Best DIY all-rounder cutting tool for straight edges? Multi tool? I'm a Newbie at DIY. About to buy my first set of (hopefully) good "all-rounder", versatile "staple" tools for my very first tool box.

Have seen a multi tool, but are they really suitable for cutting accurate, straight lines?

can you find attachments that allow you to cut wood accurately, with a guide, using a blade?

Dremle seems to have a "Straight Edge Guide" that does allow for a drill bit to cut guided straight and even circular cuts but the drill bit seems to leave the edge looking somewhat rough on the edges.

Jobs I want to use it for include:

Cutting the materials to build a stud wall (mainly wood batons, perhaps plasterboard)
Cutting wood to build my own shelves and up-cycle furniture
Possibly chase a wall (although I have heard that the multi tool might not be up to it)

Any thoughts or suggestions?

The problem with 'All-rounder' tools is that they are rarely actually very good at anything. Sure they'll let you cut a wavy line in tile, but how often will you be doing this?

My advice would be to buy good-quality tools as, and when, you need them. An SDS drill, battery drill-driver, and decent hand-saw will get you a long way. If you'll be cutting sheet material, then a circular saw would be useful. Later on, you might want to get a mitre saw, jigsaw and a router.

One point on buying power tools: With the exception of the drill/driver - don't get cordless, unless you have a very good reason; When the batteries die, they are expensive to replace, if you can even get replacements, although this is less of a problem nowadays as Li-Ion batteries typically last much longer than NiMH / NiCad.
As noted in the comments, they are also often less powerful than their corded cousins, unless you pay a lot of money.

For your requirements:

Wood - hand saw
Plasterboard - Stanley Knife for straight cuts, padsaw for curves
Chasing wall - SDS drill with chasing chisel bit


How can I fill a void in a concrete seawall? My concrete seawall (on a freshwater lake) has a void in a bottom corner.  It seems to have been created with the void -- it's not a result of trapped water freezing and pushing out a chunk.  I'd like to fill the void to avoid future possible erosion.  Multiple questions:

Should I fill it while it's warm and underwater (summer/fall), or dry but cold (winter)?
What should I fill it with?

I believe there are cement products that will cure in water, however I would wait until the winter. Cold is not a problem here, except for your fingers. And you can always find a day in the middle of winter when the temperature is quite moderate.

Find a high strength patch filler. Make sure that it attaches solidly to the existing hole. If possible, I would drill some holes into the sides of this hole, then put some non-rusting (brass, aluminum, etc.) bar stock into the hole so that it sticks out into the void area. The idea is to put a set of fingers into the cement patch area to prevent this patch from popping out.


How can I finish the edges of recessed boxes in a drywall stair wall? I'm going to cut into the double drywall on the sidewall as you walk down our basement stairs and build some shoe storage out of plywood to attach to the wall, so it's like a cutout into the wall.

I'm not sure about what to do where the plywood box meets the drywall wall. I could have either be the exposed edge. All I can think of is to have the plywood be the exposed edge and then cover with moulding.

Other ideas appreciated.

I think you are spot on. You'd cut out the drywall, insert and attach the box with the front flush to the wall, and then cover with trim/molding.


How can I get my floor register to fit in the duct opening? My duct opening is right next to the wall. I pulled out this old register to replace the baseboards but now I can’t fit it in the opening anymore.
It seems like the existing duct gets in the way when the “fins” of the register are open, so it does not sit directly on the floor, but 1 inch or so above the floor.
Seeking options.

You can try one of these:

Move the register opening.
Change the size of the opening so a new register will fit.
Order a custom sized register that will fit your new opening. It won’t match the design of your existing registers, but it’s an easy fix for your new duct opening.


How to Level subfloor for hardwood I just pulled up my carpet to install 3/4 solid oak hardwood and found my floors have been built badly, very un-level. 2/3 of the floor is okay in one direction but then it drops off. It is so bad I will not be able to lay the hardwood until I fix it. From current research it look like I could build it up with 1/4 ply and glue sand it but I have no idea!!

What is the correct way to fix this issue please? The home was built this way rather than any foundation problems!

I have a pic to help show the issue-

Another way it to just glue and screw/nail long timber packers over the existing joists (on top of the old flooring). Just follow the old nails/screws.

Rip down some 2" stock exactly the height of the dip. i.e. 1/8" on the first 3/16" on the second and so on until you're putting a 3/4" packer on the last joist.

This assumes the new flooring is suitable for this configuration and is fixed at each joist and not bonded to the subfloor like parquet etc.


How can I determine what size and type of filter is required in my air handler? I just moved into a new house with a Trane Air handler (model TWE065E13FB) in the crawlsapce. I went to replace the filter as this was suggested maintenance and I found that there isn't a filter in the slot. Should I install a filter? If so what kind of filter? Looking online it seems that a 20x25x1 filter is the correct size.

http://www.jonesairconditioning.com/trane-filter-size-guide.html

The manual for the unit indicates the filter surface area (sq.ft.) should equal to CFM/300 for low flow and CFM/500 for high flow. I have 1600 CFM with a 4 ton heat pump (400 CFM/ton). If I use the high flow this gives 3.2 sq.ft., about a 20x25" filter. Is this the correct way to do this calculation. I can't see the filter slot accepting different sizes of filters without modification.

I'm not particularly sensitive to dust or allergens and on my return air vents I just use the basic Rheem/home depot pleated filter (20x20x1). Would a similiar filter be suitable for the air handler?

You should only have one filter installed for the system, so if the return with the filter leads to the air handler, then you're already covered, and don't need a filter in the air handler too.  In fact putting a second filter in could be bad for your system, and could even cause your blower motor to fail because restricting the air flow even a little will slightly increase the load on the motor.  Is that likely?  No.  But there's no extra benefit from having an extra filter, so why risk it?


T&P valve line for hot water heater What size Fitting do I need to attach to the T&P valve for my PVC pipe


Is it a bad idea to attach inside mounted blinds to side of trim? I would like to install some cellular shades.  I'd like to inside mount them, but my window recesses are very small - as little as 1/2".  For a shade that requires a recess of at least one inch, one thought I had was to replace the existing decorative trim boards with a simple 3/4" pine trim that is flush to the window frame.  This would give me 1.25" of recessed depth, assuming I don't mind attaching the shade partially to the window frame and partially to the trim.

What problems do you foresee with that approach?  I would obviously stick with lightweight shades and make sure the trim boards are attached well to the wall.

I owned and operated a Budget Blinds franchise for two years.  As long as you comfortable with the support provided with you mount, you should be fine.  Cellular shades are so light.  The proper way to install them would be to mount L-brackets up through the window frame header and then window brackets to install the blind to the L-brackets.  If you call the company, they have a specialty bracket for you to use.


How can I diagnose a power loss problem with a lawn mower? My lawn mower runs, but seems to be weak and suffering from a loss of power. In general, it is acting as though it is not getting enough air. I replaced the air filter, but the problem remains the same.

Unfortunately, there are about 5 or 6 things that can cause a loss of power and I am not enthusiastic about just randomly trying to fix things that aren't broken in the hopes that the problem will be randomly solved.

Is there any way I can do a test that will positively tell me why I have a loss of power without having to try random maybe-this-will-work type fixes?

Note that I am experienced taking apart carburetors, so if your answer involves instrumenting the carburetor in some way, I can do that.

Note that the mower is a Honda GCV160 which has an "auto choke" system. I suspect that may be the problem.

I believe you do have a carburation problem.  I have several Stihl 2 stroke tools and every time I have a "hard to start" or "loss of power", etc. it's been the carb.  Fortunately they are only about $30 for a replacement.   Every time the replacement carb fixed the problem.   Not knowing the specific make/model of your lawnmower if a replacement is as simple as my 2 stroke Stihl units.   In your case, if you are familiar with carbs, I'd try disassembling it, clean it and put it back together and try.  There are often rubber parts that break, get torn, or get stiff and need to be replaced.  If practical, I'd try a new carb, depending upon how old the mower is.


How to change receptacle w/no ground I just moved into a townhome and found one of the outlets had a 2 prong receptacle.  I used to be an electrical apprentice and figured the swap would be easy,  no sir! I get to the wiring and theres 2 hots and 3 reds (I dont want to call them neutral) and no ground w/ romex coming up thru the back bottom.  Its an older home from the 50-60s. Im wondering how to wire up the new 15v 125a receptacle,  if possible.  Or would it be easier to get adapters,  or call an electrician?

If you indeed have no ground in the box, the correct and code compliant action is to install a GFCI outlet, marked "no ground attached" (there should be stick-on labels in the box with the GFCI).

You could also replace it with a new 2-prong outlet. Under no condition should you use a normal 3-prong without connecting the ground or connecting the ground to neutral ("bootleg ground").


Can I install lights on a 20 amp circuit that has receptacles already wired? I have never been able to ask the following question and get a simple straight answer and would like to know why there is a controversy, and what the answer really is.

The question: Can a 20 amp 12 AWG circuit for receptacles that are general use receptacles in living areas be used to supply power to a light or two and the switches that control the light or lights? If power is just as easily supplied by a lighting circuit with room on it, then of course one would use that. But if the most convenient supply for the lights is this 20 amp 12 AWG circuit then can it be used?

I have been told yes more times than no. But the no answers have some more detailed take on the issue as it pertains to code.

According to 2011 National Electrical Code, there is no problem mixing lighting and receptacles on a 15 or 20 ampere circuit.

2011 National Electrical Code
Article 210 Branch Circuits
210.23 Permissible Loads.
(A) 15- and 20-Ampere Branch Circuits. A 15- or 20-ampere branch circuit shall be permitted to supply lighting units or other
utilization equipment, or a combination of both, and shall comply with
210.23(A)(1) and (A)(2).

