How to reinstall iron stair railing in concrete that rusted out at the base? So one day some time ago our iron stair railing going from the sidewalk to the stoop rusted through at the base of the posts and fell right over. I had a welder friend cut off the rusted portion and add a new section of 1" stock to both posts.

Now I need to figure out how to reinstall the railing. The existing holes are 1-1/2" to 1-3/4"  wide at the top, but taper down. One hole is cleaned out to about 2", and the other to 1", the rest of the hole being filled with concrete and iron. From some research it seems a 2" wide and 4" deep hole should be secure enough, which I can then install the railing in, and fill with anchoring cement.

So my question is how do I enlarge and deepen the holes? Research seems to indicate a 2" core drill would be the best solution, but how would I keep the bit from jumping all over the place, especially considering I'm overlapping an existing hole? The bottom hole is only 2" from one edge and 3" from the other, so if possible I'd want to shift the center of the hole so I don't get any close to the edge.

Use the core drill you mentioned before, make sure it is deep enough, say 4" to get to the bottom of the iron stub. That is the standard mounting depth.

To keep the drill in place, drill a hole in a piece of 3/4" plywood big enough (1'X4'??)to lay on the stair you need to drill with the hole in the place that the old post is located. Stand on this while you use the drill to cut the hole. Get another body on it too if you feel you need to, but if you can maintain good balance you will be fine. drill it down about 1/2" and set aside the plywood and finish the depth of the hole. you can always chip a little of the concrete out, to go deeper, but you will find that a well placed tap with a hammer and chisel or steel pin to the side will release the plug that you drilled.

The plywood will stay in place very well with the pressure of you standing on it, it does not take a whole lot of pressure to keep it from "dancing".

If you can use a water fed core drill.


Are there high flow floor heat registers available? The weather has been pretty warm lately so we've been running our A/C. I noticed that it didn't seem like much air was coming out of the registers, so I checked to make sure the blades/louvers were fully open. When I pulled out the register there was a HUGE difference between having the register in (and completely open) and removed. There is easily 40% more airflow when the register is removed.

We have a few "scroll pattern" registers that are a bit better, but I haven't been able to find them locally anymore. All of the new ones seem to use this plastic louver behind the decorative plate that looks like it blocks 50% of the air even when fully open.

Are there high-flow registers available (4x10)?

There are various sellers of louvered and non-louvered floor vents.  These can be pricey though.

Of course if you're going to be replacing the existing cover anyway, you may as well try the other poster's solution of just removing the plastic from the one you've already got.

You titled your question 'high flow'; the above I'd consider more 'normal flow'.  For people looking for increased airflow from a vent, there are also powered vent fans available.  These aren't decorative and are more expensive.

For a custom/fancy outlet cover with high flow via fan boosting, I don't know of any products on the market, but the fans are essentially like computer fans you can buy for $5-10 plus a power supply and an airflow sensor/switch.  Could make a great DIY project.


How to fix a pinhole leak in water main inside my house? I came home last night to find water on my basement floor. After looking around, I located a pinhole leak on the short segment of pipe coming into the house from the street. This is the one foot of pipe before my meter and house cutoff valve so there's no way to turn it off other than having the town turn it off at the street.

My plumber is telling me that, even though this is just a pinhole inside the house, it's probably indicative of the condition of the entire line and he says the only proper fix is to replace the entire line from street to the meter in the basement. Ouch.

Does this seem reasonable? I'm trying to grasp how such a small thing is going to cost me thousands (mostly because of digging a new ditch). The house was built in 1987. The short segment of pipe that is leaking appears to be copper although I don't know if that is usually true for the entire line out to the valve on the street? Let me know if there is other info I can provide to give a more complete picture.

Iron or copper pipe?

Corrosion inside metal pipes forms craters that eventually open a pinhole and as the metal erodes due to corrosion compromise and water flow, they get larger.

From experience, if you have one pinhole, you have several incipient corrosion craters that will eventually leak elsewhere in the segment. You can patch them one at a time for expedience, but eventually you're going to redo the whole length.


Outlets and lights don't work but plug-in receptacle tester indicates all ok I have two bedrooms and a shared bath that are on one circuit. Through some initial remodeling/updating, all of the outlets were replaced (3-prong), and all of the light switches. All is fine in bedroom 1 (outlets work, light works). Bedroom 2 nothing works, and bathroom lights don't work, BUT the GFCI in the bathroom does work. Breaker not tripped.

I checked all of the connections and all are tight (not stabbed, but wound around the screws). I purchased a plug-in receptacle tester, and every outlet shows up as wired correctly. I also tried a voltage tester (the pen that beeps and blinks red) and it shows that all are receiving voltage.

Does anyone have any ideas what the problem could be? Thanks so much for the help in troubleshooting.

A plug in electrical tester will show voltage and let you know you have power there, but it will not show amperage.  So if you have a loose wire connection or a wire break under the insulation on one of your receptacles that feed the others, you will see voltage, but if you plug a light in or something else that will draw some amperage, the voltage drops due to the amperage draw.  If you plug in your plug in voltage tester and then plug a light in to the other socket, you will see that the plug in tester shows no voltage or very little.


Is LP gas trapped between the shutoff valve and the pipe end cap potentially dangerous? I am renovating my fireplace that was original to the home built in 2007. It was not to our liking, so I am doing a resizing to make it fit better in the room. In doing this I needed to change the length of LP gas line going to the firebox. It is set up for gas, perhaps a log lighter or gas log, but I am using it as a woodburning unit as the prior owners have in years past.

I have already changed the length of the pipe so what extends into the firebox is the same as original. I have tested it for leaks, there are none. To test it, I turned the emergency valve on to pressurize the new length of pipe, and sprayed a soapy water solution on the 3 joints that are new. I did this 3 times over a 3 hour period and will do it again before I put the last sheet of drywall in place to cover it. I will close the valve after I find everything satisfactory.

The question is, since this was done years ago and the firebox did not blow up,
will my charging the line the way I have trap gas between the valve and the cap that is in the firebox? I presume that some possibly may have entered the pipe beyond the valve since it had to pressurize the little that it did.

Not knowing the procedure the original installer did, makes me wonder if they did the same as I, but knew that it would do nothing as proved over time, that the amount of expansion from the pipe getting hot would not allow the pipe to bust (blow up). If there are any plumbers or fireplace installers out there that have done the same set up as I have here, and the firebox lived to tell about it, please chime in.

Since you don't say exactly where this is, I used your vague profile location ("NW Washington state") and referred to the code for Seattle.

The proper leak test is to pressurize the pipe to at least 15 psi with a pressure gauge monitoring and verify that there is no visible decrease in pressure reading after 15 minutes.  See section 406.4 of this.

Note that most appliances cannot withstand that kind of pressure, so the testing procedure specifies that individual appliance shut off valves should be set to block flow or be disconnected and the appliance supply line capped.

Typical natural gas residential pressure is 7 inches of water column, which is about 0.25 psi.  So the standard test is a factor of 60 times over the working pressure.

  ... since this was done years ago and the firebox did not blow up, will my charging the line the way I have trap gas between the valve and the cap that is in the firebox?

I think the answer is yes, but I don't think it is the relevant question.  If I understand correctly, you leak tested with gas line pressure only and that is insufficient to reliably detect a leak.

If it were me, I'd be doing a whole gas pipe test by:

Cutting off all the appliances (range, furnace, hot tub, dryer, water heater, etc.) with their individual input line valves.
Operate the cutoff valve at the output side of the gas meter to isolate the system.
Remove a conveniently accessible appliance flex line and attach a pressure gauge assembly.
Pressurize the system (a bicycle tire pump is useful) and observe the steadiness of pressure.
When I have done this, the test gauge itself was a significant source of leakage.  Read about it here.

As for concerns about heating causing a leak, it should be okay if the cap and the pipe are made of the same material so they both expand at the same rate.

It looks like black pipe in your photos.  The melting point of "malleable iron pipe" is 2,570 °F.  The hottest temperature a wood burning fireplace experiences is from the glowing coals after the wood has been consumed at about 1,200 °F.  The pressure rating of the threads at that temperature looks (by extrapolation) to be 10+ psi according to this table.


Changing 220 15 amp to 220 30 amp. Present circuit is in conduit with two other circuits. Need some advice Hello and thanks for any advice in advance.

My goal is to update a 220v 15 amp circuit in my garage to a 220v 30 amp circuit.
The 220 circuit I am trying to update runs through schd 40 pvc conduit with 2 other separate circuits.

The situation is as follows (I did none of the existing wiring - I recently purchased the house):

My Main panel is in the attached garage and built into the wall.

There are 3 circuits leaving the panel with NM cable running ~6 feet behind the drywall away from the main panel to a conduit body mounted on the drywall surface.

The conduit is schedule 40 pvc. It is 1" but steps down to 0.75 then to 0.5" (details below).
There are two 220 15amp circuits and one 110 15amp circuit

The three NM cables then run through conduit. It is 1.0" conduit in the area with the three NM cables.

The 110 NM terminates first

The first 220 NM terminates shortly after. It is 0.75" conduit in the area with 2 NM cables.

The second 220 NM terminates shortly after that. It is 0.5" conduit in the area with only 1 NM cable.

All three circuits are running 14 gauge nm cable through the entire length -- from the panel to the conduit body, then continuing through the conduit to the receptacles.

I have a few questions:

My understanding is that THHN wire is more desirable to be run through conduit instead of NM.
When updating one of the 220 15 amp circuits to 220 30 amp, I plan to use THHN wire.  I think it is likely best for me to update the other circuits to THHN as well. Agree?

My understanding that NEC updated for 2020 saying that all circuits in a garage must be GFCI protected - is this true? If so - I will use a GFCI breaker for the new 220 circuit when I replace it. The garage is dry and I'm not concerned with water contacting the outlets.

Can all 3 circuits share a ground that is large enough to tolerate the largest circuit (the 30 amp)?

