Cracks in deck supports I have a deck supported by 6x6s. Two of which seem to be developing some sizable cracks. Should I be concerned? Can I repair / reinforce the posts?

Should I be concerned?

It's good to be concerned, as many decks are poorly built. Fortunately, most 'cracking' of support columns doesn't affect the integrity at all.

This type of cracking is called 'checking' and happens as the wood slowly dries out. Code typically is accommodating of this...hence the 6x6 (as opposed to a 4x4).

If you visit an old post-and-beam built factory or warehouse you'll note that many of the major posts have this kind of cracking. The buildings are still standing just fine 100+ years later, though.

It's highly unlikely that the posts for your deck need any structural reinforcement. Seeing the photos will help confirm that.


Default setting for dimmable light bulb on a non-dimmable lamp I have a brand new dimmable light bulb, but a floor lamp that doesn't have a dimmer. Is the light bulb going to be working on full power out of the box i.e. it's not going to be dimmed?

It will be on at full brightness.

A dimmable lamp is just that, dimmable, but it needs a dimmer to do so.


Toilet tank leaking on the floor after removing and reinserting flush valve I removed and cleaned the flush valve, because the toilet was running (i.e. leaking water into the bowl). After reinserting it, the water now leaks onto the floor (but not into the bowl anymore). I screwed back the valve using hand force only as hard as I could.

Questions:

Is there some typical mistake that could explain this? (I'm very beginner in this matter.)
Before filling the tank again, is there an easy way to check if it will leak or not? (I'm thinking of a kind of trick like putting a tire tube into water to find where the hole is.)

Here is a schematic drawing of what the valve looks like:

Basically the valve has a "stand", with threads on the outside, which screws into a counterpart, with threads in the inside. On the threaded part of the stand there is a gasket as well (which I swear I did not forget to put on :D).
Something like this.

     +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
     |                                                                          |   <-- tank
     |                                                                          |
     |                                                                          |
     |                                                                          |
     |                                                                          |
     |                                                                          |
     |                                                                          |
     |                                                                          |
     |                                                                          |
     |                                                                          |
     |                      \___________________/ <-- threaded "stand"          |
     |                        ________________ <----gasket                      |
     +--------------------------+           +-----------------------------------+
                                =============
                                =============  <--- tube threaded inside
                                =============

I always put a thin layer of silicone sealant on both sides of the gasket and have not had leaks, but nothing is guaranteed.


Does adjusting the body of a irrigation sprinkler to orient one side of the sweep cause a leak at the sprinkler unit? Some irrigation sprinklers say to orient the sprinkler body in such a way as to set one side of the sweep, rotating the sprinkler body if that edge of spray is out of line (Example Video). This fundamentally would unscrew the sprinkler from the lead line if rotating CCW. How does this not cause the sprinkler to leak??

If the sprinkler head was installed with teflon tape (about three turns) then you can choose the orientation without starting a leak.


What should distance be between the two lower cabinets flanking a "30" inch range? What should the proper distance be between lower cabinets flanking a "30" inch kitchen range?  We have researched this subject and find more then one answer.   Some say 30 inches, others say 30 1/4 inches in case the range is not 'square'.  Is this ever a real issue?  We want to minimize the gap so food crumbs have less chance of dropping onto floor between cabinet and range, but are we 'taking a risk' of a tight fit by making the gap only 30 inches (the range is 29 7/8)?

In case the range is not square?  Huh?  Don't hire the person that said this! Ranges come in standard sizes, and as you see, your 30" range is NOT 30".  The standard is to set the space between the base cabinets is 30"


What are the pros and cons of adding a skylight? A Florida Storage Facility has 3 aisles: each must be lit when customers are in the aisle.   A 15 minute timer switch controls existing LED lighting.  A new sloping roof is to be installed next week.   An idea to light the aisles with a skylight is to be evaluated.  Evaluation criteria that come to mind:

Cost
Energy impact on Air Conditioning cost
Skylight Leak Risk
efficacy of lighting

What should be considered to decide whether or not to implement skylight?

The only advantages of a skylight are natural lighting and maybe a small amount of heating in the winter months. Skylights are expensive and create leaks and moisture issues. With all of the modern options available for LED, you could have a well lit area without all of the headaches related to a skylight. The front end costs of LED can be expensive, but the long term savings is well worth it.


Where are these flies coming from? We recently had a sewer fly infestation caused by having a cracked mortar collar on the rest bend of the soil stack which runs through the upstairs and downstairs bathrooms. I removed a good portion of the boxing-in in order to see what was going on and the rest bend was fixed and the drain relined by Dynorod. So, that seemed to make the sewerflies disappear. However, the boxing is still not replaced.
Around June time some different flies started appearing in the downstairs loo (same room). The numbers are still much lower than the sewer flies, which were in the 100s per day. These new flies are around 10 per day. However I cannot identify these flies. They are larger, longer bodied and darker than the sewer flies. Images attached.
Can anyone identify these? What is their life-cycle/food source? Are they just 'naturally' occurring flies that would be present in the underfloor space which have drifted in due to the boxing-in not being replaced?
Thanks!

That's the tip of my index finger for scale. The flies are probably 4-6mm in length.

I just found this on the internet check it out it definitely is what you have. http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/drainflies.htm This site deals directly with drain flies and the other flies that might be mistaken for them in the same situation good luck let me know how it turned out.


LEDs bulbs flicker when 3rd added I have 3 G4 light sockets built into my kitchen cabinets, to provide downlights onto the counters.

The bulbs would always go out really quickly, but might start working again for a bit if i tapped the cupboard.

Today at the DIY shop i spotted some 1.8W 200 lumen LED G4 bulbs so i thought I'd give them a try.

I put two and tested the lights, which lit up happily. I then added the third and retested. The LEDs all started flickering. They flicker if 3 bulbs are installed, but are happy with 1 or 2.

It doesn't matter which socket is the empty one.

What's happening here? Is my wiring safe?

Don't quote me but look into dimmer switch if any for led. Sounds like not enough current or wiring issue. Do you have a multimeter to test the current? Do different bulbs work (3)


How can I raise grade near my fence without making soil contact? My house is on slightly sloped land, and I am trying to fill soil to level the ground to make it more flat to lay lawn.
There will be 30-40cm height of soil that would go against the fence, but I don’t want soil to touch the fence as it add force and rot the fence.
I am thinking of few options:

Add Villa board and nail to the fence
Add plastic sheets against the fence
Add a sleeper retaining close to the fence along the fence

What are my options...

Anything directly against the fence will allow moisture to accumulate and hasten decay. If you want a fast, simple solution, lay any rigid board against the fence to the new grade level with spacer shims to keep contact minimal. It'll do the job. Don't use plastic. It'll look bad and trap even more moisture.
Ideally you'd create a retaining wall a few inches away from the fence. Put down landscape fabric and your choice of covering or mulch (washed or crushed rock, cypress bark, etc.) between the fence and wall. It'll look nice and won't create too much of a safety hazard.
You could also do a double retaining wall with a terrace between for shrubbery and/or flowers. This would reduce the appearance of a channel against the fence and improve safety somewhat.
Whatever you decide, I'd mock up a short section of it to get a feel for how it transforms your yard. You might find that what's in your imagination doesn't match reality. Better to know that before you do the entire job.


Low voltage fuse blowing in furnace I have an outside A/C compressor and indoor furnace fan combo in the attic.  The unit was off and the 3 amp fuse was blown.  I replaced the fuse and used the thermostat to turn the fan on followed by the heater then the A/C.  I let the unit run the A/C.  After a while the A/C turned off.  I checked and the furnace was off, fuse blown and thermostat was asking for cool.  I do not know if the fuse blew during operation, shutdown, or when the next request for cool happened.
I checked the wires leading to the outside unit.  They show open when disconnected and 20.8 ohms when connected to the contactor.  The wires leading from the thermostat to the furnace show open until fan, heat or A/C is selected and they show continuity as expected.
The volts across the red and green terminals shows 27 volts.  The transformer is showing 120 in and 27 out.  My first reaction is to replace the contactor on the outside unit, but that 27 volts is interesting to me because the schematic and Xformer say 24 volts.

Update

Performed the following tests.  Disconnected the wires to the outside unit and ran the fan for a few hours no issues.  There are 3 wires going from the furnace to the outside unit.  White wire goes to 1 terminal of the contactor relay.  Red and green wires were tied together and attached to the other terminal.  On the furnace outside white is tied to yellow, outside green is tied to blue.  Outside red was disconnected and loose on furnace.  I disconnected red from green outside and put a wire nut on it.  Measured the voltage on the relay of 27 volts.  The resistance without wires is 16 ohms.  Ran the A/C briefly without issue.  Running the A/C today without 240 to see in the contactor heats up.

The furnace is a Lennox gas heater model number G40UH-36A-070-15.  The outside A/C is a Lennox 13ACD-036-230-02.  I went ahead and ordered a new relay because it is pretty cheap.  It should arrive by this weekend.

What should I do next to troubleshoot this?

Edit:

I concede that the answer to this problem depends on some specifics that are lacking.

If the OP fuse is a glass cartridge style, then it is likely that a slow blow (MDL type or similar) is required in place of the fast acting automotive type.  If the fuse is the automotive blade type as Mazura pointed out, then fast acting is the only option for those and the problem lies elsewhere.

Electrical contactors do draw relatively high current until the contacts seat into the closed position, so I also have to agree that a sticky A/C contactor could blow the fuse even if the contactor coil is actually good.  To test if the contactor is sticking, I would turn off the outdoor disconnect to the compressor and open the condenser access panel for inspection.   Turn the thermostat to "cool" and watch the contactor pull in.  If the contactor action is sluggish, that could cause the problem.  With power to the compressor turned off at the disconnect, this test could be performed repeatedly.


