Is it normal for GFI test button to trip GFI when the circuit is dead? My welder has been tripping the GFI on the circuit in the garage after I have been using it a while.  I finally took the cover off and discovered the electrician saved himself, what? $2 and used a 15amp GFI, even though the circuit breaker is 20A like I specified.  (Why didn't the building inspector catch this?  Is it to code?)
Anyway, that is not my question. I turned the circuit breaker off in prep to replace the GFI with a 20A one.  Went back to the outlet, and pressed the test button, as a quick test to make sure I had disconnected the correct breaker.  The GFI trips.  I'm like, doggonit, I didn't flip the right breaker.  I hit the reset button, and it will not reset. Weird, I did flip the right circuit breaker, the GFI receptacle is tripping even though the circuit is dead.
Well, thats crazy! If the GFI is not tripping because of an imbalance of current going through hot to neutral, but instead tripping because the button itself is mechanically tripping the reset, what is the point of having a test button?  It is not really testing the GFI, it is only testing the mechanical tripping function of the test button!
Am I mis-understanding what a test button is supposed to indicate?

Ok 2 parts, yes you are misunderstanding how a (listed) GFCI completes its test.
The test is completed by the internal circuitry creating an imbalance.
The clicking noise you hear is the mechanical debounce  that helps the reset function work better (not all GFCI’s use this method but many do because who would trust a micro switch smaller than a pencil eraser that you can not feel it click?
As for your welder if it is plug in with 2 parallel blades you only need a 15 amp receptacle having 2 receptacles it is legal on a 20 amp circuit (the feed through is rated for 20 amp). So it would not have been a code violation.
A 15 amp and 20 amp GFCI have the same circuitry the only difference is the shape of the receptacle itself.  They both trip at ~5ma and have 20 amp feed through if supplying other receptacles.


Can I manually run the blower on my Lennox G12Q3 furnace? I have a Lennox G12Q3-120-6 model furnace.  Does anyone know if there's a way to manually run just the blower without heat?

There are no switches on the outside that I can see (other than the power cut-off), and the only 2 panels are only to be removed when servicing.

FYI - I want to be able to use my furnace blower to circulate air from my basement to my upstairs.

With a old school thermostat that you just adjust the temp with normally there are not any additional wires to run the fan. It can be done but will require more wires and an additional switch or new thermostat. A few houses back I had a gas forced air system like yours I added a fan over ride switch at the furnace , this turned on the blower and was helpful at cooling the house off in the summer.


What can I use to lubricate electrical contacts? I've been replacing lots of 2 pin MR-16 halogen bulbs and have been having a very difficult time inserting them into the sockets.  I've also lost few pins removing the old bulbs.

Is there anything I can use to lubricate the pins and socket to make this easier?  I've read about people using everything from WD40, Vaseline, lithium grease and Silone grease.

I suggest the use of a `dielectric grease'. In particular, look for one compatible with high temperature, which are often made out of silicone. The grease can be ordered online, but would also be available at many auto-parts stores.

One requirement of this application is that the lubricant must not be electrically conductive. If a conductive lubricant is used, it would be a fire hazard. Dielectric means that it wouldn't conduct electricity.


Sealing porous basement common-wall for smells Our unfinished basement shares an extremely porous cinder block wall with our attached neighbor. Because it is porous, smells transfer readily (ex cigarette smoke).

How can we seal this wall without using potentially toxic stuff like spray-foam that produces off-gassing?

(Even if you believe that off-gassing is not a real issue, my partner would not accept that. We have two young toddlers and want to avoid any potential exposure.)

Thank you!

You could go the olde-fashioned route and gypsum plaster the whole thing.

You could go new-fashioned and mud it with a skimcoat of drywall compound.

You could also slap up a layer of drywall first and then just tape and mud the joints. This might well be the cheapest & quickest option.

After checking VERY carefully for larger holes that might need something like ductseal or plaster to plug them, if the wall itself is really "porous" you could use a water-based "waterproofing" paint, such as UGL drylock (they have "paint" and "Waterproofer" - the former is thinner and covers more per gallon, the latter is thicker and covers less area - either might work but the waterproofer would be more like what you are asking for.)

You might need to caulk around the edges. You can get clear silicone caulk that is rated for food contact and aquarium use (check the fine print) and all it "gives off" is a bit of vinegar during a fairly short cure period.


Water temperature in upper shower We just got a new water heater installed in the basement, and the temperature in the 3rd FL shower is not hot enough for us.  However, the temperature in the sink faucet on the 1st FL is fine and gets very hot, so that makes me think that perhaps the water heater temperature is fine.  Would you suggest taking apart the shower handle, or would your first guess be something else?  Shower handle is single Kohler shower handle.

Single handle shower valves normally have some way of adjusting the "all the way hot" stop of the handle.  In many cases it's just a toothed plastic ring under the handle that can be moved to the next tooth or two to make the water hotter.  This is meant to be a safety feature so even if the handle is cranked all the way on you don't get scalding hot water.

Your new water heater might not be set for quite as high of a temperature as the old one, so you're two choices are to adjust the shower or adjust the water heater.  Note that adjusting the heater temp might make all the two-handler faucets hotter, so consider that.


what can cause 66 volts at 110 outlets in my moble home I went to hookup a 110 volt hottub, but when we plugged it in we only got 66 volts. I then tried another plug in the house - 66 volts.
I went to another building, my shop, which has its own breaker box, but got the same there - 66 volts. A 220 volt oulet there only had 134 volts.
I don't know whats up.

Classic sign of a bad neutral connection. It's a dangerous situation and needs the attention of a professional electrician if it is in your house. But FIRST, call your utility, because it might be on their side and they will check that for free. If they don't find anything, they will not help you with your house wiring, that's your problem. But if you call the electrician first and it turns out to be a utility issue, you still owe the electrician for the house call.


Ground Wires in a Multi Ganged Switch Box I went to install a Lurton  3-way motion sensor lightswitch in a three gang switch box. One of the other switches is a 3-way & the other is a 1-way for the porch light. I found all neutral wires tied together with a wire nut, BUT, all of the ground wires were also tied together with no connection to any of the switches. They are all inside a plastic switch box so none of the switches appeared to be grounded. The single switch box that contains the 3-way motion sensor switch was wired the same way. I can understand the neutral wires connected but each switch SHOULD be individually grounded. I connected each switch in the 3 gang switch box to aground wire (all switches on the same circuit) and now I’m reading 60 VAC on the ground wire of the 3-way Switch that’s connected to the motion sensor 3-way switch installed in the single switch box. That’s not good. Should I retie all of the ground wires and use pigtails to ground each switch?

Yes, All of the grounds should all be tied together first and firmly bonded together and then from that connection point all the switches should be individually grounded. The neutrals are all tied together and stuffed into the back of the box.  Ensure that a ground wire does not come into contact with any of the bare terminals on back of the devices.


Surge Protection for Line Voltage LED Fixtures I'm installing 120v LED recessed lights in a room, and I'm concerned about them wearing out prematurely. I've had bad luck in the past with florescent lights on the same circuit as the refrigerator. I think it's the power fluctuations caused by the motor stop/starts.

Similarly, I notice whole house fluctuations when the central A/C starts/stops. My theory is that the transformers and circuitry in the bulbs are vulnerable to these fluctuations, and I worry the same about the $80 fixtures.

Would an inline surge protector, placed between the wall switch and the lights, help prolong their life? I'm not interested in a whole house surge protector, since it's expensive, and the motors are on the inside.

First, if you put a whole house surge suppressor on a single circuit, I won't tell :)

The biggest issue I see is where to put such a device. You can't stick it just anywhere. It would offend aesthetics to mount it on the wall surface, and you can't bury it inside the wall.

If you have a multi-gang light switch and you're willing to sacrifice a switch position, it might fit there.

It might also fit up in the "can" of the LED light.

When hooking up a 120/240V surge suppressor 120-only, follow the manufacturer's instructions.

With LED durability, it's all about the electronic driver.  The finest, most expensive light won't stand a chance if they went with a cheap Cheese driver off Alibaba.   On the other hand, drivers are commodities and are not that hard to replace.

When I want extreme durability from LEDs, I use 12V or 24V LEDs (which have no particular electronics on board, just a dropping resistor) and any expendable, swappable, commodity 12/24V power supply, which I expect to fail from time to time (unless it says GE).  This has the added advantage that it plays extremely well with DC backup power systems.


What do I need to verify before taking down a wall? I want to join two adjacent closets by taking down the wall that separates them. There are no electrical outlets or light switches on the wall.  I'm working on obtaining my unit's plans to determine if it's load bearing or if there is a structural element in the wall.  Aside from that, is there anything I should check  before I start taking down the drywall?

I have come across quite a few houses lately where they have back-to-back closets and we have generally turned these into two walk-ins vs. two traditional sliding door (shallow rectangle).

If the wall is not load bearing it is simply demoing the walls, rerunning any electric, reframing where needed, lots of drywall patching and fixing the carpet/flooring issue.

If the wall is load bearing you may need to install a metal/LVL header.  In the cases where we have one like this we were able to install a metal header above the door (so not where the dividing wall is).  Almost all municipalities require an engineer/architect sign-off on the design.  We did come across a couple where we would have had to install the header in the middle of the closets and we just simply didn't tear down that wall - it would have added a good 1500 to the project.


Why would an LED stop flickering when connected in series with an incandescent? I recently bought some LED replacements for G4 base under cabinet light which has 3 sockets.  When I put the first bulb in I noticed it was very dim with a bad flicker.  Adding the next two made the light considerably brighter but the flicker showed no sign of improvement.

Curiously, when I accidentally connected one halogen bulb alongside one LED in the same fixture there was no flicker.  My very uneducated guess was that maybe there is some component of the fixture like a ballast that limits the amount of current and is expecting a certain amount of draw.

There is also a toggle switch which allows for a "dim" setting on the light but supposedly the LEDs are dimmable so I don't imagine this is related but may be worth mentioning.

