Is a double 60 amp breaker really feeding 120 amps? My main breaker panel is feeding a panel in my basement. The main panel feed to the basement panel is 2 60amp breakers that have the thing across them so they trip together. My question is am I feeding 120amps to the basement panel or still only60 amps. My main breaker in the basement is a 100amp, how does that affect the double 60 amp feed to it?

Am I feeding 120 amps to the basement panel or still only 60 amps?

That you are asking the question at all strongly indicates that you do not understand what current is, so step one is to understand what current is.

Imagine you have a bag of marbles sitting on top of a table. You drop one marble per second off the table. Each hits the ground with a certain amount of energy.

Now imagine that you up the rate to two per second. Each hits with the same amount of energy, but there are twice as many arriving on the floor.

Now imagine that you lower the height of the table to half its previous height. Now the marbles are all hitting with less energy, but they are still arriving at two per second.

The marbles in our analogy are charges, which are measured in coulombs.  The height that they are falling from is potential, which is measured in volts. The number of marbles falling per second -- charge per unit time -- is current, which is measured in amps.

A breaker at 60 amps means that if you exceed 60 coulombs of charge per second in the circuit -- if you are dropping more than 60 marbles per second -- then the circuit will break automatically. This is true regardless of the voltage; if the breaker is labeled 60 amps then it will not allow more than 60 coulombs of charge per second to be delivered to any point in the circuit. Remember, the current is the same everywhere in the circuit. If 60 marbles per second are leaving the table top, then 60 per second are arriving on the floor, and 60 per second are falling past every point between the table and the floor.

A single breaker gives you two wires that are 120 V apart: a hot wire and a white wire. The maximum current on both wires -- remember, the current is the same everywhere in a circuit -- is the rated ampacity of the breaker.

A double breaker gives you two wires that are 240 V apart: the table is twice as high, so the marbles deliver more energy when they hit the floor. The two wires are red and black. Again though, the amount of charge per second passing through any point in the circuit is limited by the rated ampacity of the breaker.

  My main breaker in the basement is a 100amp. How does that affect the double 60 amp feed to it?

To clarify: you have a main panel with a 60A breaker. That breaker feeds a subpanel which has a 100A main breaker and then some smaller circuit breakers in the sub-panel.

If more than 100 coulombs of charge per second flow through the sub-panel main breaker, it will trip and cut power to the subpanel breakers. If more than 60 coulombs of charge per second flow through the subpanel breaker in the main breaker box, it will trip and cut power to the sub panel. All the charge that passes through the subpanel breaker also passes through the main breaker, so the 100A breaker in the subpanel box is redundant. It will never trip because the 60A upstream of it will have tripped first.

A question you did not ask but which is highly relevant is:

  What is the relationship between volts, amps and watts?

Volts is potential: how high the marbles are falling from, so, how much energy each marble delivers to the floor.

Amps is how many marbles per second.

Power is amount of energy delivered per second, and therefore must be volts times amps.

So if you have a 60 W light bulb, a 120 V circuit, how many amps are needed to power the bulb?  amps times volts is watts, the bulb needs 60 watts, so what times 120 is 60?  one half.  So a 60 W bulb draws half an amp in a 120 V circuit.

Now you should know the answer to this question:

  Why do we use 240 V circuits instead of 120 V circuits for loads that requires a lot of power, like heaters?

Because if you double the voltage but keep the wattage the same, you can halve the amperage. If you double the height of the table then you can halve the number of marbles per second you drop off it, and the energy delivered per second stays the same.

  I had already put the 100 amp main breaker in the basement panel when an electrician put the 60 amp in the main breaker panel and ran the wire to the basement. I just thought he wouldn't have put a 60 amp breaker that fed the 100 amp I put into the basement panel.

He could have put in a 100A breaker, yes, provided that the wire run to the subpanel was safe for that amperage.

  Am I right in assuming that the 60 amp in the main breaker would trip before the 100 amp it is feeding in the basement panel.

Yes. The 60 will break when more than 60 C of charge per second is flowing past it.

  I thought he should have put at least the size of breaker in the main as in the basement panel.

The size of the breaker should depend on (1) the expected maximum load from the subpanel and (2) the size of the wire feeding the subpanel.  60A at 240V is enough to light over 200 standard incandescent light bulbs and probably thousands of compact fluorescent bulbs, why do you think you need half again as much as that?

  It just seems there now was no point putting in the 100 amp breaker.

A better question would be why did you put in a main breaker in the subpanel at all, when it is already protected by a breaker at the main panel?  I have wired in several subpanels in my house and none of them have main breakers; they are not necessary.

  I thought that you had to have a way to kill the power to the sub panel at the sub panel.

Let's clarify that.

A breaker interrupts the hot wire(s) going to the load. In your present configuration there are four breakers between the power coming from the street and the lamp you're plugging into the wall:

The main breaker for the main panel. Probably 200A.
The breaker for the subpanel in the main panel. 60A.
The main breaker for the subpanel. 100A.
The subpanel breaker for the circuit you'll be running. Probably 15A or 20A.

Each breaker interrupts the hot wire(s) cutting power going downstream. So when you turn off the main breaker at the main panel, there is still voltage coming into the house but it stops at the main breaker and does not go to any of the main panel breakers. If that one is on and you turn off the 60A breaker to the subpanel, there is now no voltage on the lines going to the subpanel.  If that one is on and you turn off the 100A breaker on the subpanel, voltage is still being provided on the hot wires from the main panel, but the 20A subpanel breaker is getting no power.

So now let's examine your statement:

  I thought that you had to have a way to kill the power to the sub panel at the sub panel.

The power to the subpanel is killed by either the main panel main breaker, which kills power to the whole house, or by the main panel subpanel breaker, which kills the power on the wires going to the subpanel.  Turning off the subpanel main breaker doesn't stop power from coming to the subpanel, it stops that power from getting to the subpanel breakers.

So let's rephrase your statement:

  I thought that you had to have a way to kill the power to the sub panel breakers at the sub panel.

That's not a requirement, because the breaker on the main panel that feeds the subpanel is perfectly capable of cutting power to the subpanel.

It might be convenient to have a main breaker on the subpanel to cut power to the subpanel breakers because then you can do work on the subpanel without walking over to the main panel, but personally that is not how I've wired my house. If I want a subpanel to be off, I turn it off at the main panel and then I know that there is no power anywhere in the subpanel. If you have a subpanel with a main breaker that is off, there is still power coming into the subpanel, it's just not making it to the subpanel breakers. Those big screws that hold the wiring from the main panel will be electrified, and when I work on a subpanel I want none of it to be electrified.

  I do believe that I should not have put that large of breaker because the wire size coming from the main breaker isn't large enough.

Ensuring adequate overcurrent protection to the wire leaving the main panel and going to the subpanel is the responsibility of the main panel, not the subpanel. The important thing is that the wires leaving the main panel have overcurrent protection appropriate to the size of those wires. If the load at the other end of those wires has additional protections, that's great, but it's not a requirement.

  Is this 100 amp breaker dangerous in any way and should be changed or just unnecessary?

I would consider the situation you're in as being somewhat confusing but not dangerous; provided that every wire leaving a panel is protected by a breaker appropriate to the size of that wire, you're all set for overcurrent protection.  Your 100A breaker will never trip automatically because the 60A at the other end will trip first.

  Thanks for your help

You're welcome! I note that of course I am not an electrician; I design programming language analyzers for a living, I just rewire old houses for fun in my spare time. If you want to know whether your electrical system is up to local code, ask a local electrician.


Would a M6 bolt fit in a 6mm hole? I'm trying to look for some Allen screws for a friend to help him out, but am unable to figure out the correct size of the screws and nuts he lost (see image, marked in red).. I'm not really familiar with the sizing of it, but do know that the hole has a size of 6mm and the Allen wrench diameter is 4mm. Any help is really appreciated!

All the units are in English

These are English, Imperial, or more technically ANSI (A for American) fasteners. They are not metric.

The holes that are slightly large of 6mm are actually for 1/4" bolts.  As they say, the bolts are 1-1/4" long.  Typically this will be 1/4-20 unless there is an extraordinary need for strength.   Since they are bolt-nut pairs, you may be able to substitute 6mm, but the 1-1/4" length will still be essential.  " means inch, by the way.

For the 5/16 and 3/8, that figure is the length.  Most likely that is a #10 or possibly #12 screw.   The smaller screws are most likely #6 or #8.

If you see threads precut in the holes, they are machine screws and the matchup is critical, you cannot substitute metric fasteners. Keep in mind machine screws come in different thread pitch: coarse (NC) and fine (NF).  These two are standards, and everyone follows them, unlike metric lol!
If you do not see threads precut in the holes, then get a micrometer and measure the precise diameter of the receptive (rearmost) hole. Then ask US companies what sheet metal screw is best for that.


3 Way Dimmer Switch Shuts Off When Dimmer Is Above 60% when turning on after inactivity I've researched as well as I could existing posts on this site for 3-way switch configurations and installing a dimmer switch that seem to describe a similar problem, but they always seem to be unresolved or lack enough detail. I have a relatively new home (built 2016) and in the main TV room we have a ceiling fan. The lights can be controlled at 3 different switches around the room. I have had a Lutron Toggler 150-Watt Single-Pole/3-Way CFL-LED Dimmer switch on the main switch plate for about a year [my definition of main plate is the one that is 1.) closest distance-wise to the garage where the breaker box is and generally gets the most action with turning the light on and off based on room placement and 2.) also has a switch to turn the fan on and off].

For whatever reason, if the light has been turned off for awhile, say, overnight, when it is initially turned on if the dimmer toggle is above about 60% or so, when the light is switched on at any wall switch in the room the lights come on and then turn off in about 1 second. You can sort-of hear a "click" when this happens. Occasionally if you keep turning the light off and on it will 'catch' and the light will stay on. If the dimmer toggle is near max (say 90%) it won't ever 'catch', and you'll have to go turn it down on the main switch.

