How to remove a cast iron pipe plug that has been soldered with lead I'm adding a utility sink in my basement.  I'd like to drain it into a cast iron pipe junction, but I'm having trouble removing the old plug.  It appears to have been sealed with lead solder.

I'm reluctant to heat this with a propane torch; I understand that would cause the lead in the solder and paint to vaporize and create a health hazard.

My other idea is to cut the cast iron pipe on the opposite side, which drains a washing machine, and replace that section with ABS.

Is there a good way to remove this plug?  Or should I just cut the opposite pipe?

Thanks!

The pipes were sealed with lead. Prior to pouring the lead a packing material ("oakum" not sure on spelling) was packed into the joint. This material can be cut out with a screwdriver, trying to heat it would make a big mess. In most cases when I need to open a cast drain I will cut a small section out at least the diameter of the pipe but usually slightly longer. Once the section is out the pipe can wiggle and this makes removing the lead oakum seal a bit easier. I usually repair with fernco / no hubs.

The one caution cast is heavy and you have a verticle run, make sure it is supported prior to cutting or it may separate in the wall at the next joint or pull down on a toilet flange and cause a leak there. The one positive thing if you support the cast and cut in these pipes don't leak as often because the water is not sitting in the pipes.


Odd wiring problem. Novice renovating house I'm replacing sone outlets and came across one that I'm not sure how to replace. It has 3 white wires, 2 black, 1 blue, and a ground. It would appear that there is a white wire connected to the hot side as well.
Do I need a different outlet than the one I'm trying to replace it with so I can try to copy the wiring? The setup now works, but I need to replace the outlet.

https://vimeo.com/410424278

There is more to household wire colors than you think you know. That's pretty evident because you find a white on the hot unusual - it's not. It SHOULD be remarked with black or red (or some other color, but those are most common) tape since it's being used as a hot, but it's very common, because /2 cables are black/white/bare or green and /3 cables are red/black/white/bare or green - so in a cabled building other colors (such as your blue) are not common, and for a LONG time it was both normal and code-legal to run a "switch loop" where an old-fashioned switch had a /2 cable running to it, no neutral, and the white was hot. That's not current code, (due to "smart switches" that need a neutral) but you'll find it in almost every house from before that code change took effect.

Now, that blue wire on the neutral side is more of a potential/probable code violation, but if the setup works as wired, it should work as wired the same. Using white for hot is OK (with remarking) but neutrals are only supposed to be white or gray, and grounds are only supposed to be bare copper, green, or green with yellow stripes. Blue is one of the "hot colors" in the expanded universe that conduit and rolls of wire give you. The main question being, where does that blue wire go to or come from? (Since we cannot see that in your picture.)

Other than replicating what wires are connected to what terminals (and NOT, in my very biased opinion, replicating the use of backstab connections) the main gotcha that we cannot see in your pictures at present is whether the "tab" connecting the two halves of the receptacle is broken - this is normally only done on the hot side, and is typical in the case of a "half-switched" outlet (also typical in the case of a MWBC but this lacks several clues that would imply that case.)

If you have more wires than firmly screw-clamped connections on the outlet, you run a "pigtail" or short wire which is then used to connect multiple wires using a correctly sized wire-nut or other wire connector.


What's the right size of gravel for fence posts? I am going to put up a compost bay system with 125 x 125mm (5"x5") square posts. The plan is to not use concrete, but backfill the post hole with gravel. What's the best size gravel for the job? 10mm or 20mm?

It does not really matter or make much difference, so whichever is less expensive or more convenient.
The main thing (regardless of size) is to compact it well. Put in 50mm, tamp (or ram) with a flat-ended rod or stick. Put in another 50mm and repeat. Most people get tempted to put in much more at a time, and the compaction suffers as a direct result, making the post less stable.


Lights goes completely out and back on again and flashes for more than 20 seconds This happens randomly. We are in Vancouver, Canada,
It happens with all the lights with the same circuit, but lights are in different rooms (living room, kitchen, den and bathroom).
Sometimes those lights go dim, very dim for no reason.
And rarely they all blinking blank and bright like disco lights (see this video. https://youtu.be/OUrnFzoIUNw)

Most of the time they are stable. Some lights on the same circuit go very dim (50%), other lights stay stable, or flicker a bit. The lightbulbs are incandescent and LED, no dimmer in the house.
This happens with just the fridge running. We weren't using microwave, or stove, or dryer, or vacuuming or running anything big.

What we have done:

Power company came and checked the wire to the poles, they said all look good to them. If still flickers, call electrician.

We did precisely just that. He checked the main panel, tighten all the breakers. Nothing replaced because all look fine.

The breakers rarely trips, although we might be running a lot in the house. it's 100Amps, we have three fridges, three stoves and two microwaves. But electrician confirmed it's not over loading, since main breaker never tripped.

He recommended opening all the outlets and switches looking for loose connection.

So we had electrician came, I have spent over $1000 and so far nothing conclusive. We are 60% through replacing outlets and switches, flicking continues and even worst.

So I am looking for some advice on line.

Update :

Because I don’t live in the house I had to go back and stay around and observe the issue. Now it’s clear to me that not just the lights on the same circuit but rather multiply circuits. So I suspect when all the lights are on in the house they might all flicker at the same time. I am asking people here to turn on all the lights and observe. If this were the case does it make sense to proceed to replace outlets and switches looking for loose connection? Or a bigger underlying issue? Thanks again

That is a classic arc fault.  You need to stop that happening right away or you'll have ashes for a house.

First, figure out which circuit is affected.  It's on the same circuit if turning off one branch circuit breaker turns off all the affected loads.  If it's on multiple circuits, then it's something to do with the panel or service.

Confine your troubleshooting to places common to all affected areas.  For instance if a single circuit is involved, don't mess with outlets on any other circuit.  If multiple circuits are involved, don't mess with anything on any individual circuit; only look at places which serve multiple circuits.

Madly replacing parts will not work, it's not a faulty part, it's a faulty connection.  Only replace parts after you find the bad connection and find it too badly burnt to continue in service.  You'll know it when you find it.

On a single branch circuit, check the neutral bar in the panel - most overlooked. After the neutral bar, the likeliest place is a backstab connection at an outlet or switch.  Or a bad wire nut.  Wire nuts need to hold together on their own. If they need tape to stay together, they have been done wrong and will cause this.


What could be causing a moth ball like smell? We have a smell like moth balls in bedroom of condo. Moth balls and camphor smell coming from heating unit in bedroom.

Given that those are very distinctive smells, the items mentioned are probably in the heating unit. Possibly as part of some animals's nest, if you don't have small children who might have put them there...might want to open it up and clear them out before you have a fire.


Tool identification - possibly antique While cleaning out the basement, I found a toolbox that I haven't opened in probably 30 years, and it contained some items that I know were originally my father's, so these things could be 75-100 years old.
Tool #1
This guy is about 2.5" long, we wondered if it was like a nail set but the head shows no hammer marks:

Tool #2
This one is about 4" long, the best part is how the crossbar is held on with what I suspect is a decades-old band-aid:

Tool #3
But then this is our favorite, it's also about 4" long.  The "top" bit looks like it would be a lid, but the inside isn't threaded at all:

Any ideas what these items are?

The second two are to reach down into a valve/faucet and refinish or smooth a bronze seat. A hard rubber washer will seal against the bronze seat. If the seat becomes corroded or worn the rubber can not seal. They are turned by hand to clean the bronze seat. Often a new washer by itself can repair a valve . But sometimes the bronze seat needs to be smoothed. Newer faucet designs use a cartridge instead of the rubber washer / bronze seat design.


In electric system where is neutral line present?is it visible? In electric system is neutral point connected ground?If yes how it is connected to ground i cant see any such kind of connection?where it will be?

In North American practice, neutral is connected to ground in precisely one location.  That is in the main panel, as close as possible to the current source.  The reasons for this are well answered elsewhere on this forum.

That closest point is considered the main panel.  Anything else fed from the main panel needs to keep ground and neutral totally separate.

Ground and neutral are not interchangeable.  They should not be tied together anywhere else.  Ground should never be used for current return.  Neutral should never be used as safety protection.  (Those who abuse ground are defeating its protection and wasting the wire.  If they are not serious about grounding, they should just not use grounding at all.  At least then, it will be obvious to electricians that their grounds are no good!)


Can I have two storeys in a 16 foot space? I'm in the process of closing on a house that has an unusually large crawlspace underneath the structure. The house is built on a relatively steep hillside and the frame of the house extends to the bottom of the hill below, giving an enclosed crawlspace.

Here's a diagram (with apologies for my MSPaint skills):

The crawlspace has approximately 4.9m (16.2 feet) of space between the concrete floor and the bottom of the timber frame supporting the ground floor. There are no stilts or other support structures in the main part of the crawlspace though there are in the other half.

Here's a photo on the inside:

I would like to have this basement finished by adding an internal staircase from the ground floor down to this area. I would like to split this space into two floors. I understand that each floor must have at least 7 feet of headroom, and I assume you'd want a foot of space between the two floors and plus another foot to account for space from the ceiling below the ground floor and the bottom floor's carpeting. That's 7+7+1+1 == 16 feet. So far so good, right?

During the house inspection, I asked the inspector how possible it would be to do the conversion and he said it would be impossible as you need at least 10 feet per floor, so the house is 4 feet too short to convert the crawlspace into two floors. He was also pessimistic about installing rooms (such as a toilet room or a small bedroom) on the area currently covered in black tarp. He said that converting the main area of the crawlspace (with the flat floor) is definitely possible, but I'd probably only be able to have a smaller area (with a 5 or 6-foot high ceiling, maybe) underneath the finished room suitable only as a storage area.

With references to suitable building regs and whatnot, is my inspector correct in saying I can only have 1 fully-finished floor, or can I still have two finished floors/storeys in the space?

This is in King County, WA. If that helps.

You have two issues to contend with.

