How should I connect my cat5 cable to connectors having an orange-green line? I have some cat5 cables in my attic in need to splice .  they have been up there for 10 to 15years so no sure if cat5e or cat5.

I'm looking at a tool-less connector on amazon, but the color coding has a orange-green line I do not see in my cable

That's not "orange/green", it is T568A vs. T568B
Cat 3/5/6 cabling can be connected in two "flavors" - T568A and T568B. The cable (without ends attached) is the same and they are functionally identical. The only question is the sequence - Blue/Orange/Green/Brown vs. Blue/Green/Orange/Brown. Most connectors & jacks include color-coding for both types, marked "A" and "B", so that you can mix & match parts from different brands and have everything work together. You can actually see that in the image if you look closely - A and B are printed on top of the color coding on both left (solid blue, pin 4) and right (brown/white, pin 7).  If your device says "Cable should be T586A CAT 5" and you wire it up T586B CAT 5e, it will work just fine, because the electrons don't care about the insulation color.
I usually use T568B, but it really doesn't matter as long as you are consistent - i.e., both ends of each cable should (normally) be the same.
What does matter is the quality of the connection.
Each new cable type 3 -> 5 -> 5e -> 6 puts in new, more exacting requirements on the number of twists and other factors. So make sure any connectors, adapters, splices, etc. meet the requirements of the cable type you want to use. If you have Cat 6 everywhere except one segment is Cat 5e then you'll be fine with Cat 5e speeds but Cat 6 might not work, and you may have trouble figuring out why things aren't working right. So I would at a minimum use the same quality/specification for everything that is hidden - wall jacks, cable inside walls, splices in the attic, etc.


How to construct a time capsule bottle? We (my daughter and I) are building some time capsules in a bottle, i.e., putting photos, letters, small memories and so inside some glass bottles.

We plan to have a good lifespan of some: 10 years, 25 years and 50 years. They will be buried about 3 foot deep in places that won't have any load, so we're confident that they will not break.

But I'm afraid about humidity and mold. Using common tools and materials, how can I prevent mold from building in? And how can I seal the bottle, so that there is no humidity to damage our paper?

It's really hard to assure that they won't be under load anytime in the next 50 years.  Obviously, the bottles only need to break once to be ruined.  Also, depending on the type of bottle, it might be hard to find lids that are waterproof, rustproof, and won't decompose.

I recommend using something sturdier, like large diameter PVC or ABS pipe.  It's easy to work with, you can cut it to whatever length you want, and it's easy to completely seal it off from the outside world.

You'll inevitably have at least some humidity from the air trapped inside, so I recommend adding some desiccant packets to help preserve the contents.


60amp panel install in an attached garage, do I have my ducks in a row? I have been considering putting a sub-panel out in my attached garage, wanted to know if I have all my ducks in a row before starting the process and pulling a permit.

Items to be powered - Table saw (15A), Miter saw (15A), Planer (15A), Jointer (15A),  Dust collection (240v-4A/120v-8A), All other tools/chargers will be less than 4A.

I figured at any given time that no more than 47amps would be used at any given time. (15*1.25+15+8+5)

Main breaker in the house is 100amp and I plan to leach off from a 60amp double pull breaker to this box (all major appliances that can be are gas)...

https://www.acehardware.com/departments/lighting-and-electrical/circuit-breakers-fuses-and-panels/panels-and-load-centers/3508603

I believe this box has a ground bar intended for sub panels, if not is there a required size ground bar that must be met for the listed panel?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-Power-Mark-Plus-Grounding-Lug-for-Load-Centers-TGL20CP/100153918

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Square-D-QO-60-Amp-2-Pole-Circuit-Breaker-QO260CP/100065234

The total run is a few ft less than 60'.

I planned to run #4 AWG THHN/THWN Building Wire in BLACK (lead)/BLACK (lead)/WHITE (neutral).

https://www.wireandcableyourway.com/4-awg-thhn-building-wire.html

& #6 AWG THHN/THWN in GREEN (ground).

https://www.wireandcableyourway.com/6-awg-thhn-building-wire.html

This will be in 1 1/4" sch40 pvc electrical conduit dug 18" under ground level.

No more than 270 deg. in bends total (90 / 45 / 45 /90)

The exit point unfortunately comes up at the edge of a concrete slab that is against the garage (its the path that lead to the front door from the driveway).  I haven't seen anything against this but felt it should be pointed out.

Anything I missed or should change?  Any constructive criticism, pointers & shared knowledge will be greatly appreciated.  Thanks

Edit* added photos

Fat aluminum and fat conduit are your friends here if you go the conduit route

Considering that your existing panel is full to the brim to the point where you are straining to make the feeder breaker fit, there is no reason to skimp on sizing for the feeder here.  I would go up to 1.5" conduit over 1.25" to provide more room for pulling and upsized feeder wires (either now or in the future), for starters.  (I would go larger, but your existing box doesn't have anything bigger than a 1.5" KO in its back, so you would need to field enlarge the knockout with a KO punch to get a 2" conduit into it.)

With that, I would go with aluminum feeder wires as well.  With proper termination technique, including the use of brushing/anti-oxidant and more importantly correct termination torque, achieved with an inch-pound torque wrench, aluminum wires landed on modern Cu/Al rated lugs, such as those found on breakers and loadcenters, are no cause for concern whatsoever.  Furthermore, you can use the 75°C column in the ampacity tables as you're running between lugs rated for that temperature and running individual wires in conduit, allowing you to use 4AWG aluminum wire with a 10AWG bare copper ground for 60A, or go up to 1AWG aluminum with an 8AWG bare copper ground for a full 100A feeder.

Panel sizing: bigger is better, but be sure to get the correct accessories!

While that 24-space QO you linked may seem like a large panel, it really is not, especially considering that double-stuff breakers are doubly not an option for you.  (Not only do they not come in AFCI or GFCI, tandem QOs are very limited in selection to begin with as an artifact of QO being a 3/4" breaker line.)

As a result of this, I would recommend biting the bullet and getting something like a QO132L125G or even a QO142L225PG instead, despite the higher price tag up front.  Buying a bigger box now is far easier and cheaper than having to find room for yet another subpanel later, or ripping out an existing panel and replacing it with a new, larger one.

The other good thing about many of the larger main lug QO panels is they come with ground bars already fitted, so you don't have to worry about that.  This is a good thing, as the ground bar you linked is a GE part, and thus not all that useful for you since you are using Square-D panels.

Trenching and routing

You'll need to make sure the top of the conduit is at least 18" deep, which translates into a 20-22" trench depth, since you're using PVC.  This will also require tearing up and patching the sidewalk slab to run the sweep elbow for the garage end underneath it, but if that's not an issue for you, then you'll be good to go.  The rest of it is typical for an outdoor run, with LB conduit bodies on the outside as pull points and some duct seal where the conduit enters the loadcenters at each end.


How do I wire a switch/receptacle combination? Here's my current situation.  I've got 14/2 to the ceiling.  The hot wire has a runner, which runs down to the switch, and the other wire is a switched hot, back to the light.  The other side of the light is connected back to the 14/2 back to the breaker.

Some genius in the past, replaced the light switch with a switch receptacle combo.  Instead or re-running a 14/3, they simply went hot to the receptacle, and jumpered the neutral side straight to ground.   I have disconnected this, but now have a non-functional receptacle where I really need one.

I know I need to run a 14/3 down to the switch, and can easily make this work in a way that is safe and functional.  But, I'd also like it to be correct, so that no future person runs into any surprises.

So, what are the appropriate colours to use in my B/W/R 14/3?

I figure it should be a B-B wirenut in the ceiling, run the black to Switch. R Should be the switched hot to the light, and the light back to Line Neutral (White).

Now, for the receptacle, I can take the line off the hot to the switch, and run the free white runner back to line Neutral.

Is this correct?  What would an experienced electrician think if he came across that in the future?

EDIT: In the second diagram, the neutral and the ground are not connected.

RESOLVED:  Had to break drywall to get it done which led to a patch job. The old wire was stapled to the studs and I had to release it to use it as a fish.  Marked the red with electrical tape.

Yes, that is correct.

Another alternative is to disconnect the existing supply, and run a new line to the switch/receptacle. It really just depends on which line is easier to run.

(Note, I just copied the original image, but didn't erase the ground. The ground should be connected to the box and the ground nut on the receptacle, and switch if it has one. At no point here should the ground be connected to neutral, or anything but a box or a ground screw. Thanks @Skaperen)

You should disconnect the other wire though, at both ends, and connect the conductors together so if anyone mistakenly energizes that line in the future, it will blow the breaker.


Attaching non-load bearing walls to steel I-beams I'm preparing to remodel my basement.  A steel I-beam runs the length the of the basement with vertical steel columns spaced periodically across the span.  The beam is 5" wide and 8" tall.  I'm considering constructing a 2x4, non-load bearing wall directly under the beam but I'm not sure how to attach the 2x4 framing to the underside of the beam.

Here's a picture of the beam:

How can I attach a 2x4 wall frame to the underside of a steel I-beam.

You have a few options.
Frame around the beam.
This is probably the easiest method, though it changes the dimensions of the room slightly. Simply build your wall either in front of, or behind the beam. Attach the top plate to the joists.
Weld studs to the beam
You could weld threaded, or non-threaded rods (studs) to the bottom of the beam. Then drill holes in the top plate to align with the rods (studs). If you used threaded rods, use a washer and nut to attach the top plate.
Nuts and Bolts
Drill holes through the top plate and the beam flange, then use nuts and bolts to attach the top plate.
Powder actuated fasteners
You could use powder-actuated fasteners to attach the top plate to the beam.

WARNING: For any method that alters the beam in any way, consult an engineer for fastener schedule, size, and placement.


What would make my Lennox gas stove just shut off and the pilot light goes out as well? We've tried cleaning it and restarting the stove still doesn't seem to stay on.

Check that the gas supply is okay.  Maybe someone fiddled with the gas valve.  Maybe there is a gas leak outdoors.  Verify that another gas appliance is working correctly.
Check the space between the pilot light and its themopile or thermocouple.  If the flame is not heating the sensor, the pilot light is supposed to be cut off to prevent gas accumulation.
Check the wiring between the thermo-sensor and the valve.  If the wire breaks or is disconnected, it can't keep the pilot light valve on.
If all seems fine, measure the voltage applied to the valve and compare with the specification.  Maybe the thermosensor needs replacement.


