Why would turning on one breaker trip another? Before rearranging the main living room, I replaced two 15A outlets that were previously hidden. (The new outlets are the kind that are hard for kids to jam things into.) After doing this I discovered, or rediscovered after forgetting, that the circuit appears to be redundant. I can’t get both 15A circuits to stay up. Turning on one while the other is on makes the other pop.

Now, as I said, I can’t recall if I discovered this before and forgot. The house could stand to be rewired with a new box, but that’s a crazy pipe dream that won’t add value to the home. Absent that, should I be concerned here? Should I replace the two circuits? Am I misreading how these circuits work? Does this pair allow 30A? Surely not. I double checked my work with the outlets.

Somewhere the circuits have been bridged together where they shouldn't be. And if the hots are out of phase with each other, then turning them both on creates a direct path from one hot to the other, and a short, which is tripping your breaker.

If you're seeing this kind of wiring issue, then there are almost certainly others that are also there, and the proper solution is to gut your house, find all the hidden junctions, fire hazards, and other wiring issues, and likely rewire the whole mess.

Since you'll likely ignore that advice, find the mid-point between these two circuits, break it into two by unhooking the load connection from the outlets on each end of the two circuits, label the line, and bind the hot and neutral together on each end of that disconnected line so that no one reconnects the circuit accidentally. To find the midpoint, start unhooking one side of an outlet and see what still works when you turn on one of the two circuits. And make sure the kids aren't trying to put things in the outlets while you're testing.


gas line location for natural gas clothes dryer In the US, what are the usual code requirements governing where you can put a gas clothes dryer relative to the gas line, and governing length and clearance for the flexible gas line between wall and dryer?

Specifically, is there usually a code requirement that the gas line for a clothes dryer is immediately in back of the dryer?  I noticed this "must be in back" requirement when Home Depot installs a dryer and was wondering if this is a code requirement or Home Depot's requirement.

I'm asking because our current dryer is recessed into a "nook" in the laundry room but the gas line comes out of the wall to the right of the nook. The flexible gas tubing is attached to the gas line, snakes back and left about 12 inches, goes through the 2-inch gap between dryer and right wall of the nook, and finally hooks up to the dryer. See below (apologies for ASCII art).

||============||
||            ||
||  "nook" ***||
||         * *||
||  ---------*||
||  |       |*|=====||
||  |       |*      ||
||  | dryer |*****--|| <- gas line comes out here (* = flexible gas tubing)
||  |       |       ||
||  |       |       ||

The nook is clearly a do-it-yourself add-on from house's previous owner (e.g. walls in back of the nook are plywood!).  There are built-in shelves over the area where the gas line is so no one is going to step on the gas line, but that doesn't mean it's up to code!  ;-)  Judging by (poorly) filled-in holes in the linoleum floor, the original dryer location was did indeed have the gas line directly in back of it, as Home Depot recommends, but I'd prefer to keep the current location because it yields more room in our small laundry area.

The International Fuel Gas Code does not mention any line routing requirements.  (See section 613.)

If it were me, I would fasten some wood blocking to protect the gas line from being pinched by the dryer should it walk or be moved.  It should probably go along the right edge of the nook, especially at the front, and at the front of the right side of the original space.  2x4 flat against the wall should be more than enough.


Reverse osmosis drain with a single basin sink when there is garbage disposal? The reverse osmosis installation instructions state

if you have garbage disposal then install the drain saddle before it

Unless I am misunderstanding what "before" (or after) means, it is unclear to me how I could ever install drain saddle before garbage disposal in my case as it looks like this:

Two questions:

Does it mean I have to install drain saddle in dishwasher hose? Obviously it would not work on the ribbed hose.
Alternatively, are there Reverse Osmosis faucets that would have two holes where second hole would simply drain directly in sink?

That video is confusing. The purpose of the drain saddle is to provide a channel for the RO system to drain excess water - this is pretty standard. The problem with the current drain configuration is that the disposal runs directly into the P trap. You actually want the drain saddle installed between the disposal and the P trap.
The proper setup for this is to rerun your 1.5 inch drain from the disposal running it horizontally far enough for you to attach the drain saddle and then into the P trap. You may be able to rotate the elbow coming out of the disposal to accomodate a horizontal run. If not you may have to rotate your disposal a few degrees to give you the room you'll need.
I'm not sure of the building codes in your area but I'm fairly certain that attaching it to the drain before the P trap would violate code.


Short while trying to measure line voltage on a 3 way switch So i am trying to change my regular 3 way switches to smart ones and before i started taking them out, I took a multi meter to find hot wires and label them.

So with the upstairs 3 way switch ON ( aka light is ON), using the multimeter probes:

Black probe to green ground, red probe to bronze screw with red traveler wire: 120v

Black probe to green ground screw, red probe to black screw ( which i believe is the common) as soon i touched it with the probe, POOOOOOOOOOOF! smoke, bright spark, and the tip of probe got black. Breaker didn't trip tho, the light was still on....
Is there something funky with my wiring? I would assume i should be able to measure voltage this way without any issues.

Or maybe the multi meter is bad? Don't think so because it measures the red wire to 120v just fine without firewoks..

Any ideas?

I can get pictures of both upstairs and downstairs switches later when i get home if that helps, but the wiring seems pretty standard.

Well it's possible you're unrealizingly touching something else, like the shell of the metal junction box, but that would cause arcing damage to your test lead.

Yes.  The switch you are probing is defective.

Cracked switches happen all the time.  When you lean on it a little bit with the probe, you are causing something internally to make contact and POOF.  That's why it's not causing arc damage to your test lead.

Needless to say, stop doing that.

I would first replace that 3-way with a plain 3-way.  Since you seem to be replacing several 3-way sets with smart switches, I would do this one second, so you can use the 3-way liberated from your first repair to fix this one.

Do not try to short-circuit (heh) the process and just upgrade the broken switch.  It's possible something else is broken and you want to remove that possibility before you proceed, otherwise you'll have a miserable time troubleshooting.


Should I cover my air conditioner for winter? Should I cover my air conditioner for winter? It's difficult to find an appropriate cover, but finding a cover for an evaporation cooler is easy (and because they allow for air flow from the outdoors, it makes sense).

See this answer for things to do before winter hits, where it's not clear whether an air conditioner should be covered or not.

I don't want to let water build up inside and given my climate, it will freeze and thaw repeatedly which can be very damaging. On the other hand, I don't want to create a moisture barrier that leads to other problems.

Any official word on this?

I have never covered mine and this article also seems to recommend not covering it:

  Your central air conditioning unit
  consists of a compressor and
  condensing unit placed outdoors in a
  metal housing. These units, built to
  resist the weather, generally do not
  need a cover. In fact, covers can
  cause problems because they trap
  moisture and create an inviting winter
  home for small animals.

  Professionals who service the units
  tell me that most of the damage they
  see in spring was caused by rodents
  living in the units and chewing on
  wiring.

  If your air conditioner is subject to
  falling ice or other debris, you could
  cover its top with a piece of plywood,
  plastic or metal held in place by a
  weight.
  Reference: http://misterfix-it.com/blog/?page_id=36#cac

They make a great point that a cover would provide a perfect winter home for animals which would cause damage to your air conditioner.


HVAC system electric diagram help I am trying to revive an old three phase 5HP HVAC system so I took a look at the 25 years old electrical system digram and came across 3 three sections which I could not understand completely (I am not en expert) highlighted here :

I became curious about their purpose and I am hoping some of you might be willing to help me answer these three questions:

What is the purpose of those #1,#2 wires on the J1 jack (highlighted in GREEN)? they seem to be connected only to the J1 jack and dont continue through the P1 port.
Which relates to first question, what is the purpose of the low voltage transformer's N1 neutral connector (highlighted in RED)? the transformer seems to get neutral from the N2 wire which leads to the main neutral through the 7-wires "TB" socket. it also appears that the N1 wire leads directly to those two wires I mentioned in my first question.
Lastly I would appreciate an explanation about the function of the indoor fan motor component highlighted in BLUE. does it relate to the rotor's spinning direction?

I haven't got much enough experience with these kinds of diagram so any help is extremely appreciated, sorry for my English.

Some things are shared between models

The N1 neutral terminal and pins 1 and 2 on J1 are probably used on a different model unit that shares that control board, but not used on this particular model.  This allows the manufacturer to save on costs by making one control board instead of two almost-identical ones.

As to that wacky part...

Since the manufacturer was unhelpful and failed to label the part you circled in blue, I can only guess at its nature -- it's most likely simply a connector between two motor wires.


alternative roof vents Local building code requires a roof vent that is less than ten feet away from an operating skylight to extend a minimum of three feet above the skylight.  Is there an alternative venting system, other than a straight pipe, that can be installed instead that doesn't extend as much?

Which means if you install a vent pipe 10 feet or more away from the skylight then you can have a shorter vent pipe extension above roofline. I assume this is about a vent pipe from the kitchen outlet. As long as you do a proper and sound job that doesn't cause some silly damage, who's going to know if you only have a one foot vent pipe extension? I installed an additional downpipe in response to a poorly executed re-plumbing of my house (before i bought it.) I've joined the new downpipe to the only available connection the kitchen outlet, so now the rain downpipe acts as a vent pipe. I haven't had any problems.
If this is about vent pipe from water closet instead, then you probably want a long vent pipe extension to avoid the aromas.


Troubleshooting Jenn air cooktop issue I purchased a used Jenn Air Cook top range (model c238b-c) to replace an older existing one (c221-c). Both units are the typical counter top with 2 slide-in double cook top element carthridge, and identical wiring diagram for both units.

