Wire two 14-50 outlets to 50 amp breaker Was wondering can I add two 14-50 outlets to one 50 amp breaker using 6/3 wire and connecting with wire nuts?  Also, recommend PVC or liquid tight flex conduit?  Will be in the garage.

I want to add two electric car chargers.  Wire will come out of panel and to a junction box. From here, one 6/3 wire to one 14-50 outlet and another 6/3 wire to another 14-50 outlet.  Is this ok to do?  Only one charger will be in use at a time.  I have seen some wire nuts that can accept two 6 gauge wires but not three, which is what I will need.  Any ideas where I can find those?

Also, my HVAC guy gave me some leftover liquid tight so was thinking of using that but can also use PVC.  Any recommendations?

On 50A circuits, the rule is one breaker - one homerun - one outlet (NEC 210.23) The only exception is circuits which supply only cooking appliances (210.23C).  If you want to use two devices on one circuit, unplug the one you're not using and plug in the one you are.

It may be legal to feed two outlets with 2 breakers in a sub-panel.  However I would think an inspector would look askew at a 50A breaker in the main panel serving two 50A breakers in a sub-panel.

It would probably be allowed if you had an interlock which allows only one breaker to be on at a time.  Those are readily available, intended for generator interlocks.  Just backfeed them - this is allowed unless the breakers are GFCI or AFCI.  (and even if they are, move them around so they forward-feed.)

For wirenutting stuff that big, I use screw-down terminal blocks, they are more reliable.

I wouldn't worry about liquid-tight unless you actually expect water ingress.

I use metal conduit if the area is dry and unlikely to rust.  It qualifies as a ground path, so pulling ground wires is unnecessary.  As you may need to pull another set of 6 AWG... For 6 AWG wire, the hard max in 1" conduit is 6 wires.  Sure, that's pullable - if you have an electrician's truck full of special pulling tools.  But I don't, and I don't want to call that guy, so I wildly overbuild conduit. I use oversize conduit and lots of access points (junction boxes, conduit bodies) with no more than one 90 between them.  At that point I can usually just push the wire through, without fishing.

If you're running conduit, don't use 6/3.  That is sheathed multi-wire cable, informally called Romex, and it's stiff and miserable to pull through conduit.  You are not allowed to remove the conductors from the sheath unless they have appropriate markings of their own, which they won't.  The right stuff to use in conduit is stranded single-wire THHN (in dry areas) or THWN (in wet areas) - at 6 AWG size, most wire will be combo THHN/THWN.

See what your equipment requires.  If you're in conduit, and it doesn't need neutral, don't put it in - you can always add it later. You'd use NEMA 6 instead of NEMA 14.  Never use NEMA 10, it is obsolete.

Edit: I need more space to answer your comment.

From what they said on the website, Juicebox only needs 2 wires (plus ground). It is a modern style "switching" power supply which chops any input 110-250V into what it wants. What they call "red neutral" is only neutral in a 120V hookup, in 240V it is the other hot.  So, no neutral. Saved you a wire.  It is legal for Juicebox to wire their NEMA 14 plug with no neutral, I honestly have no idea if it's legal to not connect neutral on a NEMA 14 receptacle.

The website says two Juiceboxes have the intelligence to share a connection of limited current capacity.  That is not unprecedented.  Some washer-dryer combos are designed so the washer daisy-chains off the dryer, making it unnecessary to run a separate 120 service. The washer and dryer coordinate to not overload the 240V 30A circuit.  They are UL listed to do that if connected according to the manufacturer instructions.  Ditto Juicebox.

Over 50 amps, plugs and sockets are not allowed, you must hardwire the electrical connections.  Check a voltage drop calculator on the web for the wire size.  The site I used called out #3 Copper or #2 aluminum assuming a 75' run. However, you'd want to run aluminum anyway, because with large wires, metal content is a big part of the cost.**. When splicing this "big stuff" you use connection blocks with screws that typically use hex keys.  They're about $10 each at your local electrical supply house.  Grats, you graduated out of the big-box stores.  Never look back.

Breakers protect wires, so the breaker must match "the thinnest wire", i.e. The wire in the circuit with the lowest ampacity.  If that puts you between breaker sizes, you can go up to the next offered size, e.g. 80A. If you really want to run 100A wire, you can do that.

You have high aspirations and I would run conduit to match - no smaller than 1-1/2". Use larger boxes for working room... And think really hard about where your bends and/or conduit bodies are going to be. That big wire will be stiff.

**The infamous problems with aluminum wiring pertained to an alloy now outlawed, being used for small lamp and outlet wiring. That doesn't save any money, because in small wire, little of the cost is mineral value. It was done post-war because it was simply impossible for the surviving copper mines and smelters to satisfy post-war demand.


Can I fill this AC line inlet with expanding foam? I think the PVC inlet for my AC lines is a possible entryway for mice getting into my attic. Is there any reason I shouldn't fill it with expanding foam to seal it off? Or is there a better, less permanent solution that I'm overlooking?

You can seal the hole with duct seal.  It is a putty-like substance, which can fill the hole around the pipes.  Duct seal does not harden, so it is easy to remove in the future.  You may have to cut the pipe insulation just short of the hole so you get a good seal.  It may be a good time to replace that whole section of insulation while you're working in the area.

Duct seal is available at most any home improvement stores.  It's usually in the plumbing or electrical section.


How to best tap into this black steel gas line I need to add a 3/4” line into this line.  I plan to swap out the 2 bushings and elbow with a tee (and a close nipple) that has one 1/2” for the existing line that goes to a dryer and the accommodate the new 3/4” on the other side. The main pipe is 1.25”.

I am hoping that I can just unwind the bushings without the need to cut and thread.

Will that work and any tips on doing so?

Cut the elbow at the male threads and then turn it counterclockwise to remove it from the 1/2" pipe. Then turn each of the reducers counterclockwise to remove them from the tee.


How to fix a tap where the handle has fallen off I have the following tap / faucet:

As you can see, it's seen better days.  The handle of it was composed of four plastic interlocking pieces which have, piece by piece, broken off.

We're due to get a new kitchen soon, so I don't want to spend any money on it at this stage.  My initial thought was to replace the tap, but it's part of an enclosed unit where I physically can't get to the underside of it.

I visited a local DIY shop, and he suggested this:

This sounded like a brilliant idea.  Apparently the concept being that you simply unscrew the top of the tap, remove the cylinder and replace it with this.  Having unscrewed the screw that is visible in the above picture, it appears to be effectively impossible to remove the top of this tap.

So, my question is broadly, how can I rectify this without changing the tap?  Firstly, am I correct in assuming I should be able to simply slide to top section of this tap off once the screw is removed (I've tried WD40 and a good bit of force, but it's not coming)? Secondly, assuming that this isn't possible, is there such a thing as a "glove" that simply slides over the top (the tap works okay, it's just hard to turn off and on)?

From my point of view (image is very small and poorly illuminated) you face a hexagonal ending of the shaft, when looking at the top of the tap. My first try was to get a wrench socket, which fits the hexagonal stub. It may be difficult to find a matching wrench socket small enough to fit into the housing of the tap, but you could take a cheap one and grind the outer diameter down until it fits. then you screw it down with a matching screw and insert a short t-handle. Alternatively you may fix a valve handle to it via a sqare axis reaching from your wrench socket into the handle.

Update
there's another way to make place for a wrench socket (assuming there's a wrench socket fitting the hexagon, but not the inner diameter). You could saw off the upper rim of the tap surrounding the hexagonal stub of the shaft, so you can place the wrench socket on it, without having to grind its outer diameter down, which is undoubtedly the harder work to do. The wrench socket — again — can be fixated by a matching screw and some washers on the tap to prevent it from popping out.


Seeking suggestions for switch workaround The '+' switch is not working and prevents increasing the oven temperature from 350 degrees.  If the two nodes at the end of the switch were bridged into another momentary switch, would that not solve the problem?
Suggestions are appreciated as are supporting diagrams and photos: thank you

While that sounds like it might work, you need to consider the design of these kinds of switch matricies.  Often there are diodes that present a predictable voltage drop to the microprocessor so it can sense which switch you are trying to press.  Simply shorting it may fool the microprocessor into thinking an entire row or column has been shorted.

If I were an Alaska Bush Man I would try this, for sure.

But I think you are better off simply replacing the keypad assembly.

You might be amazed at what kinds of parts like this you can find at the usual sources.

That being said, try this:  begin with a Google search and see if I could find a service manual for the unit in question before beginning surgery.


How best to drill pilot holes through hardened steel exterior door frame? I'm trying to drill pilot holes through my exterior door frame in order to install a weather seal.

I purchased a few new cobalt drill bits labeled for hardened steel.

However, each new bit was only able to drill one pilot hole before losing its ability to drill holes.

After two bits, I tried applying some oil to a third new bit to keep it from overheating, and while that worked in keeping the bit cool, it still was only able to successfully drill one pilot hole. After the initial hole, the bits stopped working and could no long drill through the steel.

Any thoughts?

If it is possible that you used the drill bit with the electric drill set to the wrong rotation direction, without realizing it, the freshly ground new drill bit will likely be able to drill a hole through the thin steel but at the same time will dull and round off sharp edges so much that a second reverse operation would never start to cut into the metal.

The electric drill has to be setup to rotate the drill bit in the direction shown in this picture:


How can I stop kitchen sink caulking from peeling off after a few weeks? We recently had a new metal kitchen sink and Formica counter-tops professionally installed, but the installer did not apply any caulking around the sink. During a follow-up call with the counter-top company, we were told that their installers do not caulk.

I bought some clear General Electric silicone caulk, caulked it myself, and let it dry for several days under a plastic sheet to ensure that it was well cured.

A few weeks after, the caulk started to peel away from the edge of the sink. I had followed the directions on the silicone caulk product, and cleaned the area before applying it.

What's the best way to prepare and caulk a sink so that the caulk doesn't continuously just come away from the edges it's intended to seal?

