What should I do if I get my adapter prong stuck in the outlet? So the metal thing that you plug into the outlet broke and got stuck inside the outlet and I don’t know if this dangerous, what should I do? I live in an apartment building so I don’t have one of those circuit breakers to shut off the outlets to take out the prong.

My recommendation is to talk to the apartment complex supervisor and get them to send out the complex maintenance person or applicable contractor to correct this problem.

It the broken off prong is sticking out of the outlet and it is on the mains hot wire side it can be a dangerous thing if someone were to touch it. Make sure to warn others about the potential danger until this is serviced / replaced. If there are small children in the unit make sure that they have no access to that area as well.

Outlets are a relatively low cost item and in all likelihood the service person will replace the outlet with a new one.


What can be done to mitigate risk to property from large trees other than removal? There are 3 oak trees that need to be removed as they pose risks
to personal safety and property during windstorm. The last windstorm (dec. 2019, AK) produced 120 m/h gusts. The quote is $6k due to complexity  plus a crane will need to be utilized to accomplish the task.
Is there anything else could be done?

Your question is a bit broad since you've provided very little detail about the situation, but hiring an arborist to guide structural pruning would almost entirely eliminate risk of blowdown.

We have large white oaks in our neighborhood, and they're rarely blown completely down, but they do tend to lose large, long, high branches in severe storms. Shortening or removing those would substantially reduce risk. Obviously there's still cost involved, but perhaps quite a bit less, and you get to keep some beautiful trees.


Temporary Coverage for Sand Driveway I have seen this done but never knew HOW it was done and remained in place. I am planning to gravel my sand driveway within the next month or so but in the meantime, I'm thinking about buying a heavy duty tarp to cover the sand (it's driving me crazy!) I was told to get cinder blocks to hold it in place but was wondering if there was a less conspicuous way to keep the tarp from blowing around (a huge blue or green tarp in the front yard is already ugly enough!). Also, recommendations on the type/brand of tarp would be helpful, as well!
Thank you in advance for your help!!

6'' 11 Gauge HEAVY-DUTY U-Shaped Garden Staples


Why is my Hoover Pet Cyclonic belt not spinning the brush anymore? Does anybody have any experience with this particular vacuum or series and can offer me any more explicit things to check than just "is the belt on the brush cylinder" and the like.

I'm under the impression my father in law was "helping" me with this particular vacuum and I wasn't there when he did so.

It has a floor height setting, and a setting for brush control, but that's not changing it's indicator and changing the floor height doesn't make any difference (neither does lifting the vacuum off the floor.

Model# UH70085

I have tried what I know to be the basics, but feel free to go along behind me and suggest the dumb stuff, I'll respond as I am able.

I worked on vacuums for years, though I am not familiar with this particular model. Still, there are only a few things that can cause a roller not to spin:

roller bearings
belt
motor

The plate above the roller, or the housing above the roller must be able to be removed to get access to the belt/roller. You'll have to figure out which. There are usually plastic clips/tabs that are indicated (usually with an arrow or something). It may have a couple of screws. They should be very visible.

Once you have access to the roller, pull it out of the housing. You may have to flex the housing to achieve this. That is ok and expected. Flexing over about 1/8" is a problem, so don't go too far. Most of the time the roller should just slide out. It probably has a lot of gunk/dust/hair around it, so you may have to finagle it out.

The belt is usually a flat belt (though sometimes they are round). It runs from the roller to a metal post sticking out of the motor. If it is a flat belt, it will attach to the roller and motor on one side. If it is a round belt it will likely attach in the middle.

At this point the roller should be out of the housing. See if the roller spins easily by holding the end caps. If it does not, the bearings are bad. Sometimes the ends will screw off and you can see if hair has wrapped around the bearing. If so, you may be able to remove the hair and it will function again. If not, you need a new roller.

If the roller works, make sure the motor pulley spins. Locate the motor pulley/post. Spin by hand or run the vacuum and carefully determine that the motor pulley is spinning. If you can hear the motor, the pulley is almost definitely spinning, but not in all cases.

If the motor spins and the roller bearings are good, all you need is a belt. Make sure you have the right belt. They will sometimes be surprisingly small. Loop the belt around the motor pulley first and then the roller, while the roller is out of the housing. Plant the non-belt end of the roller into the housing and, while holding that end in the housing with one hand, leverage the other end into the housing while stretching the belt. This can be anywhere from moderately to very difficult. Lastly, spin the roller by hand making sure the belt is not caught in the housing somewhere. This almost always happens. If you spin by hand it will naturally center out on the pulley. If you don't do this and put the vacuum back together and start the motor, it will burn through the belt very fast.

