Trying to find the transformer for my doorbell I replaced our doorbell with a Ring doorbell about a month or two ago. It worked fine at first, but gradually started not connecting to the network, and after I followed a few steps suggested by the technician, it doesn't seem to getting any voltage at all. He said it was probably either a chime issue, or the transformer. I tried replacing the chime, but didn't get any change in results, so now I'm trying to find the transformer. Unfortunately, the house was partially wired by the owner, who I can't get ahold of anymore (and yes, I know that generally you don't contact the prior homeowner after purchase), and I'm quite confused. My best guess for the doorbell wire looks like it snakes back to this:

I haven't been able to budge the screws in it yet to test it with my multimeter (I'm getting 0V at the screws), but does this look like it might be a transformer of some sort?

I've tried testing the voltage at my chime (0 V) and at the wires in the front (0 V), assuming that I was correct in testing the two wires at each of those locations, and I wasn't supposed to bridge two of them to get the reading.

Just to follow up, I was able to get the screws off (and unfortunately lost both in the process), and sticking my multimeter into the holes does yield 18 V. I managed this after getting off the phone with the Ring guy, who'd assured me that this was not a transformer and that I'd need to call an Amazon-recommended electrician...

So now I need to get replacement screws and then see if I can find a break further down the wire.

Just to provide an answer for the question, this is outputting the correct voltage and it was identified by a commenter as a valid transformer. I will accept in 48 hours.


Could a sweating pipe in the attic drip water onto the ceiling? I have a sweating pipe in my ceiling from the AC. I have changed the filter and have tried to clean the coils the best I can. The pipes have no insulation around the sweating pipe.

Would this cause it to drip on the ceiling?

Probably this is the refrigerant gas return line to the compressor. It will be cold (maybe 45 or 50 F) and water vapor will condense to liquid water on it. It must be insulated and the insulation must be sealed or it will get wet between the pipe and the insulation. Keeping the line insulated will also make the a/c compressor work more efficiently and possibly last longer.

The gas return line is copper and will be the larger diameter line of a pair of copper lines which connect the evaporator unit (in the attic or in a closet on an occupied floor) to the condensing unit (compressor) outside the structure (usually on the ground).

If the evaporator unit is in the attic, then the line carrying condensed water may also be in the attic and this line may also proceed horizontally in the attic to and through an exterior wall and then terminate outside that wall where the condensate drips. The condensate line may be copper or may be plastic. This line will also be cold, but usually not as cold as the refrigerant gas return line.

EDIT

The refrigerant gas return line (larger copper tubing) will be cold when the compressor is running, but will warm up to ambient when the compressor is off.


Adding (small) load to existing rafters with 2x4 I am planning on installing a whole house fan (shown in the image below). The fan has a total system weight of 40 pounds and needs to be supported via metal and nylon straps to a beam as shown in the image below.

My roof does not have these cross beams. I am thinking about attaching a beam (2x4) via 10 penny nails as shown in the drawing below:

My question is is there anything wrong with this approach? Could the load cause the roof to sag or any other problems I'm not thinking of?

Probably fine as far as weight goes. But I would not nail it, I would use construction screws (aka "deck screws") Pounding nails into the sides of those rafters may disturb your roof sheeting nails and or shingles, leading to leaks.


How do I remove a rust stain from my granite counter top? My wife had a towel holder on our granite bathroon counter top.  It left a rust stain on the counter.  What can I use to remove?

A product called CLR (Calcium, Lime & Rust remover) is really good at getting rust stains off tile, granite, concrete and toilets. It is available at most grocery stores in my area. make sure to rinse well after the stain vanishes (it works very quickly).


Do I need two separate duplex receptacles for dishwasher (GFCI) and garbage disposal? I have seen answers to similar questions but not sure they address my situation.  I recently "installed" 2 separate 20A circuit runs for a dishwasher and a garbage disposal respectively (overkill perhaps).  I will be installing a switch between the breaker and the garbage disposal receptacle next.  I will then install the receptacle underneath the kitchen sink where the garbage disposal and dishwasher will plug in.  I believe I have read that NEC 2014 requires GFCI for a dishwasher but not for disposal (seems backward to me but okay).  If so, does this mean I should install a 2-gang box with one GFCI duplex receptacle for the dishwasher and then one standard (or another GFCI) duplex receptacle for the disposal?  Can I use one GFCI duplex receptacle for 2 separate circuits?

Yes, you are right.  Current code wants the dishwasher GFCI protected.  However, unlike the dishwasher, there is no specific article that explicitly states a disposal requires one.

A Double pole GFCI 20 Amp breaker can protect two individual appliances. The Wiring is known as a MWBC "multi-wire branch circuit" and uses 12-3 "Black, Red, White, and Ground".

However, current code also wants everything in a kitchen, including dishwashers to be ARC-fault protected.  One solution is to use a Double-Pole Dual GFCI/ARC fault 20 Amp breaker.

But since you ran two separate branch circuits I don't think code allows you to combine the neutrals as one in the panel because the conductors are not in the same sheath/raceway when they leave the panel.  In which case, you would just do as you mentioned using a 2-gang box with one GFCI and one regular outlet, which is probably far way less expensive!


How can I predict now the heat sinks that will appear in winter? I've just moved into a house where I'm concerned that an energy audit might find problems.  The clue is that the windows appear to be old single-pane windows.  Once it's cold out I can borrow an infrared camera and go around checking to see how bad things are and exactly where the greatest heat losses are.  But it's hard to install new windows in winter.  What can I do now to anticipate where the problems will be?

The general principle to use is that actual air leaks are a lot worse than just having poor insulation.

Look around your doors, windows, plumbing, attic/basement/crawlspace access hatches, fireplace, and anywhere else where there's a hole in the wall. Anywhere you feel air movement is an issue. Anywhere you can see daylight (that's not glass) is an issue.


What is the cleanest way to trim the drywall around this electrical box? I'm mounting a ceiling fan into an existing ceiling fan electrical box.

The drywall was finished around the box such that it's too close to the box and will be in the way of the hanging bracket and fan trim. I'll need to cut it back. What's the best way to trim back drywall in a situation like this?

I ended up following suggestions from @PlatinumGoose and @Stanwood by extending the electrical box lower using a 2x8 cut to fit, as well as a electrical box extender.


How to fix a leaky flapper valve? I bought a house that had been sitting for some time.  One of the the issues that I've discovered is that the flapper valve leaks.  I've come to this conclusion by turning off the water to the tank and combing back later to see that the water level is lower.

I have already replaced the flapper valve itself, and the leak remains.

Sometimes when a flapper gets old and begins to fail (disintegrate) it can leave a piece behind stuck to the outflow pipe that it covers.  This piece/remnant then prevents the new flapper from getting a good seal.  You might want to clean out the tank and make sure there are no remnants of the old flapper stuck in there.


Why will my well pressure not go above 40 PSI even when I hold the pressure switch closed? My well is probably 200' deep and is about 50' from the house.  I have no idea what the pump HP is.
I have tried different pressure switches and adjusted them up / down but I can never get more than 42 psi, so I have the switch set at 20 / 40.  If I hold the pressure switch closed for as long as 15 minutes it still will not pump beyond 42 psi.  I would really like to have 30/50 psi.  I now have the bladder tank set to 18 psi for 20/40 pressure setting.  In order to get 30/50 do I need a larger well pump?
(If I install a 30/50 switch the current pump never shuts off.)

You need a pump that will provide more pressure. That may or may not be "larger" in terms of HP - my recollection was that the most common 1/2 HP submersible pumps when I was shopping were actually set up for higher pressure/deeper wells than the 3/4 HP pump I got, but the key is that the HP alone does NOT tell you what the pump can or will do - different impeller/staging setup can do more volume at lower pressure or more pressure at lower volume from the same HP input. This is seen by comparing "pump curves" which is what truly matters when choosing the right pump.
You can make some slight inference as to pump HP from the size of the breaker (or fuse) on the pump circuit, but given the starting surge it's not entirely definitive.
My particular 3/4 HP pump works just fine (set at 40/60) from 300 feet down more than 100 feet from the house, and will draw the well from 100 feet down all the way to the pump location (my well drillers appear to have fibbed quite a bit about the GPM my well produces, since it was chosen with their numbers and the well should not draw down to pump level if their numbers were correct.)
Another possibility is that your pump impeller may have worn to the point that it no longer works as designed, and it's possible that a pump of the same power and impeller setup that was new should work fine.
When you get a new pump, be sure to stick the provided labels (usually - or just write the information with a permanent marker) on the pump control box or breaker panel or on the wall near the pressure tank so that you or the next person will actually know what pump is down the well.


How can I find thecapacity of an older model dryer? How can I find out the capacity of an older Kenmore Advantage gas dryer model # 79801?  I need a new dryer but want a larger capacity than my old one.

I tried googling and found this:

Question about 79891 dryer

which is the identical question you are asking. The answerer stated that the full model number is 110.87980100. Based on that and searching again I get:

Question about 110.87980100 capacity

which states for model 110.87980100 the capacity is 7.0 cu ft


Solar panels and batteries as primary, grid as backup with auto transfer switch I've been toying around with this idea and I'm not sure if it's feasible.  I live in an area where the power company has recently adjusted rates to make grid-tied net metering rooftop solar uneconomical (SRP in central Arizona)

Rather than go traditional grid tied with net metering, I have been thinking about, for example, running my electric water heaters (yes I have 2, and not by choice, we don't have natural gas service, and I've looked at solar thermal.  PV makes more sense.) from solar directly from a sub panel, and storing the excess power in a battery instead of sending it back to the grid. The long term plan would be to migrate additional circuits to the solar/battery sub panel over time, and monitor the system adding panels and batteries to get to an optimum system.

I'd like to be able to use the grid as a backup in case with an auto transfer switch if the batteries run low.  Ideally this transfer would be limited to some pre-defined spread, so that the power transfers to grid once the battery is below 20% but won't transfer back to battery until the battery reached 30% (example numbers, actual levels TBD).