The only difference is the colours of wires in the main wiring connection harness to the junction box.
The old existing connection had:
- red and yellow wires connected Red wire (from 220v cable to fuse box),
- black and blue wires connected to Black,
- White to White,

The new connection harness has 2 red wires and 2 black wires. So I'm assuming the obvious which is the 2 reds connect to the red and 2 blacks to the black.

Everything is working except for 1 element. When I turn that 1 element on, both the mini reset breaker on the range control box and main breaker at the fuse box trip immediately. If I remove the carthridge (ie, no elements) and turn on the switch, the breakers will still trip.

My first conclusion is that the power hook-up that I described, is ok, otherwise the issue would not be limited to 1 burner, and element cartridge is not the issue since breaker will trip even if cartridge is removed.
If so, I'm assuming the issue is with either the: 1-switch, 2- ceramic receptacle where element cartridge is plugged into, or 3 - wiring between switch and cartridge.

I have several questions:

1.Is my assumption valid that the main power connection is ok?

2.Is a continuity test on switch enough to rule that out as the source of the problem?

3.how to I check if the ceramic receptacle is ok?

4.Is there anything else I missed (before I remove the unit and dismantle to check for continuity on the wires between switch and ceramic receptacle)?

Apologies for long winded question, I figured full story would be more helpful.

thanks for your help
Luke

If the breaker pops when you turn on a specific burner, even if the cartridge is not plugged in, chances are that burner control switch has gone bad.  The power on those units goes through the four burner controls before going out to the cartridge sockets.

I had one that if turned on to any setting, would just run the burner on high.

If you can depower the unit, then you could run some continuity tests, so see if the burner control is shorting.  The controls are not a simple rheostat, but some form of high current modulator.  Off the top of my head, a replacement runs around $60.  I think I found someone selling them on eBay.


Making sense of an existing sump system I just bought my first house, but I can't seem to understand how the sump worked.  I'd like to make sure it's hooked up and ready to go should the basement ever flood.

When I first walked in, the pump was disconnected and raised off the floor.  Next to it, was a piece of wood (badly) glued to the concrete floor.  When I pulled that off, there was an 8" deep round hole, and at the bottom, a square tile sitting in dirt.

Looking around the sump's location, there's no power outlet within reach (though a 6" extension cord will let me plug it into the furnace's outlet), and more importantly, nowhere obvious to put the drain hose.

I pried the cover off and put the pump in the hole, for what that's worth.

Can anyone make sense of this setup?  Hopefully I'm going in the right direction.

As far as other basement stuff goes, the realtor says the radon system and (maybe) the well pump are both new.

A sump pump is used to expel excess water that would otherwise flood your basement. It is seated in a well (sump) lower than the finished floor so that it can begin removing ground water before it reaches the floor. It usually has a ball float attached to a switch so that as the water level rises so does the float. The float activates the switch, at the set level, and the pump motor starts pumping. The water is normally lead to the exterior through an window by a corrugated (flexible) hose which is connected to the pump by a hose clamp. The water should be allowed to drain on the low side of the building so that it will not return. From what can be seen in your photo the wooden structure is what appears to be (I'm guessing) a brace or a stabilizer for the pump when it is running. Probably to keep it upright. I can see the white ball float in the well that connects by a rod to the switch. You may want to install a dedicated receptacle (GFCI) close to the pump or use a heavy extension cord to power it.


What's the best way to install a pet door in an exterior wall? I want to install a pet door to allow my dog to let herself out. The door would run out onto a deck attached to the back of the house. On the wall connected to the deck, I have a sliding glass door and enough wall space that the pet door could be located in a bunch of different situations. So the question is, what would be the preferred location/installing method?

In the sliding glass door itself? (Seems difficult if not impossible)
In the wall next to the door, between studs? (Cutting through drywall, insulation, and the exterior wall/siding)
In the wall centered on a stud? (Not sure how much this would differ from option 2)

Once the hole is made, would you frame around it? Do they sell pet door designed for exactly this (vs placing in an existing metal or wood door)?

Looks like they do sell pet doors for that purpose. You can even pick the size.

As far as installing it, I think the last thing you want to do is center it on a stud.


Connecting thermostat to two hot wires I am replacing a thermostat with a basic single line break thermostat and my electrical box has only has two hot wires each carrying 120 V.  The wiring diagram of the thermostat calls for connecting the hot wire to L1 marked on the thermostat.  Since I have two hot wires is it ok to wire either one to either of the thermostat wires?
The thermostat I am replacing was already wired this way but I am wondering if it was done right.

You should be fine connecting it either way around
Since this is a mechanical thermostat, it should work just fine wired in either way around; of course, if it doesn't work, you can try swapping the wires so they are connected to the other terminal.


What's the best way to connect transfer switch and sub panel? I purchased a used Generac 10kva with a transfer switch and am in the final stages of getting things setup. The generator itself has a 45a breaker on it and I've got 6 ga wire running from it to the transfer switch along with the 4 control wires. The gentleman that I purchased from said on his main panel he had a 100a breaker running to the transfer switch and then the sub panel shown was off the switch. Given that he has the 100a breaker, I'm in belief that I should be running 2 ga wire from the main panel to the switch for utility and then 2 ga again from the switch to the subpanel. What just seems super odd to me, is that the breakers on the subpanels always look to well exceed the output of the generators.
To connect the panels, I was going to run 1-1/4 at the bottom of the main across to the transfer, another 1-1/4 at the top from the main to the subpanel for the moved circuits and then 1-1/4 between the two panels for the subpanel feed.
Pics of my setup

Pic of a newer 7.5kva unit with transfer 50a switch subpanel, those 8 breakers are well over 50a.

Get a bigger subpanel
You appear to have an automatic transfer switch, and the switching happens there.  The 10? 12? space subpanel is just an ordinary run of the mill subpanel.  It isn't special, it isn't matched to the transfer switch, or anything like that.
However, it is the long experience of the experts on this forum that you will find the "only 12 spaces" very stifling later down the road, and you will regret not upsizing that subpanel now while you have the chance.  A 30-space is not excessive.  Really.
Note that if you buy the same type of subpanel as your main panel, you can simply move the breakers over.  This will save a ton of money if any of them are AFCI or GFCI breakers!   You could not move them into the pictured subpanel without replacing its plain breaker with a GFCI breaker for that panel type.
I realize there is a mentality among generator owners that only a precious few circuits can be on generator; that's not true at all.   It is sourced, however, from something barely related which is true, but we'll come back round to that.
Provisioning power to panels
What's got you knocked for a loop is how the breakers can add up to more than the main.  But that's OK because most circuits are rarely loaded.  So, with a house, you do a "load calculation" to estimate a likely loading for a house.  You only need the service to cover that.
For instance, "3 watts per square foot" is a general rule, plus 1500 W per kitchen and laundry-room circuit.  This seems very arbitrary, but it's backed up by an enormous amount of data collected over decades by the NFPA.
However, there's an exception when a load is specifically known:  E.G. Mary uses a spare bedroom to run Bitcoin miners, PC servers that do complex math all day, and draw 12A @ 120V doing it x 8 miners. Mary can't just fold that into the normal load calc for the house because it runs at the same time as those.  The rules say that for continuous loads, you must derate 125% - so 12A becomes 15A.  So those 8 servers, 4 per "leg" of 240V, mean 60A @ 240V must be provisioned just for those.  That adds onto the normal load calculation for the house - so if that was 39A, Mary skates by with 99A needed to be provisioned.
So you can use general rules, or if you have specific info you can use that instead.  For instance a modern refrigerator takes about 0.9 amps  (108W) when running, and 0.3 amps (36W) on average, so a dedicated fridge circuit needs only a small allocation.
...Because an ATS-controlled generator must be big enough
These calculations matter because they are the basis for complying with a rule:  Code requires that a generator controlled by an automatic transfer switch be large enough to pick up the entire provisioned load (i.e. the load that is on the generator-side subpanel).
It certainly doesn't say all the possible load.  You don't have to figure based on every appliance being on at once, because nobody is making toast while they run a hair dryer while they run a gaming PC at max while they run a chop saw.
And there's a neat exception for loads which are on an automatic "load shed" device - which will connect the load to the generator only when it has enough power to drive it. (or to be more precise, disconnect it if the generator is lugging). Those don't count toward the "entire load".
So the upshot is, you can support a lot more circuits than you think you can - including ALL your house's lighting and general-use receps. This could be 2 dozen circuits! Stuff like this is why it's important to have a LOT of spaces.
Breakers MUST match panels
Do not use "his" circuit breaker unless it's a dead-nuts match for your type of panel. For instance if the breaker is Eaton BR type, and your panel is a Bryant BR type, that is fine since they are the same type (Bryant became Cutler Hammer which is owned by Eaton)... but you can't use it in a GE or Square D panel.
This isn't brand-name "rah rah".  The shape of the power buses is actually different, and the clips from one breaker won't engage properly to another panel's bus stabs. You'll get corner (single point) contact instead of flat-surface contact, and that will overheat and burn up the bus stab.  At worst it'll start a panel fire. We see it all the time.

If I went with a large subpanel, I would position them like this.  Place the ATS first so the knockouts line up, only an inch or two below is fine, just so the lids will fit on.   Place the subpanel second so it lines up with an ATS knockout, then have it vertically align with the main panel.  I'd put several short EMT nipples between the panels, they're a real lifesaver when you need 'em.  Metal conduit nipples among the panels mean grounding is taken care of; one less wire to have to mess with.


Buffer tank on input or output of tankless water heater? As I understand it, in residential systems, tankless water heater are commonly paired with a buffer tank to deal with the "cold sandwich" and finite capacity of tankless heater1.  This seems reasonable, but I'm curious as to why the only config I see is a buffer tank at the output of the tankless.  That is, why is a buffer at input of tankless heater seemingly not an option?