Lastly, it sounds like you may be having some problems with the height adjustment not working correctly. I can't really tell by reading your post. If so, your father-in-law may have gotten a little overzealous with the screwdriver and taken apart part of the height adjustment linkage. Vacuums rarely need a lot taken apart to change a belt. If he went too far and you can't figure out how to get it back together, you may need to take it to a repair shop.


What should I do if the plastic waterline connection on my dishwasher is stripped? I'm a first-time homeowner and just bought a new dishwasher. I've repaired my car in the past using manuals just fine so thought I'd give home device installation a try.

Things were going great until I tried to connect the waterline to the dishwasher. The waterline connection on the dishwasher has plastic threads, and it did not like the metal waterline very much. It got stripped pretty badly when I tried to screw them together, and I no longer can get the damn thing on straight. It's a lost cause.

I'm worried I damaged that part to the dishwasher and more or less defected the whole dishwasher. But maybe I can cut off the stripped screw lines on the plastic end and use some of the fresh threads above it? What exactly am I supposed to do? Should I just let a plumber fix this?

The connection that got stripped is the blue thing below, and the waterline is dripping into a bowl (not sure if that is a good thing, might need to replace stop valve)

The blue plastic piece itself can't be replaced. The whole inlet valve needs to be replaced. Pretty sure it's this part which costs about $50. Not very familiar with taking apart dishwashers down that far but the appliances I have taken apart have been surprisingly easy. I've always found videos online that helped. This video looks like your dishwasher. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNMd_lDdG_w looks very easy... but then again so does screwing in a supply hose. :)

Considering it's a new appliance and your inexperience with repairing dishwashers you may want to call Whirlpool. It may even be covered under warranty.

Very surprised to see that it's made of plastic.


How would I seal the raw edges of particle board cabinets for protection against getting wet? We are using IKEA cabinets for our kitchen. I've read that water is the enemy of particle board and will cause it to swell.

So I want to know if there is a preventative measure that I can take to seal the raw edges of the cabinets around the sink (basically the top edge of the base sink cabinet.)

I've never done this, but certainly I can think of occasions where I have seen this kind of water damage on particle board furniture in kitchens.

I would consider waterproofing it by using a glue that will form a plastic-like layer to cover the exposed edges. PVA will work and is cheap and easy to apply, but isn't very hard wearing. An epoxy resin is a tougher alternative.

A quick Google to back up my intuition gives me:

http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/pvaadhesive.htm

Which states:

"Timber can be sealed with PVA to give it a waterproof quality, although if the surface of the timber is to be subject to any wear or traffic, then PVA, as it is an emulsion, will eventually fail."


Air compressor makes LEDs flicker About 2 years ago I converted an automotive shop from florescent to LED T8(120 volt). They worked great until we changed the compressor today to a new more efficient and more powerful one (both 240 volt. the old was 20 amp, new 32 amp). 200 amp service.

The lights flicker like crazy while the compressor is running. An unacceptable amount. This is probably from the large inductive startup load? I have checked many things. Loose connections, voltage drop. everything seems to be wired correctly. I have even discussed with knowledgeable electricians.

It seems this is a not so common problem surfacing with the new LED technology. The solutions I have come up with are, 1. have power company supply dedicated service just for compressor. 2. change the size of pulley to reduce the demand of the motor(may or may not fix the problem).

Can anyone provide any input?
Thanks
Kenny

I believe I may be experiencing the inverse of your situation

My ceiling fan power is separate from the LED lights in the fan. If the fan isn't powered up to 100%, the lights flicker like crazy. Once it's turned up all the way... they're fine.

... so my theory is... you don't have enough juice any more. Assuming these are bulbs, if you unscrew a few, and run the compressor, do the remaining still flicker?

I think the dedicated service for the compressor is a good train of thought. I only question sustainability over the long term and future growth. You may want to look into your current wiring set up for a possible more permanent fix.


How can I Fix a broken plastic screw hole One side of a plastic screw hole completely broke so the screw cannot screw on, is a way I can repair it?
I cannot add another hole because it’s on a electronic keyboard

If you can get to the screw hole, mix some quick setting epoxy and form it into a side. You'll have to keep forming it until it hardens. Maybe wrap some tape around the side that's not broken and make a "form" to put the epoxy in. Once it's cured, drill a hole for the screw


Can I convert ceiling mounted octagon box to electrical receptacle? I've installed a number of strip lights in my garage to replace the single incandescent fixture on the ceiling.  They all use a 3-prong plug, not hardwired.  I want to replace the incandescent fixture with a junction box containing an duplex receptacle, then branch out to other receptacle boxes to serve each light.

