helps seat the valve.  But here, pressure in the chamber is higher.  No telling what'll happen.

This is more likely to be a problem on more modern valves like a Delta or one of those horrid temperature-control valves found in hotel showers. Or how about a washing machine?  Do you have any users who leave the shower valves at their preferred temperature and shut it off at the showerhead?  (I assume someone on the planet does this.)  Any of these can cause this behavior.   In a perfect world, every faucet valve would include an anti-backflow check valve. They don't.


What kind of roof flashing is this and is it up to code? This is in NJ. Roof was recently done and I've never seen this anywhere else. Looks like aluminum screwed in on both sides and the front. It's a very steep pitch. Either 10/12 or 12/12.

Any idea what this is? Is this some sort of hack/short cut? What can you tell me about this if anything?

I can tell you it is inappropriate and must have been installed by someone that doesn’t understand flashing and counter flashing principles.

The Code is clear, “The exterior walls shall provide a weather resistant wall envelope, ...including flashing.” (See ICC R703.1)

The flashing should have been “step flashing”, as specified by the Code: “Approved corrosion resistant flashing shall be installed SHINGLE FASHION in a manner to prevent entry of water...” (ICC R703.4) That is a continuous flashing not step flashing in a shingle fashion. If they don’t understand how it’s done, they can see an illustration at Figure R703.4.1.

In addition, the step flashing should have a “kickout” as shown in Figure R703.4.1

That flashing creates a  space for water to get trapped and could backup into the wall/roof. It needs to be removed and replaced with step flashing.


Grounding wire in a bathroom vanity light bar I am making a vanity complete with mirror and light bars on each side of the mirror.  I am attaching the light bars to an extension cord as a source of electricity, but I noticed that the light bar came with an extra grounding wire.  How should I do this if the extension only has the hot and neutral wires?  Do I need to do anything with it?

Making this with out grounding, or for you to do it at all with your level of electrical knowledge is a Bad idea. Vanity usually implies "in a bathroom", and that implies "near water". Outlets within (usually 1.5 meter, depending on your local electrical code) or a sink must have Ground Fault protection. Switches may not be within the same distance of a shower or sink.

Even if your creation is not in a bathroom, extension cords are not intended for part of the permanent wiring of an appliance, and anything in which a light bulb can be replaced (thereby exposing the contacts) should be grounded and wired correctly (neutral to the shell, hot wire to the center contact, if a traditional screw in bulb).

There are many certifications required for factory made electrical appliances before they may be turned loose upon the public. They exist for reasons. The fact that you even have to ask your questions indicates that you are creating a potentially unsafe device.

Please at least put your project aside while you read up on basic electricity, electrical code, and safety.


Pulling 8 Gauge Wire, 1/2" Inch Conduit, for 150 Feet Difficulty? I've got a house in Chicago, which in Chicago residential construction is piped in 1/2" conduit.
I'm finishing up a remodel and still have the rough garage.  The plan (back in September before it was cold), was to re-mud the garage, clean up the tape, paint, and then epoxy.
It's cold now, so... I have free reign to make some more holes and then patch and and finish in the spring.
I want to add a 10,000 watt, electric heater to the garage (no, the central vac is 120V too....).

I have experience pulling 12 gauge with a nylon fishtape 20' feet in mostly clear conduit for small house runs.  I've never tried a really long run from the panel (which I'm guessing is like 100 to 120 feet).
Ideally in this run, I would just put in a double pole breaker and pull 8 gauge from the panel all the way to a box in the garage and then add on an outlet + whip somewhere in the garage to finish up the run.
Theoretically that sounds great, but looking at the initial runs out of my panel, they are SUPER STUFFED.  Intuitively, it seems like the pipe is too full (no idea on the code requirements for maximum conductors in 1/2 inch conduit).
I have also thought of branching of the 8 gauge as a new conduit run in my basement until I can find the last box that is not as full of wires and then trying to pull to the garage from there.
From someone with experience, would I better off just avoiding the main run (I think in Chicago we call those "home runs") and struggling to pull 8 gauge through there?
It's a huge pain because I don't have experience bending conduit, but if the alternative is wasting 3 hours trying to pull two huge 8 gauge wires through a hopeless scenario I'm can learn to bend some 45s' and offsets.

There are rules on how much you can stuff in a conduit. Part of it is based on heat, but part is simply based on basic physics - you can only squeeze so much stuff into a small space. The rule in Chicago (or anywhere that uses (required or not) conduit) is not 1/2" conduit, it is conduit that is big enough for the job. Here is a table (there are many available, Google is your friend):
Conduit Fill Table
It clearly shows you can get 3 or 4 #12 or #14 circuits into a 1/2" conduit. But you can only get 3 #8 wires into a 1/2" conduit, and that is if there is nothing else in the conduit.
The only practical options are:

Remove everything else and run just the #8 in the 1/2" conduit to a subpanel and connect everything that was connected directly instead to that subpanel. Note though that the #8 wires may not be big enough for a proper subpanel for both your heater and all the existing circuits, and according to the table I linked, you can't bump up to #6. But it does avoid new conduit.
Run a new conduit. To avoid being maxed out immediately, go up to at least 3/4", maybe even 1", so that you can add more circuits and/or upsize the wires later.