HOWEVER - seems like this is a key detail - if the light has been on for awhile and is 'warmed up', you can push the dimmer toggle up to 100% and the light stays on fine - no issue. The described issue only happens if the light has been off for awhile and is then turned on (e.g., we come home, or first thing in the morning).

I had a Lutron switch on there for a year and thought maybe there was something wrong with it, so bought another identical Lutron switch and replaced it, but it still does the same thing. I took the original switch I had in the TV room and put it in our master bath which has two light fixtures controlled by one switch (ultimately more wattage overall), and it works just fine (that setup just had one switch total to turn the lights on and off).

I have the switch in the TV room wired up just as the original stock one was that was installed when the house was built.

Any of the help info and the instructions only speak to issues where, such as,
+ Bulbs turn off while being dimmed.
+ Bulbs turn on at high light level but do not turn on at a low light level.
+ Bulbs flicker or flash when dimmed to a low light level

but nothing with the issue I'm having. The new one has the Dimming Range Adjustment as shown on the linked product page but that makes no difference with my issue.

I saw a few threads on this forum that seemed to suggest similar issues but the threads never resolved, and the original poster did not include enough information to discern e.g. if the switches or house were new or old, etc, so I started a new one to provide more detail.

The ceiling fan light has three 60w incandescent ceiling fan-style bulbs (smaller), so wattage shouldn't be an issue with what the switch is rated for  (and as mentioned, the original switch I moved to the master bath and it works fine with double the number of light bulbs)

The switch works fine, except for this extremely annoying aspect.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Well big ups to @ThreePhaseEel for the suggestion to call Lutron customer support. Did not expect them to have 24/7 support, and stateside to boot. I first verified that one of the switches was a 4-way switch (visible even with the panel plate still on as the switch is beefier than a normal light switch) and that I had not messed with that, so was good there.

Lutron support was indeed very helpful - I explained the scenario with what I was experiencing, and the guy said it is probably a "current limiter" on the fan. Apparently all ceiling fans manufactured after Jan 1, 2007 are required to have a light bulb wattage limiter per the Energy Policy Act of 2005 which caps the total wattage allowed to be used by all bulbs at 190 watts. I was using three candelabra-style 60w incandescent bulbs, and as mentioned they did work normally with the dimmer switch after the light and/or switch was on and presumably warmed up after 10 minutes or so. The tech. support guy with Lutron explained that the way dimmer switches work is that they basically cycle the power on and off at about 120 times per second, which matches the line cycle rate or something (I'm not an electrician, obviously). But, he thought the limiter might be interpreting that as some sort of power spike, and I guess when the limiter / light wasn't "warmed up". This made sense as I noticed there was a light but audible click whenever the lights would turn off during an episode of this annoying behavior.

So, to test this theory, I tried turning the light off for a half hour to cool it, and then removed one bulb to reduce the wattage used (now 2 bulbs), and when I turned the light on and moved the dimmer toggle slide up to full blast, the lights did not turn off. This told me that the regular incandescent bulbs in concert with the dimmer and the stock wattage limiter were causing the light to switch off as it had. I ran out and bought 3 60w equivalent dimmable LED candelabra style lights which use something like 6.5 watts each total, and I installed those, and sure enough, they worked perfectly when turning the light on. Good to go.


What to do when snow blocks house door? My house's door open outwards and overnight the snow has accumulated outside (to half the door height) and prevented the door from being opened.

What to do in this situation if we want to open the door and go outside?

Go out a door that's not blocked and walk to the blocked one to clear the snow.

If all your doors are blocked go out a window and do the same.

If it's a screen door, remove the screen and reach through the opening to move the snow.  You can use a broom or even a pot or baking pan if your don't have a shovel within reach.


What to use to encapsulate asbestos tile in basement? we have asbestos tile  (or lead?, the inspector told my girlfriend not to remove it).  We want to put vinyl plank right on top of the tile.  Does anyone know what we should use to try to encapsulate the tile better and provide ensured waterproofing?

More info:
The tiles are sitting right on top of the concrete.  The binder was some kind of black adhesive.  Some tiles are missing on two corners about 3'x3' areas each. A couple of chipped tiles in the center area.

There's never been standing water and I haven't seen any moisture other than some condensation on the water in pipe.  Relative humidity at most has been 60%  usually 10%-15% higher than the 1st floor. We live in New England and a good part of the basement is above ground as there are windows that are a good 2 feet in height starting at the ground level.

We're looking to just cover this area first as there are other areas (rooms) in the basement that is bare concrete the previous owners didn't bother to tile.  The room we want to cover is about 200 sqft.

If the tiles are 9" x 9" then they are probably asbestos. If they are 12" x 12" then they probably are not asbestos. However, the mastic could be asbestos for either. So, you could test, but there isn't a necessity to do so. I agree with you Inspector and leave them in place.

There are many problems pouring a concrete floor on an existing concrete floor (moisture issues, height issues at doorways if entire floor level is not done, reducing height in room, etc.) and I don't think it's necessary. You can install a new floor covering without pouring a new floor.

Regardless, if the tiles are secured (solid) to the floor, then you could prepare the broken/missing tile areas and install a new material over it without pouring a new floor first. If the tiles are not secure, then installing a new engineered wood floor on moisture barrier (polysheeting) on your "prepared" floor would be best, because you don't have to worry about the material "telegraphing" every defect through the new material. It's easy to install (snaps together) and you could probably do it yourself.


Toilet constantly making a noise https://youtu.be/sI0OCBpdwXk

For the last little while my toilet has been constantly been making a noise as you can hear in the video. I looked it up and it seems like there are two common causes of noise. It seems like the float and fill valve are working as intended. And I thought the flapper was okay since I applied pressure on top of it and it didn't affect the noise at all.

But I tried closing the intake valve for my toilet tank and the tank has been slowly draining. What is likely causing the leak? The water in the bowl seems still, not like there is a steady source of leaking into it? Any advice would be appreciated!

Edit: Thanks for the help everyone. The food colouring test helped show me that the water was leaking into the bowl. I wrongly assumed that since I applied pressure to the flapper to make sure it sealed that it was not the problem. But the flapper was the problem. Upon taking it out and inspecting it the whole thing was disintegrating and there were cracks allowing water through it.

Turn off water to closet. Empty bowl. Thoroughly inspect flapper for nicks; its attachment to the hubs that hold it; and it’s ove,tall condition; then wipe clean the flapper and the housing on which it rests. Check the water fill tube which fits into the upper end of the vertical pipe. Is it damaged? Is it snug? Is it positioned to drain into the vertical tube? Turn water back on - fill water closet. Flush. Fixed?


How can I stop my garage door from hanging up on the door frame? I have a 7 year old, 4-section automatic garage door that has been working fine until recently. When I open it, the second section (the one beneath the uppermost section) is catching on the upper (horizontal) door frame and resisting travel. So far not enough to cause the motor to disengage but enough so that it hangs, then quickly releases.

The door has had nothing run into it, no accidents or anything which would cause the door to bow. My gut feeling is that age has cause the present linkage to go out of adjustment, but I'm not sure.

Is this a common problem and can it be rectified??

I would think the most likely candidate would be weakened springs.  The springs that support the door are ridiculously strong, but do loose their strength over time.  If they have weakened, the motor of your door opener has to lift more weight.  The heavier the load, the more likely it will be to hang up on something.  I would start by yanking the release rope on the door opener and lifting the door manually.  Does it hang in the same place?  Lube is definitely one thing to try.  I would also check all the hardware connecting the guide wheels to the door and make sure all the screws are tight.

If the lube doesn't help and all the guide wheels are tight and it still hangs when opening manually, it's either a problem with the track or the springs.  You could inspect the track itself for debris or call a pro.  If you decide it is a spring issue, definitely call a pro.  Even a weakened spring is still very strong and can cause injury if not handled properly.

If the lube doesn't help and all the guide wheels are tight and it does not hang when opening manually, there is probably an issue with the automatic garage door opener.  They are relatively inexpensive and easy to install.


Allergies and an economizer I had an economizer added to my HVAC system last fall, which is fantastic for cooling my second floor down in the evenings during the shoulder seasons where the weather is cool in the late afternoon through the night and I don't want to pay to run the AC.

However, this is my first spring with it and I have discovered that the MERV 13 filter that is in my HVAC system seems unable to filter out enough pollen to prevent me from having major allergy attacks all night.

Is there a filter system I could install that would be able to handle 800 CFM of outdoor air and filter out the pollen enough that I can breathe?

A MERV 13 filter should not let much if any pollen get through. If you still have pollen getting past, it is likely leaking around the filter.

I would check that the filter is secured tightly in the HVAC system and that there is no place for air to bypass the filter.

To increase filtration of existing plain filters, you can also spray it with a tackifier. The tackifier will catch particles small enough to bounce off the filter fibers but pass between the fibers.


Why am I measuring decreased voltage between my dryer's neutral and hot conductors? At the outlet:

40V - red to neutral (white)
40V - black to neutral (white)
230V - red to black
110V - red to ground
110V - black to ground

At the circuit breaker:

230V - red to black
110V - red to neutral bar
110V - black to neutral bar

Do I need to run a new neutral wire?

There is a problem with the neutral wire.  I would start by making sure the screw in the breaker box to the dryer's neutral wire is secure, and that the wire is mechanically intact by firmly wiggling it at the neutral bar end.

Also, the neutral bus in the main breaker box should be bonded to ground—usually by a green screw like this:

Check the bonding screw by unscrewing it a turn or two and then screwing it back in well.  If this is not in a service breaker box, but an auxiliary panel instead, there must be no neutral to ground bond.

If the breaker end checks out okay, then look inside the dryer outlet box.  (Turn off circuit breaker first.)  Those have screws to secure the house wire into the outlet.  Make sure the neutral wire (as well as the others) are mechanically sound and firmly attached to the socket.