My understanding is that I will have 6 conductors running through the conduit so must derate to 80%.  This should make no difference for the 110 15 amp and 220 15 amp with 14 gauge THHN wire (25*0.8=20).  But will make a difference for the 220 30 amp circuit as I cannot use 12 gauge THHN (30*0.8=24).  So I will step up to 10 gauge THHN for the 30 amp circuit (40*0.8=32).  If this is all correct, should I use 10 gauge ground? Or do I have to derate the ground as well?

As far as running new wire through the conduit - any advice? I understand attaching my new 10 gauge wire to the old 14 and pulling will not be easy - especially in the section where there are 3 cables. Should I pull the old NM cable with a pull cord attached to it, then use that pull cord to pull the new cable?

Conduit fill

  The 110 NM terminates first

14-2 NM cable is 0.36" across in the wide dimension. Whenever a flat cable is used in a conduit, it must be treated the same as a round wire of the wide dimension.

Three such cables just fit in 1" sched 40 PVC.

  The first 220 NM terminates shortly after. It is 0.75" conduit in the area with 2 NM cables.

Two 14-2 NM cables require a conduit with ID of 0.914".  3/4" PVC is much too small. This installation is illegal.

Two cables in a conduit are the worst-case scenario: the round swept area of the cable are permitted only 31% conduit fill.

  The second 220 NM terminates shortly after that. It is 0.5" conduit in the area with only 1 NM cable.

A single 14/2 cable requires conduit with an ID of 0.497". 1/2" PVC is barely adequate.

Use of THHN wires

Note that THHN requires to be inside conduit its entire length.  You cannot throw random loosy-goosy THHN wires inside a wall.   This is one minor advantage of NM cable in conduit; it can hop in and out of conduit at will.  The disadvantage is it requires ginormous conduit, and you see where one, two or all three of your conduit segments are too small for the cables therein.

However, you are able to transition between THHN and NM/Romex at any junction box with enough space for the splices.  So it may be possible to run NM-in-wall up to the head of the conduit run, then THHN inside the conduit.  You may need to simply fit a super-large junction box at the head point of the conduit, and call it good.

GFCI on 240V circuits is coming

  My understanding that NEC updated for 2020 saying that all circuits in a garage must be GFCI protected - is this true? If so - I will use a GFCI breaker for the new 220 circuit when I replace it.

It will be true when your state adopts NEC 2020.  Only MA has done so  yet.  So pull your permit right now and you should be in 2017 Code.

How wire ratings actually work

  My understanding is that I will have 6 conductors running through the conduit so must derate to 80%. This should make no difference for the 110 15 amp and 220 15 amp with 14 gauge THHN wire (25*0.8=20). But will make a difference for the 220 30 amp circuit as I cannot use 12 gauge THHN (30*0.8=24). So I will step up to 10 gauge THHN for the 30 amp circuit (40*0.8=32). If this is all correct, should I use 10 gauge ground? Or do I have to derate the ground as well?

You seem to correctly grasp that you use the 90C column for 310.15(B)7 derate purposes.   The reason is that THHN actually is rated 90C, and NM and UF are rated at 60C but are allowed to derate off the 90C column for 310.15(B)7 purposes.

However, you seem to think you are at liberty to use any of the columns for your actual ampacity, e.g. 30A on #12 wire since you saw that in the 90C column.  That is wrong in two ways.  First, 240.4 limits your ampacity to 20A @ #12 no matter what. Second, even if your wire size was too large for 240.4 and you had 90C wire, you are still limited by the allowed temperature of the terminations.  A 60C termination puts you firmly in the 60C column.  You won't find any terminations hotter than 75C.

That said, derates for #14-10 wires are a nothingburger. At <= 4 circuits per conduit, the derate has no effect.  At 5+ circuits per conduit, the derate is crippling and you are better off not allowing that to happen at all.

What to do

  As far as running new wire through the conduit - any advice? I understand attaching my new 10 gauge wire to the old 14 and pulling will not be easy - especially in the section where there are 3 cables. Should I pull the old NM cable with a pull cord attached to it, then use that pull cord to pull the new cable?

Pulling the old cable out will not be easy.  Putting cable in conduit is the act of a madman.  Pulling the new wires in will be a cakewalk, especially if you select stranded wire, which you should.  Pigtail receptacles; directly attaching stranded wire to receps and switches is an acquired skill.  Stranded works fine on breakers and in wirenuts.

Seriously, once you work with stranded you'll wonder what possesses anyone to tolerate solid wire.

I would replace at least the new 30A run with THHN wire - 2x #10 hot (same color is fine), 1x neutral if needed (no need to include it if not), and 1x #10 ground.

Four #10 + one 14/2 NM-B will fit inside 3/4" sch40 PVC @ 36.1% fill. (allowed 40% given 3+ "wires").
Four #10s alone will fit inside 1/2" sch40 PVC.  @ 28.61% fill (allowed 40%).

So that takes care of your problem either way.

You also have the option to yank all the #14 wires and replace with THHN.  I wouldn't bother buying #14 THHN, because why own any of that?  Just use #12.  3 or 4 of of either size will be net-smaller than a #14 NM-B.

Grounding/splicing

You can share one ground wire for all the circuits.  What you cannot do is splice in a conduit body.   There are 2 separate rules:

Conduit bodies (and junction boxes which have only pass-thrus with no splices, therefore effectively are conduit bodies): Must have internal cross-section 2x the pipe cross-section. Not so bad.
Junction boxes (and conduit bodies used for anything put passthru, making them effectively junction boxes): 2.0 cubic inches per #14 wire and 2.5 cubic inches per #10 wire, with all grounds counted as 1 (largest) wire.

You don't get to split these rules and count only the spliced wires. All-in, or all-out.
This is a deal-killer for conduit bodies not wildly oversized for the pipe.

So you might have to run 3 ground wires due to the conduit body issue.


Do I need to glue down linoleum flooring? I am installing a new linoleum floor in a small bathroom (approx. 6' X 6').  This is a replacement for an old linoleum floor.  The replacement will be a single piece.

Talking with the local big box store flooring expert, he recommended not gluing it down.

It would be tempting to not glue it down since the linoleum floor will be a single piece and will be held down on all sides.  But while I would love to make things easier for myself and not use glue, I am not so sure this is a good idea.

Would it be a bad idea to not glue down the linoleum floor?

There is a whole new generation of fiberglass, not vinyl, flooring that is self laying. The various manufacturers say wit will lay flat, not curl or bubble without adhesive. I have my doubts, but admit I have not used it without adhesive. The manufacturer does says that when adhesive is used, it can only be "Releasable Pressure Sensitive Adhesive", never standard vinyl sheet goods adhesive.

In a small room like you have, I'd test the no glue theory. If it doesn't work well, it's easy enough to go back and glue it down with pressure sensitive adhesive.


Best way to drywall a basement My basement is dry.  I just recently drylocked the walls.  So now I want to put drywall up.  Was going to use the foam board installation....wooden framing and green board.

But with reading the many opinions....wooden framing in the basement is a no-no.  Metal framing instead?   Do I put up a vapor barrier?  Some says yes....some say no

I am not sure why some would say no to wood frame, I have done this for years if the basement is dry. Remember if this is a living space it will require outlets every 12' or no space further than 6' from a outlet excluding doorway spaces.
I put 2x4's flat on the wall , I run the power to junction boxes in the ceiling and drop 1 wire to the shallow outlet boxes because there is not enough room in a shallow box for more than 1 wire and 1 outlet. I think this looks much better than surface mounted in conduit and it is cheaper. I would not add a vapor barrier it would trap any moisture in the wall and insulation possibly creating a mold breeding ground.


When bolting down a porcelain toilet, how tight is "too tight"? Tightening bolts on the base of a toilet is the one thing about toilet installation that has me the most nervous.  They say not to over-tighten, but how tight is too tight before the porcelain is subject to cracking?  Do I tighten until I can't tighten anymore?  Do I tighten it just before I think it's at its tightest?

I start by hand tightening as much as I can, then I tighten a little on each side and check if the toilet moves.  If it does then I tighten a bit more, check and repeat until there's no movement.  You're trying to avoid bowl movement, so that it doesn't shift or fall over, not to hold the floor up by the toilet bolts.

As tight as you can go will probably snap the porcelain (with a good socket you can torque a nut onto a bolt quite a bit).  Until you think it's about to snap is just guessing.

Snug.  No movement.  Enjoy.

"Too tight" is a sixteenth of a turn past where the porcelain snaps :-)


water heater keeps on turning off my water heater (gas Rheem MODEL NO.42VP75FW) keeps on shutting off

this is the error code it shows

it means the maximum amount of ignations attempt have been made and the system has went into lockdown mode

when i turn it off, wait a little, and turn it back on the system works for around 10 minutes (heating up  the water) before locking up again.
what am i supossed to do ?

After calling Rheem customer service, I was told I must replace the entire control unit which controls the igniter.


3m lead test confusion So I did a lead test and I don’t know what to think. Some areas are pink others a dark purple but mostly orange. The swab itself was orange. Lead or no lead???

It most likely means you have lead paint underneath a coat of latex paint. In places where’s there’s a crack in the latex, the tester  is responding to the lead.

If there’s no small children and the paint isn’t peeling, it’s often best to keep the lead in place by putting another coat of latex paint on top, sealing it. Trying to remove the lead by sanding or chemical means can often be more toxic than removal in these situations.

If there are small children and/or the paint is peeling, you may want to refer to a lead specialist for the best mitigation for these circumstances.


Adding second Ground Bus to Square D Sub Panel - Grounded via wire or just the screws? I have added a sub panel next to my main panel.  It is fed from a 100A breaker using 3-3-3-5 CU Service wire.  I removed the ground screw to isolate the Neutral and I installed the ground bus that came with it on the left side. It is attached with 2 screws directly to the panel. I connected the #5 ground wire to this ground bus.

The question:
The ground bus is SHORT with only 8-10 usable positions so I have added an additional ground bus on the right side of the panel.  It is made specifically for the panel, Square D and attaches with 1 screw, centered over 2 nubs that lock it in place.  Is the screw enough to ground this additional bar or do I need to interconnect it to the first ground bus with wire. If so, what size?