I want to do it as well as possible, so the caulking lasts months instead of weeks. To be honest, I am annoyed that I have to deal with this myself. We hired professional counter-top installer from a reputable local company to handle exactly this kind of thing on our behalf.

If the plastic sheet you put over the curing caulk formed a vapor seal, the caulk did not cure properly which could make it not adhere and peel.

Curing caulk should be left open to the air to off gas at its natural rate determined primarily by temperature.  As long as the sink is at room temperature this should happen in less than 24 hours.  Do not disturb or splash it within the first 30 minutes.

As long as the counter top is an ordinary material—stone, wood laminate, or composite—it just has to be clean and dry before caulking.

I certainly would expect a professional sink installer to caulk.  Perhaps they refused because one of the counter or sink materials is known not to work?  Oily woods like Rosewood, Ebony, Cumaru, Ipe, etc. are well known to be difficult to glue together.  A solvent can be used just before caulking to improve performance.  See this.


Wiring for basement - do I need conduit? I am finishing my basement with 2x4 frames. I have lots of single conductor wires (standard and solid core) from the old unfinished basement. I am wondering can I use these single conductor wires among the 2x4 frames without conduits? That is can I just use three bare single conductor wires (white, red, green) without any other protection, such as conduit? Just like the way we use Romex among the frame?

Nope, single wires can't be used unless part of a Chapter 3 wiring method in the NEC that calls for their use, such as conduit.  This is specified in 300.3(A):

  (A) Single Conductors. Single conductors specified in Table 310.104(A) shall only be installed where part of a recognized wiring method of Chapter 3.


Is there a special low temperature thermostat? I have a gas ceiling mounted furnace for my garage.

I want to set my garage at 35-40° F (1-4° C).

Is there a special thermostat to control furnace at that low temp? (I've seen one works as low as 50° F (10° C), but not as low as 35-40° F)

Yes.  One example is the  Honeywell CT50K1028/E which is your basic low voltage thermostat it goes down to 35 F. I'm pretty sure it will work for your application.  No hacking or electronics work reqired.   There are others.  Do a search for " Garage thermostat"


What is this single pole switch to empty ceiling box blows breaker when switched on I would appreciate  some help thinking through what are the possible problems in the following situation?

A newly wired circuit from breaker box ( 20 amp 12 AWG wire) to front of the house (longest run in house) has a set of outlets, and at the end of the run a three gang switch box with 3 single pole switches for 20amp. One switch works an outside light, the second switch a switched outlet, the third switch a ceiling fan yet to be installed. The ceiling box is empty of a fixture and is covered.  Inside that ceiling box is a green ground screw with the ground wire attached, and the capped off white and black wire. All looks properly sound. The wires in the 3 gang switch box also look properly and neatly wired.  All the switches and wiring are new.

Problem:  When all the outlets on the circuit are not in use, and all three single pole switches in the 3 gang box at the end of the run are switched off, if someone turns on the single pole switch to the empty ceiling fan box the circuit blows. If that switch is off and anything else on the run is used, whether it be one of the outlets, outside light, switched outlet, or some combination of them, the circuit works fine.  Even when the switch to the empty fan box had been switched on in the past, the circuit continued to work fine.  Then one day the switch to the empty fan box was switched on and blew the circuit. It is only when that switch is turned on that the circuit breaker switches off. This happens even when nothing else is running on the circuit and the only thing done is to switch on that switch to the empty ceiling fan box.  Since the room has not been finished yet, one can see that no screw, drywall or otherwise, has damaged the wire. Further upstream cabinets were installed, but the wires in the wall at the location were protected from damage with plates at every stud and any damage would have theoretically affected all the down stream outlets, not just this one switch run.

I suppose it possible that the switch, although new, could need to be replaced, and the new wire between the fan to the switch may also have to be replaced if no other explanation can be found.

Something is wrong with the wiring to the ceiling fan or with the connections to the switch.

Possibly in between the last succesful test and the first unsuccessful use of that switch something has damaged the wiring (e.g. a nail into the wall? strain on the wires?)

I would isolate the circuit at the breaker box, test for voltage at the switch and then test the wires attached to the fan switch for unexpected continuity between live & neutral, live & earth. I'd then detach the switch from all wiring and test for continuity across it's contacts with the switch in each state.


Fried GFCI, how urgent is replacement? Several days ago, GFCI receptacle in kitchen blew while Windex'ing ants, because they were coming out of the prong holes. My middle name is not Darwin, needless to say. 20-40 second period of rapid clicking, followed by a pop sound, followed by a puff of smoke, but no odors of burnt anything. Removed cover plate, all looked okay. Not sure what else is on that circuit. Haven't plugged in anything. All other outlets and loads working 100% correctly (which is odd if something else is on that circuit).

If that GFCI were the only load/receptacle on that circuit (granted that is unlikely), how urgent, if at all, is replacement?

Edit from OP:

I plugged a floor lamp into the GFCI. The outlet works. I found the controlling circuit breaker. No other kitchen services are on that circuit. The circuit appears to be dedicated to that one outlet, however, ts just a normal wall outlet about 8" above the counter, under the upper cabinets. The microwave is above the range and is on a different circuit.

I'll still DIY replace the outlet, but my take at this point is the the GFCI worked as designed (clicking noise), and that the puff of smoke was not smoke, but shorting drop of windex vaporizing away, which leads me to conclude, in short, that there was/is no urgency and that replacing the GFCI is highly likely to be overkill.

As you discuss, the unit is fried and will not be usable, ever. Your question is whether it will start a fire if you defer replacement.

Windex is entirely made of solvent/volatile - it tends to entirely evaporate. It has to, otherwise it would leave streaks.

You can rely on the Windex being pretty much completely gone, and I wouldn't expect it to give you any trouble in terms of further deteriorating the device.   Ant carcasses, no promises, but they'll be desiccated soon enough, and dry ant carcasses don't conduct electricity better than wet ones.

I think if it hasn't yet to burst into flames, it's not gonna.  But out of an abundance of caution, if you are able to remove the failed device, do so - there's no reason to leave it in place.  Do a good job taping over the wires (you don't want the tape sliding off, wire nuts alone won't do IME) and cover the works with a blank cover plate (50 cents).  Electrical tape is about $4.  Both are good things to have anyway.

The not tripping any other receptacles is a surprise.  But lots of people wire up GFCIs so they do not feed downline receptacles at all.   This gives them two benefits, first it allows them to comply with the piece of tape over the LOAD terminals which says do not mess with these terminals unless you really know what you're doing.  Second, it gives them a TEST and RESET button on every outlet, which means even very dull real estate agents and inspectors can affirm they are GFCI protected.  If your house is wired this way, then it would explain why there are no downline receptacles that are dead.


What is the liquid in a Radon U-tube Manometer? What is the liquid in a radon U-tube Manometer?  I'm assuming that it's not water because of evaporation.  Mine is clear in color, but I've been reading that it's normally blue or red.  Is it a particular type of oil?  Can it be refilled/replaced?  Some bubbles have appeared recently in my gauge that were not there last summer.  Can they be purged out?  It doesn't seem to be happening naturally with the vacuum produced by the fan and it makes reading the gauge very difficult.

It is oil of a specific density to correspond to the scale. I believe red is one density and blue another, at least for Dwyer manometers. I'm fairly sure replacement oil is available. If you don't care about the accurate reading and only that the fan is working, you could just use plain mineral oil, but you should post a notice next to the gauge that the oil is non-standard and what the last known good reading of the new oil was. I wouldn't use vegetable oil as it may get rancid.


How many soil stacks should a house have? We recently bought a new home. The house used to be a two family home. Somewhere around 2000 the second floor was renovated and the house converted to a single family home.

After a recent roof leak I realized that the house has two soil stacks. After some investigation I found that one soil stack services two toilets, two bathtubs and one sink. The second soil stack only services one second floor sink.

Both soil stacks are 4 inch cast iron pipe and go from the roof all the way into the basement and disappear into the concrete floor. They are about 10 feet apart.

Can the soil stack that is only servicing the one sink be cut back into the house and capped with the hole in the roof repaired?

The International Residential Code requires only one vent per building.

However, all plumbing internal to the building must be tied into the roof vent. This can be accomplished with PVC (depending on your local codes) running from one vertical stack to another at least 6" above the flood rim of any fixture. In this case the attic works fine.

They cannot be cutoff and capped. Then the fixtures being served would not have a vent.

The requirement for a fixture to be within a certain distance of a vent is a different subject than whether that vent goes all the way through the roof. All vertical vent stacks must be tied together and taken to the main building vent or taken through the roof separately. Sometimes it is easier to run another roof vent than to run all the way across the building to the main vent.

As always check with your local inspector to determine if they are using the IRC or the Uniform Plumbing Code which has different requirements.

Good luck!


What do you call the fastener that's like a metal zip tie with a screw? I assure you that this is not the beginning of a fastener-related standup routine.

While working out at the gym, I saw a fastener that looks like a metal zip tie, with a screw to tighten it. Two pictures below. This can be useful for me in some of my projects. Any idea what it's called and where I can buy it?

This particular type is a band hose clamp, worm screw, stainless steel. In Britain a Jubilee clip.

316 stainless steel worm gear hose clamp Grainger


How can I finish and seal an interior exposed brick wall? I have exposed a 100+ yr old brick wall inside, tuckpointed, cleaned with cup brushes on a grinder, and Sureklean 600.  I don't have a picture right now but it looks beautiful.

Two questions:

I want to finish the wall with polyurethane or something mildly shiny but definitely not too much.  What is the best coating to use?
After using Sureklean, what is the purpose of neutralizing?  The instruction on the jug say neutralize with water + baking soda for indoor but not outdoor application.

A sealer I use for stone and grout (also rated for brick) is Miracle 511 Porous Plus.  It is solvent based, so use an organic respirator during application, remove pets, ventilate!

The Miracle product adds no sheen or color, absorbing completely.

They have a water-based product also, although I haven't used it and can't confirm-or-deny.

The Sure Klean is an acidic product, (hydrocloric acid).  On exteriors, you would flood with hose and/or pressure washer, obviating the need for a neutralizer.  I doubt you would hose down your interior, so a neutralizer indoors is needed.