For some reasons why folks tend to avoid this in practice, take a look at my answer to this other question.


Nailing baseboards using nail gun on concrete wall I’m installing some baseboards in a new apartment. I have glued some of them to the wall, but the results have been subpar. Now I’m wondering whether it would be possible to nail the baseboards to the wall using a nail gun. Does anyone have experience with this; is it possible? What kind of nails should I use for this?

If you are considering an air powered nailer, the nail will just fold up when it hits the concrete. Powder actuated guns will not treat the base well at all, at least from my experiences.

You may be able to find case hardened 4D (1 1/2") finish nails. They will go in the concrete but it will take accurate striking with the hammer. I have seen and used them. I have seen them in place on a job I was helping demo.

The glue JACK suggests sounds like a good alternative, but if you are having issues with any glue, it still may have the same results.

Another way to nail which has been done before, but is still hand nailing, drill the concrete with 1/2" diameter holes, blow out all dust and glue in wood pegs. Set them in a  pattern that is easy to mimic on the face of the base, or layout whatever you drilled into the wall and use regular finish nails to hold the base.

You could do a "hybrid" of this. Cut and set the base on the wall as if it was to be glued only. Mark with blue tape the problem areas, like the base is bowing away from the wall or rising up off the floor. Using a finger, mimic where a single nail will hold the base where it needs to stay and mark with the blue tape. Drill those locations, clean the dust out the holes set wood plugs in glue, or perhaps carve them so they wedge in,  add glue on the back of the base, set in place and nail where the plugs are set to hold it in where needed and down where needed. The glue will do the rest.

Yet another alternative I have used is concrete screws. Set the base in place, drill the proper sized hole for the screw through the base and wall at the same time. Before setting the flat head type screw, counter sink the base so the screw does not have to sink itself, cracking the base possibly. It will be a larger spot to fill with putty,but it will grab and definitely hold.


What protection is needed to access the crawlspace under the house? We have a crawlspace about 2 feet tall under the house. (Scary!) Looks like it has a black plastic barrier on the ground (which I believe is just dirt).

How should one dress to crawl under there, and what precautions are necessary. I'm talking about coastal North Carolina in the spring.

Is a pair of jeans and a shirt good enough or is an environmental suit of some sort necessary? I don't see bugs or anything else, but there certainly could be spiders or other things that sting, and I know the area has fire ants, although they may not be under there. But, I'd hate to disturb them. What is standard practice?

Unfortunately I have to work in crawl spaces a lot.  I don a cheap Tyvek jump suit/coveralls with a hood over my regular clothes. You can find them in the paint dept of Lowe's or HD for about $20.  I also wear boots, mechanics gloves and some safety glasses.  There are always some bugs, spiders, and I've met a woodchuck or two. Take a good flashlight and check ahead of you carefully to avoid any unpleasant encounters.  At least we don't have poisonous snakes in Maine!!!!!!   OMG!!!!!       Good Luck.


Phone socket replacement I have a faulty phone wall socket which I think needs replacing. I am not very familiar with this type of technology so I don't know what I need. I have attached a pic of the one I have now. The problem is that the wire going into it doesn't click in to place, it sort of comes back out naturally. It was held in by a big wooden speaker but that no longer seems to work. I can get a dial tone if I push it in with all my force but that's not really a suitable solution. Any help is much appreciated.

If it's your only socket it should be a master and replaceable with an Openreach Linebox.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbfHMsP6IsE
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NTE5C/254283763063
Note - if you do want Openreach to replace it for you, you'll have to book that through your phone provider (whether that's BT, Talktalk, Sky, Plusnet etc) as Openreach don't deal with consumers.
If it's an extension socket, just replace it with a LJU 2/3A.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BT-Socket-LJU2-3A-/221531118698
For that you will need an IDC insertion tool (included by that seller)
Details on UK telephone wiring (and how to tell the difference between master and extension sockets)
http://www.rob-r.co.uk/other/UKphonecatwiring.htm


Is hand nailing more stable than power nailing for rough framing? Hand nailing seems to “draw” boards together tight, while power nailing seems to “shoot” the nail through one board into another with the possibility of leaving a small gap between framing members.

This tiny gap can shrink when the framing is “loaded”. Because the glue on the nail will heat up when shot into the framing, it tends to glue the boards instantly together. If the boards are not “set” tight together and already perfectly fitting together, they remain that way until loaded.

After the initial construction and wall finishes are installed, the framing could move when loaded, (i.e.: wind, earthquake, etc.) When this load causes the board to move, it 1) causes nails, etc. to move in finish wall material, 2) weakens the structure by allowing greater movement than anticipated.

Does hand nailing eliminate this possibility and make the framing stronger and more stable?

In the early days of air nailers hand nailing was better because the heads were moon shaped. I believe the moon shape was outlawed but not sure, but full round heads used with a properly adjusted gun are just as good in my opinion. If you think
hammers are better to save your arm set the gun so the head sits up 1/8 inch and finish it off with the hammer. Go


Multi-cutter blade blunt in 1 day. Bad blade? Bad Technique? I recently bought Dewalt's Oscillating Multitool. (DSC355) It came with (amongst others) a wood blade and a "wood with nails" blade

Today I was using it to replace wooden brick in a parquet floor.
It involved slicing down between bricks to cut the dowels that hold each brick into its neighbour, then cutting an angled slot into the brick so that I can get a flat chisel in to get the brick up.

There was a little bitumen on the undersides of the bricks, but I was trying to avoid getting into that with the cutting blade.

After about 2 hours of intermittent cutting, I realised that I was no longer actually cutting with the teeth of the blade, but was in fact burning a slot into the wood - there was smoke coming out of the slots, not wood dust!
On closer inspection I found that the blade was almost completely blunt. I switched blades and the other one was gone after a further hour of (non-continuous) cutting.

Wood in question is old (and moderately wood-wormed) columbian pine parquet. Approx 20 mm deep.

Question:

Are these naff blades (and if so, whose blades should I buy?)
Was I DoingItWrong(TM) (and if so, what should I change?)
Is this just the norm? (and if so, how have the managed to convince us that this is acceptable?)

Any other thoughts welcome too!

2 hours of intermittent cutting on one blade is pretty good.

If those blades are naff, then all of the ones I've used in the past (Bosch, Porter Cable, Dewalt, Imperial, off-brand no-name) are also naff.

The only thing I could suggest is keeping the blade clear of bitumen/ wood/ etc. Vacuuming up sawdust while you're cutting can help.

They've managed to convince us this is acceptable because these tools are so incredibly useful.


Fix pinhole leak on shower mixing valve I tried removing the bonnet nut from my old Delta style shower ball valve. I tried blow torching a bit, but in the end used a plumber's wrench and ended up twisting the thin copper pipes from the rough in pipe.
In the process I created 3 pinholes that shoots water upwards from in between the brass rough in valve and copper tubes that goes to the hot side of the ball valve mixer. I tried using the blowtorch, but it is very difficult getting the flame to stay on and heating enough for the solder to melt onto the pipe. In the video, I couldn't adjust the flame and hold the camera at the same time.
I've tried using some epoxy (pic), but I'm sure that won't hold.
Is there any other way I can spot weld or seal these pinholes?
http://imgur.com/gallery/PuChMD8

You have damaged the valve and it will need to be replaced.
Judging from the photos the "bonnet nut" Is not a nut and is not designed to be removable by turning it with a wrench. It has three copper pipes pressed or soldered into the back side so it can not be turned of as if it was one pipe with a threaded connection.
I believe any hack "repair" you do will not be sufficient and will fail in time and since it will be out of sight in a wall you will not know if it fails until it causes a very large drain in you bank account. I.E. Damage that will require significant work to replace and mitigate water damage and possible mold.


How can I remove a key that has broken off in a lock? I broke a key off in the lock of a desk drawer.  The lock doesn't look easily replaceable, so how can I remove it?  I've tried tweezers but they can't get enough of a grip to pull it out.

In the past I've used a thin barbecue skewer to extract broken keys, I also found a set of eyeglass screwdrivers handy as well. It all depends on how deep it broke off of course.

EDIT:
How you use the skewer depends on how the key has broken. Keys are commonly made of cast lightweight metals which have a rough texture with lots of pits outcroppings along the break. What you are trying to do is use the point of the skewer to get into one of those and then use the bottom or top of the lock slit as a fulcrum to pry the key out.

Alternatively if you can get the point into the top of the lock above the key you may be able to get the point in front of the rearmost tooth and then use to the top of the lock slit for leverage.

It may be useful to have more than one skewer, thin screwdriver, what have you available and use them in conjunction.


Black mould in silicon around tiles - spraying vinegar or tea tree oil enough or need to scrub? I have what I believe to be "black mould" in the silicon section behind my kitchen sink; from what I have read lots of moulds / mildews can be black, but the more dangerous one (Stachybotrys chartarum) I believe can only continue to grow in areas that are constantly wet as it needs constant moisture - because this area can be constantly wet perhaps that is what it is?

Here is a picture:

My question is - I have read that Vinegar can kill most mould (82%) and is far better than something like bleach and stuff like Tea Tree Oil may be even better - but my question is, assuming the vinegar/tea tree oil kills it, can I just spray it with Vinegar / Tea Tree Oil (perhaps a combination spray) and it will kill it and it will no longer be producing spores or does it need to be "removed" as well by scrubbing it out?

Yes, it would preferable to not have it there, but scrubbing it out provides more health hazards by agitating it more which may lead to a lot of spores going into the air, not to mention the cleanup of all the "gunk".

I think you should remove all the silicone then use a bit of bleach to clean the area well to kill any remaining mold. Let it dry thoroughly and then put a new bead of silicone there.