To further complicate things I would want to have load shedding to prevent both water heaters from coming on at the same time, prioritizing the bathrooms over the kitchen/utility, potentially adding the heat pump (8kw) to that at some point.

Ideally this setup would use panels with micro inverters to allow for easier expansion.  Otherwise I'd need to get a significantly oversized inverter for traditional DC strings to allow for expansion.

WiFi / Ethernet monitoring of all the major components is desired.

I'm having a hard time figuring out if there is off the shelf equipment that could be used for this or if it's even feasible. I would install the panels myself but have an electrician wire everything up.

I doubt the power company would like this, but since I'm not going to be sending power to their grid I don't think they have any say so.

Assumptions:

I have an old 200 amp panel that will be replaced.
It's assumed that I would need to move loads to a sub panel.
The power company isn't going to try to intervene.
Since the water heaters are 3,500 watts, I'd want to size the initial system to maybe 2kw, since the duty cycle on them is maybe 15%, and they are on timers (off from 9PM to 7AM)

So my specific questions are:

is this even possible or is it completely daft?
has anyone done this or heard of someone that has?
if it's doable, is there off the shelf equipment that would support it?
I'm not familiar with transfer switches, how is sensitive equipment affected?  All my computer equipment is on decent sine wave UPS' but what about the TV, refrigerator, etc (I've had to replace the logic board in my fridge after a power surge.)?
I've no idea how to size the battery.

I'm sure there are lots of details that I'm overlooking.

Sounds like a totally custom system that you will have to design and implement yourself.

If I lived in AZ I might be tempted to install a solar water heater tied to the existing water heaters to start with. Keeps you from having to backfeed the grid and get crossways with your utility.

Another thought is to add solar panels tied through MPPT's to secondary heating coils in the existing water heaters. Using straight DC instead of changing to AC will save you ~15% of loss through an inverter for no reason since resistive heat doesn't need AC.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_power_point_tracking

With either of these methods you can use the water to store your heat / power instead of batteries or the grid.

You sound like you have thought about this for a while but make some small investments first and see if you think they are worth it before proceeding. You may be very disappointed if you are not realistic with your calculations and goals.

Happy Tuesday!


How can I refresh the finish on my kitchen cabinets? I am getting ready to put my house on the market and I would like to clean \ "restore" my kitchen cabinets.  They are an oak cabinet that aren't painted, they are stained.  I don't know exactly what finish is on them.  They are the original builder grade cabinets from the early 1980's.

They are really just full of grime and whatnot.  So I would like to clean them a little and then maybe just rub them down with something that can make them look a bit better.  Something like Old English or Pledge.  Maybe butcher block oil ?

First off you will have to clean off the grime. Any attempt to dress up the surface of the finish with the grime still present will look worse in my experience.

Cleaning the grime off can be attempted using a washing solution of TSP and hot water. TSP should be available at your hardware store in powered form as TSP or trisodium phosphate. It is an awesome cleaner but will require you to use good rubber gloves that cover up your lower arms.

After you get the grime removed you will be in a position to evaluate the condition of the finish. It the finish is in relatively uniform condition and not worn completely away or cracked / peeling you may be able to improve the looks a lot with an nice quality oil wipe. I would not recommend Pledge type products for reconditioning the finish surface.

If the finish is mildly non-uniform but clean you should be able to pipe on a thin coat of wipe on combo stain/finish. Select a color very close to the current appearance for best results. Make sure to try this out on a non-obvious surface to make fully sure that you are satisfied with the results - in other words do not rely solely on my advice and do read and follow manufacturer instructions.

In cases where the finish is completely gone and bare wood is showing it may be necessary to go to the extreme and strip off all the old finish, sand and re-finish. This can be a huge project (I can speak to it after doing a whole kitchen some 25 years ago and many cans of very smelly strong stripper later) but can be the best way to get cabinets look close to new again. Mine in that project had two coats of paint over original baked on blond finish on ash wood. After re-finishing they looked awesome.

If there is physical damage to doors and drawer fronts you could consider another option that is available. There are businesses that will apply a new covering all over the visible parts of the cabinets. I have a hard time recommending this approach because I think the results of such effort are ugly.


Deck ledger flashing options I am having an existing deck/porch that is attached to my home repaired/replaced due to termite and water damage.  I told the guys to replace any damaged wood they thought necessary. The replaced the ledger, but after the fact I realize there should have been some type of water shedding(tyvek) underlayment behind it.  But it's too late now its done.  Going forward, looking for best ideas to flash the ledger so water will not seep in and rot it again.  Here are things I thought of.  The lumber is PT for ground.

Spray whole board with rainguard(its on order).
Caulk/fill seams on top bottom with some type of roof sealant(henrys/gaco roof)
Fashion/Shape a piece of joist tape(i have imus butyl 4/5 inch) into the top like a metal L flashing.
Put Z metal flashing over that sealed with Loctite joint and seam and screws.
Paint over with liquid rubber/mesh.

Now, some of the steps may or can be eliminated like step 5, but it seems like a good idea.
The thing I am thinking about is the metal flashing.
Should I use vinyl, or use some type of "copper" tape that they sell?enter image description here
I have attached pictures.enter image description here

Update:
Thanks for all answers.  I basically am "duplicating" protection as its only a 20 ft run of PT. My decisions:         1. fill the crack between the ledger and house(plaster) with filler rope and through the roof sealant, which I have used before. I like it.  Clear and dries like urethane or something.
2 Paint the ledger with GACO roof tape(similar to liquid rubber but silicon)                                       3. Install plastic Z flashing over ledger sticking on with loctite roof cement, and then seal the seam on top with mesh and the GACO. (I had to order a case of 40 plastic Z flashings online..I COULD not find anything in stock anywhere in the universe, including the big box stores...they are all out, and have no idea about shipments.  Their is a big time shortage of certain items right now....I figure I will be able to sell the extra on craigslist, since I had to pay $200 for a case.  I only need probably 5.  But I could not waste any more time searching for the items...crazy.
Update 3/29
Here is my final solution.  Caulk the gap between the ledger and house with through the roof.  Add strip of 3" 3M flashing tape over that(since I had it)...install metal z flashing and glue with liquid nails fuze it max...eventually I will just paint over before decking is installed.  I think its pretty secure at this point.
enter image description here

Update : Another use for 3M flashing tape...around edges of plywood sheathing flat roof.  My underlayment will go over this..then my drip edge.

Typically, an aluminum or galvanized "z flashing" as you called it, would be installed under the siding, over the top of the ledger and down the upper lip a little. Decking is installed on top of this flashing.
(Diagram not to scale)

Done this way there is no need for any of the other products you mentioned unless you have moisture or insect concerns from below the ledger.
I would not use vinyl or copper tape for this, any cracks will prevent it from working properly so it needs to be very durable.


Amp rating of ganged circuit-breakers Backstory: I'm considering replacing my current tank water heater with a tankless whole-house unit. The units I see generally require a 120-amp breaker circuit.

Currently, my panel has two ganged switches marked "50" supplying the water heater. My understanding was that the two breakers, each calibrated for 50 amps, are wired in parallel to produce a 100-amp circuit to the water heater. So, I probably need to have an electrician swap out that breaker for a slightly beefier one (and make sure the installed wiring can handle the extra power) as part of the upgrade.

But, when looking thrrough the electrical section, I saw ganged circuit breakers numbered with "60" on each switch labelled as a "60-amp breaker". This would imply to a relative layman like myself that the entire package will trip at 60 amps of draw. If that's true, I may need a second input panel just for the tankless, 'cause the full panel for my house is only rated 200A, which seems to be the average for a single-family home when looking at breaker boxes in that same aisle.

Can anyone unconfuse me here?

A double-pole breaker with a "60" on each half will trip at 60 amps. The reason it's two connected breakers is to give the circuit 240V potential, by using two opposing AC phases. These do not "add up" to more current -- you're using them to double the voltage.

So if the heater requires 240V power at 120amps, you will need double-pole breakers that can provide a total of 120amps, e.g. 4 30A double-pole breakers as Tester101 suggested.

An electrician will be able to tell you if your service panel can accommodate this extra load -- it's a lot, but your 200A service might be adequate, depending on the normal load elsewhere in your home.


Can non-metallic cables pass through one large opening at top of electrical panel? Does the 2014 NEC eliminate the need to secure each cable to the cabinet?
Or can all cables pass through one large opening at top of panel?

No, the NEC did not eliminate the need to secure. Each cable must be secured at each box or cabinet. Accordingly each connector or cable clamp will be listed with its capacity. One large connector is not listed for many small cables.


How do I fix a leak in this toilet cistern inlet pipe? I successfully replaced the syphon of my toilet, but on reattaching the cistern to the base, the cistern inlet pipe started leaking where it connects to the main water source. It looks like the rubber washer inside the valve is worn away to shreds. It may be quite difficult to tell from this photo, but the red bits inside the valve are just ripped to bits:

I'd like to know how best to fix this. Of the solutions I can think of, I have questions about it:

get a new washer. In this case, I'm worried that a fixed 'lip' on the pipe would make it difficult to fit a washer. Also, how would I describe the kind of washer I'm looking for?
replace the valve with a  a service valve like this. In which case, will that be compatible with the existing pipe which looks to be fixed in place?
replace the fixed pipe with something else entirely. In which case, might be time to call in a real plumber :)

Additional info: this is a UK house, these fittings are probably around 20 years old.

How do I fix a leak in this inlet pipe?

That looks like standard UK 15mm copper pipe with an olive and compression fitting.

The correct term for the "washer" is an "olive". It is made from copper. If it is damaged, you will have to

buy new "15mm compression olives", they often come in a pack of 5.
cut off the old olive (you can get olive splitters to do this job)
clean up the end of the pipe with wire wool (or similar) until bright and shiny.
make sure the end is circular and undistorted for at least 1 cm
make sure there is no burr or lip at the very end (use fine grit sandpaper)
slide a new olive over the pipe (above the compression nut)
ensure the parts to be connected are clean
screw everything together

So long as everything is clean, smooth and undistorted, you don't need any plumber's gunk, gloop or PTFE tape.

Don't overtighten, if it weeps you can tighten a 16th of a turn or so.