If you measured the neutral inside the dryer, you should also check the appliance pigtail ("wall cord") for signs of wear.

If the ends of the neutral wire are okay, then it is time to measure the resistance of the wire from end to end.  Unless the dryer is located within leads span of the breaker box, you will need to scrounge up a piece of wire to extend the lead range.  It can be any gauge, but do measure its resistance so you can easily determine the additional resistance of the dryer wire.  The dryer's wires should be 8 or 10 gauge so the resistance should be very low:  100 ft (30 m) should be no more than 0.10 ohms.


How should I fill these large cracks/voids in this brick porch? Filling a few, I thought, small cracks on my porch jumped to the top of the to do list when I watched a chipmunk enter one of them yesterday.

He went in the crack in front of the step, the one I have a real closeup on. I don't know how far back that hole goes.

I'm thinking of just mixing up some concrete and then pushing it back as far as I can, maybe take gallon bag with a hole in the corner and push the product out as best I can. I'm guessing I probably need something else though, not regular concrete from an 80 pound bag? Possibly Polymeric sand or type O mortar without cement?

Suggestions welcome. I'm not wanting to rebuilt the steps or anything, just plug the holes. Thanks!

This is a standard case of brickwork needing to be tuck-pointed.  You can find several sources on how to do it, but this one is nice:This Old House


How to know Glass tank safe or not? I know the basic idea to calculate the pressure in the tank (full of water). But I guess there lots of factors decide whether the tanks is safe or not. e.g. If the tank is rimless, it may not safe. If have brace on top, it has huge difference.

Do any formula calculate how thickness of the glass that I needs base on the glass tank dimension?

e.g

65cm x 65cm x 80cm (height), whether it's safe to use 12mm glass without brace.

First off, have you considered how heavy this tank is going to be when full of water? The total weight of the water contained in a 31.5"x25.6"x25.6" tank is 744 lbs.
The total force on each wall is a function of pressure, depth, and wall area. Integrating all of that over the surface gives a total outward force of 459 lbs on each side.

You'll need to know the ultimate tensile strength of the particular type of glass you're using. I'd recommend looking for tempered glass, which will have a higher strength.
For a rectangular plate of toughened glass supported along all edges (meaning, including a top brace), I found the following generalized formula for a maximum uniform pressure loading (PDF link):
Pmax (psi) = 84000*t^2/Af

where t is the glass thickness in inches
      A is the area in square inches
      f is the safety factor (10 in this case)

(I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be the thickness parameter that's squared, not the constant as it was written in the source material. Also take this number with a grain of salt, since the source material has an apparent typo in the equation. Wikipedia has a much more in depth derivation here.)
Using the parameters you specified along with a safety factor of 10, the max allowable uniform pressure loading is 2.2457 PSI. So your choice of materials should be OK for the non-uniform loading with a max value of 1.138 PSI. Note that this is for a piece of glass that is fixed along all edges, so that would mean you've got it secured to a brace along EVERY jointed vertex to counter the bending moments at the edges of the plates.
Also consider the strength of your adhesive if you're set on going frameless. It's going to be under a max stress of about 8.04 lbs/linear inch, in both shear and normal stress if you're doing the corners as butt joints.


My RO water filter system has three filters. What is the fourth filter? I have a Cuno SQC3 reverse osmosis system. The three obvious filters for replacement on the left are the:

prefilter - 47-55706G2
RO membrane - 66-4703G2
postfilter - 47-55710G2

However, in this picture you see there is a fourth module inline with the water line (on the ground). It doesn't have a identifier on it. Just says "flow" to show direction of water. Does this need to be replaced? Currently my water is coming out very slowly with the filters being 2 years old.

The fourth filter is an inline carbon polishing filter for removing any taste/odor that was imparted into the water by sitting in the water storage tank.

Yes, it should be replaced at the same time as your pre- and post- carbon filters. You don't need it, so if you don't want to replace it then remove it from the system. You might not notice any difference in the taste/odor of your water.

If it is installed correctly, the blue 1/4" water line coming off the right side of the fourth filter should go directly to your RO faucet.


Can I use an 11 watt bulb in a desk lamp that says "CFL max 9 watts"? Hi I got a 11 watt T2 Helix Energy Saver bulb with specs stating equivalent output is 40 watts.

My lamp says CFL Max 9 watts.  Can I safely use this bulb in this lamp or is it a def. no no?

The power consumption permitted by the fixture is 9 watts; the bulb that you've selected is 11 watts. You've exceeded the permitted wattage, even if it is by a very small margin.

Is it safe? Most of the max wattage specifications by manufacturers are conservative, so you would probably be fine. But why exceed a stated limit? I would suggest considering a smaller wattage bulb for that fixture, or a fixture that supports the bulb wattage that you've selected.


How can I control lights on a 3-way circuit with a timer? I have a roommate who comes home at night and leaves the f@$%ing light in the hallway on, and I find it really annoying. She's not malicious, just a bit distracted, so I want to install some sort of light switch or something that will automatically turn off after 15 minutes of being turned on.

This light is controlled by two switches, one at one end of the hallway and one on the other.

There are many programmable light switches, but they all seem to require a pre-set schedule, rather than an option to turn off after they were turned on, and also, I don't know how they interact with each other (since I would presumably need to install one in the switch at each end of the hallway).

Does anyone have any suggestions?

How about a light switch with a motion sensor? They make ones that are occupancy detectors (detecting motion and then turning on), and vacancy sensors (detecting absence of motion and then turning off). They'll also have a button which can manually toggle the light on or off, and you can set the sensitivity and how long an absence is required before the light turns off. California Title 24 now requires vacancy sensors in many indoor areas; try looking for switches which comply with that.


Electrical shutters crash computer connected to same power line A friend of mine has a very strange condition with the electrical system in his room. Connected to mains, there is mainly an audio system, a computer and, most importantly electrical shutters. They are on all windows in the house.

Now, here is the problem: When the shutters stop moving, there is an audible click in the speakers. This is not a fault with the speakers, as they are relatively new and not the only thing affected. But that's not the best of it: Sometimes, when the click is very loud, the PC's drivers crash (LED illumination goes dark, audio driver crashes, ...). I could not reproduce this myself, but I have seen a video of it happening.

They had an electrician over to install some new outlets in the room and asked them about it, but the electrician did not know a solution to the problem either. I am a electronics hobbyist, and my friend asked me to look at the system. What I measured was as expected, that there is a voltage spike on the power line when the shutters stop.

This affects both L/N and the ground. I don't have pro equipment, and only an ebay oscilloscope and multimeter but even then there is a measurable voltage spike both on the ground conductor relative to a metal doorframe or air, and also between the mains wires when the shutters stop moving.

For testing, I isolated the ground prong for the speakers, and the click got much much weaker but still audible (I reversed this modification afterwards of course), so the problem is mainly with the ground line.

I assume that this is due to the coils in the motor of the electric shutter firing current back into the powerlines. Unfortunately, I don't have access to this shutter's wirings as it is mounted inside the walls. But I don't think that the unit is faulty, because the same occurs (although much weaker) when you move any other electric shutter in the house.

I have measured the mains voltage (between 230-235V at stable 50 Hz), the voltage between PE and N (~0.1-1V), and tried measuring if there was voltage on the ground line with the NCV on my multimeter, but everything seemed OK. Also, the house is pretty new.

Can this still be a fault of the power system, or is this just bad design of the shutters?

Also, what can be done to prevent the computer from being affected so strongly by this? I thought about an 1:1 isolating transformer, but that doesn't isolate the ground line IIRC.

Thank you in advance

At first I thought it was a cheap PC supply, but it's the stereo also.  This is big enough to affect both.

It's voltage surges

When the curtain motor reaches position, it is disconnected abruptly.  The motor is an inductor.

You may know a capacitor wants to keep voltage the same and will flow unlimited amounts of currrent in that effort. An inductor is the converse.  It wants to keep current the same, and will flow unlimited voltage in that effort.

Interrupt a motor, the field current will want to keep going, and will spike voltage into thousands of volts.

This is the bane of hobbyists trying to control motors, as they usually fail to account for the voltages into the thousands of volts that can result.

It should, in theory, be inducting this onto the hot or neutral wire.  In fact, if the switch was interrupting the hot wire, I would expect it to not happen; however Europeans are super slack about hot vs neutral (their plugs flip over, even)... So the people installing them may have inadvertently wired them to switch neutral.  You could check that; it's an easy fix if it's wrong.

Fixing it

How to hack the motors to not do that is a question for electronics.se. (in DC you'd use a freewheeling diode, but that's a nonstarter in AC; but mayve some sort of VBO device in the right place to act like that.)

I have a feeling the curtains might've been built with such protection, but it has degraded, as MOVs will do.  Fixing that is not hacking, it's repair.

To stay in our bailiwick, what you need is a commercial quality surge suppressor.  The consumer jobs won't cut it; they use cheap MOVs which degrade via usage, i.e. become "used up". And this setup would "use them up" quickly.  Meanwhile in America... NEC 2020 just made whole-house surge suppressors mandatory, so massive economies of scale are hitting the quality surge suppressor game.  That's what I'd get; a whole-house surge suppressor, and stick it right on that branch circuit between the blinds and the PC/stereo.

Why is it affecting the ground wire?  Ground faults.  Consumer products typically have 500 or 1000 volt insulation between hot/neutral and ground.  Well, this interrupt voltage is so high that it's leaping not only over the insulation on the blind motors themselves, but on the stereo's as well.


Is unpainted drywall with mud/joint compound dangerous to be around? I know very little about drywall/home improvement, but this question is more less due to my health anxiety, which often drives me to worry about obscure things around me. I moved into my current townhouse last fall, and it comes with a "basement" that is on the ground floor, that has unpainted walls, with mudding/whatever else they put on drywall normally. Today, I was moving things around in there, bumped up against the wall, and a lot of white paint/dust/mudding came off on my shirt. This got my brain going, and I'm just wondering, is it safe to be around unpainted drywall like this? I'm thinking along the lines of breathing in the dust, even though I normally am not disturbing the walls like I did today...