You mention this is a rental property. You may want to talk with the landlord about this. If there is mold, then water is getting behind the silicone and potentially causing further damage. The owner should take it upon themselves to fix this.


Am I ready to install window framing in load bearing wall? I'm looking to add a window to an exterior, load-bearing wall. In front of the wall (which rests on the foundation) is another "wall" framed for wood paneling.
I need to cut through the studs A and B on the outside wall to add a header and the rest of the framing.
My question is whether the inside wall will support the load as I complete the framing. The inside wall has studs going to the concrete subfloor and the top abuts the floor joists above. In the second picture you can see how the floor joists are almost doubly supported.
My plan is to cut studs A and B, add the header and jack studs to the outside wall, then once that is in I can cut out the opening in the inside wall.

Yes, but I'd add a few things...
Firstly, I've done what you're doing many times. It will work just fine. A framed structure is a system, and there's a lot more supporting those joists than you might think. Mentally step through everything that they're connected to and you'll realize that you can almost take the studs out without doing anything else, even without your inner wall.
Now, FreeMan makes a good point about the studs on the inner wall not aligning with the joists, but not quite like he thinks. Joists needn't align with studs below if there's a doubled top plate. That's where your inner wall is lacking.
Fortunately, a solution is simple. Slap three temporary studs against the inner wall, flat, directly under the joists that will be unsupported by the outer wall. They'll run from the concrete to the underside of the joist. Nail them to the inner wall at the top, middle, and bottom and carry on. Everything else is well supported by the foundation wall. The temporary studs rest on the slab, which in turn rests on the footing below (or very close to it). All good.


How do I install an in-wall tank (wall-hung toilet) with the stack in the way? Every toilet I've ever worked with (not many, I admit) has a stack in the wall directly behind it, including mine. I'm re-doing my bathroom and I'd like to install a wall-hung toilet. I have 2x4 construction, and Toto makes an in-wall tank designed to fit between 2x4s. Great. However, the diagram they give indicates my stack would by right in the way of the tank, and their document doesn't contain the terms "venting" or "stack" anywhere. Here is their installation guide (PDF)

What do I need to do to make this work?

The simple answer to your dilemma is that you have two choices..either relocate the toilet location to one side of the vent stack - or - to route the vent stack pipe around the place the 'in-wall' components are mounted.

On top of that if your stud spacing is not now 25-3/8" you may be doing some framing work in your wall anyway.


Staggered block matrix Could anyone provide advice on what would be an effective way of building something similar to the staggered block matrices as shown in the two photos below:

Regarding materials, solid wood would surely be too heavy and expensive. MDF would likely also be too heavy?

Another alternative could be a foam-based product, but I would be concerned about longevity. It could begin to wear and look shabby over time.

To achieve a glossy finish, would a vinyl or some sort be better than paint?

Larger issue with foam products is that it's a huge fire hazard.

Likely hollow wooden (thin plywood and wooden batten) construction. Masonite® (tempered hardboard) would be another suitable sheet material.

Could be done in drywall if you were a masochist.


What if the furnace doesn't have a C wire connection I have a 25+ year old York Forced Air electric furnace, want to hook up the new Honeywell WIFI stat, there is no C wire connection in the Furnace itself, and some instructions have indicated using the B terminal - which has the 24V wire from the Transformer connected to it.  The confusing part of the Furnace wiring diagram shows that the R terminal is also connected to the secondary side of the transformer to what looks like the Common wire, and here's where it's confusing me, that wire is going to Ground as well? So can the B terminal be used as the C wire to the stat?
Here's the wiring diagram. There's no AC or Heat Pump, purely used for heating.

Based on the schematic, the B terminal should be able to be used as a C.  Simply extend a wire from B, and connect the C terminal of the thermostat to it. It should look something like this...

Though since you said you don't have A/C hooked up, you won't have the Y wire connected.


Circuit Breakers on and outlets not working I have multiple outlets and lights in different rooms not working and the circuit breakers have not popped. Also, the boiler circuit breaker has not popped and it is not working either. I have tested all the outlets and circuit breakers and GFCI's and the circuit breakers are showing only one light on my tester.

Lost a Neutral
Initially, this sounded like you lost either one of the hot legs or neutral. Both are serious, though in slightly different ways.
But based on "odd and even breakers", I think we can all agree this is a classic Lost Neutral.
What kind of a tester are you using? Based on "only one light", it sounds like you are using something like:

Originally I was wondering "which light". But as Harper pointed out, if it were a lost leg then the outlets on that leg would show no lights so one light would also indicate lost neutral.
If you lost your neutral then everything will work in strange ways. Some things (e.g., LED lights that can accept a broad voltage range) may work fine. Other things may work slowly or not at all. Other things might get overvoltage and have more serious problems - e.g., light bulbs burn out, electronics "fry".
A lost neutral can be very dangerous.
However, in most cases, a lost leg or a lost neutral is a power company problem - and the power company will fix it. If you have had any recent electrical work done in your house then call back whoever did it. If not, call the power company ASAP and tell them you think you have a lost leg or a lost neutral.


Small post and beam project sanity check I'm planning to build a canoe rack out out of PT 4x4s, post and beam style. The goal is mostly to learn to build something that way.

I've designed it in SketchUp, below. Everything is a 4x4. The pegs are 3/4" in the design but I'm wondering if 5/8" wouldn't be plenty strong enough.

Since I don't have a clue what I'm doing, I hope somebody can tell me what the worst problems are with this design. Thanks! Please let me know if there's any additional information that I can provide.

Can I use your canoe rack to drive my quad up and work on it?
That is a bit over built but will be rock solid. Make your cuts tight when using pegs everything is a friction fit but you have it well laid out.
It appears you will be just setting it on the ground so you can move it that would be my justification for the lower horizontal braces. This should hold up fine for whatever size canoe you can hoist up there.
My grandfather always used hard wood pegs, we used fur for the timbers but I only did a few small additions with him to his barn and the hard wood was important but a pain in the back side to cut off on his tree limb ladders.


Shower divider wall – load bearing? Redoing the shower in the master bathroom on 2nd floor and debating whether to knock out a wall and put in a corner glass enclosure. Started by removing framing to make 7’ shower to an 8’ shower. Easy enough. Now I need to know whether the small divider wall is a bearing wall. Here are the facts:

-house has roof truss construction that spans end to end (no rafters, etc.). House built 1991. Many lofted ceilings, open areas, etc. I am thinking the exterior walls only support the loads.

-to further that, neighboring space in hallway (see pictures) is open end to end, meaning there is unsupported open space that runs end to end of the house (no walls for support). End to end measures 23,8”.

-wall is 34” long and is 3’2” away from one exterior side. You can see the exterior window in 1 of the pictures. Point being is that this isn’t a wall in middle of the house. There is just the toilet between it and the exterior wall.

-The bottom of 1 truss is in contact with the top of the wall. All the other stuff is furring strips for attaching ceiling drywall, etc. There is a double top plate, but like others have said, this may not mean anything. The wall on the other side of the shower is single top plate (this wall with the plumbing is staying). Not sure why.

-I have steel support posts in the middle of the basement which are more toward the center of the house. None of the walls seem to be aligned with them – they are in different spots. The wall in question is toward the front of the house (3’2” away), not in the center area (11-12 feet).
I am thinking it can’t be load bearing. Was looking up structural engineers, but everything in the township is shut down due to COVID, except for emergencies. Is this cut and dry enough where I probably don’t have to worry? I am a mechanical engineer, but do product design, so residential construction isn’t exactly my specialty. Thoughts?

Trusses are self-supporting.  So if what you're showing in the first photo is indeed the bottom span of a truss, and it's supported on both ends, then no, that is not a load bearing wall.

If there is any doubt, however, please consult with a structural engineer.


Diagram for wiring switches and a light I have a switch that controls the room light and all the outlets.
I would like to make the outlets always hot.
The source of the power is behind the switch and there are 3 outlets in the room.
How would I make the outlets always hot and only control the ceiling light?
Edit: Here are the pictures. 1st picture is the diagram of what is currently happening behind the walls, 2nd, and 3rd pictures are left and right view of the Switch. 4th and 5th pictures are right and left view of Outlet 1.
There are a total of 5 Outlets and 1 Ceiling light. These are all attached behind Outlet 1 and controlled by 1 Switch. I don't know how the white wires are attached behind Outlet 1 since these are not attached behind Outlet 1. I think these might be behind Outlet 5.
Outlet 5 is in the other room wall which is located directly on the opposite side of Outlet 1. Green colors are caps. The red wire is capped behind the Switch and it's linked to the red wire coming from the ceiling light behind Outlet 1 but it's not being used.
Outlet 1 picture below, Botton right black wire is attached with the rest of the black wires, I removed it for the sake of the picture.
Also, behind Outlet 1, there are 3 white wires attached, One on top left, the second botton left and the third is part of the outlet and it's going somewhere. I think all these white wires in the box of Outlet 5.
I just don't know how these white wires are attached together. I would like the light switch to only control the ceiling light. I do have some spare 14/3 romax if needed.

Connect the light to thge red wire instead of the black
use the cap from the red to cap the black.
At the switch connect the red in place of the switched black.
Connect the old switched black to the black source and use a short piece of black wire to connect these two to where the source connected to the switch.


What is this thing's purpose? So for part 3 in the continuing saga of weird stuff in my house, the garage. In particular, this odd looking thing attached to the wall:

I thought it might be a shelf, but all of the supports are on top, which is an odd way to build a shelf. It is also too high up (about 7 feet off the ground) to be practical for storage. The cable and pulley looking thing might lead you to believe it was meant to be retractable, except, as you can see from the side view, it is quite firmly bolted into the masonry:

The way the supports are placed, it looks designed to resist an upward force from below, but I have no idea what the intended use case for it could be.