My question is has anyone encountered this before and do you know if there it would be possible to modify the light fixture in order to eliminate the LED flicker?

It's the dimmer.  Dimmers and some electronic control circuitry need a minimum current to function.  Get a better dimmer module with a lower threshold, or one that dimms differently.  (PWM vs. resistive)  Or remove the dimmer from the circuit all together.


Metal glue that cures in coldish weather? We have Pella glass storm doors that have been nothing but trouble since we bought them several years ago.
The handles connect to each other (through the metal door frame) via a bolt thats in the shape of a rectangular prism (that is, both interior and exterior handles have square receptacles that the rectangular bolt fits into). The handles then have hex screws that clamp down on the bolt via allen wrench:

The problem is, the hex screws loosen up habitually, and either loosen so much that the handles (when you go to use them) pull right off of the rectangular/squarish bolt (hence, you pull the handle right off the door) or even loosen so bad that they fall off. I've had to replace them several times, and being specialty parts, take weeks to come in.
Proper solution: tear the doors off and replace the Pellas with something better.
Quick n dirty solution: I'd like to glue the handles right on to the rectangular bolt.
Is there a metal-to-metal glue that holds up reasonably well and that cures in 50 - 60 degree weather?

Just about any 2 part epoxy would meet your requirements. However, gluing both sides is asking for trouble in the future.
Couple of ways around this. You could use loctite blue (thanks @jwh20 for steering us away from red) on the grub screws, which would be reversible but more secure than your current setup. You could lightly dimple the axle with a drill bit so that the grub screw is more secure. Or both. (If it was me, I'd just use the loctite.)


B-vent condensation in large attic space I have condensation in/on the B'vent flue pipe from my heater in the attic andit is dripping.  The original B-vent flue pipe was corroded on the interior so we had the flue pipe replaced from the heater to the roof ( with a high- wind cap as well).  The heater is in the attic, and now when it runs we have condensation. The heater is 6 years old and has been checked out, they say it is fine. Installer of the pipe checked B'Vent and flue, cap etc. and said everything is done correctly. If it isn't the heater (could an adjustmetn be needed?) and the pipe they claim is correct (it has to travel a long way up to the room, maybe 24 feet from heater to roof) what can be done??  Water is dripping from about 3/4 of the pipe, down the pipe and into a bucket (fortunately) with white deposits left on the pipe and it is getting to the heater. The attic is a large, cold space in the winter, against a hot pipe.  These people can't figure it out or don't want to??
Please any suggestions I would appreciate.
Thank you.

You could add a fiberglass pipe insulation to the flue pipe to keep the flue gasses hot enough to prevent them from condensing. I had the same problem with the vent from my water heater so I covered the "B" vent with 1-1/2" thick fiberglass pipe insulation. The flue gasses no longer condense and the flue works great.


Assessing the cause of freezer coils icing up We have a 6 year old Frigidaire upright freezer (around 17 cu ft).  It suddenly stopped cooling, even though the compressor was running, and it was producing puddles of water on the floor.  I thought it might be just icing up, so I unplugged it for a day and eventually, the dripping stopped.  I plugged it back in and it appears to be working normally.

I'm aware that low refrigerant can cause it to ice up.  However, it's a totally sealed system, with no connections for testing or refill.  Which leaves a number of expensive possibilities if there's still a problem:

Fill it up again with food and possibly lose another batch of food.
Get it serviced, which would run about half the cost of a new one.
Replace it.

So my question is about trying to determine whether there is still a problem.

Is it usual or typical for a freezer in normal working condition to build up ice on the coils over time from house humidity, or does that happen only if there's a problem, like low refrigerant?

I kept it at the maximum cooling setting, which produced a temperature of below minus 10 degrees, which is colder than a normal freezer setting.  Could this have contributed to its icing up?
If the problem is low refrigerant, best case is that there was always a minute leak and it took 6 years to lose enough to cause this problem.  However, that means even if the rate of continual loss is tiny, it's already at a low point, so it would be expected to ice up again.

If the refrigerant is low enough to cause icing, how fast does that occur?  For example, If I just run it empty for awhile to see if it ices up again, what order of magnitude of time would be a reasonable confirmation that it's OK (days, weeks)?  Or is that too variable to be a useful test?
Is there anything else that can be checked without specialized refrigeration testing and repair equipment that would indicate whether the system is not running normally?

Like the OP said. "It's a sealed system." If it was a leak it wouldn't "remove heat" at all. (fridges don't cool, they remove heat.) Automotive AC's DO leak, slowly, because they use rubber hoses/lines. So forget about the "low refrigerant", that ain't it.
The problem is one of three things. First (and most likely) the defrost timer. It's usually located in the plastic housing in roof of fridge compartment. Look for a larger hole that does not have a Phillips screw in it. Use a flathead screwdriver to turn the flat head looking plastic piece you'll see inside that hole. It's like a timer you use for your Christmas lights for example. Turn it until you hear a loud "click". Listen for your compressor/motor to turn off. If after about 5-10 minutes your coil starts dripping water/black heater coil bar gets hot (the header runs along coil; don't touch it, it gets real hot) then your timer's shot. Go online with your fridge model number and order that cheap part. Remove the screws that hold that plastic cover on, unplug the old put in the new, WITH THE FRIDGE UNPLUGGED. Turn the new timers screw until 2 clicks when u install it so it's in cooling mode.
If it does not heat up it's probably the defrost thermostat (a little disc mounted by coil.) Test with multimeter. It should have continuity when it is at freezing temperatures and should change to open circuit when the temperature rises above approximately 37 degrees F.
If that checks out then it's the heating coil rod. Double check the timer/thermostat before concluding it's that because it's a bit of a job to replace and least likely problem.
There is also a slight chance that it could be cause by a bad door gasket but you won't see major solid freeze up, just excess, making the unit work harder and run longer than it should. Here's a decent video on this issue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kNfNfHTgCo
He does keep calling the timer "the thermostat" but corrects himself in captions.


Sprinkler heads not popping up What causes the sprinkler heads to not pop up?  We have tested the pressure it's at 58.
When adding one sprinkler head to the line (the other 4 are capped) the gauge goes does to 20.

Sounds like a broken line under ground between the point you are checking the pressure and the Heads, with the pressure at 20 there is probably not enough to push the head up but it should be flowing even though not extended.

When I have this problem I will usually leave the water on for a while and go find the wet spot. Dig down and fix the break. If the pipes were full and you had a cold winter there may be several broken lines.

Also running the water to find the wet spot always gets some dirt and possibly gravel in the line so I will remove the heads and flow all the dirt out , or cleaning the heads then flowing the stuff out then putting the heads back on. Best to pull them first.


Cleaning and lubing vintage door hardware Which cleaner/lubricant should I use to restore this vintage door hardware? It is likely 100 years old. E.g. regular machine oil or gun cleaner/oil?
Lock:

Hinge:

Graphite has long been a popular lock lubricant. The properties that make it a good choice are that it is dry so it won't attract dust, it can get into very small spaces and it is not affected by cold or heat. It used to be dissolved in alcohol brushed onto the pieces. when the alcohol evaporated it left the graphite in place. Now it is available in aerosols which makes it more convenient to use.


how to wire two switches in one box with three wires , two of the go to different lights, which one is hot If somebody could help me with this, please! There are two switches in a box. I wanted to put a timer on one switch, so I disconnected it. Then I realized that the timer needs a neutral and there is no neutral in that box. So I reconnected the switch but now one switch is depended on the other. Here is my puzzle. There are three wires, white, black and red, I am not even sure which one is hot, but there is obviously one hot and two are loads (lights). So which one is hot?? I connected black to both switches and one switch to white and another to red. The results is one switch turns on lights only if the other switch is on. I reconnected to the white as common - the same thing. Maybe red is common, but something is fishy here, as I don't remember it being common.
So how I determine for sure which is hot and how to make sure the switches are not influencing each other
Thank you in advance

White is hot, per NEC.

However your installation is already a code violation, so it might be two.    Also, this particular instance is one of those rare times experimentation does not hurt; switches either short their terminals or do not, so you have already seen the worst case symptom.  So go ahead and try all 3 possibilities.

The hot wire is the one that is split to go to 1 terminal on each switch (doesn't matter which). The remaining 2 wires each go to 1 switch, on the remaining terminals.

Here  are the relevant Code bits:

in a cable, if the white wire is not needed for neutral, it can be re-marked for use as a hot.  It must be marked with paint or tape and the tape must be a valid hot color (not white, gray or green).  Black is fine.
A re-marked white wire must be always-hot, if always-hot is one of the wires in the cable.

As to your timer problem

Either GMOs, vaccines, Roundup, or HFCS is  turning young people's wrists into things that can only hold phones.   However, for those of us with wrists, we can use a traditional (if 1980s is defined as "traditional") timer.   These don't need neutral for power, because the power comes from the aforementioned wrists.

These come in a variety of runtimes, and you can choose a model with or without a "continuous hold" position. These have 2 screws and install like a plain switch.  (The cover plate is NOT Decora, it is very clever but weird, and you must, must read and follow the instructions. NEC 110.3(B).)


Can I run this pipe through joists? I have a bulkhead or soffit above our kitchen cabinets that is being removed to make way for taller ones that will go all the way to the ceiling. I encountered a vent pipe that will be in the way of the new cabinets:

So here's roughly what it looks like now (this is on an external wall):

And here's what I want:

Will it be feasible & acceptable to run this 2" pipe through several 2x10 joists in my 2 story home? Or, any other ideas?

According to International Residential Code, you can bore a hole with a diameter one-third the depth of the joist. You have to keep the hole 2" from the top or bottom of the joist.

For a 2x10, you can bore a hole up to 3" in diameter.

9.25" / 3 = 3.08333" diameter

However, this is only for sawn lumber.  If the floor is made up of engineered joists, you'll have to talk to an engineer.


meshed tape exposed on sanding Newbie here trying to DIY somethings around the house.
I am following these steps to cover/fix a ceiling hole:
Put sheetrock, apply mesh tape , apply mud, sanding and painting.
When I am sanding down the Mud, I see some of the mesh tape exposed. (picture)
Any idea what I should do here ? Can I just paint over it, or do I need to apply mud again and resand?
Thanks in advance.