I know this question my seem silly, but often times when I'm anxious about this kind of stuff, asking questions like this to strangers helps put me at ease.

The walls look like this picture, for reference. The place is brand new, so I feel like I shouldn't have to worry too much about dangerous chemicals and the like, but I still worry from time to time.

At best, breathing drywall or drywall compound (mud) dust can irritate your respiratory system and is best avoided.  One problem is that it is very fine and if you sand it much, you need to use special masks that can filter the fine particles, plus you don't want to use a regular vacuum to clean it up - I believe it will clog the filters.  This mainly concerns people who work with it regularly, and a small amount is normally not anything to worry about unless it causes physical respiratory symptoms.  Some people are more susceptible to this, like asthma sufferers.

I would want to at least paint the walls and joints with primer paint as soon as possible.  I'm surprised if that has not been done.


Combination GFCI/AFCI Breaker not working when replacing regular breaker First time posting.

I'm doing some upgrades to our house electrical. We live in a 1950s home. An electrician recommended I replace the old breakers on ungrounded circuits off the house sub-panel with combination GFCI/AFCI breakers. Here are the ones I've purchased: http://w3.usa.siemens.com/powerdistribution/us/en/product-portfolio/circuit-breakers/residential-circuit-breakers/Pages/Dual-Function.aspx. We have a mix of 15A and 20A breakers.

Generally, I haven't had any issues replacing the breakers. I've done several and they all work as expected. However, one breaker slot on the sub-panel is behaving strangely. The slot works as expected with the old breaker. But when replacing the old breaker with the new GFCI breaker, it won't flip into the ON position. It seems that nothing is wrong with the new breaker itself: two new breakers of the same type exhibit the same behavior in that slot, but work as expected in another slot. The instructions that come with the new breaker suggest this issue happens when no power is getting to it, but that doesn't make sense to me since the old breaker works fine in that position.

To be clear, the new breaker doesn't appear to be tripping. It never is able to switch on to begin with.

Does this ring any bells? Any troubleshooting tips appreciated.

EDIT: I was using Seimans Breakers when I should have been using GE Breakers approved for use in my particular panel. After replacing with the correct type of breakers, everything works as expected in all the original positions.

Sounds like a ground fault or arc fault is being detected on the circuit, remove the load and see if it will turn on. If it turns on without the load connected you have a problem on that branch circuit. Make sure if you install 3 prong outlets to label them GFCI protected no equipment ground.


Is the Nest thermostat smart enough to turn itself on BEFORE you get home? I'm wondering if in "Away" mode, is Nest smart enough to learn about when you come home, and kick on approximately 30-40 minutes BEFORE then? Or does it only kick on when it senses you've come home?

Also, can you control how much it lowers the temperature in Away mode?

Further, if you adjust the temperature manually over the internet (say, just before you leave work), does that count towards teaching it when it should turn on?

I'm basically wondering just how smart its auto functions are, because if they're not smart, then I would rather just spend $30 on a programmable unit rather than $250 for Nest.

The Nest saves people money simply because most people can't/won't program their thermostats.  Where the Nest will mostly auto program itself based on your away/home and manual thermostat changes.

You can set the temp ranges for away as well as another emergency min/max for when the unit is turned 'off' (this can prevent frozen pipes).  The unit can also be set to start before the program schedule time to warm/cool.

But if you go out for a night, the unit then goes into a non-scheduled auto away it will wait until it detects movement before it will kick the heat/ac back on.


Why doesn't my gas furnace ignite? I had a Lennox slp98dfv installed last year - it has a surelight ignition - it now just blows cold air - so I assume the pilot light is out - but not sure how to light it - as u cannot manually ignite the burners - any thoughts before I call in the repairman?

Diagnostic Display

According to the Installation Instructions, your model is equipped with a diagnostic display.

To review the any error codes:

  Press the diagnostic push button and hold it to cycle through a menu of options. Every five seconds a new item will be displayed. Release the button when the desired mode is displayed.

  When a solid "P" is displayed, the furnace capacity/size is programmed.

  When a solid "E" is displayed, the control enters the Error Code Recall mode.

  Error Code Recall mode menu options:

  No change (displaying error history) remains in Error Code Recall mode.
  solid "b" exits Error Code Recall mode.
  solid "c" clears the error history. Must press button while flashing "c" is displayed to clear error codes.

  When the solid "-" is displayed, the control enters the Field Test mode.

  Field Test mode menu options:

  Solid "C" starts pressure switch calibration.
  blinking "-" exits Field Test mode.

Firing Sequence

If you don't want to get into all that, you can simply use the firing sequence to try and troubleshoot the problem. Start by turning the breaker, and any serviceman switch on. Next turn the thermostat up, until it calls for heat.

First, you should hear a small click, ping, ding, or some other sound, to indicate the gas valve opened (may be too quiet to hear on some valves).  Next you'll be able to hear a quiet hiss, as the gas starts to flow. The ignitor; either a spark gap or hot surface, will turn on. You'll either hear a rhythmic click-click-click, or see a small bit of metal turn red. At the same time, the draft inducer should turn on. This may be quite noisy, and could make diagnosing problems by sound difficult.

No Flame

If a flame is not sensed within a few seconds (may be variable depending on model), The gas valve will close, the ignitor will turn off, and the draft inducer will purge the system for 15 seconds (may be variable depending on model).  The sequence should repeat again, for up to 5 tries (may be variable depending on model). If after the 5th try, there is still no flame. The system will purge for 20 seconds, then shut down and display and error code.

Flame

If a flame is sensed, the furnace will wait for the flame to stabilize.  Once a good flame is detected, the indoor blower should start, and warm air will be blown throughout the house.


What is this bolt in my basement floor? In my concrete basement floor, there is a rather large bolt and washer.  The washer is about 4 inches in diameter, and the bolt has a 1 inch head.  What is it?

All I can think of is that it's some device to keep this from happening:

That's likely a cleanout for your sewer line. When opened, you can run an snake down the line to remove any blockage without ripping out your entire foundation. Here's what it would look like from the side:

And the cap itself can have different styles:


Why aren't my PIR security lights working through my window? Can any one help? I purchased a solar powered PIR security light, with the intention of putting it inside my kitchen window. The PIR would be inside the window, but this does not work.

When I go outside to activate the light, it does not work. When I go inside to run my hand across the sensor, it works.

Will a PIR unit penetrate glass, or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Passive infrared sensors (PIR), use Infrared (IR) light to detect motion.  Unfortunately for you, infrared light does not travel through glass so well.


What are the tabs on this face-plate for? The Steel City RS-6 4" face plate has metal tabs that break-off easily. What is their purpose?

(click for full-size)

As you can see, they are cut and bent to leave a gap/slot.

They are actually nuts, even though they are an odd shape.

They mount behind the receptacle to grab the screw and sandwich it to the cover. The screw goes through the cover, then through the receptacle, and threads into the tab. The offset dog on the tab should secure under the cover edge. This lets you use the screws on the top and bottom of the receptacle to secure it to the cover.

See the instruction sheet from the manufacturer:
http://www-public.tnb.com/shared/inst/TA01413-TB2.pdf


Selection of Breaking Capacity in Circuit Breakers Modular Circuit Breakers such as this DX3 Legrand MCB (ref.) are rated with a:

Nominal Rating: 3x63A,
Operational Curve: C,
Breaking Capacity: 6kA 400VAC (IEC 60898-1) | 10kA 400VAC (IEC 60947-2),

The commercial alternatives for these kind of modules starts with 6|10kA such as the shown MCB, but 10|16kA rating and higher, e.g. for moulded case, are available.

How this last parameter should be specified, in particular, for electrical panels directly installed below transformers (150kVA 10kA transformer, in a 13kV line)?

I know some assumption about a typical line fault should be assumed for the whole distribution area, but I don't have any other specific calculation, such as in here.

The "6 KA" number (literally, 6000 amps) is based on being able to trip out at the maximum possible bolted fault (i.e. not having its contacts welded shut by the current).  There's really no point having a 25KA breaker when the delivery wires are incapable of delivering even 6KA of flow.

The current capacity of the delivery wires is decided by their size and Ohm's Law.  Any particular size of wire has a known resistance per length, and this can be multiplied by length to give the resistance of the service drop from the transformer.  That resistance, and the service voltage, plugged into Ohm's Law gives the maximum possible current.

For instance, some American power companies guarantee that their delivery drop wires will be sized so as to render current flow above 10KA impossible.  Thus, 10KA main breakers are legal in those services.  Since European services deliver twice the voltage (and presumably half the amperage), we can guess they use smaller service drop wires, and thus, have a lower maximum KA.

This has nothing to do with the voltage on the transformer primary.  If 13KV gets into your house's electrical system, that's what your grounding and bonding system is for. The 13KV is unlikely to flow 6 KA because it is coming off rather lengthy feed wires that have come for miles.  The resistance of those feed wires will be much too great for 6 KA to even be possible.

This isn't about lightning. Lightning is Thor's hammer, the Hulk can barely stop it, no molded case circuit breaker can.   A high voltage line like 13KV will have lightning arrestors, because otherwise, the lightning will find somewhere else to arc to ground, and when it strikes that arc, the 13KV will sustain the arc indefinitely.


Is there a keyed switch that can be used to power off a subpanel? I'd like to be able to power off the sub-panel in my home workshop using a simple key-based switch. I envision a junction box just before the sub-panel with a key that can be turned "on" or "off", and removed.

(The aim is to make sure children don't have access to any of the electrical equipment in my shop.)