Can a vent be started from a wye? Is it ok to start a vent on a 45 from a wye like on this drawing?

I need to clear the edge of the sink (actually a giant double compartment sink) before I can go up and start horizontal once I clear the flood rim + 6".

A couple points, some of which include what others have said.

Can a vent be started from a wye?  YES
Can you do what you were proposing? NO

As others have said, you have an S-trap there, which violates "the vent connection to a fixture drain [shall not] be below the weir of the trap" (IPC code) - the point at which air is introduced from the vent needs to be above the weir, or highest point of the seal. In your diagram, the point of air introduction is where the 45 degree part of the wye hits the drop.

You could fix this by, in effect, reversing your two connections. Instead of a wye and the 90 degree bend, use a sanitary tee to the trap and the connect the vent to the top via a 45 above to go out through your space.

As you note, the vent then needs to extend at least 6" above the sink flood rim before going horizontally.


How do I replace mortise locks with bored cylindrical locks? I purchased an older home that has mortise locks in all of the doors. They're all very difficult to use and some of them don't work at all, making the doors difficult to impossible to close. Since I'm going to have to do some work on the doors anyway, I would like to convert the doors to use cylindrical locks, instead.

Is there one standard way to go about doing this? I would guess I'd have to fill the mortise pocket in the door with plywood and then use a template to bore the holes into the door. I'm a little less clear about what would have to be done with the door jamb.

I've never done anything like this, and I want to make sure there isn't anything that I'm missing before attempting to do this.

You say you'll be removing the old lock, so why not replace the mortise locks and if you buy 5 or 7 lever ones they'll be more secure than the bored cylindrical lock.

Make sure you buy one with the handle spindle in the same position as the old lock.

When it comes to the door jamb, a lot of mortise locks have a "box keep" rather than just a plate defining the holes for the latch and the lock. See the photo on the Mortise Lock Wikipedia page for an example. This makes them more secure and you don't have to find an exact replacement as you'll be chiselling out a bit more of the jamb anyway.

The problem with replacing the mortise with a bored cylindrical lock is that the new lock is smaller than the old and really has to be in the same location on the door as it's the strongest part of the door. You'd have to fill the mortise hole with a solid block of wood which might well entail digging out more of the door to get a good fit. This would weaken the door. The same applies to the door jamb.


Is it possible to splice this garage door safety sensor wire with some other wire? I currently have these sensors:

http://www.amazon.com/Chamberlain-Liftmaster-41A4373A-Safety-Sensors/dp/B00283Q9AW

An accident occurred a few days ago and the cable to the receiver was snapped apart.  I am going to replace the opener in a few years anyway and don't feel like buying and installing two new sensors (would have to run the wires, align the sensors, bleh).

If I could buy some wire and splice it to this one then that would be awesome.  However, I don't know what kind of wire to buy.  Someone please let me know if I can do this.

Garage door sensors and buttons are low voltage (usually 24vdc), and low enough current that for the short runs typical in a garage you don't need very large cables.

18awg "thermostat wire" will work, but you can go even cheaper with 22awg wire, usually sold as "security system" or "central vac" wiring (2 conductor), or telephone station wire (4 conductor - though you only hook up two).

Also, a little bit of heat shrink tubing goes a long way to making a neat and professional looking splice.


How can I remove a lockset latch assembly that's stuck latched? My latch is stuck. I couldn't turn the handle, even unlocked, so I removed the handles. Now I've got direct access to the latch assembly, and I can't get the unlatching part to move (to the right, in the photo). How can I get this door open? I can't normally remove the latch assembly without opening the door.

Remove the pins from the hinges. You should then be able to pivot the door out of the opening. Once the door is removed you can remove the screws that hold in the strike bolt.


Wireless Thermostat C-Wire Substitute I've read How can I add a "C" wire to my thermostat? and checked out the Venstar Add-A-Wire Accessory. I've watched Honeywell's YouTube video on "DIY Wi-Fi Thermostat Substitute G-Wire for C-Wire," but I don't have a terminal block to move the G-Wire (Fan on) as described in the video. This is where I'm stuck.

What options (if any) do I have to re-wire this to work with a wireless thermostat that requires a C-Wire?

Old thermostat: Honeywell RTH2310

New thermostat: Honeywell RTH6580WF

Wiring diagram w/old thermostat

Furnace

Junction

Old Thermostat

The C-wire substitution requires you to use the G-wire. When using the G-wire as a common you have to change it to C at the thermostat, and then to a common in the bottom panel of the unit. In your situation, your specific unit uses an older style control board made by White Rogers. This early revision of the board did not have a terminal bus on the board the thermostat, air conditioning, and fan speed 24v connections. Wires were used instead if a terminal bus, and only has 4 connections (your W, G, R, Y wires). To have your new thermostat work, you will need to remove the thermostat wire at the unit. Then you must either ground it to an exterior panel of the unit, or using spade, attach it to one of the open neutral buses on the control board. After doing this and adding the G-wire on C at the thermostat, it will work fine.

Now that the thermostat is working, you have lost the ability to control the fan. A little trick if you want to retain a way to control the fan without having to run a new 5-wire is to get a piece of 18/2 wire and run it into the control panel of the unit. Attach one wire to R and one wire to G. Attach a switch box to the side of the unit and run the wire into it. Connect the 2 wire to any light switch and mount it into the switch box. Throw your switch cover plate over it, and you have yourself a home made, manual fan switch that you can activate by going to the unit.

For Reference:

W - Heating
R - Continuous 24v Power
G - Fan
Y - Cooling
C - Common

R is used to energize, C is common (For Optional
Accessories like A/C, Etc..)
Closing R and W will initialize the heating cycle
Closing R and G will initialize the blower to run on low speed
Closing R and Y will initialize the cooling cycle and the blower on
high speed
Closing R between Y on certain units will only energize the A/C relay
and not activate the blower. These units require the thermostat to
energize the Y and G terminals together to initialize the cooling
cycle and the blower on high speed. Make sure to check that the Air
Conditioning is working properly, and that the blower is running on
high when the Thermostat is calling for cooling.


plastic interlock screw ? this screw with no head How to remove this screw ?

Help me..

Those hammer in, so will be hard to remove in a way that makes them re-usable. You could try getting a putty knife or slot screwdriver under the head and prying, but you'll probably make a mess of it.

I've found that the nice people at the Ikea parts counter are pretty good about providing replacements if you show up with the old part (and, as you have, the part number).


Way to prevent mineral buildup in toilet? Our apartment has extremely hard water, and the toilet has severe mineral buildup that makes it impossible to flush. Is it possible to attach a filter to capture this before it deposits on the toilet?

Edit: It's a brown stain, so I'm guessing it's not lime.

The lime or other minerals are dissolved in the water, so no amount of filtering will typically help.

Solutions for hard-water involve treating the water in some way.  Hard water creates many different problems, and usually toilets are the least-expensive issue.  Killing your hot water heater is typically the most immediate side effect, and certainly you'll have scale buildup elsewhere in your plumbing that you don't see.  As a result hard-water treatment systems typically treat the whole water supply for the house.  There are a few main categories for the most common water-treatment systems:

Water softening through sodium ion replacement (aka classic water softening systems)
Reverse Osmosis (typically the most expensive option)
Water chelation (a more modern method.  By way of example this is a chelation system.  I've never used it and I'm not advocating for it, it's just less familiar to most so I wanted an example).

In short, hard water sucks.  If it is causing problems for your toilet it is causing problems elsewhere, and you might as well treat the whole house (which is pretty much the only option anyway).

Note for apartments: I can't imagine there are any jurisdictions where you would be responsible for fixing this mess. If your toilet is clogging due to build up caused by hard water, that's clearly not your fault or your responsibility if you are only renting.  That's not to say that forcing management to fix it is easy, and, not being a lawyer, I'm not sure how this would collide with a lease provision that makes you responsible for clogs (although again, I can't imagine such a provision would apply to clogs like this anymore than it would apply to clogs caused by tree roots).  Yell at management until they fix it.  If they can't/won't, then it may be time to start apartment hunting the next time your lease is up.


Why did my refrigerator/freezer stop cooling? The other day my combined fridge/freezer stopped cooling. I tried to turn the temperature dials inside the fridge but it didn't work. I read that this could be due to the evaporator coils being frosted over, so I disconnected it for a whole day, with the doors open. When I reconnect it, the sides of the fridge get really warm (i guess thats where the condensers are?), and the freezer starts cooling (but the fridge stays warm). After two hours or so the freezer stops cooling, the sides are no longer warm, but the compressor gets quite warm and stays like that.

I have checked and the fans do work both in the fridge and the freezer.

I here are some pictures of the fridge and the compressor:

Click for full size

More photos can be found here: http://imgur.com/a/gi7aH

I would appreciate it a lot if someone could help me understand what is going wrong, and how i could fix it.

PS: Sorry for the bad quality images. Also I should mention that above the compressor there was a tray that i removed to be able to take the pictures. I think its for collecting condensed water.

It sounds like there can only be 2 causes for the failure.

The compressor is running inefficiently (normally caused by blow by or a bad winding on the compressor) -
The only way to know of this is to hook a set of gauges up to the system to see the High and Low side pressures, and to check the resistance of the Run, Start, and Common windings of the compressor.
There is a leak in the system (Normally very hard to find in fridges)
The only way to know this is to hook up a set of gauges to the system. In order to find a leak in a fridge i would use an electronic leak tester as it can get into very confined spaces. The other way to find a leak would be to pressurize the system with nitrogen, and try to hear for leaks. If there is a very small leak you will have to go around with soap and water, or a type of refrigerant leak detector. The unit is more likely to leak on the high side of the system due to higher pressures and tempratures. This would be from the discharge of the compressor to the metering device, or the inlet of the evaporator. Other common places or leaks would be, the evaporator coil, or the condensing coil, along with any joints there may be in the system.