Does the inter-floor insulation in my 1911 home contain asbestos? I have a house that was built in 1911.  I am renovating the 1st floor bathroom (removing drywall, plaster, then lath boards.  While removing the plaster in the ceiling I noticed that there is some insulation between the floors.  It resembles blown in insulation but I do not see any port holes so I am assuming its original.  It appears to have a cotton like texture but I have not touched it yet.  Does anyone know if I should be concerned about asbestos exposure?  Anyone have any theories why they would insulate between floors?

Insulation between floors is often for sound isolation, but hard to know for sure with the original owners/builders presumably long since dead.

Asbestos is both easy and annoyingly expensive to know for sure - collect a sample and send it to a lab, if you can't just leave it alone, undisturbed. You can't tell just by looking at it, unless you have the right sort of fancy microscope and training in its use. It could also be in your plaster, sadly. Might not be in either place, but without testing, you can't know.


LED light glows when switched off I know this has been posted and answered in many ways. I wanted to add some more troubleshooting that I did with same results!

Replaced Light (LED/CFL) dimmer with simple single-pole / this is to a different circuit, fed by same power.
** Measured from white-to-gnd (58VAC) and black-to-gnd (55VAC) on dim-glowing LED (this is new info, old multi-meter broken, got new one!)
Reversed black/white dim glowing LED
Measured about 3 VAC across dim-glowing "OFF" LED (white to black)
Removed switch to dim-glowing LED completely, left open
removed black incoming wire from switch#2 from light#5

The glowing is definitely the result of a voltage, not any kind of chemical/residual

Please see diagram.

I am stumped! Thank you for any help!

*** so it looks like the 4 lights in parallel on top are causing the problem. With Sw#2 OFF, there's a decent amount of voltage to ground at the dim-lit LED, (white 58v and black 55v), enough to dimly light the LED. So now I am thinking the guy incorrectly wired the 4 parallel lights. there's NO incoming ground (old house)... ok to not tie grounds together?

Glenn

The way you have drawn the circuit is correct for an ungrounded circuit. However if that is your real configuration, slight illumination on lamp 5 is simply impossible.  There is no current path which would make this possible, unless through the grounds.

That tells me most likely, your drawing does not reflect reality. Inspect more closely.

You draw grounds like an electronics guy, just stick the symbol there and "armwave" it, but grounding cannot be armwaved.  It is a very big deal. Since the source is not grounded, grounds should not be interconnected amongst the new things you have added: This creates an "island of grounds" (see what I say here): Now touching a switch plate cover screw can kill you.

Grounds must start at the physical earth, go via the grounding electrode system to the panel, then from the panel to each grounded point in turn. Retrofitting is allowed, so the grounds don't need to follow the same route as the conductors, but grounding must spread from the panel. No islands.  All that said...

....I really don't see how grounds can have anything to do with it, unless you have done something really dumb like bootleg grounds off neutral, or several of your LED lights have neutral-ground faults and they're wired backward or something.  I assume you are checking for that and fixing it.

Anyway, look closer at your wiring and I believe you will find there's a mismatch between the drawing and what you actually have.  If you want to shoot some pix of the junction boxes, particularly the box where the two subcircuits diverge, we'd be happy to have a look.


Fill holes in Brick & Mortar There are a couple of holes in my brick and mortar that I'd like to fill.

Will this work for the mortar ?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H5SDH0

What could I use to fill the holes ?

I know this is old, but I’ve read you can take an extra brick and basically break it up into dust and add that to the mortar to tint it to the brick color.


How much does it cost to run 24kWh on my diesel generator? I've got a generator, and I'm wondering since my monthly usage is 719kWh how much would it cost to run the house per day if fuel is $4/gallon?

The generator you linked to claims to need 4 gallons of fuel to produce 9.5 hours of power at 2.5 kW, or 23.75 kWh.  That is about 6 kWh per gallon.  At $ 4 per gallon, your fuel cost is about 67 cents per kWh.

In other words, you would spend about $ 16 per day on fuel to average 1 kW.  That cost does not include lubricants, maintenance, depreciation, nor the hassle of refueling the generator on a daily basis.  In most places, this fuel cost is much more than the retail cost of the electricity produced.


How can I install a new lighting circuit in my kitchen? I would like to install 2 new light fixtures and a switch in my kitchen. Currently the kitchen has three lights each controlled by their own switch. I want the new lights to have their own switch located next to one of the other switches. I am trying to figure out the best and easiest way to to get power to the lights? A diagram of the required wiring would be helpful.

You can in all likelihood run it off your existing circuit, but without knowing the current layout it is hard to say for sure.

You are probably better off hiring an electrician. Doing work like this requires significantly more information and technique than can be explained in a forum post or single diagram.

I am a firm believer in DIY, self-reliant amateur electricians, but just reading a few posts on a forum does not cut it. You need to have and use books that explain in detail the correct procedures, otherwise you could make serious errors with potentially dangerous ramifications.

If you have a specific problem, by all means bring it to the exchange, but just asking, "How do I wire up a whole circuit?" is not a good idea.


Safe way to remove an outlet We recently removed a wet bar from our living room and we're going to replace it with a kegerator. On the wall above the wet bar, there are currently two switches and one outlet, but not in a row; one of the switches is above the outlet and the other switch. We want to have an outlet down low so the plug for the kegerator is not visible.

Surprise surprise, when the plumber opened up the wall to cap off the plumbing, he uncovered a capped off outlet box (which while trying to find out how to deal with our situation I've learned shouldn't have been dry walled over). So putting a new outlet in there seems straightforward enough.

My question has to do with the switches and outlet higher up on the wall. Ideally, we'd like to not have an outlet there at all, and just have the two switches next to each other. But as I've mentioned, I know I shouldn't drywall over where the outlet was.Can I move the upper switch to be next to the lower one, put wire nuts on the wires from the outlet, leave them in the box with the switches, and then put on the face plate? Or is that not safe? If it's not, then my plan is to move the upper switch down and have the two switches and the outlet in a row, even if the outlet really won't get any use. Unless there are other options?
Thanks!

You can cap the wires, and cover the box with a blank faceplate.  There's no problem with that, as long as the twist-on wire connectors are the correct size for a single wire.


Why will 26 1.2W 220V LED lights not work with an 800W inverter? We live off the grid and have just installed 26 220V 1.2W LED lights. We are using 220V as the batteries are some way from the house and and thick copper wire is expensive. Everything works on the inverter except the LED lights. We can only use 6 and then the inverter trips out. With everything turned off, adding 1 bulb at at a time and measuring the current, everything is fine until we add the 6th LED light and the current reading starts going crazy, up and down very rapidly until the inverter trips. What is happening here?

This is almost certainly from using a "modified square wave" - MSW - inverter rather than a "true sine wave inverter" - the power conversion circuits in AC LED fixtures expect a sine wave input, and the way they behave when fed MSW input is upsetting your inverter.

One possible solution, short of "buy a new inverter" (a rather expensive proposition, especially for true sine) would be to feed the light circuits (only) though a small isolation transformer. The inverter power would feed into one side, and you'd feed the lights a much better approximation of a "true sine wave" from the other side. It should be a bit oversized for the load, since the MSW input will cause some heating of the transformer that a normal sine wave would not. However, the load is so small that almost any isolation transformer will be a bit oversized for it. Find the minimum size by looking at the VA (not W - power factor matters, a lot, here) rating of your lamps, and then run a fudge factor for MSW input of about twice that rating.

Unless the VA is absurdly bad for a 1.2W device, something like this for roughly $50 ($40.76 plus shipping) will probably work. You'd also need to mount it in a safe enclosure, provide circuit breakers or fuses, etc...


Right transfer switch for connecting small generator to a 100amp service? I got a little 3,300 generator for Christmas, and I'm looking at transfer switches so I can plug it into my house.
I won't be able to power the whole home, but even limited power is better than no power. I'm going for as simple of a setup as I can get away with.
Currently I'm looking at getting this:

I have a 100Amp service in my house. I'm wondering if I should pay the extra money for a 100Amp switch incase I get a larger generator down the road, or if the 60Amp switch will be sufficient for the 30amps my generator can put out.
Also curious about the 30amp rating on power inlet. Can't seem to find anything more than 30amp.
Is a 30amp inlet going to be sufficient for a 60 or 100amp transfer switch?

More Details (as requested)
Manual pdf: https://images11.palcdn.com/hlr-system/Documents/84/842/8422/8422560_manualhb_00_01_v01_manuel_enfr.pdf

We don’t know your panel type but I think a few of us would suggest a 30 amp power inlet & 30 amp double pole back fed breaker 10 awg wire with a mechanical interlock kit that won’t allow power to the panel without turning off the main.
(If you compare prices and the cost of a 20 amp inlet is only 10-15$ Less go with the larger one upgrading in the future would require replacing everything but the mechanical interlock itself so going a little larger now may save the need in the future)
After this you can select the circuits to energize and it is code compliant and one of the least expensive methods.
This will allow even future upgrades of the generator 2x of what you have and because the 30 amp is more common it may be cheaper I am not sure as I have always installed 30 and 50 amp 240v inlets.
Note I have suggested this on 4 small generators I have installed 2 went with my suggestion 2 ended upgrading once they realized they needed a larger generator.


How to know if a basement is dry enough to finish I am looking to finish/remodel my below grade basement. I am worried about moisture issues. I have owned the house for 2 years and there is no evidence of standing water in the basement. The floor is currently covered with very old (maybe 40 years) vinyl tile. How do I know if it the basement is dry enough to be able to refinish?

It's not clear what you're asking exactly, but the bigger question is probably whether you'll be able to manage moisture once the basement is finished. If you can run a dehumidifier during the summer months and prevent extreme humidity, and if all drainage issues are handled, you should be fine.

Be cognizant of the right way to install vapor barriers and other moisture-handling mechanisms in your area. The best approach depends on a number of factors, such as climate, soil conditions, foundation type, etc. Speaking with local builders and inspectors would be wise.


Do epoxy paints need to cure after being heated in the oven? I am doing a project with a rattle can but it's an epoxy based paint (not oil like your off-the-shelf Krylon or whatever). I am also doing a step where I oven cure everything after I finish painting it. I am doing 200 degrees for 2 hours. So far my parts have turned out great, I'm really happy with them.