@Ecnerwal and @UnhandledExcepSean, I believe you are correct. Looking at this thing from below, I can see screw holes where a speed bag was probably mounted in the past.


Adding an Outlet downstream from a switched outlet I'm getting a gas insert installed into a formerly wood burning fireplace. The workmen intend to install an outlet to plug in a blower fan. The closest source of power is an exterior outlet in the driveway on the other side of the wall. That outlet is controlled by a switch inside, in another room. I know if they just tap off that outlet, the switch will control both the old and the new. I want the new fireplace outlet to be hot (no pun intended) all the time. I'm sure step one is to replace the 2 wire + ground from the switch to the existing outlet with a 3 wire + ground. Beyond that I could use some help. The power source hits the switch first.
Thanks in advance.

Following your scenario, modify the wiring like this:

This requires adding one conductor to the run between the switch and the existing outlet. If your wiring is in conduit then this should present no serious problem.


Is this MOLD under laundry room sink? Just purchased a home and under the laundry room sink I found the below picture:

Is it MOLD?

If it is MOLD, do I need to get a professional here to remedy the situation or do I scoop it up with a shovel and then dump bleach on and around the area?

I haven't disturbed the area... yet.

It may be mold, but even if it were, you hardly need a professional to help you get rid of it, just spray down the area with bleach and wait a few minutes (not too many though, as that can damage the finish further) to let it do its thing, then (while wearing proper protection, ie rubber gloves, etc) wipe up the area using a cloth and warm water. Then continue cleaning the rest of the cabinet with the disinfectant of your choice. However, its important to keep in mind that this isn't a permanent fix.

The discoloration (brown) that you see is simple water damage, and unfortunately I don't believe there's an easy way to fix that.

The most important thing though is to identify the original source of the moisture and ensure that you keep the cabinet dry in the future to prevent additional buildup of mold and mildew.

Taken from Fred's comment:

It is mold and with fungus and was caused by a leaky faucet and/pipe (fitting).

You will need to remove that piece entirely and replace it with a new one.

Simply cleaning it will not be enough. Don't go putting a piece on top of it, because it will come back.


How can I add a service disconnect between main panel breaker and load side I am working on a small shop and installed a 30amp plugin type breaker to the main breaker panel.
Now the shop has load of a 230v ac Single phase motor, some lights and outlets.
I wanted to add a disconnect to the 30 amp breaker and my tools (motors,c-outlet,lights) in the shop specifically because the main service panel is a but far for me to got back and forth in case and just for me to work on things without going to the service panel. Can I put a fuse box and just wire up a single fuse to the line side , no fuse on neutral (we have 2 lines, live and neutral wire.) And make the fuse box as a service disconnect.
Knife switch isn't my go, no good for sparks, corrosion as well.
Btw I do have ground, directly into the chassis of the motor.

The electricians will be along shortly. My recommendation would be a "non-fused safety switch" that can be bought at any electrical store, Lowes, Home Depot, or most any hardware type store, as long as you are feeding the power from a circuit breaker from the main panel. You may be better off by running a heavy wire from the main panel breaker and adding a small circuit breaker panel in the shop area that can be further broken down into individual 120/240 volt circuits.  You wrote that (we have 2 lines, live and neutral wire) which needs to be better explained since you don't get 240 volts from 1 wire + a neutral. The electricians will explain your needs better than I can.


How can I remove excess tile mortar from grout lines? I laid a tile floor in my bathroom and used too much mortar, which pushed up between the tiles.  There wasn't enough room for grout in some places, and now it looks messy and is difficult to keep clean.  Is there a way to remove some of the excess between the tiles?  I had though maybe I could soak it section by section with vinegar and then use a tool to dig some out.  Another option I can think of would be to do the same without the vinegar.  Does anyone have suggestions?  I'd rather not have to remove the whole thing and start over.  Thanks!

Depending on your grout gap, an oscillating tool with a grout blade could work well.

If your gaps are substantially wider, a narrow chisel might do the job.

I'd avoid any rotating tool as you're likely to slip and damage your tile.


The best type of silicone to use on a drop-in kitchen sink with raised sides on stone top I have a black stone surface and a drop-in double sink with raised sides in my kitchen. I need to secure the sink from shifting. what is the best type of silicone sealant to use?

if its a drop in sink, you don't use silicone - you use plumbers putty.  the clamp bolts hold it in place, and the putty acts as the seal.  if you silicone it and ever have to replace it, you will never get it out without breaking the granite.

if you are 100% dedicated to doing it wrong and insist on using silicone, use ge silicone I, but not silicone II (its for outside and has uv protectant in it, and it can discolour some types of granite)


how to wrap/weatherproof corner when replacing corner trim I am replacing some corner trim boards on my 1970s-construction house in Maine that have rotted a bit at the bottom.  My house has cedar shingle siding.

Main question: what should I do as far as wrapping or weather-proofing before putting replacement corner trim back up?  Also, after trim goes back up, do I caulk/seal between trim and shingles, or do I leave it unsealed as it was?

I have removed corner trim in one location to see what's underneath.  Photos below.

There is some tar paper (I think that's what it is) under the shingles but it is open at the corner.
One one side, the cedar shingles appear to be installed atop some sort of foil housewrap
On the other side, there is no housewrap - shingles are just atop the tar paper
The corner trim pieces were just adjacent to the shingles - no sealant/caulking in between.
Where housewrap exists, it was kind of folded around the shingles and was between the shingles and trim.

One main concern is that water can get between the corner trim and the cedar shingles and could work its way behind the shingles...although it doesn't appear that this has happened, as I don't see signs of water damage underneath.

In addition to the question of what should be done here, I'd be curious to know how bad/lazy it would be to just do nothing for weatherproofing and slap up replacement trim boards (given that I don't see signs of water damage underneath)?

Thank you for your thoughts.

Image of corner: note housewrap under shingles on left side but not on right

close-up of housewrap, which extends less than an inch beyond shingles in a few places

this was position of housewrap between shingles and corner trim: foil side faced the edge of shingles, and backside faced the trim

Traditionally you'd have just caulked the siding to the corner board, and that would act as the drain plane. However, modern standards do tend to provide a secondary plan, as you've surmised.

You should be able to gently pry the siding out from the wall just enough to slide any flashing you like in there. Use a flatbar or a chisel, and align the tool as closely as possible to the siding nails. It might also work to drive wood shims in behind at those locations.


How can I mount a TV to the wall so that it folds away? I currently have a projector that I connect to my Mac or to my XBox 360, and then project onto a screen that pulls down over a window.

I now want to get a PS4, but the PS4 only has an HDMI output and my projector has no HDMI input. From what I can gather online, while there are options for converting HDMI output to a VGA or component input (both of which my projector has; it also has S-Video), these are far from perfect solutions and often don't work at all, or work inconsistently.

So, if I want to use a PS4 it seems I have two options: buy a new projector, or buy a TV. It seems that new, HDMI-compatible projectors are expensive, although there are some cheap ones on Amazon. But -- and here's the first part of my question -- are these cheap Amazon projectors any good?

As for the option of buying a TV, this is made more complicated by the fact that I live in a small place and there's no room for a big TV. But is it possible to mount a TV on the ceiling, so that most of the time the screen is flush to the ceiling but when I want to watch TV I can pull the TV down 90 degrees so that is parallel to the walls/window? It would also probably be necessary to be able to adjust the height of the TV when it is pulled down.

It might also be possible to mount the TV on the wall next to the window, so that when the TV is not in use it is perpendicular to the walls/window, and then pulls out when someone wants to use the TV. Going down this route would probably require that it be possible to rotate the TV, to, to make it possible to completely hide the TV away behind a cabinet.

I've found a few TV mounts online that come close to doing what I want, but nothing that does precisely what I want. Are there any particular brands of mount I should be looking at? And should I be trying to mount the TV on the ceiling or on the wall?

The question might be, where are you thinking to fold it away to? There is no room there. I would certainly try something like this first:

http://www.amazon.com/Coredy-Graphics-Multiple-Monitors-1920/dp/B0129CP6BO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448758981&sr=8-1&keywords=hdmi+to+vega+adapter

This would certainly be much cheaper and less hassle.

Start with the easiest cheapest solution and work you way up.

Save yourself lots of time and energy in the process.

Happy Saturday!


What recessed lighting technology is recommended for LED? I'm remodeling my first floor and we will install recessed lighting in the existing ceiling. Right now is a tense time to make lighting choices as there are so many new technologies out there. My goal is to make sure that whichever technology I end up using will be directly compatible with LED lamps, once they become affordable. Based on my research this is the array of choices I'm facing:

Can size: I would like 4'' if possible.
Voltage: it appears that going low-voltage will allow the use of LED bulbs without added circuitry in the bulb?
AC or DC transformer?
Type of bulb mount?
Any additional elements to consider?

Get something that works with a standard medium-base floodlight bulb.

But when it comes to safety of heat dissipation and the load on the circuit and switch, don't assume the can will always have an efficient, low-heat LED or CFL. Build so the lighting is still safe to operate with nasty old EZ-Bake Edison bulbs.

IMHO, LEDs and CFLs are both already affordable, since they will pay off relatively quickly in energy savings. I haven't bought an incandescent bulb in years and I'll never go back to them.

One other thing to keep in mind: both LED and CFL bulbs are harder to come by in "dimmable" form, and having non-dimmable bulbs on a dimmer switch, even at full-blast, can result in annoying blinking and buzzing, and the dimmer switches made for LED and CFLs are pretty pricey for now. I recommend just putting in a normal light switch (again, watch that load!) and worry about any dimming features later.