If the system just suffered a leak, and there is no damage to the compressor. If the leak is easily identified and repaired, the system can be recharged and repaired for a few hundred dollars. However this is normally not the case with leaks. If there is a small leak it can take hours to find and repair. Also if the leak is in the condenser or the evaporator, a replacement and the cost to replace it would normally cost about the price as a new fridge. The same goes for a compressor issue. If the compressor is running inefficiently, and must be replaces, the cost of the replacement compressor, the labor to replace it, and the refrigerant to recharge the system would also normally cost more then the price of a new fridge.

If you are going to have it repaired, have it done by an Appliance Repair Technician or a Refrigeration Technician.


Can I add an electrical outlet from a light switch box? I had sconces in bathroom that also had plugs attached.  Replaced sconces now there are no electrical outlets. Is it possible to run an outlet off of the light switch to the side or below existing light switch?

If you have something like this switch

you should be able to replace it with something like this

This will also depend on what wires are in the box that the existing switch is in.


How do I determine the "hand" of the door? I apologize in advance if this post is confusing. Let me know if additional clarification is needed. =)

I'm planning to install a new front door and am confused on what the appropriate "hand" orientation of the door would be.  The schlage handleset I'm planning to get comes in right-handed and left-handed lever models.

Here's a picture of the old/original door:

On the Amazon page, there's also a helpful diagram:

Based on this, I would conclude that I have a left-handed door.

But here's what confuses me: on the same amazon page, there's another diagram:

This doesn't make sense to me.  The second diagram makes it appear that the "left handed" lever will stick out to the left.  If that's the case, I would think that I would want to purchase the "right-handed" door lever.

Any thoughts?

The handle pictures in the second diagram is very misleading.  Since the outside handle is obvious, the second pic should be the inside picture, but thet are labeled wrong for this handle it appears.  My guess is that the second pic is meant for any interior door, and for exterior doors with special exterior handles, it is wrong.

You are right, your door is left handed.  I think you would be safe ordering the LH handles.  If you are still nervous, I would take a trip to home depot or lowes to look at similar handles and confirm that LH is the way to go.

Here is the link to the actual product on the Schlage website.  Unfortunately, I dont see much to help even in the documentation.  I do see that you can flip the handle if desired, but then the curvature would be up and not down on the handle.

Also FYI, most interior door handes are reversible.  But in your case, since it is an exterior handle, it does matter.


Oak doors stripped of paint - need to fill holes underneath before revarnishing/oiling We've recently sent our doors for stripping of many years of gloss paint and lead based varnish. The oak doors came back looking largely fantastic. As the doors are very old, understandably they have lots of old screw holes on their fascia which have been filled with some nasty white filler of unknown age. I've dug the filler out and now have good looking oak doors with small holes around the edges due to previous fittings. I have two questions:

What to fill the holes with so that I can varnish or oil to bring out the best in the wood and colour match?
If I pack the holes with e.g. matchsticks can I sand over the holes with wet PVA to create colour matched "dust" and expect to be able to varnish over this successfully?

We've stripped doors before and know that we need to wash down and leave to dry for several weeks and are being patient for now.

Sorry, but this will be more difficult than you may think, at least if you are looking for it to look great. (I am a perfectionist on these things, and everyone has different goals and flaws they are willing to accept. However, you might be disappointed if you hang a door that you are not proud of.)

Suppose you fill (as indicated) with matchsticks, and any type of dowel. Those spots will have end grain showing, which will be extremely noticeable, especially if you then stain. The end grain will absorb stain differently from the rest of the wood.

Similarly, suppose you fill with wood filler or just a paste made of sawdust and glue. Again, it will not have the same characteristics as the surface wood. It won't look right. Of course, it depends on how large the holes are.

You might try a plug cutter in a drill press, used to cut face grain plugs to match the grain of the wood. Now, drill the holes out with a sharp drill bit, so the plugs will fit perfectly. A tiny dab of glue on the plug, and it is there to stay. Now you will have face grain set into face grain. If you are careful to get a nice grain alignment match, this can be made to work very well.  And since you can buy plug cutters of various sizes, you can fill holes of many different sizes.

Once the plug is set in the hole, sand it down to be perfectly flat to the door surface. I rarely even wait for the glue to set, since it will do so in good time. Anyway, the sanding dust as I sand mixes with any glue present to fill in even any tiny imperfections around the perimeter of the hole. Note that plug cutters do not work well in a hand held drill, but you can get an attachment for many drills to make them work like a small drill press.

In the case of a really large hole that needs filling, you can always use a router to cut away that area to get a region with nice clean edges. Now if you do it properly, a template guide in the router will let you inset a Dutchman, again, with perfectly matching face grain.

Alternatively, one might try veneer patches, but for an outside door, veneer will likely not hold up well.

For those with some artistic skill, you might also consider faux painting any patches. Here you essentially paint on fake grain in any patched areas, made to match the door. Such faux grain can be very convincing, and with a good finish on top to protect is, this might be acceptable.

Make sure you find a piece of wood for these plugs that matches the grain of your door. All oak is not the same. You said oak, but there is white oak and red oak:  even within those subspecies, there are different colors and grains. It even matters how the wood was cut, thus quarter sawn versus flat sawn wood. These woods have very different looks. Find a hardwood lumberyard to select a piece of wood that will match. If absolutely necessary, bring the door along and get help from someone there to find some wood that will be a perfect match. Or you might bring a close up color picture of the door to compare the grain & color.

A few final thoughts:

Use a good glue that is rated for exterior use, so it will not be a problem with potentially wet conditions.
Since you are looking to match the existing wood, I expect you will apply varnish (or some variation of clear coat) on the door when done. Use a high quality coating that is rated for exterior locations. This should have components in it to resist exposure to the sun, rain & snow, as they are tough on such finishes.


Is this buzzing noise coming from various outlets around the house normal? This morning I became aware of a little clicking noise coming from my inductive phone charger. I realised I'd been hearing it for a while. While I was changing, I noticed a high-pitch noise coming from my wife's Sony charger. Then later in the kitchen, a buzzing noise coming from the socket the microwave was connected to. All around the house, various sockets buzz.

Is this normal? I've checked my voltage using a meter plug, and it fluctuates between about 236.5 and 237.5*, which is normal enough according to the electrical company (who's operating range is 207 - 253 Volts)

*Before anyone freaks out, I'm in Ireland. We use 230v electricity over here.

Transformers
The sound you're hearing, is likely caused by transformers. It's a common problem, and a normal phenomenon.
Most wall warts consist of a transformer to reduce the voltage, and a rectifier to convert alternating current to direct current. So anywhere there's an AC adapter, there's likely a transformer.
This document from Federal Pacific (PDF), explains the phenomenon that causes transformer hum well.

Transformer noise is caused by a phenomenon called magnetostriction. in very simple terms this means that if a piece of magnetic sheet steel is magnetized it will extend itself. When the magnetization is taken away, it goes back to its original condition....
A transformer core is made from many sheets of special steel...
If the extension and contractions described above are taking place erratically all over a sheet, and each sheet is behaving erratically with respect to its neighbor. You can get a picture of the moving, writhing construction when it is excited. Of course, these extensions are only small dimensionally, and therefore cannot usually be seen by the naked eye. They are, however, sufficient to cause a vibration, and as a result noise...

Loose Connections
If you're hearing the buzzing from receptacles (sockets), it could be caused by a loose connection.  If a connection in the receptacle is loose, there could be arcing taking place. Arcing could definitely cause an audible sound. However, arcing would also generate heat, which could lead to a fire.  It's best to contact a local Electrician to come have a look. If you're familiar and comfortable with electrical work, you could check the connections and/or try replacing the receptacle (socket).


Drilling above laundry, hit something hard I was drilling into my wall in my laundry closet (contains my washer, dryer, and water heater) to install shelf brackets above my dryer and washer.  After using a stud finder, I drilled where I thought a wall stud was above my washer, but it seemed that after drilling through the drywall part, the drill hit something solid.  I gave the drill some hard pushes, thinking it was hitting the stud, but the drill did not go any further.  I tried drilling in another spot around the same area and encountered the same thing.
I'm now worried that I hit a pipe of some sort.  It does not seem to be a water pipe at least, since there are no water leaks, so I am worried that I hit a gas pipe.  Would it be noticeable if I hit a gas pipe?  (I don't smell anything, so am reluctant to call the gas company if I'm just being overly paranoid). Is there anything else I should be concerned about, and, if so, how would I diagnose it?

If you had hit a copper or plastic pipe, you probably would have drilled further after pushing a little harder.
I think it is most likely that you hit a nail plate. These are steel plates that are attached to the studs in locations where electrical cable or various pipes pass through. Their job is to prevent these items from being damaged by a drill or nail, so it seems the plate is doing its job here. Unfortunately, there isn't really anything you can do about it. The presence of the plate indicates that you picked a spot where you won't be able to hand your shelf. You will need to find out which direction the pipe/cable runs and find a different spot to drill that's out of the way.


Are there tools available to facilitate stripping of oak baseboards for refinishing? We are in the process of repainting and changing the look of my house. Everything is oak. Base boards. Kitchen cupboards.  Stair railing. When the house was built the original owner went with a yellow stain. We personally are not the biggest fans of the yellow but we love the look of oak.

Our Plan

We want to strip down all the oak and restain it to a darker brown colour. We have done our upstairs bathroom so far. And to be honest it is alot if work. Lots of sanding and scraping. What we are looking to do is see if there is a easier way to restain.

Are there any tools that are designed to sand base boards? A special planer? Custom power sanders?  Something that will make the process much faster?

We have a shop filled with lots of wood working equipment and wouldn't be afraid to buy a special tool for making the job easier as we have a place to keep it and will more then likely make good use of it in the future.