Do I still need to let them air cure for a few days after or are my parts ready to use now?

Beware. Many products are marketed as "epoxy" when in fact they are not epoxy based, just normal paint with a small amount of already-cured epoxy in the mix, so they can make the marketing claim of being "epoxy".   Real epoxy is nothing like that.

Many paints don't like being oven baked. You may want to experiment with something unimportant.

Real epoxy comes in 2 cans. You mix them together in a mixing cup, and you have a limited "pot life" to apply it and clean the spray gun.  Which is why they can't sell it in rattle cans.

High-temp-cure epoxy absolutely requires an oven cure, but gives extremely long pot life - long enough they can sell it in one can.  I've never seen high-temp in a rattle can, but if that's what you have, awesome.  The oven schedule is mandatory - don't short it, or it won't cure.

When spraying (real) epoxy, make sure to wear a proper NIOSH respirator. The resin in uncured epoxy contains an immune system irritant, skin is a good barrier, lungs are not.  That health issue is why big-box stores don't like to sell 2-part epoxies and urethanes in products you might spray.


Wood flooring and Heavy Wheel Chair We are having a power chair friendly house built in the spring.  Because carpet has to be glued to the sub-floor to prevent bumps and wrinkles, we would prefer wood floors.  (We like them better anyway.)  We've been thinking about bamboo flooring.  How well does it hold up?  Can it be sanded and refinished?  Approximately how long should it last under these conditions?

The power chair is used inside and out, so it picks up pebbles, dirt, etc.  Another question: Is there a matting that can be used to remove some of the outside debris from the wheels?

Just dealing with the matting question, I would assume regular matting would be ok, you will just need a lot of it. Assuming you will have one, I would keep the outside ramp clean, then have a commercial-quality welcome mat outside the door, and another two inside. (Like, the 3'x5' or so ones. Your goal is that the wheels have to make at least 1 complete revolution before leaving the mats.)

It may also be prudent (depending on your house) to have a different flooring for the area around the door, designed for higher wear.


Incoming supply dropping to 66 volts I have a problem in my house. If I test the incoming supply on top of the main circuit breaker I get 220 volts with the breaker set to OFF position, but if I test with the breaker ON, I get 66 volts. What is the problem here?

No matter where you are you have a problem that needs to be addressed by your power company. In both US split-phase or EU 240v at the incoming terminals, reading more than 10% below is an indication of a problem.

Since you can not turn the power off before the main breaker, the utility needs to find the problem. It is probably a loose or burned connection, I have seen fuses on the service do this when a carbon path provides some voltage unloaded,  then a load coming on causes the voltage to dive. Many times it is a loose or burned off wire connection, so contact your utility and tell them you have an outage.


Stubborn clogged sink drain I've been struggling for a few days trying to unclog a bathroom sink that is extremely slow to drain. I tried the following:

Removed and cleaned P trap
Snake: Cheapo ($30) 25ft 1/4" drum auger with drill attachment. I hit resistance at varying points along the way which I broke through with a few trials until I had the entire snake fed through.  I did it a few more times because I still felt areas of resistance, but eventually the snake became kinked and it became useless.
Baking soda/vinegar
Plunging:  This brought up a lot of nasty black biofilm, but since using the shop vac I don't get much of this anymore.
6 HP shop vac in both directions (suck and blow).  When in blow mode, it pushes the water through just fine, but when I turn the water back on the clog remains.  It does take about 20 seconds of running water until it backs up into the sink, so that tells me the clog is probably far down.

I'm not sure what else I can do other than call a plumber.  I'd rather not use harsh chemicals.  Any ideas?

I would go rent a snake. Plumber will do the same by using a snake but the charge to rent and doing it your self will be cheaper.


Bad to seal holes around gas pipes with cement? I got a new gas person this year to check my boiler. He noticed that where my gas pipe comes into the house, through a hole in the bricks, the hole is sealed with cement or mortar. He said that this was bad because the expansion/contraction of the pipe against the cement would lead to wear and perhaps a gas leak. Is he correct or is he just hoping for some extra work?
EDIT: he may have said corrosion or even vibrations, I can't really remember. But how would cement cause corrosion?

The feed through a foundation or wall in my state requires a listed flanged pipe.
I don’t know what the coating is but there is a coating to prevent corrosion from contact with cement products.
The flange prevents movement of the earth causing a failure inside the home but I live in a seismic zone so movement is a possibility.
Would I go back and update an old home? Probably not unless a a service change was needed or insurance required it.


Can I use an existing range circuit for a new sub-panel? Lots of good information out there but wanted to confirm that what I'm learning is accurate and also ask a little about aluminum wiring.
Context/Background
I'm finishing my basement (one bedroom, an office, a bathroom, a utility room and a large family room area). Home built in 2014, outside of Denver, CO. My main breaker is in my garage. A while back I added some circuits to my garage and anticipating finishing the basement. I ran an additional three 20A lines to the basement. Like all the other lines, they run up the wall in the garage across the attic and then down through walls and into the basement.
Problem/Situation
As I'm now doing the rough electrical installation in the basement I'm seeing a few unanticipated needs. I see that the sump pump is running off of the same circuit as the lights (not sure if that's allowed). I also would now like electric heated floors in the bathroom and would also put a chest freezer and fridge in the basement. There are no remaining open slots in my main circuit breaker panel (150amp). Lastly, I converted my electric range to gas recently so I have a spare 40amp 240V line only a few feet above the basement. It is 3 wire + ground. See the 2 pictures for the connection.

Can I utilize this 40amp 240v line to make a subpanel in the basement?**

If so, it seems that once at a subpanel I should have plenty of power for 3-5 new 120v 15-20amp lines to be used in the basement. Is this accurate?**

As it terminates near the back of my range, I would have to splice another appropriate line to it, in a junction box, then run that line to the subpanel. Am I allowed to splice such large conductors in a junction box and run it to the new subpanel? Any special requirements? I assume still accessible to space behind range? (aka can't drywall over it)**

I've only worked with copper before. Is it best to splice it immediately to a new copper line (6ga?) or keep it aluminum back to the new subpanel? I understand I will need correct connectors for this (Polaris?)** Can anyone tell me what gauge this aluminum wire is? Hard to tell with so little showing.

Finally, do I need to protect said new conductors back to the subpanel?** It would run for about 30 feet in the floor joist spaces/unfinished spaces above ceiling line into an unfinished utility room then drop down. PVC? EMT? FMC? Seems like 1-1/8" if PVC based on 6ga conductors. And where does the conduit stop? All the way to the new subpanel box or just until ceiling line? I would prefer to flush mount it in the stud wall but open to either way. Same question for the NM 12-2 or 14-2 coming out of the new subpanel to other circuits in the basement - does it have to be protected until within the stud spaces? I've noticed some pre-existing NM cabling within FMC as they transition from stud space into the ceiling...

Thanks so much everyone, you assistance is most appreciated!

You'll need a pull box to make this splice
Since, from your measurements, it looks like your range circuit was wired using 4-4-4-6 Al SER with THHN conductors, you can't splice onto this cable in a regular old junction box, because it just wouldn't be big enough.  Instead, you'll need to use a NEMA 1 (indoor) rated pull box; these are the bigger brothers of the junction boxes you are familiar with, and are available most places electrical supplies are sold.
Furthermore, since we're using a pull box for this, we need to use the pull box sizing rules in NEC 314.28(A)(2) instead of the normal box fill rules.  For your application with a single 4-4-4-6 Al SER cable entering, we translate the conductors in the cable to an aggregate fill area of 47.10 * 3 (hot, hot, neutral) + 14.47 (ground) = 155.77mm2, as per the last paragraph of NEC 314.28(A)(2).  Continuing with that logic, we then transpose that fill area to the smallest conduit that can fit those conductors, which is a ¾" Type A PVC conduit that has 168mm2 of fill area available.
Now that we have the equivalent conduit size for the cable entry, we can continue with the logic of the first paragraph of NEC 314.28(A)(2).  In this case, this gives us a minimum box size of 4" square; however, given that you are planning to use a conduit to continue this run, we have to take that into account as well, which gives us a minimum dimension of 4¾".  Of course, nobody makes a box that size as a stock item, so we go up to the next larger size, which is a 6" by 6" by 4" box.  You'll also want to get the matching flush cover for whatever box you pick at this point, otherwise you won't be able to make a clean transition from the box to the drywall.
Inside that box, you can either use 3 14-4 Al/Cu rated 2-port mechanical splice connectors (Polaris™ or equivalent) or a single 3-pole, UL 1953 listed, 14-4 to 14-4, Al/Cu rated power distribution block (such as the Mersen MPDB63103) to connect the incoming hots and neutral to their outgoing counterparts.  For the grounding conductors, then, I recommend using a 10-32x1" machine screw to attach an Ilsco NBAS-002-1-B or equivalent UL467 listed, Al/Cu rated grounding bar to the grounding emboss in the enclosure.  Just remember that if you use the PDB, it needs to be fastened to the back of the box! (Sheet metal screws work fine for that, though, since there's no need to ground the distribution block's plastic base.)
From this, while one could use a 6/3 NM-B cable to extend the feeder, your plan with the THHN wires in ENT is a better one as it lets you run the THHN at 75°C.  Your 6AWG copper is indeed the correct wire size for the ongoing hots and neutral, while an 8AWG will do the trick for the grounding wire, yielding a conduit fill requirement of 32.71 * 3 + 23.61 = 121.74mm2, which fits neatly into the 137mm2 available in a ¾" ENT.  (One could use a bare 8AWG grounding wire instead of green THHN if they wanted to conserve conduit fill.)  Of course, if you wish to carry on in aluminum, that's an option too; just use more of the 4-4-4-6 Al SER cable that was used for the original run.
Note that with the THHN-in-ENT plan, the ENT must run continuously from the pull box to the new subpanel, with boxes or bodies in-line as needed to break up the pull so that you don't have more than 360° of bending between any two access points in the conduit.  (If you exceed that limit, the pulling forces will most likely remind you why the Code authors put it there!)  Obviously, the SER cable can simply be run by itself in the joist/stud bays, as it's a cable, and thus doesn't need conduit help unless it's run in a place where it could be subject to serious abuse.
GO BIG OR GO HOME
Once you get to the new panel location, there's no sense in shortchanging yourself on panel spaces, especially since your existing panel is full to the brim already.  Your best bet here is to get a 24-space or 30-space, 125A, main lug panel with factory-fitted ground bars for your subpanel; if you get a panel that doesn't come with grounding bars, you'll have to buy and field-fit one of the appropriate type.
The wiring here is simple: hots to the main lugs, neutral to the neutral bar, ground to the ground bar, and pull the bonding screw or strap out.  You don't need a main breaker to serve as a disconnect here since this panel is fed from within the same building, and the four-wire feeder supplies all the grounding this panel needs for the same reason.
While we're upsizing your plans, the fact that this run is a mix of 4AWG aluminum and 6AWG copper, running from a recent-make Siemens main panel rated for 75°C wire terminations to a new panel that will also be rated for 75°C wire terminations, means that you can replace the 40A breaker with something that gives you a bit more headroom.  You can go up to 70A breaker-wise as the feeder itself is capable of 65A at 75°C; if you'd rather go with a 60A breaker, that's fine too, and lets you use a 10AWG grounding wire in the ENT instead of the 8AWG mentioned above.
Note that if you want to determine the maximum load you can place on this panel, you'll need to run an Article 220 load calculation for the area/circuits it serves; this is a fairly complex process, but means that you aren't actually limited to a half a dozen 20A circuits in your new panel, depending on what loads you're serving from it of course.


