How can I heat river water for skating rink construction without access to power? I'm working on designign an ice flooding rig, and getting power to it is a big challenge. This is remote (middle of a river) so I'm looking to carry enough fuel to flood for a few hours straight, and pump water to refill when I need.
Immersion heaters seem like the way to go, but they're all electric. Is there a similar immersion style heater, that I can run off of propane/diesel/some combustible? I understand I'll probably be throwing efficiency out the window, but that's acceptable here.
Does something like this exist? As I understand it this isn't how gas water heaters work, but there must be use cases for things like this.
Edit: It seems "flooding rig" is too vague.
My intent is to flood (cover with a thin coat of water) a section of ice on a river, so that I can skate on it. This is generally done by a zamboni (large, heavy, expensive, etc.), where hot (or at least warm) water is sent through a distributor bar that trickles a bunch of small streams of water over a wide area, to give a smooth, even coat. Hot water is ideal, but my intent here is to simply get the water warm enough that the nozzles in the distributor bar don't freeze up over time (I'm doing this in ~-20 weather, and pulling water from the river, so it's just barely above freezing)

Something like it does exist!
Wood fired hot tub stoves, commonly known as "snorkel stoves" for reasons that seem obvious to me (or it might be is a brand name, too.)


Ceiling fan electrical wire confusion I was planning to replace an existing ceiling fan. The photo shows the current wiring situation after removing the old ceiling fan. The Neutral wire is alone, I’ve pulled it off to the side and taped it for now. The Hot wire, well, there are 3 wires. 2 of them seem to be going through a small black square clamp, the third is wrapped around the clamp and 2 clamped wires. Then, near the end, is a wire coil with just 1 wire coming out the other end. I have never seen anything like this and am unsure what to think of it. The old fan was connected Neutral from the fan to Neutral and then Hot and Blue from the fan to this contraption of apparently hot.

Do I need to make changes to how this is setup before installing the new ceiling fan? If so, what would be recommended?

Thanks

You should replace the uninsulated wire nut on the bundle of neutrals with a new wire nut. When you have those wires separated use some electrical tape (preferably white) to restore the insulation on the white wires where the conductor is exposed too far from the end.

I didn't follow your description of the situation with the hot wires.


Condensate pump wiring [In the UK] I need to replace the condensate pump in my basement (for pumping condensate from the boiler), and the current one is simply wired up to a standard 13A plug, but reading the instructions on the new pump (a direct replacement, same make+model), it specifically says not to do this:

"The unit should be connected to a fully earthed electrical supply. All wiring must conform to BS7671, 1992 requirements for electrical installations. The SANICONDENS® Eco/Basic requires a 220/240V single phase AC 50 Hz supply (UK specification). Do not connect SANICONDENS® Eco/Basic to a conventional plug and socket. It must be wired into a fused, unswitched, fixed wiring connector fitted with a 5 amp fuse. SANICONDENS® Eco/Basic has an Earth wire.

The wires in the mains lead are coloured in accordance with the following code:

Brown – Live
Blue – Neutral
Green/Yellow – Earth"

[Cue stupid question] Why can't I use a normal wall plug but with a 5A fuse? What benefit is there for the connection to be unswitched for what is a fairly simple pump? Obviously I want things to be in reg's, so just trying to work out if I need to call out an electrician, just don't want to be embarrassed if he wires up a plug :)

Thanks all for any help

I can't speak to code directly, but generally things like pumps are placed on non-switched circuits to prevent someone from accidentally turning off the pump and then flooding the house.

Imagine a scenario where someone is trying to figure out what the switch does because they can't/won't follow the cable. They flip the switch a few times and nothing happens. There's now a good chance that the switch is in the off position because a) if they're too lazy to follow the cable then it's a safe bet that they are too lazy to remember or care about which position is on, and b) there is no external indication that the switch is off because the pump only runs when it's full of water.


Silicone or rubber protection for kitchen base I have been trying to find a solution for a newly installed kitchen. On the base podium of the kitchen, the vendor did not add any rubber flaps or water protection panels to prevent wetting the base when washing the floor.

Is there a simple solution for that? Simple rubber/silicone flap to glue on the base so it doesn't get wet when washing the floor? Thanks?

I think perhaps the term you are searching for is "rubber cove molding" or "vinyl cove molding" - a fairly standard product. "Wall base" seems to be another term for it. "resilient" and "thermoplastic" may also be seen where "rubber" is in my first suggestion.


I opened a light switch and found an unterminated wire in the junction box. Is this unsafe? I switched of the main circuit breaker to the house and opened up a light switch to see if I had a neutral wire, so I could buy a smart switch.

But when I took off the plate I found what appears to be a #14/2 wire hiding there in the back of the metal junction box-- just snipped off, with the hot, neutral, and ground wire exposed!

Is my family or my house in danger? What should I do to these wires?

First, this wire is probably dead and unused because of how short someone cut it.  It's not usable like that and I would hope the person that cut it intended it to be dead and never used in the future.  That said, the work was done by an amateur so you shouldn't assume anything.

You are correct that you shouldn't work on a circuit when the breaker is on (referring to a comment), but in order to troubleshoot some problems, and to measure voltage, the power must be on.

Move the switches out of the way as much as possible.  If you want, you can even wrap electrical tape around the switches to cover up the screws and limit accidental contact.  Turn the switches on and then turn on the breaker.  Your mulitmeter will have probes that are 3-5" long, so you should be able to reach the back of that box while staying clear of the switches.  Just assume that everything in the box can shock you and only touch wires with the insulated probes of the meter.  (Ground and neutral should be safe, but we have no idea what's going on in this box, so assume it's all dangerous.)

Probe the black and white wires and then black and ground to see if there is any voltage present.  They are probably, hopefully going to be dead.  If they are dead, just leaving them alone is the easiest thing to do.  They should be capped, but they've been cut so short, that's not possible.  You could loosen the cable clamp, grab the wires with pliers and try to pull more into the box.  If successful, cap the wires with wire nuts.  If there is voltage on the wires, then the really need to be capped off.

Also, the voltage that you're looking for is close to 120vac.  The meter can read phantom or induced voltage on dead wires that run along side live wires.  Your non-contact meter might even show them as hot.  There are a few questions about that on this site and others, so if you see a low voltage, research it.


Can a dryer be vented through the roof? In my home the dryer vent is set up to vent out into an enclosed back porch. The problem is that all sorts of lint (and heat) get pumped out into that enclosed area and makes a mess.

Directly above the dryer there is a ventilation pipe that goes to the roof (also connected to the vent in the bathroom) that I could easily re-route the dryer vent into.

A couple of questions about this:

Is it a generally accepted practice to vent a dryer up through the roof, or does a dryer vent have to generally be at a level or downward slope?
Is it okay to use the same vent line as the bathroom or am I asking for trouble?
Is there a recommend maximum distance for venting a dryer that I am going to exceed going from the first floor of a home to the roof?

I would not do this for exactly the reasons you've asked about:

1) By sharing the bathroom vent pipe, you're ensuring that at least half the gunk that's being spewed onto your porch is going to be spewed into your bathroom unless you can find and install some kind of one-way flapper between the new "Y" fitting and the bathroom.  If you do find and install such a thing, it's going to be difficult to keep clean and operational.

2) I'm assuming since you say "first floor" that you also have a second floor, in which case that's a long way to go to get up to the roof.  It's not such a big deal for the bathroom fan to vent up there, but that's a long way for lint from the dryer to be carried, and it's going to be more likely to collect on the walls of the pipe over that long distance.

Do you have a crawlspace or basement that you could run a new pipe through?


What is the best material for an indoor wood heater When buying or making an indoor heater, I have noticed that you get really nice internal combustion heaters, which either come in Cast Iron, Steel, Ceramic etc.

I struggle to grasp the best properties of the construction material. Would a metal with good conductivity be more effective in heating a room, or would thicker material be better?

What are the principles at play with effective heaters how would i know what things to look for in heater purchase, and what material is best

Cast Iron is cheap to make in a mold, often bolted together if made in sections and if so, may leak air at the seams, has reasonable fire resistance, can eventually crack from thermal cycling. Often made to look "retro".

Steel is easy to make air-tight, requires metal brakes to fold the steel plate into shape, and the seams need to be welded. The firebox will be lined with firebrick to protect the steel from overheating and serves as thermal mass and also increases the firebox temperatures which if combined with secondary air-intake, will help completely burn all combustibles.

Ceramic/Soap Stone stoves essentially dispense with the steel shell, have thick walls for thermal mass and fire resistance.

The major difference in the way steel and ceramic stoves work is the thermal mass that a ceramic stove can have. Steel stoves are efficient at getting the heat out fairly immediately and drive you out of the room in doing so. There is temperature variation.

Ceramic stoves take a lot longer time to warm up, but once heated, serve as a thermal reservoir that absorbs and releases heat over time, leading to more even temperatures. If you let the fire go out, it will take longer to start delivering heat than either Cast Iron or Steel stoves.

Pay attention to the instruction manuals as there are differences in firing methods and also pay attention to not over-firing any of them.

So, it boils down to "Do you want quicker heating or are patient to have more even temperature delivered over time?"


Is sump pump supposed to discharge back onto property or onto the street curb? I have a sump pump in my basement that discharges several times a day. Currently, it discharges water right next to my front steps. I read that sump pumps should discharge at least 10 ft away from the the home to avoid damage to the foundation. Mine is definitely too close to my house, and I am getting water in the basement, possibly from my own sump pump discharge. I called my town to get a permit to run my sump pump under the sidewalk in front of my house so it discharges out to the gutter. They told me this was illegal and that sump pump should discharge back to my own property. This doesn't make any sense to me, especially since almost all my neighbors and even the town library run their sump pumps under the sidewalk and discharging water to the gutter! I have seen other towns do the same setup. I want to go to back and tell them this. If However, if I tell them that my entire block has their pumps to the curb, what might happen? Might they come and fine everyone? Can I make a case for myself that I should be allowed?

