What kind of sand and gravel for artificial grass I'm trying to buy some gravel and sand for the base and infill of artificial grass from home depot but am confused by the variety and types of sand and gravel.
Is just a general-purpose sand and gravel bag from sacrete good enough?  I tried searching for silica sand in home depot but nothing came up.

At the quantity you will need I would be purchasing yards of sand (beach sand) for extra smooth or river sand for a bit corse but probably cheaper and acceptable alternative buying in bags is crazy expensive unless you only need a dozen bags.
In my area there are places you can get free beach sand but I am close to the coast.


What is the "red button" on my circuit breaker I have a breaker which is connected only to my Air Conditioning unit. It appears to have tripped at some point, based on the description on the panel for resetting the breaker. I don't think it was in a middle position, and I've tried pulling the handle to the off position and pushing the handle up to the on position, but it doesn't seem to reset. It looks to me like this red button should be going back down when I reset it, but it doesn't ever do that. I can't find more examples of this breaker (with the "red button") online.

It's not apparent that any electricity is reaching my AC unit; the motor doesn't run no matter the thermostat setting. The fuses appear fine. I think the red button must be telling me the breaker is tripped, but I'm not sure how to reset it.

What does the red button indicate? How do I reset it?

If the condition that made it trip in the first place is still there when you go to reset it, it will not appear to reset, because the problem is still there so it is essentially immediately seeing that problem and releasing the trip mechanism. There are two kinds of trip mechanisms in a breaker, thermal, which takes time and is there to protect against overloads, and magnetic, which is instantaneous and meant to protect against short circuits. So it appears your A/C unit has an internal short circuit, hence the suggestions that you get it looked at.


What is the easiest way to measure an irregular floor space? I would like to order a comfort mat for the floor of a small kitchen. The company can make it to order but I have to provide exact dimensions. This is harder that it sounds though as the floor space is best described as an irregular pentagon with 2 non-right angles.
What tools or methods could be used to easily and accurately measure the surface so that I can provide an accurate sketch to the manufacturer? I haven't used a protractor since high-school but I don't see how that could be used to measure a wall angle.

If they'll accept a full-size model, use the technique for making a template for cutting vinyl flooring to the right size and shape (taken from another answer of mine):

  ... I use a roll of craft paper and sticky tape to make a template of the room. Start in the center of the room, lightly stick a strip to the ground, and cut it at the edges of the room. You get a cleaner edge by going a little past the edge, then folding the cut edge back and sticking it down with the tape. Keep sticking more strips to the template until you cover the entire room.

If they want a smaller-scale model, use a T-bevel or angle finder to measure the angles in the corners and careful measurement to get the lengths of the walls.

Pick one wall as the baseline, scale it down appropriately and make a line of that length on a piece of paper. Write down the original measurement too.
Measure the angle at one end of the end of the wall, and transfer it to the paper at the appropriate end of the line from step 1. Write the angle you measured next to the line.
Measure the length of the next wall, scale it down and draw it at the measured angle from the end of the first line.
Repeat until you've gone all the way around the room.

To verify your accuracy, measure the diagonals going across the room and compare to your scale model.


Hot water without hot water supply and electricity I have a tap in a room where I only have a cold water supply. Also I don't have current electricity nearby. Is there any way to provide at least lukewarm water there?

Install a holding tank or a coil of supply line, hidden under the sink.

It wouldn't last long, it'd only be ambient temperature at best, and its recovery would probably be hours, but it would be above the incoming water temperature at least long enough to wash your hands without getting frostbite.


We hear a constant bass subwoofer like thumping noise every night from about midnight to 7 am We live in a relatively quiet area.  Since 2012, we
hear a low bass rhythmic sound (music?) with slight
vibrations in the front bedroom. We cannot hear it
outside, only in the room and especially while lying in
bed.

A sewer pipe runs underneath that bedroom. We've had it checked and rechecked, but it has revealed nothing. There is a
city water pump down the street, but the sounds
do not match.

Could a neighbor's Bose sound system
across the street travel via pipes to our front bedroom?

Nothing really is heard outside and the sound is mostly at night.

If it is a Bose-like system, and neighbor does not want to turn music off, what can we do?

Listen, sound patterns travel in the weirdest ways.  My house is on a hill and there is a college a block away.  Every night my house was shaking from bass and I was like "what the hell".  I am thinking the kids were cranking up their bass so I ventured out on a recon mission.

After a few nights of visiting the parking lot area I did realize it was a few kids.  But their music was kind of loud but really not bad at all.  The sound waves just climbed right up the hill and bam hit my house.  I just asked them to move literally 30 feet over behind a tree and have never heard them since (and they still hang out there).

For your issue you have to get rid of all of your power for a night to make sure its not you.  I believe you when you say its your neighbor but check yourself first.  I did have a roommate in college that slept with semiloud music on all the time.

As for traveling through pipes... I doubt it.  Unless their system is setup right next to the sewar lines or main stack really there is no way.  Most bass back echos.  So if they have a system that is facing away from your house in their room facing you, that would make more sense.

I would talk to the neighbor.  Your options for making this sound go away on your own probably involve a tree or fence which I am not even sure is possible.


How do I smooth out where painted wallpaper meets wall? When I bought my current house wallpaper was everywhere.  And I noticed soon after that the painted kitchen was a painted kitchen without removing the top border - comes down maybe 10 inches.

You can only notice is in certain parts and with really good lighting... So what is the easiest way to deal with this before I repaint?

I am really looking for materials (mud, spackle, whatever) and tools used as a best practice.

I would clean the area really well, then use normal drywall mud with an 8" knife.  Mix in a little plaster of paris and feather like you would a normal taped joint.  The plaster will make the drywall compound really hard and less likely to crack on the seam.


How to straighten a twisted 2x6 deck board I have a 2x6 deck board (treated lumber) that is 14 feet long and it's lying across 6 joists and a ledger on the east end and a frame board on the west end. Right now it's not screwed in anywhere. If I stand on the east end of the board the west end lifts up on the north side, and if I stand on the west end of the board the east end lifts up on the south side.
This board is expensive and so I want to straighten it out so it's flat all the way across the deck.
Any suggestions? The only power tools I have to work with are a Sawzall, a circular saw, a jigsaw, a Dremel and of course my impact driver. I've thought of putting a clamp on the west end to hold it down but I'm looking for the best professional solution.

Very little pressure treated lumber is straight, most of it is twisted, crooked, cupped, bowed, etc.  If you have just one bad board you got much better wood than most.
Just start at one end and try to straighten it in the process of fastening it down.  If you're using screws, it's pretty easy - the screws will pull the deck board into the joist.
Nails will too, but it's harder nailing when the board won't lay flat.  If you nail down the side that's in contact with the joist first, then use a clamp from the bottom of the joist to the top edge of the decking, that will pull it down so you can nail it easily without it bouncing all over.
If it's so bad you can't make it work, scrap it or maybe try to return it.


Are those oscillating tools any good? Has anyone used those oscillating tools like the Fein Multimaster or the Harbor Freight version? Are they as awesome as the infomercials suggest? What jobs are they good for?

My dad has a Multimaster and it's truly awesome.

Like any tool, there are jobs it is good for.

There are quite a few tasks I've found where it would have been really useful - mainly in repairs and renovations, where you aren't ripping out whole floor boards or walls or anything.  Those are things where a reciprocating saw, jig saw, circular saw or even a dremel tool (a cutting wheel is always the wrong angle.) won't work well.

He used it to cut out windows of my daughter's playhouse after we put up the plywood walls, and it doesn't do a great job on long cuts like that - he was cutting blind from the inside along the studs and the cuts aren't perpendicular to the sheet (but it's covered with trim).


Tile adhesive options? I have been able to find 4 options for put tile in place:

Thinset.  Traditional use.  Can be tricky on walls and ceilings.  I've used it.
Mastic.  Comes in two flavours:  High VOC no longer sold in the US, and mostly water based.  Older stuff tolerates some moisture.  Newer stuff tends to become goop when wet.  Ok for kitchen back splashes, not ok for showers or floors.  I've used this laying vinyl floor tiles on concrete.
Epoxy.  Multi component that you mix as needed.  Difficult to work with.
Bondura.  Essentially double sided sticky tape.  Because it's so thin, there is zero tolerance for surface protrusions.

Is there a category I've missed?

E.g. lime and gypsum mixes that harden through carbonate formation from air, but still have creep ability and crack healing ability.

Swiss chemical giant Sika makes a (caulking gun) tube of tile adhesive that I've used for adhering large, very porous, travertine to painted sheetrock. In addition, I've seen 4ft. x 8ft. architectural limestone panels installed in office building lobbies and exterior facades using a strange gummy white paste that turns rock hard pretty quickly. It's stuck on the back of a panel like a snowball then squished into pancakes when the panel is rotated up into place against cinder block or cement.


How can I fix a hairline crack in a thin wood panel of an exterior door? My 100-year-old house has a wooden front door made of thick wood ribs interspersed with 8 wood panels, each about 10" high, 8" wide, but only 1/8" or 3/16" thick.  Perhaps the door originally had glass instead, then someone replaced glass with cheap, thin wood panels?

Anyway, there's a thin (1/16" wide) but ugly crack running top-to-bottom (10" high) in one panel. From the inside I even can see a little bit of daylight on the other side on bright days, although on rainy days the crack closes up as the wood swells.

I've sanded, patched, and repainted the inside of the crack once before, using lightweight spackling compound on the inside only, but I was lazy and didn't do anything to the outside of the crack that's exposed to the elements. So after a few months of rain and hot sun, the the crack reappeared.

Both inside and outside are painted (Inside: latex, outside: not sure.) The crack on the outside is barely noticeable because the exterior side door is black, but the inside is white and the crack is very noticeable. So mostly I care about fixing the inside and want to do as little as possible outside, as long as the crack doesn't get more visible outside.