Where to install water shutoff valve I'm remodeling a bathroom in a house built in 1993 (Midwest USA). Apparently the plumbers didn't add shutoff valves under the main or master bathroom sinks... I've found plenty of instructions online for how to add a compression shutoff valve, but the plumbing under the sink goes from CPVC to copper, so I'm not sure if I should really install the fitting on the copper.
My question is; Should I install the shutoff on the copper?
Or should I use a CPVC specific shutoff and take the copper off completely?
My impression is that installing a compression fitting on the copper would be easier, but I don't know if that would be up to code in this situation.

I would leave the copper attached to the CPVC, if taint broke don't fix it.
I would cut it down a little so your new valves are not so high, just below the drain pipe.
You can use compression, solder or push to connect valves for 1/2" copper.
I would add support for the pipes,  put a piece of wood horizontal on the wall and use copper pipe standoff's or straps to secure the pipes and keep them from flexing when using the valves.


Are router mounting holes standard? I just bought a used table saw and a previous owner extended the table and in the extension put holes to mount a router underneath.  There's a 1.5-2" center hole and several counter-sunk holes around it for mounting screws/bolts.  I don't know whether the spacing of those holes is fairly standard across router brands or if I'm going to have trouble finding a router to mount in the existing holes.

They are not standard, but there seem to be a few common patterns.

Rockler's website has a guide for choosing a mounting plate for your router. These are the router models that they support:

  Group A routers: Makita 1100; Milwaukee 5615-5624; DeWalt 616-618; Bosch 1617-1618; Ridgid 2930 Combo Kit; Hitachi M12VC (fixed and kit); Porter-Cable 690, 890, 7529, 97529 and 8529. Note: Current models of the Porter-Cable 892 require at least two screws  to be 1/2" long versus 5/8".
  Group B routers: DeWalt DW621 and DW621K; Craftsman Standard; Freud FT 1700E and 1702VCEK
  Group C routers: Porter-Cable 7518, 7519, 7538 and 7539; Milwaukee 5625-20; Triton TRA001 and MOF001
  Group D routers: Bosch 1619-1619EV; Freud FT2000; DeWalt 625

They also offer blanks that you can drill to fit your router if it's not in the above lists.

On the "Tech Spec" tab of that page, they have PDFs that show the pattern for each of the four above groups, so if you measure the spacing of the holes in your table, you may be able to find one that fits.


Where do I connect the C wire in my furnace? I am upgrading my thermostat to a Nest, and would like to add a common wire. My current furnace controller doesn't have a C terminal, but the current thermostat wire has 2 unused wires (black and blue)

what's the best way to do this?

On the 24V side of the transformer there is:
1 Red Wire
3 Blue Wire
- 1 Blue is ground
- 1 Blue goes to gas valve
- 1 Blue goes to furnace controller

Can I cut one of the blue wires, lets say the one to the controller, strip the ends and connect both ends to the c-wire on my thermostat wire?

Since in your case, one side of the transformer is grounded. You can simply use a fork or ring terminal, to connect the C wire to the chassis. Though it appears there's already a wire that's attached to ground, and comes right over near the thermostat wiring. I'd just put my C wire in with the other two wires, in that twist-on wire connector near the bottom of the photo.


Furnace fan runs all the time our furnace fan runs all the time

It doesn't switch off when the furnace does and keeps blowing cool air

I've replaced the filter and it's still running

The thermostat (RTH6400D) isn't set up to run the fan. It has only two wires connected, W and R

The furnace is a Beckett(by Honeywell) R7184B

Thank you

Buck

If this problem just started (the furance hasn't always operated like this), then it's likely an open high limit switch.

If it's a manually resettable limit, you can try resetting it yourself.   If it's an automatic reset device, you'll probably have to replace it.


What can I do to prevent injuries from the corners of a wooden deck? We recently had the floor of our wooden deck replaced and in the process, the contractor changed it from having cut-off corners to having real corners.

I am concerned with how the new corner sticks into the backyard so kids playing there might run into it.  This was previously not a problem because the deck did not have sharp corners.

What can I put on the corner to protect people in the yard that will be durable and easy to install and maintain (looking good is ideal too)?

Update

Here is a picture of the issue:

The old deck is the black outline and the new deck adds to it the red areas as well.

I currently do not have exact measurements but here is an approximation:

The deck is approx. 20' x 10'.  There are 4 steps down to the yard on the right-hand side (not shown).
The yard's total size is around 60' x 30' in the same orientation as the deck.  There is a swing set and a 12' octagonal trampoline as well as several trees.

Go to a Marina and get some dock corner bumpers.    It's probably the least ugly solution.


Is a strain relief clamp necessary for dryer cord installation? Just got a new dryer yesterday, and the installation instructions say I need a strain relief for the power cord. Unfortunately, the delivery guys took my old dryer for recycling and only left the cord - no strain relief. Is the strain relief absolutely necessary? Seems they are only sold with new cords, and I'm trying to avoid spending money needlessly.

Yes, for legality and safety. Dryers in particular move a lot, and you don't want your conductors wearing through on the sharp edges of the chassis and electrifying the entire unit or starting a fire.

There's often one built into the dryer. It may be reversed for shipping. Otherwise they're readily available at hardware and home improvement stores for a buck or two.


Circuit breaker kicks off when one switch is on I have a ceiling fixture with three wires coming in to it one is hot, one goes to the wall switch one goes to the next room to a light switch. I need to know why would one black wire went straight to the light from the wall switch and the white wire from the wall switch went to the black hot in coming wire.

What you're describing is known as a "switch loop".  A cable runs between the switch box and the fixture box, which is used to interrupt the ungrounded (hot) conductor.

Basically, power comes into the box on the black wire in the "feed cable".  It travels along the white wire in the "* switch cable*" to the switch, then back from the switch on the black wire in the "switch cable" to the fixture.


is there a trick to installing "lock and fold" flooring? I am doing a small installation of lock and fold flooring and find that the pieces don't want to sit flat, they curve up from the floor somewhat. I am tempted to push harder on them, but don't want to break the tongue off. Should I be using a rubber mallet to set the pieces together or is that too heavy handed for this stuff, it isn't very thick and it was expensive so I really want to be careful.

Does anyone have any tips for installing this type of flooring? It is turning out to be a little more hassle than they advertised on the display in the store.

I can think of a few possible problems:

The floor wasn't flat to start with.  You typically put down an underlayment of some sort, which will deal with some floor imperfections, but it's not 100% perfect.
Something managed to get under the flooring when you weren't looking.  (those little plastic things yout put against the wall being a prime culprit, but those are pretty obvious when it's happened).
There's something in the grove of flooring.  As part of the manufacturing, a little wood chip might get in the track, which prevents it from seating correctly and locking down.

Odds are, it's #3 -- it doesn't take much.  Inspect the board that you're trying to place, to see if there's any imperfections in the board along the grove, then take a look at the place you're trying to lay it into.  One the last floor I helped installed, we got in the habit of looking at all edges of the board before laying them, and pulling off any bits that were flaking that might cause problems later.  We also found that putting the board in the groove, then running it back and forth a few times would make them more likely to sit down on the first try (I'm not sure if it knocked out debris, or ground it down so it was small enough to not be a problem).


How to finish edge of tiled shower with metal outside drywall? I have a newly tiled shower that was put in with a metal edging piece.
However you can still see the edge of the cement board underneath it where it meets the wall.
How do I finish this?

If I understand correctly, the question is how to finish the 90degree transition where the metal trim meets the drywall.
First, I would clean up the metal trim. Scrape off or use some kind of adhesive remover to remove any residue. You may need to buff/polish it with some fine grit sandpaper.
For the transition i would use caulk, If you feel it may see a lot of moisture then use 100% mold/mildew resistant silicone. (after painting the wall)
If not then a paint-able caulk (before painting the wall)  that would be able to accept the paint color you choose for the wall.


Dowel joints in plywood I plan on replacing my kitchen cabinets later this summer. The old ones were home made by the previous owner and are oddly sized so I need to make my own out of plywood. Is it possible to put dowel joints in the edge of a piece of plywood, or will a hole that large force the layers apart?

I would use a pocket screw joint.  It is generally considered to be a stronger joint, and you can remove the clamps immediately after driving the screws (as opposed to waiting until the glue sets).

Along with the strength and speed, it also makes the construction process easier.  You don't have to drill 2 separate holes, and then attempt to get the alignment just right.  You drill the pocket hole in one piece, align the joint, and then drive the screws.  Makes for a more accurate assembly.


Can I put drip edge underneath felt without removing roof? Whoever installed the roof on my house put the bottom drip edge on top of the felt underlayment instead of below it. This is causing significant rot on my fascia and eaves. (I don't have any gabels.)
A new roof would ultimately solve this, but I can't afford one right now. Is this something I can remedy (or at least improve) on my own? If so, how should I go about it?