If necessary, you can cut the pipe further down and fit an extra joint with a short length of new pipe, you might be able to use a flexible connection hose for future convenience - some of these can incorporate an isolation valve. A professional plumber would use an end-feed soldered copper joint but you can get ring-solder joints that just need heating with a blow-torch. Compression joints are easy and compact (and my preference) but you can also use push-fit connectors (HEP2O, Speedfit, etc) so long as they say they are OK for copper as well as plastic pipe.


Correct circuit breakers for 4-wire connected Maytag dryer? The panel in the house we just bought has the 30-amp dryer is connected by 4 wires (#10) to the panel where the black wire is on a 30-amp circuit breaker and the red wire is on another 30-amp circuit breaker.  Is that correct?  To me that totals 60 amps of current acceptable over the wire.

Thank you.

Service panels have two poles of 120V each.  Most loads you are familiar with, draw from one pole and return the same current to neutral, which is "in the middle".  240V loads draw 30A from one pole, and return 30A to the other pole.

Generally there are 3 possibilities here.

A 2-pole breaker, which is a double-wide breaker with a factory handle tie.  This has both common trip and common maintenance shutoff.  Both are mandatory for a single 120/240V appliance wired with a neutral, such as a dryer or range.

One thing about 2-pole breakers is that the "common trip" is actually an internal mechanism inside the breaker, it isn't the handle tie.

Two 1-pole breakers with a handle-tie, which is a UL-listed device that is field-installed.  This has common maintenance shutoff only.  This is acceptable for 240V-only (no neutral) appliances like water heaters and air conditioning units.  It is also required for multi-wire branch circuits, but a 30A MWBC would be excessively rare unless you had two travel trailers.
Two individual breakers with no tie.  These are only good at 30A for plain 120V circuits, such as ... um... gosh... small travel trailers that use a TT30 connection, and that's about all I can think of that uses single 30A.  However, two 30A breakers can be handle-tied for use on plain-240V loads as mentioned above.

I have seen panels where a handle-tie was conspicuously missing, and then I look closer at the dust in the bottom of the panel, and there it is.  It had fallen off while someone was moving breakers around.   So check the bottom of your panel.

I accidentally bought a bunch of 30A 1-pole breakers.  That's why I know so much about what they can and cannot do.


What size breaker and wire do I need to feed a panel for a tankless water heater? I purchased a electric tankless water heater and I would like to know the following? The unit requires 3 separate 40 amp breakers, one for each line. I have 200 amp service. The subpanel will be located about 30 feet from the main. What would the breaker be at the main and what size wire should I run from the main to the sub-panel.

I'm not sure where you live but US code calls for a minimum of #8 if you're using copper or #6 if you're using aluminum. There would be no advantage in using a larger wire size in this case because at 30ft you will have negligible losses.

I don't know what your voltage is or how many phases you have but for an example of what your losses may be, I will assume a worst case scenario - 100V single phase. If you used the #6 aluminum wire, you would have a maximum of 1.72% voltage drop (loss). If you used the copper #8, you would have a maximum voltage drop of 1.66%. And just remember, when you are calculating losses (voltage drop), the higher the voltage, the better because higher voltages have less voltage drop.

Note: I use the Southwire Voltage Drop Calculator for most of my voltage drop calculations. http://www.southwire.com/support/voltage-drop-calculator.htm


Can plants be planted over a drain field? The previous owner of my house planted plants and small bushes where the drain field is.

I have a feeling that the roots will eventually damage the drains.

Is this okay or should I remove them?

It really depends on what you want to plant, but generally you do not want to have anything but grass or something that has shallow roots and does not block out the sun.  Your leech field works in two ways, one is the water leeches through the soil, but the other way that it works is evaporation.  Evaporation accounts from 30 to 70% of what goes in your leech field, depending on how it is designed.

So I would avoid putting to much around it or over it.  Trees will love the water, but eventually clog up your field.  The worst, ficus trees, they should be called ficus weeds.


open kitchen - but why Maybe because i come from Eastern Europe, where we have separate rooms for kitchens but I really don't understand why open kitchens are so popular? Are they practical in any sense?

My assumptions are that the furniture from the living room will be affected by all the smoke, vapors and smells from the kitchen.

Can you tell me why I don't understand the open kitchen concept and why is it practical?

Thank you so much.

In the US the kitchen is a central focal point in a home. An open floor plan lets folks congregate in the kitchen and also socialize/communicate easily with others in the home.

In older homes with closed in kitchens those in the kitchen feel isolated from anyone else in the house.


Ice machine won't turn off the water I have a Scotsman dce33pa 1sc ice machine.  My problem is the water will not shut off.  The pump continually pumps water out.  I replaced the inlet water valve but that did not help.

Theres a timer on your ice maker that turns on and off when your sensor detects that there no more ice in the tray, my icemaker timer opens the water supply valve to fill up the ice maker for about 5 to 7 seconds. most probably you have to replace the timer


Replacing a vintage 2 prong outlet that has 4 sockets? In one of my rooms I have a very old 2 prong outlet that has 4 places to plug things in. I want to know where I can find a wiring diagram for these types of outlets?
Any help is greatly appreciated.

That appears to be an add-on tap, NOT the actual receptacle installed as part of the home electrical system. If you remove the screw in the middle, the device should come off. It is likely an older version of something like this 6-outlet wall plug adapter, except only 4 receptacles and not grounded. You will likely find an ordinary duplex receptacle underneath, missing only the usual cover plate, which can be easily replaced.

The device you currently have is a bit beat up and is not grounded. I highly recommend:

If the receptacles underneath are not grounded, replace them with a duplex grounded receptacle. This is easy if they are in a metal box that is grounded, or if there is a ground wire in the cable.
If it is not possible to install a properly grounded outlet, then installing a GFCI would make a lot of sense, as that provides similar protection (others can elaborate on how GFCI is better, different, etc.) but if you need more than two receptacles (i.e., if you plan to install a new device similar to the old one) then you would need to install the GFCI upstream (e.g., at an earlier location, possibly in the breaker panel by replacing the existing circuit breaker).
If you want to install a new device to replace the existing device, make sure it is UL-listed.


I want to install the tub below with surround. How can I install the surround on only two walls leaving the end open? These are the tub surround and tub style that I want to install.

Also does tub need to have its own CB?

I wouldnt use this surround to modify.  The crown up top will not look right unless maybe there is a 3" bump out from the wall.  Surrounds are suppose to be quick and easy. This one is not cheap either. You should do it right and install tile it will probably be same price if not cheaper. Yes jetted tubs are suppose to have a dedicated circuit.


Filling a crack in hardwood floor (between house and extension) I have a cinder block house that has a wooden frame sunroom extension. The house is from 30's, and the extension is at least 40 years old. There is a visible gap (about 1/4inch wide and fairly long) in hardwood floor where the house and the extension meet. Through this gap cold air enters in the winter. We had an inspection by structural engineer, who assured us that there is no structural problem. I am looking to fill the gap. Is silicone caulk good idea? If not, what should I use?

Black caulk is what I used to fill the ~1/4" gaps in a timber floor hallway. The hallway consists of three, thirty foot long boards that are 13" wide and +2" deep. They have, what has become, a dark polyurethane finish, so I'd have to say it looks fabulous  (I had lived there for years and they began to split apart, so not having a gap that can cut you toes open is awesome in the first place). Yours will end up looking like a threshold, but there's nothing worse than light colored wood filler, IMO.

You can use a matching color if you want, but anything less than black with show dirt eventually anyway. It's kinda like grout lines, but for wood. But unlike grout (or the mixture of polyurethane and sawdust –from said boards– that we used to fill the gaps at first, it won't crack when the floor expands and contracts seasonally, or from further settling).

I do believe we'd urethaned over the whole thing at some point afterwards, and should it happen to flake off of the caulk (not that it has AFAIK), at least for a while it provided some level of protection from debris embedding themselves.

Specialty (grout) colored caulk is available for wood-to-tile transitions; look into that kind if you really want to match the color of your hardwood.


What kind of bulb should I use for a recessed can? I just installed a Halo 5" IC remodel recessed can with the 5000P open trim.  I installed a 15W R30 CFL bulb, and it hangs down about an inch below the trim.  Not very recessed!  I have the trim configured properly for R30.

I'd like a bulb that won't hang down past the trim, but produce the same amount of light.  Will a PAR30 50W halogen do the trick?

Is there something else I'm missing?

I have those exact cans and they are adjustable. Take out the bulb and remove the trim.  Inside you will see two or three wing nuts. Loosen these and raise the level of base to the desired location.  If the base is raised all the way up, then indeed your bulbs are too long for the trim you have selected.

Also note that every trim adds a different depth as well.  Trims like eyeball sockets are much deeper and may solve your problem.  I suspect yours is a flush mount one, and thus the distance to the base is shorter.


Lead painted floor below current subfloor: can we leave the subfloor when replacing main floor? The kitchen floor in our 1860 New England house has many layers. I count 5. We would like to replace the current floor. It's starting to break in many places and we hate it. Below our current floor is a subfloor with a lot of adhesive. Below that is old hardwood (or maybe pine) floor that was painted and has lead.
How should we approach this? Can we take away the first layer, scrape of the old adhesive and reuse the subfloor to ensure that the lead painted floor remains covered? Or would you recommend a different approach?
ps: We are still testing the subfloor for asbestos in the adhesive but I think the kitchen was last done in 2004.

I bet that floor squeaks really bad, I would be surprised if it doesn’t when you pull the stone and mortar. The reason the floor is breaking up is from movement.
Yes you can leave the lead paint it will be covered so there is no risk, the stone and mortar flooring , I have never tested that for asbestos because that would be uncommon.
I would remove the floor and sub floor at a minimum possibly even the next layer and redeck using t&g plywood this will be needed if you want to tile to prevent the new floor from doing the same as the current floor.  If putting down vinyl I would still re deck but I hate squeaky floors and am a really big guy.