Lockout
You could use a "lockout". A lockout is a device used by Electricians, that allows them to lock breakers in the off position. When an Electrician is working on a circuit, they will turn the breaker off, place the lockout on the breaker, place a padlock and a name tag through the lockout lock hole. This prevents others from accidentally energizing the circuit, while the Electrician is working. In most places, the Electrician is the only person with a key to the lock, and the key is kept on them at all times.

Disconnect
An "electrical disconnect" or "safety switch" is a more permanent solution. They are available in fusible and non-fusible varieties, with a wide range of current ratings. They usually have the ability to be locked in the off position, using a common padlock.

You'll wire it up to interrupt the ungrounded conductors of the feeder to the panel.

Turn off the breaker in the service equipment panel that feeds the panel in the garage.
Disconnect the feeder wires from the panel in the garage.
Mount the disconnect near the panel in the garage.
Connect the ungrounded conductors from the feeder to the line side terminals in the disconnect.
Using a length of the same gauge cable as the feeder, connect the ungrounded conductors to the load side terminals of the disconnect.
Using appropriately sized twist-on wire connectors, other approved means, or terminals in the disconnect if they're available. Splice together the grounded and grounding conductors of the feeder and the short length of cable.
Terminate the other end of the short length of cable in panel.

Now when you move the disconnect into the off position, the panel in the garage should be dead. You can then lock the disconnect door closed, and the handle in the off position.


From where does gas oven get combustion air? My gas oven is only partially heating while I run my evaporative cooler.  I can also smell gas when both these appliances are on.  My first thought is that perhaps the combustion air intake is partially blocked, and the air movement from the cooler is enough to suffocate the flame.  However, I can't find where the oven draws combustion air from.

From where does an oven draw combustion air?

Home gas ovens draw oxygen from room air, and in turn add CO2, some CO, a little SO2 (from impurities and warning smell additive) and perhaps some nitrogen oxides to the room air. An externally vented exhaust hood helps get rid of these combustion products.

Most homes are not so air-tight that use of a stove or oven (other than on self-clean cycle) poses an issue. However, there may be local recommendations or requirements for air exchange, but "in the United States, venting most residential gas ranges and cooktops to the outside is not required."

So, if your evaporative cooler is vented, and the airflow interferes with the oven, you may need to operate the range-hood fan or crack a window (admittedly reducing the efficiency of the swamp cooler).


How to tell if clothes dryer temperature control is working? I dry all clothes on the lowest temperature setting in the natural gas dryer.  This is because they dry fast and come out piping hot.

But now I need to dry some clothes at a lower temperature, but I'm concerned I will ruin the clothes, as there is no setting lower than what I normally use.

Is there an easy way to tell if the clothes dryer temperature control is working?  I'm thinking perhaps it is always going at full temperature.

The brand of the clothes dryer is General Electric, and the model is DSXH43GA6WW.

I cannot find the temps but the part number 1370 gas valve has multiple parts 1371 thru 1376, there are 2 solenoid valves parts of the gas valve I am not sure if each solenoid has a separate orifice to control the gas flow one large 1 small but this looks to be the only control I could find,  The only sensor I can find in the assembly is 1379 but it looks like an over temp sensor .


Why aren't my radiators heating up after I replaced a rusted through pipe? We had a bit of corrosion in an old pipe and it started leaking and losing pressure and so I drained all the central heating system (radiators), replaced the pipe and fitting. It was awkward and the new pipe had to go through from the first floor to the ground floor.

I then filled up the radiators again until the pressure was between 1-2 bars and switched the heating on again. The boiler (INTERGAS KOMPAKT HR?) is currently sitting at 85 but none of the pipes or radiators are hot. I can't hear any water moving around in them like I used to. We still have hot water.

I've bled all the radiators until nothing but water came out. There were a couple that let out a lot of air. The pressure in the system went right down to 0.3 bar and so I topped up the system with water until it was 1.25 bar again.

Panel on heating system currently saying desired temperature has been reached and all the radiators are stone cold. Room temperature 14 °C and desired temperature is 20 °C.

I bled all the radiators again: no air came out. I repressurised the system to 1.8 bar.

I have no idea what to do now. Any advice?

According to OP in comment above:

  I waited 24 hours for the gunk to settle, tapped out some of the pipes gently with a small hammer and switched it on. Took about 3 hours to warm the house up from bone cold.

(Answered to remove this Q from list of Qs with no answers.)


Cold water from both taps only in kitchen The faucet in our kitchen is running cold from both hot and cold valves. The faucet is double handle.
The hot and cold water in the other areas of the house are running normally both hot and cold . We can't figure it out.....it occured seemingly overnight.

If you have a dedicated heater for the kitchen, then the obvious conclusion is that it broke. Thanks to @ratchet freak for pointing this out.

I had a similar problem without a dedicated heater where the hot tap in the kitchen was slightly warmer than the cold one. I turned the boiler to a higher setting and now it works fine. I have no idea why the rest of the hot water in the house worked fine.


Electronic ballast ratings Hello I have a 4 bulb fixture that im working with. It currently is set up with one ballast for each bulb. I bought a philips EB-C 136 TL-D 220-240 ballast to go back. My bulbs are 18watts. The diagram says you can do either one 36 watt or 2 18 watt bulbs. So what happens if I just hook up one 18 watt. It will just be over driven and brighter, or does the ballast adjust?

Every ballast is different.  There is no pattern or rule.  Sometimes the sales literature doesn't even agree with the data sheet - I've had to send ballasts back for that reason.

The data sheet (which is not the sales pamphlet or sometimes even the instruction sheet in the box) will list every supported bulb size, usually with wiring diagrams for each different configuration.

I don't see a data sheet for this ballast.  This is as close as Google gets me.

They also seem to make a ballast for a single 18 watt bulb, here.  That's a bad sign.  Distributors don't like carrying a huge variety of ballasts, so manufacturers try to make ballasts work on as many configurations as possible.  The fact that they make a 1-18W ballast as well as a 1-36W, certainly suggests one can't do both jobs.


How to remove broken shutter fasteners from brick? I need to replace vinyl shutters on my brick-front home. I will replace the existing ones with identical sized new ones that will use the same drilled holes.

The problem I had before was that when I took off the old shutters the old Shutter-lok fasteners often broke off with nothing to grab on to. At ground level I had been able to drill them out by pressing with all my body weight while drilling. I will not be able to do this for the higher ones since I have to be on a ladder.

Is there a effective tool I can use to extract these plastic fasteners from the pre-drilled holes in the brick without applying significant force? Is there better ways than drilling?

Shutter-lok fasteners are just made out of plastic (polypropylene), and typically anchor into a 1/4" predrilled hole.  They should not be hard at all to drill out with a sharp 1/4" drill bit.

An alternative is to:

Find a long metal screw, and pick a drill bit appropriate for pre-drilling that screw.
Drill into the remaining shank of the Shutter-lok, all the way to its end.
Screw the long metal screw into the Shutter-lok.
Grab the metal screw with locking pliers.
Pull the metal screw out.  (Ease it out, rocking and twisting if it resists.)

If you drilled the metal screw far enough into the Shutter-lok, they will come out together.  If any Shutter-lok plastic remains it will now be even easier to drill out with a 1/4" bit.


Furnace installation: What separates the good from the bad? This page says,

  Poor installation can reduce [a high-performance furnace] to a mediocre furnace

Conversely, asm-air writes,

  Remember, who installs your HVAC unit is more important than what type of unit you buy.  A good HVAC contractor can make almost anything run efficiently.

What does a good furnace installer do to make the furnace run well and/or
what mistakes might a novice (or unqualified) installer make which could reduce the performance of a furnace?

Planning.  A good HVAC technician will not install a system based on rules of thumb, intuition, or past experience. Years of experience might give them a good idea of what's needed, but a good tech will still run the numbers.

Not properly sizing the equipment, is the biggest mistake folks make. When it comes to efficiency, this is probably the largest detriment.  Calculating the heating/cooling load is not easy, and cannot be done simply based on square footage. Unfortunately, it seems as though loads of HVAC companies only ever consider square footage. X square feet = Y Btu/h. This is completely wrong, and will not lead to the most efficient system being installed.

If a system is being replaced, a bad tech will simply use the existing "plumbing" (duct work, vents, etc.).  Whereas a good tech, will determine if the old plumbing can be used, but won't use the existing plumbing simply to save time/money (unless told to by the employer (you)).

A good tech will also be up to date on the latest technologies, codes, and industry standards. It's easy to get stuck in a rut, and always do the same thing the same way (even good techs fall into this sometimes). To be a good tech, you have to be constantly learning and evolving. At the same time, you can't always follow the latest fads.  The latest and greatest isn't always the best approach. A good tech will research new technologies, to gain a better understanding of how it can help them do their job.


What materials to use replacing a water damaged bathroom ceiling? I had a leaky roof that caused half the bathroom ceiling to come down. The roof is now fixed. I know I have to remove the rest of the ceiling as well, and dry it out before replacing, and possibly do some mold remediation.  My question is, what do I replace the ceiling with?  Regular gypsum board or is there a special something that needs to go up since it is a bathroom?  Steps would be appreciated. :)  Thanks!

Do you want to have to replace it again if there's ever another leak? If yes, then use another inexpensive paper-and-gypsum-based product, such as drywall, green board, etc. If no, then use cementboard. Maybe overkill, but for a small bathroom the uncharge won't be more than $40 and that stuff can get wet till the cows come home and not complain about it! Once it's up, you can texture it, skim coat it, paint it, or whatever you were going to do to the drywall that you were considering.


Is it worth it to insulate hot water PEX tubing? Is it worth the time and expense to put the foam pipe wrap on pex hot water pipes?  I've seen mixed statements.

What is your thought?  But more importantly, can you back it up?

It's definitely worth it if you are running new pipes or the existing pipes are easily accessible, but if you have to lift boards etc. to gain access probably not.

PEX is a very good conductor. One of it's uses is for under floor heating systems, so if you are using it for delivering hot water the it's definitely worth insulating it. This is true of copper pipe as well.