Any advice for how to patch this to withstand the elements on the outside and look good on the inside?  I'm looking for advice about patching material (or materials if I have to use something different outside vs. inside) and technique (e.g. outside first? inside first? anything special to worry about given that inside and outside are only an eigth of an inch apart?)

Lightweight spackling compound is not suitable for exterior use.  Even if painted, water will effect it greatly.  In addition, it is prone to cracking as it is brittle and probably will not withstand opening and closing of the door (vibrations).

Wood filler or wood glue may work to fill the crack and would be better for exterior use.  The glue is probably more flexible than the filler and may be better for filling the crack.  I've used the wood filler before, but usually to fill nail holes or fill in small cracks.  For a few bucks and some sanding, it may be worth a go round.

Another option would be to caulk the crack.  Since caulk is flexible, it will resist cracking better than the wood filler.  Both caulk and wood filler would be paintable.  I don't think you can stain caulk, but I believe the door is painted on both sides.

The other option I mentioned in the comments is to replace the panel/door.  The panel is most likely held in by surrounding trim, so if that can be removed, just the panel could be replaced.

Another option would be to get a very thin piece of veneer wood, cut it to the dimensions of the panel, and then glue it on top of the existing panel.  Since you cannot see the crack from the outside, this could be done on the inside and then painted to match.


Help debugging this circuit, voltage across lights drops to half unexpectedly. Diagram in post I fitted a PIR sensor at my parents' to turn the bathroom light on and off automatically last week but the lights are very dim. On inspection, there is only half of the potential difference across the bulbs and I have no idea why. I'm fairly electrically literate but I am at my limit here so hopefully one of you folks can give me some pointers.

Previously, when the lights were operated by a simple switch, the live was switched and the neutrals were connected in the loft above.

According to the wiring instructions for the PIR sensor, the live and neutrals should be a constant supply to the sensor, with a third feed that becomes live when the circuit closes (when someone enters the room). I have drawn a circuit diagram to illustrate how the circuit looked on the old setup (which worked the lights at full brightness/full 230V potential difference [I live in the UK]), and now, at 115V.

Before on the right, now on the left. Note that the bulbs are wired in parallel both before and after (I drew them wrong). This to me would be the first thing that looks amiss, however this was the case before and they worked just fine. The 3 feeds coming into the junction box are go off to different parts of the house's lighting main, unrelated to these lights.

I grabbed a voltmeter and took some readings across some noteworthy points in the circuit:

At the PIR sensor, the potential difference between the live and neutral terminals is 230V, as expected.

When the PIR sensor is closed (on), the potential difference between the output (A) terminal and neutral is 110V, not expected, should be 230V.

This issue is happening before we even get to the bulbs (which are 11.4V LEDs on transformers, I expect there are also bridge rectifiers built into the transformer modules), so the issue must be with my wiring, but I can't see anything untoward.

Any and all suggestions gladly received! TIA

You have your transformers in series they should be in parallel, sorry I could not keep reading and all the comments. With the transformers in series the output voltage will be 1/2 . Connect the transformers in parallel and your voltage will double.
I don’t think your before drawing was accurate. I have seen this done many times by new DIY folks trying to add lights.


Why does my hot water smell like wood smoke? We live in MN, in a house built in 2008 (and our water heater, installed in the basement, is about that vintage).

For the past few weeks, I'm detecting a smoky smell from the hot water out of a 2nd-floor shower. I don't think any other hot water outlets show this (as far as I'm aware now).

This typically happens after a couple of minutes into a shower, and lasts as long as the hot water runs. The smell can best be described as an old-timey campfire, with all the smoky smell but none of the actual smoke. There's no sulfurous or other similar "bad" smell... if anything, this is a very comfortable, let-me-stand-here-for-another-hour-and-feel-cozy kind of smell.

The water heater is your average run-of-the-mill gas-fired unit, and I haven't done any preventive maintenance to it in the past six years. Not broken, so never had to fix anything.

What could cause this out-of-place smell in a relatively new house?

Okay, I needed to replace some damaged caulking in this shower stall, and this smell disappeared right after.

I'm thinking some mold (or mildew, or any other fun guys that like to grow in shower stalls) gave off this smell when heated.

As to why this needed re-caulking: I turn the shower to "hot" and turn it away from the shower stall door, towards the inside (cold water splashing on a person as soon as you wake up isn't Minnesota nice). This spray hits the vertical seam between two pieces of shower surround and eventually takes some caulking with it. Add this abuse up over several months and it's time to go to work.

Thanks for reading.


How do I cut a straight line in an installed wood floor for a flush mount HVAC vent? At some point a previous owner installed hardwood flooring in my house.  Nice.  They did not however make a hole for the front entryway heating vent.  The duct and duct outlet exists in the crawlspace and now I would like to put the vent there.  My floors are hickory and all the other floor vents are "flush mount".

I can easily find the vent location in the floor, by drilling up at the four corners of the duct vent outlet in the crawlspace below.  I bought the appropriate sized hickory flush mount vent but now realize that I need to cut an awfully straight line, in order to flush mount this cleanly in the floor.

How do I do this?

So that the vent will look right, the cuts need to be exact, straight and the corners square.  There are at least these problems:

1) One cut needs to be close to the wall, within 2 inches.  This makes it difficult to get a guide or even a cutting tool in there.  I can remove the quarter round kick molding, and the other molding behind that off, for a little more space, but that doesn't make that much extra space.  It would be a little problematic to remove the main molding.
2) The corners of the cuts need to be square and not extend into the surrounding floor.  Hand cut the corners, maybe?!

Somewhat related: Is it possible to install flush mount floor vents in a laminate wood floor?

As Keshlam commented (hence this answer is community wiki), An oscillating multitool is a good choice. You can probably rent one if you don't want to buy one. I would practice on some scrap wood.


Reusing old service wires from electric furnace to mini-split EDIT to answer replies:
@3phaseeel 30-amp wires are 6 AWG aluminum, 50-amp wires are 4 AWG aluminum. The sheathed wires run along the garage roof truss overhead (see picture), exposed for about 28 feet in length, then in-between insulated joists and down a wall, then exposed again in the enclosed crawlspace. I added a picture of the panel door, not sure if the sticker from 1982 adds valuable details.
@manassehkatz Subpanel will be used for dedicated circuits to bathroom heaters, not for heavy-duty usage like welding.
Original question:
I have an unused electric furnace that is serviced by one 30-amp double pole breaker and two 50-amp single pole breakers. I'm thinking of:
(1) reusing the existing wires from the 30-amp circuit to service a new heat pump with a dedicated 25-amp replacement double-pole breaker
(2) reusing the wires from the two 50-amp circuit to service a 100-amp subpanel to serve future wiring projects
Does that sound like a reasonable plan? Or is this plan not as simple as it seems?
Background:
We switched to using a mini-split heat pump two years ago, which cut our electric bill in half, even when used in combination with a few space heaters. Having had good experience with the mini-split, I now want to install another unit to completely replace the space heaters and retire the unused, noisy, leaky, 38-year old furnace. I am a DIY homeowner with advanced beginner to intermediate level of know-how and tools.

Those two 50A single breakers need to be handle-tied, or replaced with a 50A 2-pole breaker.  You can't have two singles on a 240V load like that.
The empty breaker space at bottom left should be filled with a proper UL-listed thing.  They make blank filler plates, but I find them flimsy and expensive.  I just use actual breakers, a CH120 is around $5.

(1) reusing the existing (6 AWG aluminum) wires from the 30-amp circuit to service a new heat pump with a dedicated 25-amp replacement double-pole breaker

Yeah, that plan is fine.  Use "MAC Block connectors" to splice from the #6 aluminum to whatever other wires (Al or Cu) you'd continue with.
Note that since the #6 aluminum run does not have a neutral, they must be 240V-only heat pumps. Cannot use bare as a neutral.
You may find it challenging to land #6 wire on a 25A breaker.

(2) reusing the wires from the two 50-amp circuit to service a 100-amp subpanel to serve future wiring projects

Waii--what???
OK, you see that dual 30A and you immediately get "This is a 30A 240V circuit".
But then you see those two 50A singles and for some reason you think that isn't the same exact thing.  It is the same exact thing, but somebody left off the mandatory handle tie so it looks weird.
So think of it as a 50A 2-pole breaker.
The problem is, the existing #4Al cable has only 3 wires and cannot supply a 120/240V subpanel.

You need the bare wire for safety ground. This isn't 1963, you need a ground wire.
Because it's #4 or larger, you can get neutral by re-marking one of the  black wires white with tape.
That leaves you 1 wire left to use for "hot", and that means the far panel can only be 120V.

The good news is, the SE/XHHW cable is allowed 75C temperature, so it can be provisioned to 65A and use a 70A feed breaker.  There is no such thing as a 70A/1-pole breaker, so you will need to either re-use a 50A, or obtain a 70A/2-pole and use only one pole of it.


Where should I start tiling my bathroom wall? The bathroom I'm about to tile has a complex layout, and I've never put tile on a wall before.  Let me see if I can paint a verbal picture...

The room is approx. 6'("short side") by 10'("long side").  The short side has the door on one end, and a window centered above the tub on the far end.  The window is about 3' above the tub and (used to be) a typical household window.  The tub stretches from one side of the room to the other.  Toilet and sink are along the long side.

The tile would extend from the door jamb about 5' from the floor, over the tub where it goes up to near the celing, around the back wall over the window, then back down again and across behind the toilet and sink.

So I have a couple features that influence, I believe, where I start tiling--the window and the tub.

I believe I should start at the window and tile outward, which ensures the tile is centered on that spot.  However I'll probably end up with oddly cut tiles at every single corner in the bathroom.

Another option is to start centered directly above the tub.  That way the tile grows up with regular sized tiles until the window, which would end up with oddly cut tile around it.

I'm afraid that when I get down to the nasty business I'll end up picking the wrong way, and every time I go in the damned bathroom I'll look at it and obsess about my decision.

Which is it--window outwards, or tub upwards?  Or is there even a third option I should pick?