Removing deck frame attached to siding I'm in the process of removing an old deck attached to my house in an effort to replace it with stairs and a paver patio.
I've gotten most of it torn down and removed, but I'm wondering what the best way to handle removing this last bit of the frame is.
It's nailed directly into the siding, so is my best option to just rip it out and repair/replace the piece of siding afterwards?

Going by the drip edge over top the ledger it appears indeed that there is siding behind the ledger.
You can confirm this by measuring the distance from the front of the cut joist to the siding and on its other side to the ledger, and there would be 1.5in difference.
The ledger may be nailed all the way through the siding and through any sheathing into the bottom plate, which is structural. Expect long and strong 8d nails.
You should thus be able to remove the ledger and the siding will appear behind it, which you can then paint to match.
You can remove the drip edge, and lever off the ledger with a break iron etc.. An alternative is to cut the ledger's nails by carefully cutting between the ledger and the siding, reaching in from the top, with a 6in reciprocal saw.


Does the Stanley Intelli Sensor have a battery that can be changed? Stanley IntelliSensor unit has not been working.  Needs an answer whether it has a battery that can be changed.  I need to check the walls for studs.

Yes, it takes a 9-volt battery. And with the cheaper stud finders, anything but a fresh 9-volt battery yields unreliable results.


What can I do about high water pressure that is causing a leak? One of our showers has an intermittent leak, and I've figured out that it happens when the hot water heater is on. There's no expansion tank on the cold supply side for our hot water tank, so I'm guessing that the increased pressure while the heater is on is causing the leak.

I picked up a cheap water pressure gauge and measured the cold water pressure at a slop sink in the basement at 100 psi. Presumably that gets even higher when the water heater is on.

I had been thinking that an expansion tank would solve this problem, but now it seems like the water pressure is just too high in general. Do I need something else? Should I just repair / replace the shower faucet and leave the pressure alone?

EDIT: There's definitely no pressure-reducing valve inside the house where water service enters. Our water meter is outside near the street, under a small manhole cover. Might the PRV be in there as well? I couldn't find an obvious way to get into it, perhaps I need a crowbar or something? Municipal water service was installed at this property relatively recently; prior to that it was on well water.

EDIT 2: I've measured the cold line as high as 170 psi while the hot water heater is on. So clearly this is way too high.

My meter is by the street, under this cover (gloves for scale):

Is it possible there's a PRV in there? I couldn't pry the lid off with a screwdriver. Do I need a special wrench for one of those fittings to get in there? Am I even supposed to open that thing?

If you are on a municipal system and have pressure that high, you quite likely already have a pressure reducing valve (PRV) installed near your water meter. The International Plumbing Code requires PRVs on any water supply over 80psi. If this is the case, your PRV may just need adjustment. As they age, the spring regulating the device's operation can soften. Or it could be faulty and need repair or replacement. If you do not have one, you need to have one installed.

If you are on your own well with a pressure tank, the pressure switch controlling pump off operation needs adjustment. Other types of systems should have similar arrangements to control pressure.

How to adjust a PRV. There is typically a bell shaped housing with an adjustment screw and lock nut on top. Loosen the lock nut and turn the adjuster counter clockwise a small amount. The adjustment can be rather sensitive. Operate the faucets and toilets in your house to allow the system to equalize to the new pressure setting. Take a new pressure reading. How much it changed will give you an idea how much more adjustment is needed. Typical water system pressures should be somewhere in the 40-60 psi range. Shoot for the high 50's.

If the PRV controls supply to a fire sprinkler system (it normally shouldn't), you will need to check with a fire supression professional to determine if and how much you can reduce the supply pressure.

If you do need a new PRV, check with your municipality, they sometimes offer rebates to help mitigate some of the cost.


Shower hot water valve still "leaking" after replacement of washers Thank you beforehand for the help.

Issue we are experiencing is that we have a bathtub hot water valve that has started to leak again after replacing the washers about a month ago.  Mind you this could be because of the weather being more cold but not sure.

What could be the actual issue and would it possibly need professional assistance with replacing the main part of the valve in the wall?

We have separate hot and cold valves and the cold side is working/sealing fine -- we haven't had to replace that as of yet, however, the hot water side is a bugger.  This is the second time we've had to replace the washers.

Again, any help would be appreciated.

I assume that this valve has replaceable "valve seats". Possibly the seat is worn and not allowing the new washer to make a seal. Remove the stem as you did to change the washer and look at the seat with a flashlight. If you see a notch or roughness, then the seat should be replaced. Put in a new washer too (or if it is symmetrical flip the washer) because the recently replaced washer will have gotten damaged by a damaged seat.

Use a valve seat tool to unscrew the seat and take it to a hardware store or a plumbing supply and get a pair. Install one and save the other for when the cold valve needs a new seat. Do not use Teflon tape on the threads of the seat. Even pipe dope is not necessary, but Teflon tape can cause a leak if a dangling strand of the tape ends up between the washer and the seat or even between the sealing surfaces. The threads on the seat are just a means of clamping the seat down and do not need to be sealed. The seal is made by the flat rim on the seat sealing against a flat in the body of the valve.

Video


Materials for building a sound proof home office in a 5 ft x 6 ft x 8 ft cube I have a big living room 16ft x 22ft x 10 ft(height). I wanted to take a small corner 6ft x 5ft x 8ft(high) to build a home office. I was initially planning on building a steel cube frame out of 3/4 inch square shaped steel pipes. And then tacking on thick(1/2 inch) sheets of plywood all around. However, while researching online I have found that drywalls may be a better better suited for my use case.

I am looking for the following attributes in this cubicle:

Sound proof: I'd like this cube to be as sound proof as possible.
Since this is a home setting, there would be noise in all
frequencies. Also, I am open to closing all the 6 sides of the cube
and installing a small split ac if that is the best way to do this.
Robust: I have a son who is 1.5 years old, I don't want the walls to
fall and cause any injuries.
Inexpensive or Mobile: This is a
rented place, I don't want to spend too much money into this if I
cannot move/reuse the materials to a new place.

So, my questions are, which material is best for my use case? Steel cage with plywood walls? or Steel cage with drywalls? This is all new to me, so please point me in the right direction :)

EDIT:
My primary requirement is to block the sound coming from my home into the cubicle.

How many dB of isolation are you looking for? The ideal would be to isolate the inside and outside from each other, which means offset studs and joists. The walls and floor could be filled with sand to achieve further isolation, if your building structure will handle the weight.... websearch home recording studios,  many if the solutions for those would apply here.

Remember to allow for ventilation; any lighting or PCs in that box will be significant heat sources, and your own body puts out on the order of 100W of heat. Getting airflow without losing sound isolation may be tricky.

Easier solution: a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones may be all you really need.


Is it legit to use this disconnect this way This is more an expert question for the senior users here, i.e., licensed or former electrician, and/or engineer.
I want to replace a rusted out sub panel that feeds 3 circuits at a residential dock with this Spa Panel Disconnect.
Currently the existing disconnect is fed by a 10/3 direct burial and is fused by a 30amp breaker inside the main house The existing disconnect is a main lug type.
After replacing with new disconnect, I will continue to keep it protected by the 30amp breaker inside the main house, but I'd like to back feed, yes you read me right, back feed the 50A GFCI and treat it as a main disconnect while utilizing the GFCI protection it provides to protect the smaller branch circuits "down stream" ( pun intended ).
Update With Pictures

There is one major problem with your plan -- GFCI circuit breakers have LINE and LOAD terminals, and thus cannot be backfed according to Code and their Listings (according to this Square-D document, you'll fry the trip solenoid if you try).  What I would do instead is change the existing 30A breaker in the main panel out for a 30A GFCI and then backfeed a disconnect switch installed in place of the subpanel's GFCI instead of using a backfed breaker or main lugs at the subpanel.  This provides a single disconnecting means for the branch circuits at the subpanel.


Why does my latch not retract when I push or swing the door shut, but will retract when the knob/lever is used? This just started today. I have to turn the knob in order for the latch to retract. Before, I could just push to door shut and the latch would retract when it hit the plate on the door frame. But now it just hits hard against it. Other than that, the door knob works perfect.

You may have a deadlocking latch bolt, which in addition to a normal door latch has a plunger. When this plunger is retracted (which happens when the door is closed), the spring loaded mechanism on the latch is disabled. This prevents someone from using the credit card trick to open the door from the outside, so the only way to open the door is by unlocking it and turning the knob.  In other words, it's for security.

Sample image from doorware.com, no affiliation

My guess, assuming this is an external locking door, is that this plunger is either jammed or some of the internal mechanisms that it activates have jammed.  You can unscrew the door knob and remove both sides, then unscrew the latch and pull it out of the door.  From there, try some lubricant (silicone spray and graphite powder are my preferred lubricants for locks, WD-40 will quickly dry and attract dirt).  And if it still doesn't work, it's probably time to go to the store to pickup a new doorknob.


How should I troubleshoot and unclog an outdoor drain? Our back concrete patio directs water to a nearby outdoor drain.  The drain consists of what seems to be a 5 Inch green PVC pipe with a plastic grate cover that sticks out of the ground a few inches.

The drain pipe goes down into the ground 8 - 10 inches and then turns sharply so that the drain is parallel to the side of our house and going towards the front of the house (presumably exiting out towards the street). I'm not sure where the drain comes out (I've never seen this drain work and it's been clogged since we bought the house.

Since the drain doesn't work, water on the back patio has no where to go (fun fun fun).  I need help/advice on how to troubleshoot and correct this before rain season.

I was initially thinking using a hose or auger to see how far down the clog is. But if/when I do find the clog, I'm not sure how to fix it. Dig up the entire pipe?