As noted in another answer, #8 wire isn't big enough. You could get 2 #6 in there to run a heater, but then you couldn't run a subpanel (because you wouldn't have a neutral). End result: New, larger, conduit.


Preventing a sink strainer from leaking? I've had issues with my kitchen sink's strainers and I've replaced them both, but I'm still having some problems with one of them.  I did what I think is fairly normal procedure: undo the piping + basket nut, pop out the basket, clean everything well, wrap plumber's putty underneath the basket, press down, reassemble nut and piping under the sink and then peel away the excess putty on top.  It (seems) to have worked fine for one side, but not the other; it still has a slow drip, almost like condensation, when the sink is filled with water.

I've pulled it apart and replaced the putty and gasket a couple of times now, but still can't seem to get this one to work.  I've run hot water down the tap and managed to move the nut a tiny bit more, although if I tighten it much more then I'm worried that the nut will crack or I'll squeeze the gasket out.  There's no play in the sink strainer itself.  When I was tightening it down it did twist maybe 15 degrees as I was tightening it, but afterward I kept water in it for around 30 minutes with no issues.  That was about a month ago, and the water just started to start to drip.

I haven't seen any more putty leak out of the sink since, and there's no play in the sink strainer if I try to wiggle it a bit.  One thing I did notice with this side is that it seemed like the hole might have been a hair bigger than the otherside; I had more plumber's putty on the bottom with this one.  Although I would have thought that with a good plumber's putty seal and really tight gasket that I should be fine.

Any suggestions?  This doesn't seem like rocket science but I'm starting to get a little frustrated.

Channellocks are great for replacing sink strainer drains. I've never had a sink drain where I needed something like a basin wrench because they are generally easily accessible.

As for the leak:

1)Make sure you don't have a faulty basket strainer. Make sure there are no cracks or other defects in it. You said it looks like condensation underneth so I'm guess that means water is actually on the outside of the plumbing and it's not just leaking past the strainer plug and into the drain.

2) Is it leaking from the sink drain or from one of the drain connections below? Be sure to check the drain connections closely to make sure it's not leaking from them. If you've used putty on top and a rubber gasket and paper gasket on the bottom (make sure the rubber gasket goes directly against the sink and the paper gasket between that and the nut), the likelyhood of it leaking is very slim. You can overtighten the nut (and other plumbing parts that have gaskets) and actually cause leaking issues so be sure not to go crazy on it. Tightness is realitive but it should be tight enough that once you're done you can't twist it by hand and it doesn't move when you tighten the drain pipe back on.

3) Be sure to check for any chips and/or cracks that water might be able to seep into and leak out. If there are chips and/or cracks, you can try repairing them with some special epoxy or using silicone instead of putty. Silicone will be much more of a pain to remove later but it does come off with some persuasion. If using expoxy, be sure to let it fully cure before putting the strainer back on.


2nd Storey subfloor is super wavy. Why? Buying a 10yo home FSBO, owner was the builder.  Owner says the wavy floor on the 2nd storey is from the roof not being on before they did the 2nd storey subfloor (OSB, 2000sqft) and several rainstorms damaging the subfloor.
It is probably up/down waves of 3/4"+ across several rooms... so it is a general problem.
It is finished in $10/sqft brazillian walnut (!? = $20k I. Brazillian walnut over wavy floors... ugh).
BUT looking closer the sags are not in the 16" between joist spacing, but both directions and 3 or 4 feet between "peaks".
Wife is BENT on buying this house.
Why would these floors be so wavy?  No visible foundation settling evidence (no drywall cracks, etc).

I first believed the owners story, but seeing the dips are not fitting in the space between joists... I am suspicious.

Votes for any of the following reasons?

Shoddy joist install where they are not level and square to each other? (Note, first floor is level)

Termites? (Note, first floor is level, no bounce in the floor is felt and no visible evidence, but we are in a termite area)

The owners story of weathered 2nd storey decking?

Other?

We are still in our inspection period.  Who do we have look at it to say one way or the other?

no builder in his right mind would have installed hardwood on a wavy floor.  it sounds more to me like their was a flood which has damaged the hardwood. its swelling, subsequent twisting and then drying has caused the randomly warped floor, but it could also be too high of an ambient humidity, which can be a sign of a bad vapour barrier system and all the nightmares that come with that.

just get a certified engineer to write it up, or even better, just run away as fast as you can (unless you are getting some ridiculously good deal on it).  remember, many builders are shysters at heart, so other things could be wrong that are currently hidden.


Are CFLs available with mini candelabra bases? Trying to replace a light bulb that has a mini candelabra base and want to replace this bulb with a CFL bulb but can't find any. Are CFLs available with mini candelabra bases?

Sounds like you know what you want, an E-11 base CFL, not the more common E-12 sized base candelabra that Mr. Sherman linked to. Unfortunately, the mini term gets thrown around alot, referring to the over all size, not the base size. As you have found, E-11 CFLs are pretty rare, if they exist at all. However, you can get adapters that fit in E-11 sockets and accept E-12 based CFLs. Obviously they extend the height of the final installation, and some E-12 CFLs are fairly huge in the first place. However, if you look around, you can find E-12 CFLs that are reasonably sized, and even have something similar to the traditional candelabra shape. Happy searching :)


Garage door opener controlled via generic remote I have a Chamberlain model 1345 that is 11 or 12 years old. It stopped closing with the clicker recently, but I can still open/close using the wall button. Chamberlain support said I need a new board for the receiver (around $70). I hate to spend that on an old model because something else might go bad soon and I might need to replace the whole thing anyway. But I also hate to toss out a perfectly good unit (except for the closing with the clicker issues). Why can't I buy a generic remote like the kind people use to turn on a lamp wirelessly? I would replace the wall button with the receiver for the generic remote, and then the clickers for the generic remote would "push" the wall button. Has anyone ever done this? Thanks in advance for any advice.