Thermostat controller switch? Would two thermostats be possible if a master control switch was in place. For example I leave one end  of the house, throw the control switch, and set the  thermostat at the other end of the house. (Living room is freezing while bedroom is warm.)

Yes it's possible and very easy with simple thermostats. For example twp non powered thermostats could be controlled in such a way with a 3 way switch. R from the furnace goes to the common terminal and the switched terminals go to the corresponding are terminal on each thermostat.


How should I paint over a large patched area on a wall? I have a wall with a approx 20 by 20 cm patched wall. Quite large. I primed the patch then painted over the entire wall (with the patch) 3 times and the patch is still visible. What can I do next that will make the match less visible? (Besides placing a large furniture in front of it).

It's hard to completely eliminate signs of a patch. Try to get the patch as level with the rest of the wall for starters. You're still going to have some irregularities from the mud but if you feather it out it's less noticeable.

Just mud the outside of the patch for now. Do multiple light coats until you get out to a 12" taping knife. That should leave a gradual slope that will be less noticeable.

After the outside dries scrape down the inside edges a bit to get them a little even then  do two or 3 coats to fill in the inside of the patch so that the inside is flush with the inner rim from the outside mud.

Use a straightedge and a work light on the side of the wall to check for irregularities.

Once you're happy with it, prime then paint. Using a paint with very little sheen will help to hide any imperfections too.


Can I patch and tile over a phone jack? I am tiling a backsplash in the kitchen and there's an unsightly phone jack that I will never use. Is it advisable cut the wire, remove the box and patch over it? That's a stud behind the gap between the two electrical boxes.

Yes, if the wire is out of service, remove the plastic panel, secure the wire with insulation tape and put your tile over it.

"Out of service" not connected to the main telephone system!

If it connected, but you have other PSTN jacks in the house, cut the wire ONE by ONE with insulated wire cutters!. Then insulate each wire with tape and finally the entire wire.

You will also need to remove the socket on the right, and then replace it when you done tiling, as the mounts need to sit ONTOP of the tile, and the plastic cover will hide the mounts nice and flush.

You could also leave a nice message for somebody in the telephone box, when they take the tiles down in 25 years, that it was a telephone wire.. or where you buried your gold treasure. Heheheh


Why does my dryer duct have such a long vertical portion? My dryer duct follows this path:

Flex duct leaving the dryer
Four feet of vertical rigid steel duct down into crawlspace
Eight feet of horizontal rigid steel duct, immediately below the floor
Outlet approximately at-grade

90% of the vertical portion is above the floor. Since the dryer's outlet is near the floor, it seems like I could get more effective venting if I cut the vertical portion down to 1' and shortened the flex duct accordingly. Why is there a four-foot vertical portion? Does it have some rodent-control purpose since the outlet is at-grade?

Well first, the outlet being at-grade is a no-no for those pest reasons. They don't have to get up the vertical pipe to cause problems; a mouse or bird can nest in there and cause problems. They did it anyway because it was easier to run it down through the crawl space then up to the ceiling (where, if this is your garage, they'd then have to build a sealed bulkhead to prevent exhaust gases from your car getting into the vent line). If this is your situation I'd look at replacing the vent cap with a "critter-proof" model; there are several basic ideas, some more effective than others but all better than the single-flap standard model.

As for the vertical portion, they probably placed it high to allow for a stackable W/D. A higher placement also allows the flex vent more room to, well, flex, no matter where the dryer is. While it may seem logical to put the inlet to the vent directly behind the outlet from the dryer, doing this can actually be a pain, as the flex line then has to be fully compressed in line with the inlet and outlet, in order to avoid crushing it when the dryer is moved into place. It's really hard to get six feet of flex line to do that (and you need six feet of flex line so you can pull the dryer out enough to get behind it with the line still connected).

You can probably take out a couple feet of the rigid vent to lower the inlet. I'm not sure you'll really get more efficient venting, but it won't cause any more rodent problems than you'd already have with this setup.


Moving dirt in crawlspace in house with daylight basement? Our house has a walk out basement (daylight basement). In the basement, there is one corner of the house, approximately 312 sqft that has an access door. Inside of that, there is a level portion of dirt, and then the dirt is sloped up to match the front of the house.

I want to finish this area off to be usable space - actually we already have by building a 'deck' above the level portion, and then a wall and another raised area at the top height of the slope. The lower level portion provides us with 8ft head clearance, but the sloped portion only 4'. Ideally I want the whole area to be at 8ft head clearance.

To that end, I want to remove the dirt including the slope, level it out, and then pour a concrete slab in the whole area. Our builder said that moving the dirt is bad because it can cause the house to slip.

Is it safe to move this dirt? If not, can we reinforce the wall at the top end of the slope in a cost conscious way (pour some footers and brace the wall with beams that are cemented in the footer?)

As I understand it (second hand from friends in construction) you must maintain a 45-degree slope from the top of the footing (the footing must be buried according to frost depth rules if your crawlspace gets below freezing), whether that be a retaining wall or a dirt slope, you can't cut into that 45-degree or you risk undermining the foundation.  A soil engineer might tell you differently depending on your soil type.  Google "bench pinning" and "underpinning" for two ways to support a foundation when excavating nearby.  there are also pile methods that support a footing on rammed pilings, but that method is usually used when the foundation has already gone out-of-level.


Will newer Siemens AFCI/GFCI circuit breakers handle washing machine loads better than older versions? We have new LG 4500 washing machine in new townhouse w Siemens breaker panel. LG Washer keeps tripping the breakers (15A Siemens Type QAF2 - CAFCI - w ARC Fault). I hooked up the washer to a 15A Surge Suppressor - worked fine for a few times - maybe under 10 wash loads) - then started tripping again. Guess the surge suppressor got fried???
Anyway, LG Techie recommended replacing the breaker with a Siemens 15 Amp AFCI/GFCI Q115DF Dual Function Circuit Breaker. LG Techie said the design of the new Siemens breakers installed in my panel is faulty and Siemens has not fixed the faults yet. But my situation with the new townhouse, with warranty and everything, I have to get everything done thru the builders. Still have to hear back from them if they will replace the original breaker with the recommended one. Hopefully it works. Will update posting with developments.
Has anybody had any success with the recommended breaker?
Thx.

The combination of GFCI and AFCI may sound like a good idea, but AFCI’s do not handle motor loads well and motor loads with wave shaping like variable speed on a motor load if just about to be assured of tripping a AFCI protection device. GFCI’s will usually do ok on small motor loads but I have seen them trip when the motor is turned off if there is a problem. In my state the washing machine is a dedicated load and can be a standard breaker if the NEC required device is known to be a problem. I would check your states amendments to the NEC since this is a new washer and hopefully you can swap the breaker out. I do promote whole house surge suppressors as the cheap plug in ones don’t last (if the plug in did work for a while a hole house suppressor will last longer.


Why is one mounting screw left behind each electrical panel's cover? I have three electrical panels in the house and with each one, one of the face screws is under the cover as seen in the picture. So it's clearly intentional. What's the purpose of it?

If I am seeing your photos right, it's a mild security feature. When I worked in electrical contracting, that was done so that a panel could have a lock installed on the door, and then (theoretically) prevent unauthorized access by surreptitiously removing the panel front.

Like most locks, they are meant to deter rather than completely prevent access. If someone wants to get in, they will, but the unauthorized access will take some effort and will be detected.


Not enough room for door trim Hi I'm redoing my bathtub surround (because I did it incorrectly the first time). Basically there is only 3" between the tub and the door frame. How much should I extend the tile past the tub? How thin should my door frame be? If I install the door frame this close to the tub should I use special wood proof material (all the trim I currently have is MDF but I've heard that's bad to use in wet areas).

I think I'd run the tile all the way out over the door frame.  You definitely don't want to do mdf trim there.  Go with natural wood, or one of the synthetic materials.


what is the name for this type of air intake gap on a residential roof which has no overhanging eaves and lacks soffit vents What is the name for this type of vent, that is, an approximately one-inch gap above the fascia trim, and where in the IRC is it referenced, if it is?

P.S. I'm not referring to the louvered drip-edge/vent but to the gap itself, which is located above the fascia trim.

In my neck of the woods, Mass, some builders call those "Hicks" vents. Not sure if that was a manufacturer or inventor or what.   I refer to them as drip edge vents.

I have these on my house,  I HATE THEM!  I'll tell you why.

On my house, unlike your diagram, there is a normal soffit and the drip edge and gutter are on the rafter tails.  More typical construction practice around here, puts the attic venting in a continuous soffit vent, a gap in the underside of the soffit, covered with a ventilated aluminum flashing.  I am slowly retrofitting them into my house.

My problems with the drip edge vent are two fold.  1) they were installed them poorly and in some places the water doesn't drip off the edge, but runs behind the gutter and down the siding.  I fixed this by retrofitting some more drip edge.

The more serious problem is in the winter.  If my gutter fills with snow and ice, additional water (melt or rain) will go up through the vents, and into the soffit and then down inside the wall.  I have had to put up gutter heaters and maintain them to prevent this.  And it caused multiple siding repaints before I figured out the extent of the moisture problems they are causing.  (not to mention carpenter ants)


What is the quietest range (cooker) hood? I have looked into the Broan Allure series which claim to be quiet (1 sone).  However on closer inspection, the claimed sound level is only for the lowest setting.  The highest setting is 4 sones (4 times louder).  Is this something with no workaround or are there quiet models out there.

One of the best ways to keep your hood quiet is to buy something that has adequate CFM ratings for your situation without being overkill.  A 900-CFM hood is probably never going to be as quiet as a 600-CFM hood and 600 CFMs is usually overkill for all but the most professional of range tops.  Also, if you can find a hood that has infinite fan speed like the Kenmore 50303, then you can select a speed that isn't as loud as High, but provides better ventilation than Low.  After you figure out how much CFM you really need, then you can start comparing Sone ratings (which is usually tested and reported on the highest setting).  As an additional tip, barrel-shaped centrifugal fans are usually quieter than standard blade fans that chop the air.


how should I prime my old walls? We're in the process of stripping the old wallpaper from our walls. Once all the paper is off we're down to the plaster. This house was built in the late 1940's so the plaster is probably about that old.