Update: This roof is shingled with architectural asphalt shingles (Certainteed Presidential). It's missing a starter strip. By "fixing" this, my first notion would involve getting the felt out from under the existing drip edge, either by:

Removing the drip edge, and sliding it underneath the felt to reattach it, or
Bending up the existing drip edge and sliding a new one underneath both it and the felt, or
Cutting the felt just above the drip edge, and slide a new, wider drip edge above the existing one and below the remaining felt. This may also involve adding more felt above the new drip edge.

It's virtually impossible to get drip edge under the bottom edge of a roof without redoing the whole roof.
You might be able to improve it by using flashing tape to seal the drip edge to the felt, if there's enough flex in the (shingles, I assume - you didn't say) on top of it to get that in without breaking the (shingles?)
You might also be able to slip a strip of felt (non-sticky) up under the lowest shingles on top of the joint, which won't require as much flexing if they are stiff, and can probably be shoved further up than the sticky flashing tape can be adhered. You'll want a few dabs of tar or other compatible roofing adhesive to keep that in place once it's shoved in as far as it will go.


Mudding over plaster walls with pre-mixed joint compound I just read a blog stating that pre-mixed joint compound should not be put over pre-existing plaster walls.  Why?  What is the best product to use?

The answer really depends on what you are trying to do.  A full skim coat, patching, or covering lead paint.  In general, many GP premixed compounds specifically say not to be used as a skim coat.

For the sake of argument, let's assume you are doing a full skim coat. Start with a full bodied joint compound, not a lightweight. Divide the pail in half into another container.  Cut it a bit with water and Ivory dish soap, mix extremely well until it is the consistency of pudding.  Firm enough to stay on your hawk, but loose enough to glide on the wall. This mix will elimamate most of the air bubbles and give you a very smooth coat without a lot of sanding. Apply with a 12 to 16 trowel or knife.  Make your first coat about 1/16" thick. Sand it with a very fine sanding sponge or screen. Give it a second coat to fill the void spots and sand it again.  You can wet float it for a glass like finish.


Is it a good idea to replace a net on a screen door without taking it down? I need to replace a mosquito net on a sliding screen door. I've watched some videos and bought a kit with spline, slider tool and net.

I cannot remove the sliding door from its place.

Is it a good idea to replace the net when the door is standing vertically? I can mostly fix it in place with duct tape, but will I be able to align it?

You might have to press pretty hard to get the spline into the groove. Your duct tape plan should work. And if you don't like the result, pull it out and try again.


Why Does the faucetts in my house sputter a bit ( like air in the lines, at times) when I turn them on, Hot, & Cold? I have my own well, & sometimes when I open any faucett, Hot, or Cold, I hear a little hissing sound, for a second or two then it works OK

I believe that water underground, esp. in deep well can be highly pressurized.  That increases the amount of gasses that can be dissolved.  Bringing the water to the surface reduces that pressure and the dissolved gasses form real gasses (mostly oxygen and nitrogen) again.  That leads to an occasional "spurting".  I've never figured out why it's so random, but I've experienced the same thing on the water from my well.   I'm not sure of all of this, but that's what I think happens.


does dryer lint come into my bathroom through the air vent? When I moved into my townhouse we were told we must put an exhaust fan into the basement washroom. We had someone do this and since then we have had dryer lint come thru the vent.

We have also noticed that we can only heat one side of the house. Only half our vents give full heat. Could these issues be related?

It's mostly a guess based on the minimal information provided, but I doubt you're seeing dryer lint. Dust fibers from clothing and toilet tissue accumulate on exhaust fan grilles. They need to be pulled down and cleaned at least annually.

Actually, the fan blades do, too. In some cases the moisture and dust conditions are so severe that the blades get completely coated and blocked over time, such that the fan moves virtually no air.


Will a 6x6x16 pressure treated lumber be okay for a play structure with a single super swing I want to create a play structure for a super swing.  A super swing is like a tire swing in that it can travel in all directions and spin like crazy.  I used to have it on a tree branch but we moved to a house with no suitable limbs.

I was planning on using two 6x6x12 vertical posts set 2 feet deep in concrete with one 6x6x16 cross bar.  I was going to use two diaginal pieces in the interior to help with any bowing.

I am mostly worried that the cross bar will break from the forces of the swing.  I can set the posts deeper to reduce the forces (or if the depth is insufficient), but I would like to maintain the 10 feet above ground if possible.

Any other advice or suggestions appreciated.

A swing frame  must be very rigid or the energy put into the swing gets sapped, causing it to quickly lose momentum. This is why you rarely see swings on posts. I'd stick with a proven design, the A frame. If you really must use vertical posts, go at least 3 feet down. With 10 feet above ground the torque will be quite strong.

Interior diagonal braces effectively reduce your beam span. You could easily cut 3 feet from each side, leaving 10. I'd trust a select 6x6 to span that just fine. The braces must be securely fastened, though. I'd consider mortising them into the beam and posts.


How do I determine if my chimney draft is correct? I'm having issues with my boiler, and according to this answer, one of the problems might be that my chimney draft is incorrect.

What steps are required to determine if my chimney draft is correct?

Two months later I finally found the right search string to get an better answer than 'light a stick on fire'.

Whenever preforming a test for safety, you always want to choose a worst case senator.

According to this page, worst case chimney draft conditions happen when the house is fully sealed and all exhausting appliances are activated. Thus one needs to:

Shut all windows and doors
Turn on all bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans
Turn run all appliances that exhaust such as dryers and central vaccumes

The source fails to mention whether or not to fire up other flue based heating sources.  However my intuition tells me that heating devices that don't share the same flue as the test should be fired up, but ones that are common to the device being tested should be left off because the added heat might add to the updraft)

Similarly, the source fails to mention what the temperature differential should be between the inside of the house and the outside should be as there will clearly be more of an updraft when the air inside the home is warm, and the outside is very cold. For a furnace / heating stove, this likely won't matter as you'll always be operating under ideal conditions. However with a water heater, you may run into the case where you have a high outside temperature, AC chilled ducting, and short heater run times such that the flu never gets hot enough to create an updraft. This would be your worst case, attempts to run your test when conditions most closely mirror this situation would be preferred, but may make less of a difference than the other items listed above.

According to the reference, once you've sealed your house and started up all venting appliances, your can simply tur on the appliance you want to check for several minutes then cup your hands around the fume hood without touching it and feel the air draft.  However, the manuals for professional  draft testing equipment say that their tests should be preformed within the first 60 seconds after igniting your appliance.  Thus it seems the best next step would be to:

Light a long match stick or dense cardboard strip (like a pizza box) and then blow it out so it smolders and smokes
Turn on your appliance and place your smoke stick near the vent hood.
If the smoke goes up the hood, your vent passes
If the smoke appears to be being blown into the house, the you have a down draft, and should repair it (especially if the down draft persists after your device has been on for several minutes).


Specialty stove wire and box fill This armored wire shows 2 sets of wire crimped and a ground.

For box fill would this be considered 3 or 5?

Does this increase amprage and voltage allowances?

Is there any other circumstances a cable like this be used?

Is there a name for this?

I realize this is a specialty wire for a specified purpose.

Since this flex whip is supplied as an integral part of the cooktop (instead of being building wiring), and consists of what I presume are fixture-type wires in a length of FMC, the conductor-paralleling provisions in 310.10(H)(1) may not apply -- UL is the one who makes the decision on whether wires in an appliance can be paralleled or not.  Furthermore, the paired wires may go to different modules in the cooktop -- it appears to be common for large electric or induction cooktops to be broken up into multiple parts for load distribution purposes.

However, there is precedent in the NEC for treating the stove wires as tap conductors from the branch circuit, as per 210.19(A)(3) Exception 1:

  Exception No.1: Conductors tapped from a 50-ampere branch circuit supplying
  electric ranges, wall-mounted electric ovens, and counter-mounted electric
  cooking units shall have an ampacity of not less than 20 amperes and shall be
  sufficient for the load to be served. These tap conductors include any
   conductors that are a part of the leads supplied with the appliance that are
  smaller than the branch-circuit conductors. The taps shall not be longer
  than necessary for servicing the appliance.

In that case, they cannot actually be paralleled; I would suspect that they lead to different parts of the cooktop, even, as I mentioned above.

For box fill purposes -- I personally would count it as four conductors, even though only two current-carrying terminations are provided by the appliance manufacturer.  It isn't five, though, because only the largest EGC counts for box fill purposes as per 314.16(B)(5).


How to repair this leaking garden faucet - update (broken stem) I would like to repair rather than replace this garden faucet. It leaks ever so slightly: a drop or two every minute.  I don't know how this valve works.  I tried to open it. The picture shows how far I got.  I do not see a washer.  Is there a washer and, if so, how do I get to it?  If no washer, how do I fix the leak?

Update
I must have misunderstood the instructions on how to remove the stem. I turned the faucet handle counterclockwise and the stem broke off. (See photo.) Please clarify: what should I have turned to remove the stem?

Good start the nut is the valve packing for the shaft if it is leaking there you need some valve stem packing. This is usually expanded PFTE sometimes with graphite embedded. Several wraps 1/2 dozen then put the packing nut back on tight and this will stop valve stem leaks. If the leak is out the faucet unscrew the handle and there is normally a rubber washer held in place with a screw. The new washer will look like a volcano a cone with a hole. These get squished over time and look flat but a new one is usually volcano shaped wide side should fit tight on the shaft and the screw holds it in place. Put it back in at this point I usually add some valve packing around the shaft and tighten the nut, with a new washer you may have to tighten it a little to get the stem packing tight. But that’s the complete rebuild. I would invest in a kit of different sized washers my box is ancient and I buy more washers, packing and orings as I use them up a inexpensive kit of parts for a home owner.


Which type of site tool box/vault is most secure I've been investing quite a lot of money in power tools trying to up my game in the world of carpentry construction and feel that's it's just a matter of time before I lose the lot to thieves unless I take preventative measures.
   There are several types of tool vault with different approaches to how the vault is secured. I know from experience that exposed padlocks are a waste of time and disc locks like on the yellow "Van vaults" can be easily drilled out. This leaves me with 2 options that I can think of - vaults with "chubb" style locks or vaults with recessed pockets like on the RIGID(brand) type.
   The rigid vaults recessed pockets leaves the key hole exposed (could these be drilled out? and there are another type of recessed pocket where your hand goes into the recess and the padlock hooks up.
   Does anyone know which type of box is most secure form being openend?