The simplest way to fix this problem is to purchase a "universal garage door receiver" or "universal radio control replacement" which does as the asker proposes. It is a receiver box that wires into your door pushbutton circuit and pairs to a new remote.

It is also useful for modernizing fixed-code openers for security. However, I understand that the industry safety standard is that no opener without a optical beam may be retrofit or repaired; those must be replaced completely.


Broken Drywall Corner in Shower I had someone replace my bathroom ceiling, and I was just sanding and painting.  I found that the corner of the drywall is broken off & there is also another gap that seems a bit big for caulking.  I think I can maybe just add a little compound on gap, but I'm not sure how to fix the corner given I can't put anything on the shower tile.  Any suggestions (other than having to schedule a guy to come back)?

I added compound in the gap and that seems OK.  I folded up some paper drywall tape into the corner to fill the depth, and then put compound on that too.  Both had some mesh tape in there so I think it will be OK.  Thanks to anyone who has been giving this thought!


A-frame swing set max length of 4x4 beams I am building an a-frame swing set for my kids using a 4x6 and 4x4 beams. We are using pre-built brackets to attach everything.

What I am wondering is, is there a max length that the 4x4 can safely be? I want the swing to be as high as possible for the kids, but don't want to compromise safety.

There are two primary points of wood failure in this design: the beam span and post lift. Since the posts are primarily in either tension or compression, they're unlikely to be a failure concern.

However, as they get longer, past say 12', they'll start to impose more diagonal stress on the brackets you've shown than they're intended to tolerate. That's my primary concern. If they fail laterally by weld tears, you're now relying on whatever penetration into the ground you've implemented to hold the thing up.

If you go more than 12 feet above the ground I'd look for a more robust design.


Any ideas on hiding a TV in a coffee table? With 1080p and now 4k Tvs its a waste of technology to watch it from 14'+ away.  Sitting under   6' way from a 50+ inch HDTV is the only way to enjoy all the pixels.
The only way I can think to have a TV that close to the sofa is to have it in the coffee table.
Ideally I would like it to lift out of the top of the table but the screen is too high for a coffee table and I really dont want to cut a hole in the floor. Other option is to hinge the top of the table and mount it on the bottom. Use 2 actuators to help lift.  Does anyone have any ideas on how to mount it or about anything else.

Something like this?
http://www.justlaine.com/2011/01/17365.html

It wouldn't be too difficult to make.  For a 50" TV, you'll have to build a big one.


Pergola rafter spans Wanting to build a pergola to cover a deck that will be connected to my house ledger board.

Constraint is the deck size and not wanting to put a post in the middle of the deck.
Details:
- planning cedar wood
-Two 6x6 posts 10 feet apart with a double 2*10 beam.
-Rafters (16inch on center)- House to beam distance 19 feet
Wanted to get people's thoughts on the rafter sizes to ensure I don't get any sagging. Was hoping 2*10 to match the beams.
Thoughts?

A unloaded 19' long cedar 2x10 will sag about a little less than 0.2" which is L/>1000 and I would expect that to more than fit your needs.

HOWEVER: 19' long 2x10's will roll over in the middle meaning that they will twist in the middle with the appearance of the top tending to roll to one side as if attempting to roll completely over. The way to mitigate this is to add blocking. It is typical to add full depth blocking at 8' oc which would require two rows of blocking for your case.


Are Sonoff smart switches actually UL listed? Sonoff is a system that comes up often on this stack.  However, I notice it seems to be of unusually low cost, not available in retail shops, sold widely in the "dodgy side of the internet" (eBay, Amazon Marketplace, Ali, etc.), and I only ever see the fairly meaningless CE mark on it.

The very first rule in NEC makes use of approved equipment mandatory. Virtually all authorities required for "approving" things delegate the job to UL and other reputable testing labs such as CSA, TUV etc.

Is Sonoff equipment actually listed by UL or other reputable testing lab?

No listing for UL, ETL or CSA listing just the meaningless CE , I also did not see an FCC certification when trying to look up their noise emission / bandwidth certification, these things should not be any place other than China.


Shed Roof is Black and Has Water Damage my Dad's shed had a roof that he didn't take care of for a while and now appears to have rotted in several regions.
I'll provide several pictures, but the video is best: Link
What is the best way to approach a problem like this, and what would be the best solution to it. Also, what is the likely extent of the damage so far, and is this a risk to the roof failing?
Left Side:

Right Side:

The black is bad get a screwdriver and see if the plywood is compromised. Push on the screwdriver and if it goes into the wood 1/8 “ or further the wood needs to be replaced. If it is still solid I would use a very strong solution of hydrogen peroxide and water 5-8%  and saturate all the fungus areas a second treatment may be needed but this will kill the surface fungus that will break down the plywood.
Note 8% hydrogen peroxide will bleach just about anything including your hair so use ppe. It can be applied with a paint roller or sponge, at this strength I would not spray it as I do with 3-4%.
AAA.  Always add acid to water to reduce the exothermic reaction when diluting concentrated hydrogen peroxide with water.