We've read online about how to prime new plaster walls but we're wondering what the best thing to do here is. We intend to paint directly on to the plaster (after priming).

Do we use a pvc / water mix? Some people suggest avoiding this due to getting drips of hard PVC...does the wall need priming at all?

Here's a photo of what we're dealing with (high resolution here):

Suggestions welcome!

Painting new plaster is much different than painting old plaster, mainly because of the chemical reactions in setting plaster and the long time-frames it can take to completely cure.  70 year old plaster is much easier to deal with, although you are going to want to prime it. I use Kilz latex (not a brand recommendation - other manufacturers make a comparable product), but any high quality primer should be fine.  Drywall PVA sealers aren't necessary on plaster unless you use drywall mud or spackling to make repairs because plaster is much more water resistant on its own.  If you patched with something like that, let them completely dry and just spot coat with PVA sealer.


How should I refinish vintage wooden closet doors? I have old closet doors that look like this:

The lacquer is worn out and aged and they look really bad but there are no visible scratches or dents. I am thinking of replacing the aged hardware and removing the lacquer and applying a brand new layer of the same. I would like to keep the natural look but I would like to get rid of the shiny look.

What are the recommended steps to do this? I have just bought a belt sander and a sheet sander for removing that layer of lacquer.

If you want to "get rid of the shiny look" why would apply lacquer at all? Shiny is what lacquer does. If the only issue you have with the lacquer is that it's shiny, all you may need to do is rub the doors down with steel wool or Scotchbrite® (generically, non-woven abrasive pads) to take the shine off. But don't apply more lacquer if you don't want it to shine!

I really don't see anything in the picture that appears upsetting if you like wood, but perhaps there is some detail that's lost in a picture, or you just have different taste, which is fine.

If you, in fact, don't want it overly shiny, and you like the look of natural wood, here you go:

Return the belt sander unused to the store unless you have some other job it's actually suited to.

Sand with the pad sander and/or by hand with a sanding block (pick one up when you return the belt sander, or make one from scrap wood) moving primarily in the direction of the wood grain. It should not take very much sanding, and there isn't very much surface veneer (thin layer of wood that looks good) so don't overdo it. Start with 100 grit, possibly with a 100 or 120 grit drywall sanding screen (less prone to clog up when removing finish than regular sandpaper) only go down to 80 if that's really getting tedious - then work up through 100 (if you had to go to 80) 150, 220 or 240 at least - possibly higher, but may not be needed. At each stage, remove all the scratches left by the previous grit of sandpaper, and clean very carefully after each grit so you don't have a loose 100 grit particle scratching things up when you are sanding with 150 or 220.

When all sanded to suit, wipe on some walnut oil, boiled linseed oil, or "tung oil" for a finish that's easy to do and not overly shiny. Wipe on only a thin layer each time, wait several hours or overnight for it to dry, and reapply until you are happy with the finish.

Be careful in handling the rags you apply the finish with - this is the oily rag that can start a fire if wadded up and given a chance - lay them out flat or hang them up or toss them in a bucket of water. Drying oils (those listed, for example) give off some heat as they harden, and in a wadded up rag the insulation of the rag around the outside can allow the middle to get hot enough to smolder.


How can I make my side-by-side refrigerator's freezer colder? I have a brand new Whirlpool Side By Side Fridge Freezer and it is working as designed, and the temps are within "limits". But there is only one compressor and one cooling function, so while the fridge stays at 40deg, the freezer (after a defrost cycle or after adding/removing contents) will be 20 or 30deg, for example.

My understanding is that in order to have the unit begin cooling, the fridge needs to get warmer. Or if something is blocking the air flow to the freezer, the freezer side won't get cold enough.

I have set the freezer to the coldest setting, but would still like the freezer to be colder. Is there something I can do, something I can block or open, something I can set, etc to get the freezer colder than it is?

My guess is that the only way to do this (since the fridge and freezer are cooled together) would make the fridge cooler than it should be. But maybe someone has a suggestion to get the freezer colder? When the freezer gets like this, ice cream is pretty much soft serve.

Thanks in advance.

Measure Properly
Measuring after the door has been open - even for a minute - isn't a fair test.
Put the thermometer in the middle of the freezer. Leave the doors closed for a while - I suggest at least an hour - to let the system recover.   Then open and read the temperature. You should get close to 0 F (definitely under 10) in the freezer and between 32 and 40 in the refrigerator.
If the unit is installed correctly - indoors in a climate controlled space (60-75 F) and the temperature is out of spec, then:
Contact the Manufacturer
The unit might actually be defective. Let them do the troubleshooting and send a (no charge) on site technician to check it out. The key is "brand new" - a gasket, compressor, thermostat or other problem is the manufacturer's problem. If it breaks after warranty then DIY will try to help.


dissolved brass fitting this week i had to go check a problem for a long term customer that she was having with her furnace.  she had had some company come in and do a furnace service, and a few days after they left, she was having water leaking from near the furnace.  i just assumed they broke something or knocked it loose.

i went and had a look and was shocked to find that a brass nipple (1/2" MIP to 1/2" pex barb) had partially dissolved.  yes, actually dissolved.  it had actually lost about half of its total mass (compared to another identical fitting) and the dissolved portions matched identically to the probable flowpath of the liquid condensate.  the fitting was acting as a connector between the furnaces condensate collection port and a 1/2" drain line to a floor drain.  it was threaded into a nylon collection tray and connected to a plastic drain line.

i have never in my life seen anything (outside of process equipment) like this.  whats even crazier is that the furnace and all its plumbing was replaced 3 years ago.  my thoughts are:

a)  dielectric dissolution (galvanic corrosion) - if there is a small current leak through the furnace condensate to ground in the drain (current flowpath is the water), its theoretically possible there could be some low level ionization in the water, and thus some corrosion.  this seems so unlikely as to be almost unmentionable.

b)  the furnace cleaners used some sort of acid to clean out the furnace and it ate through the fitting.  i know of lots of acids capable of doing this but why would they use it considering how much other damage it would do inside the furnace.  i just cant see this either.

c)  could the condensate water be acting like distilled water (i guess the interior of a furnace is really is like a distillation tower if you think about it).  over time distilled water can dissolve just about anything.

d)  could carbon dioxide from the combustion chamber be dissolving into the water, making dilute carbonic acid - causing the corrosion?

if anyone has ever seen or heard of this or knows whats going on, i would appreciate the input

thanks

PPA

I would think electrolytic corrosion to be unlikely due to the intermittent nature of condensate flow and the fact that the brass fitting is isolated between nylon and PEX.

Your thoughts around acidic condensate are intriguing. Boiler feed water for industrial steam systems is treated with inhibitors to prevent yellow metal corrosion in the condensate collection systems, and industrial closed-loop cooling systems are treated for the same reason, so it is a known fact that yellow metals are susceptible. Pure water easily absorbs carbon dioxide just from being exposed to air, so the gas-rich environment of the combustion chamber may be accelerating the process.

I would replace the nipple with a plastic component, that should take care of the issue either way.


I'm replacing an old outlet. Why are all 4 wires are hot? I have an older home, built in the 40s. Whenever I replace an outlet I check to make sure with a pen voltage meter that I am wiring the correct hot and neutral wires, because most are not colored coded. I went to replace one recently, with two lines coming into the receptacle. I went to test for the hot wire, but all 4 wires are setting off the voltage detector. Is this strange? Seems like it.

When testing circuits like this, you really need a meter, not a wonder stick. The voltage testers indicate the presence of an electric field. In a box like the one you have there is an electric field and it can spread to the un energized wires. The tester only indicate the presence of voltage, not how much. Meters will tell you the actual voltage on the lines.


Why is 1/4" underlayment supposed to be parallel to the subfloor? Per instructions of my 1/4" plywood underlayment that will be used for Vinyl loose-lay flooring, it states to run it parallel with the existing 3/4" T&G OSB flooring.  I always assumed that running it perpendicular to the existing OSB would be better for strength and for flat (seams don't line up near as easily).  What is the reasoning?

Also, how important is it to fill and holes in the OSB before laying and stapling the 1/4" plywood underlayment?

Most subfloor and underlayment sheet goods are manufactured with greater strength/stiffness on one axis. It may have longer wood strands in that direction, or it may have a greater number of plies with grain in that direction. For this reason it should be oriented perpendicular to framing members.

You should stagger all joints. This may mean ripping a half sheet to begin an area, and may even mean cutting that rip into a quarter sheet. You wouldn't need to hit right at a 50% lap, but shoot for at least 12" or so on the long edge. Butt joints should occur over framing.

You don't typically need to fill flaws in subfloor, but we had a standard practice of taking a drum sander to swollen OSB subfloor if it had been rained on several times during house framing. The edges swell more than the field, and that creates humps. Small gaps such as at T&G joints don't require filling.


Portable AC Port in Apartment Wall I recently purchased a Honeywell portable AC unit for my apartment but there's two competing issues:

I only have a sliding door in my apartment (no windows), and the adapter kit to vent through the window obviously isn't long enough for the height of the door.

There is a portable AC port in the wall (which I would prefer to use), but the diameter of the Honeywell tubing is 6", and the interior diameter of the wall port is about 5.5". There is also a gradual extrusion away from the wall port with a diameter about 6".

I have been going insane trying to find any information on standardized apartment wall AC ports, and literally any search I try gives me results that are either "10 best AC units to buy for apartments" or imply that I would drill a hole myself to match the size of the tubing. For example, I tried searching "apartment portable ac wall vent". I have been searching for at least 3-4 hours.
So, I have three questions:

What is the wall AC port called so I can search it correctly?

How do I attach the portable AC tube to the wall port? Do I just use duct tape? I literally have no idea how to safely attach it otherwise and the unit did not come with instructions for wall ports.