You cannot make a case for yourself saying just because others do it you should be able to (just try that with a cop when getting pulled over for speeding)

What I have done in the past is to run the drain line to the curb and fill the last foot with gravel, when there is enough water it flows through the gravel and over the curb direct draining was not allowed, but this was legal, a big nosed neighbor trued to cause problems and called the city after I did this I did not get cited but several others on the block did, now every one has the same setup, makes no sense to me but if it flows out of the ground and over the curb it was legal in that city.


What is the purpose of this PCB next to air pressure switch? Do I need it? I recently noticed the whole house humidifier (installed by the previous owner) stopped working (Honeywell 280A).  Filter dry, no flow, no click from the solonoid valve.

I did some investigation and figured I had a bad solonoid valve.

After installation, I noticed a bad smell (burning plastic / electric) that seemed to be coming from the board in the housing next to the air pressure switch.
After looking closely, one of the components looked toasty.

I did tons of searching to try and find this part but no joy.

After getting really frustrated, I finally wondered.. what the heck does this board do anyway?  And do I need it?  after all, the humidostat and air pressure switch are just a series of switches that need to be closed to start water flow.... (right?).

So I omitted the board, and simply put the humidostat and air pressure switch in series and... everything seems to work great.

My question is:
- What function does this board fulfill?
- Why can I not find it anywhere for sale?  (Every offering for an air pressure switch only includes the mechanical air pressure switch, and not this board).
- Am I a fool to run the system in the (simplistic) way I have it set up currently?

(Pic of PCB attached).  Thanks in advance!
--Dave

The board is the device that inturpets the humidity levels from a sensor and turns on the water solenoid, most units also have a flowswitch to turn the system off if there is no air flow. I would want at least an air flow switch controlling the water valve so the system is not flooding the duct work when no air is flowing , I know it is very small amounts of water but over time it candbuild up. Other than flooding the duct I do not think it will cause a problem to bypass the board.


I have seven 24v 2amp thermostats. Do I just need a single 24v 2amp power supply to power them? I have seven 24v 2amp thermostats.
The thermostat wires all feed to the same place.
Do I just need a single 24v 2amp power supply to power them?
The thermostats are Tekmar 532.  They will connect to a grundfos pump and a zone control valve.  zcv is 24v as well.  For now I just want to test that the thermos are not doa but I suppose the power supply is going to have to power the 24v zone control valves as well.

That will adequately power the thermostats alone
The full spec page for your Tekmar 532 thermostats states they need a power supply of only 1.8VA for themselves.  Since your power supply has 24V * 2A = 48VA available, you can easily power all 7 of them, leaving 35.4VA of capacity left over.  The 2A spec is what the internal relays are capable of switching; i.e. your connected devices must not draw more than 2A.
Now, keep in mind that your transformer needs to power both the thermostats as well as the devices they control, and the devices sometimes have larger power requirements.  If your devices do have large power requirements, you may want to use separate transformers for each thermostat, or one much larger one.  It also doesn't hurt to oversize the transformers a bit, since they will run cooler and last longer that way.


Is the back section of this house salvageable or should it be knocked down? My grandfather's house is getting to be in bad shape after years of neglect and more so the back section of the house is falling apart. Now the back section of the house, if I remember correctly, was added on after the house was built and I personally think it should just be knocked down because years of weather damage have taken a toll to an incredible degree and there are holes in the walls and the floor in the upper floor of it has fallen through to the first floor. In other words it's bad.

So the problem here is that my family is talking about repairing it and trying to save the back section but I disagree.  In the end it all comes down to money so I was wondering what anyone that reads this would think, whether it would be cheaper to knock it down or repair it? Regardless of anything, we want to get this done for my Grandfather because he's getting older and he can't do it.

Click on any photo for full size

Original gallery: http://rick89.imgur.com/all/

Rick, that is an impossible question to answer with the info you have supplied. The condition may be bad, but you need to access or have accessed the structural integrity of the shell. This doesn't sound like it's gonna be a DIY project, so my advise is to get some professional evaluation and a few quotes for a restoration and the demolition. Once you know what the real costs are going to be, it will be much easier to make a decision to repair or remove with your family.  If you want to post some pics, it might make for some interesting comments.

After looking at the pics, my first impression is that the frame looks fair and built with decent sized lumber. It looks fairly straight on the back of the building. The is obviously a lot of water damage and the plywood floor has rotted as well as some of the framing in that area. I imagine the roof is shot as well.  As a contractor, I look at it and see a fairly involved renovation. Now depending on what that space is used for and what it adds to the overall property would be part of the considerations. It obviously is gonna need some framing, new floors, roof, windows and siding.  There will be some electrical work as well, I'm sure.  I also see a fairly expensive demo job there. It is a large structure with a lot of wasted to get rid of.

If this space was important to the overall value of the property, I would consider a rehab. Like I said before, get a competent contractor or two over there and get some quotes.  In my distant and still uninformed opinion, it looks like it might be worth saving.


Why is the vent pipe in the basement and not the roof? Apologies if this is the wrong forum to post this question. Our house has a vent pipe in the basement coming off the main stack (water line going to sewer).

I understand there is a pressure difference created during a flow (from flush or sink water) but why is the vent in the basement? Or is there one on the roof as well? Should I be concerned there will be runoff or splash-back in the basement in case the pipe is blocked?

The flexible tube sticking with the cap was recently added because of some splash back that occurred due to a blockage at the bottom junction. I'll let you know the model of the cap but I believe it is something similar to a plastic version of a Gizmo vent cap. I'll edit when I know the exact model. Since this installation, I haven't noticed any more runoff coming out.

Are you talking about that flexible tube sticking off to the right? It's not a vent pipe. It's a poorly done drain for something like a clothes washer or a water softener.

I suggest pulling that flexible tube out, scraping off the black crud, and gluing in a short piece of PVC pipe and a cap.


How to stop a wall from falling My Beloved Barn roof has almost gone and, without the money to repair it, I had to let it go.  This has meant the walls have started to go and, as you can see from the picture, half the front part has gone. I now have to protect the road from debris if it goes.  What is my best (i.e., cheapest) option to prevent this?  I figured putting supports against it might work.  If so, what is the best way to do that?  Help is greatly appreciated. It's got to do by mid-Oct 2016.

Only the front is in danger of affecting a public road.  All other sides are far enough away. It is about 7 metres from the road and is around 5 metres to the roof (roughly). I own the land all around and up to the public road.

I hate to tell you this, but your barn is toast. Have it demolished before it kills some curious soul who wanders inside out of morbid fascination.


Dryer Venting for 1984 Condo We are in the process of buying a circa 1984 condo. The dryer is not presently vented to the outside, and I do not know if it ever was.  It currently vents inside to a water-filled lint catch basin.
I know this is not compliant with current building codes, except for some special dryer types (condensing?).
Question: I am wondering when the requirement to vent to the outside came into existence.
(A previous house I owned was built in 1989, and it was vented to the outside.  Whether this was required or the builder just did it as good practice I do not know.)
Note: This is an electric dryer, not gas, so CO is not an issue.
Added aerial picture
This is an aerial view of the roof of some of the units (not ours, but all of them are built similarly).  Looks like there's a cluster of 3 metal vents above every 3 unit stack (this is a 3 story condo complex), along with a PVC pipe that's probably the vent stack for the plumbing.  Guess that would make sense, one vent for each condo in the unit?  The kitchen does not have a vent to the outside.  It just uses an over-the-range microwave.

As far as I remember, there are no vents coming out the side/front/back of the condo units.
This is a 2 bathroom unit.  The kitchen is next to one bathroom, and across the hall from the second one and the laundry.
EDIT 2 - Added picture of dryer & vent
Here is a picture of the dryer & its vent from the inspector's report.  I have also reached out to the sellers and the condo association to try to get more information.  I have asked specifically about the "condensing dryer".

Edit 3 - Added response from the condo association manager
Dryer Venting–Please understand that the [Name of Condos] units are ‘stacked’ manufactured Pods from the 80’s.  On original construction, the 2nd and 3rd floor units had the dryers venting into ‘wet-bucket’ venting systems – some of the 3rd floor units were actually vented into the crawlspace area above ... but not through the roofs.  The 1st floor unit were vented into the crawlspaces below. The ‘wet-bucket’ systems for venting the dryers are to code for these units.
I'm not sure what to make of the last sentence.

The IRC (International Residential Code, section M1502) requires venting a dryer to the outside, and did so as far back as 1997 (the oldest reference I have access to), but most likely farther back than that. However, you CAN use what's called a ventless "condensing" dryer if it is specifically UL listed as such and if there is no access to an outside wall. The "water-filled lint catch basin" is exactly what that would look like, and you will have to periodically empty that water. So it could be that the condo builder provided listed ventless condensing dryers to all of the initial buyers of the condos, rather than install vents to the outside walls. If what's there now is not one though, you can't use a regular dryer there.
Dryer vents are also restricted to being 35ft or less and for every 90deg. bend, that is reduced by 5ft. I don't think a vertical vent (i.e. out the roof) is acceptable, either. So you must either use the condensing ventless dryers or go out a side wall with no more than 35ft of pipe.


Mystery copper pipe in basement In recent flooding I started excavating our (cracked, failing) concrete basement floor. (it's just a thin layer over a dirt floor--old house)

I stopped when I found a 1/4" copper line buried in the concrete. It's heading toward the heating system. But that was upgraded to gas some time ago, and I can clearly find the gas lines (they're overhead). Doesn't seem like electrical conduit. Doesn't seem like water pipe, but...who knows.

Any idea what this might be? Why would a tiny water line be heading to the heater? For now I've marked it so I don't disturb it.

