How should I run wiring for my above-fireplace mounted TV? I'm going to mount my 47" LCD above my fireplace. I'm not looking for arguments against this decision. I'm looking for wiring solutions. The diagram below should help explain the situation.

 _________________________________________________
|     |     |    | |   |   |   | |    |     |     |
|     |     |    | |   |   |   | |    |     |     |
|     |     |    | |   |   |   | |    |     |     |
|     |     |    | | p |   | m | |    |     |     |
|     |     |    | |   |   |   | |    |     |     |
|     |     |    #################    |     |     |
|     |     |    ##             ##    |     |     |
|     |     |    ##             ##    |     |     |
|    P|     |    ##             ##  m |     |P C  |
|_____|_____|____##_____________##____|_____|_____|

| = stud
# = fireplace brick
P = existing power outlet
C = existing cable outlet
p = new power outlet
m = new media outlet

Essentially, there is an existing power outlet on either side of the fireplace and a cable outlet on the far right side of the fireplace. I'm intending to put my non-TV media equipment on the right side of the wall and the television above the fireplace. This means I need two things above the fireplace: power and HDMI. I don't want to just run an HDMI cable in the wall. I'd prefer to have some sort of conduit to simplify replacing the cable or having a second (with one of these on each end: http://amzn.to/xYaxMn). I only need to drill through two studs that are 6" apart above the right side of the fireplace in order to access the vertical space where I want the other end. For the power, I need to drill through two 6"-spaced studs above the left-side of the fireplace, but then another 2 full-height studs.

There are a couple of caveats:

This is an externally facing wall, which means there's insulation. I'm assuming this will make things more difficult.
I'd like to refrain from cutting more holes in the wall than is necessary for the outlets (to reduce drywall damage/repair).

I've considered a couple of options:

Cut the openings for the outlets above the fireplace, and use a flexible drill bit to drill through the studs above the fireplace. This minimizes dry-wall damage, but how difficult is this with insulation in the wall, how can I feed the conduit through those holes, and how would I drill through the full-height studs on the left for power?
Cut a wide section of dry-wall (4" high?) from the desired media outlet to the right until reaching the gap above the desired lower outlet. This results in some dry-wall damage, but would allow more control for drilling holes in the studs and running conduit. This still doesn't solve the problem of getting through the full-height stud for the power. For the power, I would need to extend the cut-out two studs further.

What should I do?

I agree with @DA01 that it'll basically be impossible to fish horizontally through studs and insulation, without having to cut open all of the sheetrock. Then you have to deal with sealing it all back up air-tight, and patching the drywall and repainting (at least the entire wall, and maybe the entire room, depending the paint match).

So a couple alternatives:

Use a wiremold type product to surface mount the conduit:

There are lots of different brands, and it can be paintable. With planning, you can minimize where you see it.

Build up the wall using cabinets or a false wall, so you can run wire in behind, on top of the existing wall.

Could be as simple as just a drywall section sticking out, or some built-in cabinets or some brick work. Cabinets of course have the benefit of being able to build in other components such as your A/V gear and speakers.


Code compliance for outdoor 20 amp receptacle? Looking to add a 20 amp receptacle on the outside of my house, on a separate circuit. I don't know what NEC codes to look out for. It will be on the outside wall of the house, if that helps. The code I am familiar with is using the correct gauge for a 20 amp circuit.

For an outdoor 20 ampere circuit, you'll need a

20 ampere breaker, obviously.
Minimum 12 AWG conductors.
GFCI protection either via a breaker, standalone device, or receptacle.
Weather-resistant type receptacle.
A weatherproof in-use receptacle cover (identified as "extra-duty").

If the box is not in the wall, you'll also need

A weatherproof enclosure.
Wet location rated protection of the wires via conduit, rated cable sheath, or other approved raceway.


Something plastic stuck in the trap of the toilet My toilet started misbehaving this morning. It does not flush, it does not empty at all, or it does it really slowly that I cannot see it.

I tried using a plunger, that didn't work.

The bad part:

I tried using the plastic handle of my toilet brush to see if I can feel something, but the handle broke and now there's a piece of the handle that is stuck in the trap.

I can touch it, but I'm not certain I can grab it to pull it out; and the toilet is still clogged.

Am I so screwed that I will need to replace the whole toilet if I cannot remove what is stuck in the trap?

Disassemble and demount the toilet. Remember to plug the hole, since the toilet is the trap, and that's a direct path for sewer gas. Use something really big and obvious so you can't ignore it when you go to remount the toilet (people have forgotten to take out plugs, and regretted it) such as a few plastic grocery bags or rags wadded up inside another plastic groucery bag or garbage bag (you can turn that inside out when you remove it for tidy disposal.)

Take the toilet bowl outside and turn it upside down, backside up, etc while running water from a hose into whatever opening is currently highest, and shake it around a bit as well.

If you've somehow managed to get "whatever" so stuck that you really can't get it out, you're ready for that new toilet. In any case, you need a new wax ring seal. If you manage to dislodge "whatever" you're good to reinstall the original.

Remember to remove what you have plugged the pipe with BEFORE you set the toilet in place on the new wax ring seal.


Can I cut a piece of newel post base sticking out of slanted ceiling? We have recently bought our new house. It has two floors, and in the living room there is a small section of slanted ceiling below the staircase. In that section, there is a square piece that sticks out, which seems to be the base of the newel post (I think this is the right name?) in the second floor (made of wood). See the picture:

My question is, can I just cut that piece? I suppose I would put plaster and paint over after. As far as I can tell, that cannot possibly be holding anything, so I don't see why I shouldn't. However, maybe there are good reasons not to, like maybe all the wood would start to fall apart if I try or something. I don't know if this is something that happens in other houses and there is a logic to it or if the builders were just "too lazy" to give it a good finish. In case it matters, it's a British house built about 1990. Here is also a picture of the post in the second floor:

I would not. It was probably left long like that because the attachments (bolts, screws, nails) are right where the slant is, so if you cut off the tail piece, those fasteners are now too close to the end of the wood and will break out.

I would just create a larger box around that post end, going all the way across to the wall, so that it just looks neater.


Will the shiny and scratched appearance after sanding between coats go away after applying another coat of polyurethane? I have a table that has a veneer inlay that my grandkids put huge scratches in.  I decided to sand it and coat it with polyurethane. Long story short, I even ended up adding stain.  The sanding block made it look horrible (scratches) but when I put the first coat of poly it looked fine.

I sanded with 220 to put another coat of poly on, however 2 things happened.
1.  The can said 4 hours between coats and to sand but it seemed like it was still a little tacky and I sanded anyway.
2.  Now that I have sanded it looks horrible (worse than before the first coat of Poly) it looks like a huge scratch mess.

My Questions:
1.  Will the scratched look go away again after I spray it with poly again? or should I sand it with a finer sanding block before I recoat it?  I guess the worst thing that can happen is that I will have to start all over...If it does look okay after I apply poly again, what should I do after the last coat for any bumps?

The drying times on the can are usually very optimistic in my experience. They sometimes state the drying conditions the times are intended for, like 78 ºF and <20% humidity. If you are colder and/or more humid you will have to wait longer.

Definitely do not sand if the finish is tacky. There's no harm in giving it extra time to dry.

At this point I would wait for the finish to really dry, then sand it again until it is smooth. You may have to take off some/most of the first coat of poly to get a smooth surface. Do NOT just spray another coat onto a sticky, bumpy mess. It will just be preserved like that.

Polyurethane won't smooth out any bumps, that's what the sanding is for. The surface will get more lustrous but it won't get any smoother. If you've prepped the surface well and removed all dust, there won't be any bumps at the end.


Insulating Existing Walls with Lathe & Plaster, Wood Siding, and Stucco I'm working on an old studio (single-family, one-storey, with minimal crawlspace and an attic), which currently has no added insulation. As-is, the estimated heat loss is 12.5kBTU/hr (for a 30°F temperature differential), which is a bit insane for a 300 sq. ft. space. Factoring in attic insulation (at R-15), it still only gets around 10kBTU/hr. The biggest source of heat loss is in the walls (after the attic gets insulated), so I am wondering how to go about insulating them, since they already exist and are nearly 100 years old.

Things worth mentioning:

The walls are lathe & plaster
There are fire braces about halfway up each wall between each pair of studs
The exterior was originally wood siding (no house wrap moisture barrier, of course)
There is now ~1-2" of stucco on the exterior, on top of the wood siding

It turns out the stucco really helps keep the place cool in the summer by rejecting heat ingress, but due to the high air turnover rate, this means that the house stays generally cooler than ambient in the winter too.

I'd really like to hear some ideas on how to get my walls insulated. Getting them to ~R-10 overall would go a long way to reducing my maximum heat loss.

To me, a moisture barrier is on the exterior of the building and a vapor barrier is on the interior of the building. Vapor barriers should not have a perm rating of 1 or less because trapped vapor in the stud space needs a way to escape back towards the heated side (or air conditioned side in the summer.) Moisture barriers should have a perm rating much better (lower number). Moisture from inside the building will migrate towards the exterior. After you install wall insulation, moisture will turn from vapor to water at the dew point and end up in the wall cavity. That's why it is important to completely fill the wall cavity, giving less air (vapor) to turn to water.

So, on the interior face of the wall, it's ok not to have a vapor barrier, because any moisture that does get in the wall will need a way to escape. On the exterior side of the wall a moisture barrier is a must, because you want to keep water out. (this isn't just a little vapor trying to enter the wall.)

The exterior stucco could be an EFIS System if it's 2" thick and it should have a vapor barrier. If it's stucco, then it should have a vapor barrier too, but needs to be verified. (Probably 2 layers of building paper.) if the "exterior stucco" you call it is helping keep your house cool in the summer, then it's probably EFIS because it has a layer of insulation board in the system.