It's joint compound, commonly called mud, and not grout.
If you are sanding into the tape, you have not applied enough.
It's not a "one and done" product. You apply joint compound and embed tape.
You let it dry (or set, but setting compound is not the usual DIY choice.) Incidentally, USG recommends paper tape as superior to mesh unless you are using setting type joint compound (aka "hot mud.")
You lightly scrape or sand to knock off only the high points and apply more compound with a wider knife.
You let it dry
You repeat that a few times, with larger knives.
You shine the harshest light you can find at low angles and look for defects in the surface. When you reach the point that you can't find any, even after looking again from other angles, you prime and paint.


Can I safely bypass the door switch on my dryer? The door switch on my dryer is broken (the rocker part of the switch just hangs loose) and the dryer won't start.  I have the part number, but I won't be able to get one for several days.  Is this switch really just a switch?  Or does it serve some other function.  I'm wondering if it's relatively safe to just cut off the switch and short the wires together behind the molex connector for the next couple days until I can get the part.

Whirlpool dryer: part 3406104

It is a safety switch designed to prevent the drum from turning while the door is open. If the switch were removed and the circuit closed by connecting the wires the drum will turn and the dryer will work. Can you get someone to tell you it is an okay thing to do, not likely.


Misaligned cabinet doors I have multiple misaligned kitchen cabinet doors and I’m unsure of how to fix the problem.   They look ridiculous and we’re putting our house on the market.   Any suggestions would be so greatly appreciated!!

The only adjustment you get with those hinges is the up and down adjustment the slots give. If your issue is that they aren't closing fully, the hinges pull themselves closed so long as the spring and nylon slipper aren't too worn - they look good in the photos, and there isn't any interference between the door and frame. In this case, there definitely is some contact between the bump on the door side half of the hinge and the frame, and this may be what is limiting the movement. I haven't seen this style of hinges with that bump pressed into the frame, but you may be stuck with carving away the material of the frame where the bump visibly comes into contact.


Do n95 masks provide ANY protection against asbestos? I think you can read between the lines here. i had on a typical n95 mask while doing a little demo. I didn't have raised suspicions about there being asbestos in the walls, as i already researched my home's primary wall material prior and it's not prone to the stuff. But, after removing a few SF of board i noticed a different breed, and the label is "national gypsum company" "fireproof GYPSUM W..." label cuts off. It's the fireproof part that raised my red flag. I bagged what i took off, cleaned the area, and am sending a sample off to a lab for testing.

My throat was a bit dry after the work. don't know if i'm overthinking, but in googling around, pretty much the only thing people will tell you is to not use n95 for asbestos. Great and all, but my question is whether n95 provides ANY protection? Looking at the micron sizes of asbestos and the filter, it would seem it should filter them, so is it catching 95% and obviously for this hazardous material you want that extra 5% covered, or do these fibers penetrate n95 material?

It's asbestos, not kryptonite

It's not that toxic, or it would have never attained its status as a popular material in the first place.

Yes, it turns out to have been a lung-tissue irritant and carcinogen (don't look now: so is fiberglass), but it's so subtle it took 50 years to figure it out, and even then it only was seen in career daily occupational exposure.

The only reason there's any hysteria at all about asbestos is the lawyer feeding frenzy caused by the existence of trust funds to settle cases: the lawyers are bombing all advertising media trying to find people who will let them take 1/3 contingency fee for easy cases on well-trod ground.

Meanwhile you have the government trying to communicate to employers (read: cheap and old fashioned) and off-the-curb, never-see-em-again day-labor employees (read: non-English speakers) how to protect themselves from daily, career-long occupational exposure to asbestos, so we don't get any new cases.  Their advice is to use tip-top gear, because that adds up when you do it everyday for years.  In that context, true, you want better than N95, but the way they communicate that to cheap employers is "N95 masks don't work".

Which is not true at all, in your incidental case. You are much better off having used that mask, mainly due to other risks.

So if you want to be part of the mesothelioma moral panic, just keep in mind negative thoughts are far more carcinogenic than whatever got through that mask.

One other thing: Gypsum is fireproof.  Drywall is gypsum and drywall is used for firestops.


What cable size do I need to feed a 100 amp sub panel that is 550 ft I'm building a barn that is 550' away from my house and need to power it.  I would like to have 100 amp service from my main house board (200 amp).  My house is fed with the typical 2 conductors.  I am in Ontario, Canada.

I would like to stick the cable in the ground and use some sort of conduit like 2" likely 2 1/2" PVC shed 80 pipe if this is cheaper than an armoured cable.

What I actually Ended Up Doing  The local (Rockwood, Ontario Canada) inspector gave me two options.  1) pull 300 MCM or 2) parallel 3/0 Aluminum 3 conductors director bury,  both needed a ground back to the main panel (sized to cable).
So....... Based on that I took Option 2, Cost of $3,800 for cable and ground + $1000 for Big-O (two runs) turns out my barn when finally located was 650ft,  location was selected while I was in the EU. I had to put the cable inside Big-O to protect it because I didn't want to put 6-4" of clear sand below and above the cable.

What I learned  My Electrician is at the mercy of the local inspector.  They books all said I need to run single pull of 3/0 or at worst 4/0 but, they can't make a decision because the inspector as the say.  Simplest means is to get the inspector out and get him to bless the project.

No One would do the Transformer Option, and the Inspector wouldn't approve it.  My local Utility provider came up with a plan for about $25K to get me 600 amp service and back feed the house. needing 4 poles, high side cabling, a transformer, and easement and a tone of work by me along with a pad and remote meter. So that went nowhere.

This application has "transformers" written all over it.  A big factor in AC vs DC power (Tesla vs Edison) being the ability to haul it long distances.  And this right here is where that comes into play.

In every single scenario, your barn needs its own earth grounding system.

Plan 1: Conventional sub-panel (as discussed elsewhere)

Wire cost: $4000.  (about a 25% margin over the best prices I can find).

That plan only makes sense if money is no object and the goal is to stay "DIY friendly".  But it still won't be, because of the miserable pulls with huge wire (unless you upsize conduit to about 4", not least, because the bends are wider radius.)  The only benefit to all this is avoiding transformers. Since this scenario is well covered by other answers, I'll won't elaborate.

Plan 2: Use a transformer to make the barn a main panel.

Wire cost: $2000.  Transformer cost: $900

You only need 2 of the huge 350kcmil wires.  You feed them with 240V and they go to the primary side of a 25kva transformer.  The transformer removes the need to run a "ground" and "neutral" wire (but the primary and secondary sides are different).  Your barn is now a main panel.  L1, neutral and L2 come off the secondary of the transformer.  The transformer and the barn panel are grounded to the barn's grounding system.

You may be able to reduce the size of the wires somewhat, because the transformer has "taps" to compensate for voltage drop.

Plan 3: Also pump up the voltage for the long run.

Wire cost: $300.  Really.   Transformer cost: $1800

This takes two 4-AWG (maybe 6) AL wires. Instead of one 25KVA transformer, you get two -- with a higher voltage primary, within the rating of the cable you plan to run. So if the cable rating is 600V (most likely), get 480, 575 or 600V transformers (those last two are a thing in Canada).  These voltages are serious, but still within the range of common panels and wire.  Call an electrician for the final review, megging and hookup of the higher voltage stuff.

You backfeed the secondary of one transformer with 240V from your panel. The primary feeds your long conduit run to the other transformer's primary, which knocks it down to 240V on the secondary.  As above, the barn panel is a main panel which gets L1, neutral and L2 from its transformer, and ground from the barn's grounding system.

Plan 4: Tie into the high voltage supply

Wire and transformer cost: ???? depending on voltage rating and delivery.

The power company transports power across farmland at a much higher voltage like 600V or 2400V, and then have a transformer at your house to knock it down to 240/120V.  I imagine you've already talked to the power company and asked them the cost of wheeling their high-voltage to your barn and provisioning their transformer and meter, and didn't care for the answer.

I am saying, see if it is feasible to buy their power on the high side of their transformer, and take responsibility for the pole line, underground, transformer etc. It's sorta like "rent the cable modem or buy one". Used transformers can be had.  Of course touching their high-voltage is electrician territory, but you can do all the grunt work, so he megs a few things out, connects 2 wires and throws the switch. There's no reason to pay an electrician to trench conduit or punch holes in walls.


How can I muffle a speaker on a small TV? I need background noise when I work and I often use a small TV in my study, either playing DVDs of old TV shows or tuned to a nostalgia channel.  I don't want sound to be too loud, though.
I recently bought a 7" TV that I can easily tuck out of the way, so I can still see the images once in a while, like I prefer, but it doesn't take up much space anywhere.  The only problem is that, for some videos and some channels, the minimum volume is still rather loud.  There's one channel I can have on that, with the volume set to 1, I can hear in surrounding rooms with the doors closed.
The speaker is on the back of the TV and is about 2" tall by 1" to 1.5" wide.  I used duct tape to tape some heavy cardboard over the speaker.  That helped, but not by much.  I can touch a spot, over the speaker, where I can press on the duct tape and cardboard just a little and it significantly muffles the sound.  I broke off about 2" off the end of two pencils and taped them down over the duct tape and cardboard covering, in hopes the stiffer pencils might hold down vibration, but it doesn't help much.
I've thought of trying to tape over something padded or a quilted fabric, but I don't have anything I can cut up.
What could I easily put together or use to tape over the speaker grill on the back of this small TV that would do a good job of muffling the speaker sound without fuzzing or distorting the sound?

An alternative to duct taping a towel over your monitor speaker would be to:
Get a used A/V receiver at a thrift shop that has HDMI in/out.
Go >HDMI from Apple TV and Blue Ray >into the A/V unit and HDMI> out to the monitor.
A set of speakers connected to the A/V unit will handle the sound.
Volume control on the A/V unit will adjust the sound to the speakers.
Easypeasy macandcheesy. OR, Bobs your uncle. Depending on what side of the pond you are on.