First is that 16 feet is just a bit too tight for two floors. Sure, we usually use 12 inch beams but that's just the structure - you need an actual floor on top and usually a ceiling below. Even if we ignore building codes we will still produce two rather cramped levels.

Second is what's actually holding the other end of the house up. If they built it on the hill, then that pile of dirt is rather important - you can't just shovel it out without adding house-grade support as you go. If it's filler behind a wall there is / will be a lot of pressure on the other side that you have to account for.

The black tarp is a water / erosion / insect barrier, and a rather cheap one at that. I would do spray-on concrete over the dirt, work in some levelled 4x4 beams when the concrete is being done, and develop the crawl space as a high-ceiling recreation room with lots of storage over the hill (resting on the 4x4s).


What size wire do I need for a 600ft run I’m new to all the AC power and really don’t know what some things mean. I’m trying to figure out what size wire I need to run 580’.
From a service pole to my home. As far as I know it’s a single phase on 200A. I am in the u.s. Any help and explanation would be greatly appreciated.

First, figure out if it's even your problem. As commented by @jwh20 , the "service drop" is often (but not always) the power company's responsibility. Whether or not that's the case, it has to meet the power company's specifications. i.e. for that distance, the company might install two additional poles and a transformer, you write them a large check for installing that, or a smaller ongoing payment on your power bill for some years, the job is done.
Speaking from personal experience, my power company would only install a 100 foot or less overhead service drop, but was willing to use "customer-owned wire" in an underground configuration from the pole to their meter at the house (inspected and approved by them.) We ran conduit to the base of the pole, leaving a coil of far more wire than was actually needed (but exactly what they specified) and conduit for them to go up the pole with. Other utilities may operate differently, such as putting the meter and a disconnect at the pole, which changes things.
While I dug the trench myself and backfilled it myself, I had a licensed master electrician on the job to make sure that the thing was done correctly (and it kept the power company happy.) It's not exactly a great fit for fully DIY installation.
On the low end (assuming the usual 75C connections for large ampacity gear), you would need 4/0 aluminum (you get to treat 200A feeding a house as 166A for ampacity, per NEC) but at that distance you'll likely want more like 250-350 mcm aluminum for voltage drop. Whether you need 3 or 4 wires depends on where the service disconnect (and ground-neutral bond) is located - if it's at the pole, you need 4 wires (separate neutral and ground) - if at the house, only 3.
Since you have clarified that you are also looking at underground service, I will recommend a few things beyond wire. Use Schedule 80 PVC conduit - you need it at the ends for "protection from physical damage" anyway, and it does not cost much more than schedule 40, but is much tougher. Don't use direct burial cable - it's cheap the first time, expensive when you have to dig again to replace it since the cable is exposed directly to any insult (sharp rocks, rodent teeth, etc.) Do shop at a real electrical supply (you won't find schedule 80 at HD/Lowes) and if you can get 20 foot sections from them, do. Deburr the male ends of all conduit sections. Be sure to grab a roll of "buried electrical line below" tape. Place an empty "communications" conduit in the trench - trenches are expensive, conduit is cheap, you don't want to have to dig again when the fiber to the home provider shows up 12 years from now (or whatever.)


What kind of vent is pictured here and what are its uses? While my roof was being replaced, I requested that they install two roof vents. One for laundry and one for bathroom fan. They installed two of these. I just tried connecting the bathroom fan to this vent but, when on, the fan gets noisy and I can't feel much air coming through the roof vent. I'm concerned it's not compatible with this use.

The roof vent is about 4" in diameter at the base. Under the (non-removable) metal cap it appears to have a rubber flap that opens under pressure, covering a ~2" diameter hole.

One other thing to mention is that this is a shallow pitch roof (about 5 degree?) on a row house.

What you show in the picture is known as a One-way Breather Vent (there are also two-way).  Its intended purpose is to provide pressure equalization throughout the roof system and also provides ventilation for the insulation system.

In some buildings that do not have a vapor barrier (even some that do), pressure changes inside the building can be forced upwards through the plywood sheeting and potentially cause the roof system to pillow upwards and damage its adhesion. The breather vent gives the pressure an avenue to escape without causing any damage to the roof.

I would not recommend venting anything through the breather vent.  Most of the time breather vents are install through the roof system and do not penetrate through the substrates.  By cutting through the insulation and plywood you're essentially turning into a general building/attic vent and losing some of its effectiveness.


Outdoor electrical outlet exposed to the rain Besides tripping a circuit breaker, is there any risk created by a 120V electrical outlet getting wet from the rain?

The outlet was installed on an outdoor patio by the builder, so it was intended to be outside.  It is a little under 10 years old.

The outlet does have a flap cover on it, but if you plug anything into the outlet, the flap is somewhat useless.

Yes, there is a risk. Even a properly installed and protected electrical system can fail to protect you, either because of unforeseen situations or component failure.

There are two types of flaps.

One is watertight only when not in use and closed. This is probably what you have. This type of outlet is only meant to be used temporarily when exposure to weather is not a problem. For example, plugging in a leaf blower. This type of outlet should not be used for holiday decorations.

The other type is watertight even when you have something plugged in to it, provided you close the cover.

Fortunately, changing from one to the other is pretty easy: just take the cover off and put the other one on, making sure to follow the directions to maintain watertightness.


What the heck are these L-shaped screws and how do I use them to hang my vanity mirror I ordered a 50-pound mirror from Greece that is supposed to be wall-mounted. It came with no instructions and these things.

There are holes on the top left and top right corners of the mirror that look like this.

Presumably, the screwy part goes into a stud into the wall, but what are the black things for? Also why are the holes in the mirror so much bigger than the screwL

The black things are wall anchors in case you are not screwing into solid wood, but plasterboard (or holes drilled in concrete.)

The hanger holes are large because the entire end of the "L" goes into the hole, and then the mirror drops down so the "L" holds it until it's lifted up again.

Hopefully obvious that the end of "L" should point up.


Is there a downside to leaving cavity in wall behind mirror? I took the bathroom mirror off the exterior wall and discovered a cavity roughly 12" wide, 16" tall.  I'm guessing this used to be for a small recessed medicine cabinet.

Is there a problem leaving this cavity here?

If the cavity is not insulated, your mirror will be cold and fog-up more when you take a shower.  Also, if your mirror is not sealed to the wall, water vapor may enter the cavity and cause condensation and mold.  If there is insulation and is sealed from water vapor, you will have no problems.


Kitchen sink stopped up and draining into diswasher double sided kitchen sink, with disposal, stopped draining. We tried a plunger, but during the process we noticed our floor was flooded with water coming from the dishwasher which is in the island.  Used 25ft snake, found nothing. Over the last few days we have 3X used very high powered drain opening products, no success!  When we run water into the sink (either side) it drains into the dishwasher.  The dishwaher is not connected to the sink or disposal.  There is an air gap on the water drain pipe of the diswasher, which may have been installed when we put in the island 20+ yrs ago.  Please help.

Try using a wet/dry vac to suck out material vice blowing it further down the pipe.  Worked in cleaning out my kitchen and bathroom sinks.


Painting skirting board already painted with glossy paint In one room I painted in white the skirting board that was painted in gray glossy paint. My white paint now goes away by small pieces after only a couple weeks.

In another room I want to do the same thing, without this problem.

Is there any quicker solution than removing the existing paint completely or applying a coat of some preparatory stuff before painting?
What can be done regarding the white paint falling apart, revealing the glossy gray paint underneath?

Painting over older existing paint, especially gloss finish, requires preparation.  The two things that most interfere are surface contaminants (such as grease, dust, other deposits) and lack of tooth (too smooth a surface).

On your new sections, cleaning the painted surface with soap and water or with a solvent cleaner (like mineral spirits) will generally solve the first problem. Light sanding (usually about 120 grit), followed by cleaning with mineral spirits or wiping with a tack rag will generally solve both. There is also a mild chemical stripper called a deglosser that roughens the surface somewhat like sandpaper.

Just painting over an older glossy paint will often lead to poor adhesion. The section already done is not easily fixed except by sanding and cleaning to remove any of the new paint that is still loose and to roughen up the exposed old paint. Then follow with a new coat of fresh paint.


Why does my toilet pause and bubble when flushed? The water in my toilet goes down pretty fast, but in an abnormal kind of way. It's hard to describe it in words. Instead of immediately rushing down the water waits a second and then goes down and empties the bowl completely. But at the end it makes the bubblying sounds and when everything stops there is no water in the bowl. I poured liquid plumber and plunged it repeatedly, but to no avail.
It is more or less functional, but I'm afraid this is a symptom of a bigger problem  and if I don't take care of it now, there is a disaster lurking down there.

Thanks,

Probably a clogged vent. Take a garden hose up on the roof and run it into the vent pipe. The water should drain immediately. If it overflows the vent pipe you have a clog. Yu can try to clear it by sending a plumbing rod down the vent pipe. Could be leaves, sticks and stuff


Is twisted and taped splice on cable, objectively any less stable than wire-nuts or terminal blocks? In Brazil, electrical connections are almost always done splicing electrical cables by twisting the strands together and insulating them with electrical tape. Here is a video showing some of the connections the way they are done in Brazil. Terminal blocks are only used on some specific applications and wire-nuts are nonexistent here.

Here on DIY.StackExchange and elsewhere, I've seen criticism of that method and statements that wire-nuts are the way to go.

Is a stranded cable connection, twisted and taped as shown in the video, objectively any better or worse than wire-nuts/terminal blocks?

Splice connectors such as US-style wirenuts and UK style terminal blocks are demonstrably better in nearly every way to the twist-and-tape method you describe.

Wirenuts and terminal blocks are more resistant to mechanical failure due to heating/cooling cycles and the mechanical stress of installation.
Wirenuts and terminal blocks are easier to inspect and test, even long after initial installation.
Wirenuts and terminal blocks are easier to install CORRECTLY and require less training to do so.
Wirenuts and terminal blocks can be quickly removed, and can be re-used without shortening the wire.