I was also thinking of pouring water down the drain, trying to loosen it with the hose/auger, and checking the front of our house to see if I can find an exit point.

Any ideas, feedback, assistance would be greatly appreciated.

One frequent cause of backups is that a root from a tree or large bush has grown into the pipe. If that's happened to you, you'll need to dig up the clogged area to sever the root and then repair the pipe, or if it's a porous drain pipe, wrap it in a landscaping fabric.

As Tester says, use a snake to see what you can find. You can also measure the distance until the snake gets stuck to get an idea of where you need to dig. Pay attention to any bends you feel the snake making on the off chance it isn't a straight run to the front.

Once you have an idea from one side, I'd fill the drain up with water on a dry day and see if you can find the outlet. Then try snaking from that outlet as well since the clog may be a long one from sediment building up over time. Again, measure the distance, and now you'll have an overall area to check.


If I drill holes in a door, would I then at a later time be able to conceal them reasonably well? I have an over-the-door organizer in my pantry. It's about 5 feet tall and composed of three joined sections.

Problem is—since it has breaks on the vertical supports—it is wobbly.  When I open the door it moves just a little bit more slowly; when I close the door it wants to keep going after latching the door. Whenever it moves, half of its contents fall off, which is undesirable.

I want to put moly bolts in the door (hollow core) and affix the rack to the door to tighten it up a bit. I've been given the go ahead only if I can be sure that I can semi-convincingly patch the holes if we remove the rack. So is this something that it's possible to do? My first instinct if it were drywall would be to just use spackle and paint it, but obviously that won't work on a woodgrain door.

Edit: Based on the implied difficulty of doing what I wanted to do I opted for command strips. Originally that wouldn't have worked as the door rack is composed of modular shelf rails like the one pictured below, ergo a very small surface area for the command straps to stick to. I wound up JB-welding a metal plate to the back of the rails to increase the applicable surface area while still allowing for the locking mechanism of the shelving space.

There are better options to attach temporarily fixtures.  I would first try using 3M Command Strips to secure the organizer to the door.  In this way you can easily take it down without drilling holes in your door.  They also make velcro so you can remove the organizer and put it back later if you wish.


Can this sheetrock be repaired or does it need to be replaced? Removed formica backsplash made a huge mess. Can it be repaired, and if so, how?

Most anything can be repaired with enough time, money, materials and skill.

Sheetrock, however, is one of the cheapest building materials we use, so when it comes to repairing wall and ceiling surfaces, typically the cheapest/easiest solution is to just re-sheetrock.


Removing stains from concrete How can I remove stains from concrete (garage/driveway)?  The stains are most likely either oil, gasoline, or transmission fluid.

There are lots of concrete cleaning products on the market, but I have had good luck with a 1 gallon solution of 1/4 bleach, 1 cup TSP and 3/4 water. Assuming you are talking about a driveway or garage floor, I would pressure wash the area first to get off the surface crud, then lay on some of the solution and let it set 5 mins or so.  Scrub it down with a stiff broom and power wash again.  Repeat this as necessary.
As a last resort, you can also use some muriatic acid, but test a small area first to be sure it doesn't effect the color too much.


Miswired 3-Way Dimmer - Contractor used 14/2 in Traveler. How bad is it? We just had our kitchen remodeled and the contractor moved one dimmer switch in a 3-way circuit. Today, when I went to take a look at the moved outlet, I saw a few things that set off some alarms:

There was no ground wire inside the box and the ground wire had been removed off the switch
One of the wires looks like it had been fully wrapped in electrical tape instead of having traditional insulation.

Here's the picture of inside the switch box:

What I'm thinking happened here is that the contractors incorrectly used 14/2 wire instead of 14/3 wire for the traveler.

My questions are:

Did I diagnose this issue correctly (14/2 wire used instead of 14/3)?
How dangerous is this?
Is it up to code or any sort of "common practice"?
What are my options to fix it? Do I need to rewire the switch?

Some additional background:

We had a fully permitted whole-house rewire in 2015 so all the circuits should be up to code as of that time.
We are in CA and have not had our final inspection on the kitchen

Edit:
Here's a picture of the other switch in the 3-way circuit:

Edit 2:
OK, I spent the morning crawling through the attic and trying to figure out exactly what the contractor did. I think they took the 14/3 wire from the non-dimmer switch and fed it into a junction box in our attic. From the junction box they "converted" a 14/2 wire to be a 14/3 and fed it down to the dimmer switch. I created this wiring diagram to summarize it:

Additionally, here is a more detailed picture of the non-dimmer switch:

Did they extend the wires in the walls?

So they moved the switch to a new point that's farther away.  The first question is whether these incompetents just spliced an extension on the wires in the walls, thus burying a splice in the walls.  Buried splices are dangerous and illegal even if a competent electricians did one, which these guys sure aren't.

So a buried splice is a complete deal-killer that will require the entire cable run be permanently decommissioned.

To figure out what they did, do a very careful forensic inspection of the cable coming out of the new box.  Compare this to the cable coming out of the other box.  (mind you, there will be more than one cable in that box).   If it's the same cable, then clearly, they would have done the same thing - wrapping the other ground wire with tape and misused it as a hot, etc.

If you are sure it's the same cable, then you can continue it in service.  Otherwise It cannot be used at all; what follows in the quotebox is the end of this answer for you; your only recourse is to replace the cable.

  You must decommission the cable altogether.  You cannot use it.  You'll need to fit a smart-switch at the former multi-cable location, and a battery powered remote at the other location.  The smart switch and remote must be designed to work with each other.

Smart switch, if there are 3+ cables in the other box

Again, don't even consider this option unless you are sure there is not a splice buried in the wall.

The location you're worried about is a "spur" or "switch loop".  I notice the gadget already there is some sort of "smart switch.  Most likely the "smarter" switch will need to be at the other location from here on out.

The other location will have access to supply power+neutral and onward switched hot to the light.  The smart switch there will do all the hard work of switching the light.  It will then be controlled by your phone, or by the remote switch we'll install at the loop location.

The black and white wires in our bung cable must be re-tasked to be always-hot and neutral.  Ground will be back to ground.   So this cable will do nothing but provide always-present power to a remote smart switch, which will communicate via wireless or powerline signaling to the main smart switch.

If you have something very clever in the remote location like a dimmer or motion sensor, you'll have a product search on your hands, because you'll need to find a particular smart switch line that is compatible with that wiring and allows that functionality at the remote.

If there are only 2 cables in the other box

That's a real problem.  It means this entire 3-way complex itself is a switch loop.

Now if it's a modern post-2011 switch loop, it'll have 3 wires coming down from the lamp, and that will let you implement the same as the "3+ cables" case above.   So go up there.

Otherwise you will have a tougher hunt for suitable products.  Both cables will need to be converted to black+white = always-hot+neutral, and both switch locations will need to be smart-switch "remotes".  Where's the smart-switch master, then?  That'll have to be a special module sitting up in the lamp.    Which will require careful product selection.

With any such product hunt, avoid mail order.  Especially avoid Amazon "Sold by XXX and Fulfilled by Amazon" - that is a superhighway of unsafe foreign junk, because it bypasses the safeguards that assure only UL-listed products are found in retail shops.  (ETL is an acceptable substitute for UL, however CE aka "Chinese Export" is not.  The "Chinese Export" mark was cleverly chosen to be identical to a European mark, which itself means "the manufacturer self-certifies this as safe").


Do z-wave products suffer any limitations in the UK because of radio limits? I'm looking into home automation and I think I'm settling on z-wave as my choice. however, I was slightly worried by this comment on wikipedia;

  In Europe, the 868 MHz band has a 1% duty cycle limitation, thus a Z-Wave unit can only transmit 1% of the time. Z-Wave units can be in power-save mode and only be active 0.1% of the time, thus reducing power consumption substantially.

Does anyone know if this means that z-wave is limited in the UK? For example, does it mean that there are products and applications that are less capable in the UK than in the US, or product which can't be used? Or have I misunderstood?

Z-Wave is not limited in UK as Z-Wave is a standard protocol, the Power Save mode CAN be enabled but is not enabled by default.


How can I allow 911 first responders to access a locked residence? What if I live alone and cannot unlock the door during an emergency? What can I do to enable 911 responders to enter my residence without tearing down the door?

Call your local police department and inquire about a "Knox Box Key". They probably have a master already to open one. You will need to buy the one they suggest or have a locksmith get involved to match their key to the box you purchase. They might even have a system set up for your community that you don't know about.


microwave oven (kenmore) not heating kenmore microwave not heating.  went through all identified components and tests of same - diode, relay, capacitor, transformers, magnetron, switches, fuses, sensors/thermostats.

diode - 9v battery check with DMM, checks okay not open or shorted.
capacitor - resister check okay, uF checks 1.03 for 1.05uF rated. no defect - but curious no spark or pop when attempt to discharge after each test.
Transformer- resisitance checks okay on primary, secondary, and to ground.
magnetron - terminals and to ground resistance checks okay, nose of antenna okay, visual no defects of burns.
relay - 120 v to transformer and checked on various power scales 1-10.

I've found from repairing and "hacking" microwaves that they all follow a flow chart when a symptom prevents it from working normally.   From what I can recall about the symptom "unit not heating" and if that is the only symptom, the primary parts that are suspect are (in order of most likely the problem): 1). the High Voltage Diode (HVD). It should show continuity in one direction only. These are subject to large jolts of energy and if they are low quality will fail. Not very expensive to purchase and quickly replaced. 2). the Magnetron has parts that if jolted or jarred will break easily. It is difficult to test with anything but special tools made for the magnetron. Check for the correct voltage at its' terminals and if all other components are working replace it. 3).the Capacitor will go south eventually no matter what quality. Visually check for bulging in the wall and replace if found. After discharging, check with a DVM by setting the dial to ohms. When the probes touch each terminal the reading should be rising. Alternate the probes and the reading should go down. Replace if it shows continuous continuity.    With todays low priced microwaves, unless you are repairing them to learn or as recreation (or your being paid), replace the non-working unit with a new one.   On a side note, I've learned a lot about repairing microwaves with this book by Homer L. Davidson, "Troubleshooting and Repairing Microwaves".