All of your input is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I have had good luck using CitriStrip.  It's environmentally friendly and probably safe for your expecting wife.   Get the majority of the work done with CitriStrip and then light sanding. It takes some time to do it's work, but it's surprisingly effective.  Smells like oranges!   If you are interested in this approach I can post additional tips and hints using this.


How to remove water radiator pipes? I bought a house that contains water radiator units that were disconnected 10 years ago. I want to replace the hardwood floors and the radiator pipes are in the way.

I want to saw off the radiator pipes, drop them under the sub-floor, and leave the radiator in place (the cost/benefit of removing the radiator is too high).

I sawed off one of the pipes and to my surprise there was a bit of water left over in the pipe. I am worried that if dropping water-containing-pipes under the sub-floor will cause damage to any floor I place on top.

What is the best/safest way to remove the radiator pipes?
Is there any harm to leaving the pipes with water under the sub-floor?
Is it worth having a professional plumber take a look?

Answering my own question: it looks like the best practice is to cap the pipe after sawing it off: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lBqLTvtVrw


How does one determine whether a waterlogged High HP pump is electrically OK to use? A high power pump (the mechanic said it is a 0.75HP induction motor) is mounted on the old well using those huge bolts driven through the stone. During the recent rains the grounds were water-logged, and the well overflowed too. There is now a layer of silt a few millimeters thick at the base of the pump. There are also signs the water may have even reached the axle of the pump.

There has been little sunshine during the week since the device was waterlogged. I'm sure there was some ingress of water during this incident. Understandably I'm loath to apply power to the device, as this may potentially burn the coil, blow the kit-kat et cetera.

I've applied an analog multi-meter to the supply terminals - it shows 0 resistance. The multimeter needle does not budge when the probe is connected between the supply terminals and the body. This is pretty rudimentary testing though ...

How do I determine whether the pump is safe to use? It would also be good to be able to determine whether the water within has evaporated.

p.s. The linked image is merely a rough simulacrum of what is mounted - not an exact replica.

Provided that the motor did not run while wet, then the windings are probably fine because they are encased in enamel. But if it's still wet inside, or dirty, or you have a seized bearing, then trying to run it could burn out the windings. At that point you're looking at replacing the stator or the whole motor.

So the question of whether to run it or not should be based on how much it would cost to replace vs. service. If replacing the motor/pump is less than having the motor serviced, then power it up.


Best method to ensure scratch coat (render) adheres to brickwork I am a plasterer by trade and we have an exterior rendering job coming.

The exterior face of the house is red brick and has to be scratched, then dry dashed over it. I have heard some horror stories about the scratch not bonding to the brick and I was just wondering if anyone has any help or advice on what mix, additive, to use?

In the UK, in situations where you might be slightly concerned about the surface being rendered, a coat of equal parts water & UniBond PVA Adhesive & Sealer is applied to the surface prior to the scratch-coat going on.

If the brickwork is quite porous, wetting it down beforehand (just prior to applying the UniBond PVA Adhesive & Sealer) with a hose wouldn't be the worst idea, also wetting down the scratch coat before the top coat is applied isn't a bad idea (especially if the weather is on the warm side).

Adding a plasticizer and waterproofing agent to the scratch coat is worthwhile (normally specified, required).


why are all the lights in the house dim then when the range is turned on they get brighter? I have already checked connections in the panel and they are good. Everything in the panel box has correct voltage. The amp draw is very low also.

You have a power outage. You have lost one of your "hots".

Immediately call the power company and report an outage.

Normally you think of an outage as losing a "Hot" wire, so half the circuits in your panel stop working.  Far worse is when you lose "Neutral", which is what makes sure each half of your panel is 120V (and not less or more).

Fortunately you have an out "Hot".

When you turn your oven on, it is powered between the two hot wires and it has very low resistance.  It has the effect of connecting the two hot wires together, putting energy back on your defective hot wire.  That's enough to light your lights.  It won't be enough to do much more.

Half your panel is dead. It just happens most of your lights are on one leg.


How can I clean these small, enclosed gutters on a mobile home patio? My friend owns a mobile home that has a patio over the front porch. There is a thin gutter system running along the length of the house & porch, terminating over the porch area. The gutter system appears to be almost completely enclosed and is so backed up with dirt & debris that no water makes it through the spout.

Is there a good way of cleaning out this gutter system?

I have a mobile home with these terrible enclosed gutters. When the leafs and crap are  dry, use a leaf blower or a shop vac to clean. I get up on a ladder and loosen stuff in gutter with a screw driver .After this, vacuum or blow . Then run waterer through gutter to get rest of crap out.

Really is a dirty, wet mess but has to be done.


Why does my kitchen faucet stop and start at full pressure only for a split second, both cold and hot? My kitchen faucet stops and starts at full pressure only for a split second, both cold and hot. This has been going on for about a month. I moved some plumbing over 4 feet in the basement 3 months back, with no issue at my sink until a month ago.

Why is this happening and how can I fix it?

This symptom is common with external sprayers. The diverter causes water to shutoff from the faucet when the sprayer is in use. The external sprayer may be leaking (into the sink, or under it) or the diverter valve itself may be failing. If you have a sprayer, check both ends of the hose for leaks and fix that if you find any. If not, remove the valve and make sure there's nothing that can be easily cleaned or a bad washer that can be replaced. As a last resort, take the valve to the store to find an exact replacement.


15 month old fridge/freezer not cooling My ~1 year old (edit: 1yr 3months, so past warranty) Whirlpool bottom freezer fridge has stopped cooling. These are the things I've checked...I let it warm up for a while and then ran it overnight.

Compressor is running (making sound/vibration), and after running overnight the body gets to about 130F, tubing to about 100F.
Evap and condensor fans both running
Evap and condensor coils are both at room temperature.

Since the compressor's "running" I thought that the problem would have to be be a freon leak, but with such a new fridge that seemed so unlikely? It hasn't been moved or messed with so no chance of accidentally puncturing something.

But then I read here that a normal temperature for a fridge compressor is 300F. If that's the case, is it possible that the compressor start relay is faulty and somehow the compressor is in the wrong "state?"

Based on the information you provided:
- Compressor is running
- Freezer is not cooling
- No freon loss
- Condenser fan is working OK
- Low compressor temperature
- Condenser coils at room temperature

First of all, check the condenser coils and if they're dirty clean them as much as you can, THE CONDENSER COILS SHOULD BE WARM!!! . If that doesn't work, check the condenser and the evaporator fan motors.

If not, Could be an array of things related to the compressor and coolant:
- faulty solenoid valve of the compressor.
- blocked filter at the expansion valve
- Evaporator inlet solenoid closed
- Compressor capacity control faulty leading to less coolant effect across the thermostatic expansion valve.

The way fridges/freezers are built today if there's a problem with the compressor, a valve or something is wrong in the circuit, you should go for a new one.


How to install this cheap metal curtain rod? I bought one of these cheap curtain rods for my home theatre blackout curtains:

But it doesn't appear to have come with any instructions. I mean it appears that I'm supposed to just screw those little hook ends into the wall and then set the rod upon the hooks. But this strikes me as odd for a couple reasons:

The hook itself is pretty long, and the end of the rod (as you can see in the picture) is curved anyway, so it seems the rod will hang way far out from the window when installed. I could perhaps find some shorter hooks.
It doesn't look like it can hold a lot of weight. In fact it doesn't even look like it can hold even the weight of the curtains (which are pretty heavyweight being blackout curtains).

To further complicate things, my apartment uses metal studs, not wooden ones, and they're a major pain to drill through. Moreover, there is basically a 4-inch section of wall on either side of the window where the rod pretty much needs to attach to, and I don't know if there's a stud there or if it's just drywall (haven't checked with my studfinder yet).

The window takes up pretty much the entire wall, and is about 10' across, minus the few inches on either side already mentioned. So in theory I could install the curtain rod onto the side walls, though I don't think this particular model would work very well (perhaps a tension rod would have been a better idea--do they come in 120" long versions?).

In short, is there any way I can install this in such a way that it will support the weight of my curtains? Will I need to buy some different hardware (if so, what kind of things will I need)?

You're not showing all the pieces. What we see is a curtain rod and the center support.

There are brackets for the end that the rod hooks over.

Pictured is a dual curtain rod hanger bracket. The hole in the rod catches on the tang and it drops down onto the bracket.

The answer to your problem might be shown in the picture, use a nice board that spans across the window opening about six inches above. Use screws to hold it to the studs and then mount the curtain to that using stronger screws than came in the hardware pack. Graininess of the cellphone picture doesn't do the spar varnish finish on the hemlock board any justice.

For spanning that window (10') there are heavy-duty three piece curtain rods constructed exactly like these but with two of the screw-in supports available in addition to the end brackets.


Squirrel or rat; and do I trap first or exclude first? Over the past month we have noticed insulation in the yard appearing every once in a while. I wondered if it was coming from my house and I found a corner of the house which has a sizable gap between the siding and the house. So, I think it is pretty clear that the insulation is from my house and this is the entry/exit point.

I put a trap outside of the house, right under the siding gap, with peanut butter as bait and trapped 3 squirrels over the course of a few days. The traps were not trapping anything after the night but then were occupied at the end of the day. So, this fits with the diurnal squirrel behavior and the lack of rats entering the trap at night is also good to note.

I have no idea if the trapped squirrels were also going into the house, or if they were just passing by and smelled something yummy.  I did put the trap very close to the house and behind a folded dog crate, so that it wasn't in the normal flow of squirrel traffic.

Also note that there is no way for me to look inside the house to find any nesting, since these are all finished rooms which are adjacent to the hole, and there are no unfinished spaces in my house.