Tape can be removed and the wires reused, but the process is labor intensive and messy because of the adhesive. It's easier to cut the wires before the splice, thereby shortening the wires.

So why are wirenuts not more common everywhere? Cultural bias and intertia. For example, wirenuts are not commonly used in the UK because an early wirenut product in the UK market had a design flaw and frequently failed, spoiling the reputation of the product. Terminal blocks became the standard by default. Because of this history, wirenuts are seen as inferior in the UK, when they are empirically not. They are just different than the commonly used terminal block.

I would argue the same is true for twist-and-tape joints in Brazil: it's how it was done in the past, and anything different is strange and therefore must be wrong. The only difference is that, at least for household wiring, wirenuts and terminal block are empirically superior to twist-and-tape splices.


What type of exterior coating will allow water vapor to pass through cinder block? I was asked to paint an exterior of a cinder block chimney and need to find out what type of exterior coating will allow water vapor pass through the block so that it doesn't ruin it from the inside out.

Any "breathable" exterior coating will work.  The traditional one is limewash, others are silicate paint, or silane-siloxane sealer as mentioned by @LeeSam.


Will coaxial cable installed in the 1970s be fast enough for internet speeds 400 Mb/s+? We are just about finished wiring CAT6 cable all over our house. We also plan to upgrade to 400 Mb/s internet speed from our ISP. We currently get 200 Mb/s from our ISP, and I have seen as much as 230 Mb/s from an internet speed test using our old CAT5e cable (so its proven our coax cable can handle at least that much).
Will we even be able to take advantage of these faster speeds (400 Mb now, maybe even 1 Gb in the future) with coaxial cable that is 50 years old?
Other info: I have read that the length of coaxial cable can affect the speeds... I estimate there is about 50 ft of this 50 year old coax cable. I could not find any print on this old cable saying what type it is. It leads into about another 45 ft of RG-6 coaxial cable (I'm assuming the RG-6 would not create any bottlenecks).

Other than the pesky but unknown question of "exactly which type is it" coaxial cable has not really changed much in 50 years. If it's not defective, it will probably work. Otherwise, it's 50 feet, replace it, or let the provider replace it. Most providers will allow you to try a new service speed and decline if it does not work for you at the claimed speed.
Cable length (new or old) adds to loss of signal strength, and at some point that will affect what service you can get. More expensive, fatter, harder to bend cable can have less loss for the same distance at the same frequency. But it's rarely an issue in normal home-scale cable plants serviced by decent cable-company infrastructure (where they deal with providing enough signal strength to service most of their customers houses without extreme measures being required.) If your current modem permts you to view the signal strength it's getting, you might get some insight - otherwise the cable tech has a fancier meter that will let them know if it can work when they hook it up.
Why you "upgraded" from "perfectly happy to do gigabit" Cat5e to Cat6 for the prospect of possibly having 400 Mbit or even 1 gigabit is beyond me, though.


Why aren't phase-change heat pipes more common in homes? Laptops contain very efficient heat pipes, which can transfer heat over long distances with extremely low thermal resistance, hundreds of times more efficiently than pure copper.

It seems to me that these would be very useful in the home for transfering heat from E.G. the radiator of a freezer to the outside of the house. This would be especially useful in summer time when the freezer is heating the house while the AC is trying to cool it.
But I can't find any examples of this technology being used in homes.
Question: Are there any examples of heat pipes being used in homes, either to pump unwanted heat outside, or to distribute heat around the home? If not, why?

Expense, complexity and serviceability are your main reasons.
In point of fact, the time you list as being "most useful" would be very unlikely to work well, as hot exterior temps requiring the use of A/C are often hotter than the coils on a freezer, so heat would not move then...the time you'd be able to really save on energy with heat pipes on a fridge is that part of the year when the heat pipe alone could cool the refrigerator or freezer from cold outside temps, rather than heating the house and then cooling the fridge/freezer inside the house. But this requires a bunch of complicated plumbing with unfamiliar constraints and simple "packaged units" that require only a power outlet, and perhaps a waterline for an icemaker tend to win in the marketplace.
If you want to get fridge/freezer heat outside and you have adequate budget, commercial units requiring a refrigeration tech to run lines between an outside compressor unit and the inside cooling unit are available. They are very rarely seen in houses due to the cost relative to a packaged unit.
The same factors affect other schemes such as using refrigeration waste heat to pre-heat water.
So, you could certainly try to apply heat pipes in your house, but that's going to require that you become comfortable designing and constructing them, or that you have so much money to hire people to do that, that the energy savings make no financial difference to you. If constructing them, you will almost certainly need a vacuum pump, and you'll need plumbing skills at the "no vacuum leaks" level.
I recommend The Tubular Thermosiphon: Variations on a Theme by GSH Lock as a good introduction to the subject if you pursue the build-your-own path. It's not too expensive as a used book.


What can cause copper pipe to corrode? We have a corroded main water pipe that connects to a valve that goes into the house. The corroded pipe rises from the pave driveway and ends in a valve at the top.

Here's a picture:

The building inspector said this could be caused by improper grounding? Is this a cause?  What are some other causes?

Based on your picture:

Copper pipe in concrete; a problem.
Copper pipe connected to galvanized iron pipe (evidently) without a dielectric union; a problem.
Electrical ground connected to the galvanized iron pipe, not the copper pipe; likely also a problem, and would be a problem for the grounding if there was a dielectric union.

It is just possible that the union there is dielectric, in which case the copper above it and the ground wire above it are the main issues, but it's unlikely. A dielectric union is correctly used where the pipe material changes from copper to iron.

You could certainly start with a dielectric union and moving the ground wire (or having it moved by an electrician that knows what he or she is doing, unlike the one that put it there.)


How do I wire a 3 gang switch in my new bath? I am putting a basement bath in and I need help. I will be adding a new 20 amp circuit for the single pole outlet. Also, a 20 amp line for a 3 switch box. Switch #1 is for the vanity light, #2 is for the exhaust fan light and #3 is for the exhaust fan.

I would appreciate a drawing showing from the 3 gang box the wiring of the circuit.

The following diagram should help you to visualize how to wire up the three switches. In your case you may have 12 AWG wire due to the 20A circuit. Also you will substitute one of the lights with the blower fan motor connection.

Picture Credit: Taken from this web page.


What type of drywall do I use around a zero clearance fireplace? I have removed very old and very ugly ceramic tile from the wall around my zero clearance fireplace. What type of drywall should I use to repair what was torn down? It is a wood burning fireplace that we use a good bit throughout the winter.

You can use whatever materials you would normally use.  A "zero clearance" fireplace means wood and other burnable materials can be safely adjacent and touching the fireplace.  The fireplace internally isolates the heat box from the casing with free flowing air to keep the outer casing cool.

If there was sheetrock there before and the rest of the room uses that, sheetrock is probably the simplest and least expensive.


Kitchen remodel to studs, infilling a window, no insulation, no building wrap! looking for some urgent feedback.

My Husband and I are remodeling our kitchen.  We're down to the studs, and two of the walls are exterior.  The house is a 1920's bungalow.  We're actually making our kitchen a bit smaller, and in order to put the new interior wall where we needed to, we have to remove one of the 4 windows in our kitchen.

We're doing the work ourselves (I'm an architect, but work in the commercial market), and are meeting codes and have been permitted.

So here's my issue, which we discovered this morning when we took out the window.  The walls were lathe and plaster, that has all been removed.  My house has no insulation, which we knew.  However, when we removed our exterior window, we also found out that the house has no building wrap.  It has 1 layer of wood shiplap sheathing, one layer of old ship lap siding, and the final layer of cedar shingles, which are painted.

The area we are infilling is about 36x48.  Initially, my intent was to put up plywood sheathing to match the depth out to the old shingles, put the building paper over it, and then put the new shingles on, and paint.  However there doesn't seem to be a point to do building wrap in this one area, since it isn't anywhere else in the house.

It also does seem to make sense to insulate the walls.  In fact, that seems like it would be a really bad idea given that there is no building wrap.  Any moisture that gets through my several layers of siding would sit in the insulation and could cause issues.

So I'm tempted to just infill the the window with studs and plywood, put shingles on, and not insulate before I put up the drywall.  I'm not sure if the code official will give us any issue on that (I'm in portland, and we're a little looney with the energy code.

It's a toss up for me on the building paper - on one hand, it's kind of silly, on the other hand I could use it to bridge the gap between where we put the plywood in to where it matches the shingles.

Any thoughts or tips?  I'm just at a bit of a loss.  I've requested an urgent response as I'm sitting in my living room with a big hole in my house!

Thanks,
Kim

Building paper won't hurt, and if you do get forced to insulate, then it'll help keep that tiny chunk of insulation dry.


Lawnmower Won't Start - Electrical? I have a craftsman DLT2000 Model 917.272264 that will not start.  I think its electrical since it is not trying to turn over and does not crank.  The battery is about a month old and it double checked the voltage with my multimeter.  The seat switch is allowing continuity so that check passes in the ignition sequence.  Beyond that I am at a loss as how to determine what is wrong.  Can anyone assist me in how to figure this thing out?  Attached are the electrical diagram and part/switch layouts.

Put it in neutral, and short the terminal on the solenoid, that the battery (+) is connected to which is a big lug, to one of the smaller terminals on the solenoid (the one that is not labelled as black in the drawing).  Assuming that they're not both black that should be easy.  There are three possibilities:  1.  There is a click and the starter motor starts to crank.  2.  There is a click and nothing else.  3.  No click, no nada.  Scenario #1 means that either your ignition switch or the clutch brake pedal up switch or the C-G contacts of the PTO switch are stuck open. It is still possible to start and use it safely if you have it in neutral and the other terminals of the start switch work (key must be set to run).  The one time that this happened to me it was the ignition switch, and I just started it by shorting out the two terminals for a month before finally getting a switch.  Scenario #2 means that either the starter motor is defective or the solenoid is defective.  It's not recommended to operate the tractor if this is the case but you can test which of these is the problem by shorting the two large lugs momentarily (just tap them lightly with something large).  If nothing happens it is the starter motor that is defective.  If it cranks then it is the solenoid that is defective.  Scenario #3 means that the solenoid is defective and needs to be replaced.  It won't be the fuse or the ammeter those are in parallel with the starter circuit.