Thanks VERY much in advance for your assistance!

Follow up:

INSTRUCTIONS!!  Those would VERY handy indeed.  The problem is that they SUCK.  Number 4 gives all the info about how to wire it, but I found it less than useful. Here is the entire text of the instructions:

1) Turn off all power to the enclosure

2) Mount grounding bar to the back of enclosure:

if one mounting hole and two nubs are provided, mount with outer holes over nubs and mounting screw through center hole.
if two mounting holes are provided, mount with two mounting screws.

NOTE: If no mounting holes are provided, use #26 drill bit to drill two 0.147 in diameter mounting holes using grounding bar as a template.

3) Apply equipment grounding label to enclosure beside grounding bar.

4) Install wiring to grounding bar. See equipment grounding label for binding screw torque.

So are they assuming this is the ONLY grounding bar and therefore the #5 ground feed from the main panel will get attached to it?  Or is the lack of instruction to jumper it to an existing main ground bar an indication that the screws are enough and that it grounds through the body of the enclosure to the original ground bar?  I sure can't tell from what little info they provided.

Follow the instructions.  You are obliged (NEC 110.3) to follow the extra grounding bar's instructions.  That's because those instructions are the basis for UL granting it a listing as safe.

As long as you met the instructions, feel free to exceed. So you can add a ground wire even if it's not required.  Generally you don't downsize a service wire (i.e. you wouldn't run 14AWG to the last single 5-15 receptacle of a 20A circuit), so you'd stay with 5AWG Cu ground wire.

Any type is fine, as long as it meets the original current rating.  So don't pay for 2' of 3-3-3-5 just to obtain 2' of #5, use #5 or #4 THHN instead if it's cheaper.


Converting 8/3 220VAC oven recptacle to 120V recptacle Good day!
We’re replacing an electric oven/range to a gas oven/range

And

Adding a 600CFM range hood.

The old range is leaving an ungrounded 8/3 NM for me to work with.

Now, lazy me wants to replace the 220V 40A two-pole breaker with a single pole 120V 40A breaker and convert the 3 blade receptacle to a 20A outlet and use the red wire as a ground.

Besides trying to get 8AWG stranded wire to attach pleasantly to a receptacle, how badly mannered would this setup be?

Retrofitting ground to a range circuit

As of 2014, Code greatly broadened the rules for retrofitting ground wires.  If it was simply a matter of provisioning a ground wire to that range circuit, there would be no problem at all.

A 40A circuit requires a #10 ground wire, green or bare. You can always use a larger wire.  It only needs to follow the rules for routing and protecting ground wires, and it can follow any route back to the service panel.  It doesn't need to go to the panel, only to

any outlet or junction which also has a #10 or larger ground going back to the panel (water heater, A/C, dryer if grounded, etc.
anywhere on the grounding electrode system (the wire to your ground rods) I do not endorse using a general water pipe, because further plumbing mods may separate that.
any junction box connected by all metal conduit back to the panel.

At that point you convert the range receptacle to NEMA 14-50 and change the range plug and jumper, done.

If you were to do this before you converted the circuit to 120V/20A use, there's no question it's legit.

Retrofitting ground to a brand new 20A circuit

This is more fuzzy and I just don't know for sure.  I fear it may be subject to interpretation by AHJ.   I am concerned that if you had a 3-wire range connection, and then you converted it to 20A receptacles, and then you grounded it, the ruling might be "this is new work; the retrofit rules don't apply to new work; run new homerun(s).”

However if the AHJ is simpatico with this application, then you would be able to retrofit ground to these new receptacle circuits.  Same rules as above, however, the size of ground wire you need is 12 AWG (14 AWG if 15A circuit).  Obviously this is a lot easier, because you only need to reach a point with a #12 (or #14) ground wire running back to the panel, and that can probably be found a whole lot closer.

And to be clear on this point, larger wire than proscribed is always OK.  Suppose the required size is #12... you use #8 ground wire because you have some. You reach a point with #10 running back to the panel. That's all fine for grounding either a 40A or 15/20A circuit.


Can I replace an electric smoke detector with a combined smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detector? My house has electric smoke detectors wired into an ADT alarm system.  I'm not using the alarm system but the smoke detectors seem to work anyway.  I'd like to have carbon monoxide detectors too.

Can I replace the existing electric detectors with ones that detect carbon monoxide too?
  Or do should I just screw a battery powered one onto the ceiling next to the existing smoke detector?

In our area, local codes made at least one CO detectors mandatory in all condos and rental units.  I have had to replace dozens of standard smoke detectors with combo units in hard wired/battery back-up systems.  Most every manufacturer makes a CO/Smoke unit that will plug in directly to the existing system. A hard wired replacement is far better than a stand alone battery operated unit, as it will alarm all units in the system if there is a problem.

Having the system monitored or not monitored makes absolutely no difference on how the system works inside the house. All monitored systems will work fine in the house even if the monitoring system is off.


What is the correct procedure to turn a 10" rough-in toilet drain into a 12" rough-in drain when the drain goes through a slab-on-grade? I need to replace a leaking toilet, but the distance from the drain to the wall is about 10.75". The selection of toilets that I'm finding in the 10" rough-in range is pretty pathetic and overpriced, especially water-conserving ones.

Ideally I'd like to relocate the drain 2" so I have a standard 12" rough-in. The problem is that my house is on a 4" slab-on-grade (with just bare dirt right under it), and the plumbing--all original cast iron-- is thoroughly entombed in the concrete. The bathroom floor is ceramic tile right over the concrete slab.

What's the best way to go about doing this without causing too much damage or destroying enough of the bathroom tile that the damage will be visible even after placing the new toilet? Or is that a given? I have a rotary hammer, a sawzall with diamond abrasive blades, a circular saw with a masonry blade, and lots of other such tools.

Or is this a patently ridiculous idea and I should just get a 10" rough-in toilet?

Plumbing in concrete slabs pretty much requires ripping the floor open to make any changes to it. I suppose if you chose a new toilet with a LARGE base and were very careful you  MIGHT be able to keep all the floor damage under it, but that's making assumptions that you'll be able to rework cast iron pipes (not the most cooperative things) through a fairly small hole.

I'd suggest that the extra cost of a 10" would have to be quite high before it made sense to rework for a 12" - or else you should consider if you'd like to change the tile as well, so ripping up the floor is not a problem.

Edit: I suppose the other question I didn't think to ask is where the current toilet is leaking? I rebuilt a 40 year old one last spring, as it was starting to leak around the tank bolts. Replaced the rubber washers, replaced the tank to bowl seal since I had to take the tank off to replace the washers, and was out of there with a non-leaking (for, presumably, the next 30-50 years) toilet for under $10. Left the bowl in place during the overhaul, so no new wax ring, as that end fortunately was not leaking. Unless you crack the china, they generally can be overhauled to like new, or better than new condition.


Fixing a toilet deceptively complicated, where did I go wrong? I have a toilet which was both running and leaking and I tried to fix it myself.

I replaced the fill valve, the flush valve and the main gasket, all with items from Home Depot. Home Depot had one model of everything, all cheap plastic, so there was not much to choose from.

After doing all the work, it was still running into the bowl, the tank was not filling and there was still a tank leak. So, I called a plumber who charged me $200 to fix it. He said:

the brand new fill valve was defective
the flapper (that came with the flush valve) was wrong
the main gasket (that the guy in Home Depot specifically said was right) was too small

So, I asked him how could a brand new fill valve be defective. He said it was "hit or miss". The guy in Home Depot who described himself as a plumber said the fill valve was "rock solid simple" and would work "forever", which I guess was a lie because apparently it did not work at all. Also, how can a flapper be "wrong" when it CAME WITH THE FLUSH VALVE IN THE SAME PACKAGE???

So, where am I going wrong here?

Is there any place I can get high quality reliable toilet parts? Is a brass fill valve better than those cheapo Fluidmaster plastic fill valves?

One problem (and not just with home cheapo) is that there are many models of toilet that all do the same thing, with somewhat different and not always compatible parts. Some have 2" flush valves, some have 3" flush valves - etc. Two problems with home cheapo and lowes and other things like them is that the help are often not particularly knowledgeable, and the selection is not comprehensive. Quality on many parts is "hope you live close to the store, because you may need to take it back for a replacement" but that is hardly limited to them, as many of the same poorly made parts are available elsewhere. A real plumbing supply will have a wider range of parts and possibly better quality as well, but they will come at a higher price, and some won't sell to the general public (being setup as wholesale only, they don't want to collect sales tax or compete with their regular, high-volume customers, who are plumbers. If they do sell to the public you will pay a lot more than your plumber does for the same item.)

In your case you probably would have been money ahead to simply buy a whole new toilet (all parts compatible), rather than call in the plumber. The cheapo near me has 18 in stock that cost less than $200 for the complete toilet. I'd personally avoid the cheapest of those, and I'd factor country of origin into my buying decision. It's not a thing I buy often, and having it break is annoying.

Brass is not inherently better than plastic. Either can be made well or poorly, and for some water supplies, plastic is a far better idea. No fill valve lasts "forever."


Storm door on odd sized frame I just bought a storm door for my house's front door (HD custom order).  Of course, I followed directions measuring the door opening, but without considering that I have an old house, and the door frame itself is a little odd.  I've attached photos because that's much easier.

The door itself measures 36x80.  As you can see, the door is deeply set back.  There are two pairs of 'lips' on the sides.  One set is small, protruding  1/2'' on the middle of the side.  The other set, which are sealed to the brick, is about 1'' wide and faces the exterior.  Additionally, the top of the door has a header 4-5'' tall that is inset 1'' from the exterior.  And the bottom aluminum piece has an upward slope that gains about 1 from the cement bottom.

Naturally, the 36x80 storm door I bought won't fit.  The door itself wants to sit flush on the cement, and on the sides with the 1'' lips.  I'm looking for solutions to attach the door.