I don't think you can use anything other than foam insulation in the wall, because you need to make the insulation go "up" due to the diagonal bracing. However, remember the entire stud space must be filled. You'll need to drill holes at the top and bottom of the wall due to the diagonal bracing, which brings me to the most difficult issue: drilling through the stucco or EFIS system.

Patching stucco or EFIS is difficult. Stucco probably has a metal fabric layer that will be difficult to cut through without ripping the stucco apart. Stucco and EFIS should be patched by a professional. If you mess up patching these systems it will leak and you'll have a mess. Don't try it yourself.

The plaster in the lathe and plaster system may have asbestos. You can get a kit and send a sample off for testing. If positive, be sure to protect you and your helpers. (By the way the asbestos fibers will linger for days and land on everything in the room. Clean up involves cleaning everything. Use plastic drop cloths and toss when done. Asbestos companies use fans in windows to create a negative air pressure so you're not blowing asbestos around the neighborhood. ) I recommend a licensed abatement company if you have much to remove. Plaster can be patched, but you may develop cracks again. I'd add a layer of 1/2" gypsum board if the studs are 16" oc.

By the way, don't forget to vent the attic when you add attic insulation.


Does code require that you use only breaker brands explicitly listed on the breaker box, or are "compatible" breakers compliant? To be clear, there's another version of this question of, "If some random off-brand breaker fits, is it acceptable?" We already know the answer is no to that.

As an example, the Westinghouse breaker panel lists 2 acceptable breaker brands: 1) Westinghouse, 2) Bryant.

Eaton states in it's description / specs, that it is listed as a compatible breaker to Westinghouse brand.

The question here is that if a breaker brand, like Eaton, formally states that it's compatible with Westinghouse, then is it ok to substitute breaker brands not explicitly listed (on the breaker panel) as acceptable?

At least in the US, The governing authority on this matter is the Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs), such as UL.  The breaker panel itself is UL Listed to work with the breakers on its label.  However, other brands can make compatible breakers and submit them to UL testing to ensure they work safely, and then these breakers become UL Classified for use with that panel, and are legal to use.  Eaton's CL (CLassified) line is one example of this -- Eaton formally stating they're compatible means nothing, what matters is that UL stated that they're compatible based on their independent testing.


Can I Take off from top and side of a trunk line under same bay? Could you please help me.
There is an article about 2 foot rule of take off.
https://hvactoday.com/0719-two-foot-rule/
In my case, There is already an existing take off from the top , can i directly have another take off from the side of trunk in same bay ? I don't have other option.
The below picture is source from above site and I edited the picture to show my requirement ?
I can move the new take off to one bay left and right . but it doesn't fall under 2 foot rule. so I am not sure if directly across and my requirement are similar.

thanks!

I think that should be fine, because the issue with the spacing has to do with static air pressure and flow right after a reduction in cross-section or right after a tap-off. I don't think the relative orientation of the tap-offs matters (opposing 180deg vs. 90 deg).


How to wire multiple thermostats I would like to have two thermostats controlling a single furnace. However I'm not 100% sure how I would need to wire everything to achieve the correct effect.

Assuming a thermostat simply acts like an on/off switch, I think that I could run another set of wires in parallel to the existing ones. I believe the current thermostat simply uses two wires. Would this work? Are there considerations as to the type of furnace or thermostat?

I'd add the second thermostat in the basement and normally keep it at a low temperature unless I'm in the room. As it is now with the thermostat upstairs, it's very difficult to keep a consistent temperature below.

I don't want to move the upstairs thermostat because if I'm not in the basement I don't care how cold it gets and the upstairs would become inconsistent.

I'm going to go ahead and say that YES, you can do as you propose, wiring the two thermostats in parallel.

While, as others have correctly pointed out, this will not let you achieve temperature control in both the upstairs and downstairs simultaneously, I'm going to take you at your word that you simply do not want it to be uncomfortably cold in the basement when occupying the basement, and infer that you don't care what happens upstairs during those times.

In this case, go for it--install the second thermostat.

The upstairs area of the house will in fact be over-heated when you use this basement thermostat, but you may still consider the result to be an improvement over the current situation. Just remember to reset the basement thermostat to cooler temperature before you leave to go back upstairs or you will find yourself having to make the trip back down later.

The "correct" way to solve the problem is to split your system into two zones, which requires installing baffles/valves on your heating ducts/pipes, which would allow independent control of upstairs and downstairs.

If you are using traditional thermostats, then adding a thermostat in parallel will change the heat anticipator function in both of them. This is a function that reduces furnace run times to improve temperature stability. If both are always connected, lower the HA settings in each to fix.


Removal of toilet flange in bathroom remodel with subfloor replacement and tile installation I had a leaking bottom seal for my first floor half bath toilet, buckling linoleum tiles. I took up the linoleum and 0.7 in composite board that sits on the primary subfloor.

As part of this renovation I used an oscillating saw to cut away the upper portion of the toilet flange from the 3"PVC pipe. I now have the female portion of the flange to contend with in replacing the flange.

I've tried a little using a chisel to remove outer portion of the flange, but it's slow going and I haven't made any real progress.

Is it easier to just cut the PVC from below and use a female-female coupler?

Additionally, what kind of saw should I use? I assume the cut should be pretty straight and without void space.

cut the closet elbow off then use a coupler to add the new elbow and flange


Shock on every metal part of the apartment The main breaker in the electrical room for an apartment Is off. Not power into the panel breaker. When the people touch metal knob door or other metal part  into the apartment , even  the contact with corners of the walls  cause a zip (shock) .that zip disappear after the first contact and then suddenly happen again.
What could be the cause when everything Is disconnected from electrical room.? Also a test disconnecting the power and the  neutral wire that feed that apartment was made and still shock occur.
None of the other units beside that apartment feel that shock.

This sounds like a rather...static-y problem

Because the shocks take time to come back after they happen (instead of happening repeatedly every time you touch metal), this is most likely an issue with static electricity buildup, which can be due to a variety of factors, such as clothing and building materials used, ambient relative humidity, and such.  It's not a sign of electrical trouble, at least, though!


Why do the rotating brushes on my Hoover vacuum only work when it's in the upright position? I have the blue Hoover pet cyclonic vacuum.  It worked fine for a few months, but now when I push the foot lever to lower the handle when I vacuum, the brushes stop spinning on any carpet level setting.  Once the vacuum is locked into an upright position, they spin perfectly.

Why is this happening and how can I fix this?

Make sure this is a bug, and not a feature
When the vacuum is in the upright position, the agitator should not rotate.  When the handle is lowered the agitator should be engaged, however, some models offer a manual agitator shut off feature.  Make sure if your model has this feature, it is not turned on.

Check the hose
Next ensure that when you lower the handle, the attachment hose is not becoming dislodged.  On some vacuums if the hose is removed, the lower portion of the vacuum disengages.
Check the belts
If one of the belts becomes worn or stretched, the agitator may spin fine until it comes under load. Once the agitator meets resistance, the belt slips, and the agitator stops spinning. Consult the user manual on how to check and replace belts in your particular model.

Image source: Pet Cyclonic Bagless Upright Owners Manual.


Can I vent room air to the outside? The building interior gets hot during the day and stays hot during the evening when it is much cooler outside. It would be a really great option to simply vent the hot air outside instead of having to turn the air-conditioner on.

I'm looking for a more structural and long-term solution than just opening a window and propping a fan right next to it, something like a decent-sized exhaust vent to the outside with a switch-activated fan attached would be a good solution.

Is this something that has already been done and are there existing products or plans that can be referenced?

Found the answer to my own question, this seems like a great solution:

http://energy.gov/energysaver/cooling-whole-house-fan


I lost power to half my house Last night, my kids woke me to tell me that power was out to half my house. This has happened a couple times in the past and we found that all of the neutral wires were loose in the electrical panel. I expected to find this again but everything was tight.

Several months back, I had problems in my kitchen (2 circuits). I locked the breaker out and eventually dropped the lead from the breaker.

I changed all of my breakers, including the main, this morning because these were the original ones in the house from 1984. Prior to changing breakers, I checked the voltage on all breakers, including the breaker that I dropped the lead to (it was off, by the way) and on this one breaker that was off I had 220 volts across it.

My question is this, would that breaker cause all of my issues or is it something more? I know this is an odd question. I'm trying to make it through the holidays and then I'm going to hire an electrician to rewire my house.

If you replaced your breakers on an older home and did not upgrade the wiring leading to each outlet as well as the outlet...you have issues.  These breakers are designed for ground wires and older homes have a grounded box only. And in many cases an older home has copper wiring where as newer breakers are designed for aluminum.  So a few checks need to happen...no aluminum to copper outlets.  No copper outlets to aluminum wiring,  And no aluminum wiring to copper breakers...and visa versa.  Copper and aluminum will cause trips and fires if used together.  And a breaker designed for continuous ground placed in a home with no continuous ground will also trip and kill you and your family.  Hire a qualified electrician as you are putting your family in serious jeopardy!  Cities have regulations on electricity because homeowners are NOT QUALIFIED!


Why does my gas water heater's pilot light go out when I replace the outer door? I have a 9 year old Bradford White gas water heater, model MI403S6FBN4. The pilot light went out today, and when I went to re-light it, it stays lit while the pilot button is held down, and it stays lit after I turn the switch to the ON position. However, it goes out immediately when I replace the outer door (which covers the viewing window). The metal of the door seems to be tripping what is, according to the online manual, the "Nat. Gas Resettable Thermal Switch". I've read a bit online and this seems to be a safety device, so I've turned the gas off to the water heater and left it unlit, but what causes that switch to trip, and what needs to be done to fix the issue? Or does the switch just need to be replaced?

My furnace is also gas and also has a safety device to snuff the pilot light in case it detects gas outside the combustion chamber, but it hasn't tripped. I called the gas company, they came out and didn't detect any gas in the air (I thought I smelled it but it was actually some urethane smell or something), so it wasn't the presence of gas that was causing it.