Concerns with Buckles in New Build Roof My friend is having a house built. Slab is poured, it's framed in, has the electrical, ductwork and roof. We went out to look and saw the roof had "buckles" or waves in it. There was another house like it, in the same stage of build, in the same new subdivision.
I let her know that was irregular, at least. But I don't know if this resulted from the decking being installed wrong, or being installed then a day or 2 later the shingles got nailed on, possibly over moisture? She has a meeting with the builder in the morning.

Buckling shingles could be caused by 1) lack of ventilation in the attic, 2) improper installation of the roof sheathing, 3) improper nailing of the shingles, or 4) wrong type vapor barrier.

1) If the attic is extremely hot, the shingles will buckle, especially if they are not nailed correctly.

2) If the roof sheathing isn’t nailed correctly or doesn’t have the correct spacing (gaps) between sheathing panels, they could expand and cause buckling, which would “telegraph “ through to the roof shingles.

3) if not enough nails are used or if the nails are in the wrong location, the shingles could buckle.

4) if a “rag” type vapor barrier was used, it could buckle if it got wet.


Does a contract to build a deck need an occupancy clause? I am replacing an exterior deck. I've had several contractors out to give quotes, accepted an estimate from one, and am now in the position of signing (or not) a contract for the work. It's a lump sum contract (the job is small, 1-2 days of work) and contains the following language in a section titled Acceptance and Occupancy:

  Upon completion, the project shall be inspected by the Owner and the Contractor, and any repairs necessary to comply with the contract
  documents shall be made by the Contractor.
  The Owner shall not occupy the property until final payment has been received by the Contractor and a Certificate of Occupancy has
  been obtained.
  Occupancy of the project by the Owner in violation of (2) shall constitute unconditional acceptance of the project and a waiver of any
  defects or uncompleted work.

I have several misgivings about this section:

"The property" is currently occupied and we will continue to occupy it for the duration of the work, which is entirely exterior.
The Contractor is not explicitly obligated by the contract to provide the Certificate of Occupancy to the Owner (it must only "be obtained").
The city website under Inspections and Certificates states that "Certificates of Occupancy or Compliance are not issued for Residential structures."

Based on a few other errors in the contract (which I have marked and will send back to the contractor before signing), I suspect this clause is boilerplate from a standard contract they use for larger jobs.

Is this clause typical for small exterior construction like a deck/staircase?

Should I be concerned if the contractor refuses to amend it before signing?

To me it sounds like boilerplate contract talk. Normally, when you get a building permit and there is a final inspection on something and it passes you will then get an occupancy certificate.

Can't say I've ever seen it for a deck, but depending on your municipality or whatever "authority having jurisdiction" requires, maybe you do need a certificate of occupancy before you can use it.

Ask your contractor about it and have them explain it to you. Don't sign something you are not comfortable with or don't understand.


Upstairs wooden floor, covered in glue after removing tiles. Advice? For some reason, my mother-in-law had awful wood effect floor tiles nailed and glued onto the floor boards in her bedroom (she has passed away and we have inherrited the house). 3/4 of the room is glued, 1/4 isnt, and that was the bit i took up first. Getting the rest off with a hammer will take ages, and we will be left with lumpy glue everywhere. My electrician told me he would rip the floor up completely and start again as its tongue and groove, so you cant even flip the boards over. Any advice would be very welcome! Thanks in advance.

You gotta do what you gotta do. But before you knuckle under and decide to start ripping out the floor boards do a little investigation. If the floor boards extend out under the lower plate of the wall (especially load bearing walls) you will want to reconsider outright removal as remediation at the walls can be very problematic. Get yourself a good chisel or two, a heavy hammer and some ear protection and go at it. It often takes good old labor and hours of time to achieve what you want.

If the glue is hard and dry it is sometimes not that problematic to remove with wide sharp chisel to get the biggest parts off and then use a scraper to remove the rest. A heavy duty floor sander can also be used to remove dried glue but often the heat generated by sanding will soften the glue to the point that it just gums up the heavy grit sand paper.


after sealing the chimney, fireplace still not insulated I found a way to use a large chimney balloon and pretty much block all downdraft. Sadly, the fireplace and hearth are still very cold, and it sucks heat out of the surrounding floor too.

Perhaps the firebox has tiny cracks letting in air, or the whole thing (brick outside, stone facade inside, no idea what's underneath) is just too heat-conductive. I'm already planning to hire/rent a thermal camera (for the whole house) which should help figure it out. But after that, what can I do to insulate it?

If this is a "Through the wall" fireplace (exposed brick on the exterior wall, which I think is what you are describing) then yes, it conducts heat very efficiently out of your house. Insulation and stucco over the exterior brick would probably be the most effective solution other than removing it if you don't use it.


How do I connect a 240v compressor with only black and white wires? I got a new air compressor that says 240 volt only but it only has a black and white wire please help.

Get some red electrical tape and wrap it around the white wire, this will make the wiring more obvious to you.  It is not properly color-coded because they are using common off-the-shelf 3-wire cordage, which is manufactured as black/white/green. It's legal to omit the marking on machinery, but it's required in wiring that's part of your house (often omitted there too).

You will need 240V electrical service.  If you connect it via cord and plug, you will need a NEMA 6 plug and a NEMA 6 receptacle.  You can also use a NEMA 14 plug and receptacle; in that case you will not hook up neutral on the plug.

If you are doing brand-new wiring for this, it may be best to use /3 cable and bring along a neutral in the wiring to the outlet point.  You would not use the neutral, but it would be installed and ready for use for some future application.


How can I read this GE type I-55-S electric meter? Should I just round to the closest number on each dial?  Is the reading 3708 kWh?

It reads 2698 -> read the number BEFORE each dial, remember that if one dial turns clockwise the next will turn counter-clockwise


Setting up an automatic camera system I would like to set up a camera system in my new apartment. The setup i would like would be 2 camera's that would record for 10 minutes whenever the door opens. It be nice if i could record the video to my external pc hdd. What kind of equipment would be necessary for this?

Typically an IP camera.

Features though vary quite a bit between brands.

Some do have the capability to record to a NAS and/or file server. You would need something like this ideally for what you want.

A fairly cheap option is edge recording, such as built in SD cards typically. Not all cameras have this and the biggest issue is theft of the camera results in loss of footage. It is usually though one of the most cost effective ways of recording.

The next solution is recording to a DVR or VMS system, there are some cheap and free options that may work on your PC.

In terms of actual recording, you can have it on motion detection. Another option can be a reed switch or other door contact that triggers recording. These can be wired to a camera that has I/O, not all do, or quite often a DVR/VMS has this capability.

What you want is definitely achievable, just comes down to budget. There are quite a few ways to do this.


How do I get the top off this tap? My kitchen tap has a ball joint at the top, which has sprung a small but steady leak - water drizzles out when the tap is turned off.

I presume the problem is either down to a perished rubber seal inside or a build up of limescale - but to be sure I need to get into the tap to look, and I can't figure out how to remove it.

There is an object like a rivet at the top rear of the tap

But I have no idea if that is an actual rivet, or something I can remove. If it does come off, will it need a specialist tool and if so, what might that tool be?

If I do succeed, I will need the correct replacement parts to fix the tap. I don't suppose anyone knows what model it might be?

That part that you think is a rivet is actually a plastic plug which can usually be sprung with a small pin or needle (cover the drain hole first). This reveals a screw which can be a slot head or a hex or allen key. Loosen this and the top handle lifts off revealing a large nut that holds the valve in position.


what size wood to use for garage loft I want to build a loft above my two car spaces in the garage.

It is 20 feet wide.  Length is flexible depending on wood suggested.  8, 10, 12, 16 feet etc.  There will be walls on three side but I don't want it supported by the walls.  I want it supported with it's own 2x4 framing to the floor?  or 4x4 posts.

I'm trying to figure out how to span 20 feet in the garage without any posts in the middle.  I'd hate to have a car knock it out some day.

You're basically asking how to build a free-standing deck. According to this calculator, you need 2x12 joists on 12 inch centers.

If you don't already have one, I suggest buying a deck building book from the hardware store. It will tell you exactly what you need to know.


How can I connect multiple lights to a switch downstream? I am installing multiple lamp holders for my garden bed to use par 38 flood light bulbs. I purchased all weatherproof materials that is rated for outdoors ( dug trench, purchased uf 12/3)
The power source is coming from the garage right to the lights, then after the last light will be the switch inside the bar. What would be the correct way to connect all of these lights to the one switch? Also want to put an outlet and another light inside bar. I’ve attached a diagram for better understanding
enter image description here

You'll want to run your 12/3 from the panel to the switch location. In the panel hook your black wire to your circuit breaker, the white wire to neutral and ground to ground. You can cap the red wire and leave a note to what you're doing. At each light location connect your fixture white to your white feed and your other fixture wire, probably black, to the red feed wire. In the switch box, pigtail the feed black to the switch and to your outlet. Pigtail the white to the outlet and to the extra light. Pigtail the red to the switch and to the extra light.


Old extractor fan hole leaking water into new kitchen We had a new kitchen fitted last year, including a new extractor fan above the gas hob. When the previous extractor was removed it revealed the drilled hole and pipe which although lined up perfectly with the old fan, unfortunately did not line up with the new one so we simply covered it with the new one and didn't bother using a hole to extract the steam and heat, but used the old hole to feed a power supply from the garage.

There have been no problems for a year however in the last few weeks we have had a lot of wind and rain and suddenly we are noticing water dripping down the back of the glass splash back which sits beneath the extractor fan.

I have removed the splash back, and the extractor fan itself, and the old pipe was damp and had water sat in it, I'm assuming when the wind blows in the right direction the fans on the outside wall are opening and water is coming in and flowing down the pipe and into the kitchen.