Is it safe to drill the door into the 1'' wide trim on the sides?  Is the door meant to sit close to the cement bottom or should I try to elevate it when installing it?

And most importantly, what to do about that header?  Is my door simply too short and I should try to track down a 36x84 door to cover the header?  Can I fill in the header by attaching another piece of wood to make it flush with the exterior lips, painted to match the storm door color, and screw the door into that?

There's nothing wrong with screwing the door to those two lips on either side. Depending on the weatherstripping on the bottom of the door, it should fit right up to the cement bottom, or top of that sill. Adding an additional "header" piece should not pose much of a problem. It could even extend a bit below the existing one if necessary for a good fit. Hardest part will be cutting those two angles. A saber saw will do the trick if you don't have a miter saw.


Will a tarp over the deck allow me to paint the deck during a Seattle winter? I spent a few weekends in September stripping the paint from my deck. It's now stripped to the wood. Due to some unforeseen timing issues, I wasn't able to get the new paint down before fall arrived. I'm in Seattle, so getting a full 24 hours of non-rain is tough, let alone a couple of days to let the wood properly dry. Humidity is generally in the 60-90 range.

I have some tarps I could put over the deck to keep it dry for a few weeks. My question is: will the tarp approach work? Should I just wait for spring? Any other ideas?

-- edit --

The paint is Olympic Rescue It. The min temp is 50, but I am more concerned with the wood. How dry does it need to be? If there is any moisture on the wood, will it shorten the paint's life?

I have made temp tarp roofs over several work sites when building a deck in winter. (Vancouver, BC here, so similar winters).

You should use a new tarp, have a slope for drainage and make sure it is tight and secure.

If any leaks or drips get on the wood it takes longer to dry out in the winter (when it's wet out in general).

I have never painted a deck though, only stains.

The most critical reason for using a tarp roof was keeping plywood dry when we were doing a waterproof vinyl membrane. Most other times they weren't crucial and just for keeping work site relatively dry.


Caulking a baseboard - which bit do you paint? If I am using decorator's caulk to fill the gap at the top of the baseboard, I am left with a bead of caulk. I know I need to paint the caulk, once cured, to stop it attracting dust. So how do I paint the bead - do I paint it with the same paint as the baseboard, or with the same paint as the wall? Or half and half?!

What is the accepted way? What looks the best?

Thank you

Personally I prefer to paint it the colour of the baseboard.  I tend to use Satinwood, and the thicker paint helps to mask the bead itself better.  It does require a steady hand as you really don't want to be accidentally painting that on to your wall (I hate masking tape).

As previous commenters have noted, the bead should not be all that thick.  When I install baseboard (or skirting board, as we call it in the UK), I try to use an adhesive like No More Nails as it saves filling or covering the nail holes.
If you are using nails then I would definitely suggest using a couple more to ensure you keep that gap as small as possible


Minimal temperature setting for hot water heater to prevent legionella I own a small apartment which I rent out to tenants. The apartment has an electric hot water heater with 80 liters. I now realized that my tenant reduced the temperature setting to only 32 degrees Celsius. (it's summer where I live)
I have read the following advice to prevent legionella.
-Always keep the water at 60° Celsius
-Heat the water once a week to at least 60° Celsius.
Obviously to save electricity I would prefer the second solution, However is this safe if the water is only at 32° for the remaining time?
Can heating the water twice to 60° and keeping it at 32° Celsius be assumed to be safe?

OSHA recommends  a water heater temperature of 140 Fahrenheit  (60 degrees Celsius)  to prevent legionella growth.
The CDC  has information that is helpful.
As a landlord you will want to prevent scalding and legal issues associated with scalding,  so  anti-scald devises would be recommended.
Doing your own research would be the proper way to educate yourself as to  guidelines and pertinent info  to address your concerns.
Also, ask your local health Dept for any public resources/info available in your area.


Will noise be an issue when joining two rooms with a circulating fan? The plan is to join two adjacent rooms with an exhaust fan. One has air conditioner, the other does not. A handyman will drill a square hole into the wall, and then attach the fan. The goal is to cool both rooms when the air conditioner is open.

Since we live in an area where this setup is rare, we don't have any idea if noise will be an issue. The person in the other room plays music at night. If noise will be a factor, is there a method on how to minimize the sound? Will the addition of sliding/opening doors (like a wooden cabinet) solve this?

This plan won't really work without a full circuit. You need exhaust and return, otherwise the return may be from somewhere undesirable (such as under the door or through leaks to the exterior). The fan will create low- and/or high-pressure regions and air will find a way.

I'd consider routing both through the attic or basement for sound attenuation, and look for internally-insulated ducting for further sound deadening. Openings in the wall will feel like windows with respect to sound and privacy.


Is PVC Schedule 40 pipe safe to use in a potable water supply? I have not had a problem for nine years and never noticed what my plumbing pipes used. My hot and cold water feed away from heater use "Bristol 1120 Schedule 40 PVC.  480 PSI 73 deg."
Is there strong evidence that I have been using this type of piping in danger to my family's heath. Should it be removed immediately?

You should not worry about health. Most schedule 40 PVC is National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) rated for potable water, and it's likely that yours is. Do you see "NSF" printed on the pipe? Even if it isn't, I wouldn't worry about toxicity. The problem with PVC pipe is that it may have issues with leaks. It will degrade when exposed to UV light (such as sunlight), and also high temperature. Its pressure rating is to be derated at high temperatures. Because of this, PVC is not approved for use in houses for potable water.

There are many websites stating that PVC is both safe and unsafe. The trend that I see on the more scientific sites is that some of the chemicals used in PVC decades ago are unsafe, and also some of the plasticizers are also somewhat toxic (similar to the PBA toxicity scare a few years ago). But if your pipes are years old, most of what will leach out already has. Also, you can follow the advice which is given about houses with lead in their water system: Don't drink the hot water, and let the cold water run for a minute until it gets cold before using it.

Back to the real issue with PVC... its reliability with respect to hot water: Let's say that your hot water is at 140 F.... We can use a derating chart for PVC to find its actual pressure rating at higher temperatures. Based on the chart, multiply the 73 degree pressure rating by 0.22 to get 106 PSI. Although this is above the desired water pressure of 60 PSI, 106 PSI is not unheard of. Also, keep in mind that your hot water might be above this temperature, so the actual maximum pressure may be lower.

The solution is to replace your pipes with an approved material such as CPVC (a stronger type of PVC), PEX, or copper. All of these are considered safe for potable water (by the government and standards bodies), though one can find claims online of all of them being toxic.


Wiring a 2 pole circuit Can I use a #8 and a #6 wire for a 40 amp circuit?I know individually the size is fine,just not sure about mixing them a#8 for one leg and #6 for the other

Each circuit has a minimum wire size.

Other than that, you can upsize wires anytime you want.   There's no restriction.

The wires must, of course, fit the terminations.  So if you use #12 Romex to branch off a 15A circuit, you will not be using backstsbs on that receptacle.

To reverse it, if your circuit is almost entirely #12, but has one bit of #14, it is a 15A circuit.


Finishing hardwood floors with shellac - bad idea? I am refinishing the hardwood floor in a bedroom. It was originally finished with shellac, and I'm thinking of using shellac again, rather than taking the standard polyurethane route. I'd be using unwaxed shellac. I find shellac easier to work with, it doesn't have toxic fumes like polyurethane does and it seems environmentally friendlier.

Is there any good reason not to do this? I know shellac doesn't stand up to moisture as well as polyurethane, but I don't anticipate that being a big issue in this bedroom. I also know (from experience) that it's a pain to sand shellac off of a floor, but it's not impossible, and I don't anticipate it being my problem when it comes time to redo this floor in the distant future.

I can think of two good reasons not to use shellac.

It is not as durable as polyurethane.
Lap marks show (sometimes a lot). It not easy to get a smooth finish, especially because it dries quickly.

Because you do not want to deal with the fumes of oil based polyurethane, I'd recommend using water based polyurethane. (It is only the oil based that has the real nasty fumes.)

You get much better durability, (not as good as the oil based) it is pretty easy to apply, and it dries quickly (not as fast as shellac).

It is kind of the best of both worlds. It has some of the strength of oil, and the low fumes like shellac.


How to frame the side cantilever joist for deck? As the below picture, is the rough blue print of the 12'6" x 12" deck for my new house.

Following the code, all joists(blank rectangular) are 2 x 8 16" OC, the blue rectangular is the beam, and gray rectangular is ledger board which already attached to house by builder. The yellow rectangular is the post for aluminum railing(only draw right side), the railing post size is 4 x 4 inch at the bottom(mount by bolt and blocking board, see figure 2).

Because I want to give more space for the deck and make the railing parallel with the house side wall, I need to make the right joist 2.5" (total 4" gap, 1.5" for board thickness) away the ledger board due to the ledger board is short, the other side of the joist can sit on the beam.

How to frame the right joist to make it strong enough for the railings?

railing post mount (figure 2)

Add 2 or 3 blocks perpendicular to the joists directly under the post locations. The longer the block are the better to minimize splitting when you run the post mounting screws into them.

You may already plan to, but you can move the posts over the last joist to get a little more room on your deck.

When the mounting screws go through the decking, sandwiching everything up will be quite strong.

But this does only address the strength of the railing. The joists must attach to the ledger, no "floating" joists


How can I keep a door open wide enough for my cat to get through but not my big dog? I need a 'safe room' for my cat to go in to use the litter box away from the dog, who thinks it contains treats.  I need the door the stay open a few inches without my Labrador Retriever having the ability to enter the room.  She is Houdini so it needs to be something she can't push open.

Any suggestions?

It may seem too simple to work, but you just need to cut your own tailor-made cat door.