I agree with @ Aloysius defenestrate. Video your tools, but next get drill prof locks they do exist or ones that cannot be drilled by normal hss, or titanium nitride coated bits , there are even locks that are resistant to cobalt bits designed to cause the bit to break but any tool vault can be opened, never trust anything that sits on the bed rails of a truck that is aliluminum or even light gauge steel a torch can open most any steel box in a few seconds and aluminum is a joke , not easy to cut through but a rose bud tip on a small torch will turn the aluminum into Jello in 10-15 seconds , I know this as my family business lost several tool boxes full of tools in the 70's in the north bay area of California. Today there are wireless low power systems than can detect intrusion and provide a GPS location using a simple 12v battery and about 1500$ system but that was a few years back maybe much cheaper today. Insurance and documentation of your tools including your initials and last 4 of your ssan engraved on each tool is the best way to identify your tools, after a lifetime of having boxes on work sites unless there is live security your tools can be taken it has happened to my family business growing up and when I was in other states. To tell the truth I found engraving tools and all my tools painted in the same ugly color(think ugly Flouresents) has been my best way in small towns, but insurance or on site security was the only way in larger cities , Several of my friends that have trailers have told me about the mobile GPS systems but they were expensive.


Ceiling studs too thin I am trying to find studs in the ceiling to drill holes for a heavy lamp. I need the stud to be at least two inches wide in order to get all the screws inside the stud.
While using the stud finder I am finding that the stud is probably just 1 inch wide. Does that make sense ?
I feel like i am doing something wrong since otherwise the manufacturers wont make products that require two inch wide studs.

You are correct that "two-by" lumber is standard fare for ceilings.  What you're missing is that "two-by" lumber is actually 1-1/2" wide.
1-by is 3/4" wide.
2-by is 1-1/2" wide.
4-by is 3-1/2" wide.
Other sizes, subtract 3/4".
And manufacturers don't make products that require 2" wide studs.  That would imply some sort of pre-war construction using rough-sawn timbers.
In the early days, a 2x4 was milled 2" x 4".  Then it was run through a jointer to make one side flat, then (using the jointed side) a planer to make the other side parallel to the first side, then more passes through the planer to make both sides smooth.  Same thing in both axes.  Early experience was that rough-cut lumber was irregular enough that 1/2" of material would be used up in all this jointing and planing.  So the target "finished" size was the finished timber was 1-1/2" x 3-1/2".
Contemporarily, mills have gotten better at their game, and are able to rough-saw the lumber more precisely, so they're not really wasting 1/2" anymore.


Weird brown line behind bathtub caulking Earlier today, I found cracks in the caulking around my shower, so I removed the caulking to look for any mold or water damage. When I shone my iPhone light in that area, I found a weird brown line. (I tried scraping it away; it came off easily.) What is this line, and what may have caused it?
The first photo is a wide shot, to show what kind of shower I own. The second photo is a tighter shot of the area where I found the discoloration. The third photo is a close-up of the discoloration before I scraped it away.
Thank you for your time.

Rust... you have a cast iron tub, the edges are which are up under the wall board and often exposed, so they rust a little and it runs down to the corner but stays there because of the caulk. Cast iron rusts a small amount, then the rust itself stops (or severely stalls) further rusting, I would not worry about it.


Replacing outlet with a GFCI outlet I'm trying to replace an outlet with a GFCI outlet and when I remove the wall cover and pulled out the old outlet it contained one neutral one ground and two lines on the hot side. The original outlet is located in a electrical box that also contains a light switch and I think the garbage disposal is also spliced inside this electrical box. I wanted to know if I should just pigtail the two hot wires together then connect them to the hot terminal on the GFCI line in and then connect the white neutral on the line in terminal? I know I only want to connect to the line side of the GFCI and not the load.

Is the tab broken on the hot side? Garbage dispisal, so probably a kitchen.

If the breaker double-wide? If so, you probably have a multi-wire branch circuit - so if you join the two hots you may find that the breaker trips hard as soon as you turn it on.

If you have a voltmeter, check the voltage between the two hot wires - it should either be 0 volts (they are the same phase) or 240 (they are opposite phase and it's a MWBC - pretty common in kitchens to meet the "two 20 amp circuits" rule.

If the tab is NOT broken and the voltage between the wires should then be 0, yes, you can splice and pigtail.


satellite water heater or recirculating pump? I want to eliminate the long wait for hot water in my kitchen. I've ruled out a tankless unit there, so it's between a small storage-tank unit (6-12 gallons), or a recirculating pump (between the main 50 gallon conventional electric unit and the 20ft-distant kitchen).

Energy usage is my main concern, and that energy goes to one of three places: hot water used, hot water stranded in pipes after the faucet is turned off, and heat lost into the environment. Seems the first two are the similar for both the tank-style and the circulation pump. Heat loss is related to the surface area through which heat is lost (the tank surface area, or the surface area of the recirculation loop piping, since the pump essentially extends the surface area through which heat is lost), the temperature differential (hot water versus ambient), and the R-value (of the tank jacket, or of the piping). I wrote a little spreadsheet. For (both cases) a 60-degree temperature differential between the hot water and the ambient crawlspace, and R-8 insulation, a typical small tank has losses equal to about 22 watts, and a 20ft round-trip 1/2" pipe has a loss of about 12 watts. That's not much difference: less than $10/year at 10cents per kwh, or 100-200 pounds of carbon for typical electricity. Also, the pump uses some electricity - though of course it can be turned off a lot of the time with a timer, whereas even a turned-off tank heater is losing energy as the water cools off when the timer is off.

Also, the pump seems like more complexity, noise, and proneness to failure, and fairly similar in price.

Is my energy-efficiency analysis correct ?  Are there other factors to consider ?

I moved to a house in rural area with propane heat and hot water. Another propane water tank is expensive. And because of higher electricity rates an electric hot water tank would also be a poor choice. The place came with a Grundfos recirc unit (25 watts) which is piped to pump outlet water into hot water tank inlet.
It draws water from a run of tubing attached to a far bathroom hot water feed under a vanity.

The pump is actually very quiet, and they can be adjusted to shut off during low usage periods to reduce energy cost. They can also be set to run based on the recirc temperature at the pump inlet, useful on weekends when you have visitors. It sits on side of tank, about the size of a 3 inch pipe about 6 inches long.
The one in my place has an old style mechanical timer and is hard to figure out, and needs re-adjustment after a power failure.

It is rated at 25 watts, and can supply 3 gpm max, but only under ideal low height between the pump connection at main hot water tank and the height of the recirc connection. Maximum is stated at only 4 feet. It would not be my choice to buy. It costs around $300 Can. and I could choose my own other parts required for less.

The pony hot water tank would likely be the same initial cost as the recirc option. You would need a 20 amp 220 volt circuit wired to it, and it could be trouble free for years. It would take up some space, but would always be quickly available hot water. It will use more energy than a recirc set-up, since the 140 degree pony tank has a high temp difference to radiate lost heat. But it offers the most convenient method of a short time delay.Your hot water would arrive in seconds, depending on how close your tank is to the taps. If hydro rates were cheaper here, I would prefer it.

Have you put insulation on the long run of hot water supply piping?


Is 15/32" Plywood okay for Subfloor under tile? Is 15/32" plywood thick enough to be used as a subfloor under tile combined with a 1/4" hardiebacker board?

The joists underneath are 2x8s that are 16" apart on center and only 4' long.

Most tile and mortar manufacturers want 1-1/4" (nominal) even with polymer-modified mortar. While your joists are unlikely to flex, the subfloor might. I'd use 1/2" cement board if height isn't a critical concern.

Alternatively, block between your joists on 16" or 19.2" centers. Even vertically-oriented 2x4s would do if fastened well.


Is it proper and/or smart to independently ground an older 3 prong dryer outlet and upgrade it to 4 prong? Just bought an older home that has a 3 prong dryer outlet.  It is right above an unfinished crawl space so it would be easy to run a good grounding cable to a grounding rod and/or an iron water pipe in the crawl space.  Unfortunately, the service wire does not have 4 conductors all the way back to the panel and would be difficult to replace.  Is this a good idea and would this be the equivalent of modern wiring assuming the proper installation of the grounding rod?  Thanks

Yes, most definitely.  A few years ago NEC (the electrical code) was revised to allow this type of retrofit grounding.  There is no need for the ground wire to follow the same route as the conductors.

The ground wire needs to be 10 AWG and go to any of:

The ground bus on the same panel which the conductors come out of
The "grounding electrode system" out of that panel (i.e. the bare braided ground wire going from the panel to the water pipes or ground rods)
Any other circuit which itself has a 10AWG or larger ground wire going back to that panel

That last rule is important if you have other ungrounded outlets you aim to retrofit.  It means, plan this grounding run so those other circuits can tap it, because this run can be their path back to the panel.

Different circuits are allowed to share ground (in retrofit scenarios) because current only flows in the moment a device is having a ground fault (for as long as it takes for the breaker to trip, milliseconds in the case of a bolted fault) -- and nobody expects two different devices to fault at the same time.


GFCI outlet with led light not on but have power I have a new GFCI outlet with the LED light not on.  But the outlet has power and the load outlet also has power.  The test button works and you can reset the GFCI, but no LED light comes on. What can be wrong?

The light should only come on when the GFCI is tripped in most outlets.  There are GFCI outlet testers available; big box home stores carry them.  If the light doesn't come on when the outlet is tripped and the outlet tests correctly, it's probably the outlet.  Replacing the outlet would be the way forward to fix that.  The GFCI tester may show other problems which could cause unexpected behavior and should be fixed.


My 15 amp hair dryer has a 20 amp plug. Can I put a 15 amp plug on it? I have a 14.85 amp portable air dryer with a 20 amp plug - vertical/horizontal prong. Can i replace this plug to standard 15 amp both vertical prongs, and use safely on a 15 amp circuit? Assuming it will be used continuously for no more than 10 minutes?

I know about the 80% rule over 3 hours. But don't want to throw it out if it's reasonably safe.