How do you replace a Moen cartridge 4000? Recently my kitchen faucet delivers less water pressure for hot water (cold water is fine) and water takes much longer to get warm. All other faucets (bathroom sinks, shower, ...) are working as usual.

By doing some research I learned that this problem may be caused by a clogged aerator, and that I might need to replace the faucet's cartridge (I already tried cleaning the O-ring and screen washer kit and did not fix the problem).

It seems that my faucet's model is a Moen Kleo and might have a cartridge #1255 or #4000 (Based on looks after removing handle it could be the cartridge #4000). I took the handle out with an allen key, but I can't take out the cartridge. It is too hard to yank out and I'm afraid to break something. I can't take the dome piece out either (in case I needed to do this first and then unscrew the cartridge piece). It is too hard. Since the installation guide refers to the faucet as "faucet body" and does not cover cartridge replacement I don't know if I should be able to unscrew or yank out the dome (and I don't want to force and break anything).

I have been able to find tutorials on youtube, but not for my specific cartridge (or faucet model), so I don't know what to do about those pieces.
Home depot's Q&A doesn't cover this specific question, as neither does Moen's.

Still, the cartridge replacement can be found in their websites (among others) which makes me think I should not need a professional to replace it. I am not the first owner of this place, so I don't have the original installation tools, in case any is needed to take one of the pieces out.

What is the process to replace a Moen Cartridge 4000 in a Moen Kleo Faucet?

It seems that Moen has an outstanding customer support, and after emailing them a couple pictures of my faucet to confirm the model they emailed me back instructions to replace the cartridge (along with a confirmation of the cartridge my model was using).

S o basically:

Turn water supply off
Use an allen wrench to remove the faucet's handle
Grab the collar and rotate counter-clockwise.
Using large pliers or channel locks remove the retainer counter-clock wise
Using pliers grab the white square of the cartridge and remove it from the faucet.

Documentation says that your bare hands should be enough for step #3. This was one of my problems I wasn't sure if I was going to need any tools. It seems that rotating should be enough and force can be applied.

To install the new cartridge you need to pay attention to the cartridge's 3 holes and 2 small tabs protruding. You need to look into the brass chamber to find the location of the 3 big and 2 smaller holes, align the cartridge and insert it making sure you are lining up the three big holes.

Gentle pressure should be able to rotate the cartridge.

After making sure that the cartridge is positioned correctly, you reassemble the faucet.


Why is there dirt in my wall (by the tub)? We were trying to put in some laminate flooring, and as I was vacuuming against the base of the drywall I noticed that dirt kept falling from what looked like inside the wall. The drywall seemed a little flimsy here, so I decided to cut a hole and find out what was behind there.

Surprise!

Sketch:

Our house was built in the 70s, and my wife was searching and found people making suggestions about sand and mortar and things of that nature being used to level the tub, but this is nothing of the sort. It's a very fine dirt - the same that we have in our yard. Inside the hole is the drain for for the tub and the copper water pipes. It smells damp - like under a house. Our home is a one story slab home, and this is a metal tub.

I looked for signs of critters (ants, termites, that sort of thing) but it doesn't look like there are any tunnels. It's very loose dirt. I've probably removed about 2-3 liters of dirt.

Why is this dirt here? Should I put it back? Remove it?

The dirt you have removed is probably from around the tubs drain pipe.  When the slab floors are poured all the plumbing has already been installed. When pipes protrude from the floor the contractor builds a walled surround that keeps the concrete away from the pipes. This is due to: 1) it is easier to have space to position a pipes' final connection and 2) depending on the alloy's used the alkalis' in the cement can corrode the pipe. If you enlarge the wall opening and using a flashlight you should see the tubs overflow and drain pipe going straight down into this dirt you excavated. Another possibility is the one you mentioned; it was fill dirt used to level the cast tub. Building codes aren't specific regarding what material to use when leveling a cast tub, as long as it is leveled and stabile. If the soil isn't in contact with any framing members and isn't annoying you leave it. If you feel more comfortable without it inside your walls than open the wall and remove it in 5 gallon buckets. Don't remove any dirt from under and close to the tub bottom. Watch for plumbing if you excavate.


will any glue bond 2 long, bendable metal components I am trying to create stiffness on an 8-foot length of 1/4" acrylic, with minimal visual footprint. I hit on an 8-foot aluminum U-shaped channel (slips right over top of the acrylic), but it wasn't quite stiff enough. [1]

When I combine it with a 1/8" x 3/8" aluminum bar (placed flat on top of the upside down U), the combination is acceptably stiff. But is there any glue that bonds well enough to hold these two 8-foot lengths together, when they may occasionally be flexed an inch or so sideways?

Final mounting would look like this:

========   > top bar
=======    > u-channel
| *** |
| *** |    >  flexing goes in <----> direction
| *** |
  ***
  ***      > acrylic panel (slots neatly into u-channel)
  ***

i looked at questions What is a strong glue for bonding metal? and How can I attach a 1/8" strip of steel to MDF so that it stays secure forever for eternity?, the first had some interesting glue suggestions. I wasn't sure if the flexing would make any glue pretty useless.

Thanks!

[1] Motivation: The goal is to keep our dog from jumping on and damaging the new window; but if the acrylic is too flexible and he jumps on that, the acrylic could still hit the window and damage it. But you didn't really need to know that to answer the question.

I'd screw it. I'm afraid that any glue that can flex would be too soft for the bond you're looking for, and any glue that would prevent flexing would lose it's bond if flexed.

Or have it welded.


Insulating attic, double up? I am working on installing insulation in our home. We bought way too much insulation, and i was wondering what the effiency of doubling up and throwing an extra layer on top? We are using R-38 12" thick batts. Basically is it worth the money to add another layer if we live in a very cold environment, shady side of hill, and have a huge attic space that is at this time fully covered with 1 layer?

Short answer: Yes

Install as much insulation as you can afford. It will pay for itself in the long run. If you have space in the attic, then another layer would certainly help.

Make sure you don't restrict the ventilation of the attic by blocking eave vents.

Good luck!


Confused about CO/ALR devices versus AlumiConn and Copalum Our 1960's house in California has aluminum wiring.  When we bought it 15 years ago, I wanted the nicer Lutron receptacles and light switches, so I rewired all the outlets and switches using twist connectors + anti-oxidant paste + copper pigtails.  I gather this is now not a recommended approach.  We're selling the house and I don't want to leave a fire hazard, so I want to redo the work.  The simplest and cheapest route is to replace receptacles and switches with CO/ALR rated ones, which I thought would be correct until I came across documents such as the CPSC guidelines that said this is not recommended, and that instead, using AlumiConn or Copalum connectors is the recommended approach.  However, I also find discussions (on this site and elsewhere) where people say using direct aluminum wire connections to CO/ALR rated receptacles and switches is actually okay.  Is it okay, or should I avoid CO/ALR devices in favor of the much more expensive and difficult route of using AlumiConn?

If your goal is safety, install AFCI breakers.  The main failure mode of aluminum wire is arcing as a result of corrosion, and that's what AFCI breakers detect.

If your goal is compliance with a gold standard so you are lawsuit-proof, then CO-ALR receptacles will suffice.  That's not my opinion, it's Underwriter's Laboratories.  They listed these items as safe for use in that modality, as captured in the product's labeling and instructions, which are part of the listing.  UL's testing presumes the end user will follow the instructions.  NEC 2017 requires use of a torque screwdriver, so to complete the compliance, set torques correctly.   Regardless, NEC permits CO-ALR, so clearly the NFPA agrees (that's National Fire Prevention Association).

All we have against them is CPSC's opinion, since they have not provided any provenance to whatever testing they have done if any. Certainly it would be more persuasive if they could point to some rate of house fires from CO-ALR failures.  But all they say on the matter is "in real world conditions", which sounds to me like admission that they do work in spec conditions.  Certainly the most likely place for installs to deviate from spec (especially homeowner installs) is torque.

CPSC is correct that not every connection type is available in CO-ALR.  Here, enter the Alumiconn.  A lug system whose lugs are, amusingly, made of aluminum.


Is ball valve handle fixable? Today I tried to close main water valve in my flat. The hadle broke off and I want to know, if it is fixable, as I replacing would require closing main valve for whole building (or I think it will).

I can not see any broken metal / plastick, the handle just "stayed in my hand". See photos.

Is this somehow fixable, or the valve needs to be replaced?

It looks like the whole valve will require replacement. The valve handle assembly looks like it was originally attached to the ball in the valve by a press fit on this part of the handle:

It is not at all clear how you could re-install the press fit part without the original type of tooling used by the valve manufacturer.


Add blown in insulation by hand I have a few small areas in my attic that don't have sufficient insulation. The insulation already in place is blown-in. How practical is it to fluff up blow-in insulation and deposit it by hand in the areas of interest?

A thermal/infrared camera reveals that I have cold areas in the corners where the exterior wall meets the ceiling. So, I'm thinking I could use a garden rake to push the insulation just a bit closer to the soffit to cover that area, but, of course, leave room for air flow.

Yes, you can do exactly what you want to do. If you are using fiberglass, be sure to wear gloves and other protection, and take a shower when you are done.


How to reattach brick to the top of a fireplace I have a custom-made outdoor fireplace where the sides and top are lined with firebrick. One of the bricks on the "ceiling" has come out, and I'd like to just reattach it somehow. The ceiling if flat at about a 20 degree angle to horizontal. I tried using heavy-duty construction adhesive on the top and mortar on the sides, but it didn't last a day.

As a fallback, I might just use a long piece of angle-bracket to hold the brick in place. The bricks are not visible or easily reachable from outside so I'm not worried about it getting touched, but I'd prefer to just reattach the brick if possible.

What's the best adhesive to use on brick that's exposed to winter cold air and extreme heat?