Two things:

Most corners or window frames aren't square, so don't use them as the guide.
You will have odd-cut tiles at the edges and around the window.

What you really want to avoid is having the un-cut edge of a tile close to a corner or the window frame. If it's not square then you'll have the straight grout line right next to the not-square line of the wall or window. Your eye will be drawn to this, and you'll indeed get cross every time you lie in the bath. Worse, you may have to cut a tiny sliver of tile to fill an annoying large gap...

In the ideal situation the width of the wall will be an exact multiple of the width of a tile plus the grout line. Then you can adjust things so you have half-a-tile width at the left and half-a-tile at the right. In this case, draw a vertical line dead-centre of the wall and work in both directions from there.

If your wall isn't an exact multiple of the width of a tile plus grout line, start between one-quarter to one-half of a tile to the left or right of this line. It may be best to lay out the tiles on the floor (with spacers!) so you can get a good picture of where the verticals will end up.

Finally, rent or purchase a good diamond tile cutter. Being able to cut tiles easily and quickly is really important, especially if your tiles are large!


How can I childproof this 1957 cooktop? Our cooktop was not designed with kids in mind. (Were kids better behaved in the 50s?) Anyways the push buttons are in the front, about 3 feet off the ground. We try to keep the kids out of the kitchen and items off of the burners, but toddlers find a way, and yesterday they could have burned our house down.

Here are the options I've thought of:

Replacing the cooktop with a model that has knobs on top (but pricey)
Moving the push button control panel higher (but don't have a good
place for it)
Adding a cutoff timer for the cooktop - my ideal

I am thinking a hot-tub style wall timer, so that the stove can be activated for a while but will automatically turn off, unless set to hold. I think we would forget to turn off a simple switch.

Is that a feasible idea? The only switches I can find are 20A rated and I suspect the cooktop is at least 30A, so it might be moot.

You may not be able to find a timer that's designed to directly switch that much, but you can find a timer that switches a lot less, and use it to switch the coil of a relay that can switch whatever load you require. Relay coils take very little power to switch, and relay contacts can be had as large as you could possible need, or larger.

However, if you are not bound up in love with your 58 year old cooker, it may be a better idea to replace it; a relay capable of switching a typical cooktop load is not generally all that inexpensive itself, unless you can find one surplus.

A newER used cooktop is generally quite inexpensive - people remodel kitchens all the time and discard or sell off inexpensively perfectly good appliances that are not the right color, etc.


has anyone tried wambam no dig fence I need to replace 3 fence panels and posts and i can't find any contractor, i am guessing because it is a small job. The only contractor i was able to find wants $1500 without staning or hauling away the old fence which is more than i expected.

I found that there is a no dig wambam vinyl fence system. I ordered sample but i am curious if anyone here has any experience with this.

The main reason i am going this route is so that i can avoid digging and mixing cement. Also i couldn't find any pre-made 7ft wooden tranditional panels. 3 panels i have are made of 8ftx2 and one 5.5ft so i need to replace 21.5 linear ft. WamBam happen to have 7ft fence.

There is no set reason that you have to use cement to set the posts into the holes. In many instances it can be effective to simply dig the post holes, set the post into position and then dribble the dirt back into the hole and tamp it in with a length of 2x2 or 2x4 to pack the soil in place around the post.

In my farming days past we built lots of fences this way. It does not work well initially if the soil is too wet or too fine grained sand.


Replacing bathroom fan - hums Purchase new bathroom fan (not a big project guy but this seems pretty straight forward). Hooked up wires, white to white, black to black and green to green. Connected power and turned on fan. It just hums, fan does not spin. I have tried to manually spin fan (spins freely), but does not on its own with power.

Verify with a voltmeter that the fan is indeed getting 120V AC. If it does, and there's no physical obstruction to the fan blades, bring it back to where you bought it, the motor is faulty.

If there's no 120V, you'll need to check your wiring, and the switch. Any kind of automatic fan switch (humidity sensor, timer, etc.) is especially suspect. Replace it with a normal on/off switch and see if that solves the issue.


How to repair bent scissors? I have a pair of scissors which I happen to like a lot. Unfortunately, one of the blades is bent towards the other blade, so that a gap forms when the scissors are closed. Bending the blade back with tongs seems quite difficult since the blade is relatively thick and made out of springy steel which retains its shape.

How can I fix these scissors? I have access to an anvil. My idea is to first hammer it flat while its cold, and if that doesnt work, I might heat it below 500°C to soften the steel and hammer it back into shape.

Update

As it turned out, the curvature of the blade and back were not an issue. After I removed the rust and grease residue, the scissors worked flawlessly. Nevertheless I learned a lot from the answers below.

It is normal for scissors to have a gap between the blades when they are closed. The blades are bent on a slight curve so that there is a minimal point of contact between the two cutting edges while a closing cutting action is taking place. Without this there would be terrible cutting performance due to tolerance in the surface flatness of the blades and of the ground cutting edges.

Note that you do not want to be heating up the scissor blades to soften the metal enough for trying to hammer on the blades. Doing this will take away the hardness of the blades and basically ruin your scissors. The softened and untempered blades will not hold a decent cutting edge. I suggest that if you try this the scissors will rapidly loose their status as your favorites.


Any idea what these cables are for? We moved into a new house and I see these cables in our garage. They come from the ceiling and are right near our water heater and breaker panel. There are 2 cables. One cable is labeled “System to House” and the other is labeled “Back to Main”. One of the cable jackets says that it’s CAT-5e cable, but this doesn’t look like any Ethernet cable that I’ve ever seen, especially with those weird things on the end (LEDs, sensors?)

Any idea what these are?

I can't quite be sure from the picture, but the red things are each joined to a wire from one of the two cables, right? If so, they're just splices, like wire nuts but for this kind of wiring.

So, this part doesn't tell us much about the purpose of the wiring. It could be any kind of signaling cable, though having the wires untwisted like that (and having only two connected, even) would not work for high-speed Ethernet.

It could be a telephone line (likely, except the labels seem a bit odd for that), part of a security system, or some kind of home automation. You will need to find the other ends of the cables to learn what they're used for.

If there are cables elsewhere that might be these but you aren't sure, you can get a "tone and probe" kit to send a signal on one of the unused wire pairs of one of the cables and wave the probe around other ends (or even through a wall) to detect where it runs.


Drainage pipe to nowhere For the last year, one of my gutter is constantly clogged and overflow. The gutter is almost impossible to reach so I had to hire someone to clean the gutter. Last weekend I decided this was enough and started digging around the downspout to see if the drain was clogged. To my surprise I found no drain (see picture). It’s just a T-shape PVC pipe. Both side of the pipe are open. This explain why the gutter would overflow when we get heavy rain.

Is this allowed in the building code? From my point of view someone clearly took a shortcut. I live in the Seattle, WA area (King County). The house was built in 2007.

In most areas I'm familiar with, gutters don't drain into the sewage or storm drain systems. This looks like a flow diverter, but a very poor one. Are there any holes in the PVC pipe? The ones I've seen are much longer and have holes so they act like a French Drain but they usually head away from the house and not along side of it. You can just add a 90 degree bend to your downspout and direct the rain water away from your house.


How to run chlorine feeder at the same time well pump is running I have a chlorine feeder (120v Stenner 45) that is supposed to run at the same time my well pump (240v) is running.

Currently they are set up on separate pressure switches, with the chlorine feeder set to switch on (40.x psi) slightly before the well pump (40 psi) is triggered and off slightly before (59.x psi) the well pump (60 psi) shuts off. Obviously this isn't ideal because A) it is hard to keep configured and working properly, and B) there is a chance that the chlorine feeder could be triggered, yet the well pump not get triggered (there is at least quart difference between the 2 trigger pressures), leaving it to run longer than needed.

As I see it, I have a few options:

Buy a 240v chlorine pump and run them off the same pressure switch
($$$).
Find a different type of switch for the chlorine feeder - e.g. flow
switch.
Find another way to run the chlorine feeder off the same pressure
switch as the well pump. If it's possible, this seems like the easiest approach. The 240 well pump line has 3 wires, I presume black and white are both hot and the ground. Is it possible to wire this switch to a 120 device (and leave it on the 240 well pump)?
Other?

Use a relay with a 240 coil (connected to the well pump circuit) and 120V contacts (connected to the feeder.)

Use the pressure switch only to switch relays (at any convenient coil voltage) and use (suitably rated for the power) relays to switch both devices. But the first option will be cheaper - only one relay, and that for the low-power feeder.


Are these drywall screws driven too deep into the sheet? First off, I apologize for the asking and deleting my previous question about this.  I thought it was more of a dupe of this question that I asked a while back.  I'll be more central to the actual issue this time.

I hired a company to hang drywall on my ceiling and then mud/finish all surfaces so I could paint.  Included are pics I took of a few of their more excessively-sunken screws.  I said to one of the guys, "Not to criticize your work, but aren't you driving the screw too deep?"  He said, "The head of the screw can't be flush to the drywall surface.  You have to countersink it like this so that you can mud over it."  I agree with that statement, but what I've learned is that you're supposed to dimple the screw in, not drive it through the paper.  In these pics, it definitely looks like the heads broke the paper.  Is this a typical installation by professional drywallers working for a company with a solid A rating backed by lots of reviews on Angie's list?

I'm sorry to say, and hate to criticize other's work, but those screws are not driven properly. The screws need to be driven with a sheetrock screw gun or a dimpler bit in a regular screw gun. The screws need to be slightly counter sunk with an indented dimple around the screw head into the sheetrock to hold some joint compound. The screws should not break through the paper. The proper bit indents and stops driving the screw at the right depth automatically.  What I see in your pics is badly torn surface paper with shards of paper higher than the rest of the surface. This will be hard to mud and make flush and smooth. Many of these are going to have to be indented with a strike from a hammer to create a void for the mud to go into.  The other problem with driving drywall screws with a regular #2 phillips bit is that screws driven too deep will not have the holding power and the sheetrock screws will pull through, leaving the sheet unattached to the studs. This is especially important when hanging rock on ceilings.