Should I leave a gap between clay bricks when laying a patio? I have acquired many reclaimed solid clay bricks and plan to use them as a patio. I will likely lay them in a herringbone pattern. The edges will be side-by-side held in place with plastic edging. Similar to this:

.

My question is... should I leave a gap between the pavers to allow for expansion and/or to allow for a sand-filled joints? If so, how much gap should I leave and what would you recommend to use to keep the gaps uniform?

Yes, you should leave a small gap, but not for the reasons you are asking.

You will be concerned with evenness. Reclaimed bricks won't have a chamfer on the edges the way paving bricks will, so small differences in your sand bed will be very noticeable to feet and patio furniture.

Your gap size will be mostly aesthetic, but wider gaps will make your bricks less stable. To space it, just use anything that is the right size, e.g. scrap wood or screws, and fill in your joints every few feet.


Broken hand held shower connector We are looking for a replacement for a fixture that attaches to our hand held shower and hose. It has a female connector that slides on top of the male connector as shown. Could someone tell us what this is called, or where we could purchase a replacement?

You were not very clear with your question.

I am assuming that you are looking for the fitting to which the sprayer head attaches, which then drops over the bracket peg in your first picture.

It is called a swivel connector. They are not "generic", they are specific to the manufacturer of your hand-held shower equipment. This one is from Alsons, a very common brand in the U.S.A. and the one I think you may have. Do an internet search for Alsons Swivel Connector.


Raising a porch light and doorbell? A previous owner of our house installed a front deck over the top of the two concrete steps leading up to the front door. Unfortunately they did not raise the front porch light and doorbell.

So many people have hit their head on the porch light, which currently sits right at head height at the top of the stairs, that it's starting to break the base... and the doorbell is about 24" off the deck, making it a little hard to reach for an adult.

I've looked behind both of them, and both have reasonable cutouts in the siding, that if I moved them up a few feet would be pretty obvious. I'd like to move these to an appropriate height without leaving behind holes in my wood siding.

Thoughts on how to proceed?

Is there an accessible space above this ceiling? I moved a front door light from the wall to the ceiling by installing a ceiling fixture. The space was accessible and I was able to pull the wire up into the attic.

Our exterior entrance space was small laterally and the wall fixture prevented full opening of an outward opening storm door we added. I covered the hole in the wall with a sturdy board on which I mounted an objet d'art -- a flat glass representation of an owl made by my brother.

If the space is not accessible or you just want to move the fixture higher on the wall, you could leave the current box in place and run a cable up to to new box higher up. Since the existing box would have a splice in it, you would have to cover the existing box with a listed cover which could however be painted to match the wall.

The wiring for a doorbell could be fished inside the wall up to a higher location or it could be run externally say under a length of trim, e.g., 1/2 to 3/4" thick by 1.5 to 2" wide. I would mount the new door bell on the trim.


In-floor radiant heating hooked up to hot water tank in new home - questions about how it works and operating it I've moved into a new 2 story house.  The heating system is in-floor water heating, and the heat source is an electric hot water tank.  I'm hoping you guys can help me figure out how the system works and answer some questions I have about it.

Here is a picture of the setup:

I did my best to inspect the system last night, and here are my assumptions of how it works:

"Tank 1" is my 'normal' hot water tank that provides hot water to my
taps, etc.
"Tank 2" is the hot water tank that pumps hot water
through the in-floor pipes.
Cold water provided to "Tank 1" is forked off to fill up "Tank 2" (arrow 1 in picture).
Arrows 2 and 3 are the hot water provided to the upper and lower levels respectively.
Arrows 4 and 5 are the upper and lower level return pipes.  It looks like they get fed back into the bottom of tank via those red pumps.

First of all, do my assumptions seem reasonable?

Assuming my assumptions are correct, here are my questions:

There are analog thermostats on the upper and lower levels that are both turned completely to the lowest setting.  The pumps aren't active.  The piping that arrow 2 is pointing to (hot water to the upper floor) is quite hot, but the pipe that arrow 3 is pointing to is not hot at all.  Why is pipe #2 hot?
Probably related to question 1, there are two spots on the upper floor that are quite warm, but the rest of the floor is not.  I would expect the floor not to be warm at all.  Why might the floor be warm in only two locations?  I'm guessing it has something to do with pipe #2 being hot.
Once "Tank 2" fills up, does water ever need to flow in from arrow #1?  I would guess not since it seems like it would be a closed loop.  Could I theoretically shut the valve off at arrow #1 safely and not have it affect the heating system?
If I wanted to completely turn off the heating system in the warmer months to save heating costs, how would I do that?
a. Would I shut off the electricity to the tank (that big grey box behind arrow #2)?

b. Would I just turn the thermostat on the actual hot water tank down to the lowest setting?

c. Could I also shut off the water supply to the tank (arrow #1) safely?

d. Would it be bad to have 'stagnant' water in the tank that isn't flowing during the summer?
I've read that you want to hook up a garden  hose to the attachment at the bottom of a hot water tank every year to get rid of sediment build up.  Should I still do that with "Tank 2"?
Whenever I adjust either of the wall thermostats, both pumps seem to turn on.  Does this mean that my heating system is either on or off for the entire house?  In other words, I only have one heating 'zone'?