Thermal switches (depending on models) can be really tricky.  If yours is really causing the problem I would suggest replacing it.  However, before replacing the switch, ensure you have proper airflow into the combustion area. (Not much stacked around unit, any insulation properly installed, etc.)  This really sounds like more of an air flow issue.


How do I fix a broken tile? I broke a tile and am trying to work out how I can fix it. Any ideas?

The tile broke because it was not supported, that is the hard part for you to fix. Remove the broken piece, and see if there is simply a gap underneath, or if there is no pad/foundation at all to build on. If there is nothing but dirt or air underneath, then you need mortar and and enough of a base that it ties into the existing pad and is also below the frost line. This will be hard to do properly without removing additional tiles. If there is just a gap and there is something directly below to support it, and if the gap is small enough, I would use a two part epoxy to repair. I know some brands in the dual tube packages say they work for masonry on the label, and I have used them in the past for similar repairs. Epoxy is stable, resilient, and thin enough that you wont hardly notice the crack. If you get freezing winters in your area make sure there is no place for water to get in and freeze or it will only break again.


Is it more efficient to only run a dehumidifier when I'm at home? imagine that the reduction of energy consumption is the main goal. Is it more efficient to leave the dehumidifier to work over a longer period of time to keep the specific set point or it is more efficient to turn the dehumidifier completely off and turn it on to reach the set point only when it is needed.

as an example we are away from home, if the ideal set point is RH% equal to 50%, and the ambient has the potential to increase the RH% to 80%, is it better that the dehumidifier works continuously to keep this 50%? or turn it on when we arrive home which probably the RH is 80% and it should work to reach 50%.

thank you!

This is a really common question, that applies to many things: heat, air conditioning, dehumidifiers, lighting and even PCs.

"Isn't it better to just leave the machine running continuously?  The energy costs of restarting it must be enormous, surely they must be more than the costs of leaving it running."

Almost universally, the answer is nope.  "Leave it running" is just an excuse/rationalization.  What's really true is you want the facility to be already comfortable when you return, but you are bothered by the "guilt" of leaving equipment running unnecessarily.  So you find a way to "believe" you are doing the right thing.   It's a convenient untruth.

WHY?   Consider: when you turn off the heat/cool/dehumidify, it has a "ramp" period where the house gets worse.  Then it has an "equilibrium" period where the house has hit bottom, and doesn't get any worse.  Then another "ramp" period when you start the machine back up, to bring it to your preferred level.

First, let's look at those ramp periods.  Surely they cancel each other out, yes?  Not quite.  Actually, A/C and dehumidifiers work more efficiently when conditions are worse. That's readily obvious on a dehumidifer; it's much easier for the unit to get from 80% to 70% than it is to get from 50% to 40%. An A/C coil also has a much easier time cooling air from 100 to 90 than from 78 to 68.  Heat transfers more easily when temperature differentials are higher.

Second, for that same reason, insulation works better when there's less temperature differential across it.  The houses loses much less "cool" at 90 than it does at 70.

Third, that equilibrium period is absolutely free.   The house doesn't get any worse, even though you aren't paying to run the machine.

So go ahead and shut it off if you don't need it.   If you are annoyed having to suffer through the down-ramp period, then consider a Nest style thermostat or other "smart home" type automation that lets you turn it on via a timer, or auto-learning process, or remotely with your phone.


How can I fix a framing mistake so I can drywall? I’m demoing a kitchen  and discovered that the top plate sticks into the room a half inch farther than the studs. The current drywall is attached to the studs and therefore is even with this top plate which leaves the problem of how to drywall the seam where the wall meets the ceiling properly.

Option one is to leave the current drywall and  drywall over it including the top plate.

Option two is to remove the current drywall and reframe the wall so it is even with the top plate.

Which is better and why? Other options?

Leave a gap and use a cornice(crown) molding to cover it.


240V power plug, only getting 120v, and 97v? This is the plug/socket:

Between one line and neutral, I get 120v. Between the other line and neutral, I get nothing. However, when I go between the line and the line, I get 97 volts. (I'm testing this at the end of a wire hooked to my drier, the prongs on my multimeter won't go that deep.)

Also, this is my multimeter and I tried on the 200 and 600 range on the top left quadrant of the circle. I am also in the last 2 ports (left to right).

Edit: I did check continuity between the prongs and the ends of the wires, everything checks out.

You have one open hot leg. You are getting the 97 volts because you are checking from a live hot to one with a load on it and you are reading through the load, which is why you are getting a weird reading.


How do I disinfect a shopvac after possible contamination with hantavirus and other rodent diseases? A family member accidentaly vacuumed up some mouse droppings, and I was wondering what I should do with the vacuum to prevent the spreading of Hanta virus and similar nasties. It's a shop vacuum with a HEPA filter, and I have already changed the dust bag and the normal air filter. Should I also change the HEPA filter, or is that more than what's needed?

From the Illinois Department of Public Health

  The hantavirus is destroyed by detergents and readily available
  disinfectants such as diluted household bleach or products containing
  phenol (e.g., Lysol®). Choose an agent that is compatible with the
  item, object or area to be cleaned and disinfected.


What's the reason to sand after priming? I'm painting my kitchen after some hired help put up drywall and skim coated. They sanded the wall, I cleaned up and wiped the walls clean of dust.

My contractor said that I should prime, sand with 100 grit before I paint.

What is the reason and benefit of sanding after priming?

My father-in-law does cabinetry and explained it to me like this:

When you paint, the paint has to have something to hold on to. So, for instance, if you just slapped latex paint over old lacquer, it likely wouldn't hold very well, if at all. Primer helps by bonding to the old surface and being bondable to the paint.

Sanding cuts holes into the surface. It increases the primed area for the paint to hold on to and improves the bonding. I can speak from experience when I say it really does help.

100 grit is a bit much tho. I would suggest something more like 220 (most sanding blocks come around this grit). 100 would be if I were priming something else. For instance, I had an old bed frame that was just stained and lacquered. I sanded it with 150, primed, sanded 220 and then painted a final coat. It was very nice after I finished.


Is it against code to have the thermostatic valve outside the wall? We're doing a bathroom renovation and I'd like to install a Grohe brand thermostatic valve instead of the "giant circle with a spout" typical in American bathrooms.

This product has anti-scalding features required by code (you control the temperature by adjusting the lever on the left). The lever on the right is for the diverter.
To install this, we'll rough-in two pipes, a hot and cold. This means that unlike installing a Moen valve, the valve will exist outside the wall.
Product data also has this:

Applicable Codes & Standards:
• Energy Policy Act of 1992
• ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.1
• ICC/ANSI A117.1

Do you fellas think an inspector will have a problem with this? I'm in WA. Many thanks

The only way I can see it would be a code issue is that the anti-scald valve is in a unit which could be easily switched out without having to demo the wall. However, I really can't imagine that the code enforcement would limit us all because some very few people would get around the code by installing an expensive valve and then swapping it out after inspection. And presumably all valves on the market which would fit this rough-in do have anti-scald controls.

In my part of the US there is (or was) resistance to mandates on the anti-scald shower valves. So the plumbing inspection procedure had to be changed--they wouldn't issue the final plumbing approval until the wall was tiled.
Plumbers were roughing in one valve then replacing it with the older style before the wall was tiled. But one plumber told me that the renegades would then just demo the wall after final inspection and put in non approved valves. Some people are really determined to have their own way.


Any chance a studded wall is a supporting wall? I'm taking out a wall between two bedrooms to make it into one. This is a studded wall that was the back of the closet in one of the bedrooms and the wall in the other.

This is underneath a flat roof single story. This is the ground floor with a basement below and the flat roof above.

Is there any chance that these studs are supporting the roof?

The home is 40 ft long by 20 ft wide a rectangle in shape.

Thanks for any help!

Yes, there is a chance that the wall could be a bearing wall.

You can determine if it’s a bearing wall by verifying if 1) the wall is near the middle of the house, 2) has roof joists resting on it, 3) has a beam or concrete footing under it, 4) has plywood, OSB board or double gypsum board on either side of the wall.

1) If the wall is near the middle of the house there is a strong likelihood that it is a bearing wall. Because you mentioned that your roof is flat, there is a strong likelihood that roof trusses that span the entire width of the house were not used, but you’ll need to verify the other items I’ve listed.

2) You’ll need to look in the attic to see if any joists rest on the wall. (Flat roofs will probably rest at mid-span across the roof.)

3) If you can’t get in the attic, you may be able to get in the crawl space and see a beam or concrete footing under the wall. If so, that is a strong indication that it’s a bearing wall.

4) If you live in a high wind area or a seismically active area, the wall may provide lateral bracing. If plywood, OSB board or 2 layers of gypsum board on either side of the wall, then the wall could be a structural wall. (The wall would need to extend up to the roof to be structural.)


Can you replace valve stem packing without shutting off the faucet? The main shutoff to my house is a 3/4" FIP, that's leaking out the valve stem... the last several times turned on and off, it has 're-sealed' itself with lime and calcium deposits, but not this time, getting 1-2 drops a second.
Since I've got nothing upstream, can I replace the packing with pressure on?  I could minimize pressure by opening up all my faucets during the repair.

This a common problem with old multi-turn valves. The first thing to try is to tighten the packing nut on the shut-off shaft. Sometimes this will compress the packing enough to stop the leak.

Trying to fix this packing while the water is on is very risky. Even with all the water outlets in the house turned on, you will still be seeing 50 to 70 PSI coming in from the street. You are going to see huge amounts of water coming out of the valve body, and if the new packing or cartridge doesn't go in quick and accurately, you have a potential disaster on your hands.  I would recommend that you call the water company, schedule a street turn off and replace the valve with a 1/4 turn stainless steel ball valve. The swap over only takes a few minutes, and the water company can either wait or come back later in the day to turn the water back on.