Is a sub panel necessary to wire this 10.5kw 43.75amp sauna heater? We're planning on installing this Harvia Cilindro 10.5kW Electric Sauna Heater (Model HPC11-U1H) when it gets here.

The manual wants us to put a 50amp breaker in the main panel, and then run that to a sub panel with 2 40amp breakers, before finally connecting them to the power unit box for the heater/controls.

My question is, could I skip that 50amp breaker part and just install the 2 40amp breakers directly onto my main panel? My main panel is 200amps and has plenty of room for more breakers, and both the main panel and the sauna are in the garage so there's no benefit to me installing a sub panel there as well (unless this is a dumb idea and I'll burn my house down unless I do it).

Pictures for reference. Thanks!

Normally you'd need the sub panel if for no other reason than to have a means to disconnect the sauna for maintenance. Since the sauna is in the same room you can go directly to it from the main panel as long as you have clear line of sight from the panel to the sauna.
Your instructions show a sub panel and you shouldn't deviate from them but they also give wire sizes for going from main breaker to power unit (4#8,N & G) so I guess it's OK.

I think going to the sub panel would be cheaper.


How can I make a sturdy frame out of square, steel tubing? Update 5/25/2013: I went with mike's idea of using corner braces, but with a twist.  Instead of 7/8" braces and epoxy, I went with 1" braces and metal framing screws.  The results are pretty good (see pic).  I initially tried to epoxy several 3/4"braces together as mike suggested, but I think I mixed the compounds together improperly as they would not cure after even 3 hours.

Original Question

I am trying to make a rectangle frame out of this 1" 14-gage steel tubing.  I am sorry to spam SE with more of my soundproof door questions, but, if you must know, that's what this is for.

Originally, I was going to route a dado out of some MDF and line the sides, top, and bottom of the inside of my door with these steel tubes.  This would keep the door from warping vertically and horizontally, but a user here by the name of mike (I hope you're reading this) informed me that it wouldn't keep the door from twisting.

So, in an effort to create my own elbow joints to connect these tubes, I took a 7/8" oak dowel, cut it into eight 4 1/2" pieces, pounded them into the ends of the tube, and mitered them.  I then shot two screws through either side thinking this would really keep it from twisting.  Well, unfortunately, the frame still twists, most likely because the screws are bending.

What I need are sturdy, one-piece elbows measuring 7/8"x7x8".  I thought of taking two 1/2" sheets of MDF, gluing them together with Liquid Nails, routing 1/8" off one side, cutting out an elbow, and then pounding that into the ends (I can't find any wood that's 7/8" or 1" thick).  Failing that, make the elbow joints out of QUIKRETE.

Does anyone have any other good idea about joining these tubes together in a super-sturdy fashion?

Edit:  I should probably state that I bought these lengths of tubing precut from discountsteel.com.  Unfortunately, I do not have the ability to cut (this includes mitering or kerfing), weld, or bend steel, so I have to do the best with what I've got.  I guess it doesn't have to be as sturdy as a rock, but sturdy enough to resist twisting brought on by warping of MDF.

Latest 1" braces w/ metal framing screws

Miter the ends of the tubing itself and then weld the corners.


Bathroom Switch (Light/Fan) 3 Black Wires? GFCI? I'm replacing my bathroom switches (2) with a timer (for the fan) and a motion sensing switch (for the light) (lutron brand, not sure if that matters) and I ran into a very weird configuration:

So the fan switch was on the left of the image and had a ground wire and 2 black wires.

1 came from the wall and 1 came from the OTHER switch. The other switch (the light switch) had 1 black wire going into the back, and then another black wire (the one with part of the middle rubber lining taken off) going into the other one (they were both on the top portion of the switch, not sure if that matters)

Both switches only had "1" side with screws (So I guess single pole)

What is going on here exactly? There IS a GCFI outlet to the left of the switchplate.....is that maybe what the other black wire is for? If so.....what do I do with them? (Also does it matter at what position they are on the switch? IE: Top or bottom) since the right side bathroom light switch had them both on the top (one screw terminal and one push back one in the top)

Hard to tell for sure, but what it sounds like you have is:

A common hot wire going to both switches. That is not always the case, because you could have two different circuits, one for each switch. But more typical is what you have - power for the 2 switches coming in together (possibly chained to the GFCI outlet you mentioned, but can't tell for sure - and it doesn't really matter unless there is a problem).

Each switch then has a single wire going to a device (light or fan). Those wires are switched hot. Each device then has another wire coming back - that should be the white neutrals you see wire nutted together in the back of the box.

When switches are simple single-pole switches, they are normally marked (different color screws) for hot vs. switched hot, but it doesn't matter. However, for a timer or motion sensor hot vs. switched hot is critical. In addition, many timers and motion sensors and other fancy switches need to connect to a neutral. Fortunately, you have the neutrals easily accessible - just pigtail into the bundle that is already there.

What I recommend is:

Identify the hot and the 2 switched hot wires. That should be easy if you remember which wire is which - if not, you can (carefully!) turn on the circuit and check with a tester to see which of the black wires is hot.
Connect (wire nut) the hot wire to 2 new short pieces of black wire (pigtails) and connect one to the hot screw on each new switch. If a switch comes with a pigtail attached instead of a screw, you can use that.
Connect each switched hot to the switched screw on a new switch.
Connect neutrals to the new switches using pigtails.
Connect all grounds together, including screwing ground wires into the new switches as needed.

That should get everything up & running.


How do I stop lights from flashing when I turn on my table saw? I just installed a hanging fixture for two 40W T-12 fluorescent bulbs over my table saw. If I power up the saw when the lights are on, they flash off and come right back on (after the usual flickering). The saw is 1.75HP, 110V, 14A, and the circuit is 20A.

The receptacle currently powers the table saw from one outlet and a 1.5HP dust collector and the light fixture plugged into a power strip from the other outlet.

I know there is a big draw on the house's power when I turn on the saw, but this is a pain. Can I plug a UPS or other voltage-stabilizing device in front of the lights and dust collector to make this go away? Should I plug all the devices into a UPS? Or, should I deal with it and stop whining?

Thanks!

When an electric motor turns on, there is a thing called "inductive kick". What this means is that for a second at start up, the motor looks like a short circuit and draws more than the rated amperage. Voltage is dropped as well. This is corrected by huge capacitors in an industrial situation. In your case, the combination of large current drain and a resulting voltage drop causes the ballast for the florescent lights to fail to deliver proper voltage to the bulbs.  This is common.  I would move the plug for the lights to another circuit. The only other thing that will cure the problem is a motor starting capacitor.


water coming up from under cement foundation I've been living in my home for 28 years.  It's brick on a cement foundation built in 1985.  I had a patio poured at the back door in 1986. There is a approx. 1/16 inch crack that I should have sealed where the patio meets the brick but I never did and it has never been a problem.  For the last week water has been seeping from the crack in a couple of areas close to each other enough to saturate an area of approx 3 ft. x 7 ft. This area has been constantly wet for a week now.  Dont know if this is related but about a month ago the water pressure in my shower slowly decreased, got new shower head and had fair pressure for about a week and now it seem to be decreasing again.  Checked water meter and it shows no water leaking when no water is being used. The shower is on the opposite side of the leak, and the ground is not wet anywhere else around the house. Can someone please tell me what this is?

OK, the water must be coming from somewhere:

Water from a leak. If you've been checking your meter and don't think you have any leaks inside that's good, but it's possible there is a crack or break in service line upstream of your meter. This might actually explain reduced water pressure in the house. If you suspect this is the problem I would call your water company and have them take a look.
Rainwater. If the water appears only during and shortly after a storm, then you probably have a drainage problem. Make sure all gutters are directed away from the house. You might also look at grading near the house to make sure water will flow away from the house.  Is the porch at the bottom of a slope towards the house?
Groundwater. I would be a little surprised if this were groundwater welling up, but it's not impossible. Have you had a very wet spring that would've raised the water table level? Or done any serious landscaping / excavation / compacting in your area?
Septic system. An unhappy septic system can cause water to well up, although probably not so close to the house or clear / odorless. Do you have a septic system?

(I wouldn't beat yourself up too much about not sealing that gap. If water is pooling from below I doubt a little sealant would hold it off for long.)


What is this tool set for? What is this tool set in the red rack used for?

That is a set of punches.

There are pin punches (the straight flat tipped ones), for popping out roll pins and the like.

Center punches (the pointy ones) for marking a point in metal where to start a drill and to keep the drill bit from wandering.

Looks like two nail sets (the tapered flat pointed ones) for setting nails below the surface in wood.

And one tiny little chisel.


Bent Door Hinge & Partially Broken Frame This door was slammed so hard that it flew past the peice of wood that is nailed to the frame and now the hinges are severely bent. The door doesn’t close completely. In fact it now opens in the wrong direction.

I can’t get a screwdriver between the door and the hinges to remove the door  because of how bent the hinges are and the hinges themselves are weird. Neither end has a cap/head and there are little washers in between each section.

This door leads to a bedroom and the more we squeeze in and out of it the hinges bend more and more. I really need a way to fix this. Please help.

If the door slammed so hard that it squeezed past the door stop then the thing that you will have to do is to remove the door stop so that you can try to wedge the door back to it's correct side of the opening. Once that is achieved you can proceed to replace the hinges with new ones and then finally reinstall the door stop.

This picture shows what I refer to as the door stop molding:

(Picture Source: http://www.agnewtimber.com/12-x-44-pre-primed-whitewood-ogee-door-stop-door-set.php?cat=99)


Installing hardwire EVSE from existing NEMA 14-50? I'm looking to install a hardwired EVSE, but currently I have the necessary wiring going into a NEMA 14-50 outlet.

Can I splice the wiring going into the outlet and run new wire to the EVSE? The EVSE would go above the outlet in the picture. Advice on what's needed would be appreciated.

It's pretty straightforward.