Should I just give up and purchase a sliding door adapter kit?

I appreciate any help as I am slowly melting!
Here's a picture also.

That does not look like a port intended for connecting any sort of hose, particularly as the rim is rounded over without any provision for sealing or securing. It looks like a round register that is missing the central diffuser and damper control parts:

(Photo by Paul Goyette on Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA license)
Do not connect your air conditioner to it as this will most likely disrupt the building's ventilation system (sending your hot exhaust air to other people's apartments) and also probably have flow restriction that will reduce your AC's performance.
Instead, buy an aftermarket sliding door vent kit.


Following this simple diagram what wire goes where? These are the available wires:

This is the diagram on how to connect them to 110v

And that's the plug I want to use with that fan.

Now the diagram seems clear:

Brown takes 1 line
black, white, yellow on line 2
red, orange, blue on insulate.

My questions are:

Line 1/2 which one is black or white in my plug?
Do I use all 3 wires (black, white, yellow) together or just pick 1?
Does insulate mean the green wire in the plug?

It doesn't tell you which is hot and which is neutral, so presumably you can use either black or white (hot/neutral) for Line 1 and Line 2.

Insulate means connect the three wires together (eg. in a wire nut) and nowhere else (insulated from everything else).

The green wire must be connected solidly to the metal housing somewhere appropriate, for safety against electrical shock. Have someone qualified have a gander at it before powering it up.


Are there major stability differences between simple table legs and plain ones? I am planning to build simple, large desks for my children. They would be made from a 160x80x22 cm plank and legs. I am not sure which ones to choose:

standalone
or "plain" (sorry, I cannot find the proper English word for those - I mean ones which are in one piece, perpendicular to the longer axis of the table. The linked one is just an example)

I have no particular preference, except maybe a small one for the standalone version as they allow things to freely move between them but what I am particularly concerned with is the stability of the construction.
Which of these two types of legs will yield a more stable table? (minimizing the lateral and frontal rocking, as well as the "one leg too short" syndrome)
EDIT: I ended up buying a frame for a standing desk (the linked article is the one I bought which I put here to give an idea of the kind of frame). I will mount it in August and will update how it went.
FINAL EDIT
Below is the end effect. See also Which varnish to choose for a first time job (desk)? for the upper part (including a final edit too).
The children are happy, we will see how the marks go this year (they now have EVERYTHING to succeed :))
As for the legs, there is nothing special to say (at least for the model I linked to). They are very robust, this is a nice solid device.
Since it is really heavy, it is difficult to manipulate it alone (I connected all the pieces together, then screwed the wooden plank turned upside down (the plank was on the ground, the legs were turned upside down)

Given that your table is reasonably heavy (19kg), I'd choose the second leg ("plain"). (And for what it's worth, I can't come up with a good description of them either, except to call them steel box legs.)

The only thing I would want to do is attach a panel across the back of the two legs that would prevent the table from swaying left to right. If that's not clear, leave a comment and I'll include a sketch.

I'm less impressed by the standalone legs... for starters, the description seems to say that they can carry a maximum weight of 50kg. Somebody climbing on the desk could easily overweight that. The place where they attach doesn't seem very wide, so they aren't likely to take abuse.

Regarding leg length, you could fill up any gaps with felt pads.


How can I remove dried latex paint from a bathtub and tub drain? My 16 year old daughter decided to paint her bathroom this summer without telling us. To her credit she painted and cleaned up everything relatively well. But, apparently she cleaned everything in her tub, and just left it there without telling us anything. It's been a week now, and I just found out.

1) There is paint all over the bottom of the tub ... what is the best way to clean this up without damaging / scratching the fiberglass tub?
2) The drain is clogged. What is the best way to de-clog it?

Thanks!

I'd have suggested Goof-off or Oops, which are for latex cleanup. Here's a more robust plan.

  Step 1 Scrape paint off the fiberglass tub carefully with a plastic
  scraper. Clean with Barkeeper's Friend and water. Rinse thoroughly and
  repeat if necessary.

  Step 2 Try Dirtex in a spray can to remove latex
  paint from a fiberglass tub. It's available from ACE hardware stores.

  Step 3 Make a paste of baking soda and water. Rub the paint spot with
  the paste and a damp sponge. Rinse completely.

  Step 4 Rub the spot of paint with a dampened Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.

  Step 5 Scrub the paint spot with a non-abrasive powdered cleaner like
  Bon Ami.

  Step 6 Visit a paint company and look for "Oops". It's made to remove
  paint spots.

  https://www.hunker.com/13422095/how-to-remove-paint-from-a-fiberglass-bath-tub

As for the trap, you may want to remove and discard it. parts are cheap. If it's not accessible, try the products mentioned above to dissolve it, or go to more aggressive drain cleaners. Be aware that they will remove chrome from your drain hardware.


Metal protectant for engine parts? I had a lawn tractor engine freeze up, and I pulled the head to fix the problem.  While I had it apart, I put several parts into my ultrasonic parts washer to try to remove the caked on dry grease.  It cleaned the parts really well, but apparently removed the surface coating of the metal that prevents rusting.  Totally exposed, the parts began surface rusting in less than a day -- not good.

What can I coat the metal parts with to prevent surface rust that can handle the heat of a small engine?  I've got clear electrical varnish, WD-40, petroleum, silicon lube, gun oil, etc.  What works best?  Any "don't use" protectants that would adversely impact the engine?

Bonus question: The ultra-sonic parts washer is a new acquisition.  Are there things I shouldn't clean with it?  It seems to remove essentially everything on the surface of metal, both the nasty stuff, and any protective coatings, paints, etc.

Any external exposed engine parts that are steel or have iron in them probably need to be painted with a high temperature engine type paint. (You can get it in a convenient spray can at the auto parts store).

Anything that is going to get hot from the engine operating you do not want to use an oil or other petroleum based compound for a coating. A clear varnish that is made specifically for metal parts would be suitable. WD-40 --- Never.


20 kW generator overkill for a home? I see 20kW backup generators advertised for homes, but this seems like total overkill, or maybe my math is wrong?

According to my energy bill I use about 400 kW hours of electricity per month. So, that would be about 13.3 kW hours per day or 0.5 kW average load. Now, if a generator can generate 20 kW, then it would be total overkill, 40 times what is needed. Am I calculating this wrong?

You can't average the monthly usage over a number of days because the loads aren't constant. Consider the following two scenarios:

A 100W light bulb that's turned on constantly for the whole month (30 days). This uses 100W * 24hr / day * 30 day / month = 72 kWh for the month.
A 2400W heater that runs one a day for an hour. This uses 2400W * 1hr / day * 30 day / month = 72kWh.

Doing an average usage as you did, you would incorrectly assume that both scenarios need the same size generator. But, the second needs a bigger generator since the load is bigger (2400W vs 100W). They use the same amount of electricity because the smaller load is on for much longer.

Your house is similar, in that there are some big loads that run for short periods of time (AC being the biggest usually), and then there are some small loads that run for much longer (cable boxes, lights, etc). Your generator needs to be sized to provide enough power for all the loads at once.

To determine the size of generator to get, you'll need to consider what you want to run off of it. A lot of people only run a subset of their circuits from a generator to get the essentials - HVAC, a fridge, maybe a couple general receptacles. As a simplified estimate you can take the size of the breakers you want to run (in amps) and multiply it by the voltage (120V for single breakers, 240V for double) and add them up. AC units can very quickly use up most of a generator's capacity!


Where can I find the RAS131 dust hood for a Skil 1817 router? I have been searching for a dust-collection device for my Skil 1817 fixed-base router, and I can't seem to find anything.  I keep coming upon the same press release that indicates it is compatible with the "RAS131 dust hood", but I can't find that anywhere (Google, Amazon, Skiltools, Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, etc.).

Does anyone know where I can find this or another compatible accessory?

The closest thing to parts i found is this

http://www.powertoolspares.com/tool/skil/spares-and-accessories-for-router-1830/f015183003/spares/

I cant find any hoods?


Grounded light switch box with no ground screw/wire I'm installing a smart light switch into a box with no ground wire, screw, or threaded hole for a screw. The switch box itself it metal and grounded (live wire to box was 120V on my multimeter).
What's the proper way to attach the ground wire from the switch to the box when the box doesn't have a wire or screw?
Edit:
Switch is a Wemo Dimmer.
Added picture of box (with old switch):

First, is the box actually metal?  If not, forget about it.

Most boxes are tapped for a #10-32 screw for a ground screw because as a matter of convention and industry practice, that is what everyone uses.    I believe the minimum screw size is #6, however -32 is the coarsest allowed thread pitch.   That is because UL standardizes box thicknesses, and this assures enough thread engagement to be effective.   -40 is also allowed.  A sheet metal screw is out of the question.   A self-tapper is ok if it is -32 or finer.

If you do not see a ground screw hole tapped, either the box does not have one (some don't), you're not seeing it because you expect it to be on a dimple and it's flush, or the installer happened to use that hole for a mounting screw/nail.

You are welcome to either use  a ground clip, or drill and tap a 10-32 hole yourself.   Use the correct drill listed with the 10-32 tap.


Fully programmable washing machine (not in the marketing sense!) EDIT: I've been told that this question is a rant, so here is a TL;DR:

I want to program my washing machine in the low-level sense, e.g. I want to set all the parameters of the washing cycle (amount of water, temperature, intensity of tumbling, duration of the cycle). Do you know any product on the market that allows this?

Longer version:

For the past 4 years, after the birth of our child me and my wife gave up on our Candy washing machine, since we got the impression it was made to punish us, not to help us. (we used disposable diapers, so diapers are not an issue, everything else is). The arrival of the child was only the latest straw, we were generally unhappy with washing machines for 10 years before.

More specific:

they wash for too long. I am sorry, but don't have 4 hours to wash 4 kilos of laundry
too little water (which may be connected to the previous one). I am horrified that the machine is savagely beating the laundry in a small puddle of putrid water. Science of washing or not, I don't want my clothes to be washed and destroyed that way. It does cause the textile to wear out more quickly and I am angry about this.
"punishment" mentality of the washing program. Adding more water (yes there is button for that) increases cycle time up to a 20 minuts. It is almost as the designers would want me to suffer for using more water.