Full disclosure: I only learned how hot water tanks work yesterday.

Thanks everyone.

Here is the way a system like yours should work. The heating tank, tank #2, is set to maintain a set water temp. That temp is determined by how the water temp is maintained. It could have a programming sensor that adjusts the temp up or down depending on the outdoor temp or could have a manual set point usually around 125 degree F max. Now to answer your questions:  Q #1,the pipe at arrow #2 should be the same temp as the pipe at arrow #3 unless it's pump is running. Q #2 I have to surmise that the "flow control valve" that prevents gravity flow is not working as it should be. Those 2 red colored devices after the green expansion tank have levers located on the top. They both need to be closed. Turn the lever on each CW to close or look on the device to see if any instructions are printed on it to show the direction of closed. This will or should stop the gravity flow you have from question #1.  Question #3 depends on the : code " in your area. Yes, it is a closed loop and should not need any make-up water. The part I do not like is that there is no "back flow preventer" installed on the make-up line to prevent the water in the heating system from contaminating the domestic water in the other tank. Sometimes, we would have a special fitting that we could isolate both tanks by removing the connecting line between them and reconnect in the event we had to add water to the heating system. For Q #4 "A" is yes or no, I prefer NO; B is yes; C is yes or no, refer to Q #3; D is NO; Q #5 is never;  Q #6 should be NO, since each thermostat should control it's own zone. Hope this helps


Wire identification for a camera system install I am replacing some old cameras that came with the home to more modern ones.

I took apart 1 of the cameras to find this:

Now I am guessing the yellow is video, and black and red are power (hot and neutral?)

I am not sure what the wire beside the yellow one is doing. I should add these were most likely installed by Brinks a long long time ago.

Here is another camera I want to replace:

Here the wire coming in has 5 wires? 1 video and 4 power? Hmm not sure what to make of that.

The cameras I bought are Lorex ones that use power and bnc cables:

I am guessing I have to cut that cable open and splice it in? Does anyone know if the supplied cable has three wires? two in the power part, and 1 in the BNC part?

The other end of the cable is a disaster. It must split somewhere and the video part goes into this:

The power might go somewhere here:

But I'm not sure...

I also wanted to install a video doorbell where there used to be a working camera:

backside:

This camera has 3 lines into it: black red white. I am assuming two power and 1 video? Most likely DC power? From my understanding the nest and ring ones use AC power -- so this will probably not work?

Sorry for the long post, need some help!
Thank you

"yellow" is probably the center conductor of the coaxial cable for video, the black one beside it is likely the shield/outer conductor and grounded. Hard to see for sure with a mess of black goop on there.

A BNC coax has two conductors - a center conductor and a circular shield conductor around the outside.

Red is likely + DC (12 or 24 volts most likely) black will be - DC and probably also ground in most (not all)  systems.

If the current system is not running coax (which it obviously has in the "video part" picture) all the way to the cameras you might need to run new coax. If it does, but without connectors, you might need to crimp new connectors onto the coax.


What are my options for a fire rated door for a 32" x 36" rough opening? The original floor plan of our split level home had the crawl space door in the garage. The previous owners converted half of the garage to a laundry room and put up wainscoting and a matching wood door in front of the crawl space. None of the improvements were done to code or with a permit.

The inspection states that we need to have a fire rated door to the crawl space. Can someone explain exactly what this means?

I found a fire rated utility access door at HD, but the biggest size is 22" by 30" and the actual door opening is closer to 32" by 36".

Should it be framed in?
Drywalled over?
How do I get it to match the current wainscoting?

Further, why do I need a fire rated door when it's inside the house and the walls were not fire rated?

This is it:

You could add 5/8" (16 mm) sheetrock to the back of the door.  That would make it a fire rated surface.  If that matched up with the sheetrock at the right, it would be almost a continuous surface.  If I had to live with it, that is what I would do.

If it is to sell the house, the new owners either won't be used to the access or won't know about it.  Sheetrocking it in would be cheap and easy.


Surge protection(Kinda) with a power bar Apologies in advance if this is the wrong SE to post this in, but Electrical Enginnering Stack Exchange didn't look like the proper place, based on what was 'on topic' over there.

Anyway, I have a power bar in my room, similar to the one pictured below, that has some sensitive electronics plugged into it. During thunder storms and the like, I turn the bar off using the little switch, and leave it plugged in, as accessing the plug is a little bit of a chore.

My question is, will turning the bar off at the switch prevent anything plugged into it from receiving a killing blow from a surge, should the power lines to the house get struck with lightning?

A power strip will not be able to fully protect your equipment just turned off with a direct lighting strike. The switch contacts are only a few 1/10's of an inch apart. How many miles did the lightning travel prior to the strike? Turning the switch off will keep the equipment safe from most transient spikes caused from lighting and switch gear transfers. There are small surge suppressors that can be added to the outlet prior to your sensitive equipment that will help reduce the spikes but a direct strike will fry them in hopes of saving other equipment. like this many of the power strips have less than 150 joule capacity, the model above is 600 joules but the cost is higher.