Thanks for all the help. Not going to change it. I should have clarified that this is a animal blow dryer (dog). 10 kg. quite expensive.

Of course you can't.  The 20A plug was put there for a reason.  Believe me, the manufacturer would much rather have put a 15A plug on there to make it more widely usable - they didn't use a 20A plug to annoy you... It's because they can't use a 15A.

The 80% rule also applies to portable appliances.  No portable appliance using a NEMA 15A plug can draw more than 1500 watts (which is presumptive that the working voltage is 125V).

As George points out, modern bathroom receptacle circuits are supposed to be 20A.  There's an exception in Code that allows you to put any common-as-dirt 15A duplex receptacle on 20A circuits; that's just so you only have to carry 1 receptacle on the truck instead of two (x 4 colors x normal/Decora; 8 is enough!) It also allows builders to use the 50 cent outlets instead of the $5 ones.

If your bathroom circuit is 20A breakered and wired with 12 AWG copper or 10 AWG aluminum wire, then you are at liberty to fit a 20A T-slot receptacle there.


Cleaning an interior Brick Wall I had a fridge that I moved out of the way exposing another section of my brick wall, but there is a noticeable difference between the newly exposed brick and the rest. I'm not sure what this stuff is on the surface & how to get rid of it. Any help would be much appreciated.

That brick wall has a lot of character!

Cleaning brick can be messy, so have plenty of old towels on hand or use some drop cloths. I would suggest cleaning all of the brick with a hard bristled brush. Use either a mixture of soap, vinegar and water or you can clean it with a solution of muriatic acid and water.

If you go the acid route, be sure to wear gloves and eye protection. Follow mixing directions on the acid container carefully. Also, be sure to ventilate the area well.

Either way, be sure to rinse the surface with plain water. You can do the cleaning in small sections and when you rinse, dab it with a thick towel.

If you want to bring a natural uniform look back to the brick, allow the surface to dry and apply a uniform coat of Brick Sealer. Sealer will bring out the original color of the brick and give it a nice shine. The sealer is also available in a low-luster version.


Stopping a standing desks from rocking I just finished making a standing desk, the top board is 4x2 feet and is about 45 inches high. I am having a problem with the desk rocking back and forth. Here is a picture of it: As you can see at the bottom of the left leg there is a 2x4 (there is another one on the right side, that help stop some of the rocking, but not all it. And the bar going across the middle is there to help add weight on the bottom of the desk to help stop the rocking but nothing is completely stopping it.

If I see correctly, that your table legs are attached directly to the top with no apron at the top. That there is no rack bracing of any sort, short of the 1 1/2" by 3 1/2" faces and sides screwed together. The apron, when the legs are attached to it properly act as rack bracing to a great degree. Most table aprons are anywhere from 4 to 6" tall, although there is no hard and fast rule how tall it should be.

With a table that tall an 8" apron, properly attached would reduce wobble tremendously.

Moving it off the carpet would be a help too, since there is a 2X flat to the floor which does not allow the carpet to compress enough to give a solid setting. You could raise the bottom stretchers so the legs actually go to the floor, instead of on a 2X flat...


What is a humane, safe and clean way to dispose of a live mouse caught in a glue trap? A glue trap in my garage caught a mouse. I consider it inhumane to let the mouse die in the glue trap. I am looking for a method to euthanize the mouse that meets the following requirements:

Humane - Must be quick and effective.
Safe - I got bit when I tried to remove the mouse from the board.
Clean - Ideally just kill and throw into trash bin.

I am currently considering spending $20-$50 on a stun gun, but I'm not sure if a stun gun can kill a mouse in a few seconds.

Related questions:

How do I find where mice are entering my house?
How can I get rid of a mouse in my house?
How can I remove mice from my house?
How can I prevent mice from entering my house?
What to block a hole with to stop mice getting in?

Wear a thick glove, the gardening kind is preferred. Flip a Ziplock or similar plastic bag inside out and cover your glove with it. Firmly grab the mouse (and its associated trap) with your gloved, "plasticked" hand and with your free hand, roll the Ziplock back out so you can seal it completely, with the mouse trapped inside.

Lay it on the floor, preferably a driveway or garage. Whack the poor thing with a heavy magazine or a shoe; make sure you hit its head for near-instantaneous death. It has already suffered enough; this will help it pass on quicker.

After you do this, please make sure you remove all the glue traps your pest control folks installed.


HVAC blows fuse when cooling kicks on I have Rheem HVAC system that is about 12-4 years old (its an R22 unit).  Today it started blowing the fuse on the board when cooling kicks on.  The tstat shows a message that says power failure, then 1-2 seconds later, the fuse blows, and the whole thing turns off.

Some additional background:

I can run the fan by itself without issue
I have an ecobee4 smart thermostat. Today I swapped that out for a 'dumb' tstat to rule that out as the issue.  Same problem of blown fuses.
About a month ago, I had the opposite problem. The fuse would blow when cooling would stop. I did all the troubleshooting I could Google, and ended up replacing the contactor in hopes that it was somehow shorting out when disconnecting.  I used the exact same model number contactor.  That seemed to fix it.  Until now...

And I'm embarrassed to say that I've figured it out.  I thought I had checked all the wiring, but I missed a small section of exposed copper on the Y wire in the air handler.  Once I taped it up, the problem went away.

Thanks for the suggestions guys!


Confused on what AC Unit to purchase and install? I am replacing a 30 year old AC unit and I have had 4 estimates.  2 of the 4 people did not even take any measurements and the other two took a lot of measurements.  I am leaning towards the ones that took measurements, but they are giving me two options.  I live in Florida.  Here are the two options:

3.5 tons 13 seer straight cool
3.5 tons 13 seer heat pump

What is the difference between the above two?

Does anyone know some important questions I could ask the installers to see which one maybe more qualified or knowledgeable in installing the unit

I found paperwork on the house and it indicates that a 3.5 ton was installed in 1984.

The two people that did not measure apparently were salesmen.

One from sears told me this:

OK great give me a call or send me an email when you ready. You currently have a 2 Ton and I can see going to above 1/2 ton more or a max 1 Ton more not 1 1/2 Tons more. I will install what you want, and our system and service will be better than any company out there. When you contract with Sears you don't get a lot of plastic and thin metals you get a good quality system that will last.

I don't understand how Sears can tell me I have a 2 ton when I have a 3.5 ton. Something smells fishy here?

The heat pump can move heat indoors to outdoors ("air condition") as well as from outdoors to indoors (heating).  The cooling only unit can only air condition.

If the house already has heating or you rarely need heat, you can save some money by getting a cooling-only unit, and maybe supplement that with portable electric heaters as needed.

As to brand comparisons, I strongly recommend you review the Consumer Reports reader reliability report of air conditioners and heatpumps:  that can be done online by paying a fee, or visiting a library.

As for some installers carefully measuring and the others not, the latter could be fine if your dwelling is not especially unique:  an experienced installer has run the numbers so many times that they know what the result is.  That experience is helped by there being a coarse choice of capacities:  2 ton, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 5, 6, 7.5, 10, 12.5, etc.

On the other hand, not measuring could be a sign of an unknowledgeable installer.  Do they also propose a 3.5 ton unit?

As far as questions to ask, I like to elicit being assured that if anything goes wrong for X years, they will fix it for free.  If they can say so confidently, that is a very good sign that they don't think anything will go wrong.

It might be useful to ask an installer why they choose 3.5 tons and not 3 or 4.  There is a certain degree of assumption about worst case and average case conditions.  If the a/c can't quite keep up on the 5 hottest days that is one thing, but if it can't keep up on 30 of them, that is quite a different matter.  Likewise, an oversized system can chill the air so much that it doesn't have to run much, making the air stagnant and possibly muggy.  Questions asking about how they balance those factors are good for you to understand and for the installer to reflect upon.


T&P Valve dripping after connecting new lines to water heater I put in a new bathroom right by my water heater, about 25 ft of hot and cold pex line. Ever since The day I turned on the valves to do a leak test, I've had a very slow drip from my temperature pressure valve on my water heater. It's only a drip every few hours, creating very little water, but it has been consistently dripping. I'm wondering why this is happening. Any thoughts?

I often pop the T&P a few times quickly and tap the rod to seat the valve firmly. It works more often than not. Also when you drained your tank, did you open the T&P for relief air? If so, next time don't. I see guys opening it to drain the tank. Then I see guys replacing leaky T&P valves.


How can I move a non load bearing wood frame wall? I am remodeling my basement and want to move the location of a non-load bearing wall that is diving a section of my basement. Currently the wall is down to the bare wooden studs. The header was nailed directly into the floor joists and the footer into the concrete. There is no wiring, duct work to worry about.

What is the best way to remove the wooden studs from the frame so that I can resuse them?

If you have a reciprocating saw (aka "Sawzall") with a metal or demolition blade it should make short work of the nails.  Make your cuts at both ends of the vertical studs, between the stud and the header/footer.  Once the nails are cut the vertical studs should come right out.  You can probably just use a pry bar to pull off the header.


Can sunpanel be mounted to horizontal 2x4? I read that subpanels should be mounted to a 3/4" backer board or secured directly to a stud.  Can I nail two 2x4s horizontally between two studs and secure the panel to those?

You can secure a Panel by any means necessary. The reason they should be mounted by a back board or vertical stud is to make sure you have the ability to run circuits to the Panel with as little interference as possible.
Just something to think about while you are in the planning stage. Good luck.


What could cause my Carrier furnace fan to sometimes stop running? I have a Carrier system: FURNACE 58UVB080; AC 24APA530, CONTROLLER SYSTXCCUIDO1-B, approximately 7 years old. New filter, impeccable condition.

I was initially told by the licensed installers that the fan runs all the time, unless the system is shutdown and as far as I know this has been the situation since installation.  In the last 2 weeks I have noticed when the A/C is on the fan sometimes stops for a few minutes and then it starts again.  It is easy to tell because the house becomes very quiet and I have not noticed that before.  The original installer firm has inspected the system and they cannot find out what is wrong but in my opinion the system is not running properly.

I cannot figure out how to resolve this.  I am no expert but I think it is the controller.  I cannot keep trying different "techs" until someone figures it out.  I cannot even find out a number to contact Carrier.  Does someone have any hints what could be wrong, please?