Where are the fuses in my Kenmore dryer, and how do I access them? I have a Kenmore HE3 electric clothe dryer. The problem is that it has no heat even its drum is turning. (I set the temperature at high).

The owner manual says it may have a fuse blown.

Is the fuse inside the front panel with all the electronic components or at the back? I don't even know how to take out the front panel.

Try inspecting the heating element, it could have a break in it somewhere.


Garage surface conduit feed an outdoor outlet I have an attached drywalled garage w/ a subpanel that feeds several outlets in the garage.  All wiring is in surface mount PVC conduit using THHN wiring, and all are serviced via GFCI breakers.  I want to install an outdoor outlet / in-use box on a wall about 10' from where one of the outlets is.  What is the code requirement for getting from a surface mount box inside the garage to a box mounted outside?  Can I just run conduit & THHN wiring from the existing surface box to a conduit body that punches into the wall, and run THHN wiring from out of the conduit body and into the outdoor box?  This would mean there would be a small length where the THHN wiring was "exposed" ( in the wall between the conduit body and the box).  Is this OK, or is there a better way?

THHN must be entirely contained within conduit...
Your approach won't work because NEC 310.10 requires that you use insulated conductors as part of a Chapter 3 wiring method, instead of standing on their own.
but, you can use a stub length of conduit from the body to the box
However, outdoor-rated boxes generally have hubs built into them that accept conduits of an appropriate size.  As a result, you can fit a stub length of PVC conduit (often called a "nipple") between the conduit body and the box, provided you're using a plastic weatherproof box.  (These are often called "FS" or "FD" boxes.)


What should I do with the extra grounding wire in my ceiling fan box? I am installing a Hampton Bay Ceiling Fan that has a transmitter install for the remote.  I have a green ground and a bare copper ground coming from my ceiling box.  I have a green ground coming from the ceiling fan motor.  The instructions say to connect the two green ground wires (the ceiling box ground and the ceiling fan motor ground) with an electric connecter.  I understand that, however, I am not sure what to do with the copper ground wire out of my ceiling box.  Can I curve the top and attach it to the ground screw on the fan mounting bracket? Do I connect it with the other two green ground wires and make it a party of three?  The rest of the instructions are self explanatory but I want to make this install safe.  Need to make sure I have done the right thing with the grounding wires. The fans are fine if I only want the fan motion, however, using this transmitter with the remote would also provide a light option.

The bare copper wire and any green insulated wires are meant to be connected together, making it a "party of three" as you stated in your question. That said there is another consideration to take into account as well. These safety ground wires are also meant to be connected to a common ground point of the electrical box as well.

If one of these wires (green or bare copper) coming out of your box already attaches to a safety ground point in the box then you have no more to do than the "party of three" connections.

If neither of these two wires are connected to the electrical box safety ground then it will be necessary to add an additional pigtail green or bare copper wire to the box safety ground and join it with the other three making a "party of four" connection.


Question about wiring multiple lights in parallel as well a multiple lights in a parallel 3 way Images from electrical-online.com
Is the following diagram of multiple lights in parallel valid?
There were some people who claimed it didn't work (they claimed their flow followed the diagram, but who is to know) while another just said it wasn't right.

Also, is the following diagram of multiple lights in a parallel 3-way valid?

I have an electrical book somewhere, but I stumbled onto this site and thought someone might be able to educate me, or at least validate or invalidate the diagrams and hopefully help me and others.
It makes sense to me, but I am only an amateur at wiring.
If no one can answer, I will just test the concept with a scale model of the configuration.

The first diagram used to be valid, but hasn't been any good for a decade now
Back in the olden days, the first diagram used to be a perfectly cromulent way to wire a set of lights to a single switch with power coming in at a light and a downline always-hot provided for receptacles.  However, the 2011 NEC added a requirement for neutral to be provided at all switch locations, so that lighting control gizmos could power themselves without causing annoying malfunctions, such as flickering or dimly glowing LED loads, or naughtily trickling operating currents onto the equipment grounding system for that matter.
As a result, assuming that we're dealing with a 15A circuit, the 14/2 going down to the switch in that diagram needs to be replaced with a 14/3, with the black wire carrying always-hot down from the incoming feed to the switch, the red wire carrying switched-hot back up from the switch to the lights, and the white wire tied to the incoming feed's neutral, but left capped off at the switch location for future use.
The second diagram, though, never was Code compliant
While the second diagram isn't impacted by the 2011 NEC changes to require neutrals at switch locations since there is a neutral available at the left-hand switch as a function of power coming in there, it wasn't ever Code compliant to begin with, even though it works.  Why? Well, in order to figure that out, we need to understand a thing or two.
Most people think of electricity in terms of DC, where magnetic fields are a non-factor and wires can be run any way you wish (such as in a car) without causing interference with other wires.  However, that no longer holds when we start talking about mains electricity since it's AC, not DC.  In particular, any loop of wiring with AC flowing through it has a varying magnetic field inside that loop.  This magnetic field can be quite useful, as it's what allows us to have handy-dandy electromagnetic gadgets like motors that work readily, and also allows us to build transformers to step AC up and down.
However, it comes with downsides as well; in particular, if you put a wire carrying AC power out to a load some distance from its corresponding neutral that returns power from that load back to the utility, you now have a time-varying magnetic field inside your wall.  Since putting an iron object in a magnetic field induces current into that iron object, and iron isn't a great conductor of electricity, any iron object that is in that time-varying magnetic field heats up.  This is wonderful when it's happening to a pan on your induction cooker, and very bad if it's happening to say, a nail inside your wall.
As a result of this, NEC 300.3(B) and 310.10(H) effectively prohibit splitting a wiring path between cables, as was done in the second diagram with the two 14/2 cables between the light fixtures.  Instead, you need to combine those two runs using a single 14/4 cable or 5 14AWG wires in a 1/2" ENT ("smurf tube").  This way, all the magnetic fields are contained within the cable sheath or conduit, so they won't leak out to the point of heating up nails in your walls.


Do TRIAC dimmers "wear out"? I have a 3-bulb fixture on a 3yo dimmer.  It seems -- and this is really impossible to prove -- that the buzzing/singing of the dimmed bulbs has gotten worse over time.  It doesn't really make sense to me that the circuitry would get worse over time though I suppose the heat dissipated by the power components could make them operate more poorly.  Before I replace the dimmer just to see if a new one makes the bulbs sing less, I thought I'd ask if any one could support or refute the idea that old dimmers make bulbs noisier.

TRIACs do tend to wear out.  As they age, the waveform becomes more jagged.  Here is what a good TRIAC should do to the waveform when 50% dimmed:

Here is what a failing TRIAC might look like:

(That is actually the current of a CFL:  I couldn't find a failing TRIAC waveform.)

If it is failing, TRIACs seem to fail pretty quickly and enter an intermediate poorly-performing state for only a few hours or days.

You could unscrew one or two bulbs in the fixture and see if that improves the situation to isolate whether it is the bulbs or the dimmer.

For more details about dimmers, see this.


Can I use the old and not used anymore furnace chimney to vent out my basement? My chimney is not used anymore.
Would it be possible or recommended to use it to vent the basement ?
I would clean it and install a fan at the basement end.

thanks

Yes you can. You don't have to clean it & seal the fireplace up or was non-existent. Meaning, the chimney was just for a basement gas appliance or fixture. Natural convection will do it's thing, but a little fan won't hurt, small bath sized exhaust fan 50CFM.


Porcelain toilet on porcelain tile? Should my porcelain toilet sit directly on the porcelain tile I am installing?  Or should I use a cushion of some sort?

In our house the toilets are directly on the porcelain tile with no pad. One toilet rocked and required plastic wedges to stop the rocking. These wedges are made specifically for toilets.


What is the best way to anchor a swing set for high usage by rambunctious children? At an organization where people take their children, I recently noticed that the swing-set was in poor condition, and being used hard by the children there.  The entire apparatus would shake and sway and also was leaning in a direction as though it would fall over.   I alerted the authorities of said organization, and they have removed the swings and locked the necessary doors to prevent access to it.

The organization wishes to repair or rebuild the swing set, but on the whole and given the rambunctiousness of the children I for one am uncertain how to proceed, though they await my suggestion and or action to correct the problem.

Metal and concrete sound the best, but there is still the issue of anchoring the swing set in place, and as I recall this is not a small matter as I had a swing set when I was a kid and due to lack of sufficient anchoring, my father took it down, never having found a solution to the anchoring issue.

A possible solution would be to drive stakes into the ground at the legs, once the stakes are secure enough, screw the leg of the swing set securely to the stake.


hardwiring lights to a 20 amp circuit I have a 20 amp circuit running in my barn.  I wish to hook 3 or 4 fluorescent lights to the circuit if i can.  Each of the lights has a much smaller wire to connect to.  Can i put in a junction box and use a wire nut to connect the lights to the 12 guage wire and still use a 20 amp circuit breaker?

There should be no problem doing what you want to do. These smaller wires are called "fixture wires". They're allowed to be smaller than the rest of the wiring on the circuit, because the manufacturer knows the device will consume less current than the wires can handle.


Is channel in basement standard design? Determined this is a 4 inch slab on top of original slab.  Possibly with internal drainage channels from center of basement to edge, where it runs to pictured channel and sump pump.

House has channel all around basement leading to sump pump. Walls are drylocked.  1st course is poorly drylocked.  Is this a standard and reasonable design?  Alternately, was the design reasonable as implemented but now with apparent increased water flow, needs reconsidering?

I don’t like getting rid of moisture once it’s inside the house. I like keeping all the moisture on the outside of the house.

I see there is at least one crack in the concrete block wall (in the mortar joint), which will allow moisture in the house.

Water flows in the direction of least resistance. A channel design assumes moisture will enter the house and then “flow” in the channel to a sump pump. That allows standing water that can start mold, etc.