On fire box repairs I use fire clay. It can handle the heat and if tightly packed and dried prior to use it should hold. This is the only thing I have ever tried over the years, there may be products out there that can tolerate the heat but I just use fire clay.


How can I get a straight line at the ceiling when painting a textured wall? I'm looking for advice as to how best obtain a straight line between the wall and ceiling which are both textured. I've seen some new homes where the painter masks about 1/8-1/4 inch down the wall parallel with the ceiling which looks quite nice. I've tried to mask in the corner, but it always looks terrible even using frog tape. Are there any techniques for getting a straight edge?

I never tape anything and people are amazed at the crisp lines I paint in my home.  I use a high quality angled brush for this.  Depending on my wrist fatigue and room, I work from either left to right, or vice versa with this technique.  This is self-taught and I have no idea if their is a name for this.

I load the brush up with plenty of paint and then spread the paint on about an inch lower than the ceiling, onto the wall for about the length of a foot.  This is just to get the bulk of the paint onto the wall to prevent dripping and to help load the brush back up while I work.  I pull the brush along the wall just below the ceiling and slowly raise it up to the corner so that the bristles fall in to place. Without the angled brush, this would be difficult.  I hold the brush more on plane with the ceiling than the wall, almost perpendicular to the wall.  Once the bristles have fallen into a nice setup, most people would simply drag the brush and paint the wall with a one long stroke.  I found that I run out of paint and have to use multiple shallow arcs to do this.  This was unsatisfactory to me.  I wiggle the brush back and forth while dragging it along to drag and push the paint to the place I want.  The key of this method is to control the amount of paint loaded up on the brush at the ends while you drag and push.  With the push and pull action of this method, I think it would work wonderfully for a textured surface as it pushes paint with both strokes in each direction

Upon very close inspection, the finished edge will have a small ragged appearance to it, but you can only see it when you are very close up.  From normal viewing distance, even in a small bathroom, the line appears to be a crisp edge, well-defining the corner.  I will be painting a room in the next week or two.  I could take a quick video and post if it would be beneficial to anyone.

Edited to add video:

Video


Shower Head Threading: International Perspective I've got a great shower head here in China, and want to bring it back to the US with me. The threading looks about the same, just eyeballing it. Does anyone know if this is something that has an international standard?

British Standard Pipe  is a family of standard screw thread types that has been adopted internationally.
At least 41 thread sizes have been defined, ranging from 1⁄16 to 18, although of these only 15 are included in ISO 7 and 24 in ISO 228

ISO is, of course, the International Standards Organisation.
However I'd not be surprised if China, and most of the planet, use metric threads for this sort of plumbing.
The US has a proud, some might say stubborn, habit of ignoring International standards and inventing its own.

The standard thread size for modern-day shower heads in the United States is 1/2-inch NPT.

That's National Pipe Thread. Not BSP, Not metric.
In your shoes I'd measure at least the internal diameter and thread pitch. I'd also check for straight vs tapered.


Clean-out plug in p-trap won't screw back on I had to remove the clean-out plug of a sink P-trap to clear a clog. Underneath, there was hardened sediment that I had to break apart with a small knife.  Now that I have the drain cleared, the clean-out plug won't screw back on.  I don't see any tape or rust on it and tried to clean the thread of the pipe as well.  My house was built in 1947--not sure if this is original pipe or not.  Is there a way to get it to screw back on?  It almost seems too small at this point.  Thanks.

This sounds like the plug in a floor drain. If so, sometimes the threads get mucked up. Often you can just clean them with some Limeaway or another decalcification product. If that's not working go to your local hardware store or HD and buy an expandable rubber drain plug. These plugs are about 1 or so inches in diameter and have a wing nut on one side and a metal washer on the other. You pop it in the drain plug hole and as you tighten the wingnut the rubber between the wingnut and the washer compresses and expands. Works like a charm.


Rope as strong as 3/16" steel rope? We'll be using this to cordon an area, and we were initially thinking of using 3/16"wire rope. It'll be tight enough so that it's straight, but that's pretty much it.

But then we thought that rope looks slightly nicer, so I'm thinking what type of rope is as strong and doesn't stretch at all regardless of the climate?

Thanks.

If low stretch is your objective, a good choice is Spectra™ brand material. It is frequently used with an over-braid cover material to reduce abrasion and contact damage. Spectra™ is used inside support lines for paraglider canopies, as a bit of stretch creates inaccurate lofting of the canopy and control complications. That Spectra™ is typically 1 mm in diameter with an extremely high breaking strength.

You can find 3/16" diameter Spectra™ online and in many local marine or climbing shops. It comes in various colors of over-braid, allowing for better visibility than the natural (whitish) color of the raw material.

The level of stretch is minimal and once tensioned, is likely to stay taut. It is not affected by moisture, but can be damaged by sunlight and UV and may change tension slightly with extreme temperature changes.

As shown on one web site, the breaking strength of 3/16" double braided Spectra™ is 1956 pounds/884 kilograms, certainly strong enough to contain unruly crowds.

It is also relatively attractive if your color selection is done carefully.


How do I best go about removing a chimney shrub? Do you have any top tips in removing a shrub growing out of a chimney? It must be a good 3-4 feet & still growing. It's growing out the side of the stack. Other than have it removed, repoint the brick work, and cap the chimney, is there anything else I can do to ensure it doesn't grow back. I'm hoping it does all come out! Expensive tree planting not of my choice!

Wow...you must live where everything grows. Yes, remove the fern and then treat the chimney with a herbicide or cleaning/sterilization solution.

I'd make sure all the roots,etc. are removed. You wouldn't want a chimney fire from old dry roots.


How can I find a replacement external tub drain if the original has no identifiable markings? We are rebuilding a bathroom in a house in Long Island, New York. We would like to replace this external tub drain with the same. It has no identifiable markings. We need the make or model, or even the proper description would help.

!

Are you reinstalling a clawfoot or similar tub? Is this the overflow?  Was the bottom of the tub drain connected where the plastic fitting is?

Many vendors supply clawfoot tub reproduction plumbing.  The outlet sizes of the tub (both overflow and drain) determine the connections to be used.  The older clawfoots used 1 3/8 piping, the newer (and replacements, but check if its 100% reproduction) ones 1 1/2.


hard wiring a wall unit a/c The wires coming from my wall A/C unit are not color coded. The unit was hard wired  and is being replaced. the wires that are coming from the a/c unit into the power connection box are not colored . both are stranded copper straight out of the plastic sheathing. the connection wire IN the power box ARE BOTH BLACK ....just seems weird to me. Any suggestions?

Nothing weird about that.  Being hardwired, most likely it's a 204V air conditioner.

Wire colors are to distinguish wires.

Sometimes two wires are just instances of the same thing.  If you swap the wires, everything works.

the two "Messengers" in 3-way switch circuits
2/3 phases in NYC or Euro style mains power, e.g. 208V or 388V to an A/C unit
The two "hot" poles in 240V wiring of split-phase North American power

The wires are interchangeable and it's useless to distinguish them from each other.  But very useful to distinguish them from other wires with other duties.  Therefore, no reason to waste a color.

However, 120V line cords are sometimes ribbed

That said, cheaper line cords, e.g. used on 120V lamps, often have no inner colored insulation, just an outer sheath that can be split.   They distinguish sides with one side of the cord being ribbed. The ribbed side is neutral.   However in the above cases, it makes no difference.

Why do you expect them to be red-black?

Because of the stock colors found in multi-conductor cable.  They make each one a different color because they have no idea what your use will be.

/2: Bare Black White
/3: Bare Black White Red
/4: Bare Black White Red Blue

That makes sense. Why stock several color combos of /3, when we can just tape the wires to mark them different colors?

For instance, white/gray=neutral (as well as green/bare=ground) are the only mandatory colors. Other than that, anything goes. In house wiring, the convention of Black=always-hot and red=switched-hot works reasonably well for simple boxes.  But on a complex box it can get out of hand really quick, and that's when you want to do things like tape the messengers yellow, tape the second hot and neutral brown/gray, etc.


What structural elements need for gate in place of fence? I am going to build a gate in place of this fence panel approximately (5' x 5') in size.

Currently, there is 2x4 bolted to the house of the left side.
The right side is nailed to the perpendicular fence panel (not hanging off a post).
It's hard to see but the panel is about 6" behind the post on the right side.
At the bottom there is a basement window with a frame around it, which is why i believe they set the panel back and not hanging off the post.
It doesn't really matter to me which way the gate swings open.

My questions are?

What do i need to add to hang a gate?

Can i attach another 2x4 over the existing one on the left, to create a 4x4 post? Or do i need to remove from house and replace with 4x4? Can I reuse lag bolt holes for new 4x4?
On the right side should i set a post for the other side of the gate to attach.
I am looking for the path of least resistance but still have the structural integrity to hold the gate.

Size the gate to clear the window obstruction. From the image it looks like a 4x4 post set flush against the siding is sufficient to clear the window but if there is a light well then you need to leave more space. Also, a narrower gate will look better visually. If this is a 6' tall fence then a 4' wide gate would be typical (gets you close to a golden ratio 1.618). A smaller panel would be used to bridge to the siding.

The gate threshold should be anchored with posts buried in the ground on both sides. Gates are heavy and take a lot of abuse. You would be wise not to anchor your gate to either your house or the adjoining fence. This is true for the hinge side as well as the latch side.

If you build a narrower gate with a small panel on the house side it should be fine to re-use the 2x4 strip against your house for attaching one side of the panel (not the gate). And this avoids patching holes in the siding.

Here's what the pro's did on my fence gate in a very similar situation. You're looking at a 4 ft gate framed by 6x6 posts with a small panel attached to a 4x4 post. The total span here is 7 ft. Those are 9 ft posts buried 3 ft in the ground with dry packed cement footers. The two end posts are buried flush against the existing fence and the house (not holes I'd like to dig).