Is a leak in my sink drain caused by a connection that's too high? I've read thru some threads about garbage disposals + p-traps, and would appreciate some help. My P-trap leaks once a year (at Christmas!)
I bought a condo 2-years ago, last year p-trap started leaking when using the dishwasher. The plumber recommended a higher disposal or a shallower sink (to raise the disposal). Instead, we did a quick fix by switching out p-trap and everything was fine.
One-year later and the same issue crops up. This time, I want to fix it properly. The plumber came on the site, and it seems that height of disposal is not an issue. It's slightly higher than the drain.
It seems like I can just get rid of the extra piece of pipe, where there is extra coupling that will fail.
Thoughts?

First thing to consider is that that connection will always be filled with water, because it's presumably the low side of the trap (hard to tell for sure from the photo, but it should be).  So, that connection needs to have extra attention; it needs to be tight, but before being tight, it needs to be perfectly aligned.

One reason it needs to be perfectly aligned is because (I believe) there is often no washer at that connection. My experience is only with PVC drains, but with them, that section of pipe from the waste side is tapered at the end rather than straight, and should not have a tapered washer like all other connections.  The pipe itself will be shaped like the washers if this is the case. I think there are a number of different configurations here, so it may require no washer, or a different type of washer, or maybe a standard compression washer.

The extension piece seems to be necessary to align to the waste connection at the wall.  If properly connected, there should not be a problem with leaks.  It looks like a normal connection.


Raised black line in basement drywall Does anyone know what this is?
My best guesses are either some type of mold or something insect related. This is on drywall in a finished basement connected to an exterior wall. I live in Chicago, in case it matters.  This wall is also adjacent to, and the "thing" is just below, a venting duct cased in drywall. It also seems that this hapoens at either corner of where the drywall duct intersects with this wall.
The back yard water spigot is also in this vicinity of the exterior wall.
I bought this frame house with vinyl siding last year and shortly after had mold remediated in this room. A few months later we noticed this on the wall. Knocking off the puffy black substance and treating with bleach seemed to take care of it until now. It's back! Yuck! It seems to appear at this quickly and at this stage.
I need an idea of what it is so I'll know who to call; a mold specialist, exterminator or some other specialist.

This looks like a termite tube. Termites can't survive in the open air (too dry) so they build tubes to make a high-humidity highway when they explore new areas. See the web for pictures of termite tubes.


New construction home, loose foundation anchor nuts I am going around caulking behind the insulation due to drafts. Part of basement sits above ground, as house is built on slope. Many of the nuts on these foundation anchors are loose. I have been tightening them with a socket wrench until firmly but not over doing it.

First are these supposed to be loose? The house is 2yrs old. Did they forget to tighten these or did they come loose as the house settles. Some were sitting halfway up the stem.

How tight should they be?

Yes, they’re suppose to be tight. I suspect they forgot to tighten. I’d hand tighten, plus about a quarter turn.

The anchor bolts and nuts do two things: 1) keep the house from sliding (moving horizontally), and 2) keeping the house from lifting up (moving vertically.

I can tell where you live, you don’t have high winds nor do you live in a high seismic area. Where I live we use 3” square and 1/8” thick washers for those anchor bolts and they are 24” oc.  The sole plate would pull through the anchor bolts with those small washers.


Is a peltier-based dehumidifier a good choice to prevent condensation? I have a non-heated, enclosed space (crawl space that does have a vapor barrier).  During a limited number of days in the spring or fall, I get condensation on things that stay cold while the air warms up.  I have tried leaving the vents open and closing the vents, and that doesn't completely solve the problem since air motion is not guaranteed.  I'm not interested in self-closing vents.  Thus I am considering a dehumidifier.

My purpose for the dehumidifier is to reduce humidity from near 100% down to non-condensing on slightly colder objects, so maybe 85%.  In other words, I don't need to make it "comfortable", just prevent condensation.  The temperatures where condensation has been experienced range from maybe 40 degrees F to 60 degrees F (5C to 15C).

I'm sure that I could use a standard, compressor-based dehumidifier and achieve the results I want, but those are more expensive to buy and more expensive to operate than the peltier-based dehumidifiers.  But I've read that:

  the optimal operating temperature (for peltier dehumidifiers) is 59-86°F. It will not work below 41°F

So my use case is below optimal range, but still in range for some level of effectiveness.

My question is: does anyone have direct experience or professional expertise to advise on using one of these "cheap" dehumidifiers in this way (not the typical use, which is to make a room "comfortable", but rather just take the humidity down away from the range that condensation occurs)?

Peltier elements need 2 separated air (or water) flows on the cold and warm side.
Even if those elements are run with only 20% of the rated current, the installation effort, space and power consumption will be still much higher compared to the solution of re-using an old PC fan and a small old plug-in power supply.

That power supply  should be available in one of the next drawers or boxes with redundant electronics, and a low voltage fan could be harvested from an old PC. Hair dryers normally do also use low power motors, but mostly 20V or more.
All should be also available for no or minimal cost at the next recycling yard. If the fan is a 12V type, any voltage between 7 and 12V should be working well.
Hair dryers anyway have a 50% switch where the fan's voltage is reduced accordingly.

From a similar question:

An alternate method avoiding high electricity bills and the water drain for the dehumidifier: Installing a fan of an old PC at the Luv side, connected to a small power supply from an old phone or similar and a timer. If the fan runs only in the night, it pushes in statistically colder and dryer air. In 1 or 2 weeks the space will be much dryer. Electricity cost below 1$ per month.


Light fixture wiring issue So I'm attempting to replace an old light fixture with a new one I got from home depot. The light fixture is at the top of a stairway, there is a switch at the bottom of the stairs as well as the top of the stairs that control the light. Going into the overhead box there are 3 pairs of black/white/ground wires. Only on black wire is hot, every other wire has no voltage. Between the two switches are a set of  black/white/red/ground wires. The circuit that the light is on also goes to a small bathroom upstairs as well as a bedroom. How should I proceed wiring this?
I'll attach a few pictures to this to hopefully better clarify what i'm looking at.

New junction box, eh?  First, reinstall all cables in the junction box.

That trick with the ground wire wrapped around the sheath appears to be using the cable clamp to ground to the metal box.  Note the metal box will have a #10-32 tapped hole intended for a ground screw, and you can put a pigtail on that to ground anything else.

Now, identify which cable goes to the switch.   Mark its white wire with black tape, and its black wire with red tape.

Also mark the black wire from the new lamp with red tape.

Now you join similar colors: red to red, black to black, white to white, bare/green to bare/green.


Minimum recommended thickness for self-leveling concrete topping (skim coat) I'd like to resurface an already somewhat level but tarnished concrete floor with a self-leveling cement-based compound and to raise the floor level as little as possible; I've found compounds like Mira 6700 where the manufacturer specified layer thickness starts at 1 mm, so presumably the compound should be able to level itself even as a thin layer. The question is, what would be the downsides of  using a thin layer? I would properly prime the floor and use a concrete densifier after, and the floors would have minimal traffic.

The only drawback I can think of is that self-leveling products don't tend to feather themselves to a knife edge. They tend to leave an edge similar to what you'd see with a puddle of water on a glass table, with a bead of approximately 1/8 inch thick. So if your layer doesn't cover the entire floor you'll need to deal with that by tooling at partial cure, or by skimming with another product such as a vinyl concrete patch. Otherwise I have no concerns.

Be aware that most such products are not intended as a finished floor. They're somewhat soft and can gouge and wear easily.


What is this toilet flush mechanism called? I need to replace the flush handle on this toilet, but I don't know what the mechanism is called, and I couldn't find a handle that fit it at Home Depot. What is it called, and/or where can I find a replacement for the flush handle with a + at the end?

Next by Danco FLT231T HydroStop Flapper Alternative

I've put these in all my toilets and they work great. I'm not sure about getting just the handle for it, but now you know what to look for. Try danco.com


nest 2nd gen, no common wire/terminal in the fan coil unit I'm trying to install an older nest in my condo but it immediately complains that there's no common wire attached (error e24). I opened up the fan coil in my condo and there is no specific terminal for the common wire. Is there anywhere on this circuit that I can connect a c wire? Some people tell me that if I hook a wire to one of those transformer terminals that will give me 24v, but others have told me that it won't work.

Or would I be better off getting a 24vac adapter and connecting the wires to C and Rc? (with the R wire from the fan coil unit going to Rh). This seems like a common fix on youtube for people lacking a common wire. I'd prefer though if I can just attach a wire somewhere in the fan coil system though. Thanks!

Add your C wire to the wirenut you see up front

In your photos of the wiring, you'll notice a wirenut that joins orange, purple, and blue wires together.  Joining the blue wire in your thermostat cable with that wirenut will give you a blue C wire at your thermostat.

Why, you may ask? Well, the wire that connects to the green G thermostat wire at the thermostat terminal block goes to one coil terminal on the relay at the bottom (you can just make out the bottom relay's terminal diagram in the bottom photo).  The other coil connection on that relay, then, must connect to C to complete the circuit from transformer, through thermostat switch, through relay coil, and back to the transformer again.  Lo and behold, the other relay coil connection is the orange wire, which goes up into the wirenut in question, which is then connected back to the transformer via the purple wire.

Furthermore, the red R wire at the thermostat terminal block connects to a pair of brown wires there, and one of them runs off to the other transformer terminal, relative to the transformer terminal that the purple wire connects to.  So, we have our C wire connection, in the form of a conveniently placed wirenut even.


How can I repair leaks in an underground home's roof? I live in a 1400 sq ft underground home.  It was built in 1980's.  We have recently started to get leaks in ceiling slab.  Small but still leaks. The outside of the roof is 24 inches of dirt 2 inch Styrofoam the 8 inch slab. How do I go about fixing this from the inside or do I uncover the roof.  Then what do I do? Where do I get the product?

Uncovering it is the only way that will work. Given the expense and hassle involved, budget for a whole new waterproof membrane (EDPM rubber is one typical product - the expansion of "green roofs" in the past 30+ years means you'll find a bit more applicable knowledge and material than was around in the 1980's...) rather than trying to locate a leak. Root barriers are sometimes added as a separate layer to protect the actual membrane.

But...