Moisture is either coming up from below (a rising water table) or its coming from the surrounding ground water in the saturated soil.

If it comes up from a rising water table, it will enter the living space from below through the crack between the foundation wall and slab.

If it comes from the surrounding ground water, it COULD enter the living space through the wall, especially if the EXTERIOR side of the foundation wall is not sealed properly.
Either way the moisture enters the living space it will need to be collected and disposed. I think the best way to collect it is on the exterior side of the foundation wall in drainrock and a perf pipe laid 6”-8” below the interior basement slab.

To keep the subsurface water from seeping through the wall, I recommend installing a moisture barrier on the exterior side of the foundation wall and install a 2” thick plastic mesh on the wall to allow water to flow down to the perfect pipe. If dirt is allowed to be backfilled against the wall, the dirt could hold the moisture giving it a chance to seep through the wall.

Once collected it needs to be disposed by extending a solid pipe over an embankment or in a collection well and pumped away.

This may be the most expensive method of solving the problem, but it’s sure to work.


Re-do paint over plaster in bathroom: How to feather/match? I want to understand what went wrong, and how to repair it:

This bathroom in a loft was done in 2012. The plasterwork is really good --- smooth and shiny; but the last year or so the paint (Dulux Trade, 2-3coats) has been peeling off. It has all been done by builders that have wrecked a series of things, so it hardly surprises me [their plastering subcontractor was great].

This is how much I can easily remove with a flat 4inch scraping blade, it peeled in large smooth flaps getting smaller and more brittle towards the edge.

I guess it should have been Bathroom paint, but I know they first did a 'mist coat'. So how do I match the white & chocolate areas? Should I scrape a straight edge with a knife or so all around the peeling area and then scrape all paint off up to that line (so the patch is a rectangle or near enough)? Or just remove the 'island' (caused by a repair, as they put the ventilator there originally).

Should I sand down the sharp edges now, then re-paint 2-3layers, then sand down the transition again, and then give the whole room a layer?

I suspect the paint higher up where the ceiling flattens off is also loose (because the same surfaces and products, and the hot moist air pools up there around ineffective ventilator).

Looking at the other 'peeling paint' questions, this is a much higher-moisture situation. And I'm guessing PVA-sealing doesn't do anything, because of the high PVA content of the plaster (UK standard practice) or does it still?

Here's how you get paint to stick to things.

Scuff-sand.

Paint cannot bond to a shiny surface; don't take my word on it, try to paint a mirror and see what happens.

Paint wants to see a surface that looks like Swiss Alps on a microscopic level - lots of jaggies and crevasses for paint to flow into and bond in shear.  To human eyes, that doesn't look like anything more than a loss of gloss.

But this requires a "scuff-sand"; my favorite tool for that is a green Scotch-Brite pad.  If you've ever gone to town with that on pots and pans, you know you can easily lift the shine off the pot.

So we're not trying to sand to level a surface; just to give it a microscopic roughness. Try around edges not to "blow through" an existing coating layer; that's not the goal.

Without the scuff-sand, you are painting a mirror, and the new coat will bond poorly. *This is particularly a problem where gloss paint is used, e.g. bathrooms.  Satin/flat paint typically forms a roughened surface (to achieve the satin look) and that it easier to bond to (but I'd still scuff-sand it).

Everyone is looking for "scuff sand in a can".  I am aware of many products which make that claim, but none I believe.  We certainly don't want any residue that could become the second threat:

Remove contaminants.

That requires a washdown; typically with whatever removes contaminants, e.g. soap and water.  I also like to do one last 2-cloth wipedown with the actual solvent of the paint (e.g. water for latex), the 2-cloth makes sure you are lifting the contaminants away, not just smearing it around.

Contaminants prevent the paint from bonding by sitting as a film between old and new paint.  Adding a layer that has no bonding strength to either the old substrate or the new paint.  So it's gotta be gone.

Sometimes the substrate is a contaminant, like trying to paint a 2-part LPU over, well, almost anything :)  In that case you need to use an appropriate primer as a barrier coat; the primer has different chemistry and is able to bond to both the substrate and the topcoat.  There are many other reasons to use primer, but that is one of them.

Anyway, your predecessor did none of the above.  Typical.

Any 2 layers that aren't bonding well will fail your entire paint job.

I have a machine where the original primer is separating from the substrate (because it was primed over mill scale).  Separately, the original topcoat is separating from the second painting's primer (poor prep in an oily shop).  Of course, it's not failing all at the same time, but in blotches.  There is simply no saving this.  No paint job can expect to perform well on top of a substrate that is failing.

Again, everyone is looking for a product in a can that will magically fix this, and they're not looking for paint stripper :)  Unfortunately that's the only one.

The answer for good long-term performance is "it's all gotta go".  This is the problem with letting monkeys paint your house, or applying products of poor provenance. You pay dearly for the mistake.

Fortunately, latex paints are easily removed with comparatively mild paint strippers, so you're not having to go crazy with Aircraft Remover as you must with alkyds or LPUs.


Transition PVC outdoor conduit to EMT Code jurisdiction: USA, current NEC and IBC with no addendums or modifications relevant to residential construction.

I am wiring up an outbuilding to the house and using 1" PCV conduit for the exterior run, buried 18". I would like to use EMT on the inside to join with existing wiring. Interior is exposed in both buildings and will not be covered by drywall or anything else. Wires will be #12 THWN.

How do I join the two types of conduit correctly?

Here is what I was thinking:

On the outside, a 1" PVC conduit body in this configuration:

On the inside, a deep EMT junction box with a hole cut out in its "bottom," the side opposite the cover. If I cannot find one with a hole large enough, I would punch one out.
Use a hole saw to cut a round hole through the exterior walls of both structures. The conduit body and EMT junction box would sit on either side of the hole, with caulk on the outside to prevent water ingress to the building.
There needs to be a short piece of something between the two boxes, inside the wall, to protect the wires. This is where I am stumped. What goes between the boxes to protect the wires that is code-compliant? Clearly, some type of conduit, even if only a few inches long. However, I cannot cement PCV to EMT, and I have been unable to find any unions or other adapters to get a secure connection on both ends.

Note: this is for a single 120V/20A branch circuit. I will not be wiring a subpanel, in case that is relevant to anything. I am using such a large conduit for no reason other than ease of pulling wires. I also have a GFCI breaker and am aware of the 360 rule: this is why I am using conduit bodies and minimizing elbows in the trench.

You want a PVC-to-threads adapter as depicted below (presumably 3/4" to match the size of the knockouts on your box, with a 1" to 3/4" PVC reducer used to adapt the LB's 1" to the adapter's 3/4").

You then use PVC from the LB to the adapter/reducer pair, and a locknut to hold the adapter to the box.


In Canada (Ontario, specifically), is 'CL2' rated cable acceptable for in-wall installation? I've got a bunch of cable to install in the wall for my basement reno and have an excellent source for various cable types (speaker, video, cat6, etc), but the cable 'only' has the US CL2 rating, and no marked CSA ratings.

Ontario electrical code calls for cable with at least a CSA FT-1 rating for in-wall installations.  From what I can find, it seems like CL2 is more-or-less equivalent to FT-4, and FT-4 has more stringent testing than FT-1 and can be used in places that only require an FT-1 rating.

Is the CL2 label sufficient to meet code (and pass inspection) for in-wall installations in Ontario?  ie: do inspectors/code accept US classifications?

For reference: this page (from a cable distributor) has a decent summary of the plethora of ratings available.

Anyone reading this will need to check out their local code requirements, but...

I phoned the city and the electrical safety authority and it turned out for my case that single family dwellings are exempt from requiring fire ratings on in-wall cable, at least for low voltage wiring which I was inquiring about.

This means that, although having fire rated cable (like FT-4 or CL2) in your walls is still obviously a good idea, it was not a code requirement and therefore will pass inspection.

To answer the questions specifically: CL2 is totally fine for my single family dwelling and will pass inspection with no problems at all.

Again... Building code in your area may vary!!

Also worth noting is that I was looking for non-metallic flex conduit to install in the walls to aid future low voltage wire pulls, and the single-family-dwelling exemptions means that if I wanted I could use simple sump pump hose as conduit and it would pass inspection.  Sump pump hose is a very cheap flex conduit (roughly $12 for 25' of 1.25" or 1.5" diameter hose).  I went with a longer coil of "actual" conduit/innerduct with my installation (longer lengths + better bend radius + integrated pull tape + peace of mind), but will be keeping the sump hose in mind for the future.


Adding a C (common) wire to my Goodman (Janitrol) furnace I have a Goodman Janitrol furnace and I am needing to add a C (common) wire, for the newer thermostats. I would like to avoid the substituting G for C, and just run an additional wire.

I have read several post that suggest to use one of the Blue wires coming from the furnace transformer. I have attached pictures for reference. In picture 1, you can see that I have two blue wires and one green wire (which I'm assuming is still part of the blue family), one red wire, one white wire, and one black wire. One of the blue wires runs from the transformer to the switch (which says ON), the other blue wire goes to the board, and the green wire goes to a ground bolt.

Which of these wires would it be best to connect the C wire to? If I connect it, is there any potential electrical issues that could occur? Lastly, if I connect a C wire to one of the blue wires (or green), can I then just run that wire straight to the thermostat and plug it into the C-labeled connection?

Picture 1

This is where one of the blue wires goes. All the wires run from point A to point B, and they have not been split.

Any help would be much appreciated, if you have done this successfully please let me know how you did it.

Would I be able to connect the Common wire from the ground circled in the picture below?

Thank you

You are looking in the right place

The cluster of blue and green wires at the transformer is the correct place to tap off of using a piggyback tab (quick disconnect) terminal (Amazon link provided as an example only, they are fairly widely available through electronics parts suppliers).  Make sure to crimp it to the new wire using an appropriate crimp tool though (pliers will produce bad results).