Baring in mind there is now a power cable running down the redundant pipe to power the light in the new extractor fan, what should I do about this water issue.

I have a can of expanding foam that I was considering although I'm not sure I want to use this with the cable sat there.

The correct solution for this would be to close off the external vents for this pipe. If weather conditions allow entry of the elements then trying to plug things up internally does not solve the problem. I would remove the old external vent and provide the proper covering whether that be flashing, siding or roofing material.

A very good question is: How are you venting the replacement extractor unit??


Pump installation in dedicated recirc line to water heater I have a dedicated 1/2" recirculation line back to the water heater tank via a tee at the drain valve.  I've purchased a new pump (Grundfos UP 15-29) to replace original 15yo. There's a check valve located just upstream of this pump.  However, I've seen drawings with the check valve downstream of the pump & upstream of the tee to drain line.  Does it matter whether located u/s or d/s of pump?  Also, would a "spring" type check valve be preferable vs flapper check valve? Within the recirc line, there's two zones, however, the zone furthest from heater takes over a minute for hot water to faucet. Thinking of installing a valve on the shorter line to throttle back for more uniform circulation to both zones.  Is a ball valve OK or recommend other type of valve?

The pump you purchased is way oversized for the application.Instead of the "UP 15-29" pump you should have purchased a UP 10 or a UP 15-10, the smallest pumps they have. Make sure the pumps are made of bronze or stainless steel. Iron or steel pumps should not be used on domestic water.  The UP 15-29 moves too much water and may "wipe the elbows" (wear out or wear through) due to the high flow rate. You only need a very low flow rate to insure almost instant hot water flow at the faucets. I have 3 zones for the 3 bathrooms in my home. A check valve at the take off tee for each dedicated return line is imperative to stop "back flow" from the other dedicated returns. I would not use spring checks and use only angle checks due to required head needed to lift the spring checks. I would also install a timer to run the pump only during the day when your household is awake. No need to run the pump when everyone is asleep. continuous running pumps are only used in hospitals and large commercial buildings due to their constant hot water use.


Soldering a Tee onto a Copper Pipe That Only Moves About 1cm? I have a rigid 1" copper pipe that I'm trying to solder a tee onto.

It comes off the house and only moves about 1CM up or down. I've already cut it to test how rigid the two pipes were.

This isn't much of a problem since this water line won't be used for another few weeks.

How can I fit the Tee on if I can't get the upper pipe higher or the lower pipe lower though?

I thought about cutting the upper pipe more until it falls into the 1cm threshold and then solder it there, but I'm not sure if this is a good idea.

Edit 0:

If you make another cut in the pipe (either above or below your T - it doesn't matter), you could fit a Union there:

Solder the 2 halves of the union first so that they're ready to re-join the new cut, then solder the T.
Since one piece of the pipe you're soldering into the T only has the half of the union on it, you should have enough wiggle-room to get it all assembled.
Once you've finished soldering the T, screw the union together.


Cracked & Heaving Garage Doorway My garage floor is cracked & heaving near the asphalt apron. I will need to cut out the apron and get it properly replaced, but my immediate concern is the cement with the cold weather coming.

Can I simply remove the heaving cement, clean, se something like Sika bonding agent, and pour new concrete? I've seen backer rods and don't know if they're appropriate for this job... I pulled out a chunk and can see the broken peices will be quite deep. Also, what should I use to create the new joint at the asphalt?

At this stage you can only try to keep it from getting worse.  heaving is caused by the freeze thaw cycle.  You can either keep the area warm or keep it dry.  Often neither is practical.

Keeping it dry requires figuring out how water gets to the area below the concrete and stopping that flow.  Water is very clever, and may be moving in after getting in elsewhere, but my first guess is the crack between the curb and the garage slab, and the one between the asphalt and the kerb.  Backer rod and silicon grout come to mind.

At the core you have a bad installation.  The curb has heaved, but not the slab.  Fixing it is going to be expensive.  Unless there are signs of problems elsewhere, I'd be tempted to live with it.  Check the entire garage foundation to see if there are gaps opening anywhere else.

You can do a cosmetic repair.  Rent a jack hammer to take off the protruding bits and about 1/2 to 3/4" more, do surface prep, and use a concrete patching compound to make it flush again.  Finish by sealing the cracks with a combination of backer rod.  A grout seal will accommodate something like half its width in moving.  E.g., if you have 1/4" wide bead of grout, the two surfaces can shift something like 1/8" before the seal breaks.  So a wide seal will help you here.  Take this into account when you do the patch.  You may want so preserve space for this.

Also, save a bunch of chips you removed from the prep.  You can use that on top of the ground to partially colour match the floor.


Can a non-expandable filter be used in place of an EZ flex furnace filter? My Carrier furnace has the EZ flex filters (16x25x5).  These come with the plastic end caps that fit on the expandable filters.  Can a regular filter, non expandable, of the same dimensions be used as a replacement?

As long as the replacement fits without gaps (which would allow air to bypass the filter) will be "OK" to use.

Whether the replacement filter meets your needs (besides cost) depends on the effective size and screening size.  It may be hard to compare these factors with discount filters

The effective size of a deeply pleated filter means you get a larger filter that will clean longer.

The screen size of the paper relates to how small a particle the filter removes.  Its a tradeoff, because super fine filters (pollen level) will clog faster.


When wiring outlets should I use pigtails or both sets of outlet screws? I'm replacing the outlets in our house and pulled out one that had two black and two white cables. My first thought was that it was two circuits, one of them being switched, but then realized the tab between the two circuits wasn't broken.

I hadn't seen this before, but I guess it makes sense. I suppose it's an alternative to pig tailing the wires in the box. Is there an argument to choose one method over the other? Or are they both perfectly valid option?

I rarely see pigtails to join the outlet line/load connections in any of the renovation work I've done. I think it's just easier for the electrician to wire both parts of the outlet, rather than getting a small piece of wire, twist, affix nut, and attach to the outlet. It also takes up less space in the j-box.

Of course the line/load are pigtailed in other j-boxes (e.g. lighting fixtures and switches) since they don't have two screw terminals. And you would pigtail the lines before a GFCI if the next device shouldn't be protected by that GFCI outlet, but otherwise you would always use the line/load terminals in a GFCI.


Do I need soffit vents for my knee wall attic? I purchased a 55 year old home that has no soffit vents.  The attic space consists of a knee wall attic space and peak attic space.  The peak attic space has vents at each end and a ridge vent at the top.  I checked for signs of moisture and mold and found none.  I live in the Fort Worth, Texas area.   I always hear Mike Holmes talk about the necessity of soffit vents, but I know his show is in Canada which is a very different climate from mine.  It seems to me that if the house was OK for 55 years without soffits, then I don't need to do anything and that it's OK.

What do you guys think?

Soffit vents ensure a continuous flow of outside air on the underside of your roof.

In cold climates, this prevents two critical issues. First, from condensation on the underside of the roof from moist air in your home or from earlier in the day that has made its way into the attic. And second, from snow that falls on the roof from melting at the top, and refreezing further down creating an ice dam that causes melt water to backup into your roof and ultimately into your home.

In warm climates, the main benefit is to cool the attic space to reduce your heating costs. Some building products break down in extreme heat. Insulation in your ceiling is only slowing the transmission of heat, but when you have a 120°F attic, you'll have a lot more heat transferring through the insulation than if it is only 80°F.

That said, older homes, and those built in warmer climates are less likely to have soffit vents. Between the gable vents and ridge vents, you likely have enough ventilation for your climate (not that more wouldn't be better).

For more details on roof vents, see tester's fantastic blog post.


How can I make a nail-strewn lawn safe for bare feet? Our landlord replaced the roof (cedar shingle) and now there are old nails hidden in the grass all around. My children loved to run around barefoot, but now I'm worried about them getting a nail through the foot.

The landlord used a magnetic floor sweeper and that helped a lot, but we still find nails from time to time.

Is there a way to make it safe it for us to run around barefoot?

Well, the sweeper is a good start. To be even more confidant, a metal detector would find any missed nails. I do think the nails somehow breed when you are not watching, like coat hangars.


Is there a specific NEC code specifying the distance between water heaters and electrical panels? I have a condo in a large building with many identical units.  Several times other owners have mentioned that the original layout of the utility room isn't up to code due to the proximity of the water heater to the electrical panel--it comes up during sales inspections and some owners have spent quite a lot of money to relocate the panel.

In my research I haven't been able to find any such code; the nearest I can find is 110.26(A)(2) which dictates the free space around the panel.

  NEC 110.26(A)(2) Width of Working Space.

  The width of the working
  space in front of the electric equipment shall be the width of the
  equipment or 750 mm (30 in.), whichever is greater. In all cases, the
  work space shall permit at least a 90 degree opening of equipment
  doors or hinged panels.

By that standard the design is up to code, the water heater is just far enough to the side to provide the needed working space.

Is there another code that is specific to the proximity of the water heater?

This is a VERY misinterpreted section of the code, especially by lay people and home inspectors. Most homeowners and likewise simply think a water heater cannot be near a panel, for what reason I don't know.

Basically, the panel can be anywhere in the 30" width working space. There is no mention of center of the panel or otherwise. Meaning, the panel can be at the extreme side of the 30" space as long as the space is clear for 30".

Here is a clear graphic from ©Mike Holt:


Remove old light box with a stud and nut anchor I read a post asking this question, but there is no answer for actually removing the box.  I do want to remove the box to install a retrofit recessed LED light.  My bungalow was built in 1952.  All ceiling light box has this stud and nut anchor.  There is also one on a vertical wall, so the stud is not necessarily for load bearing.  Please advise me on the construction of this box, and how to remove it.

These hangers were typically used in ceilings where they wanted the light to be somewhere which required space or location between joists. The bracket is typically nailed to both opposing studs or usually under the plaster or drywall.

You could cut it with a hacksaw and move it out of the way. Or for more work, cut a separate hole for the recessed light and then patch the old hole from behind.