More than likely it was an oil fuel line. It was very common to encase oil lines in the floor until recently.   Gas would have been in black iron pipe. Maybe water, but 1/4 inch too small for anything but an ice maker in a fridge.


Should I be concerned about fridge/freezer airflow? We just recently had the following counter/cabinet system put into our basement family room.  After everything was done, I started to get concerned about airflow.  The enclosure was built in such a way that I can easily slide the fridge (left) and the freezer (right) in and out to service.  I noticed after a few days of running that the sides of the fridge get extremely hot at times but is relatively cool at others.  The freezer seems to not have any heat on the sides at all though.

Would it be wise to install some type of ventilation system?  I wouldn't be able to vent outdoors since the wall this is against is an exterior basement wall but I was thinking of possibly using some type of exhaust fan system (I found a couple that are typically used to ventilate entertainment systems that hold high-heat gaming consoles and equipment) to run through the kick board layer under the cabinets and out the sides into the room.

Most people I asked say "don't worry about it, it's fine" but I want to know for sure.  I am not as much worried about limiting the lifespan of the appliances as I am about safety.  Could this cause a fire or am I just being paranoid?

You should check the specifications for your fridge and freezer, specifically the section that discusses required clearances.  If you provided enough clearance, then the heat is likely not an issue as the fridge/freezer is designed to dissipate heat given the specified clearances.

If your clearances are too small then there is a good chance the device will not be able to properly dissipate the heat it produces.  This could possibily cause a fire, but the most likely scenario is that the devices will fail early due to components overheating.

Adding ventilation is not necessarily going to help, certainly not from a warranty perspective, but ensuring the correct clearance will.

The other thing to consider is the impact of the heat on your cabinets.  Ventilation will help this.


is 3/8 inch nap roller ok for painting a door? I'm painting a brand new pre-primed interior door a semi gloss white.  Would a 3/8 nap roller be okay if I want a smooth finish?

As Jimmy stated, it will give a dimpled texture to the door, not so desirable. If you want roll on ease, use a foam roller.


Are BTU Calcs reliable -- should I oversize my system? I had 4 HVAC contractors out to quote me a new AC system today. All of them quoted me for a 2.5 ton, considering that my house is 1000 sqft in florida, concrete slab, with a flat roof. They all said it was the "right system for this size of house."
However, according to this image attached I should only need a 2 ton AC for florida.
Also, according to a few other sites I've visited, a 2 ton is appropriate.
I also did a BTU calculation on www.loadcalc.net, using the most extreme temperatures I can expect (65F indoors, 110F outdoors) and found that I need around 20K BTUs of cooling, which would be just about where I could find myself with a 2 ton system (cause, yknow, efficiency, it's not actually 24k btu the system will output closer to 20k btu...)
So I can only assume that all 4 of these contractors are either:
A) looking out for my best interest and telling me that I should slightly oversize my system, or
B) trying to squeeze an extra few dollars out of me
And I'd just like to know, is it wise to oversize the system when according to Manual J's BTU calcs I know precisely what I need?

I am from Pennsylvania and have been retired for many years so let me give you my thoughts on how I would size your system. If you choose the smaller 2 ton system the only time you would notice that it may be undersized would be on extremely hot days when the inside temperature would rise above the set point. I have always thought that a smaller system would be better overall since it would better control the humidity during the milder days of a normal cooling season. On an extremely hot day, the inside temperature may rise slightly but that is a trade-off I could live with. I would ask my neighbors the size of their units and compare the construction of their homes to mine to get a good idea of the needed A/C size.
This is an addition to my above statement, Years ago, we would up-size the "A" coil to the next size, say a 3.5 ton coil with a 3 ton A/C unit. This would yield slightly more A/C cooling capacity and would give the coil more surface area to remove more humidity. Now to be honest, I have not sized or installed an A/C unit in many years so I would have to consult an HVAC company to make sure that I am correct in my statements. my 2 cents


Unusual wiring in receptacle connected to switch I have a receptacle with a wiring configuration I am not familiar with (see picture). The receptacle is controlled by a single pole switch elsewhere in the room. The two black wires are pig-tailed together in the box. One white wire is connected to a terminal on each side of the receptacle. The ground wire is connected both to the ground terminal and the bottom neutral terminal. Is this normal? Is it safe? This looks similar to something I've read about called a 'bootleg ground' -- not sure if that's the case here. The house is ~40 years old and the switch/receptacle have been operating correctly and a plug-in receptacle tester doesn't show any problems. It just doesn't seem right to me. Any advice would be appreciated!

Are you sure you rewired this exactly the way you found it?
Any chance you flipped the outlet upside down in the course of swapping it (putting the two wires on the side with the fatter pin, neutral, rather than the shorter pin, hot)?

Previously, were both receptacles switched, or only one?
Did the old receptacle have the split tab broken off on either side (that bit of brass between the screws)?

One of the white wires is a switched hot, and that's fine.  Today, that wire Should be marked with tape to show it's not a neutral.  In the past, that was only required if it was not "obvious".

The bare wire can only be the safety ground.  It cannot be used as a conductor in any way, shape or form, so that setup is illegal as heck, and needs to go.   But first you need to understand what the crazy person was trying to do.  The white and bare wires both attached on the neutral side could mean one of two things.

If you inadvertently flipped the outlet and that was formerly the hot side, and the tab was broken, that would mean he had split the outlet so only one socket was switched, and the other always-hot. And he was supplying those from the switch, through white (OK) and bare (NOPE).  You'll have to look inside the switch to see if he did this.  And if he did, undo it and make it a normal switch loop and have it switch both sockets.

If those two had previously been conncted to the neutral (taller prong) side, with the tab not broken off, that would suggest he was having problems with the neutral wire, so he bootlegged ground.  Normally nothing damages a cable in a wall, so wire problems are usually at terminations -- so you may be able to fix it.  If the damage is in the cable itself, take the entire cable out of service - a screw which cut neutral may have cut halfway through other conductors, or be touching hot, waiting for a child to find it.


What do I do with receptacles behind built-ins? When installing built-in furniture, what should I do about the receptacles on the existing bare wall that will be covered up by the built-in?  How would I handle a receptacle covered by a bookcase section?  How would I handle a receptacle which will be covered by a cabinet section?  Is there a proper way to just cover them with the install?  If I want to keep them, what's a good way to do that since the back of the install may not sit flush against the wall?

For my purpose, the location is dry. But for future reference, how would I handle an installation which may be wet, like a bar?

Since all electrical junctions must be accessible, you have a few options.

Completely remove this section of the circuit.

To do this you will have to remove the wire feeding the receptacle, which means you will have to locate the source of the wires. The cable may come from another receptacle, or directly from the service panel. Either way you'll have to remove the receptacle, and all the wire feeding the box (I think you can leave the empty box in the wall, but you may want to remove it anyway since you no longer need it).
If the receptacle feeds another receptacle, you'll have to rewire the circuit to compensate for the removed section.

Terminate the circuit.

Since the junction will still have to be accessible, you'll have to cut a hole in the built-ins to allow access (if they have a back).  Once that is done, remove the receptacle, cap the wires with wire nuts and tape, and install a blank cover plate on the receptacle box. If this will be inside a cabinet, check your local codes to make sure this is allowed.
In this case if the receptacle feeds another receptacle, you can just connect the wires together (junction), and close it up with a blank cover plate.

Integrate the receptacle into the built-ins

This approach is similar to terminating the circuit, and you'll have to cut a hole in the built-ins (if it has a back). Again if the receptacle will be inside a cabinet check local codes to make sure this is allowed.
This might not be the best idea in the case of shelving units, since it could easily lead to a fire or electrocution hazard.

As B Mitch points out. Moving the receptacle to the other side of the wall may also be an option.

In this case simply cut an access hole on the other side of the wall, flip the box around to the other side, and install the receptacle on the other wall.

If it was me, I would remove the receptacle completely.  I'm not so keen on having live wires just hanging out, and receptacles in enclosed spaces (cabinets for example) makes me nervous.

I'm not sure what you mean when comparing dry/wet locations, the issue here is accessibility.  The only difference between a wet location versus a dry one, is if you integrate the receptacle into the built-in in a "wet" location (a bar for example) you would have to switch to a GFCI receptacle.


How should I frame in a large window opening to install a smaller window? I'm replacing some windows in my house.  The original window openings were outsized for the rooms, so the replacement windows I've chosen are smaller, which means framing in the part of the opening that I won't be using.

The first window that I'll be replacing was off-center in the wall, so I'll be installing the new window to one side of the opening so that it will be closer to the wall's center.  As I see it, I need to create two pieces of framing -- one for the side of the window and one for underneath (I think a single L-shaped piece would be structurally weaker).  There are two ways that I could build these pieces: one where the side piece fills the opening vertically with the bottom piece at its side (Figure 1); the other where the bottom piece fills the opening horizontally with the side piece and window resting on top (Figure 2).

Figure 1: Side framing piece fills opening

Figure 2: Bottom framing piece fills opening

Have I considered all the options for how to build the new framing, and is there an advantage for one method over the other?

If you were framing this opening from the start, figure 1 is the way it would be done. I would go that direction so it will make sense to anyone working in this area of your home in the future.

Did you consider the possibility of centering the new window horizontally in the existing opening? That may result in a better proportion. In that case I would still use the approach in figure 1 with new vertical sections on both sides extending the entire height of the opening.


How do I fix this drill hole on countertop? How should I go about fixing this mistake I made? The size of the hole is 5/32 in diameter and about a 1/16 deep. I’m thinking of cutting a piece of laminate from behind the fridge and hole punching out a circle  the same size. Not sure what the best way to adhere it would be. Should I do multiple punch outs to get the right height? Or should I fill it with something? Any help would be awesome. Thanks.

That's a tough one because plastic laminate is applied to the particle board substrate with contact cement, which is soft and rubbery. It's very good for large areas, but lousy for little fixes like that. To make matters worse, you need to remove the existing adhesive before carrying on.