Causes for toilets to self-flush due to water pressure issues Hopefully I can convey my question properly.  My townhome is about 20 yrs old (relatively new).  It is two stories tall.  I have 2 toilets upstairs and one toilet downstairs.  This issue just started happening a few days ago.  When I flush one of the upstairs toilets, it causes my downstairs toilet to "flush".  I put flush in quotes because the water from the tank doesn't come down in this case but it seems the outlet from the bowl bubbles and the water leaves the bowl.  The downstairs bowl is empty whenever the upstairs toilets are flushed.
I've also tried to flush the downstairs toilet by itself and even though things get flushed into the sewer, it doesn't fill the bowl entirely with water afterwards, even if I hold the handle down to let more water get into the bowl.  It seems to be filled 60-70% of normal when the downstairs toilet is flushed by itself.
It doesn't seem like a blockage since nothing thankfully is coming back up.  I don't know how flushing upstairs is causing the downstairs toilet to lose water from the bowl and causing it to not fill to its old level.
What could be causing this problem and would this be something I could fix myself or is this something more complex like re-piping the whole toilet plumbing system in the house?

Most houses have a 'stink pipe' - a 6" pipe that discreetly goes up the side of the house and ends either under the eaves or pokes above the roof.  It's main job is to vent smells from the drains system.  However it also has a secondary job:
When you flush the toilet, the water rushing down the pipe can create a vacuum in the drains system if there is no pressure outlet to to maintain a pressure equilibrium in the system.  This is a second and most important purpose of the 'stink pipe' - it ensures the there is no build of pressure in the drains.  If this pipe becomes blocked or otherwise stops working however, you can find that flushing one toilet can affect the pressure inside the system and you will get funny things happening to other toilets / drains such as them emptying or overflowing as you've described.
First thing I would do is locate this pipe, and make sure nothing has happened to it - have you had any external works done on your home recently?
Secondly, I would locate where this pipe joins the system - there should be a drain cover, or at least a rodding point.  Remove this cover and flush the toilet as before.  If the downstairs toilet is not affected this time then it's highly likely that the stink pipe has been blocked somehow.
If this is the case, I would rod it from the top to ensure it's not blocked (birds nest, animal litter, leaves etc).  You'll need a good ladder and some patience.  If it's blocked, clear it and then get a filter cap for the top to ensure it doesn't happen again.
If that doesn't fix it, I would try rodding all my drains in both directions.  Make sure any blockages are cleared.  And if that doesn't work I'd get advice from a plumber on what to do!  Good luck.


pond pump humming, but water keeps flowing I have a pond pump TidalWave PAF-25SV which started humming very loud, although it keeps on pumping water as before.

So I took it out of the basket, removed the intake screen, cleaned up any debris (not much though). From there I can observe the impeller, and it does not seem to be clogged with anything. I can't really access the impeller, as it is covered with chamber, but I can rotate it with a screwdriver. It does rotate, however not very easily (not sure how easy it has to rotate?), so I'm wondering if this is a impeller bearing issue? If so, does it mean it can't be replaced, and the whole pump needs to be replaced?
Thanks.

Pump motors usually spin fairly easily. My guess is the bearing seals have failed and the extra drag is causing the motor to buzz or hum.
It is possible you can disable and get to the bearings on the shaft. It is normally the output shaft bearing that fails.
A high quality double sealed bearing for a small pump like that will normally be only a few dollars, and you do want a type ZZ or 2RS with most brand  zz= double sealed 2RS is 2 rubber seal , so look for a number like 188zz or 608-2RS  these are examples of the 2 smallest motor bearings I have on the shelf that I use in motor applications both are well under 1$ each and I usually purchase 10 at a time because they are cheaper but you want the rubber sealed.
Be careful on disassembly as there may be a seal just like an oil seal on a car crank shaft that is usually able to be re used if careful.
But it’s well worth it to repair a nice motor for 2$  and an hours time that may save over 100$.


HVAC blower often (but not always) gets stuck ON. I have a mid 1970’s G&S furnace.   The blower often (but not always) gets stuck in the on mode even when heat isn’t being called for.

The only way to stop it is to unplug the unit. Re-connecting even after several hours does not fix the problem.

It does, however, rarely stop in its own.

I tried removing the thermostat (Honeywell T5) from the wall and it kept running.

The filter was recently changed.

Any ideas?

If there is a circuit board with relays, then it sounds like a faulty (broken return spring) fan relay. Other furnaces use a bimetal switch that extends into the heat exchanger. When the furnace warms up, the bimetal arm would bend and make contact for the blower motor. As the furnace cools, the bimetal arm would straighten out and turn off the blower. A replacement would be needed. It is usually located all by itself with 2 or several wires, and removes easily with 1 or 2 screws.


Can too little sand equal weaker concrete? Often on a bag of cement the instructions will relate the quantities in terms of bags of cement with wheelbarrows of sand and stone. They claim that 2bags cement = 1 wheelbarrow. I found that my wheelbarrow can only take about one and half bags of cement. Therefore I have been using less sand than I probably should have.

Is it possible that too little sand in a concrete mix makes it weaker, or does it simply just yield less concrete?

You will likely find this related question useful.

In general sand is added into concrete for two purposes - to save cement and to reduce shrinking of the concrete stone while it hardens. Shrinking causes cracks and cracks are really bad for most scenarios of using concrete.

You haven't altered the mix much so you likely won't have problems with shrinking and cracking.

Another point is that concrete needs water while hardening (after it has initially cured) and it surely needs more water if you added more cement.


Turn on and off well, water pressure goes up drastically I was watering the garden and the water pressure went down to maybe 2 psi on the gauge  I tried turning off the well pump 220 breaker for ten seconds and back on.  I heard a pffft when it came on and the water pressure went up in a secind to a pretty good 44psi.  I think it was a little higher than that when I repressurized the tank a couple months ago.  I might need to try that again.  Any idea why cycling the power to the pump had such a drastic effect?

Check the pressure switch that cycles your pump on and off, it may be malfunctioning.

So you are using water and the pressure is dropping/low; the pressure switch should sense the pressure drop and kick on the pump, which would fill the tank (compressing the air in the tank) and cause a steady rise in pressure. In theory, when all system components are working correctly, you should never see drastic rise or drop of pressure.

It sounds like maybe the pressure switch did not kick the pump on at the appropriate setpoint. When you shut the system down entirely and the pressure dropped way low, the switch activated and the pump kicked on.

There are other things it could be I guess (like an electrical malfunction or pressure tank problem of some sort).


How should I cover an empty space between a fence post and a garage wall? Below is the 1000 words picture. How do I cover that empty space?
The hinges are at the opposite end of the gate

How about this:

This will be done by ripping of a post in half (45%) and then that will be attached to the existing post. On that I will screw small horizontal boards made of the remainings of the 6x8 cedar boards that I used to build the gate

Rip a 45 degree notch down the center of a post (4 x 4 x hgt of gate) and install into a post anchor bracket and than afix to the brick mortar joints with TapCon screws. Or TapCon a 2 x 4 to one edge of the corner and cap the edge with another 2 x 4 on the other corner edge. If you can dig a hole sink a metal or wooden post and attach a fence board to it. Pour a cement footing and build a brick pillar with those left over half bricks. Attach a dog-eared fence board to the edge of the gate. Or install 2 angle brackets, bent to 22.5 degrees, to the mortar joints of the brick wall (with TapCons) and attach fence board to the bracket. Or pour a footing and install concrete block on edge, wrap extruded metal lathing around it, and trowel on a stucco finish.


Why would a plastic rod be inserted into ground? I found this in a rental unit and was wondering is there a good reason for this plastic rod to be there:

Better photo (seems like a Lego part):

Depends on how one defines "good reason"... Anyway, it's definitely a Lego axle. For comparison here's a photo of a similar part from BrickLink. I can't think of any good reason to leave the part there, but I can think of good reasons to remove it.


Finding electricity source for new Ceiling Fan install? I'm a diy'er installing a ceiling fan in a bedroom that had no existing fixtures in the ceiling.  Only a few outlets and a single pole switch that controls one of the outlets.  I have access via the attic and was scoping out the situation before I went shopping for supplies.  There was 14/2 romex in the attic going straight across the room that I figured would be perfect to tap into.  I tested the [insulated] wire with a voltage detector to make sure it was hot and it started beeping so I thought I was good.  I had a live/hot wire right where I needed it that I could use.
Fast forward...  I cut the cable I found in the ceiling, fed it through the new ceiling fan box, and tied it all back together with the ceiling fan wiring.  Turned power on and tested the new connections again with the voltage detector.  Had constant beeping so should be all good, right?  Finished assembly of the ceiling fan and went to pull the pull chains for the light and fan and NOTHING!  No light, no fan, nothing.
Held my voltage detector all around the ceiling fan and was still getting constant beeping so I was pretty sure I had power and made all my connections correctly.  As a last ditch effort we started trying all the light switches in the area.   Dun dun dun.
There is a switch in the master bedroom that we never had any idea what it went to.  Turns out that switch is part of a 3-way switch that controls our backyard flood light.  (Master bedroom is on front of the house, flood light is in the back, that's why we never figured it out).  So what I have successfully done is wired my daughter's new ceiling fan into the 3-way switch circuit that controls the outdoor flood light.  In order for the ceiling fan to work, the outdoor flood light also has to be on.  And we can essentially control my daughters ceiling fan from the master bedroom or the downstairs mudroom.  Hahaha.
I know how to fix my mistake.  I need to go back into the attic, fix the 3-way switch cable I spliced into, and find a new circuit for the ceiling fan.  My question is...  How could I have prevented this mistake in the first place?  I used a simple voltage detector to check the wire and got beeps so I assumed it was a constant live wire.  If it was a switched wire I wouldn't have expected beeps.  (the flood light was off at the time, it's almost always off).  How was I to know that I was tapping into a switched circuit?  Are 3-way circuits always hot?