It seems to me that keeping a buffer of hot water at the output negates one primary benefit of a tankless system: energy-efficiency. As such, the system is obligated to keep the reserve hot 24/7, thereby generating energy waste.

On the other hand, keeping a reserve at the input, the system can selectively heat the reserve when the demand is expected to be the highest (a couple of hrs a day?) and neglect it at other times. And in the worst case, if demand is unpredictable, the system could simply be programmed to maintain a hot input buffer 24/7, just as with buffer at the output.  But in either case, an additional opportunity for efficiency with an input buffer is by maintaining a lower reserve temperature.

Under limited circumstances, I think an input buffer tank may not be an adequate solution to the "cold sandwich", but assuming the system could be programmed to minimize the problem during certain time of day, in a typical residential system, is there a really compelling reason to keep buffer at tankless output?   Is there historical or empirical data to back the choice to put buffer on output?

A buffer tank must be on the output side of a tankless water heater. If you put the tank on the input side a bunch of unintended consequences happen:

The buffer tank will do the bulk of the water heating, until it is overwhelmed.
As long as hot water use continues, the buffer tank will continue running as it tries to keep up with raising the incoming water to its set temperature.
You might still get a "cold water sandwich" as the buffer's hot water supply runs out. That's because your tankless will be sitting around doing nothing at all while the hot water runs, because the water's already heated! When the buffer runs out the temperature drops and the tankless kicks on (but might need more time to warm up fully).

On the other hand, when you put a buffer tank on the output side of the tankless, sustained use of hot water will shift most of the work to the tankless. It will be heating the water before it reaches the buffer, and the buffer will do nothing during those extended uses of hot water where the tankless is most efficient.

If you want to add a timer on the buffer, the way to do that would be to both shut off the buffer tank's heating and route the water around the buffer (rather than through it), using some electronic 3-way valves.

Please note, however, that there are better solutions to the cold water delay problem. For example:

Use a demand-activated recirculation system. You have to train your family to press a button a minute or two before they want to start a shower, but it's pretty nice having the water hot immediately after.
Configure your tankless water heater to use a recirculating mode that keeps its heat exchanger warm. This will consume more energy, but is designed to ensure it's pre-heated during periods of likely demand. My Navien CH-240, for example, can be configured to run in recirculating mode during specified 30-minute intervals via its remote control panel.


Can I bond my ground to my gas pipes? Do I have to install the grounding electrode all the way to the service section, or can I bond the gas pipe to building steel which is continuous through out bldg and then bond the steel to the service?

Code requires the pipes to be bonded. Building steel can be used as part of the grounding electrode/ conductor so bonding the gas pipe at its entry to bonded building steel is code compliant and even required (that the metal lines likely to be energized be bonded).


How do you know when and where it is safe to drill into a wall? Lots of home projects involve cutting or drilling through walls (everything from nails, screws, or hooks to mount things to cutting through drywall and drilling through studs to run wire).

In general, how do you know what's safe to break through and what isn't? In other words, when can you just start drilling through a wall and when do you need to be worried about hitting electrical lines, plumbing, etc.

Aim for a stud or well away from the stud.  If a line goes through a stud, there should be a metal safety plate on the stud that will keep you from going any further.

Lines that go up and down the wall will frequently be attached to the stud with staples (any electrical line running vertically will be attached) so you want to avoid just missing the stud to one side or the other.  If you don't need the support of a stud, then just poking a hole in the drywall should be well short of any line that is running between studs, however, it doesn't hurt to exercise a bit of extra caution if your near the height of nearby outlets.

To help, get a stud finder that also includes detection for metal wiring and pipes.  They aren't fool proof, but when they do find something, they can be a life saver.


How do I install a high intensity infrared heater and thermostat I picked up an old Lambert L-40 high intensity infrared gas heater but it didn’t have a thermostat. I can’t find any info about this heater online and I am hoping someone on here can help.

I connected the heater to a natural gas line and power and can get the sparker to light the pilot but I can’t get the main burners to light. I assume that is because I do not have a thermostat calling for heat.

I have included pictures on this post so please let me know if anyone knows this heater or can tell me how to wire it and what kind of thermostat and transformer I need.

Thank you

Do not hook this to mains power.

Get yourself a 24VAC, 40VA transformer, which is common as dirt, $12, and widely used on conventional furnaces.  They typically mount either on the cover of a 4x4 square metal junction box, or in a 1/2" trade size knockout on the side of such a box.  Both these wiring methods put the mains power inside the metal junction box, and the 24VAC power on the outside.

The transformer provides two 24V terminals: R and C.
Your thermostat requires 3 wires: R, W and C.
Your heater needs W and C.

The R wire should be red.  The W wire should be white.  The preferred color for C is blue, but that may not be practical in 2-3 wire cable.

This setup, which is mandatory for this heater, will allow you to use almost any thermostat on earth including smart 'stats like the Nest.

If you ever anticipate doing A/C or heat pump you want at least 6 wires in the cable to the thermostat.


Adding C wire for wireless thermostat I'm trying to install a new wireless thermostat but my old setup only uses 2 wires; one white and one red. On the side of my furnace there is this transformer mounted.

There are four cables on the other side of the transformer; white, black, blue and yellow.

The white cable going to the thermostat is tied in with the blue cable from the transformer.  Would I able to use any of the other cables from my transformer as my connection for the C wire?  Any help would or tips would be appreciated.  Let me know if you need any additional information.  Thank you

Blue and yellow are 0v and 24v, since blue is fed to the stat, the yellow is 0v for the "C" connection.


What is the life expectancy of a GFCI receptacle? Assume that the GFCI receptacle is not subject to unusually high levels of tripping.

When I say "the life expectancy of a GFCI receptacle", I more specifically mean, "the life expectancy of the GFCI circuitry found in a GFCI receptacle."

A GFCI receptacle will continue to power items that are plugged into it, even after the GFCI function no longer works. But, I am concerned specifically about the lifespan of the GFCI function.

To verify its GFCI function, I do not exclusively use the "TEST" button that is built into the receptacle. I rely on a standalone GFCI outlet tester that trips the GFCI receptacle.

I have noticed, just in my own house, that all 3 outdoor GFCI receptacles currently have non-functioning GFCI circuitry, while all of my indoor GFCI receptacles function perfectly. I assume that exposure to water and the high humidity of the great outdoors, plus the extreme temperatures, are responsible for shortening the lifespan of the GFCI circuitry.

Hence, it would be wise of me to split this question into two:

What is the life expectancy of an indoor GFCI receptacle?
What is the life expectancy of an outdoor GFCI receptacle?

GFCI longevity is mostly decided by two competing factors:

Whether it's indoors or outdoors.  The elements will shred anything, and feeble little covers won't help. You have active condensation going on inside that device, it's going to have problems.
Build quality.  Yes, quality matters.  A lot.  The corners cut by the cheapies mainly attack the longevity of the device.  Obviously it has to make it through its warranty period!

If you have a GFCI on every outdoor receptacle, make sure you're not doing the common mistake of putting more than one GFCI on the same circuit, as this is at best wasteful and at worst dangerous.

Since GFCIs can feed downstream receptacles, the best plan is to have an indoor GFCI protect outdoor receptacles.


Connect C wire to Furnace I have a Lenox Merit system in the house. I am trying to install Nest E thermostats and want to do it with a C wire. I noticed an unused Blue Wire (pic attached) at the thermostat location and then in the attic saw that the Blue wire is not attached to the C at the circuit board. There is another wire in the C. Do I just add the blue wire in the same location ?

Go ahead

The terminal blocks on HVAC control boards can generally handle two wires per terminal, so landing the C wire to your thermostat on the furnace board's C terminal directly is fine.


Why my thermostat is cycling on and off immediately? I have gas 80% furnace and is controlled by Honeywell thermostat (rthl221b1008). It didn't use to do this before, but it is acting weird for the last day or two now. It would run for about 10 minutes and turn off, then within 30 seconds it will turn on again. I thought maybe the batteries were almost out of power. I replaced them with new batteries (AAA), but it still acts the same way. The temprature outside is round 40. I looked in the manual about reducing the number of cycle. There is no mention of it. However, I searched online for this and I come across conflicting information. One website stated my thermostat should give you control to adjust cycle, but I went through all the setting for my thermostat and didn't find anything like that. So, why is my thermostat acting the way it is and how do I control cycle rate with this thermostat if it is possible?

Q:  Why cycling on and off?  Air is not blowing out with the same speed as before.

A:  Insufficient airflow at the furnace is causing the high temperature limit to trip.

One potential cause for this is an obstruction, such as a clogged filter or partly closed seasonal damper.  Another potential cause is that the blower motor is pumping less airflow than it should, possibly due to a failed run capacitor or worn bearings.

On most furnaces the high limit will not self-reset in a short period of time like the OP describes.  Instead, the furnace will lock out with an error code or trip a switch that requires a manual reset.  The high limit control needs to be carefully inspected to verify it is being tripped and to ensure that it has not been compromised in some way.  If in doubt, higher a professional.


Draft coming out of water heater vent intake I have a power vented water heater. The PVC exhaust pipe runs up in to the ceiling then horizontally outside my house. This was installed by professionals, not DIY.  The outlet at the back is perpendicular to the wall - in other words the "mouth" of the PVC pipe open directly to the wind.  If I stand in my utility room and place my hand over the back of the power vent intake when the unit isn't running, I can feel a decent cold draft. The floor above where this exhaust piping goes is very cold too.