If you can indeed get a repair disc from a hidden area, here's what I'd do:

Clean out this hole by drilling deeper... just enough to completely remove the old adhesive. You could also scrape it away with a square-ended hobby knife or whatever.
Remove the adhesive from your repair disc. The simplest way might be to rub the disc on a piece of sandpaper until it's clean.
Test fit the disc. Figure out the best orientation with respect to pattern-matching.
Set the disc with clear two-part epoxy or wood glue. The key here is going to be to get the patch on plane. See the glare in your photo? If you don't get the patch on plane it'll reflect differently and appear much darker or lighter than the surrounding area. Set it in the adhesive and periodically adjust it as the adhesive sets using a toothpick or hobby knife.
After the initial set has cured and the disc is stable, fill the circular joint with more epoxy or glue to seal it up and improve the appearance. Be prepared to wipe excess off the surface before it cures.
Once that's done, buff the area lightly with something suitable (like steel wool) to knock off any bumps or edges and make the sheen uniform. Be very careful here to not leave a large marred area. Test somewhere hidden and inspect your work often. This step could ruin the outcome.


Finishing an Outdoor Table I just completed refinishing an outdoor side table.  On the metal, I sanded and cleaned it.  Put a base of Rust-Oleum textured protectant followed by two coats of Rust-Oleum Hintr Green.

The wood is my concern.  I stained it with two coats of Rust-Oleum summer oak wood stain and rubbed it out (when totally dried) with my leather work gloves to a really smoothe shine.  Is it protected enough for outdoors?  It says to apply polyurethane but I am afraid of fouling it up.

If I spray I am afraid of the bubble effect and smoothness.  I have never used a gun.  What about brush marks?  I have Rust-Oleum "crystal clear enamel" spray available.  Will it harm the wood?  What should I do?  My very first wood project at age 65!

Many thanks in advance

Congrats on your first project! I understand your concern.
Stains don't offer wood protection so a top coat is advised especially if it is for an outdoor table.

I used a spray once and was disappointed, so my background is with a can.  But I would suggest a foam brush, they are cheap, can be tossed afterward and when applied correctly they don’t leave any brush marks.
If you run smooth and consistent you should not get any bubbles or streaks.

Preparation and environment are important, make sure the surface is clean and sanded smooth.
Also a light is important, so you can reflect light against the table to spot any issues.  Poly can be understanding if done right.
Take your time and make sure you have enough time to complete the project, and avoid doing it where bugs, wind and small debris can land and then stick to the surface before it dries.

Don’t shake the can, that prevents bubbles within the poly before application.
Dip the brush in and run with the grain slowly.
Make sure your application is thin enough, a lot of people want to apply it too thick, which makes the process much more complicated.
Run long straight lines with the grain.  When running the next line, make sure the brush over laps the previous run.

Once the project is done, let it sit, don’t poke or try to fix anything.  Poly over time will flatten itself out as it dries.
A warm dry day is the best environment.

If you see spots or bubbles wait until it dries sand them with >=280 grit sand paper.

If the stain is water based use a water based poly, or if oil based use an oil based poly.  Both have pros and cons.  When applying a second coat, sand gently to prevent sanding out too much poly and go smoothly with the grain.  I avoid steel wool because it can leave small pieces of metal.  Make sure the surface is very clean before the second coat.

Good luck and enjoy the table!


What could cause lights to come on full strength then dim? I just finished setting this up:

There are actually 4 lights chained together at the end rather than just one. Once I finished I turned the circuit back on and tried out the switches. All of them work as expected.
The only problem is the lights (all 4) will come on at full brightness for just a second then become very dim and remain there. What could be causing this?
EDIT: I did some more investigation. Everything works perfectly if I limit the wattage being pulled. It is currently working with 3 13W CFLs and 1 23W CFL. If I take out one of the 13W bulbs and put in another 23W or an incandescent light then the dimming behaviour returns. It's like there isn't enough power for all four bulbs.
This image belongs to do-it-yourself-help.com. The original wiring diagram can be found here: https://www.do-it-yourself-help.com/4_way_switch_diagram.html

I determined that my power source was no good. I don't know exactly what is going on, but it seems to be coming from a switched outlet system in another part of the house.

Easiest solution, tie up the old power source and find a different one that is cleaner. I found another circuit nearby that was barely used and is actually more spatially related to where these lights were being installed. Other than that the wiring was correct and works great.


Can I install an outlet on a freestanding pillar platform? Example: could I take 4 pyramid deck blocks and cover with 2x12 pressure treated on edge, pour gravel in that and cover with 2x12, this then would be a solid platform for mounting the outlet.  Alternately 6x6's tied together.  Harder to work with 6x6 as stores can't cut.
This is because I can't dig down in this area due to soil compaction and multiple utility lines underneath.
314.23 Supports.
(B) Structural Mounting. An enclosure supported from a structural member of a building or from grade shall be rigidly supported either directly or by using a metal, polymeric, or wood brace.
(2) Braces. Metal braces shall be protected against corrosion and formed from metal that is not less than 0.51 mm (0.020 in.) thick uncoated. Wood braces shall have a cross section not less than nominal 25 mm × 50 mm (1 in. × 2 in.). Wood braces in wet locations shall be treated for the conditions. Polymeric braces shall be identified as being suitable for the use.
What NEC requirements apply to installing receptacle next to a tree?

Where I could not go deep enough I ran rigid ~5” below the surface then used a 5 gallon bucket brought up the pipe from the bottom to a bell box went back out to the next one. I  filled the bucket with concrete. That gives more than 1 cu ft of concrete and was allowed by my AHJ. The bell box’s I used had 3 openings 2 on the bottom for in and out and one on top for a light, every other one I put a receptacle on the box. I cut the bottom out of the bucket but did press the bucket into the gravel I had there. If I do it again I would put the top of the plastic bucket down in the gravel not the bottom of the bucket as they are slightly tapered and getting the bucket off was a pain with the taper going the right way it would have been much easier but if you have a few extra 5 gallon buckets this was allowed in my jurisdiction as sufficient I think 1 cu ft of concrete was the minimum.


How do I find where my roof is leaking? I plan on selling my house within a year to a custom builder who will demolish it and build a new home.

Recently rain has been leaking into the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. Exactly where in the room it leaks depends on how heavy it is raining.

I tried a few new shingles and a partial tarp but these measures did not help.

Re-roofing is not an option.  What else can I do that will last for one year?

The source of leaks can be very difficult to track down.  Water runs downhill, except when it is between layers of material.  Then it can seep uphill, sideways, through other layers, where it then can drip to another surface to repeat the process almost indefinitely.  Leak paths are routinely more perplexing than the Warren Commission's Magic Bullet Theory.

A photo from the top of the roof would be very helpful.  But in general, walk the roof and look for the leakiest-looking areas and replace the shingles.  Then look for gaps, cracks, and holes and fill them with roofing goo (this one can be used while it is raining).

Carefully scrutinize all valleys for cracks and punctures.

A common source of leaks is through-the-roof devices.  Check specifically the seals on the side and top vents for water entrapment.  For example, this photo highlights problem areas:

Sealing around through-the-roof devices should be done with the roof dry and using silicon caulk.  Even the goo on there must slope away from the fixture, otherwise it creates a "leak reservoir".

I once had a leak like this, which didn't look like it could be source of the near-waterfall underneath.  But it was.


Installing a surface switch I have a little utility room with bare cement walls. So I want to install a little surface switch. As far as i understand normally switches are installed on a hot wire, but this switch has no grounding, so i wonder if it's better to install it on a neutral wire?

The switch looks like this:

EDIT:
here is a picture of it when it's open. As you can see there is a metal plate that i would think should be grounded. But it is covered under normal circumstances:

Install the switch on the hot wire for several reasons.  While installing on the neutral wire would likely work, realize that in 110v installations, the neutral and the ground are effectively the same wire (the neutral line connects to the ground within the breaker panel so you only get one phase of the 220v or 110v).  So switching off the neutral is akin to switching off a ground wire.  It also means that anyone replacing a bulb with the light switch turned off is risking frying themselves if they contact the hot contact and any ground.  And finally, any electrician working behind you will be confused at best or mis-wire things at worst.

As for the switch itself not being grounded, that never made much sense to me.  The only thing I believe you are grounding are the screws and metal tabs that hold the switch in place.


Drywall over doorway I know the correct option is to hang a single drywall board horizontally over the doorway, and then cut out the door. But just how terrible would it be to hang horizontal boards on either side, and then a single thin piece over the top? The sides would be small butt joints. Would it really be the end of the world as some forums are making it sound?

Every building settles. A common place where drywall cracks due to settlement is at the top of doors. Minimizing joints at top of doors is highly recommended.


screw identification:: 8-18 X 2.5 TR SC AB Our new used stove is missing a couple of fairly important screws.  They are apparently a Whirlpool custom design (p/n W10379120), but are described as "8-18 X 2.5 TR SC AB".  I haven't found any pictures.  They're kind of pricey (~$15+ net ea, depending); so, if I can use a (modified?) regular screw, I would.  I'd also like to be sure there's not something else broken before I buy these.

So, does anyone know what the '8-18 ..' means?  Obviously, a #8, and 2.5" long.  But, does the 18-pitch imply it's self-tapping or something?  And, I have no clue about the "TR SC AB".

Thanks

8-18 is number 8 size, 18 threads/inch.  The letters probably describe finish and head type (screwdriver or nut or some such).  Any chance that same screw is used somewhere else in the stove assembly & you could find it there for comparison?


Voltages of floated outputs of an isolated transformer First of all, I wish all of you good strength and patience to overcome this bad situation with coronovirus

I am electrical engineer in the electricity company in Cyprus. I confess that I have no experience and knowledge in this matter.