These are the proper tools and bits.

Be careful using Angies List, many of the reviews are fake and made by the contractor themselves. Personally check local references with a phone call or sometimes with a visit to see finished projects. I know that many of my customers are happy to talk to my potential customers and also proud to show off there new completed projects.


Stairwell ceiling fan direction for non-heated or cooled entryway I have a stairwell ceiling fan about 18 feet above a non-heated or cooled entryway foyer. I'm confused about how to set the direction for winter or summer. The main living area above is heated and cooled.

The general idea is
Air blowing down = cool
Largely this is a felt effect, because the air is moving over you, i.e. wind chill

Wind Chill is a term used to describe what the air temperature feels like to the human skin due to the combination of cold temperatures and winds blowing on exposed skin. In simple terms, the colder the air temperature and the higher the wind speeds the colder it will feel on your skin if you're outside. So even if it remains the same temperature, but the wind speed increases it will actually feel colder to your skin.

Air blowing up = warm
Hot air rises. Pulling colder air up and out pushes it off the ceiling and towards the walls and down. Because you don't feel the effects of the air movement directly it doesn't add to the chill effect. This one has less noticeable effect because it's trying to mix the air. It's also greatly influenced by how much insulation your ceiling has (less insulation = less heat for the fan to push). Still, it's better than nothing if you're looking to milk efficiency. It's also less effective in larger rooms, where the walls are not close enough to help force the hot air down.


High Power Bills Related to Air Conditioner So I seem to be having trouble with my power bills (they've often been near $400 while other people in my area with a similar sized house usually get around $140), and I've isolated the issue to my air conditioner (I shut the AC off during the day one day and saw that my power utilization instantly went down, we have smart-grid so the power company reports on an hourly basis on a website).

At first I started sealing just about everything I could think of (made sure my doors closed tighter, sealed off my fireplace, and used foam insulation just about everywhere I could think of) to get a tighter air seal.

I also had my AC system serviced (they added about 3/4lb of Freon and cleaned the evaporator coils), and replaced my filters and cleaned the coils on the compressor outside.

In spite of this, I'm keeping my house temperature around 80 degrees (it's usually 92-97 outside right now), and it's making very little difference that I can see during the heat of the day.  My ecobee3 is reporting that the system runs nearly non-stop in the afternoon.

The HVAC tech tells me that the system is doing just about as much as it can do, and what I have is what I have.  My house is 2,100 square feet and I have a 4 ton unit, which he tells me is appropriately sized.  I use the older R-22 style coolant as well (unit is about 12 years old).

Is there anything else that can be done to help with these high power bills?  I know my attic is pretty hot during the day, and when the AC first turns on, it feels like the heater is turned on.  I've thought about putting a fan and some duct-work up there to try and build a cheap ventilation system to try and cool it down some, but I'm not sure how much that would do.

If the company that serviced your A/C is not able to give you the answer you are looking for, I would recommend trying another company to get more opinions. I would recommend you ask them to measure the air coming out of the A/C to make sure its at least around 30 degrees cooler than the ambient temperature. For example if it is 90 degrees outside, then the air coming through the ducts by the AC unit should be 60 degrees. If the difference is much lower than that, then your system might be working extra hard to achieve your desired temperature, keeping your monthly bill higher than normal.

It is hard to know for sure without looking at your unit, and your setup, but here are some reasons why your A/C bill can be out of control:

Your house has poor insulation
The thermostat switch is always on (can you find times during the day to not have it on? such as when you are at work?)
Faulty AC Ducts such as blockages, disconnects, holes, etc.
Inefficient AC Unit due to lack of routine maintenance
Very Old AC Unit. As an AC unit ages so does its efficiency.
Faulty thermostats
Low refrigerant charge
Refrigerant flow-related problem
Bad compressor valves
Dirty air filters
Poorly insulated house, or air leaks
Duct work that was not properly sized


To mitigate radon, is a "positive" basement pressure possible during balancing? Our basement has low-moderate radon levels, fluctuating typically between 1.5 - 4.  We do have a subslab mitigation pipe, but it doesn't work great.  For other air quality reasons, we decided to install an ERV in our basement.  After the ERV is installed, the HVAC guys will "balance" the pressure in our system, to ensure that the ERV is not putting an excessive pressure on the system.
For example, if the ERV put a negative pressure differential into our basement, this would cause the basement air to essentially "suck" in new air from under the house, effectively increasing radon level.  Therefore, it's standard to make sure the air pressure is balanced.
My question is - is it possible to actually do the opposite?  Adjust the air pressure in my hvac system so that the basement floor is kept at a slight positive pressure?  My logic here is that the positive pressure might act as a barrier to radon that otherwise would seep into the house through the basement subfloor and cracks and so forth.  Is this possible/sensible, or do I just not understand what I'm talking about?
PS - I do understand there is mixed information about efficacy of ERV for radon mitigation.

Ventilation/ pressurization based solutions can be advised, and often are in commercial design. In residential a reduction of 50% average Radon readings is usually considered an upper limit with HRV/ERV mitigation. Modifications to the recommended HRV install with some exhaust drawn from near the basement or crawlspace floor can improve this. If you have measured your intake/exhaust volumes and adjusted for slightly more fresh air in , say 15%, than indoor air out (and you don't want to T into to your HRV pipes to modify) then you've done all you can with your HRV. Volume is not pressure. Measuring airflow alone gives you zero idea of across slab or exterior wall pressure differential. This is the force behind soil gas, Radon, entry. Maintaining a small level of vacuum, just a few Pascal usually, under the slab through your Radon pipe should not take more than the installation of a small quiet fan and should yield 75 - 95% Radon reduction.


The faucet is leaking. How do I remove the faucet handle pieces? I can remove the hot and cold handle pieces, but the rest of the handle is not coming off to get to the screw below.

I've got the same cheap Glacier Bay faucet in one of my bathrooms. There is a screw in the top of the part of the hot & cold that actually rotates. Very similar (not sure if it is identical, but should be close enough) item at Glacier Bay Teapot 4 in.. Download the Replacement Parts List and what I am talking about is screw # 2 underneath # 1 and # 14 in the diagram.


Can I wire 3 lights to one switch as illustrated by this mock up diagram? I'm looking at lighting a kitchen in a wood cabin and to try and make the wiring (which will sit on the outside of the ceiling) as neat as possible, I'm wondering if I can wire 3 separate lights in the fashion I've illustrated below (taking an illustration that was done for 2 lights and trying to add a third, but not in a daisy chain fashion).

Illustration/diagram:

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

People use black and white because they only sell NM cable in black-white or black-white-red. We certainly wish we could use more illustrative colors.

Let's recolor the wires to indicate their actual function.  You can do the same thing with colored tape.

With red being switched-hot, it seems clear you are doing the right thing.

Lamps should get switched-hot and neutral check
switches should get hot and switched-hot check
neutral should be available in the switch box for future smart switches check.

Looks right to me.


Is my wood cabinet exposing asbestos? My house was built in 1965. We are renters and The side of my wood kitchen cabinet had the top level veneer pulled off. Exposing what’s underneath and possible asbestos glue. We brush past this area constantly and my dog is always wagging her tail into it. Is it possible that we are releasing fibers?

Is it possible that we are releasing fibers?

Anything is possible, but it is highly unlikely that incidental contact would release fibers. It is also highly unlikely that there is any appreciable amount of asbestos there (if any at all).
There is a ZERO percent chance, assuming there is asbestos there, that the scenario you are describing would in any way release enough asbestos fibers for you to worry about a health concern.


200Amps panel difficult in clamping aluminum cable due to limited clearance Sometime ago I installed Siemens Load Center a 200 amps breaker panel along with upgrading of the meter socket, overhang + cable, and service entrance cable. The 200amps aluminum cable is very rigid and difficult to work with especially in very limited clearance: the cable enter the building through a wall right below the circuit breaker panel as depict in the pic below:

[IMG]https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/463/32750491135_37daa6be3d_b.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/429/32370165070_40ab0baa84_b.jpg[/IMG]

There is no clearance leeway and range to maneuver the cable in order to to get it properly clamped.  However, this cable is extremely rigid and heavy duty and could not be disturbed or yanked in any way which would make the clamp irrelevant for most any practical purpose

Only by rerouting SE aluminum cable and drilling another lower hole in the exterior wall would allow another point of entrance with  more clearance and thus allowing the  reshape of the cable and having it properly clamped as far as appearance goes, but this would be too much work for no gain besides the avoidance of possible hindrances with the inspection. I was wondering whether the NEC would accommodate this type of situation.

I am considering redoing this segment (from bottom of meter box to breaker panel) of the SE cable and replacing it by copper and conduit instead of this type of aluminum SE cable. But I would imagine that this type of situation can crop up and that NEC should have some type of provision to deal with it. Besides the clamps server almost no function in this situation.

I would consider moving the panel down and bringing the cable in one of the knockouts on the back of the panel.  That way the part of the cable inside sheath is a "straight shot", and need not be bent.  Then you can remove the sheath and bend each of the individual conductors as needed.


Router bit depth keeps decreasing/slipping down, where is the problem? I inherited a black and decker plunge router from my grandfather. From when I first tried it the bit has always slowly receded back decreasing the amount the bit protrudes from the router base. This has happened when using it freehand and in a upside down table configuration. The bit collet itself is gripping well enough onto the bit, the bit itself is not slipping down into the collet. No matter how tightly I tighten the height lock mechanism this always happens. I have even removed the plastic cam toggle handle as I read somewhere so I can tighten the lock nut itself even tighter with a spanner, this also does nothing.

The lock mechanism works with a bolt which basically seems to press against the rails/poles of the router to stop it from moving up or down. I loosened and flipped the entire base around so that the bolt would be pressing on "virgin" surface, because where the locking bolt repeatedly pressed on the original rail/pole it started to scratch a path into the surface. Doing this also did nothing. The depth decrease/slip issue only seems to happen once I begin routing. I've wondered if removing the springs could be a makeshift fix?