This place claims to have a leak detection/mapping system (electrical- based) that MIGHT let you actually find the leak (without digging first) and dig a smaller hole - I have no direct knowledge of it and remind you to treat all words from sales-people with due caution. But the principle seems legit.


Furnace shutting off, requires frequent resetting A couple of months ago I asked this question regarding my natural gas furnace that is used to heat my house via baseboard/water heating.

It seemed to have quit working, but I called the repairman. The repairman spent less than 5 minutes in my home and just pointed out that there is an upside down button I can press to reset it. This consultation cost me $300.

Pressing the button works fine, except that I have to press it 5+ times per day, now that it is getting cold and snowing. I need to find a somewhat better fix, but I definitely do not have the $ for the repairman to come back.

I forget exactly how he explained it, but basically I think he said there's some cut-off in the hood that is getting mistakenly tripped. I think he suggested that the next step would be to clean, repair, or replace some part of that to prevent it from cutting off.

Given that it's cold and I don't have the money for professional repairs, is there some sort of temporary way to keep the furnace from mistakenly shutting off?

Stack Exchange is rotating that 2nd photo on me, it seems. For more photos please see the link above.

Blocked flue and/or insufficient combustion air inlets.

Charging $300 without at least giving you a complete understanding of the problem was pretty lame.

That looks like the flue rollout sensor. If that is what is tripping, then you might have a blocked flue. Verify that the damper above that opens fully when the boiler turns on. Does it? Also check the combustion vent outside and make sure there's no obstruction like a bird's nest. Turn the water heater to pilot, turn off the furnace, remove the flue cap outside and inspect it with a flashlight. The button is on the bottom of the rollout sensor I presume (I cannot really see it).

If the flue damper does not open correctly then disconnect the actuator and manually lock it in the open position. Doing that will hurt efficiency a little, but the boiler will run.

The other obvious thing to check is combustion air inlets. I see no outside air inlets in the photo. There needs to be significant airflow into the room from outside to supply combustion and flow out through the flue. If the room is sealed tightly from the outdoors then that is a problem.


GFCI vs. 40v 5ah battery for water safety My wife has recently taken to running a cord out near our pool to watch TV. She's very careful, but I was thinking of doing what I can to make it safer, since the outlet in question is NOT a GFCI outlet (It's a standard US 110v outlet).

One obvious solution is an inline GFCI (or installing a GFCI outlet)

The other more expensive idea that occurred to me is using a 5ah 40v lithium battery that I can purchase a 300w inverter for.

My guess here is that if the wired TV were to go into the water, a GFCI would be better than nothing, but unsafe...whereas the battery would be practically speaking likely to be completely safe. Can anyone enlighten me as to which approach would be the safest, and if either or both is actually "safe"?

The water is typical "saline-pool" water.

It doesn't need to be a GFCI outlet.  It needs to be GFCI protected.  GFCI protection is conferred by having any particular outlet obtain power power from the LOAD side of a GFCI device somewhere.  On most string-topology circuits, a single well-placed GFCI device will protect the whole circuit.

If you stick a GFCI tester in there, push the button and the outlet goes dead, you're sympatico.

The bigger problem is the temptation to bring cords to the pool area

Your #1 safety risk is the fact that people wanting to plug things in, in the pool area, feel a need to run an extension cord from some distant location. This requires a social-engineering solution.  You need to rearrange your home to suppress that desire.

So either put GFCI protection on every outlet they might ever dream to tap... or, install a plethora of outlets, actually poolside, that are protected by a GFCI device somewhere.  I prefer to have my GFCI devices indoors, so I make extensive use of the LOAD feature of GFCIs. Now there's no reason for someone to run an extension cord to the pool area; there are outlets all over the place.

GFCI is safe as you're going to get

A properly installed GFCI setup, with the protection device some distance from the outlet, is as safe as things can be.  It will trip the GFCI if hot or neutral current takes a path other than the normal one.

Higher DC voltages bite.  HARD.

Electronics and car people tend to believe DC is docile and harmless.  It is at 12V, yes.  However, somewhere in the 20s it starts getting a personality, and by about 60 volts it goes full honey-badger.  Can 40V bite you?  Oh, yes it can! And it won't let go, either.  So ixnay on the 40V battery pack.  I encourage you to develop a little bit of fear of it.

TVs are 12 volts, anyway

Besides, now that TV tubes are gone, lot of TVs these days actually use a low voltage, typically 12 volts.  Better off just using a battery pack that size than do a double conversion.


How do I extract a snapped off PVC nipple? I have a 3/4" PVC sprinkler system, and one of the nipples has snapped off inside the 1/2" threaded fitting. I have a nipple extractor which has worked very well in the past but I guess this time I didn't press hard enough at the beginning as all it does is shave the inside of the nipple. How do I get this thing out without pulling the whole pipe up and replacing the fitting?

My solution was not ideal; it might have been less work just to dig out the section of pipe. With that in mind, I followed the suggestion of another site to use a mini hacksaw similar to this one to cut several notches in the body of the nipple (stopping short of the threads). Then I gently pounded in the larger size nipple extractor with a small mallet and twisted. The nipple broke in half, and from there it was a simple matter to pull out the two pieces with a pair of pliers.


Double-stick magnets for wall / ceiling mount I'm looking for magnets that will double-stick to the wall or ceiling, and will also double-stick to the item that I'm attaching to the surface. The idea here is that I'd like to attach USB-powered LED lights and USB battery packs to the wall or ceiling in a non-permanent manner in an apartment closet and kitchen.

Is there a better way of doing this, or a recommended magnet? I seem to be having trouble finding simple, double-stick magnets that have "both sides" of the magnet.

If I understand your objective clearly, you wish to attach a magnet to one surface using adhesive tape. You wish to attach a magnet to another surface using adhesive tape. You wish to have the magnets attract to secure those two surfaces.

I have used double-sided foam tape, cut to the shape of a rare-earth magnet, attached after cleaning the magnet surface with alcohol. The same double-sided foam tape and magnet assembly was then attached to, for example, a television remote control.

It is important to match poles when you create these pairs. In my example, the solo magnet was stuck to the headboard of a bed, to enable a consistent location for the remote control.

In your description you prefer to have non-permanent attachment. This can be accomplished with a specific product or its equivalent. The specific product is known as 3M Command adhesive. It is also double-sided adhesive, with a tab extending from the assembly. One can purchase these strips in refill form. When you wish to remove them, the item is held securely, while pulling the release tab. Doing so deforms the foam and the adhesive, releasing the bond from the wall or surface.

The double-sided adhesive I use is weatherproof, but can be removed by carefully slicing it with a sharp implement such as a razor blade or sharp knife and the residue removed with common adhesive removal liquid.

With respect to the magnets, select your favorite vendor (eBay, Amazon, etc) and use "rare earth magnet" or "neodymium magnet" and look through the options. Flat, bar, sphere, disc shapes abound of various thicknesses and dimensions.


Difficult to start a four stroke mower when cold - how to diagnose the problem I have a mower with a Tecumseh LV148AE / LV195EA engine that will run pretty well once it warms-up, but getting it started when cold is quite a challenge.

The way I have been able to get it started is to keep pulling on it about 20 times.  At that point, I might get it to fire once or twice.  Another 10 pulls and it'll fire again maybe five or eight times.  Finally, it'll start running.

Stopping the mower for a few minutes to empty the grass, it'll start up with one or two swift pulls.  Even if it's been off for an hour, it will startup after a few swift pulls.  But if it sits since the last time the grass was mowed, it needs that huge number of pulls to get running.

My theory is that it's not getting good compression any more.  I've ruled out fuel and spark as a problems since it runs pretty much flawlessly once it's warmed-up.

My plan is to do a bit of diagnostics the next time I need to run the mower.  I'll start by doing the 10 pulls, and I expect no firing.  Then I'll remove the spark plug, put some oil in the cylinder, and replace the spark plug.  If it immediately starts, then I'm going to presume that's because the abundant amount of oil is causing a better seal between the piston rings and the cylinder wall, giving me better compression.

Is the above diagnostic idea a valid one?

EDIT:
Squirting oil in the cylinder did not make much difference.  My next attempt is a new plug.  The existing plug looks good and is properly gapped, but I'll try the plug next (simple things first).

Another idea is if the muffler is causing too much back-pressure, so if the plug doesn't help, I'll take the muffler off for another quick test.

EDIT: Additions based on comments

The mower has a bulb to press, and I've used it as directed.
I have tried starting fluid, but it doesn't have much impact, which is why I was thinking it wasn't a fuel issue.
I can get an entire new carburetor, delivered, for $10, which I will try after I replace the plug.
Smoke is not a symptom, so that aligns with the oil in cylinder test not having improvement.
When I say "cold" I mean North Carolina spring cold, as in 50F.  The winter might have gotten down to 20F, though.
There is no manually operable choke mechanism.
I do not see a fuel filter in the parts diagram.

Last EDIT:

Replaced the carburetor (see my answer, below)

I had an identical problem as yours with my Toro 4-cycle mower. Eventually, the mower wouldn't start at all, which I tracked down to a dead ignition module (ignitor). After I replaced it, it's been easily starting for about 4 or 5 years now. The ignitor looks like this:

This may or may not be your problem, but if you've eliminated everything else...I used a piece of card stock to set the gap between the ignitor and the rotor.


Where to add C wire on transformer? I want to add a C wire to support a smart thermostat.  The existing wire is 2-conductor (R+W).  I can run a new 18/3 easily, but I don't see an obvious place to attach the new C wire on the burner/transformer side.
The control is a Hydrostat 3150.  The thermostat is connected to terminals marked T + T (which correspond to R + W on the thermostat end), but I don't see any other identifiable low-voltage wires.  The transformer is soldered to the PCB board but it's clearly visible, and if I were sure which wire to use, I could probably just put an alligator clip on it.  I am pretty sure (from the circuit diagram) that all the rest of the screw connectors (L1 L2 C1 C2 B1 B2 ZC ZR) are 120VAC.
Is there a place I can tap into the hot 24V output of the transformer for a C wire?  Or is adding another transformer the best bet?