To answer your question are 3 way switched always hot? YES, there are a pair of travelers and a common what a 3 way switch does is flip the power from 1 traveler to the other, so if the breaker is on there will be power in that cable.
The other possibility is phantom voltage as others have mentioned.
I used to commonly wire hot to the switch location then run x3 wire, this is still allowed if both switches are in sight of each other code will allow only 1 to have the common for the 3 way.
If I am putting in a new circuit with only a light fixture I still feed the switch location and run x3 wire so a light and a fan can be installed later the wires are there. In this case only one of the hot wires are used red or black.
With the light on the other wire having been capped at both ends will indicate a live conductor with a non contact voltage detector or even a voltage meter (unless low Z meter or setting).
The only way to know for sure is to put a signal on the wire and trace it but as mentioned this could be a traveler on a 3 way.


GFCI From previous 120v double oven vs. a different GFCI for new 240v double oven do you need a new/different GFCI receptacle when you upgrade/change your 120v double oven to a 240v double oven?

Electric ovens take an enormous amount of power and that cannot possibly be delivered through common outlets.

Be prepared to hire an electrician to run a new set of heavy duty cables from your breaker panel to the oven location.

If your oven is in a standard location, the correct cables might already be present, just unused.   Also, sometimes when a conversion to gas is done, the old heavy cabling is converted for use with the normal socket.  Perhaps the GFCI you now see actually has the correct, heavy cabling behind it.

Your oven cannot use  a GFCI receptacle. However, with certain older wiring configurations, which lack a safety ground, you would be wise to fit a GFCI circuit breaker to avoid a very dangerous situation where a routine wire failure could electrify the chassis of the oven.


Can primer cover up a smoke smell inside house? House was formerly owned by a smoker. Will 1 coat of primer(Kilz in my case) cover and seal in odor inside the house?

I would scrub the walls with TSP first. Smoker residue can bleed through even Kilz in my experience.


Sinking concrete pier: Better to not attach new post to pier? Background

Part of my tri-level house is supported by a crawlspace. The crawlspace has 3 rows of six 4x6 posts sitting on concrete piers. A couple of weeks ago I noticed that the bottom of three of the posts were not touching their respective concrete piers; they were floating a fraction of an inch above the the pier.

I hired a structural engineer to come look at the issue. The sinking piers are likely due to water + soil issues. (We did install a sump pump after moving in a few months ago because there were several inches of water down there after heavy rains.)

Longer term, I'm hoping the sump pump can help stop the settling of the piers. Perhaps I'll add a drainage system around the house too in the future.

My goal

I want to fix/replace these posts so that they are again supporting the floor girders. My plan is to jack up the girder 1/8th of an inch, remove the old post, cut & replace it with new 4x6 PT post that is the proper length, then remove the jack.

Question

I am considering just placing a piece of metal in between the bottom of the new post and the pier (so that contact + weight keeps the metal in place) but not physically attaching the post/metal/pier with screws or nails. Do I have to physically attach the bottom of the new posts to the concrete pier?  My concern is that if there is continued settling and the post is physically attached to the pier that (1) I will not notice that there is settling because the gaps won't appear underneath the posts, and (2) the weight of the sinking concrete pier could pull down the girder due to its weight, more so than it would if the post were just 'free.'

Even if there is continued settling, is it best to make sure the post is attached to the pier rather than just sitting on it?

For what it's worth, none of the other posts have any base bracket of any kind. Most have some 6 mil and/or roofing shingles sandwiched between the pier and post.

To meet modern best practice you'd want both ends of any post anchored. Obviously your particular home isn't going to collapse if a post was to fall out (and it's unlikely it could anyway with that small of a gap).

To slightly derail the conversation, I'd seriously consider permanent adjustable floor jacks for your purposes. Why not build some future-proofing into your solution (assuming you aren't opting to dig proper footings)? They aren't terribly expensive (for the few you want to fix), and they'll allow you to add height down the road as needed.


How do I turn off this sprinkler valve? We just purchased our home this summer, so I've never gone through the process of turning off the sprinklers for the winter (we're in Utah, so hard freezes are possible). The stop-and-waste valve is buried about 5 feet underground. I tried using a standard irrigation key, but to no avail. After working on it a bit with my neighbor (who sells sprinkler supplies for a living) we're stumped. I've dug down 90% of the way to valve, and ended up cutting off the PVC pipe to get a better view. Here's what I'm seeing:

I tried sticking a pry bar between the notches in the tube there to turn it, but it's not budging, plus that's not a good long term solution, as much as I like digging holes in the snow. I'm at a loss for what to even call this, much less where to get a key for it. Another thing to note is that the tube moves back and forth 1-2 inches in one direction. Almost makes me wonder if it's some kind of adapter on top of the standard stop-and-waste key. The tube won't come up though (I tried sticking a pair of pliers in there and yanking, but it's pretty firm).

Another piece of information that might possibly be pertinent is that the home was HUD owned for about a year. I'm not sure if they go through the process of turning off the sprinklers when they winterize the home (the sprinkler valve was open when we moved in). My gut tells me no since it was already open, and also because the water was off at the street.

I'm not sure who the idiot was who put this down that hole, but it was pretty firmly lodged in there. I cut off a bit more of the PVC and was able to get my trusty pry bar in the notch and turn it. After about three quarters of a turn the stupid thing came out. And sure enough, there was a regular stop and waste down there underneath whatever the heck this is.


Looking for a part: I want to put a vertical hinge onto a standing pipe I would like to attach some kind of pivoting hinge onto a 1/2" - 3/4" metal pipe (e.g. galvanized or cast-iron):

Something almost like this but instead of bolting onto a flat surface, it clamps onto a pipe.

Suggestions or helpful things to google are all welcome

I'm interpreting the question as: I'd like to clamp on some hardware to a pipe which would allow me to attach and rotate another pipe on the same plane as the original pipe.

If you already have the part in your post and you want to figure out a way to make it fit, you can use that part along with two u-bolts, just position the u-bolts at the width of the bolt holes.

Your other option would be to buy some purpose built hardware from the local industrial supply. Here's a page that has some hardware that I think will spark your interest: https://www.zoro.com/modular-pipe-and-rail-fittings/c/5624/

Good luck on your project!


Low voltage cabling - insulation I have a closet that is colder than it should be - it is 2 degrees colder than the bedroom it's connected to.  The closet is 4'x4', and has two exterior walls.  The bedroom is 10'x10', with one exterior wall.  I believe I need to improve the insulation in this closet.  Aside from a flush mount light fixture, the only other penetration to the drywall is a Low voltage ring for network cabling - the topic of this post.

The cable is run from the attic, through the top plate of the wall.  I plan on going into the attic and putting some spray foam around the hole in the top plate.  Would it be beneficial, in addition to this, to add some insulation inside the low voltage ring?  If so - how would I go about this?  Is there a product already made for this?

Thanks!

If there's no heat in this closet, and it has two external walls, and its only heat is whatever bleeds from the bedroom, then it will inevitably be colder than that bedroom. Frankly, a 2 degrees (F?) difference doesn't seem like a lot in this situation.

My reasoning? In cold weather, heat will flow from that closet through those two outside walls and into the great outdoors. The only way heat will enter the closet is through the  doors and wall shared with the bedroom, and that will only happen if there's a difference in temperature between the bedroom and the closet.

Insulation will help a bit, but either adding explicit vents between the closet and bedroom, or actually adding a heater to the closet, is the only way you'll significantly reduce that temperature drop.


How to setup a shower timer to actually turn off the water? My kids take very long showers and I can't always be there to rush them out.
Is there a way to have a timer start once the shower starts and actively stop the water after 10-15 minutes?

I've looked around and not been able to find anything that really does this.
At my local HD, the sales person just said "tell your kids to get out of the shower.", thanks a lot!

This device may help. It is The Shower Manager


Is this drain setup legal? I did my own drain plumbing.
It works great and doesn't leak.

However, is this what a real plumber would do?

Is the 17" run (in yellow) between the elbow and the wall too long?
Is the jog (in blue) OK?

[The vertical drain and the elbow were off by 1" so I used 2, 22.5 degree bends to make up the inch]

The two 22-1/2° elbows should have been in your horizontal run, moving the trap underneath and in line with the sink tailpiece. The tailpiece should remain straight. I'm not sure if this violates code, but it's unlikely to be a problem.

The length of your horizontal arm is fine. I don't know the code there, either, but it's not out of the ordinary. The maximum length partially depends on slope, and you don't run into any issues at 17".


How to attach mounted flat-screen TV to the wall so that it lines up perfectly? As you can see the TV in the following pictures has been attached to the wall behind it but it does not line up in a straight manner with the furniture below it (the piece of furniture is perfectly lined up with the room's floor which is also level). In this case, the TV screen is slightly tilted upwards on right-hand side. I would like to know, what can I do to get the edges of the TV square with the furniture and room's floor?

Thanks!!!

The adjustment is usually under on the wall part of the bracket. The bracket needs to be plumb in both planes (kind of left and right and then forward and backward).

The better brackets are bolted back to the wall and then micro adjusted (via small adjustment grub screws) in all planes until absolutely spot on. Then assuming no play in the arm, all should be well.

Have seen a few that are very difficult to get right in all planes though. I.e, TV looks good pushed back but wrong when pulled out etc.

Using serrated spring washers helps hold the bracket firm if the problem is caused by bolt heads slipping in bracket slots.