Note the A-frame bracing on the gate. This is something you should build into your existing fence panel. You could build a simpler Z-frame brace too. But make sure it's pointed the right way. For the pictured gate with hinges on the left a wooden Z brace should look like the letter Z. With hinges on the right you would form the mirror-image of the letter Z.


Previous tenant did some shoddy DIY, should we be concerned? Not a typical DIY question, but I was hoping some people here could help us out.

The previous tenant did some construction work that seems sketchy at best. (Pics below)
http://imgur.com/a/8tIRg

He actually moved the hot water heater across the apartment and ran the hot and cold water pipes underneath and in the top of the radiator. There are also holes in walls and exposed wires and pipes coming from them.

Should we be concerned about the work he did, and if so, what steps could be taken to try and fix what he did? We feel it's currently unsafe and really need some advice!!

That was not previous tenant work. That was shoddy handyman work over a long period of time. I'd venture to bet it was the LL himself trying to save money.

Bottom line is: You CANNOT do ANY electrical work in a place that you are renting (if that's what you are asking). Your only recourse is to contact the LL and tell him about it and ask him to make the repairs corrections, or have it done by someone. Than again, from the looks of it I bet he already knows and does not care. I'm curious, did you not see any of this before you signed the lease??

The wiring shown is phone wire and poses no safety hazard. Unless of course you are holding bare wires when the phone rings. Then you'll get a small shock.


Can you use Metal Oil based paint on wood Shelving I'm looking to avoid using latex paint to paint my new OSB Wood. I know latex is easier to work with, but it seems far less durable when it comes to something that will see heavy use, like garage shelving.

The only type of oil based paint our local hardware store carries is Oil paint that's meant for metal.

Will that product work just fine for my 2x4's and OSB pieces?

It will work fine provided you don't apply it over latex products, which means you'll need an oil-based primer as well. (You probably do want to prime OSB.) It will also be more expensive than latex because your hardware store can only sell oil based by the quart. The solvents in it contribute to smog, vendors are required to verify that larger containers will be used on metal.

The limits on oil based have forced a lot of improvement in water based, oil isn't necessarily more durable across the board anymore. Specialty latexes for flooring are probably tougher than generic oil based. You can also find some one part epoxy paints that aren't too costly if you're willing to compromise on color. (They're mainly targeted for appliances and floors so the selection is limited.)


How do I support vertical runs of round ducting? Supporting ducts horizontally seems pretty straight forward--just a loop of strapping underneath to support it. What about when the duct runs vertically? Do you use the same kind of strapping but attach it to the duct with screws, or is there more to it?

If you put a couple of sheet metal screws in the joints, and tape them with foil tape, you should be able to do a 5 foot vertical rise with support at the roof boot or where you contact the rafters. You could use straps, but usually the boot if sized properly will be fine if the bottom of the run is supported well.


Cheaply repair burnt / melted vinyl floor I left a pot on the stove too long, and it melted the aluminum drip pan.  When I removed the hot pan from the stove, the liquified aluminum dripped onto the vinyl floor, melting it in several spots (largest spot pictured):

A guy at the hardware store suggested I

Cut some replacement pieces of vinyl from under the stove (where it won't be noticed).
Using an exacto knife, remove the damaged pieces, clean, and replace using contact cement.

How does this approach sound?  Thoughts on skill level needed, durability, et cetera welcome.

Also - I am in a rental unit, so there's a possibility that they won't let me remove the pieces from under the stove.  If so, is there anywhere online that it would be possible to match my vinyl flooring pattern?

If these are minor holes that don't cause loss of function of the floor, I think they are probably "wear and tear" that is a legally mandated part of every rental agreement (in the USA), so you could not worry about it and leave them be...

Per your question, properly glued this is way the professionals patch.  I have noticed that they tend to put a little fillet of glue around the border if the patch, I suppose so you are less likely to catch the edge and rip it back up. I'm not sure what the glue is - sorry.

Cut the patch piece first (in rectangular shape) then lay it over the bad spot and use it as a guide to cut the damaged flooring.  This will help you get a patch that's the exact size for the hole.


Exhaust fixture for venting bathroom fan through roof I'm planning to install a roof vent for a bathroom exhaust fan I'm putting in. I'm thinking about using one of these:

but I was wondering if I need to worry about it getting blocked by ice or snow? (I live in Minnesota.)

Such a vent terminal can work, depending on your roof's micro climate. Depending on prevailing wind, solar orientation, drifting patterns, etc. there is often an area of the roof, usually near the ridge, which is relatively free of snow. If you must vent on the roof, this is where it should go, regardless of the type. As B. White indicated, a wall outlet is preferable, though even that can be partially blocked by rime ice.

Even when covered with snow, depending on the duct configuration in the attic (if there is one), enough heat can be emitted even when not in use to maintain a free air passage through the snow. When actually used, the heat serves to enlarge the path. However, it also causes an ice surface to form around the passage, limiting further expansion. In addition, the expelled moisture contributes more ice, such that the passage can get smaller, and possibly even blocked. Much moisture though, ends up collecting as rime ice, which can grow to block the passage as well. Fortunately, it is a fragile structure that collapses during any occasional thaw.

If not located in a relatively snow free region, the terminal can be sheared off by moving snow, or crushed. Even if the roof does not shed snow, if it is sloped, the snow pack will slowly creep, eventually crushing or breaking fragile roof appurtenances.

If your roof gets heavy snow pack everywhere, you can use stack terminals such as those used for gas vents. They can be extended up any distance to remain above the snow pack. They still need to be located near the ridge to avoid damage.


Heating system won't blow warm air Turn my heat on via the thermostat.  My oil fed burner kicks on and is lit up (heat is being made).  The system is sucking in air to feed the system.  Only problem is hot air never makes it out the vents?  It's blowing room temperature air even though the furnace is burning oil at full steam!  Any reason this would happen?

If the vents are blowing the room temperature air weakly, then it sounds like there may be a duct disconnected somewhere that's blowing most of the hot air somewhere that's not useful (into a corner of the basement, into an unconditioned attic, etc). I'd trace the duct path from the furnace to a register and see if you can see where any disconnections might have happened. Touch the surface of the ducts. It should be very hot nearest the furnace. See if you can find where it gets cooler.

If the vents are blowing air full blast, but the air is room temperature, then it sounds like air isn't actually being heated adequately by the furnace itself. If that's what's happening, it's likely not a DIY-fixable problem (especially considering it's an oil furnace)--you'll want to call a pro.


Trying to determine appropriate beam size for a header on a large sliding glass door I am considering installing a large sliding glass door in an Exterior wall with load from both interior 2 story slopped ceiling joists/rafters (new door going into 9' end) and on the other side is an exterior patio cover which is built similar to an exterior room i.e 2x8 on 16c. The rough opening would be approx 15'. Looking at calculators it 2- 2x12's may do the job for that span but not positive that is the answer. Looking for recommendations engineered or otherwise so that I do not get any inflection considering it is a sliding door. Thank you very much

I’m not sure I completely understand the layout, but you can tell me where I’m wrong.
There is no floor load resting on this wall/beam.
The roof load has a span of 20’, so 10’ rests on the wall/ beam and the other 10’ rests on another wall. So, depending on where you’re located, normal snow loads range from 25 lbs. per square foot (psf) to 35 psf. I’ll use 35 psf.
Therefore, the roof load is 10’ x 35 psf = 350 per linear foot (plf).
Plus the roof load from the patio roof is 16’ / 2 x 35 psf = 280 plf.
The wall load on the new beam will be about 10’ high (2 storey minus the 9’ sliding door height). Most walls weigh about 10 psf to 15 psf. I’ll use 15 psf. Therefore, the wall load on the new beam is 10’ x 15 psf = 150 plf.
So the total load on the beam is
350 plf + 280 plf + 150 plf = 780 plf.
So, depending on the species and grade of lumber, a 6x14 beam can span 15’ and carry 780 plf.
I used SPF lumber with a “Select” grade. I noticed you were hoping to use 2- 2x12’s, so I presume you are working in a 2x4 wall. If you want to use 2x12’s, I’d use 5-2x12’s to span 15’ and support 780 plf.


Customizing christmas light strings Generally, when hanging my christmas lights, I run a line around the gutters on my second floor.  From there, I drop down and put a string across the roof line on the front porch of my house.

This year, I got all new strings of lights.  The problem is that the string from the top of the roof ended in an awkward place in the line (about 2/3 of the way through the line).  So, I could essentially either "double up" a section of the upper gutter, and then run an extension cord down to the lower roof line, or I could run the lights between the 2 points, stringing the 2 sections together.  I chose to run the lights between the two points, but I don't really like the way it looks.

I could just place some electrical tape over the lights that I do not want to see, but I want a better solution.  What I want is to remove the bulbs, and replace them with just some caps which fill the bulb sockets but do not light up.  The problem is, I haven't ever seen anything like that.

Does anyone have any better ideas for customizing the length or placement of bulbs on a christmas light string?


How can I clean a very dirty concrete basement floor? My basement floor has been made amazingly gross (thank you, cats) and I'd like to get it really clean. Is there an option other than scrubbing on hands and knees? Are there cleaning solutions that work well on concrete? Do I have to worry about damaging the floor? There's no drain anywhere.

Is this a finished concrete floor or raw slab? If slab, I'd suggest low-power pressure wash...maybe even start with just the garden-hose attachment. Add a bit of soap.

The real challenge, however, is that you have no drains. I can't think of an easy way to get around that short of power wash a bit, shop vac it up, and then constantly repeat until the shop vac is full, then empty that into a sink and repeat.


Armstrong circuit board What would cause the burn spot around the white diode? on the left side of circuit board st9160b 1068 I notice it on all the pictures I have seen

Diodes burn due to overload conditions where too much current flows through them.  Generally that is a symptom of another problem, not a problem in and of itself.  Although if burned sufficiently enough the diode will not function as intended and this may adversely affect the overall circuit operation.