In the manual of the Carrier Weathermaker 8000, even if the fan is switched to ON, it will stop blowing for about 30s when there is a "call for heat". p.14 4a of the 58TUA manual.


What is this odd looking tool? Neither myself nor a large group of people on a community chat can figure out what this tool is called or used for. It’s triangular with a thick solid 3 legged base, multiple flat wired blades (possibly blades), has a handle, and the rear legs are slightly higher than the front leg. We’ve had guesses (some of them hilarious) of everything from a cheese slicer, soap making tool, pastry cutter, blind cleaner, harvesting tool, to iron holder. It’s none of those. Someone must know!

The mystery has been solved, and it was discovered to actually be a vintage aluminum iron stand. I had found many antique iron stands that were similarly shaped, but none had the blade like structure around it. I assume their purpose is to prevent the iron from falling off while allowing heat to escape.


Bathroom light fixture above sink and ceiling fan/light combo wiring issue Hey so I'm having an issue hooking up a bathroom light fixture above the sink with a bathroom ceiling fan/light combo.

1) for the light fixture above sink: coming out of the wall there appears to be what is a white black ground and another white black ground. I tried doing black to black white to white ground to ground on the fixture but that resulted in a loud pop noise. I then used a voltmeter and found that one of the white black ground combos appears to have current only when the switch is on and the other has current all the time. In what order do I hook these up to get the switch to work? If I hook the light up to the hot all the time wire group the light works fine. But doesn't turn off.

2) similar issue with the light/ ceiling fan combo in the attic, I have 2 wire bundles, one with a black white pink and ground and one with a white black and ground. On the ceiling fan light combo unit I have e two wire pairs, a white and a blue, and a white and a black. I cannot seem to get this to power on at all.

Im thinking if I can even solve one of these two problems it will be much easier as these items are both wired to a triple switch one for fan, one for ceiling light, one for sink light.

Any help is appreciated as I really don't want to pay someone to come hook a few wires together. I'll be happy to take more pictures.

It sounds like you have your supply and a switch leg. The switch leg goes to the switch , normally you connect your hot to the white of the switch leg and Mark that white with black or some other color than green,gray or white. After that the white and black go to the switch. With the switch in the on position the black will now be hot , to connect your light use the black on the switch leg and the white from the hot cable. And of course grounds if available. When you had the white to white and black to black the pop you heard was a bad thing it may have damaged your switch, so if the switch is not working a replacement may be needed.


Replacing halogen under-cabinet lights - connection question I'm replacing some old halogen under-cabinet lights but am not sure how to connect the new LED replacements.
The old halogen lights had the following connector which is not compatible with the new lights:

The new connection looks like this, and in turn connects to an LED power supply which then connects to the new lights:

My question is, can I just cut the plug off the new cable and wire it into the circular connection box, the contents of which looks like this:

I realise doing this will remove the fuse from the circuit, but is that an issue? Is it safe to assume that the connection into the connection box above is fused in some way?

Cutting an extra notch into the existing plug allowed it to fit into the new socket and that worked a treat.


HVAC supply vent noise: how to eliminate the whistling wind tunnel? Every time the heat turns on (rented house), we are getting choked with too much dry hot air in our small room. When I try to close the supply vent it produces a really loud whistling noise. I either lose sleep because of the noise, or because of the dry heat blast. When I close the vent enough to have heat levels acceptable, it is like trying to sleep in a whistling wind tunnel.

I believe there is too much air coming out of all the vents, frankly, but I am not the owner of the house, so would like a simple DIY solution involving filters, or a new vent, or something else I could install.

I could just cover the vent with foil, effectively disabling that vent (I cannot turn off the heat in the entire house, as other rooms need it). Is that safe, and more importantly, is there a better solution?

Forget any suggestions for restricting the airflow at the grille.  The proper way to control airflow in ductwork is with an in-line damper which is placed as far up line as possible in the trunk or branch without affecting any duct drops that don't need the airflow restricted.  The reason for this is efficiency and noise.  I'm writing this from my phone, but I'm going to attempt to include photos.


New Build - Bowed Lumber & Holes In Sheathing I'm building a new home and wanted to be on top of things that may become major issues later on. They just did most of the framing and there are some 2x4s which are visibly bowed as well as floor joists which are bowed as well.

Upstairs I could see light coming through some of the walls that are coming together which was kind of surprising. There were a couple of small gaps between the walls which had light shining through.

I didn't realize they no longer use OSB on the exterior walls and it looks to be some structural insulated sheathing which looks and feels very cheap. I'm not even sure how this will hold the siding on to be honest.

If something were to hit the house it would seem like it would be easy to punch a hole right through this stuff.

Here's the sheathing product they used.

Are any of you familiar with this? I'd like to get your thoughts both on the sheathing, the holes I have found punched through in various parts of the exterior walls and what problems I could be facing with bowed wall studs and floor joists.

I'm not very savvy when it comes to this stuff which is why I come here to ask the experts. I really want to know the right questions to ask my project manager for the house or demand things before I sign off on anything. Thanks!

Pictures

You've asked about two distinct things here. I'll address them both, but in the future please ask just one question per post.

First, bowing in lumber is unavoidable. It's a natural product, after all. The question is one of deflection tolerance. My family's company wouldn't use anything that was bowed on the strength axis more than about 1/4" in 8 feet. Even with good culling, it's critical to "crown" all lumber--align the bows to the same direction--to minimize variance from one stud or joist to the next.

Bows on the thickness axis can and should be straightened to a reasonable degree when sheathing is installed. They don't have an impact on strength or rigidity, but unaddressed deflection makes everything more difficult, from drywall installation to cabinet setting.

What your builder considers acceptable is at his/her discretion, and is ultimately up to you and your contract. Bring it up for discussion in a respectful manner if you're not satisfied.

Secondly, gaps in wall sheathing aren't necessarily a concern. Most sheathing specs call for an expansion gap, in fact. If the sheathing has an integrated air/moisture barrier the joints will probably be sealed with specially-made tape anyway. Read the literature for your product and raise any issues with your builder.

As to the holding power of the sheathing for siding fasteners, they'll just need to fasten to studs. Soft sheathings (fiberboard, gypsum) have been used for decades and this is how it's done.

Finally, OSB is still commonly used for exterior wall and roof sheathing. Why your builder is using a different product is another point for discussion. How does it integrate with the rest of the insulation and air barrier plan? What's the final R-value of your walls going to be? I'd have expected that all that would be in your contract and had been discussed before now, but it's better done late than never.


Installing new dishwasher but using existing power cord When removing existing power cord from old dishwasher, I "assumed" that it would have the 3 colors indicated. After pulling it out, I realized that there was a green wire & two grey wires with no discernible difference between them. Why would they do that? Now if I line up the cord based on facing the prongs, which one would be white & which black? for instance, left white, right black or visa versa?

Thanks...Steve

Use a multimeter set to test continuity or resistance.  Touch one probe to a prong on the plug, and the other to one to the wires. If you get a reading, it means the prong you're touching is connected to the wire you're touching.  Label the wires as you locate them.

NOTE: Do the testing with the cord not connected to anything.

Or go to the local hardware store, and pick up a new cord.


Skinny pipe entering toilet siphon flush The flapper came off on our siphon flush, so I bought a new one.  I fitted it but it was leaking badly.

When I looked properly, I noticed the inner pipe delivering the water to the toilet from the cistern was not flush with siphon flush.  This means the siphon permanently fills up with water as below;

Is that normal? Should the connection not be on the outside of the cistern?

I missed it as it was hidden in a decorative metal feature on the toilet.

There is a gasket and a kind of plastic locking plate specifically to tackle this issue.


Where can I get NM cable clamps for a metal box? Doing old work with 12 AWG cable makes finding large enough boxes tricky. I have seen some appealing metal boxes, but I am wiring using NM cable (Romex), which needs cable clamps where it enters a metal box. I can't find these anywhere!

Some metal boxes come with them, but those are generally single-gang boxes of less than 17 cu.in., which is not enough for me. Several different attempts at searching Home Depot and Lowes' sites turned up plenty of conduit clamps (the ones like a strap with a U in it where you screw down the flat part with the conduit under the U), but no, zero, absolutely none of the two-part NM cable clamps with locknut on the inside that I needed. I found a couple huge ones (1-1/2 in, 2 in) from Halex, but none fitting the 1/2-in knockouts that are all I need.

Is there some secret place where all the cool kids buy their workaday electrical supplies that I should know about? Some magic name that I need to use to look it up? I just need bog-standard utilitarian cable clamps, not 200 options for decorator cover plates, but the latter is what the Web seems to want to sell me.

Alternatively, is there some other legit way I could protect NM cable entering a metal box that would avoid the need for this amazingly hard-to-find part?

Halex 3/8 in. 2-Piece Clamp Connectors

  Product Description: Use the Halex 3/8 in. 2-Piece Clamp Connectors (5-Pack) to connect #14 - #10 non-metallic sheathed cable to steel

  outlet boxes or other metal enclosures. They are compatible with
  standard 1/2 in. knockouts.

  Secure #14 - #10 non-metallic sheathed cable to steel outlet boxes or other metal enclosures
  Zinc-plated steel resists corrosion
  Fits standard 1/2 in. knockouts
  For indoor use only
  Designed for easy installation
  MFG Brand Name : Halex
  MFG Model # : 26510
  MFG Part # : 26510

Or as @Aaron suggested

Halex 3/8 in. Twin Screw Non-Metallic Cable Clamp Connectors

  Product Description:

  Twin Screw Non-Metallic Cable Clamp Connectors to join non-metallic
  sheathed cable and flexible cord to steel outlet boxes or other metal
  enclosures. A reversible locknut cuts through protective coatings on
  boxes and enclosures to preserve grounding.

  Connect non-metallic sheathed cable and flexible cord to steel outlet boxes or other metal enclosures
  Body and locknut are die-cast of high-strength zinc alloy
  Zinc-plated steel clamp and screws
  Reversible locknut cuts through protective coatings on boxes and enclosures to assure ground continuity
  Fits 1/2" knockout
  For indoor use only
  Screws compatible with Phillips, slotted and square screwdrivers
  Resists corrosion
  UL and CSA safety listings
  MFG Brand Name : Halex
  MFG Model # : 20511
  MFG Part # : 20511