AC \ Heatpump radiator corrosion The example, from another posting, shows radiator corrosion.  My heat pump's radiator is so corroded that it is unable to radiate heat and now the heat pump must be replaced.  What preventative maintenance can be done to protect \ slow the deterioration (oxidation) of the radiator?  Is it appropriate to coat the radiator with 'liquid silicon'?

keeping the system clean is the number one thing a home owner can do. Things that will quickly kill your condenser coil are build up of grass trimmings, dust in the fins these hold moisture and rot out the aluminum fins, a simple rinse with a garden hose will flush the dust out and any salt if in a coastal area. The #1 killer of condenser coils I have seen is Dog pee, urin can destroy a coil in a very short time. Never use acid based cleaners, in fact home owners should not need strong cleaners if regularly hosed off. (Don't ever use a pressure washer this will fold the fins over and can ruin a coil). I flush my system monthly in the summer my daughter now lives in my last house and that unit is 18 years old and the coils look great. Any treatment you add to the coil may damage the factory coating if coated or possibly collect dust faster. Really a simple rinse is enough if regularly done to extend the life of the unit.


Why is the paint around my ceiling air vent discolored? What is this pattern of discoloration around my ceiling AC supply vent, and how can I stop it from happening again if I repaint?

Background: In September 2016, I had an air conditioning system installed in my house (built in 1893, located in Massachusetts, USA). This included all new ductwork (we have hot water heating so there were no pre-existing ducts). The air handler is located in the attic and there are 5 supply vents upstairs and 3 downstairs, with a central return in the upstairs hall.

Around the end of 2017 I first noticed some brownish discoloration starting to form around this vent. It has continued to expand in 2018 and 2019.

This type of discoloration is only visible on this particular vent, and none of the others. This is the vent for my living room and it is the largest of the 3 downstairs vents. This is also the only downstairs vent mounted in a ceiling paneled in fiberboard (masonite, I think). There is also a beam and wall near this vent, which may be impeding airflow, especially in the directions where the discoloration points. I doubt there have been any leaks/drips above this area.

I suspect the staining is some sort of condensation; could it be happening in the fiberboard, caused by over-cooling because of the nearby beam and wall?

To me that looks like a water leak that is being pushed by the air flow. I would be checking for a leak above that location.


Wall socket tripping out when putting the two screws into the faceplate I have put an outside socket on the wall with new wiring into the back of an inside socket.

It all works until I screw the two screws in to hold the faceplate on the inside wall. If I just leave it hanging there there is no problem. I'm in England.

Which country? As some regs limit the number of spurs you can have and if you did not check...

However, what is most likely is that one of the screws is pinching one of the wires inside the socket. Check and reposition them, but if there is damage to the conductor as well, you need to replace it.


How water proof is concrete? I'm looking to buy living quarters in this basement level apartment. The only doubts I have are because some ~5 years ago, there was a giant flood in the city and had this building been couple blocks down the road, the basement would have been underwater.

Now there is already good ventilation from the common system on the roof of the building, there are no windows and I'm planning to install a heavy duty water proof door. All that remains is the concrete, the apartment is basically a concrete box all over, I looked around and didn't see any cracks or crevices but how likely is it that the entire 62m2 worth of concrete wall, floor and ceiling is completely water proof?

Concrete on its own is a porous material. It may slow water down, but will not stop it.  It is possible that the outside of the wall is waterproofed, but it's not a guaranteed.


Extension cord requirement for outdoor string lights I am getting ready to hang outdoor string lights in my back yard for which I will need an outdoor extension cord about 20’ in length to reach a GFCI outlet. The string lights have a two-pronged polarized plug which, as far as I know, tells me there is no ground.  However, in the safety information for the lights, it states:
“Use only two-wire outdoor extension cords that have two-prong grounding plugs and grounding receptacles that accept the appliance’s plug”.

This has me completely baffled.  What does that even mean?  Is there such a thing as a “two-prong grounding plug”?  Aren’t all two-prong plugs by definition ungrounded?  And does it even matter if I use a three prong extension cord (as pretty much all outdoor cords are) versus a two prong one?
If someone can enlighten me, I would greatly appreciate it.

I'd venture it is poor wording by a low cost bottom feeder supplier in China that has no clue what they are talking about...

Assuming by your use of the term "GFCI" that you are in the US or Canada (you didn't identify), to be able to use electrical equipment with 2 wire plugs, they must be "double insulated" and the plug itself must have a tag on it or a moulding in the body of the it that displays this symbol:

If it doesn't have that somewhere on the product, it is undoubtedly not UL listed, so what they tell you about safety is kind of pointless anyway.

All that said, if it IS double insulated and UL listed, then you can plug it into any outlet, whether the outlet is 2 prong or 3 prong, but of course any outdoor outlet must be GFCI protected now and will be 3 prong anyway.


How to get rid of odors in wood? My attic floor was home to nesting mice for years before I bought the house. I've kept the mice away, but the smell hasn't lessened after a year of ventilation.

Short of replacing the wood, is there any way to remove the smell?

You can try a few things:

1) Treat with odor neutralizer.  Pet stores and hardware stores usually sell products designed to remove odors.  For set in smells this may not be 100% effective.

2) Seal the wood. If you don't intend to use this surface as a final surface, a coat of sealant style paint (Killz is my brand of preference) will not remove the odor but it will lock it in the wood so you won't smell it again.


Back stabbed outlets A number of years ago I had our electrician change all of our quick wired/back stabbed outlets in our new home to the screw terminals for better and safer connections.
Recently I discovered he didn’t bother to remove them completely but rather cut them as close to the openings in the back as possible before moving the wires to the screws.
I’m a bit concerned given these wire stubs would technically still be live and may have the same arcing/connection issues as before since they will cool and heat along with the other internal components of the outlet.
Is this not the case? Am I over thinking this?
Any thoughts appreciated.
Link to full size image

A sloppy job, but you're overthinking it.
Having been cut, no current is flowing through the backstab, so no heating, no arcing, no problem other than if you handle the outlet while the circuit breaker is on and fail to respect the short stubby live wires poking out the back. Since it's generally inadvisable to play with receptacles out of their box with the circuit breaker on, not usually a problem.


How do I refinish a tabletop? I have an old Ethan Allen dining room table with a couple leaves.  It has a pretty dark finish with a thick coat of varnish on top.  It's also got various scratches, water stains, etc.  What is the best way to refinish the top?  As for revarnishing, I've seen those varnish kits that have you just pour the varnish on top and let it dry, should I consider those?

your question could require a small book to answer. Depending on how bad the damage is, how badly the base wood is discolored would make a difference in what methods you may need to use to bring your table back to its former charm. Of course the total rehab would involve sanding the entire piece to bare wood and start from scratch. (see some of my previous answers on wood refinishing) If you simply want to do a varnish make over, you could use denatured alcohol to liquefy the existing varnish and remove/redistribute it. This can be fairly successful. Homer Formby made a mint selling kits that did just that. I have to say however, varnish is very old school and is rarely used today. It has tenancies to yellow, water spot easily and change color if a hot item is placed on it. Most high end furniture has a lacquer or urethane finish today. Lacquer is very hard to apply without good spray equipment is not an easy DIY project without some experience with that product. Urethane is easy to work with, comes in many finishes, satin to high gloss and can have color included. A fantastic durable finish can be created with several skillfully applied coats of urethane. Of course, if you chose to use urethane, all the old varnish must be removed and you would want to repair the wood base, restain or spot stain before refinishing with urethane or lacquer. The pour and forget kits you referred to are very gimmicky and rarely give good results. There is no substitute for good craftsmanship, and if something sounds too good to be true, it normally is. The only pour and leave product I have ever used with success is casting resin. This is actually a fiber glass epoxy resin that I have used on some commercial bars.


Power out on just one section of the house I have been having trouble with one line in my house. We have had power going out in just one line in my house intermittently.   An electrician has changed the outlets and we exchanged the circuit breaker but it is still happening.   Any suggestions?

Thanks for your question, you describe a common issue. When troubleshooting electrical circuits, remember electricity must have a complete path back to its source. This means you not only need a path to the load but a path returning to the source from whence it came. A connection in the neutral path could be loose.

You are doing well not to ignore this intermittent problem as it points to a probable loose connection somewhere on either side of the path. Loose connections quickly build up heat and can very easily start a fire.

Since the entire circuit is having trouble, do not forget to check for loose connections at the panel, especially at the neutral bar, and of course the breaker. Try wiggling the wires while you have a multimeter checking voltage. If the voltage suddenly drops you may have just found your loose wire. Trim, restrip, and reconnect.

Next, pay close attention to the connections at each outlet. Look for obvious signs of heat (melted insulation on conductors, smoke residue in the box), but also for anything that may not be making a good connection. Wiggle the conductors on the screw terminals. If they move around or slip on the screw, voila! Loose connection. Another culprit is insulation that is a little too long and is actually tucked under a screw, preventing a good metal to metal contact between wire and device. Over time, with usage and vibration, the screw may loosen enough to create the intermittent problem you are having. Try tugging on each conductor individually in each wire nut. There could be a loose wire that falls right out of its splice, and bingo! there you are. If you see any of the aforementioned, trim (if possible), restrip and reconnect properly. Sometimes it is better to start fresh with a new tip of conductor that isn't going to break from past stresses. I like about 3/4" of bare conductor laid evenly in wire nut splices or with a nice candy-cane shape for screw terminal connections. Also, be sure to test each spliced connection by tugging on the individual wires to be sure you've got a tight splice. With the screw terminals, think of the candy cane's short end as the pointer and make it point in a clockwise direction going around the screw.

While you are searching for loose connections in the outlet boxes, you can have the circuit turned off for safety; however, another method I've seen involves having the circuit on: Plug in a lamp or something that will indicate when you've got power. Take a piece of wood or something non-conductive and go around poking and prodding into the open boxes and their wiring. If the light suddenly goes on (or off as the case may be) your issue is probably in the box at hand.

Don't forget light switch boxes, which may have been used as a junction box for your circuit and which get vibration daily. One last place to look for loose connections, a junction box in an attic or basement, although that would probably be the least likely place as it wouldn't get much traffic.

These are the best recommendations I can think of, although your electrician friend may have already done them all. Hope you find the issue, Nancy, these things can be quite irritating!