How do I design a quasi tamperproof shower curtain rod mounting point for eldery with Alzheimers? Question

I am seeking another solution to keep a shower curtain rod from falling easily. There were other posts that mentioned drilling and mounting.

I would prefer, if possible, something that is secure, but can be removed wihtout having to take out a screwdriver or drill.

Desired Project Outcome

I am trying to come up with a solution to prevent this or to greatly reduce the possibility of the rod falling again.
I do not want them to feel guilty for calling and asking for help, but I also do not want to be called for everything.(trying to preserve independence for both all parties as possible).

I want to prevent, not treat a problem.

Solutions I looked at

How do I mount a shower curtain rod to tile?

Eric Petroelje's solution to How do I secure a shower curtain rod?

It is a good one, but do not know how difficult or easy it is to take the bar down. I need it somewhat accessible since I have to clean the shower.
(For curtains, a solution may to just get easy detachable rings)
Overall, I think this is the best solution.

My proposed solution

I am curious to see if there is some sort of slot, where the mount will be drilled to the wall, but the shower road will lock into place ( very secure) and can be unlocked for easy removal.

The best example of a slot or bracket, I can give you is camera mount bracket

Dive Ladder Bracket

Dive Ladder Bracket Lock

  Inspiration from this

  Dive Ladder On Back of Boat

Background to help you understand who you are designing solution for

I have a grandfather who worked as a diesel mechanic for 30 years. He is now in his late 80s and has dementia.(elderly, confused)

I mention the mechanic part, because he loves to tinker, pull, grab, squeeze and touch things because he did so while working for many years to solve problems on the job.

Unfortunately, lately he does this to everything and it is getting worse.

A few hours ago he channeled his inner Nadia Comaneci (Famous Olympic Gymnast) ,  pulled down the bar. (I am trying to make the best of the situation, add humor to it so my grandmother keeps her sanity because it can be stressful living with someone who is ,literally, slowing losing their mind.)
My grandmother, also 89, cannot put the rod back into place because she is too short.

Pictures of Shower Curtain Rod

  Example of possible bar it could be (I do not know what type of bar they have, could not find packaging) :

Moen TR1000 44" - 72" Adjustable Tension Shower Curtain Rod

Shower rod they currently have

1

2

3

I think a standard shower rod will work. The brackets screw into the wall, and then the rod rests on some tabs that keep it from moving. Covers slide into place to hide the innards of the bracket.

This is about as secure as you can get it, without making the rod difficult to remove. You can pull back the bracket covers and remove the rod easily.

Tension rods are notorious for loosening up over time and falling, and would not be a good choice for somebody who likes to grab and pull on them.

I think your concern about the rod needing to be easily removable may be a bit overblown. The curtain can just be pulled aside when you need to clean the shower, unless you have some specialized equipment you need to get in there


Cheapest way to heat and cool a converted garage? I'm converting my two car garage into a home theater and was seeking some advice on the cheapest way to heat, cool, and dehumidify the room. Here are some details:

Garage was once a model home office so the walls, ceiling, and garage door are insulated.
Dimensions are about 20' x 20' x 10'.
The garage has no windows.
The garage has attic access.
I live in Austin, Texas. Temperatures range from triple digits down to occasional freezing.

I'm am most concerned about the cooling and dehumidification. I can use an electric heater if need be to warm the garage during the winter. Since I will have sensitive home theater equipment in the garage, it will be important that the garage remain within a normal room temperature and humidity level. I'm trying to keep the project within $1500 but I'm afraid that may be out of reach...

I have central air and heating in a small 2200 sqft home.

If your current AC is not adequate to extend to the garage area, then a ductless mini-split wall mounted AC unit is probably ideal for your situation. Once installed, you'll likely exceed the $1500 budget, but I think it's the best of the options. You wall mount half of the unit inside the home and run the cooling lines through the wall and out to an exterior coil. They also have a condensation drain line that you run outside to help with the humidity.


Does it do any good to use fiberglass insulation if you're not going to drywall? My attached garage is not insulated. When I look up, I see the roof sheathing.

I was thinking of adding insulation to the garage. The problem is there is no attic space, so I shouldn't drywall it without adding vents ( otherwise I'd be creating a hot roof).

But, of course, without panel covering the airflow is far less restricted... will the fiberglass even do anything in this regard?

EDIT: The alternative I'm considering is an open-cell spray foam. This will be more expensive, but will be effective because I can then finish the drywall as the cavity will be effectively air-sealed.

After reading all the questions and answers in the comments (including my own), I think I finally have a good enough understanding of your situation to answer.

And the answer is - in your case, fiberglass insulation will help, but you have to be careful about how you apply it.

Why?

The point of insulation is to create a thermal break that prevents the transfer of heat from one space into another.  You get heat transfer through a roof or a wall because hotter side (whether you're inside or out) warms the wall of the cavity, which in turn warms the other side of the cavity.  If your wall is closed on both sides (the norm), that warmer air within the cavity then warms the cooler wall on the other side and so forth.

Insulation serves to reduce the ability to heat the air in the cavity - it's basically a spun glass thread (hence the fiber - glass) which is much less thermally conductive than air, and the spun texture creates lots of little air pockets within the fiberglass, so it's much harder for heat to move from one side of the fiberglass to the other.