Am I right to suspect that the installers should have added an elbow and made the mouth of the exhaust pipe "point down"?

Would a further step be add some sort of device on the end to only open when there's exhaust pressure?

Yes terminating down is a code requirement. It'll be more problematic if it's windy for a few days and you can't get hot water because its pressure switch continually trips.


What are these "GENTEX" things on my walls? My condo has these devices installed in each bedroom and in the living room; but I have no idea what they're for.

It is the Gentex GX90 Remote Audible Signal which can be used as a fire alarm.

It probably is a fire alarm because I could only find references that mention use as a fire alarm, but I presume it could be used for something else.  I say that because they also offer a "Fire Alarm Red" color which would imply the off-white version could be used for something other than a fire alarm, e.g. tornado siren.


Bathroom vanity tail piece doesn't align with P-trap inlet I recently installed a new vanity and the location of the inlet is 1/2 inch off from where the tail piece when the tail piece is straight and flush with the vanity.

When tugging a bit on the whole thing,  I am able to insert the tailpiece into inlet. However it is at a slight angle, enough that when I screw the drain onto the inlet it will not sit flush to the sink.

It seems as simple as extending the outlet but then looking at the sink, most of it is inside the wall and everything is glued together.

I was thinking I could just buy a coupler to extend the outlet. I don't want to because I think when I cut it, it will be so close to the P-trap that I will need to either remove ( chip away? ) the outlet part that's glued inside the p-trap so that a new one can be put inside, or buy a new p-trap and other parts.

What is the proper way to fix this ?

Worst case cut the glued mess off and use a trap with compression rings a pvcckit at big box store 8-9$ . You will need a longer pice to the right 1-2$ more then everything is adjusted to the drain without pressure on it. They even make fancy chrome plated plastic for ~20 since you are upgrading if you want to. I would not use those flex tail pieces I usually find those after they have leaked and ruined the cabinet. Then put in the correct slip joint type of trap.


What tool should I use to cut through a wall to get to my attic? I have a very small attic space above my bathroom, and there is no access to this space.

The tube that goes from the exhaust fan to the roof is not attached, and I would like to attach it to get proper venting.

There is a room next to the bathroom with a higher ceiling, and I could cut through the wall to get to this attic space to reattach the tube.

Can you please advise me on what tool I should use to cut through the drywall to get into this space?

If possible, it would be nice to do this neatly so that I can patch it back together without too much effort afterwards.

EDIT: I've since found this, which looks like pretty good advice

Yes, a drywall saw is the tool to use. But for a hole big enough to crawl through, I would not bother with 45 degree cuts. It's more work when making long cuts and is not secure enough to support large patch panels. Cut out a panel all the way to adjoining studs. Then cut out an additional 3/4" strip each side so the replacement panel can bear directly on 1/2 of each stud. You can use a utility knife and chisel to remove the strip. You will hit screws or nails while cutting the strip, remove them as they are found. When installing the new panel, use a new fastener on each side of the joint where ever you found a fastener.

The plain butt joint at top and bottom is not a problem because your patch panel is spanning between studs. You may want to consider installing a removable plywood panel and casing the opening rather than patching the drywall.


Bath tub spout still drips a little after replacing, is this normal? I didn't notice the leaking from the spout until some guests told me. It was dripping big drops. The spout is the type installing using hexa bolt. I bought the replacement at HomeDepot and followed the instruction here

Now I notice there are still tiny drops of dripping (exact spot in the pic). Not a lot of water I think. The faucet is still fine, no dripping there.

Is this normal for this type of spout? Should I be concerned about bigger leak elsewhere?

Thanks,

So I bought the replacing cartridge in my comment, and followed the instruction  here. Super easy and no need trick or anything. The whole old cartridge came out easily, unlike other videos.


How can I add a piece of timber to my metal shed wall without creating a leak? I have a garden shed with steel (powder coated) walls. I'd like to attach a piece of timber to the inside of the wall. I'll use the timber to attach hooks for hanging tools.

I don't want the holes I put in the wall to create a leak, and I don't know the best technique to use to prevent it leaking. The shed doesn't have eaves.

2 or 3 bolts through the timber and the shed wall would probably be sufficient when it comes to strength. Would some silicone sealant around the bolts stay watertight for a few years? Is there a better way of preventing water leaking through the bolt holes, or a better way of securing the timber?

In case it matters, temperatures in my location range from -5 to 35 C

I would use some neoprene washers between the exterior bolt head and metal wall.  Also put some silicon sealant in the hole/bolt. This will keep water out and stop bolt head from scratching the powder coating and causing rust. Should work fine.


Forced air furnace filter gets wet with water while A/C is ON Noticed lately when it has been extremely hot, and my air conditioner is constantly turned on, that my furnace filter get soaked wet.  Took it out , opened the furnace door to check, but there was no water on the inside of the furnace floor, but only in the slot where the furnace filter slides in.   Have been drying the filter (aftre shutting the system off) and reusing it.   A/C works fine, with super cold air.
Any help is appreciated.

Check the condensation drain path from your evaporator for blockage or leaks. There may be a tray with a tube attached. They tend to rust through over the years, but it could be mineral buildup or the result of insects blocking it.

Source and read more


What's the best way to account for saw blade width (kerf) when cutting boards? In theory, to cut a 350mm piece out of a longer board, I would have to mark the line at 350mm + half of blade width. So if I have a 2mm hand saw, the line would be drawn at 351mm. How does that work in practice? Should blade wiggle be taken into account? Is it even reasonable to expect such precision in home conditions?

Yes, you might want the highest precision possible - for example when you build furniture which benefits greatly from precise cuts. The most convenient way would be to draw the line that will signify the edge of the piece you want cut so that the blade cuts the line and whatever material is on the far side of the raw board. Something like this:

 |the detail you want|line|remaining material|
 |                   |blade cuts here|

This is quite easily achieved with power saws even without a guide and will be more of a challenge with hand saws.


Wall switch no longer used, how to cover it I have replaced a ceiling fan in my home that had a separate hot wire for a light. The new fan has a remote control for the light & fan motor.  The old fan was controlled from a 5-gang wall switch.  Switch 2 was for the light, position 3 had a fan speed control.  The other switches are still in use for other lights.  I want to remove 2 & 3, to avoid confusion on how to operate the new fan. Does anyone know of either a safe insert to cover the openings in the switch plate when I remove the switches, or a source for a new wall plate? Yes, I have googled to no avail.

You need a "switch dummy". Also commonly called a "switch blank", "blank insert" and "blank filler".

The big box stores may not carry this item, if not, electrical supply house should have available.


Why is boiling hot water coming out of every faucet, and even the toilet? Help!  I live in a 80 unit condo (8 floors), with hot water tanks on the top floor (4).  They flow down 13 different lines to different units and hot water is recirculated through recirc pipes.  Around April several units, around 6, started experiencing boiling hot water that would come out of the cold water faucets (we have levers which you turn for cold/hot).  This is happening in the kitchen, bathroom, toilet, bathtub, washing machine, and you have to turn it on for 5-10 minutes and then cold water would finally come out.  You have to do this EVERY single time as the boiling hot water would return the minute you turn the fixture off.

The 6 units are scattered through different lines, and throughout the 1st-5th floors of the building with the EXACT same problem, which started at the exact same time.  We've had 3 different plumbers come on 4 different occasions.  I've had someone even take a look at the drawings and look at the tanks, the pipes, with no answers.  No one that we know has made any alterations to their plumbing in their units.

We thought we were getting close when we shut off the hot water valve in unit 102, and the problem was alleviated in that unit and the units above, but no solution was found.  All the faucets seemed fine, and cartridges were replaced in shower fixtures that seemed like they were leaking.  Turning off the hot/cold water lines to the washing machine in a couple units seemed to help in a couple units, but not for others.

The only work that was done in the building was section was repiped on the ground floor a couple weeks prior to al this (water was shut off, a section of leaking pipe replaced), but the plumber was adamant that did not cause the problem.

One plumber suggested we install individual shut off valves to each unit at a coast of $300 x 80 units (we cannot do it for just the 6), but some say this is pointless as it is expensive and may not even help.

We are at a loss as to what to do.  Please help!

May I ask you to temper or clarify one adjective? Is this water literally BOILING hot (hotter than the tanks) or only SCALDING hot (as hot as the tanks, about 120*F)? If the tanks are also used for heating, then perhaps 180*F?

If the tanks are used both for heating and domestic hot water, then you have several large tempering valves, correct? These tempering valves mix hot and cold water together to achieve the industry-standard maximum 120*F for domestic hot water.

You're on city water, surely? High pressure, enough to push water to the top of the building, with pressure regulators on each floor?

This is the sort of thing that might happen if a tempering valve fails or is misadjusted, AND one or more of the tanks has developed a large air bubble. It's more likely to happen during periods when the municipal water supply pressure falls (because other nearby buildings are also using a lot of water). The hot-water tanks have been pressurized by high municipal pressure, including the one with the bubble, which makes it into a large surge tank. When municipal pressure falls, pressurized hot water backflows through the failed or misadjusted tempering valve into the cold-water system, where it's delivered to faucets, toilets, etc.

A really good plumber should be able to track down the source, but it'll take some time. They'd have to carefully measure the temperature of the pipes in the pipe chases, following the hottest pipes towards its hottest end until they come to the hottest spot in the cold-water system - that'd be the tempering valve in question. It'd be BEST if they could work while the occupants of the affected units were not in the building, so the water to their units would remain pretty static... making measurement easier.

The only other cause I can think of would be backflow (intentional or accidental) through a bathtub or laundry outlet, where hot and cold could be mixed without actually dispensing water - in the case of a bathtub (which has much larger water connections than a faucet or toilet), it'd require that the spout be blocked while both hot and cold were turned on. This would allow hot to backflow into the cold-water system.