I have no idea what could be the problem. Is the locking mechanism bolt too smooth from being slightly filed smooth over the years? I can't do anything with the router because the bit height always decreases making it almost impossible and aggravating to do anything. Thanks!

I think that measurement is needed to determine what the problem is.

Load up the router with a bit, and measure how much the bit protrudes from the collet.

Lock the base in place.  Measure the distance from the collet face to the base.

Measure from the base to the router body.

Now run the router until the bit sinks from the work.

Redo all those measurements, this will tell you which part is slipping.  eg.  If the bit is sticking out less from the collet, then the collet isn't holding the bit -- now you would have to figure that out -- is the lock nut tight, is the collet dirty or damaged.

If the distance from the base to the collet face is different then either the router body has slipped, or the depth adjustment has slipped.  Then check the base to router body distance.

I have one old router that I can't trust the depth on - when it's on and upright the bit could choose to stick out 1/32 further than when it's upsidedown -- this router has an issue with the bearings and the shaft will wiggle up and down - this might also be an issue with your router, but it sounds like the travel is too far for this to be the problem.


Nearly New Northern MN Slab In-Floor Heat Home Needs New Water Line Built in 2010, I moved in to my 3-bedroom, 2 bath home in Jan. 2011.  The house has radiant in-floor heat (natural gas) and sits on a slab.  This past late fall the City notified me of an unusually high use of water.  A plumber broke down all the valves and added shut-offs.  He narrowed the leak to the master bedroom bath.  Once that room was shut down - the problem was solved - at least for the water bill.

We know the leak is somewhere between the master bathroom (tub/shower combo, toilet and sink) and the furnace room - each to the opposite end of the house from one another.

Some have suggested the only fix is to re-route the water lines in to the unheated attic using a trough, insulation and heat tape.  I have already had one frost quake that broke the concrete and caused a shift in my house.  I just think water lines in an attic in Minnesota is a huge disaster waiting to happen.

What else could I do to get my master bath back in working order? I just want to get my master bathroom up and running again.  I am not sure how this can be done?

PS: Insurance will not cover unless leak was located and proved not to be a break caused by earth movement. Legal action is not an option in this case.

Your options:

1) Add perimeter baseboard hot water heat units. Just re-route the existing master bath feed to these baseboard units.

2) Add perimeter electric units. This would be more expensive in the long run as electricity is more expensive than gas. Plus the installation would require added wiring. You could also opt for under tile electric heat.

3) Depending on the flooring in the master bath, you could tear it all up (or pour over it) and add ½" pex tubing on top of the existing slab and pour an additional 1" of concrete or gypcrete on that. This would require raising the entry door frame or cutting an inch off the door and a transition at the threshold. Aesthetically, not very pretty.

4) Or, remove the entire slab in the master bath and re-pour the whole thing with new tubing in the slab. This option would be the most expensive but would leave you with a seamless repair.

The cheapest option is to add perimeter hot water heat to the master bath. You could even add a hot water towel warmer that would actually add something to the repair. Unfortunately, the baseboard heaters will look out of place in a slab heated home.

Good luck!


How to fasten one end of a rope to multiple points so as to distribute load equally? I'd like to hang a cocoon-type hammock device from a few railings overhead. It hooks onto a single point and hangs vertically, as opposed to a traditional hammock that you'd see hung horizontally between two trees.

It has to support one person's weight, but none of the potential fixing points are strong enough individually. I'm looking for a way to distribute the load (as equally as possible) between multiple fixing points. I'm going down this road, because this is a rented space and I can't drill for more traditional high-load fixing points.

Off-hand diagram:

You can use a concept from rock climbing here.  There are methods of attaching to multiple anchors that are meant to distribute the load to three anchors, such as a cordalette:

You can search and find instructions for how to tie a cordalette, which might be all you need.

There are other methods that are meant to have some slip so that the load is evenly distributed between the multiple anchor points.  Here is an example:

You'll find lots of examples for this if you search for "climbing equalizing anchors" or something like that.


Just bought a house, 70 years old, want to upgrade 2 prong outlets I've done some searching on this already and I think I know the answer. But I'd like to ask just to double check.

If i am not sure if the outlets are properly grounded, my best bet would be to replace the 2 prong outlets with GFCI outlets, correct? Actually, i suppose someone is going to say my best bet would be to first find out for sure if they are properly grounded or not :) Could someone suggest a relatively inexpensive tool for doing that?

If the boxes are correctly grounded, then I should be able to just replace the 2 prong outlets with regular 3 prong outlets, correct?

For right now, I mainly want to swap out a 2 prong outlet in the living room that the TV and the rest of the media/gaming stuff will be plugged in to. But there are 2 prong outlets scattered around the house that I'll probably also want to eventually replace.

I would be somewhat surprised if everything is correctly grounded since the wiring in the house is pretty old, it's all knob and tube wiring. Although the home inspector said it all looks like it's in pretty good shape. Eventually we'll have an electrician come in and replace all the wiring, but for now it's staying as is.

I would not put a 3-socket outlet on a 2-socket system, even though a lot of electricians do it. The neutral and ground are not the same thing. Neutral is part of the circuit and has electricity flowing through it. Ground does not have electricity flowing through it, unless there is a short. There is already a topic on why you should not connect the ground and the neutral.

If you think you can guarantee an earth ground, then hook it up and test it like this:

(1) hot and neutral CORRECT VOLTAGE

(2) hot and ground CORRECT VOLTAGE

(3) neutral and ground NO CONTINUITY

The outlet should pass all three tests. In other words if you put a connectivity tester on the neutral and ground sockets it should NOT beep. If you put the continuity tester between the neutral and the ground and it throws a huge spark and melts, then you just found out you did something wrong.


What makes breakers different from each other? I'm not asking about tandem breakers or 2-pole or even different ampacities. Related to this question (Circuit breaker + panel selection -- make and breaker series?), I'd like to know what is actually different about these different styles of breakers (CH, QP, QO, etc.) that they get different names. Is it just the physical packaging? Obviously they're not all mutually intercompatible, but what styles are common these days, and how are they different from each other?

The way breakers fit, hook and lock onto the bus is unique for each panel type.  They must not be interchanged. This isn't about brand loyalty, it's about physical fit and safe performance.  If Eaton really wanted to, they could make breakers for QO panels. They would have to have UL test, list, and label them as for QO.  Often you can physically force type X to clip onto type Y's bus... but it will not perform reliably, and it's not allowed under 110.3.

Because of the need to have people not put CH breakers in QO panels, they get different names - CH and QO.  Sorry if saying that is a bit obvious.

When you're buying panels, that means price not only the panel but the breakers you'll need for the panel, especially the oddballs like AFCI, GFCI, double-stuff, etc.  (Though I hope anyone who graduates from the Tester-TPE-Harper School of Speccing Panels never has call for a double-stuff.)

So your general families are:

Eaton CH - commercial grade with 3/4" wide breakers.  CH is for Cutler-Hammer's original line.  Eaton acquired Cutler-Hammer.
Eaton BR - cheapie builder/home grade with 1" wide breakers.  BR is for BRyant, which Cutler Hammer acquired.  Of late, Eaton has been starting to use CH "guts" in BR breakers, which can only be good for quality.
Square D  QO, Square D's  line of commercial-grade breakers. These are 3/4" wide. QO is for "Quik-Open".  They also make a variation of QO where the breakers bolt down, a feature desired in industry.  This may be something you want for a generator-interlocked panel, since backfed breakers must be bolted down.
Square D Homeline - truth in advertising.  1" wide.
GE Qline - an industrial grade family of standard 1" panels. However they have a very strange take on "Double-stuff" breakers - certain busbars have an extra bit, and they sell 1/2" wide breakers that can clip onto that bit.  2-pole breakers are 1" wide and straddle 2 spaces.
Siemens Q -- an industrial grade, like QO they make variations that "snap in" or that "bolt down", again of interest for backfed breakers.
Siemens Murray - another quality line inherited by Siemens.

There are a few others, let me know in comments if I missed one, or just edit it in.  Now on to obsolete panels.

Pushmatic -- a slick system that is fine, just obsolete.  Pushmatic had 2 columns of square-ish breakers that bolt down. They had a simple bus-bar left and right (L1 and L2), and didn't bother with the comb-meshing of modern panels. A 2-pole breaker was double width instead of double-height. Breakers are right next to each other so handle-tying is easy.  Breakers are still made, even double-stuff, but GFCI/AFCI are nonexistent - use an external deadface.
Federal Pacific  (FPE) -- Canadian version okay, US VERSION UNSAFE. Kill it with fire before it kills you with fire.  Like VW, they cheated on their testing. While the breakers are defective, the panel's bus bars are also defective and cannot be made safe.  Eaton makes kits to completely replace the guts of a FPE panel, reusing only the shell, which means you don't have to pull all the cables out of it, that being the bulk of the labor in a panel change.
Zinsco has the same problem as FPE.

Zinsco panels have a neat feature that can really getcha when you convert.  Each breaker fits over both bars, and you can flip the clip so it grabs either bar. On their double-stuff 1-pole breakers, you could grab 1 of each pole.  That's perfect for MWBCs.  Trouble is, if you move it "just like that" over to a modern double-stuff, both MWBC hots will be on the same pole - overloading the neutral, as this guy did in this video.  (of course he's using a GE Qline, so all he has to do is move the breaker up 1/2 space).

Classified breakers

Now, there is a legal process by which brand X can make breakers specifically for Brand Y panels. This is called a UL-classified breaker.  (I suppose other NRTLs could classify breakers, but all eyes look toward UL on this subject).  Square D refuses to have anything to do with this, and rejects the very concept of classified breakers.