Now this thermal break works whether or not the cavity is closed up, which is why you see fiberglass or loose fill insulation (cellulose) in attics sitting on the attic floor (aka the ceiling below) without any covering over top.  So - IF you put fiberglass in your garage ceiling, you will improve the thermal resistance of the roof, and help keep your garage cooler in those hot NV summers.

HOWEVER - here's the danger - if you apply the wrong kind of fiberglass or apply it the wrong way, you're going to destroy your roof over time.

Why?  The moisture trap.

In your case, the biggest risk is trapping moisture up between the ceiling rafters, which will eventually rot your roof from the inside.

Right now your roof isn't at risk of a moisture trap because the space is completely open, so moisture doesn't get stuck anywhere against the roof, it dissipates into the garage.  However, if you put the insulation in the wrong way, since your garage roof isn't vented via soffits you'll create an enclosed space into which moisture will get sucked in and get trapped, creating a hot damp jungle like space right against the plywood of your roof, and boom - mold, bacteria, destroyed roof.

So - in your case - use UN-BACKED insulation - that means NO paper on either side - and insert into the cavity.  Do NOT secure the insulation in place with sheets of plastic, you need to secure it in a way that (ironically) allows plenty of air flow.  You could secure it with thin strips of wood placed about a foot apart, or something like that, or you could try stapling the fiberglass to the rafters... dunno how well that will work.  In other words, getting it to stay put without trapping moisture is going to be a pain - but it WILL help insulate your garage.

All that said ... I would recommend you just jump right to spray foam.  Why?  Because spray foam creates the moisture barrier where it needs to be - right against the plywood of the roof - so there is no way for moisture to become trapped (no pinholes to suck it in and hold it) - AND you won't have a hard time just getting it to stay put, because it sticks on its own, unlike fiberglass.  And since there's ZERO air flow with foam (unlike fiberglass), the insulation quality is better.

So yes you can fiberglass - but I wouldn't even bother with fiberglass in your case because of the trouble to install, the lower R value, and oh yes, its going to look ugly however you install it cause it's going to sag.  (Stupid gravity...)


How to calculate potential energy savings from using a tempering tank? I have a boiler (oil) with integrated water heater (3.5 gallon). I don't have problems with running out of hot water but I do wonder if having a tempering tank before the boiler would save money on heating the water. (I'm in the Boston area so the cold supply is really cold in winter.) Are there any rules of thumb, etc. for figuring out if this is a worthwhile thing to do?

You're basically thinking of a tank near/above the boiler that pre-warms the cold feed  from waste heat (the warmth of the boiler room) - If installation cost was no object, hand-wavingly it will help. So if you can do it at a fairly low cost, it should save a bit.

Getting to hard numbers is fairly difficult, or very easy if you knew some unknowable things.

A gallon of #2 fuel oil is roughly 138,000 BTUs - if we give your boiler the benefit of the doubt and say it's 85% efficient (a few might be more, a fair number will be 80 ) that means you'll get 117,000 BTUs from each gallon burned.

1 BTU heats one pound of water one degree Farenheit. 117,000 will heat 1800 lb of water from a "cold but not frozen" 34F to "might be a warm shower" 99F - that's roughly 225 gallons. If you prefer a "very hot" 120F shower, 170 gallons.

That's the easy part. The hard part (or mass of made-up fudge-factors) is "and what will the tempering tank do for the input water temperature" - to the extent that it directly sucks heat, it will make no difference (you're still burning fuel to heat your house and water, you're just shifting it around a bit) but to the extent that it "scavenges" heat that would otherwise be wasted, there is a savings. If the input water temperature was raised 21 degrees to 55, you'd get 225 gallons of very hot shower from your gallon of oil. If we make the ballpark assumption that you use 17 gallons per shower, you'd get 3 "free" showers (13 for the price of 10) Which is 25% savings looked at one direction, 30 the other. But "garbage in, garbage out" rules here - while I'm trying to speculate reasonably, it's just speculating. what the actual effect on your water heating will be is essentially unknown until you try it, though you can possibly make more educated guesses by considering things like the average temperature in the place you'd be putting the tank, your actual shower times and shower flow-rate, actual water temperatures in and as you shower, etc...

If you can fit the appropriate drain pipe below your shower, there is a neat widget that plumbs the cold-water to the shower around a copper drain pipe from the shower, pre-warming the cold water to the shower as you shower, so you can use less hot for the same shower temperature.


Why doesn't my new shower cartridge allow water flow? My dad and I are trying to replace a Delta shower cartridge behind the nob. When we take off the cartridge and just let the water flow in from the pipe it has high pressure but as soon as you put in the old or new cartridge the water trickles out of the faucet and doesn't even have enough pressure to reach the shower head.

We have cleaned out those pipes and the blockage happens when you put in the new or old cartridge. The cartridges fit exactly and are actual delta replacement parts. If you need any additional pictures or videos please ask because we are in desperate need.

The symptoms you describe are those of installing it upside down. It may APPEAR to work correctly because the handle turns in the same manner, but is in fact not.


Need to fill nail holes in fiber cement siding What type of product should I use to fill nail holes in fiber cement siding? Nail holes are from a flag pole I removed.

The installation guide for Hardie Board, which is a brand of cement board siding recommends using caulking to fill nail holes.  When I've installed it I used a high-quality exterior paintable calking after smoothing the edge of the holes.