Remove the wires from the old receptacle.  Your two hots are brown and yellow, and it doesn't matter which is which.  Usually that is color coded red/black or black/black, but brown/yellow is absolutely fine.

The cover plate on that junction box is what you call a mud ring, meant to be behind drywall.  You don't need that, so you can get a blank cover plate for that box, they make domed covr plates if you want that.

The old receptacle and mud ring go into storage.  A NEMA 14 is a nice modern safe receptacle, no reason to throw it out.

You run either a whip or EMT conduit from the charger to the junction box through one of the knockouts.

Then you splice the wires inside the junction box.  You may not need neutral; if not, just put a wire nut cap on it and tape it so it stays.

Use the size of wire specified in the installation instructions, or larger.

Change the circuit breaker to the size specified in the installation instructions.   If the instructions do not say, then look at the wires you used to connect, particularly if the wire whip came with the charger.   Otherwise breaker size is determined from the smallest conductor size (do not consider grounds or wiring that is entirely inside the charger proper):

6 AWG -- 50A or 60A breaker
8 AWG -- 40A breaker
10 AWG -- 30A breaker
12 AWG -- 20A breaker
14 AWG -- 15A breaker


Why do these LED light bulbs flicker when my remote control has turned them off? I bought some LED lights for my candelabra in my master bedroom. They're E12 bulbs (I think, since they do fit). Incandescents worked fine before. When I put these LEDs in there, they flicker when they're off. They work great ON but why would it be flickering when off? What possible solutions do I have? This is 1999 home, not too old.
Here's a video of my problem. I use a remote to turn off and on.
LED in question. I also tried another brand from Home Depot, but same results.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XY8LM1G/

The remote you use to turn the light on and off is not compatible with LED bulbs.  One reason people love LED bulbs is because they use so little power.  Unfortunately, some devices in the past used the fact that a regular light bulb can pass some current without glowing.  Certain types of switches use a little bit of "parasitic" voltage running through the bulb to supply power for them to operate.

Now, some LED bulbs will flicker even if they have a very tiny current.  The two solutions that I see are to try a dimmable LED bulb, and if that doesn't work, remove or replace the remote module.  Even if you don't have a dimmer function, the dimmable bulbs have more electronics in their drivers that could prevent them from flickering when a small current runs through them.


How do I change a single-pole switch to a timer with 4 wires? I a want to change out a pole switch to a timer switch. All makes sense except, there are only two wires on the pole switch and 4 on the new switch. So I only have the white and black and no ground available, but it's a metal box. And the switch also has a red wire. What do i do with the ground and the red?

You should read the instructions included with the new switch.  You'll likely find that the black wire is an ungrounded (hot) wire, the white is a grounded (neutral), and the red is the switched "hot" wire.

If there are only two wires coming into the box, you won't be able to connect the timer. The timer requires a grounded (neutral) connection, which is not present in a typical switch loop.

As for the ground wire. If the metal box is grounded, you can connect the ground from the switch to the box. You can connect the ground using a ground screw and the threaded hole in the back of the box, or using a ground clip.


What is the technical term for this style lighting? It’s basically looking like LED strip lights, whose light bounces off the ceiling, and the strips are on top of some sort of mold/ceiling fascia. I don’t even know what to google to find a picture to add to the post

Indirect lighting.
example here

Usually the light source is hidden by an archtectural feature, so the feature is constructed by normal building means and then the light source is hidden in it.

At my house we have one strip light hidden in an open topped curtain pelmet and another hidden behind an one of the exposed rafters.

These are 5' flourescent tubes with 40 year old iron ballasts.

Led strips could be hidden in a cornice moulding. etc.

it's going to be tricky to clean.


I have aluminum 12 2 wiring i want to add an extra light Daisy chain what gauge/amp copper wire do i use for a 3 ft span, i will be using alumiconns Adding 1 extra light total of 2 on circuit. Need to know what gauge of copper wire to add to aluminum 12-2 gauge 3’ span.

I will use AlumiConn connectors

You'll want 14/2 NM...

The rule for converting between aluminum and copper wire gauges is that in order to carry a given amount of current, you need an aluminum wire two sizes larger than the copper wire you would have used.  So, a 12AWG aluminum wire is rated for the same 15A as a 14AWG copper wire is, and NM is apropos since jurisdictions that don't permit NM also generally don't permit the use of aluminum, especially at branch-circuit gauges.

...and a torque screwdriver

While your choice of AlumiConns for this job is a good one, as they are the most reliable way of making an aluminum-to-copper branch circuit wiring connection available to the rest of us, they, like all mechanical setscrew splice/tap connectors, are sensitive to tightening torque.  As a result, a using an inch-pound torque screwdriver to tighten the connector screws to the manufacturer's specified torque value is highly recommended for long-term reliable results.

(Sidenote: if you're having trouble with the relatively chunky Alumiconns taking up too much room in the box, get a Wiremold ceiling starter box and use it as an extension ring to add extra volume.)


Connecting whole house surge protector to breakers I've ordered a Siemens FS140 Whole House Surge Protector that I will install myself.

The instructions say to keep the leads as short as possible and straight as possible.  I have an open square d slot farther away from where I want the FS140, but have a couple of 20 amp breakers already installed near where I'd want it. They feed the kitchen counters.

Is there a disadvantage to connecting the FS140 to the existing breakers (with pigtails) or does it really need its own breakers?

Update:

Response to moving it -- my two free slots are at the very top of the panel.  At the bottom are 2 x 30amp solar disconnects and then 2 x 20amp tied kitchen breakers.  I'm realizing now my bigger problem is the conduit underneath and beside which won't let me fasten the device to the wall.  Maybe I should just put it the top, which makes it harder to see, but you can't win all the time!

Update:

Thank you for the advice.  I ended up shifting breakers up to make room for the SPD breaker near the middle (where the power comes in).  I couldn't get it quite next to the middle because the bonding bar was in the way, so I ended up a slot or two higher, but this allowed the wires to be straight.

I was also worried about the 1.25" OD conduit on the right being in the way, but had forgotten there is already a 1" offset built into the SPD.

If the options

A)  choosing the shortest wire connections
and option
B)  connecting the SPD to its own breaker

are mutually exclusive, option A) is more important for the surge suppression, since possible capacitive or inductive couplings are minimzed.

The breaker is needed if the SPD is damaged or has been loaded with too much surge energy resulting in a long term low resistance - e.g. after a near lightning hit.
The normal circuit breakers (e.g. 20A) are much too slow to cut the surge current, which may be in the range of hundreds or thousands of Ampere, but will only flow for microseconds.

A SPD should be connected as close as possible to the incoming lines (power provider) of the breaker panel or main panel with as short connections as possible. At the same time, these wires should be "lonely" wires, i.e. all other wires should have a big distance to those SPD connection wires again to minimize any couplings.


Running 100amp service 240' to a detached shop. Lots of questions Okay, so when I started this project I had a buddy telling me what to do and what to buy and it "wasn't going to be a problem." I was told to buy 4/0 aluminum so now I have 235' of 4/0 aluminum in a ditch, and the friend is gone. lol. Anyway, here are my main questions...

1 - I have bought lugs to reduce the 4/0 at both ends to be able to connect to the 100a breaker on one end and the 100a sub box on the other. Is having a large run of wire, reduced on both ends to accomodate lugs going to cause problems?

2- Putting a 100a breaker in the main house panel to power the shop. I don't need another breaker or panel on the ouside of the house do I? I was planning on just running conduit til it gets in the ground and then its direct burial so just dirt the rest of the way.

3- recap - got a 100a breaker in the main panel. 235' of 4/0 wire in the ditch. 100a sub panel in the shop. Got reducing lugs to make the big wire fit. just want to make sure my plan is gonna work before I get after it. any help would be appreciated.

TLDR: it's overbuilt, but that's fine.  Spend a tiny amount more (or not even) and take advantage of the overbuilding.

Close enough for horseshoes

On #1, reducing the lugs is fine.  They make inline lugs, get ones made for 4/0 then knock it down to whatever will fit on the supply breaker in your main panel. It must be at least #1 Al, because that is the minimum wire size for 100A.

This is not reducing fat wire.  This is up-sizing correct size wire.   Up-sizing is always allowed.

Anyway, there may be another approach here.

On #2, you don't need another shutoff switch on the outside of the house.

Conduit until it's at-depth and then direct burial is fine, provided a) the wire is listed for direct burial and b) the depth is sufficient for direct burial.  The depth is 24" of cover overhead, not 24" of trench depth.  If the trench isn't deep enough, the day can be saved with conduit: most conduit needs 18” depth, and Rigid/IMC conduit only needs 6" (12" under vehicle routes).

The selection of aluminum wire is dead nuts perfect.  4/0 aluminum was a conservative choice and it isn't wrong. And there's a fourth ground wire in there, right?

The choice of 100A main-breaker subpanel isn't wrong, just cheap, and creates an unncessary problem that could cost more than it saves.

Here's what I don't like

Stock advice is to bump two numerical sizes for every full 120' of length.  However this is based on your actual, expected daily current draw, not your breaker rating. As an example, if you expected to draw 40A routinely, that's #6 Al, so you need 2 bumps, giving #2 Al.  This bump is not required by Code.  At all.   Separately from that, Code requires a size based on breaker rating, #1 Al for 100A.  Final answer #1 Al.

The usual mistake here is to bump based on breaker rating instead of actual usage, and to treat the bump as inflexible when it's not.  I would have preferred your friend have a conversation about your actual expected usage.  But this is one of  those "nobody ever got fired for buying IBM" deals, it's not like he gave you bad advice.  And you are stuck with it, so let's work backwards.

Code will allow 200A on 4/0 Al wire.  So as far as Code is concerned, you can breaker this run for a full 200A.   "Advice" says 4 bumps for 250', so unbumping, we get #1 Al, so your voltage drop will be trivial until you're pulling more than 100A.

Subpanels don't need main breakers, a main-lug panel will suffice.  Subpanels in outbuildings need main shut-off switches.  And the cheapest way to get that is to use a main-breaker panel. The breaker size doesn't matter because it is only a shut-off switch.