You'll need to use another transformer
Your control does not provide any access to the C terminal of the transformer, as per the ladder diagram in the manual.  As a result, you'll need to run something more than a 3-wire cable, with the new transformer connecting to Rc/C on the thermostat and the existing T-T terminal wiring connecting to Rh/W on the thermostat.


Shower floods behind the wall. on pre-formed shower/bath and ONLY when the shower is turned on No previous leaks were found, but one morning the kitchen floor (on the other side of the bathroom wall) flooded when the shower was turned on. It's a high-usage shower, used for a minimum of 2-3 showers a day. Suddenly it just started flooding, but the bath is not showing any signs of a leak.

What is the most likely issue? Could it be the pipe above the faucet?

The easiest and first thing to check is the trim pieces around your valve knob(s). These trim pieces usually come with a cheap foam gasket, which crumbles apart after a while. Then water runs down the wall, gets behind the trim, and goes into the wall.

When you take the trim pieces off, if the gaskets look bad, scrape them off and replace them with a bead of plumber's putty, which works much better than foam gaskets and lasts forever. Form the bead all the way around the trim, but leave a little opening at the bottom of the trim; that way, if some water does get behind the trim somehow, it will have a chance to escape, rather than accumulate behind the trim.


How can I have the water running to increase pressure on my boiler? I have just perform a radiator bleeding following youtube video but the pressure dropped to zero in my boiling system vaillant ecotec pro, have a permanent red light in addition to the normal green, displaying an error F22 and now I have no heating and no hot water. However I have checked additional youtube instruction to fix the error I found many but I can´t have the water running to fill the boiler, seen that there is no water running from the pipe loop. Can anyone help please? Thanks.

This is how I found the solution: on vaillant eco pro filling loop pipe there is only one visible valve with a proper handle located on the left side. Follow this pipe and where it connects on the right side instead of a normal valve with a handle there is a kind of hidden screw on top of it. Turn it anti clockwise with a screwdriver to have the water running, then you can open the valve with handle on the left to top up your boiling pressure. Be careful only topup to 1.5 bars, about half of the grey area and please Don't forget to turn back all the open valves at the end to its initial position.

Hope this helps, because it took me hours to locate this hidden valve in the right side.


What to use to seal around fixtures when tanking a drywall bathroom? After I hang the drywall there is some gaps between the fixture and the drywall board (yes, I'm using greenboard that will be tanked/redgard/kerdi/etc, no backerboard in Brazil), what is the best way to caulk those areas?

I thought about using either PU foam or some flexible mastic (main component is polyisobutylene) that remains flexible (and I'm not sure it fully adheres to drywall). Silicone might also be a choice but some of the voids are to large to use it (about 10 mm).

You probably want to start with tanking tape, and use caulk for the final seal.

https://youtu.be/IwR-vS4xc9g?t=9m15s


Are these pigtails inside the panel and outside a junction box allowed? I am concerned about a newer electrical panel's installation, where one of the older load wires, at the main electrical panel, appear to be shorter in length, appear not reaching the desired circuit breaker's location, as a result, the Electrician elected to Pigtail it to reach its  desired circuit breaker.  How safe is such practice?  Judging by other sub-standard electrical work that I uncovered in the attic, where wire connection are not done inside a junction box and left exposed,  I am very concerned about the safety and the level of the finished electrical work.  This residential electrical work was completed and approved by the local jurisdiction, building & safety,  in the past few week in Southern California.

Thank you,

Pigtails in a panel are fine...

Wire-splicing and pigtailing within a loadcenter cabinet (panel enclosure) is expressly permitted by NEC 312.8(A), and is quite safe (provided the splices are made up properly, of course):

  (A) Splices, Taps, and Feed-Through Conductors. The wiring
  space of enclosures for switches or overcurrent devices shall be
  permitted for conductors feeding through, spliced, or tapping
  off to other enclosures, switches, or overcurrent devices where
  all of the following conditions are met:

  (1) The total of all conductors installed at any cross section of
  the wiring space does not exceed 40 percent of the cross-
  sectional area of that space.

  (2) The total area of all conductors, splices, and taps installed
  at any cross section of the wiring space does not exceed
  75 percent of the cross-sectional area of that space.

  (3) A warning label complying with 110.21(B) is applied to
  the enclosure that identifies the closest disconnecting
  means for any feed-through conductors.

...but that unenclosed splice job sure isn't!

However, that unenclosed splicing job is a big problem, and a clear violation of NEC 300.15 (none of 300.15(A)-300.15(L) permit anything remotely resembling a flop-a-dop splice job out in the open like this):

  300.15 Boxes, Conduit Bodies, or Fittings — Where Required.

  A box shall be installed at each outlet and switch point for
  concealed knob-and-tube wiring.

  Fittings and connectors shall be used only with the specific
  wiring methods for which they are designed and listed.

  Where the wiring method is conduit, tubing, Type AC cable,
  Type MC cable, Type MI cable, nonmetallic-sheathed cable, or
  other cables, a box or conduit body shall be installed at each
  conductor splice point, outlet point, switch point, junction
  point, termination point, or pull point, unless otherwise
  permitted in 300.15(A) through (L).

Also, that splice needs help anyway

Furthermore, that flop-a-dop splice contains some rather overstuffed wire nuts (7-8 wires into a nut that can only take 6), as well as missing or unhooked ground wires.  That should be easy for whoever fixes it to fix, since they'll have to take the whole thing apart to get it boxed in any case, though.


Can you break a black iron fitting by overtightening? I recently did some plumbing work in my house which involved using threaded (NPT) black iron fittings in the 1" and 2" sizes.

At the outset I was concerned that I could overtighten them and crack the female side. But in a few cases I had to really torque down to get the right orientation and had no problems. To get an appropriate number of threads turned in (based on what I've read) they really required a lot of force! In the 2" size it was extremely tough using 18" wrenches to do the last 1/4 turn or so.

In contrast a few copper NPT/sweat adapters definitely seemed malleable and I held off more on those.

In all cases I checked threads, wire brushed, etc. so the fittings should have gone together without impediment.

Is breaking a black iron fitting actually possible / likely? Assume you are using an appropriate sized wrench and don't have superhuman strength.

Note - in my specific situation I used teflon tape coated with Rectorseal for these joints. (Using both was based on advice from lengthy internet "research". This might have been "belt and suspenders" but has worked perfectly.)

But this question is meant to be more broad then just that specific case, so feel free to answer considering different joint preparations if that is appropriate! Thanks

Yes, you can break cast iron fittings from over-tightening but you rarely do. That said, if you use teflon tape on cast iron fittings, they tend to break more often. Years ago, I learned that the use of teflon tape for the threads of an oil burner pump will easily break the pump's casting. (found that out on a very expensive pump). My only question is; are you sure that you have cast iron fittings and not black iron fittings (malleable iron) which are more common?


Where to place wrenches to remove hose bib I am trying to replace a hose bib on the outside of my house (first time doing this) and it's not 100% clear to me where to detach it.
It looks to me like they put a female to male adapter on the pipe then attached the hose bib to that. It's hard to tell but I think the existing hose bib has male threads on it. My new one has female threads.
I know you need to use two wrenches, one to remove the hose bib (or in this case the adapter) and another to keep the pipe itself from turning inside the wall.
I have annotated a picture with the spots where I think each wrench should go.
If somebody could verify that for me, I'd appreciate it.

Update 12/22/2020
Here is what we ended up with:

Thanks for all the help.

Based on this annotation, it looks like you are correct.

I interpret:

The green to be the supply line exiting the house
The blue to be a female-female adapter
The red is the hose bib

Note that your "first wrench" will need to be a pipe wrench and will need to face the correct direction. A pipe wrench will tighten as the pipe attempts to twist within it, grabbing harder on the pipe as it does so. This needs to be on the green section of pipe.
Your "second wrench" can be a large combination wrench, adjustable wrench or another pipe wrench and needs to go on the blue section.
It looks like that's got some really old pipe dope on those threads (the bands of white between the colors I drew in), so it may take some muscle to get it loosened.
Don't forget to unscrew the garden hose first, that'll make the job easier.
Also, make sure you turn the water off inside before you start, too. That will keep the job drier. (Not dry, mind you, just drier.)

Note that it may be easier to return the hose bib with a female thread and get one with a male thread. That would require a wrench on the blue section and one on the red section to undo just the bib. For this, you could use combination or adjustable wrenches. Personally, I would go this route, as I always struggle to get a pipe wrench to bite properly. I'm sure it's just technique, but sometimes you go with what's best for you.


How to get a gasoline odor out of my shed? My shed reeks of Gasoline, (because, you know, it was used as a shed), I don't have a very large backyard, and so I'm happy using my push mower which doesn't use any Gasoline.

I'd like my Shed to double as a weight lifting and punching bag room, but I don't want to inhale Gasoline fumes while attempting to improve my health.

Is there any way to remove the smell and lower my risk of Gasoline inhalation?

Open the door(s) and window(s) if any, plug in a fan, wait.


Stapling NM cable to panel backboard on the side of the service panel. Any NEC 2017/2020 concerns? Wasn’t able to use the suggestion in this answered thread Securing NM wiring on the electrical panel back board - Multi-cable staple the way I thought “nipples” on top of the panel would work out.
Can it be confirmed that running 12/2 (or any NM) wire out of the panel to the joists in the below pictured way (in an unfinished basement) is not violating any NEC 2017/2020 sections? The cables would come out of the side knockouts, secured by clamps, bend 90deg to go up the panel backboard to the joists, and secured by single or multi cable staples (gray) to the panel backboard (within 12" and then a few more), and then at the joist as well.
My main concern is that somehow 300.4 (Protection against physical damage) is being violated, but if there are any other concerns, please let me know.  I did see this answered question but it was for older code and the answer wasn’t quite definitive Must NM cables around panels in unfinished basements be protected?

NM cable requires protection normally below 8’ some jurisdictions allow 7’ it is not specifically listed in code.
Since your feeder also requires protection I would suggest boxing it in code allows 1/2” Sheetrock or plywood to be used for protection.
if the flexible metal above is metal clad it would be ok if armor clad or flexible metal conduit it would also need protection. When I run into this I will attach 2x4’s then screw a piece of plywood to the 2x4 , so it can be removed.
I like plywood in this case an upside L would provide all the protection required. A short piece of 2x4 on the right and a longer one on the left then there would be no problems as the wiring would be protected.