Once the caulk is dry you can touch up the paint.


Hanging Drywall vs Bad Framing I am in the process of hanging drywall in my basement.
The builder actually framed my perimeter walls and included batt insulation.
as I started looking at the framing I noticed the studs were at 24" OC but when measuring they were not. Moreover, the studs were are so crooked there is no possible way a person hanging drywall could do a decent job.
So as I started hanging the drywall the 8' piece was just short of the next stud so I had to stack more 2X4s so I don't have to cut the drywall.
Not sure why the framers dont take into account nominal drywall lengths.
So, with all my complaining out of the way are there any tips out there for drywall DYI people when they come across this scenario?
Some boards were so bowed I had to cut them in half and then shim the cut to make the boards straight.

One drywall crew used 1X4's to back the joints instead of cutting on the framing. They used 4' pieces, after they set the drywall piece in place, they screwed the 1X4 halfway exposed on the end, then set the next sheet to the exposed end.


Can I thread the inside of a steel water pipe (encased in concrete) to safely make a connection to the remainder of the water system? The main water line is buried in a perimeter foundation on my hundred year old house.  The threaded part that connected to all the plumbing inside and outside of the house broke off leaving the top of the pipe flush with the concrete.  Can I thread the inside of this pipe and then screw in a smaller pipe to gain a way to reconnect without having to jack hammer the foundation to access enough of the pipe to thread the outside?

It may be possible but I would be concerned that the age and condition of the pipe might make it brittle and not good for tapping threads into.

My suggestion for a solution would be to rent a "core augur" and drill a new hole nearby through the foundation, and fix the pipe outside the structure. Run the new pipe through the new hole and abandon the old pipe.


How can I fix my leaking shower? I have a bathroom with a wooden floor - not floorboards, but solid sheets of water-treated chipboard. It's an old house, ~90yrs or so, and we're renovating it. A lot of the work has been done by competent professionals, a little of it has been done by me.

As part of the bathroom renovation we had a shower installed. A carpenter erected a wall at the end of the bath to form a cubical in the corner of the room, this wall is made from a single sheet of chipboard sandwiched between four sheets of water-treated plasterboard. Following this, a plumber fitted the shower tray (porcelain), the pipe work and the shower itself.

I have then tiled the shower cubical (but alas, not with flexible adhesive), grouted it and siliconed between the tray and the tiles. The problem is the shower leaks. It's not much, but it's probably damaging the wall and the floor slowly.

At first I just used regular grout and silicone. It leaked.
I then got some flexible silicone, removed the original silicone and re did it. It still leaked.
I then got some flexible grout, scraped out all the original grout and re-grouted it. It still leaks...

I don't know what else I can do, I don't particularly relish the thought of regrouting and re-siliconing once again, and I'm not even sure that if I did it would fix the problem.

Does anyone have any experience of this situation with a wooden-floored bathroom. I'm sure there is a slight movement when stood in the shower. The floor is a new floor by the way, laid by the carpenter as part of the renovation.

Edit

Hi, thanks for the comments, ok:

@BMitch - No, I didn't install a membrane. Wish I had known about these 9 months ago!

@HerrBag - We've got the drain pipe exposed, it's definitely not this. We did fit the green plasterboard yes. The water is coming from from the edges of the porcelain base, it's definitely like it is seeping through the grout and running down the wall behind the tiles. i'll look out for grout sealer or some other waterproof agent I can apply to the grout. Thanks!

I'm very sorry to say this but you're going to have to remove all the tiles and start over.  You will never been able to prevent this from leaking fully.

It may also mean removing and replacing the backing as well.

The critical step you missed was the waterproofing membrane that goes under the tiles and in and over the drain pipe.  The tiles don't stop the water at all but are for aesthetics only (and to protect the water proofing). What makes the shower water tight is a sturdy backing covered with a water proofing membrane like liquid flash (one I used) when I did my tile shower. http://www.constructionchemicals.com.au/products/waterproofing-membranes/

But there are many different brands.  They are a paint on product and very easy to install.

Don't expect your tiles to be waterproof. At best they are only splash resistant. Water goes right through the grout and can also enter around the side of the tile where the grout is.  Porcelain tiles aren't quite as porous as ceramic, but most wall tiles are ceramic because they are a lot lighter.  These tiles act like a wick and just draw the water through to the back of them.  If you don't fix this you could be in for some serious mould issues down the track.

Unfortunately there is no simple fix to this but to start over. I would not recommend just trying to seal it.  It's like covering up rotten wood with paint, it won't last and won't fix the problem long term.  Although you've got water resistant plasterboard.  It won't last long term.  These plasterboards are just designed to repel water to keep it out of the gypsum they are made of, not designed to be constantly wet.

Interesting construction that your builder used water treated plasterboard + chipboard for the construction.  6mm or 1/4 in thick concrete based tile & slate underlay board + waterproofing membrane is all you would have needed.  I wouldn't recommend tile on plasterboard at all.  Even with the layers that he has.  It's not as strong.

Since I know how much work goes into these DIY tile showers I will say this.  If you feel overwhelmed, call in an expert.  They will have the job done in a week and you'll be able to move on with life.  But if you're up for the challenge and want to learn to do it right this time, then dive in and go for it!