The strip lights, receptacles, and wiring are all done, but I ran into a mounting issue with the main junction box.  Is it possible (or correct) to overlay an extension to the octagon box?  The octagon box is recessed deep, about 1" below the drywall.  I need the box to protrude to allow the side knockouts to supply wire to the neighboring receptacles.  Home stores don't seem to have any adapter between the two types.  An octagon extension with a cover would fit, but I'd need to stack two of them to get the knockouts to clear the drywall and that doesn't seem correct.

Or, should I rip out the octagon box and install an "old work" junction box?

You might be able to get away with mounting an extension to the existing box, then using a box cover with conduit knockout and a cable clamp you could run your cable out the front of the box instead of through the side knockouts.


How can I pick a smoke detector that only detects smoke and not heat? Currently, my home's smoke detector is situated right outside our bathroom in the hall. Whenever someone takes a hot shower (usually me), the steam escaping the bathroom trips the detector, presumably because of heat.
I would like to replace this detector, but I want to be sure that what I replace it with is only detecting the presence of smoke. Not heat.
I was looking at this model at Lowes yesterday, but wasn't clear if it was focused upon just smoke or if it would also trip due to smoke. The manufacturer's text includes, "Photoelectric sensor detects smoke while minimizing false alarms."
Does this mean that the detector will only focus upon smoke or will it also trigger due to heat?

TL;DR Your older detector, statistically speaking, is likely ionization, so your newer detector, which is photoelectric (both because you said so and due to current market conditions as explained below) may do better because it is different or simply because it is newer. But either way, the problem is likely steam and not heat because standard $ 10 - $ 50 residential smoke detectors do not detect heat.

Most residential smoke detectors do not detect heat. That is one advantage of sprinklers (aside from the fact that sprinklers actively protect people & property, rather than just notifying you of a problem) - sprinklers have a fusible link that melts and lets the water through - no electronics involved. Sprinklers are required in many locations for new construction of all homes and/or for renovation of multi-family homes. But that is a separate topic. Back to smoke detectors. There are two basic types:

Ionization

Photoelectric

You can find a reasonably good explanation of the differences on Wikipedia.
But the short answer is that both types detect smoke, not heat, but they do it using different technology. Each one is better/faster at detecting different types of fires.
I just replaced one of my smoke detectors and the replacement is a photoelectric model. I found that unusual because for many years, ionization models have been the norm. In fact, my understanding is that the "10 year smoke detector rule" - instead of replaceable batteries, all residential battery powered smoke detectors now have a built-in maximum lifetime of 10 years - is based on two factors:

Practical - A lot of people take out the battery when the low battery chirps in the middle of the night and forget about replacing the battery until it is too late.

Technical - Ionization detectors are based on a teeny bit of radioactive material which, due to the laws of physics gradually becomes less effective. It doesn't matter whether there are any fires, ambient temperature & humidity (which affect electronics in general), or whether the unit has ever been turned on.

I am not sure how much of the current debate over ionization detectors is based on "Oh no, you want me to put a radioactive device in my house! The horror! We'll all become zombies/Godzilla! We're doomed!" - to which I can say "Let's ban bananas next!" and refer you to the obligatory XKCD (thank you @spikey_richie), vs. an actual scientific analysis of which detectors work best overall when it comes to saving lives and property. But the end result is that several US states have banned or restricted ionization detectors (or alternatively, required photoelectric detectors) and major manufacturers and retailers far prefer to manufacture and sell a single product line across the entire country, so ionization detectors are rapidly disappearing from store shelves.


What can I do about this outlet nut? There's a nut that holds the electrical box in at the bottom right. When I screw in the outlet, that nut blocks it from going all the way in. It's also making it difficult to put a cover on.

What could I do with the nut to solve this? I'm thinking I could relocate it but I'm not sure where I could relocate it to.

The lower right hand "ear" on the receptacle can be broken off. It is scored for just that purpose. You bend it back and forth with pliers and it breaks off. The screw will then not prevent the receptacle from fitting flush. If the screw nevertheless interferes with the cover plate fitting flush, you could replace the screw with one which has a lower head.

In fact all 4 of the ears could be removed and the receptacle screwed hard to the metal box. Some sources say that the purpose of those ears is to provide spacer washers in case the box is too far into the wall. So if you want try one or two of them between each mounting tab and the metal box, you could. But this box would appear to be in the plane of the wall and you would save them for later use.

http://www.diychatroom.com/f18/receptacles-mounting-ears-what-purpose-4959/


New Electric Stove, Old Wiring I have 3 wire service that was directly wired to my old stove.  The new stove came with a 4 pin plug.  Can I use this plug or will I need to replace it with a 3 pin to match the 3 wire service? Or should I wire the service directly to the new stove?