I'm leaning very hard towards the tempering-valve problem, though, because otherwise we're talking about collaboration between numerous occupants in different units or a really odd set of coincidences.


surge protection -- grounding in a slummy apartment without ground access I live in an apartment, where NONE of the outlets are actually grounded although they're all 3 prong... my landlord is a slumlord, fundamentally. He has fixed absolutely nothing electrical (lighting is going serially down the hallway). I am moving, obviously ASAP.

But in the interim is there anything at all I can do to protect my electronics? I have lost a computer, several microwaves, etc. to what I'm pretty sure are surges. I have these running through protectors, but I understand that these do not work in the absence of a real ground...

I have opened up the outlets and connected the ground wire to where it's supposed to go... because it's an apartment bldg. I can't audit it actually going to the ground itself...

I know there is no replacement for a proper ground. Do I have any good options to mitigate surge potential to blow up my computer and peripherals? This is my livelihood... so I want to protect it and be able to upgrade components without worrying that they're just going to get destroyed.

Just use a surge protector and ignore the open ground light -- the line-to-line protection will still work.  Also, where the heck did you actually connect the ground terminals to?!


How to Disassemble my microwave door? We had an incident where boiling milk boiled over and spilt all over the counter and dripped onto the microwave where it seems to have entered a space in my microwave door. I would like to open it. However disassembling the screws only got me so far as below. I need to know how to separate the glass panes  now. It does seem similar to the trim around most microwave doors but seems subtly different. If I try to insert a screw driver in and try to lever up the plastic band surrounding the glass, there is some amount of "give" but nothing pops, also it appears to be stressing on the think rubber seal between the glass and the plastic, as soon as I saw this I stopped.

The milk is ultimately inbetween the two panes of glass, so I was wondering if it is possible to disassemble it further. It is a wall mounted microwave cum Convection oven by Aristan.

Try using 2 putty knives, about 1 inch wide. Choose the flexible style that have nice thin ends. Start on one of the short sides close to a corner, with the 2 knife ends side-by-side. Alternate the 2 knives like a step exerciser, prying to lift the plate away from the sticky strip. Work both sides of the corner, but mostly along the short side toward the other corner. Increase the height until you can lift it slowly like a book cover.
Re-assemble with 2-sided tape of high-temp RTV caulking.


Once outlet removed others in separate room don’t work Doing a remodel in our formal dinning room and need to remove an outlet. Once outlet removed, outlets in other room don’t work. Once I reconnected the outlet other outlets worked. How do I remove the outlet without affecting the others?

Connect the wires as they were on the outlet (using wirenuts, or another approved connector type if preferred) and use a blank junction box cover over the box (you must leave the junction box cover accessible.)


Need help programming chamberlain garage door opener replacement KLIK3U-BK I just moved into this rental house in November and am trying to get a second garage door opener to work.

There's an existing working KLIK3U-BK model, so I ordered a second one of those. But none of the programming instructions I've tried work for me:

The opener itself says "press the learn button, then press & hold the remote button" until the learn button blinks.
Internet search shows "press the learn button, then press & hold the remote button for 3 seconds" then try the remote.
A previous search said "press the learn button" then try the remote button 4 or 6 or 8 times and it will start to work depending on the model on one of those presses.

None of this works at all. Should I:

wipe the programming of all remotes from the opener first? (This will be bad if I can't get the existing one working again).
Try a different model of the remote like the 953EV?

Any other ideas? Having one remote for 2 cars is cramping our style a bit ...

I had same issue, trying to program to a Liftmaster. Here's what worked for me:

Liftmaster: Press learn button.
Klik3U: Press programming button unitl LED solid BLue.
Press-release desired button on klik3u until Lifmaster lights blink.
Press Klik3U programming button to turn off programming mode.
Done.

I had to press the target button 8 times...hope that helps.


240v baseboard heater on a 120v circuit using a step up transformer ? I have been wondering if this is possible or not? If you wanted to run a 240v ac baseboard heater on 120v ac couldn't you just just use a 120v ac to 240v ac step-up tranformer? I already know what happens if you would run a 240v baseboard on a 120v circuit, the baseboard heater would draw 1/4 the power.

Heaters are cheap. There'd be no reason to do this!

An electric heater is one of the simplest appliances in the world -- so it is inherently very low-cost.  It's not cheaply made, it's just simple enough it doesn't cost very much to make one.

It will be cheaper to buy the right heater than adapt the wrong heater.

I imagine you got this thing gifted to you, and you have no idea how much heaters actually cost.  Go find out; the typical baseboard heater is a Cadet, and they are around $50 for a big one.  You can't buy a step-up transformer for that, you are in peril of spending $150 to change the voltage on a $50 heater. Don't do that lol.

Now if you're stuck with the common receptacle circuit in your house, Those circuits are not magic.  They cannot carry unlimited amounts of power, in fact USA circuits are particularly limited to a measly 1440W, or just one of those portable heaters.  So it wouldn't matter if you got a big baseboard heater that is 120V, you couldn't hook it up anyway.

Contrast with a properly wired 240V circuit, which can carry 3840 watts, or almost 3x as much, that is why baseboard heaters are mostly 240V.


Looking for Second Opinion on New Insulation in Attic I had someone come take a look at the attic yesterday to do an assessment. He uses the sprayable foam insulation and said that he would spray the ceiling of the attic rather than the floor (and remove the old insulation) and close up the two attic fan vent areas.  He called it a "ventless attic" and I've never heard of this before.  He claims it's safer and better for air circulation.  Has anyone ever heard of this?  Also, does it make sense to remove the old insulation or could it be kept there?  I worry about all the dust and debris it would leave behind upon removal.

What he's suggesting would be to make the attic inside the building envelope, therefore you'd be heating and cooling the attic along with the house.

You either need insulation at the attic floor or attic ceiling. One or the other is the building envelope. If you google some of the terms you can learn a lot.

If the house is a standard, single open roof I'd vote for keeping the insulation on the floor.

Maybe get a few more opinions?


applying varnish to wood in the sun I have some wood that I want to apply varnish to. My garage is exceptionally dusty and my house is pretty bad too. My question is, is it okay to apply varnish outside in the sunshine? Will it still cure properly because the sun is now quickly drying it off.

Note: I'm actually using spar urethane. It's for a sign.

Urethane doesn't "cure". It dries as the solvent (which may or may not be water) evaporates. It isn't like masonry where time and moisture are critical.

There's no problem applying urethane in the sun other than the challenges it poses to the actual application. Very quick dry times mean less time to get good coverage and work out runs.

Never apply heavier than a minimal thorough coat. Apply liberally, then spread well, leaving just barely a glossy appearance. Multiple thin coats are much better than heavy coats, which will sag and run.


lights off in one room, other rooms in the same circuit are fine, no GFCI, breaker not tripped It was caused by a short circuit, I think I heard a "pop" sound, so I thought it might be the dimmer got blown up. But the lights are still off even with new dimmer and new switch. 100% sure no GFCI, mcb didn't not turn off since other rooms are doing fine. Could please someone help?

It's very typical for power surges -- either temporary shorts, or simply plugging in a high draw appliance for the first time -- to "blow out" a wire termination - typically at a receptacle or switch.

Usually, the blown out connection is a "backstab" aka back-wire connection.  This is one big reason we do not like backstabs on this stack.  Occasionally the failure can be in a screw connection (one very badly done) or a wire-nut connection (typically also very badly done, and likely secured with tape because the person wasn't very good at wire nutting, and had to hold it together with tape to keep it from falling apart).

The failure must be at the last working outlet in the chain, or the first defective outlet.  The "chain" being the wire jumps from the breaker panel to this outlet.


Doorknob sticks if door closes hard I'm having trouble with the doorknob on the door that goes from inside my house to the attached garage.  I installed a new doorknob (Kwikset brand, exterior) a while ago.  It works perfectly if the door is closed gently.  But, the door has self-closing hinges, and it tends to slam shut.  When it closes too hard, the doorknob sticks and is very hard to turn.  My wife and kids sometimes can't open it.  I was able to help a bit by adjusting the striker plate, but it's still an issue.  (I'm using the striker plate that came with the doorknob.)  What should I try next?

Removing the self-closing hinges isn't a good option.  I asked a local builder and learned that they're required by code.

Update:  I neglected to mention that the house came with some weather stripping all around this door frame.  It gets compressed between the door and the frame.  I tried to find the right balance in the striker plate position so that I don't have to slam the door to get it to stay closed.

It could be that the small half cylinder on the bolt is getting into the hole in the striker plate and jamming. This would mean that the striker plate is set too far out in the jamb.

It will be a pain to relocate the striker plate in a little, but you might have to do it. To test this, examine the movement of the small half cylinder as you close the door. You could use a felt marker to put a mark on the end of the half cylinder. The mark should stay visible as the bolt goes into the striker plate.

You could place a thin shim in the doorstop opposite the lock or two shims one above and one below and see if this stops the jamming when you close the door hard. If this stops the jamming you could just leave them in and use it that way

EDIT

If, due to the peculiarities of your door, you can't get the striker plate adjusted, you might consider going to a non-locking handle. The non-locking handles have a plastic bearing strip on the side of the bolt so that jamming would not be possible. You would then install a dead bolt lock requiring a key on the garage side.

One problem with the locking door handle on an exterior door is that it is easy to get locked out. After one or two episodes over 20 years we changed to a non-locking door handle and a deadbolt lock (which requires a key for locking) on both the front door and the door into the garage. Some neighbors have given us a key to their house and have had numerous lockouts (front door or rear French doors) in which they come to us for the key. Another neighbor also gave us a key for the same reason.