So right now, and for the past 4 years, we are making bi-weekly trips to the public laundry (with 40kg+ of laundry), where Speed Queen machines wash the laundry in 40 minutes, and they do it with plenty of water. My Candy washing machine is mainly not used. I live in EU, so laundromats are not nearly as ubiquitous as in US, so "trip" means the trip across the town, not down the block.

I was talking to other uses of the laundry about this and the feeling is frequent among people using these public laundries - most of them have washing machines at home, but they just gave up. Many people that don't use public laundries are angry about this as well, but there seem to be no other choice for the home appliances.

Also note that I am an engineer by trade (I know math) and I pretty much understand that any savings in water and electricity machine makes by torturing our laundry are totally nonsensically small in relation to overall use of water/electricity in the household (more water per day is used to flush my urine down the toilet than during one washing cycle).

So I explicitly don't care about energy efficiency labels. I would gladly buy an "E" or "F" based one, if it would behave more reasonably.

So my question is: short of buying one of the industrial/laundromat beasts made by SpeedQueen, is there ANY machine of the market which would allow me to set up MY program. I don't meean "fully programmable" machines sold by Samsung which have wifi, and bluetooth and whatnot... I don't need to know when the machine is done, I want to be done quickly. Not need to be 40 minutes, but the laundry should be done in one hour, and SpeedQueen machines indeed show that this is possible.

I would like to set duration of the cycle (in minutes), amount of water used for washing and rinsing, temperature of the water for washing and rinsing, intensity (speed and frequency) of tumbling and so on. Fine grained control which would allow me to optimize my cycle the way I like.

I am flabbergasted that basically in any industry the companies are struggling to please the customers, but in home appliance business that focus has been lost. My grandmother in 80ties had a washing machine that needed 2 hours to wash the laundry. Now I have to suffer 4 hours? Really?

EDIT2: I found the commercial machine on the Alibaba, that advertises exactly this functionality. It seems to be the closest what is available right now:

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Front-load-fully-programmable-industrial-50kg_60387387819.html

The smallest one they sell is for 15 kg loads. Provides USB port for PC programming.

Yes, you want the SDLAtlas Vortex M6.

(Manufacturer photo)

  Supplied with a controller that can dictate custom settings for:
  -Bath Temperature (Custom Controls)
  -Water Fill (Custom Controls)
  -Agitation (Speed & Time)
  -Spin (Speed & Time)
  Custom programs can be saved for late use

Or if you want a European-style front-loader, the James Heal/Electrolux Wascator will fit your needs.

(Mfg photo)

These are designed to test fabrics and laundry detergent formulations in a lab, so unfortunately I suspect you will find it cheaper to buy new clothes every few months than to acquire thesee.


How to use grounded European plug of coffee maker correctly in middle east countries? I have bought a coffee maker with a European plug which doesn't have a grounding pin like our plugs here in Israel have. Here is a picture of the splitter I use and the European power plug:

As seen here, Israeli power outlets have a grounding hole at the bottom as opposed to the grounding pin at the top protruding from european outlets and this creates a dilemma. If the grounding hole was located at the top, I could modify the European plug to attach a pin in order to ground the appliance, but in my situation I can't.

Is there a way around this? What can be done to accomplish what I want?

UPDATE: I have recalled that I already had old coffee maker with Israeli plug, look:

Should I cut new coffee maker's wire where plug EU begins and then attach old coffee maker's plug? Or I should disassemble new coffee maker, find wire's beginning in coffee maker's base and completely cut wire later replacing it with old coffee maker's wire?

Another question I had is what if to recreate pin in EU plug and turn EU plug upside down so it can be connected to Israeli socket like this:

Of course N and L will switch places however.

The how would be to find an adapter that accepts and properly grounds a French CEE 7/5 plug to any other plug, then find an adapter from that plug to the Israeli SI-32 plug. Or just find a direct adapter, though I couldn't find any such thing.

Alternatively, buy an Israeli plug, cut off the French plug, and wire in the Israeli plug in its place. If you're not planning on taking the appliance out of Israel at any time, that might be easier.

All the adapters I saw did not have the fixed male grounding pin that the French plug relies on for its ground connection. Perhaps they would make a connection between their center ground and the metal around the pinhole, but I don't know.


When to install bullnose tile Getting ready to tile my first shower. Planning to start at the bottom and work up. Do I place the bullnose trim alongside the courses of tile as I go up? Or finish the big pieces then place all the bullnose pieces around the edge last?

While on the subject, is it ok to finish a few courses then come back the next day to finish, or should it all be done at once to avoid the thinset from drying out between courses?

You can indeed do a few courses per day.

Just make sure that there is no tile adhesive left on the wall in between tiling sessions or else it will harden and be a nuisance.

On the other hand, in my experience, the grouting should all be done in one go on a wall as otherwise it is a bit difficult to get it to join up again nicely.


How do I fix a crooked inside corner drywall line? I recently removed a fireplace and added new drywalls to open areas that were behind the fireplace.
I also added drywall tape to the inside corners, and metal corner beads to the outside corner. Only the new drywall areas (and a couple of inches above them) have the new corner bead and tape. I tried my best to make sure the new drywalls and tapes are installed correctly and are even all around... same with the mud work. But, I've noticed an issue with the inside corner on the right side. As you can see in the pictures the bottom side of the corner is not aligned with the top part.
What are my options at this point? Which compound would be best to fix the unevenness and the corner line?
Should I continue on and prime it and see how it turns out? Should I apply some mud to make the line more straight? Should I remove the drywall tape and try again, or add another tape to fix the line?
I'm a beginner to taping and this is really my first project, I've got the necessary tools including a 45min quickset, a different CGS sheetrock pre-mix compounds: multi-purpose, light-weight, and dust control types. I also have some sparkle but I don't think that is helpful here.
And I have the 2", 4", 6" and 12" knives. I've also got the inside and outside corner knives in case they are needed.

Before:

No need to mess with the tape job. It's just a matter of filling the depressions on each wall that create that wiggle. The easiest way is to completely repair one wall, then the other. It can get frustrating to try and do both at once, but it's possible. Your 12" knife isn't quite ideal, but it'll do. A 16" or wider knife or trowel would be great.
If you slide your knife against the adjacent wall into the corner you'll see that its edge creates a bridge over the recess. That's the level to which you want to fill. Lay some all-purpose or topping joint compound into the area. Press it in well, then work it out from the corner. Pull your knife out along the wall and scrape the mud flat. Use firm pressure but keep your knife no closer to the wall than about 60 degrees. You don't want it to flex into the trough you're trying to fill.
Always apply too little mud as opposed to too much. It's way easier to apply more later than to sand a mound down and deal with the mess. A fan makes drying times quick. Keep checking the level using your knife as a straightedge across the depression. At the end, give the whole area a thin skim to flatten any lingering divots.
When it comes time to sand, use a screen on a large pad. Don't use small sanding blocks.  They tend to dig into some areas more than others, degrading your flat surface. Use long, light strokes across the depression just until all imperfections are gone.


Health problems after DIY floor upgrade I recently replaced my vinyl floors with bamboo (Yanchi)
The sub-floor had a small amount of black mold, but no moisture source was present. I removed it with some non-toxic treatment from Ace, and installed the new bamboo over it.
Now, after a couple of hours in the home, both my fiance and I become lightheaded and develop headaches. I cannot currently stay in the home due to symptoms of: headaches and feeling of tiredness/reduced ability to concentrate.

At first we thought it was just some light mold exposure, and that the symptoms would subside as the airborne spores dispersed. It has been over a month, and the condition has not changed.

Actions taken so far:

New CO alarm installed with no triggering.
CO2 meter purchased and has never read above 800 ppm in any portion of the house.
Gas company tested for CO and natural gas. All 0's.
All sewer connected plumbing is confirmed to be sealed with traps.
Professional air quality inspection performed, verifying no/normal levels of: Formaldehyde, CO2, all common mold types.
Ozone generator run for 24 hours.
AC duct work inspected for leaks.
Windows opened and fans run with no AC for 1.5 weeks.

The condition remains. Neither of us get any respiratory problems whatsoever.
I am out of ideas. Help me internet, you're my only hope.

Did your flooring come from Lumber Liquidators or China?

There is a huge problem with formaldehyde out gassing from any hardwood flooring, AND especially if it came from China. Here’s some info:

https://www.consumerreports.org/flooring/breathe-easier-about-your-flooring/


Should I overlay or replace 3/8 inch drywall during my room update? I have a living room that I am looking to update.  It currently has 1/4" Wall Paneling over 3/8" drywall.  The drywall is in very good shape, but has not been taped.  The house is from the 50's, so they used nails to attach the drywall to the studs.  Those now have a layer of rust on them.

I could just tape and mud, but I am worried about the drywall being too thin.  My other consideration is to put another layer or 1/4" over it.  This would cover over the rusted nails, which have a tendency to pop, and give me a cleaner wall.  If this is the recommendation I was also considering what attachment method: drywall adhesive or screws?

P.S.  The room is getting new windows, so those will be adjusted as needed.

I would just take the 3/8" down and install 1/2". Here's why I suggest it

Opening the walls would let you fix things if need be. Want to add some new outlets? Remove older wiring? Add some coaxial or Ethernet? Now's your chance. You said you were adding windows. You'll have an easier time if you just take the old stuff down.
1/4" is less commonly used, so it is slightly more expensive than 1/2" (plus you really need to glue the new boards to the old and that starts adding up). You could always stick 1/2" up over the top of the existing, but if you're going through that trouble, demo isn't that much more on top of that
Speaking from experience, hanging new drywall on bare studs is easier than going over the top of existing drywall. There's no guesswork at studs.

As to how to attach, I tend to use both nails and screws. When you're mounting the boards, nothing is faster than nails. A few nails will hold the board up. Then I go back and add screws. Be aware that screws are easier to goof up, but I like the lack of movement later. Be sure to smash the nails into the board (as in dent the board around the head) or popping will drive you up the wall later.