Finding the cause of a tripping breaker A 15 amp breaker has started tripping. It takes it a minute or two to trip after being reset. I swapped out the wires with the 15 amp breaker next to it, and the "new" breaker now trips instead, so I conclude it's not the breaker that's the problem.
It supplies a light in an entryway (which is where the breaker box is) and a light outside, a light in a walk-in closet, two lights controlled by one switch in a bathroom (one in the ceiling and one above the mirror over the sink), a ventilating fan in the bathroom and a GFCI outlet in the bathroom. Nothing is plugged in and nothing is turned on, but it trips anyway.
As far as diagnostic tools, I have a multi-meter, I have one of those little screwdrivers that light up if you touch the tip to a live wire, and I have an outlet tester (the kind you plug in and lights come on to tell you if the outlet is wired correctly). I also have standard handyman tools.
What would be the best way to set about narrowing down where the problem lies? BTW, it's a doublewide and I do not have access above the ceiling unless I create it myself.
Update: There's a junction box in the light fixture in the entryway. I disconnected wires in turn until I identified the section that trips the breaker. I've narrowed it down to the lighting/fan circuit in the bathroom. I can hear sizzling noises coming from the bathroom when I turn on the power, so I'm going to wait until I've got a helper to narrow it down further. I don't want to burn the house down!
Further update: I found it! A mouse had built a nest in the wall cavity, right where the cable goes through the sole plate, and evidently had done some chewing. The cable is burned up where it goes through the plate. If it hadn't made those helpful sizzling noises I don't know how I would have found it.

I would start with the GFCI by shutting off the breaker, opening the receptacle, disconnecting all the wires, separating all the wires, making sure no one would accidentally touch them, then turning the breaker back on. If I got lucky and the breaker didn't trip, I would hook everything there back together except for the GFCI itself and test the breaker again. If the breaker still trips when all the wires in the GFCI receptacle are disconnected, I'd close up that receptacle, and test the other devices similarly until finding the source of the problem. If there are a lot of wires in any receptacle being tested I would use masking tape to label them and draw a diagram showing where each goes. I've learned this the hard way.


Sealing off duct work Mice are getting in my house in a area of my home where I have ducts coming from the crawlspace through the floor up to our second floor and I would like to find a solution what can I use to seal off this entry point since ducts are flexible I can't think of anything that will bond subflooring to ducts

The best money spent would be finding where the critters are entering the home or crawl space and sealing that access point. Changing or modifying the duct work will be a costly procedure, and the critters may still get into your living space through some other means. If you still want to seal off the flex ducts, call a local HVAC company and ask for a price to replace with metal ducting.


Appropriate conduit for several data cables underground over 300' run I have done some searching around but have not found anything definitive, and/or my background is weak in this area and I may be understanding poorly.

I will have 2-4 PoE cables that will be run underground a distance of up to 300ft. There will be no sources of interference near the cables. There will most likely be 4 cables, with the possibility of others in the future.

My guess was that I would want a 2" conduit to run these through. I have seen it suggested that PVC be used for this, which I assume refers to some flexible PVC conduit, which I have not found in 2" x 300ft variety, if I remember correctly, or it is too expensive.

I have also seen Carlon's Carflex Liquidtight conduit (https://carlonsales.com/carflexliquidtightnmconduitparts.php), but these appear to be expensive for my basic needs and the 2" conduit
Edit Meant to say that the 2" conduit only goes up to 100'

Currently, it appears that the cheapest solution would be to run each cable in its own 3/4"-1" PEX tubing, but I would rather leave room for further cable(s) in the future, and a separate conduit for each cable is awkward. I understand that direct burial with appropriately shielded cable is also an option but I would rather allow, again, for addition of cables, but also cable replacement, without unearthing the trench.

I wonder if anyone has any recommendations for materials or specific products.

edit devices are going to be PoE cameras

Speaking as someone who does a LOT of data cables...

Pray to your deity of choice regarding (lack of) lightning nearby. The extent to which I prefer fiber optic for outside data runs is influenced by years of dealing with copper outside data runs, and the failures resulting - but few, if any, cameras are set up for power + fiber optic, so you'll want a nice POE-friendly surge suppressor at the point where these cables enter your building, tied into the building grounding/earthing system. Else you will have burnt out data ports, almost certainly, eventually.

As already mentioned, don't even think of putting non-wet-rated cable in exterior conduit. It may work for a while, but it will fail, usually at "not a good time." I personally prefer a "dry gel" cable and tend to get stuff which purports to be direct burial, but I run it in conduit as I hate digging trenches twice, and I trust rodents to chew on direct burial cables.

You can not bother to glue the joints at all, or you can glue the joints with great care. If the conduit is PERFECTLY waterproof, it will still fill with water, as moist air will enter and moisture will condense, and stay in the conduit. All outside conduits are defined as wet locations, and all cables in them must be wet rated, or failures will be expected.

Run 2" conduit if you like, but it's going to be massive overkill for four 4-pair data cables unless you get some absurdly thick jackets. Nice to have more room than you need, but there is a point of absurdity. Two examples of 24AWG Cat 5e direct burial in stock are right around 0.25" diameter for a net area of 0.05 square inches each - roughly equivalent to 6AWG wire, where (less than) 40% fill would be 1" (rigid) schedule 80 conduit, (or 3/4" schedule 40, but I prefer 80 by a large margin.) So 1-1/4" would be more than generous sizing and cost you quite a bit less. Where things are more unknown, 2" is nice just because if you don't know, you don't, but if 4 data cables is it, 2" is, IMHO, Massive Overkill. Save your money for something you actually need... Like those POE surge suppressors (not cheap, but inexpensive as compared to the equipment you will lose otherwise.)

Most "real" POE devices work just fine at 100 meters on 24Ga cable from the 48V POE power supply - the device power supply is generally flexible and expects to be able to work on a short cable at full voltage or a long cable at lower delivered voltage, and most are not power hogs anyway. Early "half-baked" POE systems varied a lot more wildly, as may things which ARE powerhogs and outside the "real" POE standards.


Can I use any coarse drywall screws when fixing nail pops in the ceiling? I have several nail pops in the ceiling sheet rock of my house and I've decided to finally address/fix them.  The house was built 40 years ago so I don't believe there is any underlying issue other than time.

I have a bucket of coarse thread screws left to me from a different project hanging green board in a bathroom and I'd like to use these rather than buy yet more.  However, I'm uncertain of the length (1-5/8") for ceiling drywall (which may only be 1/4"?) and the specific details of the screw (see pictures) such as the serrated head, etc.

I would not use backer board screws they are designed to cut a bevel,
The cut will tear the paper and that is your strength in Sheetrock.

You do not want to break the paper, this is even more important on ceilings!
 use Sheetrock screws or bugle head Sheetrock screws these come in both fine and corse.


Replacing mounting brackets on dishwasher After moving in to an older house, the dishwasher started coming undone from the mounting brackets and tipping forward. I opened it up and saw that the mounting brackets had completely cleaved apart. I believe that the brackets are brazed(?) to the frame of the dishwasher itself (picture below), is it possible to replace such brackets?

The dishwasher is a Frigidaire that is 20+ years old, model number FDB989GFC2

Thanks for any help.

looks like the legs are connected by a runner.  I'd stabilize the dishwasher by attach the runners to floor using a right-angle drill to reach as far back as comfortable, say 8" or more.

http://www.harborfreight.com/38-in-variable-speed-reversible-close-quarters-drill-60610.html


Does NEC apply to temporary structures, container homes, trailers, houseboats, etc.? A question from Owain I thought worth asking:
Does the NEC apply to structures like temporary buildings, shipping container homes, trailers or even houseboats?
I don't plan to self-answer.

It does apply to temporary buildings!
The NEC indeed does apply to wiring that is a permanent fixture inside a mobile structure, such as a mobile/manufactured home, RV, or office trailer.  Which part of the NEC applies, though, depends on what you have.
Mobile and manufactured (distinct from modular homes and buildings, which are treated the same as site-built structures, save for a few notes found in Article 545) homes are governed by Article 550.  This also applies to other types of temporary buildings such as office or worksite trailers and portable classrooms as per NEC 550.4(A):

(A) Mobile Home Not Intended as a Dwelling Unit. A mobile
home not intended as a dwelling unit — for example, those
equipped for sleeping purposes only, contractor’s on-site offices, construction job dormitories, mobile studio dressing
rooms, banks, clinics, mobile stores, or intended for the display
or demonstration of merchandise or machinery — shall not be
required to meet the provisions of this article pertaining to the
number or capacity of circuits required. It shall, however, meet
all other applicable requirements of this article if provided with
an electrical installation intended to be energized from a
120-volt or 120/240-volt ac power supply system. Where different voltage is required by either design or available power
supply system, adjustment shall be made in accordance with
other articles and sections for the voltage used.

RVs, pop-ups, towed campers, and other things not intended to be set on a permanent foundation (this category includes tiny-homes-on-wheels), however, are governed instead by Article 551, which largely parallels Article 550 save for RV-specific things, such as generator handling and combination AC/DC power systems.  Note that 551.1 excludes circuits powered by the automotive DC system from Article 551's jurisdiction, though, so it's legal to use typical automotive wiring methods for 12VDC or 24VDC circuits powered from the trailer plug on a trailer camper or engine-alternator system on a RV.  Also, 551.4 parallels 550.4 in that RVs used for non-dwelling purposes are covered by Article 551 save for the number and capacity of 120V circuits provided.
Houseboats though, are a more interesting case...
When you get to things that float, though, the situation becomes murkier.  The NEC governs non-navigable, permanently moored floating buildings in Article 553, as long as they have a connection to an off-premises supply system (such as a utility, or some sort of shore-based "microgrid").  However, NEC 553.2 excludes a completely self-powered ("off grid") floating building from the definition of "floating building" used in NEC 553:

553.2 Definition.
Floating Building. A building unit, as defined in Article 100,
that floats on water, is moored in a permanent location, and
has a premises wiring system served through connection by
permanent wiring to an electrical supply system not located on
the premises.