So, I have two questions:

Do rats want to remove insulation from a house to bring to a nest somewhere else in the yard or neighborhood, or is this a squirrel behavior?
Should I fix the hole (with wood, steel wool and pestblock foam) before or after I try to do more trapping? I am worried that if I do the exclusion during the day, then if these are rats which are sleeping in my house and I seal off their exit, then there would be no way for them to leave, so then they would panic and start chewing through my walls and pipes and wiring in an effort to find their way out, or they might just die in my walls and make everything very stinky.  If this is a squirrel problem, then I could possibly assume the squirrels are running around the neighborhood during the day so I could do the exclusion and not worry about them getting stuck in my walls.

Thanks for your advice about rodent behavior and timing of exclusion.

Get tin snips and a soup can.  Cut 'teeth' so that each tooth is about 1/6 of the circumferrence of the can and staple them points pointing toward each other, but spaced out a bit.  The curve should point away from the wall.  My first guess is that you should be able to slide a broom handle through the space between the teeth.  Your squirrels may vary, but they are smaller than you think.  Another estimate 3/4 of the size of the hole they carved.

The idea is that a squirrel can push the teeth aside to exit, but they jab when trying to enter.

Another method may be to tack a piece of hardware cloth with fence staples as a hinge.  In essence you are building a 1 way pet door. Tie a small weight to the bottom edge so that if fits fairly close.  This one may be opened by smart squirrels.

You may want to run a microphone on a stick into the hole and see if you can hear inhabitants.


How to repair broken grout in shower tile? Just moved into this house a few months ago, and noticed the stub wall in the shower that holds the controls has cracked grout.

I'm guessing that somehow water got in behind the tiles and started to swell the supporting studs, which blew out all of the grout in the area.

What should I do to fix this?

You can see the tile is separating perpendicular to its surface.

Here too.

It looks like the problem is not just the grout (which fills the gap between tiles) but also may be the tile adhesive is separating from the supporting structure (possibly plasterboard/drywall).

You can remove grout from between tiles using a variety of tools designed for this purpose. Then you can re-apply grout (and sealant if needed)

It seems likely that water has penetrated that structure, it might be best to open it up and assess what damage has been done and how the water got in.

In your case you may need to remove all the tiles, repair the supporting structure and re-tile. It's the only way to get the tiles to align neatly at the corners.


How can I add lighting using 14/3 wire to an existing 20A circuit? I currently have a 20A breaker with 12/3 wire leading to a double gang box which contains two 15A receptacles, that leads into another double gang box with two more 15A receptacles.
I'd like to replace the very last receptacle on the circuit with a switch which will be wired to a lamp socket. The lamp socket will have a 60W equivalent LED bulb.
I only have 14/3 wire on hand, which I know is not rated for use with a 20A breaker. Is my assumption that I should not pigtail the 14/3 into the existing 12/3 wiring correct? Or is it okay because it is the last leg of the circuit or because the light will draw like half an amp?
If it is not safe to use the 14/3 wiring, how would it be different if I wired a plug on on the end of the 14/3 wiring and just plugged it into the existing receptacle? This last part is really what I am hung up on.

You can not use 14 awg wire on a 20 amp protected circuit it would violate code and create a fire hazard.
One example is 14 awg wire can fit into back stabs and even on 15 amp circuits these regularly fail on a 20 amp circuit they would be a fire hazard.
You can use an extension cord and there are several reasons this can be safe. Extension cords are temporary and not made for multiple loads like the premises wiring is.
I bet you did not know that 14 awg extension cords usually have a higher ampacity than the wire in your walls. NEC table 400.5.A.1  Example 14 awg has an 18 amp current rating for most types and some are even 20 amps. Why the conductors are not enclosed by the structure and don’t have insulation around them.
So although it may sound ok it is a huge code violation and liability if there was a fire and someone got hurt you would be the one responsible.


Mud for patch 4 inch drywall holes After a house rewire I have about 40 holes. Some are smooth surface, many are textured ceiling. Should I be using the green lid joint compound and taping it or Plus3 and no tape?

For the textured ceiling start with the piece cut out with texture or a new flat piece?

I've read a lot online with some conflicting information.

I'm having a hard time articulating this without a visual aid, so bear with me.

You can eliminate the need for paper tape by leaving one side of the paper on the drywall patch after you score / snap it. So instead of cutting the other side of the paper after the score / snap, you peel it back an inch or two on all sides, and cut the paper so that you'll have a sheetrock patch with a built-in "tape" to overlap the seam. This youtube video demonstrates the idea:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOSzbX92ttM

This is easier for patches with straight lines that you score easily, but I think with some finesse you could do the same thing for a circular patch, especially if you have the right sized hole saw.

What the other guy said would work great too - and I 100% agree that any texturing should be done afterwards. You may even want to throw on a layer of primer before you texture to make it hold better.

Also, you can get canned spray-on texture to use on a patch job like this, which should make the job simpler if you don't have all the other equipment. They come in a few varieties so you can match the existing texture.


Perimeter walls, ceilings and sound insulation I'm currently planning on converting a basement into a school. It will have adjoining classrooms that need be very well sound insulated and also a reverberation problem that needs addressed.

Having had a builder quote for the work I was surprised at its price. He advised that to sound insulate adjoining rooms we should include acoustic blanket to prevent vibration travelling into and along the cement ceiling and subsequently noise entering neighbouring rooms. Also that this would solve the reverberation problem. Additionally he advises that we insulate the existing perimeter walls for the same reason.

The builder is reputable and was recommended by a family friend. He apparently has extensive experience in commercial and domestic projects. I don't really have a reason to doubt him but:

Is insulation of existing perimeter walls and ceilings more effective in insulating adjoining rooms?

The insulated partition wall is the primary means of attenuating sound transmission. The adjacent concrete structure provides a flanking path for sound to travel around the edges of the partition, so sound needs to be prevented from reaching the concrete. Normally, one only needs to insulate about 5 feet from either side of the partition to mitigate flanking paths. Due to reverb problems, insulating the entire area could be warranted.

Despite all the added insulation, you will still have reverb problems unless the new finished surfaces are selected carefully. Don't forget the floor can also be a flanking path. Carpet and padding will help. Saw cutting the floor slab under the partitions would also eliminate the flanking path, but could cause other problems if the sub-grade is unstable, so consider this approach carefully.


Does anyone recognized this PEX Crimp System (Make/Model)? Does anyone recognized this product?
Looks like a good idea.
There is this red spacer ring to help position and hold the crimp ring in the right place.
I want to know more about it.

This is just one variation of the PEX crimp ring.  Some rings come with plastic to hold them in place, some do not.  If you do a search for "3copper pro crimp ring" you will find this.  You can buy these at the big-box hardware stores, online, and probably at the smaller hardware stores as well.


What should I do about nails that are protruding through the soffit? Had new roof put on, but when I came home the nails had come through the soffit and split the wood and protrude.  Roofer wants to clip off nail, and wood putty the wood.  I don't think this is a good long term solution.  Should I stand my ground and require new soffits?

That's actually pretty professional of the Roofer & should work out fine, putty really does do an amazing job. However, see if the Roofer might go for one more step & put up a face or crown-molding that may result in an overall improvement.


What are the pros/cons of using porcelain over ceramic tile in a bathroom? I'm planning on tiling a bathroom floor and a walk-in shower (including the ceiling). I haven't looked into pricing yet, but I've heard that porcelain would be a better, yet more expensive material to use in a bathroom.

What type of porcelain should I use if I want it in a bathroom and shower?
What type of ceramic should I use if I want it in a bathroom and shower?
How much more expensive is porcelain (in general)?
Is it worth spending the extra money on porcelain?
What are the general pros/cons of each material?

I am going to give you a very short answer to a very involved topic. Ceramic and porcelain are basically similar products. There are very good and very cheap versions or each product. When you go to your supplier, ask about the hardness rating. Softer cheap tile usually has a redish tint on the back side and is made from softer clay, typically in Mexico. Some of the better grades come from Turkey, Italy etc. and have hardness ratings of 5 or above and have a gray or whiteish back.  Most ceramic tiles have a thinner glaze finish than Porcelain. I usually prefer a porcelain glaze on a good hard base in shower and bath applications.  Rather than hitting the box stores first, go to a few tile specialty tile stores where a good knowledgeable sales person can give you a good education on the differences.  If and when you feel comfortable with your knowledge about tile, find a professional flooring liquidator in your area where you may save anywhere from 40 to 80% on overages, returns or closeouts.  I recently purchased 600 sq feet of Turkish porcelain grade 5 commercial tiles for 60 cents a square foot that retailed for over $8 a foot, at a local flooring liquidator. (overages from a hotel job) Huge savings.


How can I repair screws in furniture with stripped holes? I'm trying to repair a piece of furniture from which several screws have pulled out, stripping the wood.  It's a lift top coffee table, such as this.  (This is NOT the model in question, this just seems like a good picture to explain the idea.)

The screws in question mount one side of the lift mechanism to the table body.  What concerns me is the lift frame mounts underneath the cross-member of the table; so the screws go upward through the metal frame into wood.  So...  Any fix will have to support half the weight of the table surface.  The cross-member the screws go into is about 1" thick, so longer screws won't work; they'd hit the underside of the table surface when it was lowered.

I've looked at How do I rehang a wooden door with worn screw holes? for ideas; and I'm concerned these ideas won't work for me considering the direction of force and required shortness of screws.  So, I'm first asking how much weight a toothpick repair solution could support.  Am I being pessimistic?

What other ways can I repair this table?  I can't simply re-mount the lift assembly shifted 1"; the table would look strange when closed.  I've thought about drilling through the cross-member and replacing the screws with bolts; but I would also need to drill/chisel pockets in the underside of the table surface to allow the table to close over the bolt heads.  Is there a less invasive solution?

Although similar to the tooth pick trick, a real good and solid fix it to drill out the stripped hole to a size 1/32 inch smaller than a piece of hardwood dowel. Apply a good wood glue to the dowel and tap it into the clean drilled out hole.  After the glue has dried, flush cut and sand the dowel smooth to the wood surface. Now drill a small pilot hole and re-install your screws. This should give you a strong permanent fix.