I look forward to your kindness in answering my questions below:

Why do I measure voltages of the output terminals (secondary of isolating tranformer to earth ground? there is no connection to the earth...!! there is something missing....!! I did't understand...!!

I have an isolated transformer 2kVA 800V/230V. I am measuring as below:

between two terminals (not directly on the transformer output but on a MCB, 1m distance): 232V
between one terminal and earth: 175V
between the other terminal and earth: 49V

note: the primary of this transformer 800V/230V is the two Phases output (secondary) of a three phase transformer 22kV(Delta)/800V(Star).(the neutral - site of 800V - is grounded).

other question: If I have a small generator 230V without connection to earth will i measure voltage between the outputs terminals and earth ground? if yes ... why..???

I need your help to undertand this measurments.

I will appreciate it

Thanks in advance

Best regards from Cyprus
Kyriacos

That there is no galvanic connection to earth does not mean there is no capacitative connection to earth. E.g. the transformer windings build a capacitance if the core is earthed. Wires could run close to grounded parts etc. This capacitative source impedance should be rather big, i.e. if a device of 20 or more Watt is connected to a phase and Earth, the voltage must drop.


Grounding chandelier in old pan junction box I recently removed a crossbar from one of my ceiling pan junction boxes and replaced it with a hickey. As I understand it, having the crossbar was a bit odd since a mounting stud was already available. But, I wonder if the crossbar was there specifically for the sake of grounding.

I replaced the crossbar with a hickey attached to the mounting stud/bolt/screw in the ceiling as illustrated in these depictions.

This worked great. However...

The crossbar had a green 10-32 ground screw in it. There is no such ground screw in the junction box now that the crossbar is gone and the hickey is in place. The ground wire from the chandelier was connected/fastened to the ground screw on the crossbar. There are no ground wires at all in the junction box. There is no place for a ground screw in the junction box.

It seems common in Chicago (where I live) to find that the junction boxes in a home don't have ground wires. It seems most likely that the box is grounded through the metal conduit.

What would be an ideal way to handle this chandelier ground wire now that I have no obvious place to connect it?

Coil it up and tuck it away in the junction box, or otherwise leave the wire disconnected (though keeping in mind that this could be a safety risk or illegal)? Drill/tap a hole for a ground screw in the junction box?

This and this lead me to believe that although the mounting hardware may have seemed redundant, the mounting strap was indeed performing a necessary function before, and that a saftey risk is now present without that ground wire being connected.

  Yes, metal-metal contact between parts is acceptable grounding if all these are true:

  the mounting bracket is bottomed out "hard" against the metal junction box (not dangling by the screws or floating on drywall ears, as is usually the case with receptacles and switches)
  and both are clean bare metal (not contaminated with paint, rust etc.)
  and there are no insulators in the way (those little squares that outlets use to capture screws).

These conditions ^ were present with the previous crossbar assembly.

You want a grounding lug of the proper size to fit over the nipple, between the hickey and the lock nut. These are sometimes available with a grounding wire already attached.

Trim the grounding wire to about 6" and attach to the lamp ground wire with a wire nut.


Is a porch just a deck with a roof? I'm thinking about building a back porch but I've never had experience with such a big project. I'm finding plenty of books and documents on how to build a deck but very few about building a porch. Is a porch just a deck with a roof or is there more to it?

It depends. (Notice how many of our answers begin like that?)

A deck is a structure, usually attached to a building, that supports people and furniture in a somewhat open area.  As some comments point out, because deck flooring is exposed to weather, there are generally drainage gaps in the floor.

A porch is generally a deck-like space with a roof, attached to a building. As also stated, porches often have tight floors since little water/snow lands on them to need drainage.

But there are numerous variations on porches, and these have a significant bearing on their construction.

Weight - The foundation of the porch structure needs to be able to support the roof and a possible snow load (depending on your location) and wind shear force (again depending on your location).

Drainage - Unless the porch is fully enclosed with walls and windows (at which point it is approaching an unheated room), you need some drainage to allow rain or snow that comes in form the sides to exit.  This has a bearing on how you structure the edges of the roof and the edges of the deck. You may need gutters, weep holes or other moisture diverters.

Sides - These may be fully open, railed, screened, partially walled or even windowed-in. All of these factors have bearing on the construction details, the weight bearing system and the drainage.

Lighting - You need to consider whether you need additional lighting if a roof is added. Decks generally have only peripheral lighting, but porches often have ceiling lighting as well.

Ventilation - A porch may need additional circulation and fans are often used, not usually found on decks.

Codes - There may be different permits and regulations depending on whether the structure is considered a deck or porch. You need to check with your local building authority.


Air Conditioner Cooling Ability Is a 9000 BTU heat pump roughly equivalent in cooling ability to a 9000 BTU window air conditioning unit?

If not, what is an approximate way to "translate" between the two, in order to obtain a heat pump with cooling ability equal to an X BTU window air conditioner?

9000 BTU/Hr is 9000 BTU/Hr - exactly the same, assuming you are looking at the heat pump's cooling capacity, which is often slightly different from its heating capacity.

The heat pump might be slightly more effective as it won't have the partly open window, but that's a minor effect.


How can I extend a circuit from an outlet in a wall to the surface of concrete with conduit? I currently have an outlet as can be seen in the image below. What I would like to do is to add some outlets to the brick wall that you can also see in the image. I was thinking about using some metal conduit and using metal boxes to run the outlets. Where I am having trouble is figuring out the least destructive way to add the outlets. I don't have to have the existing outlet, so I could use this as some sort of a junction box. Any ideas on how to do this?

Put an extension box (or box extender) on the outlet box, and run conduit from that along the wall, assuming you are OK with the aesthetics of that.
For a slightly "nicer" look, use wiremold instead of conduit.  I don't mind conduit, myself, and it costs a lot less.


meross Smart switch wiring having trouble with the wiring of a meross smart switch install. Smart switch on left controls chandelier and the right is a two way switch.

I think you have your black and brown reversed. The ground green wire is connected to a black and to the box so other than color it is correct.
The copper hanging out from the wire nut at the black brown, 2 blacks and a brown is that making a good connection? If it is I would put the black on the always hot and the brown on the hot to the light, I looked online for a schematic and only found black to black and brown to brown. That did not help.
Since your original switch only had 2 terminals on , off control if wired the same way reverse them so the switch is being powered and it should work.


Why do some door locks require the key to be twisted twice? This has been nagging me lately.  Why 2 twists? I mean one twist seems enough to keep the door essentially locked. If the extra twist is for strength, wouldn't it be a better idea to implement a longer travel of the locking mechanism for single twist. I have no knowledge whatsoever when it comes to houses and carpentry and the like so forgive me  if the question seems dumb.

It's for security, making the lock harder to pick. About twice as hard. First you have to pick it to rotate the cylinder. Once it travels 360 back to the upright, the pins pop out from behind the rotatory sheath and must be re-picked to continue the final leg of the journey. With a key this is instant, but with a single-pin pick it doubles the (at least) the typical pick time.

Depending on the mechanism (if the key is "stuck in" when unlocked "halfway") it can prevent bumpkey attacks as well since you can't pull back the bumper once the key is affixed. Some of what isherwood notes applies as well, tangentially, because high-security locks that have such a mechanism also have thicker/longer bolts and more robust mechanisms that require additional torque, compared to a crappy kwikset or schlage a residential customer might get at a box store.


How to find the splitter box for cable TV? I want to move a TV from one room to another.  One room has an active cable connection and the other has an inactive connection.  I cannot find the signal splitter to change the connection.  Any ideas on where the splitter may be located?  This is a 10 year old, single family home.

Basement, attic, crawlspace, & closet (removable panel?). Attached garage?

Possibly does not exist and is a direct run.

Start by finding where the coaxial cable enters your house and try to trace it from there.

If it enters directly behind the working jack, it's likely a direct run by the cable company who did not tie into your existing (questionable quality) wiring.

See also, Why are most of my cable/coax wires disconnected?


One rail of my three rail track lighting fixture isn't working Problem
I have a 12V low-voltage track lighting fixture in my kitchen. One of the rails isn't working. If I move the bulb fixtures from the bad rail to the other rails, they light up
History
A few days ago, one of the bulbs on the (now broken) track burnt out. The other bulbs on the track continued working. I bought another 12V bulb, it was a different sized connector, but it fit into the fixture so I tried it out anyway just to see if it would work (it didn't). I didn't notice if the other two bulbs on the rail stopped working at that point, or it if it was later.
Question
Is it possible for a rail to burn out? I don't know much about track lighting, but I assume these rails are just conductors.
Is it possible that I shorted something to the transformer by putting in the wrong bulb?
Why would just one track stop working?

Update
Upon further inspection, I discovered that the light sockets themselves contain the transformers (inside the white box), the rail is just a 120V conductor.
Some of the lights will come back on if I put them on a different rail and knock on them with my hand. I have yet to take a volt meter to the bad rail to confirm that it's the problem.

You probably have 4 rails there, just two happen to be in-line, on either side of the power input (gray block in center.)

Your problem is likely at the right side (in the picture) corner connector. Given that the power supply appears to be shared, the power supply would seem to be fine given the working lights - but the conductors are not conducting around the corner. Exactly why is hard to determine remotely, but that's where to look.


Unlock door with no knob Any suggestions for how to unlock and open a door with this type of lock? A video on YouTube showed me how to remove the knobs since the push button lock would not release. I have tried using scissors to turn the latch, as well as a hanger to see if it could be jimmied, and small screwdrivers to see if the lock itself could be released. No luck. It does not pull left toward the hinges and only pushes a half centimeter toward the door jam.

I would remove the hinge pins and unmount the door. Once removed, the hardware should be visible to remove the bolt assembly.


Repairing ceramic tile A small chunk has broken out of this white ceramic tile (see photos), from impact. It is on a wall in a bathroom. Are there any good ways to fill in/cover up the hole?