"Help! I am out of panel spaces!" Is the #1 panel complaint we get around here.  It is a very expensive problem. The cheap person who specced the poster's original panel did not ever foresee their desire for hot tub, extra kitchen circuits, GFCI/AFCI requirement preventing use of double-stuff breakers, electric car, nicer table saw, generator/interlock, tankless water heater, Code changes -- whatever, it's always something.

Because of that, we are quick to advise to think BIG when speccing a panel.   Big panels come with big main breakers, 100A implies a small-ish panel.

What about the cost difference for a bigger panel?  Not that much, and it's a net win, because you don't need to buy 3 of these things since a 200A panel will, obviously, take 4/0 wire directly.

So  I strongly recommend to get a 200A subpanel. This neatly solves 3 problems:

will allow you to up-breaker this circuit to its true capacity later
the 4/0 wire will fit just fine on this breaker without expensive couplers
good room for expansion

Now let's flip it around to the main panel. This cable, if not downsized, can be breakered as high as 200A. A larger breaker will solve the "4/0 won't fit on breaker" problem.  If your main's main breaker is 200A, you do not need a breaker at all because the main breaker provides the required protection.  So if your main panel has thru lugs or a place to lug between main breaker and main panel, you could be all set. Or talk to your electrical supply house about a "lug breaker" that snaps into breaker spaces and provides plain lugs.  The only gotcha about thru-lugging is you would not be able to turn off the run to the shed without shutting off the whole house.


Looking for studs in thick plasterboard to attach 12" kitchen cabinet I have the Ikea 12" kitchen cabinet. It is standalone (between sink that's separately attached and stove). It is a pullout, so I need to attach it to wall.

I cannot find the studs in that wall at all. I have the Franklin sensor that just shows that theres something there for 80% of the space behind the cabinet, and it varies as i move it up and down.

When I use a strong magnet (type that can hold a hammer) - it stick to a small horizontal part above the cabinet but does not feel anything below it (so not a stud).

2 part question:

1 - how can I find a stud (I dragged the franklin sensor and magnet across that whole wall and not getting anything reliable)

2 - potentially it is a concrete wall or somehow solid? (it's between my apartment and neighbors). The building was build in 1930s, can I use on of the screw in anchors regardless of whether its a stud or not? and would it be safe to use? I don't foresee us putting anything extremely heavy into the kitchen cabinet, but I expect there will be pots and dishes.

Most likely it's a lathe and plaster wall, which can give stud finders fits. Since it's behind a cabinet anyway try measuring from a known stud and drilling a test hole with a small bit. You know there will be studs at windows and alongside electrical boxes. (Though you may need to remove the over plate and peek to find the correct side.)


What nap roller should I use for primer? And does it matter, in choosing the nap, what the sheen of paint will be used over the primer? E.g. if I do my bathroom in semi-gloss using 3/8" nap vs living room in flat with 1/2" nap, should I also prime the bathroom with 3/8" nap and the living room with 1/2" or it doesn't matter?

Generally the smoother the finish the smaller the nap.  The nap on the primer wouldn't matter in this situation.  I doubt your walls were done with perfection - no offense (none of mine are either).  So you need a certain amount of primer to get to the point of painting.  Meaning if you use a smaller nap for primer you will just have to make more swipes to get to the same point.  Most painters I know won't prime with anything smaller than a 1/2 inch.


What to use for 16ft span, max 1500 lbs Greatly appreciate if anyone out there would have an idea what to use to support a lift in the center of a 16 ft span, and have a 1500 lbs max load?
Thinking of maybe three stacked 2x8x16s??

An "I" beam. I have pulled engines from cars and see triple 2x8s bend over a 5-6' span.   No way are you going to carry a dead load of that much weight right at the center with less than an I beam...  I mean you could but the wood would be much much more expensive than a basic I beam.


How can I remove ridges from a concrete shower pan? I recently laid a new concrete shower pan, and went around the drain radially, which created some circular ridges.

I'd like to make the pan as smooth as possible, but these ridges are currently 1/8" to 1/4" high. How can I level these out, and do I even need to worry about it if I'm laying thinset when I put my tile down?

You probably don't need to concern yourself.  The thinset plus tile should smooth out the imperfections just fine.

If you really want to remove them, you'll probably need to use a concrete grinder.  But that's pretty expensive.  As a "lightweight" alternative, a 4" angle grinder with a  masonry wheel would knock the top off of the ridges.  But it would take a lot of time and make a lot of mess to really remove much material that way.


How do I stop the black sludge coming from our bathroom faucets? I have a black looking sludge dripping from our bathroom faucets.

What can be done to stop this?

Have the water lab tested for bacterial content at your water source and at the faucets where the sludge is dripping out. E. Coli means your water source is contaminated.

If you're running PEX, black bioslime in certain brands is a known issue.

Flush with Hydrogen Peroxide as Chlorine does absolutely nothing to the bioslime.

Also, high magnesium content can cause black staining, but not the goo.

Another thing to check for is bacteria contaminated sediment filters if you have them. If this has happened you will need to remove the filter elements and attempt to clear the systemic infection.

In the case of a biofilm contamination event, it's a multi step process to clear the biofilm. Completely empty the water system, blow out with air, allow to dry to break down the biofilm. Flush with Hydrogen Peroxide then Phosphoric acid. Flush with a detergent to wash the biofilm residue out. Flush with a Hypoclorite solution. Flush with clean water. Test for bacteria.


How to connect a semi rigid aluminum duct to a rigid aluminum duct In a 4 story multi-owner house in Rotterdam, the Netherlands there is an 80mm semi-rigid aluminum duct like the one shown in the image below which contains the water heater exhaust of my neighbors who live below. Since I have made structural changes to the roof this duct needs to be extended. Ideally, it can connect with a rigid pipe that can then connect with the roof exhaust.

I cannot find a piece to provide a mechanical connection from this semi-rigid pipe to a rigid pipe. Do you have any suggestions?
Is there any reason why the following hack wouldn’t work?
The 80m semi-rigid pipe is placed inside a minimum of 50mm distance inside a 90mm rigid aluminum pipe. Griffon HBS-200 (a universal, durable, water and airtight and protective sealant is used to seal the connection. Vaster Aluminium Tape then wraps the entire connection. This detail is sketched in the image below.

Questions

What connection should I use (if you can share products from other countries I can look for their equivalent in the Netherlands)?
Is my hack a stupid idea and why?

A couple of potential problems:

Sooner or later the duct will have to deal with liquid water running down the interior wall. It'll be condensate from the exhaust gases themselves, or condensate from warm moist outdoor air falling onto a cool pipe, or rain water entering in a storm.. Anyway, the water will pool inside that connection.
Liquid water will turn acidic because of other compounds in the exhaust gases. Are the proposed sealants appropriate for the usage?

Perhaps you could make your own adapter. Crimp some pleats or tucks into the end of the 90 mm duct so that its diameter is reduced. Continue until it shrinks enough to fit inside the 80 mm duct. Slide the 80 mm over the crimped 90 mm, secure with sheet metal screws, and then tape over the joint.
The tucks can be made one at a time with long-nose pliers by grabbing the metal and twisting, but there are pliers made for crimping ducts in this way. (Thanks for the photo, Amazon.)


What's the best option to repair a long asphalt driveway with heavily cracked portions? I have a long-ish driveway (about 50 - 80 feet and 10 feet wide?)...it's about 10 years old, have heavy cracks in the beginning, middle, and end, but otherwise still serviceable. What are my options to repair the cracks and the durability/cost of the options (and which would you recommend)? Not an expert in this area, but my thoughts are:

Seal the cracks with stuff like GemSeal
Pave over the entire driveway with a new layer of asphalt
Dig up the cracked areas and put in new portions (is that even possible?)
Replace entire driveway

Not sure about GemSeal or similiar stuff, but if You live in hard climate area, won't last for long, to be sure.
That will crack in next year or so.
Possible, but depends on how long these cracks are and what kind of these are (what forces cause this problem). I wouldn't recomend that.
Good idea, especially in harsh climate, where ground freezes in winter, and - if underbed of Your current layer is rather badly done. It may be done with other material than asphalt. There are some materials like brick paving. You could do this Yourself probably. Don't forget to make good substructure.

If You are short on money, try 1.(not sure) or 3.(You will need some devices and helping hands).  If You got some savings and want to to this really nice and good-looking, choose 4. (which I strongly prefer).


Wiring with source at the box I am an avid DIY guy. I have tackled many projects in my new home of three years. Just recently installed a new dome light in the center of my son's bedroom. So here's my issue. Originally there was a wall sconce style light on the wall. I removed that light and the idea was to wire nut a longer line from the old wire to the new light location. When i removed the old light from the wall to expose the box I noticed the main source came in at the box. In this box it has 3 whips. 1 for the main source, one for the switch and another that apparently goes out to a hallway light right outside the bedroom. The hallway light has its own switch. So I hooked everything up to the best of my ability but now the only way you can use the light in the hallway is if you have the light on in the bedroom. I can't afford an electrician right now so any help is very much appreciated. I will draw a picture of my situation and post it if necessary. Thank you in advance.

Identify your new cable going to the ceiling lamp.  Mark the black wire with red tape.    The color of this wire is now red, because the tape overrides the original color.

Identify the cable going off to the switch.  Mark its white wire with black tape, and mark its black wire with red tape.

Now join black to black, red to red and white to white.

Put a blank cover plate over it.  This must remain accessible forever. You can paint over the cover plate but cannot remove it.


Bathroom in-wall exhaust fan with dimmer? In searching this SE, I see many questions discussing traditional ceiling fans and dimmer switches.

This question revolves around bathroom in-wall exhaust fans and dimmer switches.  Is it safe to replace a standard on/off switch with a dimmer switch for an in-wall bathroom exhaust fan?  Will doing so quickly destroy the fan?

The fan is a standard construction-grade inexpensive in-wall exhaust fan.

The idea is to conserve energy and reduce fan noise.