Basically, a cat can get through any opening it can fit its head through. This usually works against us cat owners, since the beasties have a mind of their own and like to explore. This time, it may work in our favor. So:

Measure cat head (breadth), add 1/4 inch to make things easier.
Cut opening in door about that width, of reasonable height (8" should do the trick, perhaps even less).
Teach cat to go through the door, perhaps with some treats on the other side.
Watch dog try to fit her wide head through the opening, fail miserably.
Watch dog proceed to try to make opening wider by scratching.
Patch up the sides of the opening with metal.

Hope this helps (the cat).


How long does radiant heat in a concrete floor last? I am looking to purchase a home built in 1950 that has radiant heat with copper pipes inside the concrete slab foundation.  The home has been vacant for a little while now too, not sure if that effects it.  I have never had any experience with radiant heat before and am worried that it might fail due to the age of the home.  Plus, it seems like it would be incredibly costly to repair... if that's even possible.  Any advice would be most appreciated.

According to the Copper Development Association, it is perfectly fine to embed copper tube in concrete under certain conditions. However, it is unlikely your home met all the conditions like making provision for thermal expansion (especially important with a heating system that will likely cycle on and off many times in one day) Another important requirement is to protect the copper if "it comes in contact with concrete mixtures that contain components high in sulfur, such as cinders and fly-ash, which can create an acid that is highly corrosive to most metals including copper."

In the early 80s I lived in a house that had plumbing in the concrete slab floor. Not heat, just domestic water. It was much younger at the time than your house is now. There was a leak and the only way to find and fix it was to jack-hammer the living room floor. Because the water followed existing cracks in the concrete, a lot of concrete had to be removed to find the actual location of the leak.

My recommendation: write off the radiant heat system and budget for a forced air heat replacement. You can upgrade the house to have air conditioning for the summer at the same time.


How Much Power Do LED Drivers Draw When Not Loaded? Question is about those LED drivers that convert 120V (or whatever your house voltage is wherever you are) AC to 12V DC for driving LED light strips and the like.
Do they draw power when plugged in, but not loaded, i.e. the lights are turned off (switch on DC side)?  If so, do they draw full power (e.g. 100W), or some kind of standby level of power?
TIA.

12V constant-current power supplies have a small "standby" power usage of a watt or three depending on quality, when all the DC loads are switched off.  You can measure this by plugging it into a Kill-a-Watt. Other than that, they draw whatever power is used on the DC side, plus a few percent for conversion losses.
12V LED strips typically use a constant-voltage power supply, which is simply called a power supply. They are often marketed as "drivers" because it sounds cooler, but that's wrong.  Any 12V power supply will work for LED strips.
(a real driver is a constant-current source and must be custom-matched to a very particular array of raw LEDs. LED strips don't work that way).


How can I adjust the water level in a Grohe inner wall toilet? How do I adjust the water level in the toilet bowl itself? With flushing there is a gush of water that actually flies forward and onto the floor, not really ideal. I think it's because the level of water inside the bowl is too low but I have no idea how to adjust this...a more traditional toilet, no problem, but this one it too high tech for me!

The geometry of the toilet bowl itself determines the water level, so it’s not adjustable. Try adding water with a bucket and you will see the surface area return to where it was designed to be. The flush action is designed to get as much force out of the six liters of water as possible, so there will be turbulence. I recommend closing the lid before flushing. With European toilets, it seems to be a matter of us adapting to them.


How can I level a sloped floor? I have a 10x13 first-floor room which used to be a porch but at some point was closed in by the previous owners, and sheet linoleum was glued down to the plywood subfloor. Unfortunately they didn't correct for the built in slope of the original porch when the closed it in, so the room has a consistent 1-inch slope towards the outside of the house (e.g. it's not an intermittent 'sag,' 'warp,' or 'dip,' the whole floor slopes out relatively consistently). I need to level the floor in order to put down hardwood as I will be using the space for my business. I have been advised (by 3 different people) to solve the problem in 3 different ways:

Screw down wire mesh straight to the existing linoleum and pour Self Leveling Compound to bring the slope level.
Pull up the subfloor and sister new 2x8s to the joists but leveled instead of at an angle
Pull up the subfloor and then attach custom-cut wedges to lay on top of the joists correcting them to level.

Now, option 1 has a certain amount of appeal simply because I don't have to pull up the linoleum, rip up the subfloor, or engage in any cutting, nailing, bolting, screwing, gluing, or replacing of subfloor to accomplish the leveling task. On the other hand, the notion of a large quantity of self leveling compound drying on me as I'm desperately attempting to mix it, pour it, feather it, etc. makes me nervous (a 10x13 room with a constant slope- thus the entire 130 sq. ft. floor will end up with at least some SLC on it- 1 inch deep on one side of the room, and feathered to nearly nothing on the other). So my questions are as follows:

Am I missing any major options for leveling my floor?
Are any of the options above not realistically viable (e.g. I have a friend who doesn't know what they're talking about in recommending one or more of the above options)
Is SLC really 'a breeze' to use (as I have been told it is), or are my fears of not being able to get the entire 10x13 room poured and feathered inside of the ~20 minute setting window well founded? I will have volunteer help, but there will be no 'pros,' so if it's not actually a 'breeze' this could be an issue...
Which option would you choose, and why?

I'm really fascinated by your question and suggested solutions. I am glad to hear that you question the wisdom of some of the suggestions. There are a few factors that are important to consider before picking a solution.

What type of hardwood flooring are you thinking of using?  Nail down, staple down, glue down or floating?  With any type but a floating floor, SLC is definately the wrong product to use underneath, as it will shatter when nailed, and the thinner areas will probably separate from the underlayment when glued to. I also expect SLC will not adhear well to the old vinyl flooring or even the plywood subfloor. Any flex of the plywood subfloor will result in cracks and broken chunks of concrete.

I would explore the possibility of jacking the lower end up one inch. This would of course depend on what type of foundation it is resting on, the roof structure, if the existing ceiling is now level, or does it also slope the same one inch, and finally, if there are any windows in the side walls, as it would effect the level of those as well if jacked.

Assuming jacking is not an option, the next easiest way would be to install "purlins" or surface shim boards every 12 to 16 inches on center across the floor in decreasing thickness and install a new 3/4 inch subfloor over these, screwing it down all the way into the old floor.

The most work, but successful method would be to remove the old floor completely and sister the original floor joists. Using full size sister joists would not be necessary.  2X4s or 2X6's would be fine as long as a good bond was maintained to the existing 2X8's.  The custom wedge idea would work fine, but potentially difficult to rip long lengths for each joist and have them all consistent without a good ripping template, but could be done with a little forethought and clever rip guide.


Is triplex wire legal for running a sub-panel? When I bought the house it had a section of triplex wire that ran to a 50A breaker with the remainder coiled in rafter space of the covered porch. (When I discovered this, the triplex was hot.  That breaker is currently off and taped off.)  I would like to put a sub panel in the garage, which shares the covered porch.

Can I use the existing triplex for this?

Edit:  Present wire consists of 1 aluminum uninsulated, and 2 insulated wires.  The insulated ones are marked CANADA I Wire 4 Aluminum 6 and some illegible stuff in orange.  I need to uncoil it to find a better copy.

My suspicion is "no"

Thinking about this, it's definitely a 'no'  The whole point is to get 220 for a new table saw.  Which means 4 conductor wire, not 3.

Failing that, what is the best way to use the existing triplex wire to get acceptable code wire from the rafter space to the main panel without taking apart the wall?

Cut the triplex off short of it's entry point into the house wall.
Tape/solder conventional wire to the triplex.
Shut off the power, disconnect the triplex from the breaker, undo the strain relieve, and try to worry it all back into the main panel box..

OR

Do the same operation but do the feed from the main panel end.

OR

Use the triplex to get someing more flexible through the route (fish tape? Rope?) and attach the new wire to it?

Triplex is designed and approved to be suspended on free air across open space.  You need an altogether different type of wire.


How can I wire several switches which each control an overlapping subset of my lights? I want to wire a circuit that has 3 switches and 3 lights. S1 controls L1 and S2 and S3 control all three lights so basically when I turn on S1 it only turns on L1 and when I turn on either s2 or s3 all three lights turn on.
Here's a table of how I'd like this to work:
S1=ON  S2=Off S3=off == L1=on L2=off L2=off
S1=off S2=On  S3=off == L1=on L2=on  L3=on
S1=off S2=off S3=On  == L1=on L2=on  L3=on
S1=on S2=on S3=on == L1 =on L2= on L3=on
S1=on S2=on S3=off== L1 =on L2=on L3=on
S1=on S2=off S3=on== L1=on L2=on L3=on

Steam wiring is not for this
By "steam wiring" I mean all the doddy old-fashioned wiring we do with 1880-era SCADA tech (i.e. brains made of wire and nuts, snap switches, etc).
What you want is smart switches in a hub system.  So you have smart modules (or simply smart bulbs), and then smart switches in the locations of interest.
At that point you can simply define events in the system:
 S1 turnon: turn on L1
 S1 turnoff and S2=off and S3=off: turn off L1, L2, L3
 S2 turnon: turn on L1, L2, L3
 S2 turnoff and S1=off: turn off L1, L2, L3
 S2 turnoff and S1=on: turn off L2, L3

or whatever the heck you choose to define.


How do I attach storage shelving/rack to the floor? This is perfect for holding our computer servers. MUST be these measurements (60x24x84)

We need it to bolt/attach to the floor so it won't tip over no matter what.

What is a way to do that with this rack?
Is there a rack in these dimensions that has an easier way to attach itself to the floor? I know Gorilla racks have built in things for this purpose but I can't find one in that size.

I actually have a workbench from the same company and it came with feet that allow you to easily secure it to the floor with a couple screws/lags/etc.

I would inquire with their sales to see if these are available for the shelving unit you are looking at, or if not, a similar unit.


Two unequal breakers in a main panel I have a house with two separate main panels, one has two 70 amp breakers, so it is a 70 amp panel. the other has a 50 amp and a 25 amp breaker is it a 50 amp panel?