One method, if you have spare tiles left over from the original installation, is to remove the damaged tile and the grout around the tile. Removal of the damaged tile needs to be done carefully so as to not damage adjacent tile. One recommendation is to drill holes in the tile and then break it up in smallish pieces with a chisel between the holes. Then after cleaning out the whole area under the tile a spare one can then be re-set in place and re-grouted.

A patch may be possible by filling the divot with a white epoxy. Doing so on a vertical surface will require some finnesse. Fixing by this method will require the hole to be clean, very dry and all loose chips and crumbs to be removed. (From looking at your picture it appears that there is an additional small part of the glazed surface that would have to be removed).

Note that you can also purchase ceramic tile chip and crack repair kits.


What's the best way to level this basement floor? Goal:
Level basement slab in our 1905 Seattle home so I can install laminate flooring.

Existing floor:

21' x 25'
unreinforced rat slab
thickness varies from ~2" at rim to as little as 3/4" near drain towards middle top of pic
height varies 2 1/2" from tallest points around rim to lowest point near decommissioned drain
rat slab is patchwork of smooth and rough pours
when i bang on floor with crowbar, most of it sounds solid, except for rectangular 5sq area that i partially dug up (see pic). Found drainage trench (now unused) underneath.
Dark patch at foot of the near support post is base bricks of a chimney we removed.
We had internal french drains installed around rim of basement. (we've never seen standing water; and we haven't even caught a whiff of moisture since french drains installed).

Constraints

no footers on foundation walls
bottom of foundation walls end at base of existing slab (i.e. 2-3" below top of slab top)
Ideal is a brand new 4" rebar reinforced slab, but can't afford loss of ceiling height and can't have slab start lower than base of foundation walls... And I'm unable to find a contractor willing to pour a new reinforced 2 1/2" slab.
temperature averages 60-65 degrees in basement during day

Current plan

Use portland cement with aggregate to reduce height variance to 1/4" inch.
Use self-leveling cement to finish out final 1/4"

Questions

Is this a decent plan or should we consider alternatives?
How do I bond new cement pour to existing floor? Do I clean and if so how? Can I add mechanical anchors (e.g. cement screws) to serve as anchors to connect the new pour to the old?
Given the cement pour will be up to ~ 2" deep but taper out to nothing near rim, should I use aggregate and if so what size? or should i do in two steps: larger aggregate cement for deep areas in middle, smaller aggregate for areas closer to rim.
What self-leveling compound do you recommend to go on top of the new cement pour(s) to finish leveling out the final 1/4"?
Should we apply some kind of sealant (moisture) to any of the pours? (i.e. existing floor, new cement pour, final self-leveling pour)?

My family remodeled and has dealt with old and new layers of cement. I suggest the following plan based on our educated, though non-professional experience.

Leveling Old Cement Floor

Preperation

If it is safe to rinse the floor, you should wash the floor with cement cleaner (an acid requiring a special brush). This is will remove the less sticky and more corroded surface of cement, however this is optional, because there is a better way to correct this problem.

Alternately, You can use special concrete grinder. The aim is to take off the highs as well as expose the inner cement. This is messy, and you will have to be thorough about your cleanup.

Sealing

Next, if moisture ever was or ever will be a problem, then you have a serious risk that is common in 90% of Puget Sound area: mold. Mold can grow slowly and invisibly through the materials of you home, gradually poisoning the home. University studies found that in areas of the United States that were less moist as much as 50% of homes were poisoned in this manner by mold. The primary solution is to block the mold's access to moisture in the design of the home from the beginning.

Since you can't reconstruct the foundation walls, I suggest you treat the base of all wood-touching-cement beams (and wall-touching-cement) with a mold killing agent and wood hardener, followed by a liquid moisture barrier, like RedGard.  This should slow or prevent the spread of moisture from the cement. If you can afford it, you should apply the moisture barrier on the area of the edges of the floor and as much of the floor as possible working in from the outer walls (where invisible moisture is most likely).

Leveling

It is important to do the last two steps first, because RedGard has good adhesion to cement, but not very good adhesion, so if it were near the surface when leveling cement was laid, then the thinnest areas of cement would tend to break up and peel off a little bit around the edges.  This would not help the laying of the final flooring.

Now, your plan sounds great for leveling the floor. if the ground beneath the foundation is 98%+ packed and has good drainage, then you shouldn't notice collapsing in the foundation for many years, though you are right that thicker (4.5 inch or more) is better.  If you want to add strength to the floor, a thin and flat laid layer of 'chicken fence'-like wire, preferably galvanized could be laid just before you lay the first layer of cement. This will prevent cracking and crumbling on the underside of that layer of cement and help to make even a thin floor strong like a thick floor.

Once you have considered these points, go ahead and fill the floor with cement as you have suggested, using proper cement/concrete, then leveling cement.

Notes

Note that the liquid gypsum idea by isherwood is great.  Just remember to patch holes in the existing floor, and apply moisture barrier before laying it. It also helps to fan dry in warm weather the gypsum after laying it to get it dry as possible before laying the flooring. Gypsum is about as bad in the matter of wicking up moisture as a material might be.

Also, please note that it is a very good idea to use a high volume O3 generator non-stop for several days between Preparation and Sealing in order to reduce the amount of mold spores that will get kicked up when applying the layers of floor and wall.


Trying to replace the circular lamp Any idea how to remove the plug encircled below in this picture? This plug is connected to a wire that goes through the ceiling.
Basically I've already taken the screws mounted to the lamp and now the lamp is hanging to the ceiling. I don't wanna break anything and I am stuck on what to do next.
The model is an Omni LWCL-20WDL circular lamp.

That does not look like a plug.
It looks like a "cable gland" which is a type of strain relief that compresses a rubber (or rubber-like) o-ring or grommet onto the cable which passes through it.
The point of disconnection would be inside the fixture housing that the cable gland attaches to.


Exterior Door - Jam Placement I'm installing a pre-hung exterior door on the back of the garage. The door jam is 4 9/16" wide. The total width of the wall (interior face to exterior face) is about 5 3/4"
The door jam is about 1 - 1 1/8" too narrow.
My question is where should I place the face of the door jam? Should I place it flush with the inside face of the drywall or place it flush with the exterior of what will be the face of the finished stucco?
Currently, it's just studs and sheathing. I'm looking for a best practice since I have options right now.
Wall Assembly
Moving from the Interior to Exterior
Drywall 5/8"
Wall framing 3 1/2"
OSB Sheathing 1/2"
Stucco about 1 1/8"

Bring the exterior edge of the jamb flush with the stucco. This will make it easier to seal against water. Not sure if exterior trim will be used, but it will offer more protection against the elements.
On the inside edge you'll need to rip a fill piece to make up the 1 inch shy door jamb. Glue and finish nail it to the (2) sides and the top of the door jamb.


Electric Box Fan was spinning on its own I just had a strange experience. I woke up and I saw the blades of my electric floor box fan spinning very rhythmically. The air condition had just turned off, but the fan was still spinning. It was plugged into the wall, but the power was off. What the heck is this? Is there a reason this happened?

Box fan blade will rotate whilst its motor is turned off if an air current is impinging on the blade surfaces.


Best tool for chrome fittings plumbing at home Which is the best tool to work with rounded chrome fixture.

Please see picture attached where chrome plating is removed using pipe wrench.

The brass colour on the faucet shaft shows marring by a pipe wrench and strap wrench did not work.

I must be blind, but I can not see from the picture where the chrome plating has been removed by the use of a pipe wrench or any "jaw marks" from any tool. The only thing I see is the corrosion near the wall entry and a small ridge from when the valve or part was cast.  When working on a chrome plated fitting or piping piece that is visible and must not be adulterated or marked a strap tool should be used to tighten the fitting. On some occasions, depending on the construction, an open end wrench or adjustable wrench that has flat jaws and no teeth can be used as long as you use great care not to mark or distort the piece you are turning.


Change from 240V to 120V I did quite a bit of research including on this forum but wanted to double check if I got things right. On the outside of our home there is a standard electrical box (guessing about 3"x5") to install an outlet. There is no outlet yet but just a cover and inside the box is a 4-wire (3 conductor + ground) 12AWG cable with red, black, white and bare conductors. It was meant to be used for an outside kitchen appliance but then stayed unused. However, I have a need for a 120V (GFCI?) outlet at that position and need to pull 120V to an outside counter top. The pipe from that outlet to the counter top is already in place. All of this is shown in the image below. The electrical box with the yellow wire (3 conductors + ground) and then the pipe with the gray wire that will go into the box.

On the breaker box there is a double 20A breaker. See the second image below.

So the idea is to do a MWBC. I would connect:

White conductor from yellow cable to white on gray cable + neutral on standard 120V receptacle.
Bare conductor from yellow cable to bare on gray cable + ground on standard 120V receptacle.
Red conductor from yellow cable to black on gray cable.
Black conductor from yellow cable to hot on standard 120V receptacle.

Since the black and red are on different phases I should be able to pull 20V from each without burning up my neutral. Does that plan sound correct and is that up to code?

An alternative I guess would be to replace the double breaker with a single breaker (see bottom image. I guess I could use 20A but going lower doesn't do any harm) and a cover. Then I only have 120V on either the red or black with the other not being connected to anything. The biggest issue I have with this is that it seems I have to take the wire from the current breaker and connect it to the new breaker but I believe there isn't a way to kill power on that wire because it's in the main panel and not a sub panel. Or does the quadruple 200A switch kill power to all the other breakers in the main panel? In any case, the MWBC is preferred if it's up to code.

[4

Edit: Based on comments I added a drawing if making the change in the service anel. Please see the hand-drawing at the bottom. This is not really want I want to do, i.e. preferably I like to keep the service panel unchanged and just create two 120V outlets from the 240V outlet.