That old 3-prong receptacle is dangerous.  Upgrade to a 4-prong receptacle, by adding a ground wire.

That dangerous socket

The old 3-prong NEMA 10 receptacle doesn't have a ground wire.  It bootlegs ground using the neutral pin - which is a terrible idea because any problem with the neutral wire will energize the chassis of your range.  Appliance makers lobbied NFPA to allow this for "grandfathered" work, on the rationalization that these plugs are rarely disturbed.

The new 4-prong NEMA 14 receptacle includes a proper ground wire.  If neutral fails, the oven light simply goes out.  If neutral and ground fail, the chassis still will not be energized.  Much safer.

Retrofit a ground

The NEC rules allow you to retrofit a ground wire separately, any way you can.  It does not need to follow the same route as the power cables.  It does need to go back to the the same breaker box, however.

You don't need to go all the way to the breaker box if you can reach another circuit which has a ground wire that's thick enough (and is also served out of that same box). Your minimum ground wire size is 10 AWG, and a water heater, dryer or built-in A/C will have that if it has a ground.  Metal conduit is also a valid grounding path (make sure it isn't corroded, damaged or loosened).  If the wiring is already in metal conduit, you're done :)

The cheapest way to buy 10 AWG ground wire is to actually buy 8 AWG bare copper wire, readily available at most hardware stores.

After that, you buy a matching NEMA 14 receptacle (probably 14-50) and connect

The two hots to the two hots obviously.
The grandfathered neutral to neutral (it may be bare; if so, wrap it with electrical tape so it doesn't contact the ground wire; bonus points for style if you use white electrical tape).
The proper ground wire to the ground terminal.  You don't want it touching neutral because that would defeat the safety benefit.

Check the range to make sure it's jumpered correctly for 4-wire and not 3-wire, plug it in, turn the breaker back on and enjoy!

(by the way, once you have retrofit the ground wire, you can also use that to ground other ungrounded circuits served out of that same panel.)


Wood floor protection during demolition of roof I need ideas how to  best protect wood floors while roof is coming down during remodel. Roof is made of heavy materials (concrete,brick, metal, etc.)

It would be very worth investing in at least two layers of protection. I'd start with something that will accommodate dust and debris. It should seal against them, but it should also cushion them if they do work their way in. There are some felt-lined plastic products to be found, and there are some paper-based products that would do as well. Roll them out and tape the seams. Also tape the perimeter with something that won't leave stains or residue.

Next, buy a stack of inexpensive sheet material--1/4" OSB, luan plywood, or cdx plywood. Lay it out to cover as much of the area as possible. Overlap if necessary. Place the nicer face down to preserver it for re-use or re-sale after the project is complete.

It might then make sense to tarp over it all as a  debris-collection mechanism, so that you can pick up at the end of each day and shake it out elsewhere. Debris management is as much a part of the equation as the protection itself. You don't want plaster or masonry crumbs, loose nails, etc. on the floor longer than necessary.

Finally, give the area a good vacuum cleaning whenever you can work it in. Nothing beats suction to pull damaging debris out of tight places.


Jack and Jill bathroom light sensing door locks I have an interior Jack and Jill bathroom that is connected to two bedrooms. I'm trying to solve the problem of someone locking the other door when using the bathroom and then forgetting to unlock it before leaving.

Trying to come up with a solution, I thought of synchronizing the two locks via a light sensor. Light on, both doors lock. Light off, both doors unlock. Unfortunately, I'm unable to find a lock to achieve this.

Does a lock like this exist? What would be another viable solution to this problem?

I think I understand all the requirements:

The natural action when leaving the bathroom is to turn one of the doorknobs and open the door. For safety reasons this action, without any other required motions, must allow egress from the room under any and all conditions. (Thanks Wolf Harper)
Also, to solve the specified problem, opening the door this way, without any other required motions, must normally (ie. absent failure or emergency) unlock both doors. Requiring additional motions to unlock both doors would obviate the prupose of the project; you might as well put up a sign and be done.
Locking both doors must be easy and natural, preferably with a control near the doorknob. I'm not going to try for an automatic solution, such as connecting the locks to the light, because I can't devise a reliable way to tell if the room is occupied.
The house occupants must be able to override the locks from outside the bathtoom (eg. to prevent someone from locking herself in). Having a key or pin hanging nearby is probably acceptable in most households.