Change a NEMA 6-15 plug to fit an NEMA 14-50 receptacle I have a 240 volt dust collector with an NEMA 6-15 plug.  I want to plug it into an NEMA 14-50 receptacle.  The 6-15 has three leads, while the 14-50 has a fourth (neutral). Can I change the plug and if so how do I wire it?

You can't do that.  You can't put at 50A plug on a 15A appliance.

What you can do is change the NEMA 14-50 to a NEMA 6-15.  You will also need to change the breaker in the panel, and will need to pigtail the wires because #6 wires will not fit on either a 15A or 20A breaker or a NEMA 6-15 recep.

Now, if you need both sockets to be active, you can install a small subpanel at the NEMA 14-50 site.  That subpanel will have 2 breakers: a 2-pole 50A and a 2-pole 15A or 20A.  The 50A will supply the NEMA 14-50 recep.  The 15A/20A will supply the dual NEMA 6-15.


How do I install a range anti-tip kit into hardwood floor on concrete? I'm preparing to install an anti-tip kit for an electric range. It's a piece of shaped metal designed to be bolted to the floor with two screws or bolts. The floor is hardwood (probably engineered) and we believe it's concrete underneath.

The instructions say to talk to your qualified floor installer...

Do I just get two masonry anchors, drill the hole through the wood and then the concrete and screw in or?

If it's relevant, this is a Kitchenaid anti-tip kit.

The anti-tip kit is a good idea, especially the first time you pull a 25 pound turkey out of the oven!  If you have a 1/2 inch engineered hardwood floor, yes, by all means, drill through the wood and use a masonry screw or anchor to attach the clip.  You will regret it if you don't install this safety clip. Thanksgiving dinner will be on the floor!!!!!!!!


I want to wire in a single gang light switch for a lamp I have a lamp with a weird switch on it so I want to attach a light switch to it and place it on the wall. I do not want to use an inline switch as they are often fiddly too. I have been trying all combinations of wiring but can never find the right combo. So what goes to l1,l2 and com. Thanks.

There should be no connection other than live/hot/line to the switch. Therefore, the neutral and earth are connected directly to the fitting. The incoming live connects to com, the outgoing L1 connects to the fitting. L2 indicates that this is a two way switch. Connecting anything else to the switch will cause a dead short. The fitting is switched on the live only.


Install outdoor power cable for Arlo Pro 2 Tired of going up and down to recharge battery for my arlo pro 2 in the front door, I am thinking to install a power cable for it, e.g., this. However, not sure what is the best way, here are two thoughts in mind:

drill hole into wall (stucco) and route cable to attic, install a receptacle in attic to power it. (please see pic 1)
route cable to garage, drill hole into ceiling (wood) so I can connect cable to a outlet in garage. Drawback is that there's ~10 ft to the hole and I don't know how to clip the cable to stucco (please see pic 2).
probably the most code compliant, is to install an outdoor outlet somewhere but unfortunately there isn't any good nearby location to install one without routing a 25ft cable. Also there is sprinkler in front yard so any outdoor outlet nearby will suffer from heavy moisture even though it has cover.

Any suggestion how I should proceed?

If the space above the camera is readily available, I would go that route.  It would be worth the effort spent to purchase a 18 or 24" 2' drill bit from the Big box store to do the full length from your porch all the way to the ceiling.  Once the drill penetrate to the other side, attach a wire to the end of the bit and pull the wire.  Then attach the power cable to the wire and pull it through.  You can also add several layer of shrink insulation to the wire where it goes through the stucco.  I do this all the time.
Before drilling with the long bit, You can drill a 1/2 hole through the stucco, insert a short plastic liner in the hole to protect the wire against abrasion.  Once the power is attached to the camera, seal the hole back up. This is similar to installing a door bell.


Aluminum Siding Hole Repair There's a baseball sized hole in the aluminum siding on the back of my house left by the previous owners that's causing some water damage on the interior wall. The houses siding is old and beat up so I don't care about making this repair look good I just want to eliminate the elements, and birds, from getting inside it. Would it be sufficient to tape over it with some white gorilla tape (my house is white) or should I really be going a more legitimate route?

Since you don't particularly care about looks, all you will need to do is create a patch out of aluminum sheet metal and attach it to the siding.

Start with a sheet of aluminum. A good source from this is from a roll of drip edge. Cut a square or rectangular piece out using tin snips, and make it slightly larger than the hole. You would want to make it large enough to cover it completely, and still have room to attach it.

Once the piece is cut, you should paint it to protect it, and have it blend in with the color of your siding. It doesn't need to be an exact match, but the closer, the better.

Attach the patch to the siding using 1/8" aluminum pop-rivets. You also should use a thin bead of caulk around the hole to keep it weather tight. Once the patch is installed, you should also apply one more coat of paint to cover up the heads of the rivets.


Main Electric Service Panel - Pull Wire Have square D service Panel and has QO breaker in it.
I am excited to pull wire through service Panel. I have lots of space left for new breaker at the bottom of the panel.
In the highlighted picture, is it completely ok to pull wire like this ?
Or what is the best way to pull wire in this service panel ?

Any help and suggestion is highly appreciated!
Thanks!

Yes, you're OK to do what you want. Just make sure the holes in the 2x4's are back far enough so screws won't pierce the cables when installing drywall or install nail protectors to protect the cable.
Also, you need to install protective bushings on each cable going into the panel. You can't just stick them through a knockout and leave them that way. Get something similar to the item shown below. There are different types so check with your guy at the electrical supply store.

It's hard to see how your ground wires are connected but they should be on a different busbar than your neutrals but should be bonded to them.


How to build a 24' roof truss? I want to span a 24' shed with a gambrel roof to create an operational space of 16' and I want a design that can be build onsite and installed without a helper.  I'm having an impossible time figuring out how I'm going to fasten the trusses to the side-walls.  What are some workable ways of doing this?

The type of roof truss design that you show is far from optimal. You should be thinking of something that looks a lot more like the picture below.

https://www.selecttrusses.com/truss-calculator/

This design provides a lot better support for the rafters and for the lower chord. You can get the rafters ready made where the metal finger plates are pressed into wood joints from both sides of the rafter assembly. Alternatively you can also easily make your own rafters by cutting plywood pieces that cover each joint that are then glued to the rafter members with construction adhesive and nailed with 8d sinker nails in reasonable quantity.

Many years ago when I worked on construction jobs we built rafter trusses on site using the plywood, glue and nails assembly technique. We laid out a template on a large flat work space with guide blocks to get all the rafters built to the same dimensions. (Note that the plywood pieces were applied to both sides of the truss and were not necessarily minimal sized. For example we would make pieces shaped like this for a couple of examples.


pivot hinges on kitchen cabinet doors preventing removal for refurbish help, trying to remove kitchen cabinets with pivot hinges and screws that are hidden on top by the top of the cabinet wall.  Is there a way to get at the top screws on a pivot hinge without demolishing the cabinet?

If you are particularly interested in keeping the same door hinge system then it may become necessary to take down the cabinet sections where the hinges need to be removed. You already know that the cabinets were installed in a modular manner after they were built due the pivot hinge mounting. Taking down the cabinet would involve first emptying them out. Then search for screws inside the cabinet that go unto the wall studs behind the cabinet or screws that go up into the ceiling or cabinet soffit. In some cases there may be wood strip trim pieces along the cabinet edges against the wall or ceiling that need removing.


Move heat out of living room with fireplace I have a sort of rectangular house with a 25 m2 living room at one corner, and the master bedroom at the opposite long corner of the house.  All of the bedrooms are up another level from the living room by 4 steps.

I installed a wood burner in the living room a couple of years ago, and I was assured it could heat the whole house up, but of course it's not doing so.  When I have the fireplace going, it could be 28 deg C in the room with the ceiling temperature at 32 dec C.  But the heat is not circulating and is being blocked by the wall above the living room doors.  The bedrooms would be at 12 deg C.

I had a builder create a transom window above the doors and that helps only a little.

I don't have a ceiling cavity to install heat transfer ducting.

But I do have a play room under the living room, and I could put a grill in the floor of the living room and duct it to the 4 bedrooms though I have no idea how well that would work pulling hot air at floor level rather than ceiling level.

Is this a practical solution? Or, is there something better?  Should I be pulling cold air from the bedrooms and push it to the living room instead?

We had the same situation in my son's home in upstate New York. He had a wood-burning stove and needed to distribute the heat more evenly throughout the house. We installed room-to-room quiet low-speed circulating fans high in the walls between rooms. They could possibly be installed in your louvered transoms or next to them.
His home was all one level which yours is not so you may need a more beefed-up circulating system to reach other levels.
However, I noticed in your pictures that you have a stairwell outside the living room area. An efficient room-to-room fan in the living room wall could move heat to the stairwell that would then rise by convection to the second level. It might be at least a partial solution for you. Below is one Panasonic in-wall fan I found that might work for you - but there are others out there.


High pitched noise from Shower I live in an 8 unit co-op.  Recently had the bathroom totally redone.  New pipes and bathtub/shower. My new shower seems fine.  Not long after I got this done I have noticed someone is causing a high pitched sound when they take a shower.  Could the plumbing done in my unit cause someone else to experience this problem?  Could the pressure change in my Unit cause someone else to have pressure problems.  What should I do about it? The noise is very load.