First, congratulations.  This is the most well-thought-through presentation of a plan that ai have ever seen on this forum, and your thoroughness has paid off - you got everything right, including an ambitious use of a MWBC, with all its details right.

By your first paragraph I was thinking "MWBC" and voilà you're already there.  Well done.

The breaker

Is absolutely fine and I would not mess with it.  Even if you were to downgrade to a simple 120V circuit, it is fine to just use half of the 2-pole breaker and disconnect the other wire from the breaker and cap it in the panel.

Your idea to go with a single breaker isn't wrong but it will leave a gaping hole in your panel.  They make blanking covers but they're hard to find, expensive, and flimsy --  so I prefer to fill empty holes with actual breakers and just mark them n/c.  So then you'd be right back where you started, but $10 poorer and with a nice 2-pole breaker to mislay.

The only breaker swap I would consider is swapping to a 2-pole GFCI breaker.  That lets you provide the GFCI protection for both half-circuits in a dry location, so you aren't paying extra for outdoor GFCIs or enduring their horrible failure rates.  The 2-pole GFCI breaker would also allow you to use every MWBC trick in the book without having to worry about how GFCIs interact with MWBCs - from hot-skipping on a long line of receptacles, to provisioning a 240V receptacle also.

How do you de-energize the panel to access the breaker?

If there's a big main breaker, that will do it -- however if this breaker sits in a zone of 4-6 breakers marked "Main Breaker", then you cannot de-energize that section.  Fortunately you don't have to - modern breakers like these "tip and snap in".   You can snap the breaker out, wires still attached, and hold it in your hand while you change the wires.


Would a chunky mantel allow me to mount my TV above a wood burner? I would like a woodburner with a twin flue install to take the flue outside. If I put a chunky mantel above it, can I then safely mount my TV on the wall without heat killing it?

When I say chunky I mean 2-3 railway sleepers depth from wall.

A few issues with your drawing:

code may very well not allow a wooden mantel directly above a woodburning stove like that. Woodburning stoves get extremely hot. Check the spec's on your stove to determine the minimum clearance from combustibles.
Soot. No matter how hard you try, a woodburning stove is likely to kick a bit of soot into the room now and again. Not the best for TV screens.
your neck may not like the angle. Lots of people put TVs above fireplaces and they look really great in magazines, but are often the worst possible place to actually place a TV.

(BTW, very nice sketch! That's always a great asset to questions here.)


Unlock an Omnia privacy lock with sliding mechanism from the outside of the door Our bathroom has an Omnia brand privacy knob that I can't figure out how unlock from the outside of the bathroom.

Unlocked:

Locked:

The outside of the door has a small hole underneath.   I've tried sticking a screwdriver in the hole and trying to find something to slide.   There is also a little piece of metal sticking out that can move side to side a bit, but it doesn't seem to unlock the mechanism even if I put a ton of force on it.

I dissembled the knob to figure out how the privacy lock mechanism works.

The slider moves a sleeve around the square axle between the door knobs.
When the round part of the sleeve is around the axle, the axle can turn and the door is unlocked.

When the square part of the sleeve is around the axle, the axle can't turn and the door is locked.

The little metal flange I found under the knob outside the door is supposed to be able to turn and work the slider.

At this point I realized that it had all been installed incorrectly.  The two parts need to match up like this:

The mechanisms must have been installed in a different way such that they didn't match up correctly.   When I went to put them together properly, I found out why.   The gold pin is so long that it doesn't fit when installed in the proper position.   When I tried to assemble it with the parts aligned properly, there was a 1/8" gap.

The lock manufacturer probably made the pin oversized so that the lock could be installed on multiple width doors.   For doors less than the maximum thickness, the installer should trim the pin to the correct length.   When the pin was untrimmed, it couldn't be installed such that it was in the correct position.   The person that installed this knob, found a way to get it to fit, but the "unlock from outside" feature was non-functional.

I used a pair of pliers to cut 1/8" off the end of the pin.

When I re-assembled the lock and knob, the privacy feature works perfectly.   The door can be unlocked from the outside just by moving the protruding metal nub under the handle with your finger.


How do I secure an old aluminum/glass sliding door? I am buying a house that was built in 1967 and still has the original sliding door opening onto the back deck.  This door's latch is missing.  It does not lock.  The last owner of the house didn't care (it is a very low crime neighborhood; he never locked the front door either).

I need a short term solution to this, while I am moving in.  In a few weeks I will replace the door entirely.

One obvious idea is to install a "charlie bar".  But it is not possible on this door, because the glass pane that slides is on the outside of the glass pane that is fixed.  This is a terrible design flaw in the door.  If I installed a charlie bar, it would be lockable/unlockable from the back deck, not from inside the house.

What are some other possible ways to secure this door?

If the 2 door panel in the middle overlay each other completely, you can pilot holes through the first panel for the screw to slip through and a smaller pilot hole in the outside panel for the screw to tap into. Only drill where the metal is hollow. The glass only goes into the metal no more than 3/4" so there should be plenty to drill into so the drill does not hit the glass.


Ceiling fan light comes on/stays on - NON remote I have a Hunter ceiling fan where the light "magically" comes on -- the pull switch has no effect. If I take the 3 screws out and drop the light fixture, the light goes out. (sounds like ground?) I futz with the wires and put it back together which makes it behave for a couple months then, voila! It comes back on. Any ideas?

It sounds like you have a chafed/exposed wire that is shorting out intermittently due to vibration from the fan motor; either that, or the pull switch itself is failing intermittently.  If you can get it apart and replace the pull switch (Hunter should be happy to sell you the appropriate spare part if you have the model number of your fan handy), try that, and also inspect the wiring closely for bared/chafed spots -- suitable appliance wire for replacing damaged wires should be available at your local hardware or big-box store.


How do I know what size grounding conductor is required? Is there an international standard that specifies the size of the grounding conductor to bond a metallic part of the installation to a grounding bar?.

And to connect the grounding bar to the grounding rod?.

By "installation" I mean any metallic stuff such as the steel structure of the building, the case of an electrical panel, and so on.

If you are in the US, you'll likely follow National Electrical Code (NEC).
Lets start with some definitions.
NEC 2008

Bonding Jumper, Main. The connection between the grounded circuit conductor and the equipment grounding conductor at the service.
Grounding Conductor. A conductor used to connect equipment or the grounded circuit of a wiring system to a grounding electrode or
electrodes.
Grounding Conductor, Equipment (EGC). The conductive path installed to connect normally non–current carrying metal parts of
equipment together and to the system grounded conductor or to the
grounding electrode conductor, or both.
Grounding Electrode. A conducting object through which a direct connection to earth is established.
Grounding Electrode Conductor. A conductor used to connect the system grounded conductor or the equipment to a grounding electrode or
to a point on the grounding electrode system.

and a picture to help make things a bit more clear.

The size of the Main Bonding Jumper, Grounding Electrode Conductor, and Grounded Electrode is defined by table 250.66

The size of Equipment Grounding Conductors (the ones that run from the Ground bus bar out with each circuit), is defined by table 250.122.


How do I balance air outlet/inlet valves without an airflow meter? As my local hire shops (UK) don’t stock airflow meters, I am trying to find another way to balance our newly installed MVHR (mechanical ventilation heat recovery) system.

Firstly I need to set the fun speeds, so I need to be able to measure the total ventilation rate.

I then need to set the air valves in each room, so as to split the ventilation correctly between the rooms.

(I need to be able to measure values up to about 60 litres per second and as low as 1 litre per second.)

I tried this approach on my senior project.
It is a little tricky, but you find the largest garbage bag you can buy, or any bag, and either a stop watch or better a video camera.

If you know the size of the bag 50 gallons in my case.
And if you know the time it takes to fill the bag.

you can calculate the airflow through a particular outlet.

The bag can fill up pretty quickly, so I recommend making the calculations using a video camera.  It helped to see when the airflow initially started.

I had a known fan that produced a airflow speed of 150 CFM, and I was able to measure out about 133 CFM with this technique.

The video camera is used to see more accurately when the blower starts and when the bag is full. Time( full bag) - time( blower starts) it can be hard to keep up with a stop watch, so I use the camera playback to see when each event takes place.


What to know before installing cabinet and drawer dampers? I want to install dampers on my new cabinet doors in my kitchen. When the contractor gave me the price to add these, the cost was over $30 per door. So I decided not to install them. But since then, I have found these dampers on Amazon and the price is under $3 each.

What do I need to know before investing in these dampers? At $3 each, is it worth it or not? Are they easy to install on cabinet (both drawer and door)?

The door dampers you link to look very similar to the ones I have installed in my kitchen.

They are very easy to install - they just screw to the cabinet as shown. In fact this item shows it even more clearly.

They work very well and I don't see why you should pay any more.


What can I do with vinyl tile where the floor edge is open, like at a descending staircase? I'm thinking of installing vinyl tile in one floor of my house, but I have two places where the floor does not meet a wall, for example, where a staircase begins to descend.  What sort of elegant options are there in cases like this?


Basement window with cinderblock. Do I need to fill cinderblock? https://photos.app.goo.gl/E8raBQ17wudKT0n72

As you can see from the photos.  The window fits pretty snug.  I planned on using a little expansion foam on the sides with caulking.  And just caulking the top.  The bottom, however, is tricky to me.  The weep holes in the front of the window would allow the water to run out onto the front of the cinderblock and then back down into the cinder block. I'm not supposed to caulk the bottom of the window but I really dont' want water to drain back down into it.  See this photo https://photos.app.goo.gl/t7FvgELw4IZ3Bj6h2 .  See the lip of the cinderblock?  The water can go back down under the window.

I just had an internal basement drain system put in around the perimeter of my house going to sump pumps and weep holes in every block at the base to allow it to drain into the system. But I didn't know if allowing this little bit of water in the cinderblock could weaken it.

Should I just fill the top cinderblock with expansion foam?