My best guess based on the pictures provided and info:

The first panel is probably a main breaker switch that can be used to turn off the entire panel with one switch (instead of turning them all of individually). The "second panel" is a 100 amp panel. The service amperage is listed on the sticker. The two switches connected with a removable rod are most likely an attempt to make two 70 amp switches into a double slot 100 amp switch, which of course is a code violation and is just negligent.

What exactly are you trying to do? Was your only question just what type of panels are these? If there is more to this question, can you post another picture capturing the conduits and wiring going into each panel, that would give me a better idea of exactly what is going on with this strange setup.


Are my intermittently-working holiday lights a fire hazard? I have an older (10+ years) pre-lit Christmas tree with incandescent lights. There's also an equally old lit topper that behaved in a similar way, so they may be related. The middle section of my tree had half the lights out when I plugged it in. I went through and checked all of the bulbs.

At first I tested each bulb in another strand, but I quickly grew tired of it. So then I just checked to see if the filament, or the backup wire below the filament were broken. I found one light I know to be dead and swapped it out, but the section was still out.

After 20 minutes or so with the tree on the section was magically lit up! Given the primitive nature of the lights I assume there is something to do with heat building up and causing contact to be made, similar to how twinkling lights are made. My concern is that if the circuit wasn't made then there's no way for it to heat/shift, so I feel like there's a short somewhere in there.

Is there a simple explanation for this behavior, and is it risky to use the lights as-is?

Fault-tolerant Christmas lights fail open first and then fail shorted. Replace any dark lamps, if a fuse lamp has failes the string will stay dark unti it is replaced. replace any bad fuse lamps with fuse lamps.

So long as there's a fuse lamp in each string you're protected against short circuits causing fire.


Where to connect c wire I’m installing a new WiFi thermostat that needs the c wire.  I ended up running new thermostat wires that contained the common wire but now I’m stuck on where to connect it to the furnace.

Can someone take a look at the wiring diagram to help me figure out if I have a place on my furnace to connect the c wire?

The AR861 doesn't provide that functionality, sorry!

Unfortunately, the AR861 does not provide a C wire from its internal transformer, so you'll have to use an external transformer on Rc and C with the supply from the AR861 connected to Rh on the thermostat.


Is this old doorbell 12V or 220V? Is this doorbell 220V or 12V ? Is it AC or DC ?

Any DIY replacement ideas ? I have spare electronics

It's low-voltage. The wires you can see would never be rated for mains voltage. I doubt that anyone, anywhere has ever made a doorbell that runs directly on mains voltage. It would be far too dangerous.

The bell itself doesn't care about AC vs DC, so probably AC for simplicity.

As far as replacement, either get another one just like it, or build a small circuit that rectifies/filters the AC and apply the resulting DC to any electronic beeper or sound generator you like.


Wiring for a generator Inlet and EV charger I recently purchased a generator that has both a 30A and 50A outlets.  In order to provide my home with more amperage I decided 50A would be the better choice to install the inlet.  I was lucky enough to have someone who had some 6/3 UF-B cable left over from a job and will use it for the cable run.  I installed a short conduit outside my home from the basement to the garage,  approx 7ft total.  I used a 1.5in 40 sched pvc to have extra room to possibly run another cable in the future for an EV charger (NEMA 14-50).  I know UF-B is tough to pull but since it's only 7ft with multiple access points, I was wondering if it could be possible to pull both cables..  if not then would it be feasible to place a junction box at the entry of the conduit, pulling 6AWG THWN OR THHN wiring through the conduit and then splicing them in the box?

UF-B in conduit is a nightmare.
You can't fit even one 6/3 UF-B into a 1-1/2" conduit.
One 6/3 UF cable requires 2" conduit.
Two 6/3 UF cables require 3-1/2" conduit!
Since 3-1/2" conduit is required, 1-1/2" conduit is right out :)
Your only option is to have a junction box at each end of the conduit run, and splice from UF to THHN wire for the run  inside the conduit.  Note that your junction box will require 65 cubic inches because you'll have 12 active conductors being spliced all in all, plus 4 grounds (which count as 1/4 wire, rounding up). Each #6 wire requires 5 cubic inches.   Eight THHN wires will fit very comfortably inside a 1-1/2" conduit.
Note with #6 THHN, neutral must be on a white or gray wire, and ground must be green or bare - no remarking wires with tape.


What diameter pipe should I run from a septic pump up hill (3 meter head ) to my septic tank? what diameter pipe should I run from a septic pump up hill (3 meter head ) to my septic tank please

The pump and pipe (force main, being on the far side of the pump) size should be specified by your septic system engineering documents. While I feel similar to the commentators about pumping sewage, sometimes it's the only way (house on a lake, for instance.)

I would strongly suggest both the "two pump and alarm" method (preferably with a pump controller that uses both pumps in an alternating fashion - having a "spare" sit there while the main pump works tends to lead to having two pumps that don't work when the main one breaks) and a mounting method that permits the pump to be pulled out for service (typically the pump is on rails, and the system automatically valves off the pipe when the pump is pulled out.) They are disgusting and expensive enough to repair without setting them up in a manner that requires a pump out and someone going into the hole to fix them.


Does this vent cap limit passive air flow? I am looking at various vent covers for my house.  I have a 3" Plumbing vent stack and a 4" Radon vent stack.  The radon system is passive, which means I do rely on a chimney effect along with the fact that a breeze creates a draft tunnel down to the basement.  I want to prevent the possibility of a squirrel or bird from a.) entering the vent pipes and b.) dying in the vent pipes after a quick trip to the bottom.

Doing a lot of reading it turns out this is a very technical topic!  So far I see things priced from $5 to $40!  Right now I am really leaning towards these simple little things because it prevents the issue at bay and appears that the slits would allow the continuation of passive venting.

PVC Vent Guard

I don't know enough to decide if these are the proper vent covers or not for my situation.  I think the 3" stack would be okay, but I am concerned about the 4" radon pipe.

Plumbing vents work on the principle of water moving and are sized accordingly. Reducing the "net" area may affect your plumbing's venting, thus the drainage.

We install radon remediation after tests are performed and they indicate it's necessary. Usually it's a passive system with the capability of adding an exhaust fan to "suck" more air through the system if future tests indicates the passive system is not working. Likewise, you could try the covers and re-test for effectiveness.

We worry about the "amount" of screen on outside grilles blocking air movement for heating systems. The amount of air reduction in your proposed "vent caps" seem excessive...especially if you're worried about keeping birds out of the pipe.


Best way to repair cracked attic post? There's a post (layman's term) in the middle of my attic that is cracking and bent. It wasn't like that the last time I checked maybe 2 months ago. This is in a 30 year-old house.
Now that I think of it... it may have showed minor signs of cracking 2 months ago but it wasn't noticeably bent. There was a little "feathering" of wood. Barely visible. Now it's looking much worse.
No, I don't see any sign of water damage and there haven't been any snows. Also no big storms lately. I live in Southern Florida.
My idea is to just put a steel plate with a bunch of nail holes in it to try and straighten things out. Or?

That vertical member is a truss chord not a post. It’s in compression (as @SteveSh) has identified.
It’s buckling due to an excessive vertical load (and probably because of a small defect in the wood).
This phenomenon is identified in Euler’s Formula. While I don’t understand the formula, the concept we know it by is the “slenderness ratio”. That is to say, a short board can support more load than a long board before it buckles, given the same size, material, etc. Likewise, the member will buckle in the narrow direction.
The center chords are the longest member in the trusses AND are in compression. This particular member has a small defect near the middle of the span (top to bottom). It also happens to be at the hip in the roof, so it’s probably carrying a slightly larger load than the adjacent trusses. (We often see defects in chords that cause them to fail.)
I’d repair the chord by sandwiching it between similar size members, much like what daneb described.


Do USB sockets draw power when not in use? I would like to replace a couple of electrical outlets in my house with ones that have USB sockets. My concern is that they will continually draw power, even when I don't have a phone plugged in to them

It is very unlikely that they won't.  Nearly all AC to DC converters, by design, draw a very small idle current when you aren't charging any devices.  Cheaper designs consume more while some good designs consume less, but unless there's a physical switch on the USB socket it will always consume some power while waiting for a device to be plugged in.

These are new sockets to the market, and unless you have a compelling reason to avoid a plug in USB charger I would recommend holding off anyway.  Not only do you have the continuous current draw (which, honestly, is going to be less then $5.00 per year even if the device is terribly inefficient) but there's the likelihood of the socket failing, and it's not nearly as easily or cheaply replaced as a plug in charger.  Further it may not charge all devices at their full current.  While the USB association has suggested designs for high power charging (above 500mA), many manufacturers (notably, Apple) still use their own scheme for detecting 1A and 2A charging currents.

Most phones and PDAs will only charge at 1A or greater when connected to their own charger, and at the slower 500mA rate when they can't detect their own charger.

There are probably some applications and situations where it might be useful, for those prone to losing their chargers, for instance, but there are many reasons to reconsider using them.


Need advice about rewiring detached garage I have an old house (1955) with two overhead wires going from the house to the detached garage (15') where they connect to an old fuse box (picture)

My first question: how does this work? Two wires at the top come from the house, hot and neutral, I presume. Two wires at the bottom power several lights and an outlet in the garage. No ground wire. Those are 30amp fuses. Why do the hot and neutral wires each appear to have a fuse? That's not how breakers work, is it?

My second question: how can I replace this with something safer with breakers rather than fuses? Thanks!

That thing is more of a shutoff switch -- the fuses just happen to be "a thing" they often put in shutoff switches.  A shutoff switch is required in an outbuilding, and so for that reason, I would retain the switch even if you changed the wire.  It looks like a fine switch to me.

GFCI and done

This uses GFCI to provide electrical safety on the existing setup.

The simplest way to provision the power you want is to install a junction box, wire the cable out of the shutoff switch so its first stop is this junction box (which may already exist) -- and install a $20 GFCI+receptacle combo device. Voila.

GFCIs only protect stuff downstream of them, so it's best to put the GFCI protection in the house, either as a breaker in the main panel, or a GFCI device (+receptacle or deadface) enroute.