Furthermore, if what you are talking about is actually a navigable vessel that can reasonably be unmoored and towed or piloted around whatever body of water it sits on, the NEC's application becomes very murky indeed.  This is because while the NEC itself excludes watercraft, aside from Article 553 floating buildings, from its jurisdiction in 90.2(B):

(B) Not Covered. This Code does not cover the following:
(1) Installations in ships, watercraft other than floating buildings, railway rolling stock, aircraft, or automotive vehicles
other than mobile homes and recreational vehicles
Informational Note: Although the scope of this Code indicates
that the Code does not cover installations in ships, portions of
this Code are incorporated by reference into Title 46, Code of
Federal Regulations, Parts 110–113.

the Coast Guard electrical engineering regulations in 46 CFR Subchapter J include parts of the NEC by reference, as mentioned in the FPN above. However, 46 CFR Subchapter J itself does not apply to uninspected vessels governed by 46 CFR Subchapter C, and houseboats, by and large, are considered uninspected vessels, as they do not operate in any sort of trade service.  The main document that fills this gap is ABYC standard E-11, but this is a voluntary construction standard; 33 CFR Subpart I captures the most important requirements, but only applies to boats powered by inboard or inboard-outboard gasoline engines, not purely outboard gasoline engines, purely sail-powered vessels, or diesel-powered boats.


How to determine if a faucet is plastic or metal? On the first picture below I am pretty sure the grip is made of plastic because it feels very light, when I lift it.

On the second I have no idea.

Question

How do I tell if the grip of a faucet is made of plastic or metal?

Are there destructive and non-destructive tests I can do?

In the strictest sense, if it has a metallic finish, it is metal, though it may only be a few molecules thick over a plastic substrate. But you refer to the base material. It can be hard to tell when it's in place due to the resistance of the mechanism masking the apparent mass. The way to distinguish without destructive sampling is essentially it's mass. Metal is denser than plastic. Removing the handle will usually make it easy to to tell just by weight. Many modern faucets are often made of both metal and plastic parts though.

One can still be fooled by weight. A solid, quality plastic handle may weigh more than a hollow, thin, cheap brass handle. The only sure way is to take a sample by drilling a small hole in an inconspicuous place. The shavings could be tested in a lab, after which they could determine exactly the type of resin or metal composition, if you paid them enough.

It usually suffices to simply hold a flame to the shavings. Plastic burns, metal does not.


How to promote garden drainage? I have just finished renovations that included excavating a fair amount of dirt from our back yard. This has left me with an area about 5m x 10m that I need to fill with dirt to the depth of about 20~30cm. The ground is now a very hard clay in some areas, mud stone in others.

The plan is to lay some ag pipe connected to the storm water system on the low side then lay a base on top of that, then put top soil on top of that. Grass will then be planted.

What base should I use - sand, gravel,....?

What you're trying to do is called a French drain system. If you google for French drain you'll find a ton of info and useful diagrams.

Coarse gravel is typically the base. This is then topped with finer gravel and landscape cloth so as to help prevent clogging. If you use sand too, you definitely want to use a cloth to keep the sand from draining out.


Why do light bulbs all over the house burn out disconcertingly fast? I've found a couple answers to this question. This generally revolve around the scenario where it's bulbs in a general area such as a fan.

My issue is that light bulbs all over the house burn out pretty fast. They don't last more than a year and this includes long life kinds, ones warrantied for 7+ years and such. I've tried a variety, but they all seem to burn out within a year or sooner. Places include living room ceiling fan, living room lamps, light fixtures in master & guest bathrooms, office, guest room, and kitchen. Pretty much any where you can put a bulb.

I've noticed that the LED bulbs have been recommended on this Q&A site but I have no idea which ones to get, how much light they put out, or how reliable they are.

Why would my light bulbs burn out so fast, and what can I do to fix the situation?

One reason bulbs can burn out quickly is if the voltage applied to them is higher than the expected voltage (120V in The USA). Wiring problems and bad transformers can cause the voltage to be out of spec. Another reason is if there is a loose connection somewhere, and the light flickers (causing unnecessary heating/cooling cycles). A third reason is if the light is in a confined space, and overheats.

In order to check the line voltage, you will need to use a voltmeter. The Kill-A-Watt is a very safe product to use to check the line voltage. Note that you should try a few different outlets, since there are generally two different phases of power (not really phases, but opposite polarities, 180 degrees apart) going into a typical house, and you need to check both of them.

Identifying a bad connection is trickier. Generally, you would see flickering lights, but to be sure you would want to use an oscilloscope or spectrum analyzer (expensive equipment). Sometimes a bad switch will cause a short flicker when the light is turned on. Replacing the light switches with new high quality switches could help.

Finally, have you noticed that the bulbs go out more quickly in certain places? Are those places more confined, causing the bulbs to heat up more? If so, you need to use lower wattage lights (such as CFL, halogen, or less bright incandescents) so that the bulb is less hot.

LED lights, halogens, and CFLs are all more efficient than incandescent lights. For the same amount of light output, they use less electricity, and generate less waste heat (keeping them cooler). In order to check if they meet your needs, compare the light output (in lumens) to that of the bulbs you are currently using. Don't go by the "equivalent" rating (such as 60W equivalent).... The amount of heat generated is nearly proportional to the wattage of the bulb (generally between 10 and 25 W). Another thing to look at is the color temperature, as measured in Kelvins. More orange lights will be around 2700 K, while more blue (daylight) bulbs will be around 5000 K.

PS: Advertised bulb lifetimes are usually assuming use of perhaps four hours per day. So, a seven year bulb may only last a bit over a year if it is left turned on continuously.


Installing a new electric cooktop details Printed instructions for my new electric cooktop say: A 3-wire or 4-wire, single phase, 120/240 volt, 60-Hz., AC only electrical supply is required on a separate, 40-amp circuit fused on both sides of the line. Obviously there are breakers in the breaker box, but what does "40-amp circuit fused on both sides of the line" mean? Thanks!

I believe the simplest way to put it is, it needs to be on a dedicated 40 amp double pole breaker.

With a 240 volt appliances there are 2 "hot" lines, usually a red insulated wire and black insulated wire. A neutral, usually a white insulated wire, and a ground wire can be bare wire or sometimes insulated in a green covering.

The 4 wire connection is the accepted code compliant connection, the 3 wire has been phased out, but still does exist in older connections.

I hope this gets the idea across. There are a few well versed electrical guys on SE that really know the ropes well when it comes to electrical issues. They may be able to fill you in a little more.


Carpenter Ants - Bait vs Spray Last year I had an infestation of carpenter ants, so I contacted a pest control company and paid for a year's worth of service. Now, exactly a week after the contract expired, I'm seeing them come back.

I'm planning on taking care of it myself this year, since the chemicals cost less than a month's worth of service from the pest control company.

I know that the two most common ways of treating for carpenter ants are:

1.) Boric acid bait

2.) Fipronil spray

Is either one of these treatments more effective than the other, and/or is the combination of these treatments more effective than either on its own?

You are just chasing your tail. As long as there is exposed wood and a convenient source of water, you will have carpenter ants.

The solution is to improve your roofing and gutters to keep the house dry.


How do I correctly measure this basement window for a replacement? I have three of these metal-framed basement windows which I would like to replace but I am unsure of what dimension I should measure and use for the replacements.

Initially I measured the outside dimension (32 1/2" x 16 1/4") but on closer inspection, it looks like the metal is just folded up against the concrete.  This leads me to think I should use the inside dimension (30 1/2" x 14").

What is the correct way to measure for replacement windows in this case?

EDIT: Included some outside pictures

Foundation windows are a difficult item to order replacements for. The mounting and track is different for most manufactures. Since you can't easily change the steel frame that is embedded in the concrete, you need the right window glass frame and size.  My advise would be to remove the glass sashes and bring them with you to your supplier and see if they can identify the manufacturer. they can measure them and order the right items. The other option would be to take the glass and removable frame to a glass shop and have them reconditioned.


Inconsistent water heater temperature I have a 50 gallon gas water heater that's just under 10 years old. We're getting inconsistent water temps out of it - last night filling up a bath I had the tap all the way hot and it was barely warm enough for the kids bath (wouldn't have been near hot enough for an adult). Other times I have to substantially open the cold to temper the water down to a good bath temperature. This is at the same time of day, with the same usage earlier (none for >8 hours), so it should be about the same. It affects all outlets, not specific to one bath or shower.

It's a Kenmore Power Miser 9. The burner appears to cycle normally - we hear it kick on after taking a shower or using significant hot water.

I flushed it a few weeks ago using the drain valve with no change. The flushed water looked clear, it wasn't obviously full of sediment, so I didn't flush the entire tank, only about 5 gallons. Would flushing it to empty make a difference?

I've so far been unable to get the anode unscrewed to check its condition, but that wouldn't effect temperature, right?

Anything else I should look into/try?

If this is an ordinary glass lined steel gas fired water heater it is likely at the end of its reliable service life. Get a new tank installed.

If you want to try a simple fix you could cycle the temperature setting knob by twisting the temperature set knob on the gas valve down to the lowest temperature, then up to the highest temperature and see if the burner comes on. Then turn the temperature knob down to the "recommended" setting--there will be a mark. Maybe you could set the temperature a little above this and it would work.

There is a temperature sensor probe which protrudes into the tank behind the gas valve and senses the temperature of the water inside. The burner turns on and off according to the state of this sensor. If this is malfunctioning, it could lead to the burner failing to come on sometimes or shutting off prematurely before the water has reached the set point. I think this is part of the gas valve assembly and not separately repairable or replaceable. The entire gas valve assembly is probably replaced as a unit.

This is not a job for the ordinary DIYer. You could call a plumber to do this repair, but almost certainly the water heater should be replaced.

The anode rod has nothing to do with this. Anode rods are well known to get stuck in place if they have been in service for this length of time.