Weep holes are supposed to be outside of the facade or over a downward sloping sill. Windows are supposed to sit in a frame. Caulk will not seal the window for long in your situation. Also, be aware that cinder block is porous, so if you just put a little around the edges, water will go right around it through the cinder block.

Basically the problem is that you have no frame, so you need to get a smaller window and build a frame, or chip out enough of the cinder block that you can fit a proper liner and sill around the window.


When drilling metal, should I start with a smaller bit before using a larger bit? From this site, it mentions

  In other words, most professionals will start with smaller metal drill bits and work up using metal drill bits of various sizes until the hole is the desired diameter.

Is it necessary to start with the smaller metal drill bits? Are there scenarios whereby it is not recommended to start with the smaller drill bits?

Is it necessary to start with smaller metal drill bits? Sometimes

It all depends on the types of metal involved.  It also depends on how much you are willing to cool the point of contact.

I have worked extensively with metal over the years.  Here's what I do when working with an alloy metal with an unknown composition:

Start with a smaller drill bit, but not so thin that it will quickly bend as it heats.
Pour water over the contact area as I drill.
Notice my progress.
If progress is rapid, consider moving to a larger bit.
If progress is extremely slow, consider moving to a smaller bit and use more cooling water.
If progress is slow and steady, continue drilling, using the same amount of cooling water.

I have also found that using cooling water that is too cold can cause shattering of either the bit or the object being drilled into.

Always wear protective eyewear, and gloves if they won't get caught.

This technique has worked well for me.


Double header for skylight frame I'd like to install a new skylight in my dining room.  The skylight is 30x30 and will require one ceiling joist to be cut and (2) new double headers to be installed.   Do the new headers need to span from the uncut joists (B) or can I simply install them as bracing, between cut and uncut joists (A).

If I go with method (A), the drywall hole I cut in the ceiling is a one-time thing.   If I go with method (B), I think I need to extend the cut of the drywall another 3" on each side, remove the joist section, install headers, and then add drywall to cover the headers.   Make sense?
(A) seems simpler to me.

All work will be done from below because attic is too small to do work from above.

Option B is the better choice.

(A) may eliminate some drywall patching, but will not provide the same strength as it  different load forces at work.

Option A will create a pivot point that will be more torsion/twisting force. Each connection wanting to act like a hinge under weight and pull away from their connections, which will take less energy than shearing.

The header spanning across the full space (B) as a single structure is mostly bending (Compression and tension) force against the middle that will be pressed on the connection with outer joists (and some shear force where nailed to joists).

Think about the pressure on your roof will be pushing at least in part down on that middle joist.

See https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/wpi_lesson_1 for an overview of load types.


installing a copper pipe on exterior wall (but inside the house) I want to add a pot filler. The Stove on the exterior wall of the kitchen.The wall is (from the outside in): Brick, Styrofoam insulation, 1/2" drywall, 1/2" plaster (yes plaster/drywall mud or something).

So, My thought was to:

(along the stud) remove the plaster
drywall and possibility some the insulation
install the pipe
secure to stud
spray form insulation?
fill hole
new install of backsplash for oven area.

Thoughts? I live in Canada so first obvious concern is the freezing of the pipes thing. Especially since a new tiled backsplash will go over on top.

Thanks

It might be easier to install a counter mounted pot filler next to the stove. That way you can run the pipe straight down through the floor, avoiding any work on the wall behind the stove.


Can ground shock me? It's bonded to neutral in my panel I have no outdoor outlets. I want to install a GFCI outlet underneath my main service panel.

Inside the panel there is only one bar with both ground and neutral wires connected to it. If I connect the ground wire for the outlet to that bar wouldn't that make the ground wire hot since neutral wires are also connected to the bar?

Also, since the ground wire must be connected to my new metal outlet box wouldn't that cause a shock if you touch the box?

A great question

Welcome to Code electrical.  You're starting off with a very astute observation and a valid concern.  It's about the difference between an isolated system and a grounded system.

Power doesn't want to go to ground.  It wants to return to source.

Chevy Volt - 2 systems at once

Automobiles have an apocryphal "grounded system". It's a 12V electrical system with ground (i.e. chassis) pegged to an arbitrary location in the supply power, almost always negative ground by convention.  Positive ground does exist.  (chassis is also used as a current return; that's a separate issue.)

The Prius or Chevy Volt also has a high-voltage traction electrical system - batteries, electronic inverters, motors etc. which is fully isolated from the chassis of the car. Any leakage from the high-voltage system is considered a fault, even from the "negative" side, since "negative ground" is not a concept in an isolated system.

Code

Enter the world of Code electrical, which applies to structures.  There is a religious battle between isolated systems and grounded systems, with grounded systems winning.

Industry sometimes uses isolated systems. I have a 480V 3-phase system, all three phases isolated from ground.  If one phase faults to ground, it's an unintended ground strap, and the system is no longer isolated.  If another phase faults to ground, kaboom!  It takes two failures to have a problem, and the idea is frequent inspection catches the first one. It's a fine philosophy.  If your accidental contact is the first fault, you only get hit with biasing current, and hopefully death "gives you a mulligan" (second chance).

Household electrical started out "isolated" because grounds were not a thing.  They went with a grounded system where you intentionally peg the system to ground rather than waiting for a "first fault".  Only one more failure creates a problem!  Downside, no mulligans like in the isolated system.  Upside, most faults cause an immediate and big problem, which assures a circuit breaker trip.

Power doesn't want to go to ground.  It wants to return to source.   By bonding ground to a conductor, now power wants to go to ground too.

Which is better? Like most of the Electrical Code, it's not about ideology, it's a numbers game based on a lot of accident reports.

Ground can be pegged ANYWHERE

Different systems see it different ways.

Euro power is 230V with "neutral" being at one extreme.
UK construction sites are 110V transformers with center-tap grounded.  The tool sees 110V and there's a safer 55V from any wire to ground.  Interestingly, this system does not have a neutral.
North America is the same, but 240V, and the center tap is brought out as neutral, allowing 120V circuits.

In principle you could peg ground somewhere else.  Like the UK tool system where ground is tapped where no conductor is, you could design a 6 volt AC bias between neutral and ground.  Or with a 6 volt DC bias.  Look up "wild leg delta" for a truly screwball ground bias.  My point is, it's arbitrary and there's no Godly answer.  There are merely agreed conventions and codes (some of which are rather clever, like wild-leg).

Neutral Is Not Ground

This is the hardest thing for a newbie to understand when he's staring at the panel and seeing a tangle of copper and white going to obviously the same place. What you're seeing is an ugly shortcut, and I'll explain that soon.  They have wildly different purposes.

Neutral is the current return.  It is a conductor which normally carries current.
Ground is a safety shield.  Current should never flow through ground; if it does, it's a ground fault.

If you can put a clamp ammeter on the neutral-ground strap, you should see 0.00000 amps of flow.  In fact, that's a pretty good system test.

Where to bond neutral and ground

Remember the isolated system, where the first ground fault was only a bias, and it took 2 ground faults to cause trouble?  Your ground-neutral bond is the first fault done intentionally.  Think it through -- that means there should not be a second.  Neutral and ground should be bonded in only one single place. The single place is the main panel.

If it was bonded in 2 places, current tries to flow down all available paths at once.  The ground path would end up seeing some of the return current intended for neutral, and that's not its job.  Worse, what if there as a neutral wire break between those two points?  Current return would detour down the ground wire.  Again not its job, and ground wires are allowed by code to be thinner than neutrals in some cases.  It would overheat.

A perfect panel

In an ideal panel, there is a neutral bus (insulated from the steel panel), a ground bus (attached to the steel panel), and all the neutrals go to the neutral bus, and all the grounds go to the ground bus.

If this panel is also a main panel, there is one, single, neutral-ground bond tying the buses, and in a dream world, enough space to clamp an ammeter under it.

Real world, most homes have only a main panel, so practical electricians just slobber all the neutrals and all the grounds onto one bus and call it done.  When you see that, that's all you're seeing.  I hope I don't give you an OCD attack.

What's a benefit of doing it "ideally"? You have several options for testing the ground-neutral relationship. You're in a good position to replace your main breaker with a "whole panel" GFCI.  And if you upgrade service, you can add a new main panel, and convert this to a sub-panel just by pulling the bond. Which means not having to rewire the whole panel.

Upshot

Yes, the conductors have electricity flowing through them.  Yes, normally you should respect and fear any conductor.

However, by design, this is a grounded system which intentionally pegs the neutral to ground at the panel.  Since current flows on neutral, voltage drop occurs (E=IR) on neutral, which means neutral won't be the same as ground everywhere, but it should be close, by design.  So, ground and neutral shouldn't bite you unless you're touching hot.

You have the right idea, install an indoor-rated GFCI outlet near the panel, and then use the LOAD terminals to feed a second receptacle outside.

By the way, many panels have an "electrician's outlet" a few inches away from the panel.  This is so the electrician can plug in lights and tools while he wires the panel.  This is typically on its own breaker if there's room.


Outlet to conduit junction recommendations I've got a recessed outlet box on the outside of my house. To be more specific the outlet (when removing the weatherproof cover assembly) is flush with the stucco. I need to decommission this as an outlet and run conduit along the wall around 6ft to the left of it.

I was thinking of using this:

and simply putting a right angle flex line attachment into one of the threads and carry along.

Example (forget the 10awg): https://www.lowes.com/pd/Southwire-6-ft-10-Gauge-3-Conductor-Non-metallic-Liquidtight-A-C-Whip/3616544

I found this: Adapting an outside wall outlet to suface mount conduit?

But I'm not sure that is a good approach considering the leakage potential.

Thoughts or better methods would be appreciated? Is what I plan to do a good option?

I think the rectangular box extension is better. It seems to me to be better to just come straight out of the old receptacle parallel to the wall. Are there even fittings to adapt to that angle of the one you are picturing?