My tub spout would make an awful squeal when the shower stopper was pulled up (air in the line trying to escape the poorly seating valve). It would change pitch and stop sometimes if I jiggled the lever right. Find the offending unit and ask to replace their tub spout. Tell them why and they will almost certainly agree to it. A change in pressure may get it to stop momentarily. Take a shot in the dark and cycle your faucet valves on and off to attempt re-seating the seal of your neighbors' tub spout stopper valve, when you hear it howling. Or be proactive, finding out whose it is and whose job it is to fix it.


What could cause a temperature variance between our kitchen and the rest of the house? Our newly remodeled kitchen holds a temperature that averages about 5 degrees cooler than the remainder of the house. The house thermostat is set at 70 degrees, and the kitchen has been as low as 63. The furnace servicemen measured the temperature of the outside wall at 65 degrees. They believe that is a bit cool, even for an outside wall. They increased the furnace fan speed, but it has not helped. I am wondering if the drywall contractors neglected to install insulation before they attached the drywall. Could the lack of insulation on one outside wall and one wall between the kitchen and garage account for the temperature difference? I should add that we are new owners of this house and have no history or way to discovery if this was true of the house before we moved in or had the kitchen remodeled.

Increasing the fan speed is an indication of a not-very good furnace serviceman.  Whatever that did, it did it everywhere in the house, so the kitchen would have the same relative temperature.

An energy consultant can help you, and bring an IR camera that can "see" if a wall is insulated.  You'll also want to "balance" the vents, which means turning down dampers in overheated rooms.  You can sometimes add floor insulation to bring up a particular room's perceived temperature.

The space under your cabinets might be extra cold, as it may be bare floor boards with no finished floor.


How many lumens needed to light up a lawn using floodlights? I'd like to add floodlights mounted to my house to light up my yard at night and I'm trying to figure out how bright a fixture I should buy. I've Googled a ton and found plenty of calculators to do the math, i.e. how high I'm mounting them and how much yard I'm trying to cover which results in this many foot-candles or lux. But those don't tell me anything about whether the results would make my lawn look dimly lit or like daylight.

Is there a set of rough guidelines or rules of thumb? I don't need to light it up like a night game at an athletic field but I want it brighter than just a security light. I need to be able to walk around with my dog and clearly see everything. I'd like to err on the side of more light, not less.

The lawn I'm trying to cover is 65x80 feet (about 20x25 meters) and I'd mount the lights about 20 feet high.

I'm not sure whether we can find any charts for this, since it's very much a subjective thing. I can tell you about my experience...

My back yard is similar, but maybe a bit larger. It's probably 100' by 75'. On the rear gable of my house is a dual-bulb flood, which I've recently furnished with these 90 watt equivalent LED bulbs. They're as bright as the original bulbs and at only 15w. They light up about 1/3 of the yard to the level you describe.

Based on that, I strongly suggest a fixture that provides four sockets, each containing bulbs like mine. I think you'll be happy. Obviously, with a single point of origin, you'll have hard shadows behind yourself and any objects in the yard. That would take a different solution, though.


AC Drain From Overflow instead of Main, Even with No Pipes Connected So my AC unit is draining water from the overflow drain again. I did my usual dance of cleaning out the main drain line - I made sure the point where it drains into the sewer was clear, put some drain cleaner, waited, poured a gallon of water down it, and then finally blew the line out. But water was still coming out the overflow.

So I disconnected the drains from the AC unit, and water preferred to come out of the overflow, even tho it was higher than the main line. I can see nothing that is preventing water from reaching the main line. If I block the overflow, water comes out the main, but if I put the pipes back on, it goes back to the overflow.

By pipes, I mean the connecting stubs that are a few inches long, so I know they are not blocked.

Why is the system draining this way? What can I do about it?

My theories:
- I put in higher "quality" filters recently and somehow that has changed the airflow
- the house has shifted and the overflow is no longer high enough to be an overflow
- the coils are dirty and so the water is coming from a different place than it used to

What say you?

EDIT:
It is a Carrier mounted horizontally in the attic. I couldn't find a model number, but it is about 12-16 years old?

Here's the drain hole arrangement. Air is blowing out of the rightmost hole pretty hard, and seems to be blowing the water out that way, instead of through the main drain line. The extra fittings are so I didn't have to cut and re-glue the pipes when the drain clogged. They've worked fine for 6+ years. I generally have had to clear the drain every two or 3 years.

UPDATE 2:
I have now changed the air filters back to my usual, and waited a few days. The draining out the overflow continued. This morning, I opened up the evaporator compartment. I sprayed some coil cleaner, and the fins are shiny now, where they used to be dull. Also, I poured water in the pan and watched it run out the primary drain, so pitch isn't the issue. I think it could be an airflow thing. Hopefully the coil cleaner will change the dynamics enough to fix the issue, and the problem isn't with the upstairs/downstairs diverter thing. (we have one unit, but two zones).

So this morning I opened up the evaporator compartment and sprayed coil cleaner around. This evening, my patio is dry (where the overflow drain comes out) - I don't have water coming out anymore. It seems that the coils were either not draining properly or the airflow was misdirected by the dirty coils enough to disrupt the normal draining. Thanks @Tester101 for your efforts to help me.


What wire should be used for modern thermostat I may (or may not) be pulling new wires to support current-generation thermostats.... Upgrading the thermostats themselves seems a good time to upgrade the wire too, though I think I could get by on what's already there (which looks like old telco four-conductor, or something similar).

But since I'm not sure I trust the local home center to give me the right cables. I've seen anything from three conductors (four with AC. five if forced-air rather than hydronic so the fan can be switched separately) to more-than-I-wanted-to-count. I suspect the latter is serious overkill for residential...

So: What's standard these days for a gas/radiators system which may have minisplit AC added someday? Or does the minisplit have its own thermostats?

24VAC HVAC control circuits are a type of class 2 low voltage control circuit, and can use any cable suitable for that application.  This means that any UL listed type CL2 (optionally CL2R/CL2P) cable can be used, provided the wires inside are correct -- in practice, 18AWG is adequate.

As to how many wires to have in your cable, the correct answer is as many as possible -- big-box stores may only carry 5 or perhaps 8 wire thermostat cable, but you can get CL2 cables with more 18AWGs in them if you're willing to reach out beyond the big box.  Talk to your electrical supply house, or check electrical/electronic catalog suppliers, as both Carol/General Wire and Alpha Wire make CL2 cables with more wires still -- in fact, the Alpha Wire 881812 (CL2, 12wires/18AWG stranded) is available through Newark as a stock item (in 100' spools).


How do I protect and insulate a ceiling built against the roof? My upper floor used to be a large attic.  Sometime in the past the entire space was converted to living space: 2 bedrooms, 2 finished closets, and two unfinished storage "closets".

Much of the ceiling is built against the roof, and angles down towards the exterior walls.  The walls and ceiling are all lathe and plaster.  On the ceiling they simply nailed the lathes across the inside of the roofing members and then plastered over it.  There is no insulation, and no barrier between the roof shingles and the interior lathe and plaster.

The roof is composition shingle, and doesn't have solid sheathing underneath.

I'm going to remodel the walls and ceiling this summer.  I'll knock out the lathe and plaster and install drywall.

The roof will need to replaced within the next five years.  It will require a full tear-off and installation of new plywood sheathing.

OK, enough background.  Thanks for reading this far!

My questions:

What is standard practice when building a ceiling against the roof?
How will I protect my new drywall ceiling from being damaged when the roof is torn off?  Should I install plywood or OSB under (above) the drywall?  Or maybe just put off the remodel until the new roof is in place?
I want to put insulation between the roof and the ceiling. Can this be done when replacing the ceiling, or would it be best to wait and have it put in when the new roof sheathing is installed?

It really depends on a lot of factors...namely your climate and how much space you have in the ceiling rafters. Ideally, you'd insulate with spray foam. That will give you the best r-value and act as a vapor barrier. You should be able to do it separate from the new roof but it may be a lot easier to just do it all at once. (It's a lot easier to toss lathe and plaster out the roof than it is to haul down bucket by bucket.


How can I temporarily soundproof my apartment ceiling? Currently I'm living in an apartment that has poor soundproofing. My upstairs neighbors get up at 4:30 am to go to work. They have two dogs. So there's a lot of noise between 4:30 am and 5 am. Like any sane person, I don't want to wake up at 4:30 am.

I've had many issues with noise in this apartment so I'd like to solve the issue at the source.

Is there an effective way to soundproof a ceiling that's not permanent? Inexpensive would be great too. I'd like to put less than $200 into the whole endeavor if possible.

Ridged foam insulation might work here.  It comes in large pieces and is lightweight enough that it won't take many fasteners to hold it up (so you'll have less nail holes to fill when you leave).  The downside of course is that it isn't very pretty.


Can I connect laundry tub drain directly into floor drain? I would like to install a laundry room tub directly over the floor drain. Can I simply have the tub drain directly into the top of the floor drain?

You most likely will overflow the floor drain and damage your surrounding walls/floors.


3white wires and one black from the ceiling. How do I wire up a two wire fixture? Three white wires and one black from the ceiling. How do I wire up a two wire fixture? I've checked with a meter and it seems like the two wires to the far right are hot

The black and white wires which have wire-nuts go to the new lamp fixture.

You will be sacrificing 0-10V dimming, emergency lighting, or whatever purpose those other two white wires have.   Note that they are a "line cord" which has been split; this is an illegal wiring method for mains power in a building's structure, hence my suspicion that they are for low voltage.

Also, you should rearrange this so you are wiring into a proper junction box, and if there already is a box, ad a box extension.  This may involve re-positioning the new light slightly.