Why is my kitchen island sink gurgling when my dishwasher is draining? I noticed a few days ago that, whenever my dishwasher is draining, the sink in my kitchen island gurgles (glug, glug, glug). I THINK that the sink connects to the main kitchen sink drain underneath the floor. Any idea what could be causing this? Also, I'm not sure if it's related but I just noticed that my upstairs bathtub is draining really slowly now. But I'm pretty sure it's a separate line until it gets to the Septic connection like everything else.

There's a blockage in the venting where the island ties-in. The 2 locations are commonly vented together, due to that loop under the island sink. A T-fitting instead of a Wye may have been used to tie-in the island and this is why only a Wye or directional fitting should only ever be used.


Exterior conduit run to fan, condensation issues I want to run power from a sconce in our patio to a fan. My original plan is to put UF in conduit. As I’ve been reading I came across condensation issues in conduit. I’m a bit confused about what is the right way to do this.
Should the line from the sconce come out of the box toward the ground and then turn up to the ceiling? Is there an alternative to this?
For a run that will total about 11 feet in total distance do I need a conduit drain or breather or both?  If so where is the best place to put it?
Instead of UF I believe I can use THHN as this location is considered damp and not wet. Any issues with that?
Any other things I should be considering?
Thank you!

Condensation isn't as much of an issue with conduit as water intrusion, usually in buried conduit. But there is no point in running UF in conduit. THHN/THWN (they are almost always the same now) would be much easier to pull and allow you to use smaller conduit.   11' isn't much of a run, so size or difficult pulling probably isn't an issue. Still, THHN/THWN is a lot easier to work with than UF.
I doubt you'll have a condensation issue bc the pipe will be at the same temp as surrounding area. Condensation occurs when things are colder than surrounding area (like a glass of ice water).


One circuit of lights comes on dim when another is switched on We have three separate circuits of LED lights in close proximity to each other- one in master bath, one in master bedroom, and one in master closet. All are on dimmers. When any one of these three circuits is switched on the other two turn on at a very, very low level- only visible when dark. This happens anytime one of the three circuits is turned on. Any ideas?

As mentioned in my comment, I would say this is caused by phantom voltage or induced voltage.  This is a problem that is seem more these days because of an LEDs ability to run on very, very low power levels.

What happens is that the alternating current in one wire that is running parallel and very close to another wire will induce a voltage in the wire that is currently switched off.  When all the dimmers are off, there is no current in any of the wires, but when one is switched on and the electricity starts to flow, it causes a voltage to appear on the nearby circuits.

This is not enough to shock you, but it is enough for non-contact voltage detectors to pick up, and it can often be measured with some multimeters.  Other lighting technologies need way to much power for this to affect them, but the modern LED can have a small glow with the tiny amount of current.

I also found this question where they were able to use a resistor wired parallel to the switch to stop glowing, but they were having an issue caused by a switch with an indicator lamp and not induced voltage, so I'm not sure if that would help in your situation.


How can I put air conditioning into an apartment that doesn't allow window air conditioners I would so appreciate an answer to this question. I recently moved into an apartment that doesn't have central air and doesn't allow window units. I live in Los Angeles so this is not going be "chill" so to speak. The reason I moved in here was because it was kind of an emergency situation that I find a new place and (besides the fact that I may die in the heat) it's very nice. The building is from the 1920's and there is like a rule against anything being put out the windows. It's a weird rule, but my windows face the courtyard so there isn't any sneaking around I can do with the window stuff. I know there is probably nothing I can do but I have to ask. There is a bedroom with two french doors leading to a big living room. Is it possible to get an air conditioner with a tube and put the tube through the french doors and seal it up around it? I know that the living room will get very hot but if everything is sealed up will I be able to at least have a slightly cold bedroom for the summer months? I saw someone in here said to put the tube out of a door and in a bucket of water so it will evaporate there but I'm not trying to explode my whole building haha. Electricity cost is absolutely no issue so I have that going for me, I just don't know what to do.

A portable air conditioner may work for you. It does need to get rid of the heat through a 4” tube that will have to vent out doors somehow. There will be condensate that will go into a container that will have to be emptied every so often. Maybe you can hide the 4” pipe.


How to attach a doorbell transformer to a plastic junction box? My son's doorbell isn't working, I'm not getting any voltage, and I traced the wiring to the transformer located in the basement behind a finished ceiling used for a light fixture. I would like to relocate the new transformer in a nearby unfinished part of the basement. (How did they attach the transformer to the back or side of that blue plastic outlet box?)

I found a couple of 1-gang outlets but they are in blue plastic boxes.

My new transformer is the type with a screw on connector for attaching to one of the holes in a junction box but I don't see any way of doing that to this type of box. Is there a trick to this? Or do I need to install a different box next to it and run power there?

As I Understand It:

To do it wrong, you simply drill a hole in the box, which is
presumably what was done.
To do it right you need a box with a knockout for a hole, which will
normally be a steel box.


How should I support this large drywall patch? after the installation of a new water heater and a relatively extensive plumbing fix, I wanted to save a buck trying to patch the drywall myself. It's the very first time I buy a piece of drywall or anything related to this activity. I re-created a map of the pipes on the new drywall using trilateration, then cut the drywall to match the existing, large hole, and cut it in a way that I could fit it.

The existing hole with plumbing:

The patch with holes for plumbing (this will be cut in a half going through the holes):

Poor picture (sorry) of the cut patch:

Dry fit of the "bottom" part of the patch:

Dry fit of the whole patch:

My question is: how much support should I install behind the drywall before I screw it to the metal studs, and start the operation with mud and all of that. I am really clueless, any advice will be appreciated.

It's a matter of preference, but I would float scrap lumber backing at four locations:

Down both sides
Across the bottom between the two studs
Across the between the two studs just below the plumbing penetrations
Anywhere else that seems too flexy when you do a little press-testing

1/2" or thicker plywood and 1-by or 2-by lumber work well. This backing doesn't really need to be attached to the studs in all cases (doing so can make it difficult to keep everything flush), but should be fastened well to the surrounding drywall. Construction adhesive would reduce the number of screws necessary there.

Protip: If you don't have access to a dedicated screw gun (which is not the same as a drill, despite common usage of the term), these drywall screw setter bits are golden because they keep the screw from sinking too far into the drywall:


How to choose the correct toilet flapper (on the web)? Are flappers color coded?  If not, how do I go about buying a flapper on the web?  They all look sort of the same.  How likely is it that a flapper that looks right on the web will fit my toilet?

Thanks.

If you are unsure take your old flapper with you to an actual store to buy the replacement. Buying online is great if you know exactly what you need but the guess work when you are unsure is a crap shoot.

Colors of flappers are almost always a signal of the manufacturer and in some cases specific to a particular style of flapper from that manufacturer.


tieing different gauge of speaker wire together for one speaker I am running speaker wire around the room but I've run short for 2 of em
can I safely tie 2 different gauge of wires together for one speaker

Using two different gages of wire is no worse than just using the thinner gage of wire; switching won't harm anything (as long as the connection is done properly).

As for the minimum gage to use, when I was at MIT I ran 150' of #24 double twisted pair stranded wire from the stereo in my room to my speakers in the courtyard. It sounded fine to me. Quite possibly I had/have tin ears, but I'm sure the results weren't awful. So, unless you're using extremely thin or extremely long cables, you'll be fine. (The humongous, finely-stranded, oxygen-free speaker cables you'll find sold for an arm and a leg are just silly.)


HVAV no C terminal but available wires Pretty common problem here but the posts I've seen are a little different. New Wi-Fi tstat, no C terminal at furnace but plenty of available wiring at both ends. Unlike others problems posted of unwiring and rewiring, couldn't I just take an available wire and combine it to my G connection at the terminal and then connect wire at tstat? If G controls the fan and I know there is power because I can turn on fan manually, is this the easiest fix?

Thanks

No, because the G terminal gets power from the R. When you turn on the fan on ther thermostat, the thermostat is really just connecting the R to the G terminal.

Internally on the furnace control board, the other side of the relay that actually powers the fan is connected to C. R and C come from the two sides of a 24V AC transformer.

There's almost always a way to get C from any control board, it's just a matter of identifying a C wire from a schematic, or by finding the transformer and identifying how it's wired in.


Does siding rot propagate upwards? Parts of the bottom of my siding have rotten (images attached). The wood feels soft to touch and breaks easily. The cause of the problem is probably dripping water from rain (I am not sure about this). I am wondering if further rotting will stop if I board up the bottom part with vinyl boards, making sure that water does not drip from the siding wood itself. I am not considering cutting the rotten part off unless deemed necessary, hence the question. In case the climate has any bearing on the issue, I live in Omaha, Eastern Nebraska.

First, you need to understand what "dry rot" is. The name itself is misleading, except that infected wood becomes brittle and crumbling when it is dry.

Basically, dry rot is a fungus. In dry conditions it is dormant, but if there is moisture available and the temperature is warm enough (and that only means "cool", in terms of weather conditions, not "hot") it will become active and start to reproduce.

It reproduces and spreads in two ways: one is to form fruiting bodies that look like small brownish "mushrooms", about the size of your thumb nail, which produce spores that are dispersed by the wind, exactly like most other "mushrooms". The second way is to grow threads within the wood itself. Those threads can develop unseen, and very fast - they can literally grow several inches per day in the right conditions. If you do see them, they look rather like the trail of mucus from a large slug or snail, and you might not consider they had anything to do with the "dry rot" at all.

When it is active, it produces a characteristic "rotten wood" smell - though it if it outdoors, the wind may stop you from noticing that.