You mentioned "retrofit". Retrofit usually means a prior recessed light fixture, which this is not.


Where do I connect a C-wire to my electric boiler ( Slant/Fin Monitron Boiler ) I'm looking to add a C-wire for my thermostat. My current thermostat has two wires, W and R. But there is another tucked in blue wire. That blue wire isn't connected to the boiler. I'm looking for help on where on the terminal can I connect this wire to make it into a C-wire.
The manual for the boiler can be found here
Thanks for reading

EDIT: NEW PICTURES:

EDIT 2: Added the labels for the Terminal and Relay

Transformer label

Relay Terminals part 1

Relay Terminals part 2
EDIT 3: Closer view on Relay

The transformer label says "PRIMARY: BLK & WHT". So its black and white wires are the 120 V ("primary") connections. Its other wires are the "secondary", ie the 24 V connections. The theory is simple enough: one of the transformer secondary wires should lead directly to the R terminal; the other one is C. I'm not certain but it looks like the secondary wires might both be blue.
Figuring out which is which, and sorting out whether your thermostat wires are reversed, is a little more complicated. Start by disconnecting the thermostat from its wiring. We'll re-connect it later.
Next let's identify which of the thermostat terminals is the R terminal. Start at either of the terminals and trace the wiring, working toward the transformer. It might help to also start at the transformer and trace one of the wires, working toward the thermostat terminals. Eventually you'll find a continuous wiring path between one of the secondary wires and one of the thermostat terminals. That terminal is the R terminal. If your W wire is connected to it then swap the R and W wire connections.
Finally, track the C connection from the transformer secondary out to some place that's convenient to tap. Just follow it along until you get to a terminal where the C wire could be reasonably attached. Ideally it should be on the right-hand side of that barrier which divides the low-voltage thermostat stuff from the mains-voltage stuff. When you do find a good location, connect your spare (blue?) thermostat conductor there.
Now it's time to test. With the thermostat still disconnected turn the system power on. Measure AC voltage between the thermostat R and W wires and between the R and C wires. You should find something like 24-28 volts between each of those pairs, and about 0 volts between W and C. Next, short R to W to call for heat. The system should begin heating in its usual way and continue as long as R and W are shorted.
With those checks passed, go ahead and connect the thermostat.


Hot water heater running out at 50% I have a 120 gallon indirect water heater. I notice that when I take a shower with a 3 gpm shower head, the water starts to cool after about 20 minutes, which would be 60 gallons or only 50% of the tank. I assume this is because any hot water removed from the tank is being immediately replaced with cold water which then starts to cool the tank down. Is this correct?

If so, is there anything I can do to increase the duration of hot water, such as somehow only having it start to refill the tank when it is 20% full or something like that?

The system is heated by hot water coming from a boiler. The pressurization is by city water supply at 80 PSI. The temperature set point is 130F.

You absolutely cannot delay delivering cold water into the tank to replace the hot water output. You have a pressurized tank which must remain full of water to deliver water. If you had an unpressurized water tank which delivered hot water by gravity, you could do this, but you don't have that.

I assume that the cold feed is very cold in Cambridge MA. You may not be starting with a full tank of 130 F water. It could be that the controls on the boiler are set to reduce the number of heating cycles per unit time. Where is the temperature sensor located vertically in the tank?

Some recommendations on the temperature set point of tank water heaters are that it be set at 140 F (60 C) to prevent the growth of legionella bacteria. Other recommendations give 130 F. Does your shower valve have an anti-scald  temperature control?


How can I replace the outlets when the boxes are too small? I need to replace the outlets in my 54 y/o home but the junction boxes are too small to accommodate the new outlets. Is there a way to replace the junction boxes without having to cut a new hole?

Let me guess: the wall boxes are metal and the "ears" on the new receptacles are hitting the wall around the boxes, right?

The "ears" are scored to allow them to be broken off leaving small tabs with holes in them for the screws into the boxes. Just grip the ears with pliers and bend back and forth. In some designs the ends of the center tabs are  also scored for breaking off to allow fitting into the tightest space.

The ears have holes in them to allow them to be used as shim spacers to stand the receptacle out if the box is too far into the wall. The use of metal shims makes electrical contact of the ground of the receptacle with a metal box. Some receptacles have a paper "keeper" on one of the mounting screws and a metal keeper on the other end. This provides metal to metal contact on the end with the metal keeper. If you are using cheaper receptacles with paper keepers on both ends, remove at least one of the paper keepers to insure metal to metal "face" contact for the ground.

But you would be advised to use a better grade of receptacle. And I assume you are using the now code required "tamper resistant" receptacles, right?

Does your home have aluminum wires or copper wires?


Can gas company determine that the gas was shut off at the meter (without sending to inspect)? For example, let’s say the homeowner thought they smelt a gas leak inside the home, so the homeowner shuts off the gas at the meter. Would the gas company have a way to know that the gas was shut off at the meter and possibly send someone to inspect?

Most new appliances do not have pilot lights so if they are not being used there is no gas usage. Shutting the main off even during the time the meter is being read won't trigger an inspection. In Earthquake prone areas some home owners have a wrench attached to the pipe so if there is a concern about leaks the main can be quickly turned off. I have never heard of any problems from turning the main off.


Plans for building a simple swing set out of wood I would like to build a simple A-frame style swing set, which obviously has to be safe while also accommodating up to two swings.

Where can I find plans for building such a swing set?

I will show how to build a simple A-frame swingset from pressure-treated four-by-fours and scraps, with minimal cutting.

From a six-inch-wide pressure-treated board (e.g., a 5/4-inch by 6 inch deck board), cut four isosceles trapezoids with bases that are 11 and 16 inches.

Take two legs (8-foot-long 4x4s) and align them with the legs of one of the trapezoid while touching each other on the top. Draw a line across the 4x4 legs along the short base (top) of the trapezoid. These lines are for alignment, not for cutting.

Center a scrap block of 4x4 above the trapezoid and draw lines on the legs along the sides of the block. Cut the legs along these lines.

Attach the trapezoid with screws. Attach a second trapezoid on the other side of the legs.

About six inches below the trapezoid, attach a crossbar made from another piece of 5/4x6 board. You could also use a 2x4.

Make a brace from 2x4 or 4x4. (Measure from the top of the trapezoid to the bottom of the crossbar and apply the pythagorean theorem to get the length of the brace.) Cut at 45-degree angles and attach to the crossbar.

Repeat steps 1–6 for the other A.

Assemble. Here's how to do it by yourself:

Hang swings and enjoy!


Foundation next to salt water, on bedrock I have a cabin next to the salt water and want to build an 8' x 8' extension. The water is 16' away from the cabin at high tide. The cabin is actually on a Tickle that leads out to the ocean...well protected.

The cabin has a concrete foundation built on exposed bedrock. Does anyone know how to build the concrete foundation on the bedrock and connect it to the existing foundation?

What I have done in a similar situation (not bedrock, but a huge boulder) is to make (rather tediously) form boards that closely fit the rock, and drill holes into the rock to insert steel reinforcing bars into, which are tied into the slab reinforcing steel. Similar holes would go into the existing foundation.

Neither may strictly be needed - bedrock is about as firm a foundation as you will get, so there should be no relative motion, and no tie-in whatever may be just fine. But it might be reassuring to at least have the bolts anchoring the walls drilled and grouted well into the bedrock, when the wind gets howling....

A local concrete company would be a better source of information about details relating to the satwater exposure and any specific details related to that (hasn't been one I've had to deal with, but I vaguely recall that there are things one does to seaside concrete to increase the longevity in that hostile-due-to-salt environment.) Presumably at least one part would be to wash down the area where the new slab will go with fresh water to remove any salts, before pouring concrete.


What's the name of this kind of valve? I would like to install the smart radiator thermostat from my previous apartment:

However, in the new apartment there are different kind of valves, with clamps, as seen here:

Does anyone know what's the name of this type of valve? Most likely I can buy converters, provided I know what to look for.

UPDATE

Took off the thermostat, and it is not threaded, so I need an adapter indeed.

Ok - when unmounting the thermostat, I noticed the manufacturer's name (Danfoss), and from that I was able to find the valve type, which is Danfoss RAVL


Furnace On/Off Banging noise Just recently moved into a new house.

The furnace is a older model (mid 90's) but seems to work OK.

One problem I notice is that when the system kicks on usually after about 1-2 minutes there is loud bang that comes from the bottom. This bang also happens after the system kicks off as well.

See the video below to show what I mean.

Is there anything I can do to mitigate this? I've tried bracing certain parts of the metal, but it doesn't really seem to help.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

https://youtu.be/T0YSbpQalbI
(bang @ 25 seconds)

Sounds like the ducting is flexing when the blower kicks on. You're going to have to find which section of duct is moving, and either brace it (reduce movement) or insulate it (dampen the sound).

To locate the source, you could have a partner turn the blower on/off at the thermostat (obviously when the system is not calling for heat/cool). Then try and narrow down where the sound is coming from. Try holding your hand against surfaces of the duct (make sure it's not hot first), to see if you can feel the movement.

Unfortunately, there's not much more help I can provide, without actually being there.


Subpanel - still getting power with breaker disconnected I'm in the middle of a garage/apt project and ran into an issue yesterday.  Here's my layout.

I have a 200Amp service meter with two 100 amp breakers just after the meter....one breaker feeding the house and the other feeding the garage.  The garage has a 100amp panel with a 60amp sub panel feeding an apartment above the garage.  The 100amp garage panel is fed with 2 hots, a neutral, and a ground.

I have a 60amp 2 pole breaker installed in this panel to feed the 60amp apartment panel....2 hots, a neutral and a ground.  I have two circuits wired from the 60amp apartment sub panel so far.  One 20amp for some outlets in the apartment and a 15amp circuit for some lights in the apartment.

Yesterday, I had removed the 15amp light circuit breaker from the bus bar to do some work on that circuit.  I pulled one of the light switches from the box and began to detach all my wires....suddenly there was a significant ARC that tripped the "main" 60 amp breaker feeding the sub panel.