EDIT

Another possibility is to replace all or part of the weather stripping with some which is stiffer than the present one so that the door is stopped before it goes in far enough to allow the small bolt to enter the striker hole.


turning shower off before turning water faucet off I had always been told to push shower knob down, directing the water back to the faucet, before pushing the water off. If you just push the water knob off, letting the shower knob fall on its own, is that hard on your shower equipment?

Welcome to DIY StackExchange!

I never heard of that. I always turn off the shower and let the spigot diverter fall when it's ready, if it ever does. I don't see how it would cause any extra wear.


Repair basement stud walls after french drain I had a french drain / water management system in my basement to deal with leaky walls, and as part of the installation the contractor had to cut in around my foundation.  To give themselves room to jackhammer, they cut the bottom 6-8" off of the walls all the way around one side of the basement.

Now I'm left with 3 non-load bearing walls that are essentially just hanging from the ceiling.  I'd like repair the walls, but I'm looking for some advice.  I was looking to put down a new pressure treated 2x4 across the floor, then add 2x4 to extend the studs down to the floor again.

Frankly, I was pretty surprised by the whole thing, so I'm happy to hear suggestions how to fix this mess.  Attached is a picture in case I'm not clear.

I would do exactly that using PT lumber for the plate and the extensions. You'll need a powder load gun to fasten the plate to the concrete. I would cut the extensions to go under the existing studs (tightly) and sister a piece to tie the stud and extension together. How do you plan to fix the wainscoting/paneling? My guess is you will probably end up tearing all of that off. In which case--it may be simpler to replace the entire stud (depending on how the electrical/plumbing is routed)?.


Surveillance System and Home Automation in Europe Hi recently bought an independent house, and I was thinking on installing a couple of indoor/outdoor cameras, and some movement sensors connected to an alarm. I also want to monitor my house from the internet. I was thinking on a X10 system, which I could later integrate with other home automation features. From the prices I've seen, I guess I can accomplish all that for less than $500 USD. But I can't find decent prices in europe (€).

What kind of equipment would you guys suggest for this purpose? Is there a good place to buy this kind of equipment in europe? Should I use other technologies rather than X10?

Addendum: Because a good answer may depend on more details, here's what I'm expecting the equipment to provide me:

Connecting wired indoor/outdoor cameras
Connecting movement sensors
Recording video
Stream video through the internet
Raise an alarm through the internet
Raise an audible alarm
Have a security keypad near the door

Additionally:

Control light fixtures (just on/off)
Control some electrical outlets
Allow system customization by using a PC to program it (hopefully, through an API and not a proprietary, closed software).

If it is available in the UK, I would go with Z-wave technology.  While I have only dealt in the US, I hope this can help.  I've sold quite a bit of Z-wave and been trained in installation it's similar to installing regular devices like switches and dimmers.  Programming is simple with the remote, and I hear the computer interface makes it easier.

In the US there are many companies that make it, with most of them being able to be used with other Z-wave devices.  The system is considered a mesh system, meaning it goes device to device and the more devices you have connected, the better the signal travels.

By having many companies using the Z-wave technology then you can get basic dimmers, receptacles and switches to security systems, air conditioner controls, shade control & irrigation.

This link has both US and UK product links you can check out.  I've mostly dealt in Leviton, Cooper Wiring Devices and Intermatic as my sources but there are lot more plus the Audio Video and Mechanical companies.

The programming is done through the remote control or by computer if you buy the interface.  No wheels or dip switches to set.  A system can be conservative or lucrative, your choice.  The pricing used to be about double that of X10, but if you had to trouble shoot X-10, then the price difference is worth it.

If you are a techie (not Trekky) you'll find lots of information on the WWW.  Many forums to go through to help answer questions.


What Hinge Should I Use For Heavy Swinging Shoe Cupboard? I am doing up my really tiny apartment, in which we have had to make many compromises to deal with limited space. One of these is a shoe cupboard which will double up as a door between two rooms. I've attached a picture to make it easy to understand .

The shoe cupboard will be around 6 feet tall, 2.5 feet broad, and 1-1.5 feet deep. My decorator wants to put rollers under the cupboard, to support the weight. I would prefer not to use rollers, as I've noticed they tend to pick up dirt and hair over time and get stuck, make scratchy sounds, mark the floor etc. I think the ideal situation would be if the shoe cupboard could be supported solely on hinges.

So the question: What kind of hinges would do the best duty for a setup like this, where the load could be in the region of 40-70 lbs? Piano? Pivot? Something else?

Thanks!

Websearch will find good descriptions of bookcase secret doors using center pivot hinges, which are one of the best solutions currently available. If you were putting two cases next to each other, there are other solutions; the Rockler catalog (among others) offers one such center-fold bookcase door hardware kit. There are also companies who install these professionally.

Note that any pivoting case needs some clearance designed into the system. There are ways to mask that with additional moving pieces.

(Yes, I have plans to do something along these lines. Not sure I wsnt to say too much morel that risks taking the fun out of it.)


How do I determine if my basement leak is a foundation problem I have a basement leak that happens every other year on average, after either a very heavy rainfall, or melting of a lot of snow.  It occurs on only one wall of the basement, and I've detected water on the floor from opposite ends of that wall. This leads me to believe it's the foundation wall.

I had someone come in and open up the drywall from the inside a few years ago, and he said he couldn't find a leak.  He then attributed the leak to an old window, and charged me to replace it, along with the drywall he ripped out.  After another leak a few years later, I know it's not the window.

I've had spalling/cracking bricks on the outside of that wall replaced several years in a row, and there's a cement walkway right up against the entire wall, with no spacer in between.  I also notice green mold outside around the basement windows, which are below ground level.

Does this sound like it could be the foundation leaking?  If so, is this an expensive repair?  The house is only 30 years old; what would cause this to be failing so soon?

It's nearly impossible for us to diagnose this without being there in person, but typically wet basements are caused by ground water--rather than a leaky window or the like.

The ground water needs to go somewhere. If the soil can't drain, it builds up pressure and looks for a way into your basement--either via the walls or, more often, where the wall connects to the footer at the floor.

Cheaper/easier things to try first:

Add/fix gutters and downspouts
run downspouts further away from house
properly slope the ground away from the foundation around the house.
install surface drains (such as a dry river bed)
have gutters/surface drains go to dry wells

More expensive/complex solutions:

Install internal footer french drains and a sump pump
dig down exterior to install exterior footer french drains and waterproof exterior

Fixing gutters and such is fairly inexpensive and a weekend project. Sloping the yard and surface drains are a bit more work, but still in the realm of DIY.

Installing footer drains and waterproofing the exterior below grade, however, is not a DIY project and will cost quite a bit.


Can I convert a Sunbeam Radiant Control T-20C toaster from 120V to 230V? For some reason, I now own a Sunbeam Radiant Control toaster, model T-20C. While I found it in The Netherlands, it's fitted with a US cord and plug.
On the bottom, it reads:

VOLTS 110-120 WATTS 1275
FOR AC ONLY

I'd like to use it in The Netherlands, where we get 230V AC from our outlets.
Using a power converter is not an option, since the toaster wants 1275 Watts. And while power converters that can handle that power do exist, it's a bit overkill to get a slice of toast.
So is there any other option? The mechanism is simple enough, no electronics, just heating coils.

It’s unlikely that you can internally convert it. That would require finding two series strings of heating coils of the same resistance, and moving them from series to parallel.  Nothing but a teardown will tell you if something like that exists.   Even so, the switch may not be rated for 230V, though that’s probably not a huge issue.
That is an absolutely exquisite toaster.   They aren’t made anymore because of incompatibilities between their operating principle and a new UL White Book requirement. As such, they should not be trashed by risky behavior with cheap “power converters” found on the Internet or at junk shops.  There’s a special hell for people who take such risks lol.
The good news is, AC frequency won’t be a problem, so you just need a reliable source of 115/120V.  A proper transformer of sufficient ampacity is a fine answer.
You can overload a heavy transformer somewhat since your usage is momentary: Heat is why we care about overloading transformers; the iron and copper have significant thermal mass and take awhile to get warm enough to matter.  Same way little car starter motors can start a big engine.
Do not use cheap “power converters” unless you very carefully watch their power output on a scope.
Proper AC voltage conversion requires a transformer.  If it’s done electronically, there are a variety of ways to do it, in a wide spectrum of accuracy <-> cheapness.  At extremes, cheap “triac dimmers” for lights make a very ugly AC waveform, that works for incandescent lights intended for that same voltage, but is a mess for anything else.
You really have to watch out first for the spec of the converter, and second for “cheap overseas trash” overstating its capabilities.
Diodes won’t work.
That’s another example of way too far on the “cheap” spectrum.
Without a diode, running a 115V resistive load on 230V means you are doubling the voltage, and Ohm’s Law means you are doubling the current. Watt’s Law says if you double both voltage and current, you get four times the power/heat.  Needless to say this will instantly fry the toaster.
Now, somebody gets the bright idea “use a diode; block half the AC waveform”.  Now, what did I just say?   Applying 4x the survivable heat, 1/2* of the time, let’s see... do the math...

4 x 1/2 =

Anyone, anyone, Bueller? (Hint: 2x2=4)
That’s right... 4x the heat 1/2 the time is still double the survivable heat, and will again fry the beautiful toaster.