There are basically three ways to contain the problem. The best way is to physically remove all the contaminated wood - and because of the threads, that can be more than the parts that appear to be crumbling, or "rotten". To do that effectively, you need to keep any cutting tools sterilized, otherwise you are just implanting fungus spores in the freshly cut surfaces. You also need to treat all the cut surfaces with a suitable fungicide, since more spores can be blown in by the wind.

The next best is chemical treatment to kill it, but that can be problematic because it's hard to know if you really have killed "everything". Most likely, the infected wood was already treated with chemicals before it was used for building, but over time that treatment has stopped working, or leached out of the wood. The only way to treat wood thoroughly is by immersing it completely in fungicide solution under high pressure, to force the solution into the grain structure of the wood rather than just coating the surface.

The least reliable way is to remove any possible source of water, and therefore attempt to keep it permanently dormant. The problem is that if you are only 99% successful in doing that, you have just hidden the problem from view while it will continue to develop.

If the fungus gets into the structural parts of the wood framing, that is a much more serious problem than the superficial damage in your photos - but unless you remove the damaged siding, there is no way to tell if that has happened or not.


How to set up this LED R7s lamp? I would like to install an Osram LED R7s lamp using this holder in my living room.

Now I'm wondering whether I can just hook it up with the AC like I would do with regular LED bulbs or do I need some sort of modulator between the lamp and the AC?

Or to put it even more blatantly naive: the picture of the holder shows two wires - can I solder those to a plug and stick it in the socket?

"Technically speaking" it says that the operating voltage is 230V which is the case for AC in Germany but I just want to be sure.

Those things are components.  You're not allowed to use components directly in a house.

You need to use a fixture which is designed to be used for household lighting.  These are sold in home improvement stores.  The manufacturer has gone through the appropriate process to get listed and tested as a fixture - so there's a stamp (and file number) from TUV, BSI, CSA, UL, ETL or other competent testing lab. CE is not a testing lab.

If you were to start up a company to manufacture fixtures, you would make the fixtures out of components such as those sold by Conrad. (Presumably, though, you'd pay wholesale).

Conrad sells them to the consumer as repair parts for fixtures.

If you want to "brew your own" built-in lighting, then use low-voltage lighting (12-24V) fed from listed low-voltage transformers.  You must still use care, but it sidesteps some of the safety issues.

Further, use either socketless LEDs, or sockets which are unique to LEDs.  What you have linked is a halogen socket, with an LED designed to be retrofit into a halogen fixture.  Nothing would keep someone from yanking out that LED and sticking a real 500W halogen bulb in there.  So don't give them the opportunity.


What could cause the battery in a smoke detector to heat up? One of my smoke detectors was chirping and when I removed the 9V battery, I found it was hot.  In fact, it was making a 'cooking' sound.

Was it the smoke detector causing the battery to cook itself or was it a defective battery?

Wow- A smoke detector that could cause a fire..

It is very difficult to say

It could be a fault in the fire alarm- short circuit that caused the battery to heat up to a cooking point.
It could be a chemical fault in the battery where atmospheric pressure and chemical imbalances caused by some impurity during production caused the battery to heat up at a certain point of its life.

Either way

The safest option is to replace both and remove all doubt!

   eg ever hear about the exploding iPods...  :)


Flex Drain - personal opinion from an experienced user I am now working on extending my downspout under the sidewalk. Not something too complicated, just to distance the water a few extra feet away from the house.  While researching about different pipe options  (PVC or Corrugated) I found a product by Flex Drain.

This looks like a very simple product to use for this type of small project (DIY) that will suit my needs. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a favorable review when comparing this type of pipe vs Corrugated and PVC regarding strength and necessary slope (debris).

I would like to get someone’s personal opinion from an experienced user.

Thank you very much.

The flex Pipe is very light duty compared to other drainage pipe I have used I would not recommend it for shallow underground use because it crushes quite easily when stretched to full length. The one thing I do like about it is that if you use it on the surface to extend gutters for a couple of months it is easy to collapse and store during the summer months. It is also easier to bend around shrubs than standard corrugated pipe. I don't know how long it will last collapsing and stretching out each year because I only purchased it just under 2 years ago.


Does a DMM resistance reading between lugs on an AFCI breaker indicate failure? An AFCI breaker was removed from my load center.  While in service, the breaker would immediately trip when reset.  Out of the panel, when in the off position, the resistance between L1 and N lugs of the breaker is like 370 ohms.
Am I missing something, or is this clear cut internal failure of the breaker?  L1 was successfully being broken when the breaker tripped.

DC Resistance on load side of two same make-model breakers (QO120AFI) while also in tripped state was high, so the 370 ohm reading appears to be evidence of internal failure.
The breaker that failed was not in the recall date code range.
Glad this was checked before pulling new wire.


Hopper Gun for Knockdown: Decision Point I (newbie) intend to apply drywall mud and knockdown a ceiling this weekend: 3BR 2BA apartment.  Youtube videos indicate that it can be applied manually or sprayed pneumatically with a hopper gun.

What are the questions that I need myself to ask in order to make the decision as to whether I should try using a hopper gun?

A hopper gun can help apply the mud quickly and more evenly for a light to medium knockdown. I find for heavy knockdown with patterns hand application is better. The main question I would ask , do you have a compressor that will provide the flow at the listed gun pressure requirement? My last comment would be Do not use hot mud in a hopper it drys faster and is harder to clean the gun. If you want what I consider a medium to light knockdown a hopper gun is a great time saving tool. Make Sure to clean the gun well after use and it can last for years and many projects.


Can you splice wires in the middle of a wireless dog fence? I am trying to build a 'barrier' wireless dog fence.  I could simply run the wire around my whole yard and be done, but much of it is already fenced in and I do not want to restrict access to that fenced in area (Dog likes to meet dogs on other side of the fence.. running the wire would prevent the dog from doing so).

with my yard, I have to cross a driveway and on the outer edge of the driveway, there isn't enough space to loop the wire back (if I need ~6ft space when looping.. I only have about 3-4 ft).

I want to start at the first port, loop down around the front yard, cross the driveway and up the side of the yard to where the Chain link fence begins.  What I want to do there is to splice the wire into two (2) pieces of wire (so 3 way splice). Those 2 wires would then be twisted back close the second port, where I would splice the two back into a single wire.  This is still a continuous loop isn't it?  Why won't this work?  (Will this diminish the wire signal?  Do the wires have to be opposite traveling when twisted to effectively cancel the wire signal?  See attached diagram for a visual.  Any suggestions to accomplish that cancelation across the back part of the house?

I have had several wireless fences with one being several acres where I had gates I did splice and twist the wires to make the null signal area , adding the gate areas for horses I did need to turn up the power but it still worked fine with several changes including where the brush hog cut the fence in an area it was not buried even with splices at those points and new sections added of twisted wire the fence still worked well.
Where I spliced the fence I used butt splices and filled them with silicone sealer so the splice would be dry and not corrode when crimped some of the sealer is squeezed out but this makes a really well sealed splice for low voltage I also do this on my boat and the connections last.


Can I replace a single watt (100 max) socket with a 3-way socket on a table lamp? I just bought a table lamp which I assumed used a 3-way bulb since it has the knob that you typically have on a 3-way lamp.  However when I went to put the bulb in I saw that it says 100 watt maximum.  I tried a 3-way bulb just to check and it only works as a single-watt.

Can I replace the current socket with a 3-way socket?  or is the wiring different, so this can't be done. Thank you.

Yes, you can.  The sockets cost about $4, they are pretty standardized, and it requires "competent handyman" level skills.

However, the "100 watt maximum" is to be taken seriously.  That is a thermal limit for that fixture, and the fixture could start a fire if a larger bulb is used.  For purposes of this rating, this refers to the genuine, absolute, true wattage of the bulb (e.g. 26 actual watts for a "100 watt equivalent" CFL, or 16 actual watts for a "100 watt equivalent" LED) — not the actual light output (typically 1400-1600 lumens for a "100 watt equivalent" bulb.)

So for instance if you found a hypothetical 5000 lumen, 48 actual-watt, "350 watt equivalent" LED bulb that you just had to use in this thing, then yes, that is fine.    However, a 50-100-150 actual-watt incandescent is Right Out.

I splurged on a $17 GE LED bulb that is 50/100/150 equivalent actually about 25W and I am in love with it.  Interestingly, its sequence is Off-Lo-Hi-Medium, and they do that on purpose so if you stick it in a 1-way socket, you get the full "150W" equivalent.


insulation below fireplace I was removing wood paneling in the basement to fix some seepage cracks and I noticed a huge space that was un-insulated. This spot had some pipes running through it and it runs right underneath the fireplace. I wanted to insulate with that spray foam insulation however I'm a bit apprehensive because of that fireplace. Is it okay or is there a danger that a fire could get started? Is there another material I can consider for insulation near a fireplace?

The fireplace is wood-burning. No gas.

mj

Mineral wool (or rock wool) insulation won't burn at all. You can buy it in bats and cut it to appropriate size.


How to cut drywall over stud? Let's say I have a hole like this (not my actual hole just one that I found for my situation)

As you can see the existing drywall is flush with the 2x4.  What I want to do is cleanly cut away enough of the existing drywall (about an inch) on both sides so I can put in a new piece to fill the hole and screw to the existing 2x4s.  This seems like a better approach than screwing pieces of wood to the top and bottom and mounting the repair to the existing drywall.  The problem is that the only way I can think to get that inch is to kind of stab at the drywall and pick away little bits at a time.

Edit

Due to all the interest, here's my actual wall/hole.  On the left I ended up cutting it past the stud because there was another dent in the wall.  The story is that the previous owners, in their 80s, hit the wall leaving big caved in portions of the drywall.

[

You want to add backing to the inside sides of the existing studs as well as to the centre of the span. The simplest way to do this is to cut the new backing (preferably 2x4, or whatever the existing stud dimensions are) about 4" longer than the height of the opening and screw them to the existing studs. The cut one more piece of backing to the same length as the other two, but this time place it in the centre of the opening and screw through the top and bottom of the existing drywall to attach it. See the picture below for reference.