This is concerning....i don't understand how the circuit still had power with the breaker disconnected physically from the bus bar.  Any thoughts or insight?  Any help would be appreciated.

As it turned out, according to the OP from his comment:

  i found it. the sheathing on the main supply line was slightly severed.


How can I deal with a heat pump condenser producing lots of water? Heat pumps was replaced in 2017.  North Florida has had moderately cool weather (50-60 degrees F) recently.  I noticed water underneath one of the units.

Is the water pooling normal? If yes, why?
If yes, What can be done about the water pooling?

Heat Pumps are basically where you reverse the process of cooling in your HVAC. Normally your compressor takes the expanded hot refrigerant and runs it through the coils to cool it down, before sending it into the compressor, where it's compressed and piped into the blower, where it's allowed to expand (gasses cool as they expand) and become hot.

A heat pump reverses this process by sending the compressed refrigerant back through the coils. So your coils are expanding the gas and thus cooling the outside to bring heat inside. What you're seeing is the normal byproduct of this process: condensate. In many cases, this is actually a defrosting because the outside coils get pretty cold (and North Florida has been saturated with rain of late so humidity is quite high).

The only thing I could think of to control this would be to install a water heater pan underneath and pipe the condensate elsewhere. You'll need to probably build something else to hold the unit in place, since it's screwed to the pad.


Adding a switch and receptacle I have a pull chain light in my shed. Power comes in to the light. I want to add a switch to the light so I don't have to use the pull chain. Is it possible to run electricity down to a 2 gang box and have a switch that controls the light and a receptacle that has constant power?

Very easily. You need to run a three wire cable from the light fixture to the location of the switch/outlet. Disconnect the hot lead to the fixture and connect it to the black wire in the new cable. Connect the red wire in the new cable to the hot terminal or wire on the fixture. Connect the neutral (white) wires in the fixture box. Connect the ground wires.

At the switch box, connect the black wire to the outlet and to one side of the switch (simple switches don't care which side, but some advanced switches have a LOAD side). It's often easiest to connect the incoming black wire directly to one hot terminal of the outlet and a pigtail from the other hot switch terminal to power the switch. Be sure not to break the connecting tab on the outlet between the terminals. Then connect the red wire to the other side of the switch.

Connect the neutral wire to the outlet, and to the switch if it is one that calls for a neutral.

Connect the ground to both the switch and the outlet. Turn on power and you should be done.

The type of cable you need depends on both where you run it and your local code. You may be able to use simple non-metallic cable, or you may need armored cable or conduit.


What trade should I hire to vent a microwave through my roof? Putting in a new kitchen and I cant vent microwave vent directly outside because roof eave in way Need to go up thru roof What subtrade can I use to vent a microwave thru attic

Some microwaves come with an optional "vent to exterior" feature. We require a vent when installed over cooktop or oven. It comes with a charcoal filter that recirculates the air, but a small steel "flap" can be removed in the back and hooked up to duckwork and extended to exterior...it doesn't need to go through roof...whichever is easiest. Make sure it has a "backdraft" flap.

I'd use a carpenter/handyman. Get a bid, make sure their licensed and ask for references.


adding new circuit to generator subpanel without a ground bar I have a main Square D panel with a post-installed Generac (Siemens) subpanel with automatic transfer switch to standby generator. I want to add a new 15A circuit to the subpanel so I can move a second refrigerator to a different room (no change in generator load, just shifting some to the new circuit). The subpanel has no ground bar. All the existing circuits in the subpanel are grounded through the main panel. How do I ground the new circuit properly?

Added 6/23/2020:
All circuits in the transfer switch subpanel were previously in the main and "moved" to the subpanel. To be clear, I want to add a brand new circuit in the subpanel so the standby generator could power it as necessary. I would replace a single 15A breaker with a tandem 15A breaker to accommodate the new circuit. An example of a tandem breaker is in the lower left of the subpanel.
NOTE: I do not see any available knockouts in the subpanel nor do I see where a ground bus would be installed (e.g. predrilled mounting holes). So is this panel even designed for what I want to do? If not, it seems shortsighted on Generac's part.
I am uploading additional pictures as requested.
The aluminum cable is the ground for the generator. The is connection is highlighted. The green cable feeds back to the ground bus in the main. This connection appears to be mounted directly on the subpanel box.

Overview with subpanel on left transfer switch on top. The main is on right, including conduit connection

Subpanel detail showing nuetral bus

Subpanel detail showing where I would think ground bus would normally be installed

Added 06/24/2020:
Subpanel labels

Added 06/26/2020
Transfer switch label

OK, so this thing obviously came as a prefab kit.  You don’t just randomly find brown-white and orange-yellow wires at Home Depot.  That’s the kind of thing you special order when you’re Generac trying to knock together a generator interlock kit that’s at least better than the hokey 8-slot individually switchable ones they usually sell, but need to be able to distinguish 2 dozen wires from each other in a big harness.
Kudos for them getting real panels and all, but yeah - overlooking things like ground bars and knockouts, that’s not a surprise.  This panel is a one-trick pony, it’s designed to be grafted on after-the-fact to an existing panelboard and do this one thing.   SMH...  And for that matter, even the subpanel is an afterthought; the real purpose and meat of this subpanel is in the stuff on the top.  This type of product is designed to work as a guaranteed-to-work bolt-on, so that the generator salesmen can sell it into any system with confidence. It’s not what a good, blank-sheet design would look like.
Given that Siemens’ labeling for this bus assembly is “1212”, there’s a valid question of whether it is UL-listed for double-stuff breakers... though the reason that was ever an issue was CTL, and that’s been repealed, so maybe we file this under “whatevs”.  Just make sure you are using Siemens breakers, and if they won’t fit, use non-CTL breakers.  DO NOT cross over to another brand, unless it’s Eaton CL specifically.
The ground wire
The chassis of this subpanel is grounded to the main panel via the EMT conduit - that’s a valid ground path (or else every CostCo and industrial site would be ungrounded, not likely!)
As to getting a ground wire for your circuit, as appalling as this is, I would bring over a #12 ground wire through that conduit, land it on the ground bar in the main panel, and just wire-nut it to your new circuit’s ground.  So the ground bar is a wire nut, not the end of the world.
Entry into the box
If you want to site a ground bar somewhere in this subpanel, you can put it anywhere you please and screw it into the metal. However you need to drill the holes exactly the right size so you can use self-tapping screws that are -32 thread pitch or finer.  That is so the bar can ground through the case metal.  Without that you’d need to run a ground wire to the main panel’s ground bar.
As for a knockout in the subpanel, check the instructions. It may forbid this, in which case you must follow the instructions.  Otherwise I’ve used a hole saw, but they also make punches.
Honestly, as badly as I’d like to see generator interlock/subpanels that aren’t hokey, I’m still not impressed with this one.  Given your foreseeable ongoing need to expand this, I would install a real subpanel, fed off this subpanel, and actually move all your gen-switched circuits there, as in, pull their Romex out of the main panel and into the new subpanel.  That way, you are able to properly ground, properly match hots and neutrals, support AFCI/GFCI breakers effectively, etc.


Can you use chlorine bleach and baking powder in a dishwasher for mold / grime? I used a bit in the wash, but my dishwasher wound up sudsing. Did I just use too much? There was some baking powder in there as well.

Dishwashers are especially prone to over suddsing.  The Clorox is going to soften the water to such an extent the even the proper soap will over suds. Dish washer detergent is designed specifically to retard the formation of bubbles.


Caster type and placement for rotating cabinet I have a cabinet that I want to function as a sort of door to a storage space behind it. It will be fixed to the wall with a set of hinges, so that it can swing open. Because the cabinet with contents is rather heavy and I don't want to rely on the hinges alone to carry the weight, I want to put the cabinet on casters that will carry the load.

Since the cabinet is fixed to the wall with hinges, it will always turn at the same angle, in the same direction (and reverse), with the pivot point being the back corner where the hinges are attached. It seems like swivel casters are overkill for this: there's no steering or changing direction involved here.

However, if I use fixed casters, I'm wondering about the orientation. Do I just place the fixed casters parallel to the front edge? Do I put them at an angle, because they will always be making a turn? Are there calculations for optimal placement and angle here?

Make the axle of the wheel intersect the axis of rotation of the door through the hinges.


Must all firewood sheds have airflow? I am about to make a 2400mm x 700mm x 1800mm firewood shed for storing dry wood and keeping it that way. The location is the least affected by elements on our property, it's very protected from wind, and the best site for minimising rain. However, the downside is that is gets precisely no sun. Unfortunately there really isn't anywhere else to put it.

I am more concerned about encroaching dampness and rats living in the free nest than anything.

My instinct says to make this shed water-tight so rain can't get in, put a door on it and seal it up, rather than the traditional style of wood shed which is more open to the elements for airflow/drying. I want to be able to go into my shed, grab a dry log, put it on the fire. When I put a tarp over the wood on a raised wooden platform it keeps it dry through storms and no condensation/mould forms and there is zero proper airflow there, but like I said, the wood is dry.

I am going to build the floor today, and if someone hadn't said to me "wood sheds need to have airflow, because all the ones I see do and because condensation mumble mumble" I wouldn't even have asked.

However, because this shed is not going to be airtight, there will be some degree of dampness that gets in. The floor will be raised off the ground by cinder blocks and I could space out the floor boards for ventilation but I was just going to try to keep it dry and rat free by sticking plywood on top of the boards to be honest. I am using clear corrugated PVC for the roof and sides of the shed.

EDIT: I realise now that it would be more descriptive to describe it as a glorified dry wood storage box, than a wood shed per se

Firewood needs to dry out. It won't dry out in a sealed shed nearly as fast and completely as it would in an open-air setup.

Worry about moisture in the air 'getting back in' to the wood isn't really much of a concern. It's not atmospheric moisture but the moisture that's in the wood initially that's the concern.