Can water-damaged drywall be repaired, or does it have to be replaced? We have a basement bathroom that has water damage from the bathroom above. The damage is old, so it has completely dried, however it has bubbled the paint so the damage is obvious.

Mold is not a concern. We have drop-ceiling tiles so we can see behind the wall to tell that there is no mold.

My thoughts are that I can repair it by scraping the old paint bubble off and using drywall compound to smooth it out before repainting it good-as-new.

My concern is that the drywall is 'ruined' by the water damage. So, is this kind of repair feasible, or will I end up having to replace it anyway?

The risk would be that the compound wouldn't bond to the scraped-away area, or that the remaining drywall would crumble over time. It would be much better to cut out the area and patch it, and it wouldn't be that much more work.

If you do decide to try it though, you might want to use some fiberglass mesh tape to reinforce the patch.


How to wire GFCI outlet The bathroom includes a GFCI outlet that will not reset.  Research revealed that such outlets do seem to stop working sometimes.  So I am attempting to replace the outlet.

After pulling the faceplate off, I found an unexpected situation in the junction box.  3 wires come into the box, and the same 3 wires leave.  There are black, red and white leads.

The black lead comes in and is directly spliced to the outgoing black lead with a wire nut.  It is not connected to the GFCI at all.

The red lead is wired to hot on BOTH the load and lead terminals of the GFCI.  Likewise, the white lead is wired to neutral of both the load and lead terminals.

The red and white wires are both continuous in that they come into the box and leave the box without a break or splice.  In each case, the insulation was stripped in the middle of the wire to allow it to wrap around the terminals of the outlet.

Now, questions...

Is this wired correctly, and if not, how do I rewire it so that it is?

My instinct says that I should wire it so the incoming red and white leads are wired to the hot and neutral on the lead side, and that the outgoing red and white leads should be connected only to the hot and neutral load terminals.  I don't know what is downstream, but I believe whatever it is would be GFCI protected at that point.

Is it okay to strip insulation in the middle of a wire this way?  I mean it works, but is it code compliant?

If it's important to know where the hot and neutral wires eventually terminate, that will require more investigation...  who knows what's been done.  Not a single thing in this house has ever been done correctly as far as I can tell (e.g. built-in microwave is powered from a lighting circuit instead of having a dedicated 20 amp branch).

The red lead is wired to hot on BOTH the load and lead terminals of the GFCI. Likewise, the white lead is wired to neutral of both the load and lead terminals.

This sounds insanely wrong, and if it is in fact an Edison circuit -- two hots, shared neutral -- then a GFCI cannot possibly work right because the current on the neutral will not be the same as the current on the hot being measured by the GFCI. It will trip frequently.

I don't like shared neutral circuits at the best of times because remember the current on the shared neutral can be as high as the sum of the currents on the hots. Just because the neutral has no voltage does not mean it has no current, but the overcurrent protection on the breakers is on the hots. You don't want to get into an overcurrent situation on the neutral because nothing stops those wires from overheating.

  Is this wired correctly, and if not, how do I rewire it so that it is?

There was a similar circuit in my house when I bought it and I ended up just pulling new correct wiring through the walls and doing the whole thing over. I concur that when you are rewiring an old house, everyone who lived there before you was dangerously ignorant; I've found terrifyingly bad wiring in GFCIs.

So, solution one: rewire everything so that there is one circuit for the GFCI and everything downstream that you want protected by it, and another circuit for the non-protected stuff.

However, if you don't want to actually pull new wire through the walls and do it all again, the next best thing to do is solution two: get a two-pole GFCI breaker and replace the breaker in the panel. Now you can throw away the GFCI outlet and replace it with a regular outlet. The downside is (1) expensive, and (2) when it trips you have to go to the panel to reset it.

  I just replaced the outlet by splicing the outlet inline i.e. both the incoming and outgoing are connected to the hot lead terminal, same with neutral.

That's solution three, and it will work, but whoever wired it up originally might have wanted things downstream of the GFCI to be protected by it. This solution breaks that property.


How can I eliminate moisture dripping from my ceilings? I have a 30 yr old bungalow.  Last year we replaced every door and window in our house to make it more energy efficient.  Our main heating source is an air-tight wood fireplace which runs all day every day.  Our back up heat source is electric radiant in the ceilings which we keep around 12°C to keep our electric bill down.  We have no furnace or duct work in our house.  We are having problems with moisture forming and dripping from our ceilings on colder winter days.  How can we fix this problem?

The most likley cause of the moisture is too much humidity.

Some solutions:

A dehumidifier
Fans to vent/move air around (to outside)
Increased Insulation in the attic (to avoid a large temperature difference between the ceiling and the attic)

Basically the humidity needs to be lowered inside the house.

You can get a Hygrometer to measure the humidity to see where it is at.  If it is above 60% then its definately a bit humid.


Do I need to install the grounding clamp on a water softener if both input and output are PEX? We are installing a Whirlpool water softener in a new home with PEX water lines.  The installation manual says to place the supplied ground clamp over both inlet and outlet water lines. As I mentioned they are PEX lines.

How does this ground or is the ground necessary if all lines are PEX?

Assuming this is a water softener that uses electricity, I presume that the ground clamp is put on the lines in the even that one of the lines would become energized, so that it would protect you if you touched the device (and also protects the device).

With PEX, such ground clamps would do nothing (as PEX won't energize) but to be 100% sure you should absolutely contact the manufacturer.  Better safe than sorry.

Edit to add: You SHOULD ground the softener itself, if it uses electrical power, although odds are the electrical line hookup will do just that - you just don't need to ground the PEX lines as well.


An electrician put a double 60 amp breaker in place of two 15 amp breakers A remodel was done in the kitchen, and now half the house is on the same two 60 amp breakers. When too many items get turned on, the lights flicker and sparks fly but the breaker do not kick off. I have never seen this done during 42 years in construction in homes. What is the solution?

Assuming this description is correct, The solution is to fire that electrician, get another to fix it (I wouldn't trust this guy), report him, and possibly ask a lawyer whether it's worth suing.

What other answer did you expect?


Buy a table saw or circular saw At the moment I'm considering my next power tool purchase. I'm a home improvement beginner and have been enjoying the journey, and I'm now ready to get serious about investing into a proper saw. I would like to get views of the community on what would make a better investment for me at this point.

My situation: I live in a 1400 sq ft apartment and I don't have a "shop" to speak of, outside of a small 2' x 4' workbench in our storage room. I set up a Workmate in our kitchen if I am doing anything serious, and to further expand work space I use the kitchen table (and a special top I made for it, to prevent damage). Sometimes I set up the Workmate out on our 3' x 15' balcony.

What I do: typical home improvement stuff. Cabinets, shelves, racks, improvements to existing furniture, etc.

Limitations: I live in Bangkok, and as there is no significant DIY movement here, the big stores here don't provide the same kinds of services as they do elsewhere. Therefore, I must buy my sheet material in full sheets only. They won't cut it down, at all.

I am now considering the purchase of either a circular saw or a table saw.

A circular saw of course makes it easy for me to cut a big sheet down to the right sizes. I can do that pretty much anywhere. I probably would rip the big sheets down outside of my condo, in for example the parking levels of my building. A table saw is significantly less movable. Although possible, I don't think I would take such a thing out into the parking area to cut sheets.
A table saw seems ideal for most purposes of smaller stuff, up to 24' perhaps. But then there have been so many videos that show how to create a home-made table top for an inverted circular saw that would probably suit my needs just fine. And using that approach perhaps perhaps gets me an "ok for now" solution, until I can justify the next investment into a proper table saw.
Although not huge, a table saw is a chunky piece of gear that in order to store it I would need to do some serious thinking for. A circular saw is of course much smaller.

Curious about the other considerations, or comments re the above. I won't buy both, I will only buy one of these for now. Probably an entry level DeWALT in either category.

Just my opinion: circular saw first (and build/buy yourself a guide fence for super-straight cuts); cordless jigsaw for rough parking lot work (can be a relatively low-end/cheap unit); tablesaw eventually.

There are cordless circular saws on the market now that are pretty darn powerful (look for anything 'brushless'), but they are stupid pricey and if you aren't using them regularly, you won't get good value out of an expensive battery that will die over time.


Why does the paint in my home scratch off easily? We bought a flipped home in 2013. Over the years, we've noticed that the paint chips and scratches very easily. We always thought this was about bad paint but we have recently started repainting rooms with quality paint. The other day, I scratched a newly painted surface with the corner of a desk. It was barely a rub that resulted in a white, powdery gouge. Is it possible that it wasn't cheap paint but low quality drywall or drywall mud?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2ahk0mydzwyili3/20200704_103458.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7nq7ssdexklgci9/20200704_103516.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/sslvk93nhra9euk/20200704_103531.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/zu7en9ihkgw4mt5/20200704_103558.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/nvjon3ou13ooyng/20200704_103609.jpg?dl=0

Those pictures lead me to believe that the walls were textured maybe right before the flip and weren't primed and sealed prior to being painted. Now, you've just painted over a weak surface.


Rules to make a box stable, hard to tilt I have already built a cube-shaped box out of some wood panels I had lying around. It is perfectly solid, I can push it from every side and it will not tilt.

The next box should be not cube-shaped but taller than deep, let's say 20 cm tall, 20 cm wide and Z cm deep. If I make it not deep enough, for example 5 cm deep, it will be easy to tilt it by pushing it from the front.

How small can I make the Z depth while still making the box stable enough? Are there numerical/engineering rules for that?

What if I add more weight to the base? And how much does the weight and thickness of the walls of the box contribute to the stability of the box?

Find the center of gravity, which in a rectangular prism, will be located at x/2, y/2, z/2.   The box will tip when the center of gravity moves outside the footprint of the box. (or just look at the intersection of diagonals)

Or, if you like, when the grey line in the diagram below passes vertical.