I'm assembling a swing set, having issues keeping it square Let me start off by saying I am a complete and total newb when it comes to wood work, so any advise is super helpful.
Okay, so I purchased a swing set that you assemble yourself. I started to put it together and I'm already stuck on like the fourth step. The instructions had me put together two sides of a structure, and now I have to put the two structures together. The beams connecting to the two sides are near impossible to square. I'm assembling this on grass ... as I don't have much else to do it on. Whenever I get one side square the other side isn't square, and so on. The ground is hella-unlevel, so I'm not surprised I'm having issues.
Does anyone have any tips or recommendations on how I can make the structure square? I have a square tool but all I know to do with it is check if something is square.
I was thinking maybe I could purchase some L brackets that are guaranteed to be a 90° angle, and use that to attach the beams to the structure at the proper height. But they are expensive and I don't want to end up buying them only to have them not be the best idea. Though, looking at the instructions right now, I don't think there would be anyway to make that work given that there's no inside joint to bind to.
I've attached a photo of the step I'm stuck on and highlighted the beams that aren't square with a green arrow.
I really want to get this thing done for my son, so any help is really really appreciated.
Thank you!

If the issue is a flat place to put it, see Kyle B's answer.
If the issue is squaring the individual parts into one of these frames, cast your mind back to geometry, and make the diagonals equal length (i.e. get the screws into a section but not completely tight. Measure the diagonals and nudge the frame until they are equal, then tighten the screws, and check the diagonals again just in case.) This is typically much more accurate than using a square, though you can certainly use a square in the same manner (assemble loosely, nudge to square, tighten) and that may be close enough for this purpose.
Edit to add: Putting in one screw, adjusting the diagonals, and only THEN putting in the rest of the screws will work better if you are not using pre-drilled pilot holes for the screws. I was assuming that this being a kit it has predrilled holes, which should be close enough that having them all in but a bit loose should allow adjustment to square.


Are some water valves poor quality? My house was built in 1996, and every water connection has a multi-turn shutoff valve.  These seem to fail the first or second time I use them - the inner rubber seal disintegrates and becomes brittle to the touch.   Tightening them just barely enough to stop the water flow is enough to break the seal.

Luckily the vendor still sells a compatible valve style, so I just buy a new valve and replace the multi-turn core and discard the rest.  They are all soldered to the pipes, so it would otherwise take a fortune in a plumber's labor to replace all of them in the house (quarter turn ball valves would seem to be much more reliable).

My question is whether this is a known problem with a certain vendor in the industry, or was the seal overheated during installation soldering, or if my replacement cores will also fail at next use?

I think the answer to your question is "all of the above". Yes some valves are made better than others.  Some types (ball versus globe valve) are better than others.  The installation process might have affected them as could how frequently they are used.  Certain elements in your water might also be a factor.

If you don't want to solder a lot or call a plumber, you could replace these with compression fitting ball valves.  You don't need anything other than two wrenches to install these and a pipe cutter to remove the old valves, and of course some spare time.


Removing switched outlet and 4 terminal outlet with 2 terminal outlet? I've read a number of questions about this topic, but I haven't found anything that seems to fit my situation.  Basically, I want to undo a switched outlet (full-hot), and turn it into an always-hot outlet.  I actually did this already by wiring the switch shut, as shown:

Basically, I capped the black and red wires together.  It would appear that a pig-tailed black wire was already capped previously, as well as the two white wires (I put electrical tape on the work I do, so I know it was me).

This switch controlled this outlet:

NOTE: It's possible the red and black (or the two whites) are in the wrong vertical order, since I took this pic after I'd already removed the receptacle.

At any rate, if I keep the receptacle as it is, the one to the right (that I replaced) works.  If I put a red or black (and a single neutral/white) on a new receptacle (that only has two terminals) and cap the leftover hot and leftover neutral, then that receptacle works, but the one to the right does not.  So the one to the right is "downstream", right?

My question is: Do I need to pigtail the red+black and pigtail the two whites, plug them in to the new receptacle to get it everything to work?  Or is there something else I should do?

Thanks!

Coloring is often unreliable. But in this case, it appears colors are being used consistently.  In all cases:

White is neutral
Black is always-hot
Red is switched-hot (or rather, was.)

It appears supply hot and neutral enters the system at the light switch.  Always-hot, switched-hot and neutral is carried from the light switch to the pictured receptacle.  Then, always-hot and neutral are carried downstream to the next receptacle (not pictured).

Your old receptacle has a "broken off" tab separating the screw terminals used by red and black.  This allows hot to be controlled independently on each socket of the receptacle.

You are familiar with wire-nuts and pigtails, as you are using them in the former switch location.

That short length of black wire between the yellow ribbed and red wirenuts is superfluous.  You can add the red wire to the red wirenut, and liberate a yellow wirenut and a pigtail.  Wire nut colors indicate size (number of wires they can handle) not function.

I gather your new receptacle only has one hot and neutral screw. (USB?)  Therefore you will need to pigtail neutral to the new receptacle.  Ordinarily I would say you need to pigtail hot as well, note that it is already pigtailed.  You could continue with that, and simply cap off the red, as it is redundant and you are not allowed to parallel wires.  However, instead, I would remove that pigtail, leave only the two blacks spliced to each other in the back of the box, and land the red wire on this receptacle.  That will give the red wire something to do.


Wires entering the Breaker Box Why do the two large wires go into a 40 amp double pole breaker and the small wire go into a single pole 30 amp breaker?

Double Pole Breakers use two hots ( 240v) AC, Electric Hot Water Tank, Stove, Dryer...
Single Pole Beakers use one hot (120v) lights, switches, outlets


Covering protruding bolts in a chairleg Some rubber feet came off of my chair's legs, exposing bolts that are digging holes in my carpet.

I used a temporary solution of just lashing some kitchen sponges onto area with rubber bands, but the bolts dug through those in a week or so. What can I do? Is there a (cheap) product available for this kind of situation, like a hard-drying rubber or silicone putty or something?

I tried just removing the bolts but they wouldn't budge or unscrew. The metal is very soft so I suppose I could just saw and sand them, but I'm looking for second opinions.

The bolts no longer serve a purpose, so cut them off (using bolt cutters, hack-saw, angle grinder, etc.).

If you want the chairs to have some sort of pads then buy and attach new ones.
 You can get self-adhesive, or pads designed to attach with screws, bolts, rivets, etc.


What could be causing the filler tube of a toilet to be leaking/bubbling? I'm trying to fix a leaking toilet, and I can't seem to find a guide for the problem I have. Most of them are for fixing a leaky flapper or fill valve.

When I flush the toilet, the tank fills normally until it is full. I've confirmed that the float ball and valves are ok. After the tank fills up, I noticed that the filler tube (red arrow in the diagram) is bubbling and it sounds like the tank is continually being filled. If I move the float ball arm up a little bit, the leaking stops. I tried adjusting the height of the ball and tightening it, but the filler tube keeps bubbling.

Is this a problem with the float ball or fill valve?

I've run into this same problem several times, and tried the same things you're trying - adjust the ball, bend the arm a bit to put more pressure on the valve, etc.

Ultimately though I've always ended up replacing the fill valve. The pressure from the float ball and arm isn't enough to close the valve completely, a seal is worn out, or something else is similarly out of whack.

ETA: In my experience, the fill valves that don't have a ball but instead have a sort of integrated float seem to be less prone to this problem (like the one pictured below)


What is the primary function of the main breaker in a breaker box? How does it differ from other breakers? Location: California | United States

I'd like to better understand the roles of main breakers and sub-breakers.  Why are there multiple levels of breakers? I suspect that sub-breakers are intended to regulate/control electricity for specific sections of the house while allowing other sections to still be powered?

-M

P.S. I'm SURE I'm misusing the term sub-breakers so I apologize to the electricians here. Hopefuly my question still makes sense. =)

The main breaker is sized to trip before the total current draw of the panel exceeds either a) the current carrying capacity of the feed from the electric company, or b) the current carrying capacity of the breaker panel bus bar, whichever is less. So if you order a 100 amp service and your breaker panel is rated for 120 amps, then your main panel should have a 100-amp breaker at the top.

The breakers for the branch circuits are rated to prevent the branch circuit from drawing more power than the branch circuit wiring can handle.

If you look at your panel and do the math, it is very possible that the branch breakers have a total capacity greater than the rating of the main breaker. This is fine because you will typically never have everything drawing it's maximum rated current.


Do cracks in my home's stucco indicate foundation issues? My hubby and I purchased the home in 2015. We are currently noticing cracks both inside and outside of the home. Moreover, we noticed the area had been fixed and covered up before.

As I'm not a professional, I am pretty concerned about it. Please help and diagnose if I should be concerned. Thank you ahead of time! It is much appreciated.

More pictures

The short answer to the question in your Heading is: Yes, the culprit for the stucco crack is probably footing/foundation settling. But it doesn't look serious.

Most building move, some more than others. Traditional stucco shows it; concrete foundations/basements show it; and even drywall shows cracks in buildings that move enough. Unfortunately, stucco seems to highlight the tell-tell signs of a building's nefarious activity for all to see. The work for many stucco contractors is primarily repairing cracks. Your stucco crack is very typical - at a window sill. Interior dry wall usually cracks at the wall board seams.
You can worry and spend lots of money trying to make a building hold still, but most people just fix the cracks.

Fortunately, developments in plaster/stucco/drywall have created materials that offer much more flexibility, to let the building do it thing without displaying cracks to prove it. Crack repairs tend to last longer now with the flexible materials. The art is in matching the original texture. A seasoned stucco contractor can make a long-lasting repair that blends in with its surroundings. If you want to do it yourself, there are plentiful youtube "How To" videos on the topic. Kirk Giordano has posted several good videos that apply directly the issue that you and numerous other homeowners are experiencing.