If you completely season your wood outside for a year or so, THEN bring it in to the airtight shed, that could work, but seems redundant to me.

If the only real concern is rats, then I think building a shed is equally problematic as they will find comfy homes under the shed or even inside after they chew a few holes in it.

The reason most firewood isn't stored in a shed is that it's just a waste of a perfectly good shed. :)


Is grout faulty if it has some color variation, or just drying out? hi just had my new bathroom installed and tiled the tile used Ivory grout but when I am looking at 3 days later most of it is Ivory but there are a few cream areas in grout not sure if it is still drying or it is faulty

It's important that the installer mixes the grout very well. Pigments can be unevenly distributed in the dry compound. After 3 days I'd suspect this as the culprit, assuming that the bath hasn't seen any use yet.


GFCI outlet keeps tripping We have a GFCI outlet in our kitchen that has been tripping pretty regularly (4+ times a day). We first noticed it when our fridge would go out.  (Breaker Box Circuit "A") We assumed the problem was the fridge. I unplugged it, dusted it and plugged it back it.  That did not solve the problem.  So we plugged it into another outlet in the kitchen using an extension cord. The GFCI continued to trip.

Also on the GFCI circuit is the computer in another room. (Breaker Box Circuit "B").  We took the computer off the outlet and plugged it into another.  Since then we haven't have any tripping issues.

We have had this setup for 4+ years and never had issues until about a month ago. I initially plan to replaced the GFCI outlet.

Unfortunately, I do not have  schematic diagram of the wiring.

My questions are as follows:

Why / How do the GFCI's cross breaker circuits?
Does the problem seem worse than a bad outlet?

Computers use a switching power supply so it is possible the GFCI has grown weak or sensitive with age and now sees the computer as a ground fault problem.

It is also possible the computer power supply is failing and is causing the tripping.

Try running everything but the computer on the circuit for a while and see what happens. If it trips again try replacing the receptacle with a new GFCI.

Good luck!


How to repair crack in children's slide I've got a nasty crack in my kids' slide ( see image ).

I think the slide is plastic and I'm sure the crack will only grow if used.

Is there a way to repair this?

Replace it. The integrity is now compromised. Do not risk child safety over cheap plastic.

No adhesive, epoxy, resin or anything like that will return the original strength of the slide and any ideas involving screwing backing plates in sound good, but once you start drilling holes or screwing through things you are going to weaken the slide in multiple areas to try to save another and risk making it worse.

It may be disappointing for your child and they may have to wait before you can replace it but that's better than a trip to A and E.

Can I get an Amen?

Sorry about your slide, it looks like a good one too.


Drain line adapter recommendation for reverse osmosis kit + dishwasher? I want to put in a reverse osmosis kit under my kitchen sink, and it requires a waste line tied into the main drain line of the kitchen sink. There's already a dishwasher drain line hooked up to the main drain line as seen in the picture:

I see there are drain line adapters I could buy which would allow me to connect my RO quick-connect and dishwasher to the same drain point:

https://www.amazon.com/Watts-Premier-164020-Plumbing-Adapter/dp/B009XDMEK4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486343558&sr=8-1&keywords=drain+line+adapter

but I'm not sure if the adapter will fit with the copper drain line that's already hooked up. It looks like a 1/2" copper pipe. Anyone know if this adapter will be compatible?

Thanks

That short piece of black rubber hose (with 2 hose clamps) that is included with the adapter in your link should attach directly to the copper pipe. Then you clamp your dishwasher hose to the proper size barbed tube; the RO drain uses the quick disconnect.

If the black hose is too big, use an adapter:

You should know that your dishwasher drain should be equipped with an air gap, or at least put an anti-siphon loop in there:

diagram stolen shamelessly from the web


What could cause halogen bulbs to explode? I changed several halogen spotlight bulbs and after less than one hour, one exploded. See image.

It's an Osram Decostar, 35W. Although the bulb doesn't carry a "CE" mark, the box did.

We regularly have bulbs dying, so I suspect something might be wrong with our wiring, but I don't expect the bulb to explode. Usually they just die quietly.

My real question though is the root cause. What could be wrong with the electrics?

I checked the dimmer switch wiring and it is correct (with switched-live in L1 connector). Is there anything else I can check for?

"One exploded after an hour" as indicated by @fixer1234 this is caused by finger oils or other contaminates on the lamp envelope itself (not the reflector).  Its very important not to touch anything but the outer edge of the reflector.

Further what type of fixture is this bulb being used in?  If the fixture is open faced situation such as this:

then the MR16CG must be used, (the CG stands for "Cover Glass") which has a self-contained lens.   I mention this specifically because CG versions of the bulb tend to be harder to find and many people don't know when to use the CG version VS when the open face bulb is ok (i.e. enclosed fixtures).

"We regularly have bulbs dying" is likely a socket problem, replace the bi-pin socket the lamp plugs into. When heat is generated by the lamp pins this type of bulb will prematurely fail. (I know as hot as the lamp gets while burning this is hard to reason, but when the bi-pins generate heat from poor connection the result is premature failure.)

In the end, the best advice is to give is find an LED replacement that you are happy with.  Unfortunately in many situations the MR16 halogen type of bulb is the hardest to replace with LED. It's very difficult to find LEDs that burn as brightly and with the colour clarity of the original - highly energy inefficient heat generating - halogen.


Window and door spray foam a good solution for this exterior section underneath a window? I have an area underneath an egress window in the basement where the caulking has shrunk and the bare wood is exposed (see pictures below). I thought about backer rod and caulking the top and bottom, but the angle makes it impossible to caulk the top. Then it occurred to me to perhaps use the Great Stuff Window and Door expanding foam in the gap to seal it so water doesn't get to the wood.

Is there a better solution for this? I like the idea of foam as it expands to all the cracks, but not sure if there is a better solution out there. Pictures below...

Great Stuff foam will not last exposed to the elements and it's not water resistant it's mainly an air barrier. My suggestion is to cut a piece of treated lumber to fit space. It looks like a 2x4 will fit between sill and slab. It can be rip down to be flush with to outside edge of the sill.  Run a good bead of caulking first to the inside then install board and finish sealing.


New Main Panel & Sub-Panel - Hooking up Ground / Netural - Connecting to Plumbing / Ground Bar Older 1960's house.
The outside panel is a FPE Stab-Lok that needs upgraded.
Will be using this panel to upgrade it, which has a 125-amp main breaker:
The current box is directly to the left of the outside meter.  The box currently has a 70-amp circuit that leads to a sub-panel (about 20 feet away), a 50-amp breaker for the oven, and two 20-amp 120v breakers.  Grounding bar is outside but it is not bonded to copper plumbing.
Questions:

Any issues there or will that panel and hook-up be OK?
The 70-amp breaker will be changed out for a 100-amp breaker (since the subpanel will be upgraded to 100 amp).  Is #4 copper good to run between these?

Next, the inside panel also needs upgraded.  It is only 70-amp and the house will get electric heat/HVAC system (has only had window units but has had forced gas air so the vents and closet are in place).  So it will be upgraded to 100-amp.
Questions:

I'm sure that box is OK for the purpose?
There is copper plumbing very close to this box.  Is it safe to also provide bonding of the separate ground bar to the copper plumbing with the outside main panel ground bar connected to the ground rod in the ground?
I'm seeing all kinds of conflicting info on this.  I understand that the neutral and ground on the sub-panel should not be bonded / connected together correct?  Some people say yes and others say no.  Seen others actually connect a wire between the two, but that makes no sense to me.

I'm fine with the idea of a main panel with only 2 things in it feeding a sub-panel with everything in it.

Question #1 - I'd rethink putting a service panel outdoors at all. Weather is rough on panels, even if they claim to be outdoor rated.  I'm a little nervous about a 100A breaker supplied from the normal bus bars, but if the manufacturer stands behind it, okay.  The 100A wires are going to be a mother to wrestle onto that 100A breaker.  Are you quite sure the power company has provisioned you 125A service?  100A is more common.

Question #1 (the second):  You're gonna want more slots than 24, since this box powers pretty much your whole house.  Nobody ever installed an addition and went "Gosh, that job was sure made harder and more expensive by having too many slots in the panel".  It's a false economy, especially since bigger boxes are often bundled with more breakers.  Your house may be ok now, but do a kitchen remodel and lookout!

Question #2 (the second):  Don't bond your grounds to random plumbing that happens to be going by.  It's not code, and someday you might have a plumbing problem and the plumber replaces a downstream chunk of it with PVC.  Whoops. Also, they've been upgrading customers to PLASTIC water meters. Double whoops.  Bond properly and to code.

Question #3 (the third): Bond ground and neutral only in the (singular) main panel. As such, you need 4 wires between main and subpanel.

Just for your edification, it's only a sub-panel if it's fed from a main panel. If it's fed directly from a transformer, it's a main panel.


Cold water leaking into the hot lines? Recently the water heater (installed upstairs) had a leak so I disconnected it and removed it. There is a ball valve shut off on the cold line into the tank - I closed it to be able to open the main house shutoff, thinking I could at least use cold water in the house until I had a new water heater.

However, the hot water pipe continued to discharge water, roughly a gallon per hour. I had to open a hot water faucet downstairs for the night so at least it would drain gracefully. The day after I installed a bypass pipe from the cold to the hot water and opened the shutoff - this obviously stopped the leak and allowed me to use the dishwasher and the washing machine, albeit with reduced performance.

In the process to replace the water heater I inspected the plumbing system and I could not really find out why a small amount of water was going from the cold to the hot side. What could be a reason for this? I hope I was able to explain the problem.

Do you have a single handle faucet?

Most single handle faucets /showers will leak over from cold to hot or from hot to cold during use (if they aren't set at the absolute max/min setting).  To prevent this try turning off the local hot water valve at each single handle faucet/shower.

Do you have mixing valve somewhere, like for a bidet system? That would also likely cause a similar problem.

Otherwise it could just be the draining of the remaining water from the hot water pipes at a very slow rate.