Eaton CHQ is classified for Square D "QO" panels.
Siemens QD and MSQ are also classified for Square D "QO" panels.
The Eaton CL line (which is NOT CH or BR) works in a variety of panels, including Siemens Q and Murray; GE, Square D Homeline, and several obsolescent types such as Crouse-Hinds and T&B. CL does not fit Eaton or Challenger panels.
The Eaton CL line includes some neat breakers that don't really exist natively, such as their remote control breakers, and AFCI or GFCI for the obsolete panels they fit.
The Eaton BR line is actually UL-listed as dual Type BR and C, meaning it is natively listed (not classified) for Challenger panels.  BR is not CL and should not be put in any other panel.

Note that classified breakers by Brand X do not fit any Brand X panels. For instance Eaton CL is not Eaton BR.  Do not put a CL breaker where a BR belongs.


What is this scissor-like accordion contraption called? Below are some examples of the contraption I'm looking for.
What's this scissor-like configuration called?

first image: foldable roller conveyer.
second image accordion barrier.
where to buy is off topic, try engineering suppliers.
If you just want to make the XXX part get some flat steel (or aluminium) bars with three holes in them  and some bolts...


How does the smart switch learns my wifi settings? This question is not about how to do wiring or configuring a smart switch. This is basically to kill my curiosity on how that stuff works.

So when you hook up a smart switch, you power it up by connecting the mains (live and neutral) and then uses an app to feed in the wifi settings of your home network. But you do not necessarily connect to the switch's hotspot or anything (in some modes you do, but this is not about that) so how exactly the switch learns your home wifi settings via the app?

Yes, the phone is connected to the home wifi but before pairing, the switch is not, and it cannot connect because it doesn't know the home wifi ssid or password. This seems like the classic chicken-egg problem to me :) Can someone explain it technically?

It is not possible to give you an answer to your question that covers the exact details because there are a range of different technologies in use for smart devices. I will list a few of them here:

1) Some smart devices use proprietary wireless RF connections to a hub device that then in turn connects to your network. The hub knows how to search for devices to establish pairing via the RF connection. Often the pairing requires placing the smart device in a pairing mode so it announces itself to the hub. Setting up the hub on the local network will typically use a wired connection and get an IP address via DHCP.

2) Some smart devices use a proprietary communications protocol over the power line to a hub device that then in turn connects to your local network. Operation is similar to as described in (1) above.

3) Other smart devices have a full WiFi end point built right in. These devices are most often configured by using an App in a smart phone that talks to the smart device using a separate protocol from the phone over Blue Tooth. The smart device is typically initially placed into a Blue Tooth pairing mode and the App on the phone automates the pairing. Information about the WiFi connection is passed from the App to the smart device via the paired Blue Tooth connection.

4) There are smart devices that have a full WiFi end point built in but also have a display and buttons or a touch screen. WiFi connection information for these is entered directly into the device via this user interface. This is often seen with smart thermostat units.

5) There are a class of smart devices that have the WiFi end point but also have a USB connection. The USB connection is attached to a  laptop or PC and used in a setup mode with an App on the laptop or PC to configure the WiFi connection information in the smart device  through this USB interface. This type of setup has been common with some types of WiFi access routers.

6) Yet another class of smart devices that have a WiFi interface can be placed into a setup mode by pressing a button or switch. Often an LED will blink to show it is in the setup mode. In this mode the smart device acts as a WiFi access point and advertises a specific SSID. An app on a smart phone makes the phone search for that SSID and will temporarily connect the phone to that access point. Once connected the App can configure the smart device according to the SSID and password for the local network. An example of this scheme can be found in the more recent models of the Sonoff Wi-Fi smart switches.


Why am I getting noise with my network cable connectors? The modular plugs or what I like to call "end-caps" for Cat6 cable, I have the kind where you can push the cable all the way through then cut so you know you have proper cable alignment.  I thought this would be the best way to go so I don't have to dreadfully stare at the modular plug to determine if the wiring is in the right order.

Well, what I have noticed is that it is impossible for me to cut the wiring back far enough which creates excessive amount of "noise" and crosstalk and is just a bigger issue than what I imagined.  Am I doing something incorrectly or is this just a hazard of using this type modular connector?

EDIT
Below are images of my crimp work - looks good to me, but the cable is still not functioning!

Pin 6 is not crimped. Your crimp die is defective or you need to try again.

All the pins should be at the same level.

But really, punch-down into jacks and buy patch cables as already suggested. Cheaper and more reliable.


Is a WiFi Gas Water Heater worth it? First a little background, two things.  I'm married to a Russian wife, which means hot water for showers are mandatory to keep the wife happy (only mostly kidding, we've been through tough times together and that's not why she loves me).  Also, I've only ever known electric water heaters.  One day 2 years ago, the thermostat fortuitously went out on our electric water heater and we resorted to only turning it on at the breaker.  I was busy with my day job.  Our electric bill went WAY down, like 30-40% !!! I knew they cost money but that drove the point home.

Now, we have natural gas which goes to a brand new HVAC unit, so that heating is done by gas.  A 50 gal gas water heater looks to be about 300-400.00 more expensive if it has a WiFi module.  My specific question is whether or not, or when, the cost-benefit of using WiFi to completely shut the water heater down at night and when we're away will/would make the WiFi worth it.  If you have numbers from actual experience that would be great!

PS I'm disinclined to install tankless water heaters - it's an old house, I know as I've worked on it.

One does not have to resort to an expensive internet capable device to enjoy the money savings of a controlled water heater. There are a number of mechanical electrical timers which would serve the intended purpose.

Prior to installing a solar water heater panel on the roof, our house was equipped with a water heater timer rated to 220v which had multiple trigger attachments for on and off. A large diameter clock dial to cover seven days provided the reference surface to which the triggers attached.

An internet article suggests that this type of device can save money. I know from experience that it worked for us. Sporadic use of hot water in a small household gains the most, especially if you can block the times you need hot water and apply those to the timer disk.

Image courtesy of Home Depot.

I clearly have to read more thoroughly before answering!

Take a look at the site that obviously sells a specific product:

Gas water heater timers!

It appears to serve as a gas flow control device. Under one hundred dollars US and there may be other manufacturers/dealers from which to choose.


Why does my water hammer arrestor ask for 5psi less than house pressure and not 10 psi or 20 psi? I have Watts LF150A water hammer arrestors attached to the hot and cold supply valves for my washing machine (my LG washer is crazy about the water hammer). The LF150A instructions say to add pressure in the valve that is 5 psi less than the house water pressure.
Can someone explain - preferably like I'm a 5 year old - why 5 psi is the preferred amount? What would happen if it were 10, 15, or even 20 psi less than the house pressure? How much less effective would the arrestor be? At what psi would the valve stop arresting?
What would happen if there was more pressure than the house pressure?
My house pressure is 65psi and I'm really curious about the physics of this. Thanks!

The airspace in the arrester is creating a shock absorber just like on your car but I will use a bicycle tire to bring it to the kid level.
With the pressure a few psi below the actual the piston can move and absorb the shock of the water hammer.
If the pressure is above the water pressure the piston will be locked in place and not absorb the water hammer it would be like riding a bike with 120 psi air in the tires - you feel every grain of sand or rock you ride over.
If the pressure is too low in the arrester it’s not going to respond on the opposite side of too full - kind of like riding a bike with a flat tire the tire rolling around on the rim and not absorbing the shock
With the air just right at 5 below the arrester absorbs the shock of the water hammer like a bike tire rolling over a stone - you barely notice it.


How can I raise the floor of a sunken room level with the surrounding floors? I have a large room that has a 4” sunken area at one end of the room.  I want to raise and level the entire room to same height.  How do I do that

Without pictures, if there's floor joists/subfloor under the carpet/hardwood/vinyl, etc., it sounds like it would be as simple as just "framing it in". In other words, you'd just add some 2x4s on 16" centers (with top and bottom plates - kind of like a 2x4 wall that is just placed horizontally) that would raise it to the level you want. Note that 2x4s are only 3 1/2" wide, so you'd need to add 2x4s then some 1/2" plywood on top of that as a new subfloor. Then you could finish that with a floor covering like vinyl, carpet, hardwood etc. You'd need to make sure the new "floor" of 2x4s/plywood (or even 1/2" osb) matched the level of the floor you're trying to match. You'd need to make sure you secured the 2x4 addition with toenailing or buy some angle iron to nail into the side of the 2x4s, and then to the floor. But this is all based on if the floor that's there is made of wood. It would be best if you could verify the location of any joists below the current floor because it's best if you nail the new 2x4s to something solid.

If it's a concrete slab, you could do something similar but would need to use treated material so it doesn't rot, and secure it with concrete anchors.


How much weight can a 3/4" x 8" lag bolt hold when drilled in half way? Question:

How much weight can a 3/4" x 8" lag bolt hold when drilled in half way? What about other lengths and thickness, and percent drilled in? Is there some sort of formula to calculate?

Optional Background:

I'm planning on building a modest treehouse, on a tree whose trunk is oblong and whose long sides are probably not exactly parallel to each other. Because of this, I had the idea where instead of using lag bolts to screw in the joists on those oblong sides, I want to screw the lag bolts independently into the tree, and have the joists sit on top of them. This way I could have a perfectly square floor even if the sides of the tree are not parallel - it gives me some flexibility. It's a similar idea to a TAB (Treehouse Attachment Bolt), but a much cheaper version, as TABS can cost from $200 - $400 each! I want to make sure the bolts can hold enough weight when screwed in partially. Here's a screenshot of a similar plan where they're using TABs (highlighted in the screenshot - I will be using lag bolts instead of TABs - and I'll probably have 2 on each side):

How much weight can a 3/4" x 8" lag bolt hold when drilled in half way?

It's not just about weight but where and how that weight is applied. In your case, it would seem that the how is purely vertical, that is, no tension and applied to the perpendicular grain of the tree. The where is still open. Where on the bolt is the load applied? The further it is away the less it can carry, and the design problem changes from purely shear to a moment (tension / compression) situation.