This method will be much easier than trying to score the existing drywall back on the existing studs and will provide a solid patch.


My living room needs more ambient light and I'm reluctant to drill holes in my ceiling. What are my options? Problem:

My living room needs more ambient light.

Constraint:

My living room does not have an overhead light fixture and I'm reluctant to drill holes in my ceiling.

Questions:

What are my options?
When choosing a light fixture, how do I ensure that it will adequately light the room?
If I don't want to thread electrical wires through the ceiling and walls, how do I connect my light fixture to the light switch?

EDIT:

I'm not 100% against drilling holes in my ceiling.

I said that I am "reluctant" to drill holes in my ceiling because I perceived the wiring to be difficult.

Thanks to those who have said "Wiring a ceiling light-fixture is not so hard."

A standing floor lamp that emits light up will reflect light off the ceiling and create ambient illumination. However, it won't be connected to a wall light switch (unless you have or wire a switched outlet). I actually prefer standing lamps to overhead lights, since overhead lights can create harsh shadows (especially if there's just one bright one in the center of the ceiling).

As for the brightness: I like to use bulbs in the 400 to 1000 lumen range ("40 watt" to "60 watt" incandescent equivalent, if you're stuck in the 19th century mindset). I personally find anything brighter than that to be unnecessary—I'd rather have more lights than brighter lights. But that's really an interior decoration / preference question.


Freezer not freezing, fridge works fine I have a Frigidaire side by side unit that is just around 2 years old. Yesterday evening we noticed the freezer side was cold but the food was thawing. Took everything out and put in a chest freezer. Today we checked for dust on coils, ice froze on interior components, door seal problems....everything seemed fine. The compressor seems to be constantly kicking on and off and sounds alot louder than usual, but the fridge is working just fine....still maintaining it's temperature and cold as usual. I was thinking if the compressor was the problem we would be experiencing fridge problems, too? I also keep reading that the fridge gets it's cold air from the freezer so if the freezer isn't working then the fridge won't run properly either, but that's not the case here. Suggestions on what the problem may be?

We have the same brand and it is a PITA. It needs to keep the air moving inside the case. If the air does not circulate it will create the problem you have. There is in ours, a charcoal filter that needs to be changed every 6 months, otherwise it restricts the airflow. Items inside the fridge part needs to be away from the back wall and the filter so air moves.

The logic is, yes the fridge part is cold enough, the struggling freezer part can maintain the 38 or so degrees to keep the fridge proper, but without circulation, the freezer can't do what it needs to get down to 0 degrees.

If yours has a charcoal filter remove it and the temp should return to normal. It will cause no harm, I had to do it myself and I ordered filters online to replace it.


Is it ok to use a brass compression sleeve on vinyl tubing? I'm putting together a fountain feature in my yard and I'm using vinyl tubing from the pump to the bottom of the feature (which has a copper tube inside). I've got a compression union to connect the two, and I'm pretty sure it'll work fine on the copper side. But on the vinyl side everything I see indicates that I should use a plastic sleeve on the outside of the tube inside the compression nut.

In this case, however, the fitting that I picked up has captured brass sleeves (by which I mean that they're attached to the nut, not a separate piece).

Is this likely to damage my tubing? Should I pick up a different fitting or can I just be extra careful about over tightening?

To get a good "squeeze" when using a brass ferrule on plastic tubing, without collapsing the tube, you should be using a tubing insert:


Why is my furnace blower coming on so early in the ignition process? Alright, I installed a new furnace a few months ago and have begun to notice an issue with the blowers. When the furnace first starts up, the exhaust blower should turn on to expel gas, then the flames are lit, then the main blower turns on. My issue is that the main and exhaust blower turn on at the same time. The house still gets heated and the furnace runs it's normal cycle, but I first get a blast of cold air. I haven't done anything to the circuits on the furnace. Could this be an issue with the thermostat calling for this to happen?

Most furnaces use a preset, adjustable, time delay circuit to control the start of the blower motor. Some higher end models may use a temperature sensor to determine when the blower should come on, but this is a less common setup. It's possible that something in the furnace is broken and/or configured incorrectly, but it's more likely that the thermostat has been installed incorrectly.

A thermostat in its most basic form, is simply one or more thermally activated switches.  In the olden days, it was likely a mercury switch, that only controlled a heater.  Most more modern thermostats control heat, A/C, and the blower fan.  In your case; since you're having trouble with the fan, we'll focus mostly on the fan settings.

A typical thermostat will only have two settings for the fan, ON, or AUTO.  In the ON position, the fan will run continuously.  In the AUTO position, control of the fan is handled by the furnace instead of the thermostat.  Since your fan does not run continuously, I'll assume you have the fan control on the thermostat set to AUTO.

If you accidentally connected the FAN wire to the HEAT terminal and/or the HEAT wire, every time the thermostat called for heat the fan would immediately turn on.  Since this is the easiest, cheapest fix. I'd start by making sure the thermostat is wired properly.


Troubleshooting a UHF (HDTV) aerial My grandmother has moved into a new house, and the aerial connection for her tv is not working. Are there any troubleshooting methods I can use to check and perhaps fix it before calling in a contractor to do it?

Right now we are getting no signal at all through the connection. Also, in our area there is no analogue tv signal, only digital. We are in Australia if that makes any difference.

Thanks!

Is there just the one socker? If not, do the others work? And are you sure they are for the antenna? There isn't a Foxtel box lurking on the side of the house? It's unfortunately pretty common when getting a Foxtel connection to abandon the antenna based system.

You can also visually inspect the mast from the ground to see that the cable does actually go up to the antenna. If there appears to be a box on the mast, then you probably have a mast-head amp; I'd then go looking for it's power supply (it should be plugged into one of the sockets) and check it's powered on.

Past that, you're going to need a contractor. They will have devices to look at the raw signal level (you can't trust the numbers on set-top boxes or in digital TVs, I'm afraid) and know how to trace the cable in the walls and under the house, looking for splitters and such that may be faulty or bypassed.


Too many wires coming out of ceiling fixture Wiring in ceiling.1I'm trying to replace my kitchen ceiling light fixture but... coming out of the ceiling I have 3 black wires, 3 white wires, a red wire and a ground! I didn't take a picture of how they were wired before removing old fixture - yes, I know. The new fixture only has a black, a white, and a ground.Please help!! Thanks

If your wiring is standard and NEC-compliant:

One cable is the feed, one is te line gouing to next lamp, the third (that has 4 wires: red, black, white and copper) is the wire from the switch.

Just connect whites together (the 4 from wall + one from the fixture), the blacks coming (from wall) together, and the black from the fixture to the red (from the switch)

If you're not sure / don't know how to check, hire an electrician to have it fixed


Can I move second-floor duct-work from the floor to the attic I have a two story home that sits on a slab. There is some duct work that runs through the slab. I have some duct work that runs through the ceilings of the first-floor and points towards the floor of the second-floor. I have at least one duct that runs through my attic and points down into the second-floor.

The duct-work is very poor -- half of the house doesn't even get heat. The air doesn't cycle (warmer down stairs than up stairs) even though my intake is upstairs. In at least one point, I've found where a previous owner used a dryer vent to run a duct line in the ceiling of the first floor.

Instead of tearing up all of my ceilings in the first floor in an attempt to properly re-run the ductwork, would a better option be to run the ducts from the attic and just seal off the ducts in the first-floor ceiling?

I've never done any work with HVAC, although it doesn't look too hard to run ducts. I'm assuming it's a bit more complicated than it sounds. Here's my utility closet which looks to be pretty unusual or overly complicated.

Drywall is the enemy.

That dryer vent is disconcerting; lets find out what other shenanigans are going on here. You may not have ever done ductwork but at least you seem to know a proper installation will require opening the walls to install rigid (use flexible only if you must).

Can you run it in the attic, sure: at a loss of efficiency; longer run, more leaks\back-pressure. Also, efficiency will drop like a rock if you run any ducts through unconditioned space. Ideally everything is within the building envelope.

Running ducts isn't that hard; fixing what you had to destroy to get them in, is.

You will cut yourself while working with sheet metal. Proceed slowly and methodically; everything is sharp...


Generator carburetor problem, is it the float? Hopefully this is an appropriate place to post:

I had to use my generator today and it ran fine for about an hour but when I went outside to check on it, I noticed it was dripping gas from the carburetor!   I shut it down and shut off the fuel and it looks like it is coming from a hole at the top of the carburetor.  If I turn the fuel supply on, it starts dripping again.  Also, the unit will not currently start.

I did drop the bowl and saw that it had gum stuff in it.  Kind of strange considering I just cleaned it before the winter and had run it during the winter without issue.

At first, with the float pushed up, gas would drip down, indicating something wrong with that valve or gummed up SO, I used carb cleaner, cleaned the bowl and sprayed upward in to the carb.   I also sprayed in to the hole that the gas is coming out of and let it drip down through.  I moved the float back and fourth several times.   Now it seems to work fine.  If I let the float hang down, gas comes out to the bowl.  If I push the float up, gas stops flowing.

I do not think there is gas in the float, but I am not 100% sure.

I still have the problem however- if I replace the bowl and turn on the gas, soon after gas starts leaking from the TOP of the carburetor through the hole up there.

This is a Generac 5500 Generator by the way and a Briggs and Stratton engine model 185432 0606E 99052149 by the way.

What do you think is wrong?

Bottom line:  your float isn't doing its job.  Perhaps it's cracked, and thus doesn't.... float.

As the float comes up, it's supposed to close the needle valve.  And you've shown that if you manually manipulate the float, the needle valve is working.  So your float isn't floating.

Time for a new float, I'd surmise.