Subpanel

With this option, you must trench a separate ground wire back to the house.

You cannot drive a ground rod and call it done, for reasons often discussed here. Given that 90% of the cost is in the trenching, you almost might as well just run new and proper /3+ground cable of the ampacity you desire.

A subpanel is almost a lost cause because with only 20A (12AWG) or 30A (10AWG) capacity at 120V, you won't be able to support more than 2 circuits and no more than 2400/3600W.   You cannot support 120V and 240V loads using this method.

I would retain the shutoff switch because there's nothing wrong with it.  But if you use a "main breaker" type subpanel, that "main breaker" satisfies the code requirement for a shutoff switch.

Keep in mind when you run a common subpanel off 120V only, every other row in the subpanel is dead, so you'll use the spaces at twice the expected rate.  Yet another reason to get an ample sized subpanel.

DO NOT consider installing a generator interlock panel on the hopes of backfeeding the house using this cable.  Ask us how to do that if you want it.   You'll still have to trench something though.

New main cable

In this case you trench and run a 12/3 or larger + ground cable.  Rearrange the shutoff switch so the switch interrupts the two hot wires, and the neutral bypasses it.   From there you either

run it as a multi-wire branch circuit, splitting each hot into two circuits along with the shared neutral and ground, breakering it for 20A.
run it into a subpanel as above, but using both hot wires and separating ground from neutral.  You still need a local grounding rod.

Transformer; new main service.

No ground wire retrofit needed, but it requires a transformer.  It will allow you to exceed 3600W in the garage.

In this scenario, you come directly out of the legacy shutoff switch straight into a transformer's 240V primary.   The transformer 120V/240V secondary goes to a new sub^H^H^H main panel. Since it is a main panel off a transformer-isolated service, it must have a local grounding rod and must bond neutral to it.  Running a ground back to the main building would be unhelpful.

Back in the house, you punch these two wires down to a 240V breaker of correct size to protect both the wire and the transformer.


UK to East European shower pipe converter I bought an UK shower while doing my refurbishment of the flat in Latvia. Unfortunately, only after the tiles and pipes were installed the plumber told us that the UK shower "doesn't fit".

This is quite annoying as you can imagine. Does anyone know if it's possible to get some kind of converter that would fix this? I would prefer to keep the existing shower if possible. I am looking for something that will connect to the existing pipe and make the connector to shower of the correct diameter. Is it possible at all and how difficult is to do such a thing? Would it leave us with ugly 5cm converter sticking out from the wall?

Here is the current temporary shower:

The new shower:

And its inside (note the ring inside):

Edit:

The shower product description is available here: http://www.victoriaplumb.com/Showers/Thermostatic-Shower-Valve-Sets/Traditional-Rain-Can-Riser-System_854.html
The distance between the pipes seems to be correct but the existing pipes are too thick for our shower.

What would be the most reasonable solution in this case? Is making a converter possible in a way that would not be visible? Or perhaps we should simply return the entire shower and buy a new one?

It's very difficult to tell what your existing pipe is like, as there's a shower attached to it. However, I think your problem is that the existing pipe diameter is larger than the UK shower connection? In which case you need a reducing coupler.

Here's an example. But a) your existing pipe may be 1" rather than 22mm; and b) the fitting at the larger diameter end may not be suitable. However, if it were that simple, then your plumber should have been able to do it. So I suspect problem a). I'm sure somewhere must sell imperial to metric reducing couplers, but I haven't looked.

With regards to having an ugly converter sticking out the wall - your other option is to have the converter behind the tiles. This requires either 1) breaking out the tiles, then retiling a small area afterwards; or 2) coming at the wall from the other side (in which case you'd then need to replaster the other side of that wall). I personally did 2 when installing a new shower, as the tiles were installed by the previous owner, so I didn't have any spares, but it had been done recently so I didn't want to retile the whole bathroom. Option 1 shouldn't be too difficult, as you say you have retiled, so you should have access to identical replacement tiles.


Mold and pop-up drains Earlier today I realized that I had a major leak underneath my bathroom sink. It soon became clear that I would have to replace the entire pop-up drain assembly. After all the hardware was removed, I noticed that the area underneath the lip, where the emergency drain empties out was covered in mold.

Does this mean my drain has been malfunctioning for some time?

How can I prevent this from growing back.

Would it also be safe to assume that my emergency outflow channel is super moldy as well?

Does this mean my drain has been malfunctioning for some time?
No, a malfunctioning drain does not cause mold by itself.

How can I prevent this from growing back?
If it is so important to you, you can disassemble the drain parts twice a month and clean them with bleach, but that stuff you think is mold is actually a mix of soap scum, toothpaste, lotions, decomposed organic matter, bacteria, etc. and is in every sink drain in the world.

Would it also be safe to assume that my emergency outflow channel is super moldy as well?
Very likely.


Fixing a creaking NEW chipboard floor I have a newly created floor (for a loft conversion) that is chipboard over wooden joists with noggins.   At present there is no ceiling below it.

Some of the joists have been doubled up due to the span and don’t fit that well together as the timber was not perfectly true.   I can also see some gaps between noggins and the joists, once again due to the joists timber not always being true.

There are lots of creaks as the floor is walk on.

However the chipboard is screwed down to all the joists and glued in the tongue and grooves.

Is there something I can easily fill the gaps between the joists and noggins with from below (e.g. some sort of thick flexible glue) that will solve the problem long term?

Will putting screws (as well as the current nail gun nails) in all the noggins helps?

How do I stop the problem coming back after the ceiling has been put up?

I'm not sure what's available in your area, but heavy duty construction adhesive is ideal for this. I've resolved many annoying squeaks and pops by running beads along all accessible joints, then fingering it out to spread it and press it into the gaps. (Use disposable gloves or a tool to prevent a lasting bond to skin.) Over a few days it hardens nicely and bonds extremely well.

In addition, add construction screws where you can to tighten joints and prevent slippage of existing fasteners.


Trying to plan a pressure-tank + air compressor for raising home water pressure In my place, the city water system provides the water at pressure of between 2BAR - 4BAR. We live on the 3rd floor, with water boiler on the roof (5th floor) so the hot water are going up to the roof and coming back down, many times without a good pressure for a good shower..
The obvious idea is to add an electric water pump on the line to add pressure whenever someone is opening the tap. For some reasons, I want more sophisticated idea, that I think will be more reliable and helpful.
My idea was to add a pressure tank (like expansion vessel) with a bladder or diaphragm on the line (before the water boiler tank). To its "air side" (bladder or diaphragm) to connect air compressor with a dynamic proportional pressure regulator.
At some times on a day - the pressure regulator will let the air pressure in the bladder/diaphragm will let the air pressure drop down to 2BAR, so the water will come in from the city system (using the 'native' pressure, without a pump help). Other times, the air pressure will be raised to about 6BAR, pressing the water towards the home, and if the tank has - let's say - about 200 litre, it will have very long time until the next need to re-fill it.
I thought about 200-300 litre pressure tank (will be held at about 6BAR), with air compressor with 50-100 litre air tank (at about 8-10 BAR).
AFAIK - Such a bladder water tank of 200 litre will cost here about 250$, and air compressor will cost about 150$-200$. I'll also need the proportional pressure regulator and the plumbing, but generally that's it.
Am I right?
Any insights would be welcomed.

Offer, I do not know of a regulator that will do what you want but it could be done with solenoid valves.
You discuss a 200L pressure tank this is 52.8 gallons
Even with low flow shower heads that’s not much shower time. my wife 3 daughters, 6 granddaughters would think that is just about right for 1 shower.
(A 2.5 gallon shower head for ~20 minutes).
You state that electricity is not reliable, but air compressors also use electricity and as someone that has cheap small volume air compressors to high volume compressors these are energy hogs they are not an efficient way to boost your pressure.
A pressure tank is usually used to provide a buffer to the system and reduce the start cycles on the pump.
It is obvious you do not want to hear this advice and I will accept the down votes but air over water in a dynamic system will be more costly and more prone to failure.
Just as an example I can give dozens of water pump designs used in hundreds of millions of homes but not one example like yours.
Could your idea work, sure it could, but it would require an air compressor and solenoid valves to control the tank pressure for a very limited amount of water between recharge cycles.
A small pump 1/2 horse power possibly smaller could provide the flow & pressure from a holding tank. This is what people in the US do when they have low flow water wells, they pump into a open cistern or tank not pressurized, a pump at the tank pressurizes the system usually comprised of a small pressure tank to reduce the start cycles. A large plastic tank to hold water is not very expensive.
I live in a zone that has abundant ground water. There are some areas that the water is deep or they don’t have a good flow so a holding tank or cistern is used not air over water.
It is a good question and I up vote it for that but I do not think it is economically viable.