  What about other lengths and thickness, and percent drilled in?

There is far too much math and variables to answer this question yet. You need to lower the variables first, aka settle on a design and work out some of the details first

  Is there some sort of formula to calculate?

Yes, many of them but these are outside the scope of this website

The description and everything else aside, this all comes down to loads and resistance based on things like material properties and the specifics of your design. Since you yourself are not sure about the details then it's not possible to answer this question yet

In general, lag screws (they are -not- bolts) can be used in place of the tree house bolts as there is little fundamental difference between them and the tree house bolts other than dimensions and maybe steel properties (but that probably may not control design).

But to specifically answer your question, you'd have to hire an engineer, sorry


Why is my kitchen faucet dripping even after water is shut-off? Kitchen faucet (two separate handles, pull-out hose, Price-Pfister Catalina model) is dripping from the faucet itself. I shut the water from below the sink, determined it's a cold water, unscrewed the handle, removed and replaced the cartridge. However. As soon as I screw the cartridge in place, water starts dripping (both cold and hot water is shut off). If I unscrew the cartridge, water stops dripping (and nothing comes out of cartridge hole, so I suppose under-sink shut-off is ok). I tried unscrewing the hot water handle, same behavior exactly.

Question: Why the water is dripping and how do I troubleshoot/fix it?

both or one of your shut off valves is not shutting off completely and has a small drip which builds up in the cartridge housing. the new cartridge fills that void up causing it to leak again.

This is the only logical explanation i can think of.

You didnt say if you replaced the cartridge with a new or seals.  So if not the do so and it should stop leaking if you do it right.


Just bought house with hairline diagonal crack from window We just bought our house at the end of November here in Wisconsin. So weather is changing. Noticed this crack by the window. House is from 60s I believe. Should I be concerned? Or could this be from tempture change. This does stem from a large corner window with two windows near it too.

Probably just the house settling - could be due to:

Underlying soil conditions causing the house to rise or fall
Changes in seasonal humidity causing the window casing to shrink
Perhaps you didn't notice it until it got dark and cold so you're inside more
Moving in: if the house was empty, then filled with all your belongings, it can actually cause the house to settle.  Happened to my parents' house.

Probably not a serious structural issue (IANAL). If you patch it, make sure to use some reinforcing mesh to keep it from just cracking again.

Perhaps this question might also help.


Plunger stuck inside tub drain I have an older bathtub with a "plunger drain" setup like this:

I can see the very top of the plunger's linkage assembly (it must have become detached from the trip lever linkage at some point, and sit's much lower in the drain now) and it has an "O" that I can get a hanger or hook around with some work.

The issue is that the plunger won't budge. It's almost as if it's lodged or rusted tight. When pulling with a coathanger bent into a hook, it takes me pulling so much that it unbends the hanger without moving. I don't feel any noticeable sign of give or wiggle.

Unfortunately, the drain opening is not an open drainpipe (it's some kind of closed stopper valve) so I can't try to do anything through there.

Is it likely that the plunger, itself, is jammed in there? Or, perhaps it's rusted? I considered throwing some DW-40 down there, or something to see if it might loosen. But, I figured I should ask first. I'd hate to open a wall, since it backs up to another shower, requiring me to demolish the siding to get access.

I would stay away from the acid because it can also eat your metal pipes. If the drain hasn't been used for years it is possible that it's rusted in place. I would try CLR  as mentioned above. The balloon trick is clever. Slow process but it MAY work. Most older drains are brass and the stopper is also brass. Corrosion is more likely the culprit. Once you get it free you can pull the entire assembly out through the overflow hole to clean or replace it. Good luck!


Basement wall studs: any alternatives to wood? I'm now getting ready to redo the basement that was flooded. See the horrifying images below..

Some questions:

a) Why in the world is there a layer of plastic on studs - do I have to do the same or was that some 80-ies thing?
b) is there a wood that won't rot under water? In case if basement floods again... Is there a waterproof sheetrock?

The plastic is a vapor barrier. It's used because these are unfaced fiberglass insulation batts.

In cold climates, the vapor barrier prevents moisture within the living space from penetrating into and condensing in the cooler insulation where it reduces the insulating properties or worse, freezes.

When its replaced, there will need to be some sort of vapor barrier whether it's faced insulation or unfaced insulation with sheet plastic vapor barrier.


Help With Washer Drain Pipe I have to install a washer on the second floor of a new home we purchased. I'm comfortable with the water lines, but I'm not 100% clear on the drain line and don't want to make a mistake.

There's an elbow joint on the floor behind the washer spot. I've got no idea what it is for. Then there's the hole next to the intake lines. Every tutorial/video I've watched says the hole in the wall for the drain line. What is the pipe on the floor for and does the drain line definitely run to the hole next to the water supply lines?

More photos

The connection in the floor is for a washing machine drain pan. You put it under the washing machine and connect the pipe in the floor through the hole in the back of the drain pan. If your washing machine leaks, then it will drain through that pipe.


Replacing receptacles protected by one GFCI outlet My current setup is one GFCI receptacle and three regular receptacles downstream that are protected by the one. Everything had been working fine (it even tripped recently and I reset it, so I know it works). Today I decided to swap the three downstream from cream to white colored ones. I swapped two of them and now I cannot get any of the outlets in the series to work. I have tried resetting the GFCI while breaker is on, I have rewired the outlets four times each now, three times with screws and once with the push-ins. I am at a loss. Only thing that is different is the color and the new ones are “tamper resistant”.
Looking for ideas.

Trouble shooting is about isolation of a problem. With that in mind and using safe procedures (never try and connect or disconnect while the breaker is on) you need to start at the GFCI and work your way down.

First disconnect all of the replaced receptacles and check the GFCI. This may be a rare occasion were the GFCI went bad. If it does work then connect each receptacle down stream until the GFCI trips and will not reset. Now we have an isolated problem and we need to figure out what is wrong with that particular device.

Once we have identified that problem proceed right on down the line one at a time until the circuit is complete and in working order.

I know this doesn't give you an exact answer to your problem but you can now narrow down the problem(s) and if the problem is not obvious then stack exchange can give you a more specific answer to your problem.

Hope this helps.


What is my power company referring to as the "electrical stack on pole"? My electric company came out and took my meter. I called them today and asked why. They told me I needed to replace a wire on the stack at the pole. I asked them "what is a stack?", and the lady couldn't provide me an answer or transfer me to someone that could tell me so what is a stack on a pole where the meter is?

service entrance power drop; the point past which you're responsible for.

(source)


How do I remove crumbling mortar from fieldstone foundation? I have a fieldstone foundation.  As with most such foundations, the mortar is crumbling, and the sandy mortar is falling out onto the basement floor.  I have just read that I need to remove crumbling mortar and point (to fill the voids with new lime mortar).

How aggressive should I be about removing existing mortar, and what is the best way or removing it?   Should I use a steel brush, scrape with a chisel, or actually chisel away mortar?  Should I be concerned if the mortar is crumbled and loose far into the foundation?

The basement is about 130 years old and has had no water leaks so far.

I've no experience of lime mortar, but I would work under the same assumptions as I use for plaster and normal mortar.

That is, when removing the loose material go a little way into the sound areas, but don't be too aggressive.

So in this case I'd start with a steel brush to get the really loose material out and then use a chisel (or an old long screwdriver) to scrape away a little bit further and test out the remaining mortar to see how loose and crumbly it is.

If you find that you are removing a lot of mortar then I'd start to get concerned, but if you only do a small area at a time you shouldn't affect the stability of the wall.

It might be useful to get a couple of people in to give you quotes for the work. They should explain what they would do and give you an indication of just how bad the mortar is. Ask them if there could be structural problems when repointing - it's a perfectly valid question.

Just don't tell them you intend to the work yourself :)


Why is water being consumed when my shutoff valve is closed? I have a shutoff valve in the crawlspace that operates just the four outside hose faucets.  Heard the water rushing last year and sure enough the water meter at the road was reflecting water usage when we weren't using anything in the house.

I replaced the existing shutoff valve and it will shutoff the water to those outside faucets, but if I open it up the water is still rushing somewhere and the water meter shows usage.  I have been everywhere in the crawlspace, inside the house, and the attic but can find no water coming out anywhere.  The outside faucets will show a normal flow of water when I turn each on individually if I open up the valve, but no leaks to be found.

Any ideas?  Do I need a different shutoff valve (I am using a standard one with the red circular shutoff handle)?  Any thoughts would be appreciated.  I let it go until now since we weren't here for months, in case you were wondering.

It's clearly NOT the shutoff valve - water is going somewhere, and the valve is shutting it off. So it's doing it's job. There has to be a pipe, or a branch off a pipe that is going somewhere and running water, after that valve, from what you have described.

Typically where water is heard and the water meter is spinning but you don't see any, it's going into a drain somewhere - why anything tied to the "outside faucet shutoff under the house" would do that, I surely don't know, unless it is irrigation or pool related - my usual suspect inside the house (because I had one that did this occasionally, and when it kept doing it every so often after I cleaned the valves to stop it each time, finally replaced it) is a water softener, but that seems highly unlikely here.

Depending strongly on the pipe layout, you might get an indication of which branch is most suspect by measuring the pressure at each outside faucet. Not guaranteed, but possibly one will be considerably lower than the others, and that would be the one to double-check the pipe to, for any branches you may have missed.

Toilets are the other usual one, but they tend to be more obvious as far as being seen/heard misbehaving. Not to mention that you'd notice it not filling with the shutoff closed.


Repainting buildings' exterior, but with a different color Is there an advantage to repaint the exterior of a home the same color?  What considerations need be made to pick a very different color?  We have 13 buildings in a condominium that are painted brownish tan.  There is movement here to repaint all buildings grey instead of the original color.  Would we incur more expense to do this?

It's an issue of coverage. Using the same color means you don't have to be quite as picky/concerned about even coverage/multiple coats.

That said, if you're hiring out, a professional painter should be fine handling a repaint no matter the underlying color.