After my mother-in-law cooks a meal, it can be turned up to full power in order to handle the increased noxious vapors in the bathroom due to all the urgent visits.  Otherwise, it can be used at lower levels.

This kind of fans usually use a shaded-pole motor. From wikipedia:

  they are compatible with TRIAC-based variable-speed controls, which often are used with fans

So it appears the fan should be fine.

But there is some risk to the dimmer due to voltage spikes generated by the inductive load. You could try to find a dimmer switch that is rated to control inductive loads, or you could just try it out. A typical fan is pretty low powered device and a typical dimmer might be able to handle the small inductive spikes it will produce.


Creating a wireless water level indicator and/ or controller I wish to create a wireless water level indicator for measuring the level of water in my sump and then making automatic changes to the motor switch to fill the water to the overhead tank. What are the tools required to do so. In the market online, I find very less wireless options available. The float sensors are all wired, and are quite expensive. Is there a DIY solution to this?
I think installing two electrodes with a powered battery, with an alert occurring in my smart phone ( or a similar alarming system) is the way to go. For this, I think I need to have a bluetooth installed  in the provisional sensor. As for remote controlling the switch of the water motor, I think I have to somehow modify the available controller in the market which works for wired sensors. Any ideas how this could be done from scratch. I am a total beginner in this. Thanks beforehand.

An Arduino would fit the bill here except for the difficulty and also expense of adding WiFi connectivity to it.  Wifi "hats" are fairly expensive.
Let me suggest that a Raspberry Pi Zero W is probably the easiest way to make your own IoT device that will keep track of your water level and give you an easy way to check on it or send an alarm.
Here is an example project:
Pi Water Level


How do I temporarily plug a broken outdoor spigot? A spigot outside of my home just broke halfway off. There's no longer a way to screw a hose on or anything that can stop the flow of water, and I don't know of any plumbing companies near me that can operate at this time. So I turned off the water supply in order to stop the waste of water. Is there a way that I can plug the spigot so I can use the water in the rest of my house? Or do I have to wait until I can secure a plumber?

Depends if you can use a wrench or not, or if your house was plumbed sensibly...

If your house was plumbed sensibly, there will be an additional valve somewhere in the house, generally near the hose spigot, that will shut off only the water to the spigot, not the whole house.

If not you need to unscrew the broken spigot, and (depending on what sort of threads it has) put on a cap or put in a plug. Or just put on a new spigot.


Lifting 200-300 LBS with 2x8 wood - design question I want to lift the body off my 66 VW (not the whole car). Since I already have a 450 lb rated hoist, I decided to take an advantage of it and use it for lifting. This comes handy specially when try to put the body back on the frame.
Question I have if my design can handle the weight? I am only planning to suspend the body for a few mins, until I move the frame out and place the dolly under it to lower it down.
With that said, I have
I have two  2”x6”- 5 feet long going across the front and rear windows opening. (inside I have some extra woods / padding so it not resting on the doors).
On top I have a 5 feet long 2”x8” with a 1/2" eye in the center of it.
The bottom woods are fastened to the top wood with 3/8” threaded rods and also all the bolts are 3/8” head.

The weight of the body is 200 LB, but for safety, let’s assume is 300 LB. can the woods handle the lift? My main concern is the top wood which is lifting 300 LB (~ 150 on each side). can 150 LB on each side bend the 2”x8” enough to break it?
All these woods were purchased from Home Depots. Not sure what kind of woods they are but used for constructions.

This will most likely work if the body is as light as you say, but that seems like an optimistic estimate.  When you start to lift, the board should tell you if it's going to be ok.

By the book, this isn't strictly "safe", but I don't have a problem with self-engineered solutions.  The one thing you have to remember is to treat the lifted object as if it could fall at any moment.  Never put yourself or one of your limbs under the body and always predict how it will fall if it does and stay out of that path.

What you have created will work, but it is also dangerous in that it has not been tested or properly planned/designed.  It could damage the car, and it could damage you, so treat it like a pending failure, and be happy when everything does work out.


How to make Ariston Hotpoint FMG 863 SK washing machine to use more water Due to EU and US regulations, latest models of washing machines are really eco-friendly and use much less water thant their previous models. The problem is, this has to be countered by increasing the time to run the programs in order to keep the washing results good. Regular 60 C degree cotton program can take anything from three hours up to four. Often these models have also 1 hour fast wash, but the results are far from good if your clothes are even slightly more dirtier than your regular one day worn shirt. Some times it would just be really convinient to load the machine half full of water, run the fast program and still get good washing results.

There is a video on YouTube on how to hack Samsung Front Loader to use more water: https://youtu.be/2gYXdfg9TFg

Can I apply this information to hack my Ariston Hotpoint or are there any general tips some one can provide to make latest models of washing mascines to use more water?

I doubt that there is a way to do this, unless it is clearly written in the manual. Additional water in my Candy washing machine is used only for additional rinsing cycles and not for washing, therefore it even prolongs the time of washing, which is opposite of what I (and you, it seems) want.

I posted the similar question - whether there is a washing machine on the market that would allow me to low-level program it (e.g. to determine the amount of water as well). Apparently there isn't, but the feature is available in commercial washing machines, for example:

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

Note the specs, it says: USB port microprocessor enables to reprogram freely&easily by PC.

Perhaps your service/repair guy has this kind of access to your machine, but I highly doubt it, since it would probably make the energy certification invalid. The best is calling the authorized service shop and ask them.


Outdoor kitchen countertop support I'm building an outdoor kitchen and have to buy the countertops, or at least hire a countertop guy, soon.

Because (a) there is a gas grill so I can't use flammable materials like plywood and (b) it's outside so ply or OSB or MDF (?!) would rot or turn to mush, what, if anything should I use?

The maximum span is 26" between supports. This is over an alcove for a fridge. That area will be supported on three sides but open at the front. If push comes to shove I think I might be able to squeeze in some 2" deep angle iron but I would prefer not to.

Don't mind paying for 1- inch thick slab but obviously I don't want to spend hundreds on a countertop only for it to give way.

One idea I had was cement backer board.

Thoughts anyone?

With my experience, stainless steel counter tops are the best for outdoor kitchen considering the fact that its open to regular changing weather. Make sure you opt for good brand counter tops which are resistant to corrosion and rust which will last for years with NSF certified for food safety.


Are pre-drilled holes in pvc french drain pipe enough holes? Are the two lines of pre-drilled holes in 4" french drain pvc pipe enough holes, or is it better to drill another line of holes, maybe between the 2 lines?

The holes in the pipe are enough; drilling more would weaken the pipe. The important thing with French drains is to have a good bed of gravel around the pipe for several inches. I like using a sock on my pipes to prevent the fine gravel from falling into the holes. No need to drill more holes the ones that are there are more than enough.


Discoloration on load center bus bar I recently replaced our main load center with a larger one. I was planning to use the old, smaller panel as a sub panel in an addition we are building.

After removing the breakers from the old panel, I noticed some discoloration on the bus bar, where the breakers attach. The panel and all breakers were Square D QO brand. The contacts on the breakers don't seem to have this.

Is this panel still safe to use? What causes this? Should I use some electrical contact cleaner on the bar?

Are you sure that the brownish color is not due to some contact grease? It may have come originally from the breaker(s). Try to see if it will wash off with a Q-tip and some isopropyl alcohol.

Be careful to not scrape the bus bar with any sharp metal tool because the silver colored plating on them is quite thin and you risk exposing the underlying copper.


How should I shim a foundation vent? I bought some new foundation vents that attach with tension screws instead of mortar.  I chiseled out my old vent and with the new vent in place, there is a large gap. How do you recommend I fill the remaining gap to prevent rodent intrusion?  I was thinking about adding a small brick with some mortar on one side to fill the 1.5" gap. I was hoping to not need mortar for installation.

Link to the vents: http://www.lowes.com/pd_17140-228-RABL_0__?productId=3593660&Ntt=foundation+vent&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dfoundation%2Bvent&facetInfo=

Click for full size image

The vent is almost the same size as the masonry opening in width, since the vent is plastic, I would use a table saw to reduce the top and bottom flanges to get it to fit between the top and bottom row of brick and trim the edges the small amount needed as well.

After that, set the vent inside the brick opening enough to bear against the mortar that is still in the opening. Hopefully that is at least 1/2". I think it would look better if it was an inch at least, but it is not needed. It only needs to be deep enough to form an inside corner to take a bead of caulk to seal out the unwanteds.
Or if you choose, you can tuck in a little mortar around the perimeter to do the same, but the more the vent is recessed, the more durable the repair will be. That means you might need to remove the original mortar to do so.It would be good to dampen the brick slightly first if you choose the mortar route.

Good luck.

PS. If you want to be sure that no vermin will get through, chisel out the rest of the masonry cement, (stay away from the outside corner, they will chip off in a heartbeat) dampen the brick as mentioned before and smear some mortar into the opening before you push in the vent, some mortar will inherently squeeze around the frame, the mix will need to be like a peanut butter maybe even toothpaste looseness. After the vent is set, place the remaining cement around the perimeter, this will lock it in real good.
Then again caulk will do pretty good too.


What is this part called and where can I buy it? So I replaced the weather stripping on all of my very old windows yesterday. The windows are sash windows. In the process I unfortunately broke two of the spring-loaded things that hold the top part of the window securely into the frame's guides. Here are some photos of both one I didn't break, and the individual disassembled parts:

So, my questions are:

What is this called?
Where can I get replacements?

Thank you!

Go to  allaboutdoors.com. Guid, or cam sash top, seasonally/white,  May be part in white only.  Only 3 bucks, buy two or more that price. If not part, tons more to look at.   PART#  538009


What are these marks on the Romex wire in the wall? I was replacing some damaged siding and decided to replace the old dirty insulation at the same time.  After pulling out the insulation I noticed that the Romex running to two outlets had some brown sticky stuff on it.  Any ideas what it is and why it's there?  I'm including a picture of one of the the wires.

Went back and found a piece of the old insulation and took a picture.  It looks like tar paper on the inside.  That's probably it.  Thank you.