Can I use a switch to toggle the neutral bonding on a generator? I am in the process of attaching a 2-Pole transfer switch to my breaker panel and powering it by a 7500W generator. The generator is neutral-bonded-to-ground. I understand I have to disconnect this in order to power the transfer switch safely. This consists of removing a jumper on the alternator. My question is: Can I install a toggle switch (30A light switch if you will) between jumper on the generator to be able toggle the ground off when connected to the transfer switch and on when using as a stand alone generator?

You have two choices.

1) Remove the jumper on the generator, and connect it to the transfer switch as you had planned. But have to put the jumper back on if you ever want to use the generator separately. You also have to hard wire the neutral through the transfer switch.

or

2) You can leave the jumper on the generator, drive a separate ground rod for the generator or connect it to a newarby ground rod with a suitably sized grounding electrode conductor, and change the transfer switch to a 3 pole that switches both phase conductors and the neutral.

Short version is, if you switch the neutral you need a ground rod and a system bonding jumper and if you hard-wire the neutral you need to remove the system jumper on the generator. I agree with Ed Beal putting a switch on the jumper would make it too easy to leave in one position or the other. But then if you leave the jumper on for separate use you may forget to take it off for the transfer switch if you go that way.

Your best course might be to leave it on and use method 2 with a 3 pole transfer switch.

Refer to Article 250.30 for the proper grounding of separately derived systems.

Happy Tuesday!


Why can't I lay tiles on an uneven floor? My buddy and I have gotten into a bit of a dispute on facebook, here's what he asks:

I keep hearing tiling an unlevel floor will result in tiles coming up. This reason makes no sense to me. The only reason a stable but unlevel floor will have tiles come up is if the bond between the cement and floor or tile fails. This failure should have NOTHING to do w/levelness of the floor, correct?

My response goes something like this:

Here's the thing: Unless you use a LOT of paste underneath the tiles (which won't dry out properly so will crack fast) then you will have a potential for a lever situation once the paste that's under an uneven one does dry out (because it will). Then that will cause disruption under the other tiles. Can't you just lay another level of backerboard to try and get things mostly level?
The more the floor is uneven the more you will have to use extra cement, which means it won't dry out at the same time. Here, I'll go ask the pros for you to see what you can do since apparently you don't like my idea of asking them.

Am I on the right track? What can he do to reduce the risk of the tiles coming up if the original floor is uneven?
FWIW: He's refinishing an older townhouse that he purchased in Houston, TX (in case age/location makes a difference)
UPDATE:
after feedback from Tester101 (much obliged) the actual problem is a wavy and uneven concrete floor. It's for the living room, so there's not really any real risk of water.

If the floor is concrete the best thing todo is scorch the uneven floor with a grinder making deep grooves in various directions. Clean with water jetting loose dust away. Mix some new concrete. Wet the floor again and screte it to a level But dont make it smooth just leave it slightly rough maintaing the level.
Pour water on as per concrete bag reccomebds. Usually 48 to 72 hours. Let the concrete dry for another 48 to 72 hours.
Then using tile paste and the tile tool (the one that is straight on one edge and has teeth on the other) lay the paste.

If it's a wooden moving floor. Like suspended on wooden beams and when you walk on it the glasses in your cupboard rattle then you place long as possible boards to have a flat even surface that is as continuous as possible. Make sure to find out which boards to use. I can't remember the name now. Then using the same tile paste lay your tiles. You might want to use chaulk or silicone to grout. But using normal grout is ok. It could just make hairline cracks or sometimes just a section would shatter. Just need to regrout. This is the minus side of unstable floors.

I have tiled 1 place on a place in Europe a house built in 1st world war. Some german barracks where everything vibrated when you walked on it. I used that method 11 years ago and no complaints till today.


Dryer with one wire connected to water pipe does not work after replacing copper pipe with pex I have a dryer with a 3-wire power cord. One wire was fastened to a copper water line. I replaced the copper water line with pex tubing and now the dryer won't work.

Danger!
A 3-wire dryer connection has two hots & neutral. It does not have a separate ground.
A 4-wire (required for all new installations for many years now) has two hots, neutral and ground.
The only time you should have a wire connected to copper pipe (and even then, it is limited for various reasons) is ground. Never neutral. So you appear to have two problems combined:

Neutral from dryer treated as ground by connecting to copper water pipe
Pex doesn't conduct so it is not a valid ground path

A typical US residential clothes dryer uses neutral for controls & lights, possibly the motor. It does not use it for the main power draw - the heating element. As a result, it can "kind of squeak by" but in a dangerous way if instead of ground on neutral (the usual 3-wire way, now deprecated) you have neutral on ground. When you made the ground no longer work (because pex doesn't conduct), instead of just losing ground (a safety issue) you also lost neutral (a functional issue).
In a way, this is a blessing in disguise, because you have found a major safety issue before it had the chance to kill anyone (seriously!).
Get this Fixed Properly

Replace the 3-wire cord from the dryer with a 4-wire cord
Remove the jumper wire in the dryer that connects ground & neutral (if you can't figure out how to do that, post the model # and we can probably figure it out)
Replace the 3-wire receptacle with a 4-wire NEMA 14-30:

The hard part: RUN A NEW 4-WIRE (2 HOT, 1 NEUTRAL, 1 GROUND) CABLE to your electrical panel. Normally this will be 10 AWG for 30 Amp. The problem is that based on what was previously done - routing neutral as ground - it is really not clear what you will find when you get to the electrical panel. I recommend posting a picture of the electrical panel showing the current dryer circuit breaker before doing any work so that we can review it for other possible issues.

In some cases if running a new cable is not a simple thing to do (e.g., different part of the house) there are ways to run ground separately through another path. However, that is dependent on ground being the only problem. In this case, all indications are that you only have 2 wires - not 3 - going back to the electrical panel, in which case taking care of ground through an alternate method will not solve the problem.


What options are there to achieve both grounding/ground-fault and arc-fault protection on old 2-wire circuits? The three receptacle circuits in my house are 2-wire NM, but have 3-prong receptacles. My electrician recommended and installed GFCI breakers to provide "grounding" to these circuits. I now realize that arc-fault protection on these circuits would be a good-idea for safety. The wiring for the branch circuits was not being "modified, replaced, or extended" (NEC 210.12(B)), so I don't think AFCI is technically required by code, but I am surprised the electrician didn't recommend it in addition to GFCI protection.

I can call the electrician to come back and fix, but I'd like to know what my options are in advance. I think the options are:

Replace GFCI breakers with CAFCI breakers and add GFCI receptacles to the first-outlet on each circuit. (Cost: 3x$50 + 3x$20 = $210 plus labor)
Keep GFCI breakers and add AFCI receptacles to the first-outlet on each circuit (allowed by 210.12(B)(2) and 406.4(D)(2)). (Cost: 3x$30 = $90).
Replace GFCI breakers with Dual Function AFCI/GFCI breakers. May not be available for my GE panel. GE makes them, but I don't see them available for purchase anywhere.

Option 2 sounds nice, but I haven't heard of this before and the NEC appears to be ambiguous on this specific situation. AFCISafety.org also appears to be ambiguous:

  An AFCI can be used in conjunction with GFCI protection to provide both arcing fault protection as well as 5mA ground fault (people) protection. A common way to provide both types of protection is to use an AFCI circuit breaker and a GFCI receptacle.

Am I missing anything?

First off. The only way to provide proper "grounding", is to install a grounding conductor from the panel to each outlet. Providing AFCI and GFCI protection to the circuits is helpful, but these devices will not provide "grounding".

If you switch from 2-prong receptacles to 3-prong on these circuits, you should not connect anything to the grounding screw of the receptacles. You should also (technically) install labels at each outlet that read "GFCI protection" and "No Equipment Ground". Though, these labels aren't common in residential situations.

  Replace GFCI breakers with CAFCI breakers and add GFCI receptacles to the first-outlet on each circuit.

This is probably going to be your best bet. In this scenario, the CAFCI breaker provides protection to the entire circuit. The GFCI protection being at the first outlet, means that while the wiring from the panel to this location is not protected, the rest of the circuit is protected.

  Keep GFCI breakers and add AFCI receptacles to the first-outlet on each circuit.

This isn't a terrible option, although the AFCI device will not be protecting the wiring between the panel and the device. Also note that an AFCI device only detects line to ground arcs (parallel arcs), while a CAFCI device detects both line to ground and line to line arcs (parallel and series arcs).

  Replace GFCI breakers with Dual Function AFCI/GFCI breakers.

If you could actually find these (and could afford them), this would probably be your best course of action. Unfortunately, these devices probably don't exists (yet) from most manufacturers.


How to level a section of raised concrete floor? I had a plumber move a toilet drain on cement slab. The new concrete he poured is about 1/8" higher than the rest of the floor.  I need the floor to be level for tile installation. The new concrete is only about 5% of the bathroom sqft, so I need way to grind it down somehow. What's the best way to accomplish this?

Grinding concrete is a very dirty job. If I had to do it I would use a 9 or 4 1/2 inch grinder with a concrete grinding wheel. At least an N95 dust mask, goggles, preferably like motorcycle riders use with the foam around the edges to keep dust out. I would put one or two shop vacuum cleaners hoses in the exhaust vent to create an air flow through the bathroom. You will need to mark where the toilet base hits and remove the toilet then grind away free hand. Leave the outside edges till last so you can put a straight edge across to measure progress. Leave the area where the toilet sits high, it wont be noticible when the tiles are in. Can you get the plumber to fix it, he screwed it up.  For the vacuum cleaner's you could remove the door and make a plastic door then you could just run the hoses under the plastic and let air be pulled in from the vent, try and have a slightly negative pressure to keep the dust in the bathroom.