Issues with removing a cartridge from a faucet I have a leaky faucet problem and I am trying to replace the cartridge from the hot side that is causing it, but when I unscrewed the handle, I find that the cartridge is firmly put into it and I've tried using a wrench to unscrew it, but it's not working.
I am not sure where to go from here and what to do to. It doesn't appear to me that there is any nut in there that I could remove.
Any help would be appreciated it.
Thank you so much.
Here is a picture:

https://imgur.com/a/nMp6tfu

That chrome piece with the hex shape on top is definitely a retainer cap which needs to be unscrewed to access the valve/cartridge unit under it. You will need a bigger/better wrench perhaps. I always start by soaking stuck parts with penetrating lube/oil for a while (I use Liquid Wrench but there are a bunch of products out there.
There are specialized plumbing sockets that might allow you to get more leverage on that thin hexed part, like this:


power to the receptacles but nothing is working.? there was working power in the whole apartment. after turning off the ceiling fan and returning the next day. power to the bathroom has gone out. i am replacing all the outlets and switches and light fixtures, and since they all werent working in the bathroom i figured there was no power. wrong. there is power in the lines but nothing in bathroom is working. the gfi is not working, the lights, the swiches, and the fan all were out. also in the kitchen i replaced the overhead light/fan above stove, the brand new one wont turn on, but theres power to black and white wires and ground is secure. whats happening? the light swich in the kitchen that is giving power to the bathroom is working and the rest of the house is fine. why would there be power in all the lines but nothing you wire into it will work??? i followed the power using my beep beep tester through the wall to the plug in the kitchen that controlls the kitchen lights. i removed the face plate to the double swich on the wall and found 4 wires comming into the box. all the white wires from all 4 are caped off togeather. all the black wires are caped togeather with the exception of 2 black going into the switches and one 4" piece of 14gaudge white coated wire going from the switches to the bundle of blacks all caped togeather. these switches are providing power to the bathroom and overhead fan by flowthrough.  so the power is making it from the box to the switches to the bathroom.  only somwhere from the switches to the bathroom the electricity stops working, but still reads... the new GFI and the new overhead stove fan will not work even though the power is making it to them and it is wired properly.

the Old GFI i tested before i tried replacing it, i used a plug in tester and it said the ground and hot were swiched... wierd because when i removed it from the box, it appeared to be wired properly and grounded. so i hooked up a brand new GFI.   now the plug in tester doesnot read at all, but the little square light is orange. so theres power in it but its not reading...

i do not understand what is going on or why all the white wires in the lightswitch boxes are caped togeather and going nowhere...

light switch box in kitchen have 4 going in,   light switch box in bathroom have 5 wires going in. all white wires are capped togeather.

The problem you are describing is known as an open-neutral.  Essentially, all of the black wires are connected properly, but one of the white wires is not.

You will likely have to go back through all of the light/plug/switch boxes that are on that circuit until you find a loose white wire.  You may have to double check that the connections are secure by removing the wire nut.

Be sure to turn off the circuit breaker before opening any neutral connections, opening these connections with the power on can be very dangerous!


Has anyone heard of kickproof.com? I am wanting to reinforce our front and back door. I have researched the net and found kickproof.com, they manufacture the rebar door reinforcers that are kick in proof. Has anyone ever heard this company or had experience with their products?

They sell an expensive version of a common product sold under a dozen different names, many of which can be found substantially cheaper at big box home improvement stores or even online.


Motion sensor ground connection won’t work? Bought a Leviton IPS02 motion sensor light control. When I wire it as per photo, which is as per instructions, it turns on once when I turn breaker on. Then turns off after timer runs out, the. Doesn’t turn on again. LED flashes when on for first use but does not flash ever again. I’ve exchanged for a new one. Exact same thing happened. I live in a brand new building so assume the ground is working.
There are 3 lots of cables in the box which isn’t on many of the tutorials etc I have watched or read. Maybe I’m doing something wrong?
[![enter image description here][1]][1]
[1]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/ewAJP.jpg![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8NgsI.jpg)

I see your problem.
Those aren’t “spares”
This happens all the time as people gain experience.  They come upon a box with more wires than they need, as you have here.  Mentally, they perceive the wires as “The wire I need, plus a bunch of spares”.
What they do not realize is electricians are cheap, and don’t install spare wires.  Every wire has a job to do, it’s just a job unrelated to the novice’s project.    Usually we see this as someone splitting up a neutral group to grab 1 neutral for a smart switch - which breaks neutral for everything. In this case, you did the same thing, but with ground.
Usually novices do this because the instructions require attaching a neutral wire, and they haven’t accumulated the array of “kit” that an experienced person has - scraps of NM cable for pigtails, variety of wire nuts, etc.
In your case, ditto but ground wire.  The grounds you separated need to go back the way you found them. Then, you will need to pigtail off them.
To fix it
Anyway, you are at the horns of a decision to stay with this neutral-less device (that needs ground) or sidestep into a neutral-required device, since you do in fact have neutral here.  Either way:

The switched-hot wire (typ. Red on device, back on cable) going to the lamp will attach to the 1 wire it’s already attached to.
The always-hot wire (typ. Black) will pigtail into a group of black wires, as it probably already does.
The neutral if present will also pigtail, being added to the existing group of neutral wires, so all currently-connected wires are still connected.
The ground if needed will also pigtail, becoming another ground wire, with ALL ground wires connected to each other.

If you connect all the grounds together with your new ground, then your grounding will be restored, and your device will work as intended.
“All grounds always connect to all other grounds” is a rule.  The same is not true for neutral.  Sometimes you find boxes with 2 separate circuits in them.  Neutral cannot cross between different circuits (grounds can).
Bare AND green wire
Now, a few smart switches have both a green and a bare wire.  Read the instructions closely and follow them.  In these cases, typically the bare wire is true ground.   The green wire is a “neutral if possible, otherwise ground”.  These units are designed in a way satisfactory to UL to safely “bootleg neutral” off ground if neutral is not available.  Make sure such a setup is approved by an NRTL; this is the last place you want cheap Cheese junk.


How to plasterboard half hollow wall with gas pipe running up it I recently had a breast wall plasterboarded and skimmed, however the right side cheek of the wall wasn't done because of what was behind it. That wall has concrete on the left, hollow in the middle and on the right there is a big gas pipe running from bottom to top!

This will be easier to understand with pictures:

I'm not really sure the best way to approach it, the plasterer who did the rest of the wall suggested some wooden battens running horizontally across the wall with the plasterboard stuck to them, the problem then will be there will be a gap between the external corner of the wall and the new plasterboard.

The final complication is that there is a valve sticking out the case pipe towards the bottom, so I would probably need to box this out of the plasterboard.

Anybody got any suggestions? Ideally looking for the simplest solution but i know in this case there probably isn't one!

Thanks in advance.

I must be missing something but why didn't the plasterers extend that wall 3 or 4 inches and then add the battens running horizontally across the wall? Then the valve would be recessed and you could build a small framed access panel.


What's the best way to insulate an outdoor sauna? I am designing a 4'x4' sauna. Most information online is for indoor saunas. From what I've gleaned, the layers should be (for example):

Outside ––> cedar exterior ––> tyvex ––> strand board --> 2x4 frame with insulation (what grade?) ––> vapor barrier ––> cedar interior

Is this sufficient? Is it overkill?

It's an outdoor sauna and so should be able to retain heat year round. Are there any special considerations to be taken given that 1) it will be used outside and 2) it will be a near infrared sauna heated by red heat lamps (so much less moisture than a traditional steam sauna, dry rather than wet heat).

I need the sauna as part of a health regime to manage a severe mold sensitivity, and so as you can imagine, insuring there is no mold growth is quite important!

A vapor barrier is essential. Without it, moisture will pass into the insulation and condense there when in reaches the dew-point temperature. At the very least, this will degrade the R-value of the insulation. Far more likely, it will create a lovely environment for mold and insects.


1902 house. Really cold winters. Insulation question Ive got a 1902 house in montreal where it gets down to -30C during winter. Usually its about -15C. Its also very humid here. I just bought this place and noticed there is no insulation in the walls which is no surprise. The walls are shiplap cedar. It all looks to be in pretty good shape. The exterior is very old stucco. Might as well be concrete because its so hard. Its never coming off. On top of that is vinyl siding. I wanted to insulate from the outside since the wall cavity is tiny and some places non existant. I was thinking removing the vinyl, then 2inches or maybe more of rock wool then putting up some real cedar siding. I dont think theres an air gap between the wood walls and the stucco siding so that cant be left exposed. I think ill just leave the walls alone from the inside. Anybody know of a problem with this idea?

The only issue I can see is that the rock wool is not sturdy which wouldn't give you anything to anchor your new siding too without building some sort of frame to fasten your siding to.

Now, what we (my parents and I) did on a 1903 farmhouse in Saskatchewan was to use that "rigid insulation" and fastened it to the stucco (concrete if you will). We then covered it vinyl siding, but I don't see any issue with going with cedar siding. This has held up just fine for about 8 years now.


How do I install an air conditioner in a larger window? I have a brand new AC in the box which was meant for another room, but recently had a baby and her room is too hot.

I want to use the AC I already purchased, but the max window width is 36" and the window in her room is 48"

Is it possible\safe to use plywood or some other material to act as the AC curtain to make up for the remaining 12" of space?  Cant seem to find anything on the web. (perhaps I am searching for the wrong keywords)

You could use exterior grade plywood, but you should still seal it on both sides with paint or clear coating suitible for exterior use.  It still may be somewhat unsightly on the inside.

As an alternative, I have regularly used plexiglas type plastic to fill in the spaces along the sides of air conditioners.  This avoids weatherproofing and appearance issues. It also give you a bit of a view to the side of the air conditioner (this was critical in my New York apartment where the peek-a-boo river view was in the only window that could take the air conditioner).

The easiest way to use this system is to remove the expandable plastic filler frame altogether.  The accordian plastic is prone to leaking air anyway. While the filler sides do not provide much support, they do provide a bit, so it is essential to make sure the air conditioner is well attached behind the upper sash, prefereably with screws, and that the upper sash is blocked from opening with a bracket of some sort.

Cut the plexi to fit. You do need to seal the plexi on all four sides.  One way to to this is to create a molding one side of which will press against the face of the plexi (on the inside surface) and the other side against the side of the window frame, the sill and the upper sash and against the air conditioner itself.  Silicone sealant or similar latex glues can be used to glue the plexi and the molding.  These can generally be removed fairly easily with a razor blade if needed.


What is the max distance between top of gutter and the roof tiles? I am about to replace my gutters, one guide I have read say the gutter should never be more then 30mm below the bottom of the roof tiles, another says 50mm.

What is the reason for this?

What is a safe distance?

(I want to get a good fall on the gutters and I expect that the bottom of my tiles are not level…   I am planning to fit felt support tray at a later date)

3-5 centimeters is in the 2-3 inch range.

Any more and you run the risk of water running off the tile and overshooting the gutter.

The gap can vary some because the gutters must slope towards the downspout.

Edit post comments: When you install your new gutters, put the point furthest from the downspout at the highest possible point against the bottom of the roof, and then slope gradually down to your downspout.  You're never going to hit the "maximum" that way.