That is tar from the old insulation, that's why it is sticky. I don't know why or how it happens, but old insulation had tar in the paper, and it is very common.

It is not scorching or melting from overheating.

Take a utility knife and try to gently scrape some of the black away. You should see it's just on the surface. It's nothing to worry about.


What is the cheapest/easiest way to make bookshelves? I own a lot of books, and would love to display them on a bookshelf that covers an entire wall. I love the look of wood, but it is so expensive at the moment. I'm also a bit short of spare time, so I am pondering the cheapest and/or easiest way to make a large bookshelf. The compromise will be on appearance I guess.

I've had a few ideas:

Buy from IKEA (usually very cheap) and butcher it to fit, then paint it to obscure the cheap finish
Salvage unpainted wood from local skips (dumpsters) - I've got lots of wood this way, but never long neat planks, or enough of the same size timber!
Run two parallel wires (or metal rods) from wall to wall, and sit the books on that - would the covers get spoilt?
Somehow make the shelf out of old books from a charity shop?!
Wait for Freecycle to come good...

By the way, I've bought a Kindle, which is going to reduce the problem in the future!

Trimming out DIY-assembled shelves is a common way to go about it. Ikea, of course, being a popular source for the DIY shelves to use.

The basic premise is buy your shelving system, assemble it, then use trim stock to finish it off to give it the look of a built-in or single unit.


What kind of receptacle is this? I was rearranging stuff in my basement and found a strange looking receptacle. It is on a 15A circuit in an 1950s house. It is in a room that I suspect (for a bunch of reasons) was finished by the owner rather than the builder, probably in the 1960s or 1970s.

It's a plug that accepts Hubbell's 1906 tandem and 1912(?) parallel plugs. Both were rated for a maximum of 250v, but usually wired for 120.

Similar rating to Edison 1" (now called E26), most are rated for up to 250v, but we commonly see them used only for 120v.


Silica dust in kitchen countertops 6 months ago, I moved to apartment with quartz countertops. Today I realized that at the bottom of the all kitchen shelves beneath the countertops is a fine white powdery dust. It seems dust is falling and accumulating inside the cabinetry below the shelves; my pots, food, plates, cutlery, kitchen towels.
Is this normal? Did the renovating company not wipe dust from the install or there a defect in the countertops? Should I try to complain? And is this dust harmful for inhalation or ingestion? Is silica dust safely cleaned by wiping with damp cloth or washing in washing machines?

Pretty common practice for most trades not to clean after themselves.  Even the trades that do clean after themselves I have a hard time imagining cleaning the underside of the slab.
My experience is the same as yours.  If you touch the underside of the slab you are likely  to come away with dust - unless you personally cleaned it.
I wouldn't worry about it.
Silica or silicon dioxide is regulated by the FDA to be no more than 2% by weight of any food sold.  It is unlikely whatever did drop into your plates was more than 2% by weight of your food.
The danger with silica is inhalation but the concern is really around industrial exposure where you are working with concrete cutting/grinding or mixing and there are visible clouds of it in the air and you are breathing these clouds on a semi-regular basis.
I find it hard to imagine that you could ever expose yourself to enough of the dust left under the counter for it to have an affect on you.  You probably get more exposure from buildings being demolished, city workers doing work on sidewalks/roadways, renovators mixing mortar or concrete or thinset in your neighborhood, etc.
FDA regulation


Washer not spin on all cycles Washer stopped being able to spin on regular and permanent press cycles, but works fine on Hand wash cycle. Its not due to unbalanced load. Maytag LAT8826AAE

Found two different sites that seem to suggest a broken timer for that same model:

http://forum.appliancepartspros.com/washer-repair/411851-maytag-washer-cycle-issue.html
http://www.justanswer.com/appliance/6798o-maytag-lat8826aae-will-not-rinse-drain-spin-regular.html

Which would make sense if only some modes work while others don't. It's a pretty cheap part to try replacing too (not enough rep to post 3 links, but remove the space):

partselect .com/Models/LAT8826AAE/


60C or 75C wiring for 60C/75C breaker & output heatsink If you have a THHN wire rated up to 90C. You can only use either 60C or 75C for a 60C/75C breaker. What are the conditions where you could use the 75C?

I understand the temperature limit is because the internal parts circuit breaker can get this hot and it needs the conductor to dissipate the heat. But what if you install a big heatsink just outside the breaker. Then you can use 75C or even 90C already?

The idea of modifying the breaker so you could use smaller wire is wrong on a number of levels but I'll just discuss one.

  But what if you install a big heatsink just outside the breaker. Then you can use 75C or even 90C already?

The electrical code requires that most of your electrical system be listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory (NRTL) such as Underwriter's Laboratories (UL).

The electrical code requires that listed equipment must be utilized according to the manufacturer's instructions;  not doing so violates the listing.  If you modify a listed device, it's effectively no longer listed.

Adding a heat sink to a breaker would be a modification, and as such would not be permitted.


GFCE-protected outlet trips, GFCI outlet doesn't I recently moved into this house. I have a GFCI-protected outlet on an island in the kitchen (on the right in the picture): it is protected by a GFCI outlet on the wall (left of the stove in the picture). When I plug my vacuum cleaner into the outlet on the island and start the vacuum, the outlet trips within about a second and I have to go push the reset button on the outlet on the wall. I plugged the same vacuum cleaner into the wall outlet and was able to run it for 15 seconds or so without problem (I didn't try to run it longer).

What can I do to diagnose where the problem lies? Can I fix it myself (I can do straightforward stuff like turn off the circuit and change the outlet, matching the existing wiring) or do I need to call an electrician? Is it a safety issue if I choose not to fix anything and put outlet covers on the island outlet so it doesn't get used?

First and foremost, keep in mind that as long as that GFCI is tripping, it is doing it's job and keeping you safe.  Whatever hazard exists, if any, is mitigated as long as the GFCI trips.  If it turns out the GFCI is faulty and is tripping when it shouldn't, it's a nuisance, but not a hazard.

That said, before I'd go any further, I'd confirm that the results you're getting are consistent and repeatable.  It sounds like you just tested twice with the vacuum, once in the island recep, once in the GFCI recep.  I'd repeat the tests several times.

I'd also plug an extension cord into the GFCI, and the vacuum into the extension cord, and see what happens.

I'd also test with something other than the vacuum - a toaster or something with a significant load but not a motor.

Assuming the results are consistent, consider two possibilities:

There's a ground fault in the island receptacle wiring that's causing the GFCI to trip when you use the vacuum on the island receptacle.
The GFCI is faulty; the fault doesn't affect loads plugged in, but does affect downstream loads on its line side terminals.

Number 1. will not be surprising;  getting wires into an island can be a bit tricky.  It's not like setting a box in a hollow wall.  Someone may have abused the wiring getting it in there, or may have failed to protect it from a drawer in the island, or any number of other things.

Of the two, 2. is much easier to test;  just replace the GFCI with a brand new good quality GFCI receptacle.  Use a good brand, one of the better models - might be labelled "commercial" or "heavy duty" or "industrial" or whatever.  Buy something other than Leviton.  Test it with both the test button and a receptacle tester with a GFCI test button.

Replace the receptacle, repeat the tests, and see if the recep was the issue.  If not - the issue is unchanged - you have to conclude there is some fault in the wiring between the GFCI and the island receptacle.

If that's the case, first thing to try - longshot, but take it - replace the island receptacle with a standard receptacle, again use a high quality receptacle, and make sure all the connections are solid.  Test.

Still no good?  At that point the remaining options get quite a bit harder.

Testing the wiring with an insulation resistance tester (megger) may confirm that there's a wiring fault, but the megger may miss the fault.

Replacing the wiring may be a little work, may be a lot.

Taking the wiring out of service may be straightforward.  If you open the GFCI box and find there's a cable that feeds the island and nothing else, you can label that wire, cap it at both ends, and blank off the island receptacle.  The only problem may be when you sell the house, the next home inspector may note that the code required island receptacle is missing.


AC minisplit (two condenser ((2x 24k) vs one condenser_48K with two branch boxes) I am trying to install A/C minisplit system with 6 zones.
However there is no space for the indoor branch boxes unless huge home improvements is done.
I was wondering if to install two condensers in small outside deck could be an alternative option. I would like to know it will work as efficient as "48K-two branch boxes". Huge innovation also costs a lot of money.

If you locate two mini-split condensers so close together that the hot air from one unit can drift into the other unit when the wind blows from a certain direction, that will reduce the efficiency. It would be better to separate the two condensers so hot air from one can dissipate before it reaches the other unit.
Also, try to locate condensers on the side of the house that is shady and cooler in the afternoon.


How bad is it to use a molly in a stud? Unfortunately, I started installing a blind before properly reading up about drywall and studs (my previous flats did not feature drywalls). I ended up drilling a hole into the stud and fastening the blind using mollies.

I tried to pull the mollies out, but they seemed to be anchored quite well. I hate to leave a sloppy job behind me, but I would have it even more if I made a bigger damage.

How bad is it to put mollies into studs? Should I replace the mollies with plastic screw anchors?

Chances are you did not drill a 1 1/2" hole for a molly (into a stud, such that you created a notch), so the rules about notching are not really applicable, but this would be the best kind of guide.

The depth for notching a stud depends on whether or not it is load bearing. For a load bearing stud you can notch up to 25% (7/8") depth; for a non-load bearing stud it is 40% (roughly 1 3/8") depth.

Now, considering how deeply you drilled and the size of the bit should help elucidate the answer. If you drill bit was less than 3/8", then you should be okay. If the drill bit was more like 3/4" and you drilled more than a couple inches deep, then it could be a problem.


Why are the LED lights in my ceiling fan suddenly dim? Installed ceiling fan with LED lights. Circuit has three way switches no dimmers. Lights worked fine for a 1-1/2 months, but then turned on one morning and lights are dim. Fan has a remote to turn on and off.

It sounds like the driver for the LED has started to fail, I have seen this a few times , I would check to see if it is under warranty and exchange it.