Stripped hole in furnace fan housing assembly In the furnace blower housing, where the blower motor sits, the holes have gotten may be a little bigger. This is a thin piece of metal where the screw sits. But now my screw keeps rotating. On two screws, I have put put a nut to tighten the bolt, but for one hole, I cannot put a nut because once the blower is there, my hand wont reach.

I have tried everbilt mr. grip but that doesn't help much. I can't run the A/C because of this (the same fan supplies cold air in summer from A/C). Really appreciate any ideas. Is it easier to drill a new hole? I tried but couldn't do it with the screw. May be I need to use a drill bit?

I would solder a nut with the matching thread to the thin piece of metal, more than sufficient to hold the nut in place.


replacing a duplex outlet The old outlet I wish to replace has a red wire pushed into the push connector and another red wire hooked around a brass terminal. The same is true for the two black wires. My question is should I pigtail the red wires and then just have one red wire attached to a brass terminal and likewise with the two black wires?

Pigtailing them (from a wirenut connecting the two wires and the pigtail) is a perfectly good approach, yes.

Check the old outlet to see if (likely) the tab connecting the two brass terminals is broken/removed. If it is, do the same on the new outlet before installing it.


How can I drill a hole in tempered glass without shattering it? How can I drill a hole in tempered glass without shattering it? Is it even possible? The hole only needs to be around 1/4" in diameter, nothing crazy huge.

You can't.  The tempered glass will completely shatter if this is even attempted.  If you absolutely must have tempered glass with a hole in it, the hole or any other shaping must be done before the tempering process.


What is this strange coiled wire and should everything be redone? Problem 1

So I'm going through my house, replacing the switches and came across this switch that controls a fan in my bathroom. It looks like this may have been something the previous owner did, and did incorrectly.

If you notice, there is this strange coiled wire looped around the terminals. The wire itself appears to be stripped in the middle for the terminal connections and continues with the tip exposed. This looks bad and I think should be fixed.

Problem 2

In the bathroom, the light switch controls power to this switch, so the light switch must be on to use the fan. I assume that the wires from the light switch, go to the light, then to the fan. From the fan, I believe the hot splits off and goes to this switch and back. There is no ground in the box for this switch.

The problem itself is not that big of a deal for me, just an annoyance.

Questions

Besides having the ends exposed, is using this coiled wire a hazard?
Should there be a ground wire with the switch?
Should it be replaced with standard 14 gauge wire?
Any other concerns that may stand out based on what I described?

Probably the best thing I can do is to replace it and make the fan independent of the light. This just puts a lot of work on my end as I only want to update the switch, for now. I have other plans to get an electrician to add circuits to my house at some point, just not anytime soon.

Edits

I'm a little afraid to pull it out as I believe the wires will not stay in place/can bare any weight without dangling. Here is a different angle of the switch, you can see the majority of the box.

This should definitely be redone with a standard 14/3 NM-B cable

Whoever installed this lightswitch used the first thing they could get their hands on, apparently SPT-2 parallel cordage of some sort, instead of NM cable.  As a result, there is no ground in this box at the moment, nor is their a neutral, which is now a requirement to provide at switch locations to accommodate smart switches and such.

As a result, the entire cable that connects this switch to the fixture it controls needs to be replaced with a 14/3 NM cable -- black goes to always-hot in the vent-fan box, red goes to the vent fan hot, white goes in with the neutral bundle that the fan connects to, and bare goes to the ground bundle.  In the switch box, bare goes to the green ground screw on the switch, black goes to one switch terminal, red goes to the other switch terminal, and white simply gets capped off with a wirenut as it's not used for a "dumb" mechanical switch that simply sits in the circuit hot and breaks it.

This is also a sign of further trouble lurking

This sort of sloppy work in one place means one thing: that there's probably more trouble lurking where you cannot see.  Do not be surprised if you see more flagrant Code violations during further work.  If you have a friendly electrician at hand, you may wish to call them in and go on a Code-violation scavenger hunt through your house with them, even.


What should I look for when shopping for a kitchen faucet water filter? I'm looking for a kitchen faucet water filter that I can install, and found several online.  My main goal is to have easy access to clean water in my apartment, and to also have a method of filling 5 gallon bottles to replace my Sparkletts delivery service.

When looking for a kitchen water filtration system, what are the main things that one should look for?  I'm also looking for one that has a large tank to support a 5-gallon fill up.

The first question to ask is what you want to filter out and why. From the wording of your question, it appears that you think your drinking water is unclean. As far as I know, public drinking water is safe everywhere in the United States, so I'll assume that you have well water. If so, you need to start by having the water tested. Use a local or semi-local lab, as they will know what to test for in your area. The staff of nearby public water districts can probably recommend a reputable, local lab.

Depending on the test results, there are different kinds of filters. If your water is very hard, some filters will require that you also have a water softener.

If you are just looking to improve the taste of safe water, then a carbon filter will likely suffice. They can be mounted on the tap; alternatively, a whole-house filter can be installed for a few hundred dollars. (That may not be an option for an apartment dweller.)


Why does my one-way switch have 4 wires? My bedroom light is controlled by only one switch (as far as I'm aware of...), so I assumed my switch would only have 3 wires (current in, current out, ground). However I opened my switch and I saw 4 wires (see picture below). What is the 4th wire for?

UPDATE: If I reverse the two "push to release" wires, this switch seems to end up turning on/off a completely other switch in my bathroom. For example, after reversing the wires, in order to put on my bathroom light, I have to put on this light. So I guess this switch is connected to my bathroom somehow, and that is related to the 4th wire. But why, and how?

BTW, I am asking all of these question because I want to install a dimmer switch.

What you have there is a single pole switch that has been tapped to continue the permanent hot to another source. Using the screw terminal and the backstab connector avoids the use of a separate pigtail to join the two wires together


Is this panel ground rod correct? I ran a 50 amp sub-panel to an outbuilding 120' from the main source panel with a four wire SOOW cable. I put the cable in an 1-1/2" conduit 2' deep. I connected the neutral to the neutral buss bar in the main and sub-panels, added a separate ground bar in the sub-panel and connected the ground wire to the main panel bus bar and sub-panel bus bar. I drove a copper rod down into the earth 8' at the sub-panel location and ran a bare #6 from the sub-panel ground bar to this grounding rod.
* Is this additional sub-panel ground rod correct? *

Yes, this rod is correct, only it is NOT "additional", it is required since this feeder runs to a detached structure.

Also, as mentioned, many/most inspectors will as if the ground rod meet the 25 ohm requirement. If it does not then a second rod is required and the 25 ohm rule is no longer in place.

Also, and this is a biggie, that SOOW cord is absolutely NOT code legal in this case. Rubber cord CANNOT be used for permanent wiring. You need to use either individual THHN/THWN conductors if the conduit is complete from panel to panel, or you can use UF cable as long as the size cable you get can legally fit in the conduit.
Individual conductors in conduit could be #8cu, but due to the distance and the small cost difference I'd go with #6, actually #6 for the hots, #8 for the neutral, and #10 for the ground.
Uf cable would need to be 6/3.

I would seriously consider making this right and getting the whole job inspected.


Two GFCI outlets were just replaced and have power but don't work Two GFCI outlets were just replaced in kitchen.  Green light is on but no power to the GFCI outlet or the downline outlets.  There is power to the wires and the TEST / RESET buttons don't work.  Any ideas?  Thank you.

I stayed with the same model, Leviton.  I only changed the color.  Downline outlets as well.

First, don't remove the "For Wizards Only - Do Not Use" warning tape from the LOAD terminals unless the old GFCI actually has things on its LOAD terminals.  Sometimes a GFCI has 4 wires, but they all go to LINE.   If so, do that!

Then, follow a 2-step process for hooking up any GFCI.

Step one

Identify which screws on the new GFCI are the LINE screws.  Usually this can be done simply by not removing the warning tape yet.

There should be a pair of wires from the same cable (usually black and white) which were on the old GFCI's LINE terminals.

Attach those "candidate" wires to the LINE screws.  Now, protect the other wires so they won't zap anything.  Plug something into the new GFCI.  Then, go turn on the power, and test the appliance plugged into the new GFCI. Make sure all that works great.

You can also hit "Test" and "Reset" if you can find a way to do that without touching the stuff and getting zapped.

If the GFCI is not working in all respects, STOP.  Do not proceed to step 2. You probably got the wrong set of wires, so turn off the power again and rearrange as needed.

Now, if the old one had any other wires on LINE, turn off power and hook them up.  This should not cause problems but checkpoint this anyway.

Step 2

Note the wiring on the LOAD terminals of the old GFCI.  If there is any, tear off the warning tape and attach it to the new GFCI's LOAD terminals.

You know that the work done on the LINE terminals is solid, so do not mess with that if you're having a problem here. The problem must be something you just did.


What is the best way to light a Lexan (Polycarbonate) sheet? I've recently installed a Lexan 'whiteboard' in my garage which works as well as I'd hoped.

I now want to use some type of lighting to light up the board in a useful/visual appealing way.

Shown below is how the board looks attached to my garage wall:

I'm thinking something like LEDs mounted at the bottom of the sheet may light it up nicely. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Cool question.  I have to dig back into my military (Air Force) experience to answer this one. We often used home made light boards to display equipment status and operational sortie info. We built a wooden frame that held the plexi apx 2 to 3 inches away from the wall with a black background panel. We then mounted 8 ft single florescent tube fixtures directly over the plexi, centered on the edge of the sheet, then covered the tube and fixture with a shadow board. This worked great. It illuminated the writing on the board, but blocked the light from coming into the room, creating the effect of neon light writing.  We used colored grease pencils. Red, yellow, green and orange really Pops out!!! I'm sure you can find LED strips that would do the same thing, perhaps a lot more expensive than florescent however. Today I bet you can use a polish, wax or treatment on the plexi that will allow you to use dry erase markers in place of the old fashion grease pencils. Sounds like a fun project, good luck.