Adding weight to the bottom will lower the center of gravity, meaning that the grey line is less steep, and will require more of a tip to put it beyond vertical.

Here, with weight added, a lower CG makes the box more stable.

If you know that the box is likely to tip in one direction only, (such as being constrained by a wall, and only able to tip away) you can put all your weight in the corner, to move the CG towards the wall and change the angle even more.  But, this will make it tippier in the other direction.


How can I prevent animals from eating my wooden swingset? I have a Rainbow swingset made of a Chinese wood called Cunninghamia.  The squirrels and deer in my backyard have begun to chew the wood relentlessly.  Is there anything I can do to prevent them from doing this?

I've been told that ROPEL (animal repellent spray) might work, but I'm afraid it might damage the wood.

Something about the wood is attracting the animals, you are going to have to find a way to make it less appealing either by taste or smell, the only other way to deal with it is to protect the wood with some sort of armor. By far the most cost-effective and quickest way to do this is to sprat the wood with something like ROPEL, rub the wood down with a bar of hand soap, or coat it with chili spray.

If you're worried about the sprays harming the wood then you'll need to seal the wood with an outdoor varnish. Really you should do this anyway as without it the wood will weather and rot much more quickly. It's possible that varnishing it will make it less attractive to the animals in the first place as it will certainly not taste good.

You're going to have to accept that you need to do something to the wood that might change the character of it to keep it from getting nibbled to bits. The sooner you do it the more of it will be left.


Is styrofoam good for attic insulation? A neighbour is trying to sell me some of his leftover styrofoam insulation. I need to insulate my attic. Is styrofoam a good insulator, or should I use another type of insulation?

That styrofoam insulation will work, but it is not cheap per R-value (however it gives you a great R-value per inch).  Insulating an attic usually means you have a lot of room for insulation and you will need high R-value so that is why the cheaper options are more popular (blown cellulose or blown fiberglass).

Said another way, if you have a couple of feet of space in your attic, you can just fill that all up with loose insulation and get R-45 (or whatever you need).  But if you have a smaller space, say it is a finished room and the only space for insulation is between the 2x6 or 2x8s ceiling joists you may want to pay extra to get a higher R-value in that limited space.


How do I cut this material to put in a coach light I'd like to put in a coach light just like the one below on the other side of the garage. The garage isn't finished, so the wiring will be easy. But I'm not sure how to cut through this thick stone facade to put in an electrical box. What tool would be best for this job?

Go to Home Depot or Lowes or any construction retail store and ask for a "masonry hole saw" that you can put in an electric drill. You can buy any size you want. I checked with my local Home Depot (on line) and got prices of about $25.00 for a 1" and up to $60.00 for a 4-1/8". They can be used for wet or dry drilling in almost any masonry surface. I have used them for cutting holes in both brick and concrete.


How can I remove brush marks from a wall painted with metallic paint? I recently painted my kitchen wall with a metallic paint. I love the paint and the look it gives my wall, except I have brush marks in it. This wall was a new sheet rocked wall that was mudded and sanded. I made sure the wall was smooth before I painted. It suggested that I used a roller with a nap for smooth surface and I did, but I had to use a paint brush on the top of the wall by the trim. When it dried I seen bad brush marks, so I let it dry for 2 days and then sanded it lightly and it seemed as if it was all smooth again. I painted it again but this time I used a small roller after the first coat I still seen brush marks, so I waited a few days and painted it again. It has been 2 weeks and I still have brush marks. I was looking online for a way to fix this, and I found a site that said I should sand it lightly with 120 paper and then prime the wall before I paint it.

Once dry, brush marks will not go away without sanding...sorry.

Once that is done though:

When you paint any given space you should move precisely and quickly.  So in this case when you cut out the space in your kitchen (brushing the edges) you should immediately (before the cut work dries) go over it with the roller and get the roller as close to the edge as is reasonable.

Even with good brushes (I agree with the poster who mentions using quality applicators, I was a painter for 10 years or so and they make a ton of difference) you will still see a difference between the sheen on the portions that are brushed and the portions that are rolled but this can be minimized if you roll over the cut portions before they dry as it makes the sheen/texture match.

Edit:  Also, if you are using the same paint again there is absolutely no reason to prime after you sand down the brush marks.


Need help replacing 2 switches, fan + light I need some help.
I want to replace the 2 old  switches, fan + light, by 2 Leviton decora 1 way switches.
I am confused by the wires (see attached pics), especially by the black one that goes from one switch to the other, like a loop. Also I do not see any green/ground wire. The Leviton switch has a spot for that, I guess I should use.
How to connect the wires properly?
Please help.
Thanks in advance for a reply.

The wire that "loops" between the two switches is the hot wire from the power source.  This is the same as having a single wire with 2 pig tails that connect to each switch.  Since you're replacing two single-pole single-throw (SPST) switches with two of the same types, all you need to do is replace them with the exact same wiring that currently exists.  There is no hot/neutral to these switches, so as long as you connect to the two screws on each switch, you will be OK.

For the ground, in the pictures you can see the bare ground wires (with some paint on them) with a wire nut at the very back of the electrical box. You can and add in two pig-tails in order to connect to your new switches ground terminals.   In your particular case, since you have a plastic electrical box, you should definitely connect this wire.  If your box was metal, then the switch would be grounded just by making contact with the electrical box (assuming the box were grounded).


Why are there shims under my studs? My house was built in 1928 (in Altadena, CA). My detached garage looks like the same vintage, but I don't know for sure. On at least 2 of the garage walls, there are shims between the sill/mud plate and most of the studs. Many of these shims are not actually supporting weight--they can be shifted by hand. A lot of the structure seems to be held up by stucco, or something.

Why would this be? Does it mean that the foundation (concrete block walls) was added as a retrofit?

Means either the base wasn't flat or they cut their studs too short.  You really shouldn't shim load bearing studs but we do it all the time with non load bearing.  Ooops.


Will there be water pressure/flow into the pipe with this setting? I have a space in balcony of my 1st floor house where I intend to keep a tank around the height same as that of the water pipe which leads to my bathroom taps. Will there be problems related to  flow/pressure into the bathroom tap.
Thanks in advance.

EDIT: Gravity Tank in question.

Pressure at the tap -- if pressure isn't being supplied by a pump, which I assume it isn't in this case -- depends on the height of the column of water. The rain barrels in my back yard are elevated 4 feet above ground level to increase the available pressure, and it's still much, much less than what I get out of the municipal water supply. I can run drip irrigation from it, or fill a watering can;  I could not run a sprinkler without adding a pump to the system.

When doing this sort of thing, also remember that water is heavy. My two rain barrels approach 2000 pounds.   Unless your proposed tank is small, make very sure that whatever is supporting it can handle that additional weight, or you may do serious damage to the building... And remember to allow for lever-arm effects as well as direct weight.


Screw for concrete roof I am installing some solar panels that measure 41" x 27" on my concrete flat roof using slotted angle bars. What type of of screws (as well as wish and length) would be best to attach to the roof and permit the best shear strength for hurricane force winds. I have a lot of 1/4 inch width Tapcon anchor screws. Would that be sufficient?

I used sleeve masonry anchors for my solar panels.

Screws will not work well with concrete. Solar panels act like a sail in the wind, do not underestimate the forces involved.


How can I repair a toilet that leaks at the tank/bowl connection? My toilet began leaking onto the floor.  I have put plumbers putty around the two screws at the bottom (I think this is most likely the place it is leaking onto the floor - especially since the screws appear to be rusty - I think toilet is from 1994 when house was built) and I have put putty around where the tank empties into the toilet.  I have done this twice, but I did not remove the putty I put in first.  I think those are the only three places it could leak.  I have to keep the toilet off because if I allow the tank to fill, I have a cup or two of water at the end of the day.  What do you recommend I try next?  Thanks

The washers inside the tank can leak, and the body of the valve that empties the tank to bowl can crack, making tightening the gasket pointless. There is a nice set of tank to toilet bolts on Amazon that are solid brass, and have extra nuts and washers so that you can seal the upper tank independently of squeezing the tank to bowl connection.

You can get very affordable toilet rebuild kits that supply all of the necessary hardware to eliminate all leaks except for the bowl to floor connection.


Fixing awkward gap between drywall and brick I installed this L channel on the drywall as tight as I could but the brick is so wavy I'm left with this awkward gap. What's the solution to fill this? Scribing the drywall isn't something I want to do. Am I stick cutting out these bricks and putting them in flush?

Buy a grout bag and fill it with mortar. Squeeze the grout into the area between the metal corner and the brick.  Making sure the gap is full an level. Let it dry to a point where you can scratch the joint with a stick or tool that has the finish that you like.


What type of bulb is globe-shaped with coils inside? The bulb looks like a CFL, but looks like the spiral making up the CFL doesn't actually light.

It takes AGES to light up, at first I thought it was broke, but after awhile realized that the bulb just takes 10 minutes to fully turn on. Full disclosure: Just moved into an apt building, and am curious what type of bulb, CFL, or whatever this is, because I've never seen a bulb like it.

It's a CFL globe, but it's either a very old (early prototype) model that warms up slowly or it's simply worn out.

Also, according to DoxyLover...

  ...the glow is starting at the ends of the fluorescent tubing (which
  are near the base). This causes the part of the tube near the top to
  cast a shadow on the globe. This is why [it may appear that] the spiral tube
  is not the light source.


Basement wall cinderblock gap fill Basement wall cinderblocks. Found mice and am cleaning up that mess, noticed gaps in the top of the cinderblock wall. One of them I can see daylight through so there is definitely a crack that needs to be addressed.

I was intending on packing these with steel wool or some copper mesh and was on the fence with gap filling them. Are they necessary to be open? Some of them are packed with dirt/construction materials from a remodel but most are open on the top. Was this just the style of block or intentionally left open?

If it matters we have a french drain. Radon levels are ~1.5 +/- .25

They're not intentionally left open. Masons apply mortar to the two faces of the block and typically there's a gap left in between. It would be difficult to get the joints completely full without massive waste in the form of squeeze-out.

You can fill them with about anything that meets your needs.