This can be done but the solution may cost more than the average homeowner would be willing to spend. You will need:

2 "storeroom" locksets
2 electric strike plates, "fail safe" type
2 micro switches or magnetic switches that can detect if a door is closed
2 illuminated pushbuttons, the kind with the illuminator on a separate circuit
1 stepdown transformer to power the strike plates
1 latching relay matching the voltage of the transformer and strike plates
a roll of low voltage wire, amount depending on size of bathroom etc.

A storeroom lockset always opens from the inside by turning the handle, and is always locked and operated only with a key from the outside. (Usually the outside handle doesn't even turn.) A door with this fitting can be opened from the inside even in a panic and regardless of the state of the strike plate.

The storeroom lockset satisfies requirements 1 and 4.

A "fail safe" electric strike plate will hold the door locked from the outside when energized, and release it when the current is off. The plan is to maintain the strike plate current with a latching relay.

The micro switches or magnetic switches will unlatch the relay when either door is opened.

The required latching relay can be made from a single-pole single-throw normally-open relay, since the relay coil power can be made to flow through the micro switches.

The electric strike plates, micro switches, and latching relay satisfy requirement 2.

The pushbuttons should be mounted inside the bathroom near the doorknobs. I think the best place is on the door, just above the knob, with a tasteful plaque reading "LOCK BOTH DOORS". I have shopped for lock sets and strike plates with built-in switches but have found nothing, hence the pushbuttons.

I like to put pilot lights on everything so I would buy pushbuttons with built-in lamps wired independently from the switch contacts. Failing this I would use doorbell buttons and separate pilot lights. The purpose of the pilots is to reassure the bathroom occupant that both doors are locked. The voltage of the illuminators must match the voltage of the strike plates.

The pushbuttons satisfy requirement 3. This is the weakest part of the design because you are forced to use something made for a different purpose.

This is the kind of project I like to build just for fun. And the part I enjoy most, I might say the reason for undertaking the rest of the project, is the wiring diagram:


Dimmer switch plus a regular switch Can I have a dimmer switch and a regular switch for a light or do both switches have to be dimmers

One Dimmer to Rule Them All

In general, no matter how many control locations one has in a lighting branch, one can only have one dimmer for that branch, at a single control location, namely either the "line" or "load" end of the switch arrangement.  The other control locations receive switches, wired in a traveler-system multi-way configuration to the dimmer, provided the dimmer provides what is known as a "3-way" or "traveler" terminal, which indicates that the internal switch in the dimmer is really a 3-way switch instead of being an ordinary single-pole switch.

Digital technology changes the rules

However, modern digital wallbox lighting controllers, such as the Lutron Maestro and Leviton Vizia, change the rules of the game.  Instead of being stuck with the limitations imposed by mechanical switches, these systems use communicating remotes mounted at the other locations.  These remotes talk to a compatible master dimmer over a proprietary powerline-communications protocol, often implemented using one of the traveler wires to power the remotes and the other to aid in communications.  Furthermore, this may allow the master dimmer (which does all the heavy lifting of dimming the lights) to be placed at a variety of locations in the circuit.

A commercial aside

If you have seen commercial lighting control systems, you will notice that they do not rely on wallbox mounted lighting controls.  Instead, they use low-voltage controls that mount to the wall.  These controls then talk over a wired interface to a central lighting control panel that performs the dimming work.  This is more costly and infrastructure-heavy than wallbox controls, which is why it is not commonly used in all but the highest-end residental work, but does provide a great deal of control flexibility and also handles higher power than wallbox controls can manage.


Illuminated Mirror Wiring I've purchased an illuminated mirror (with a built in light strip around the outside) for my bathroom remodel. I'm trying to figure out the best way to wire it.

I have the wiring prepped for a new outlet in the wall behind the mirror. The back of the mirror is flat, and sits flush against the wall. The electric connection for the mirror is a wire with un-terminated ends. The instructions provided for wiring are below:

Options I'm considering:

Based on the instructions, in appears the suggestion is similar to a ceiling fan or light fixture, wire-nut the wires to the mains connection, stuff it inside a wall-box, and conceal with the mirror. Will this satisfy code? Is there a faceplate I should be using with the wall-box?
Install a recessed outlet, terminate the mirror wires in the flattest grounded plug I can find, and hope the plug isn't proud of the wall so the mirror can sit flush

Or any other suggestions?

I would double check the manufacturer instructions they may state the mirror is the cover just like a light fixture when mounted. A cover plat makes a slight bulge and could crack the mirror depending on how it mounts.


is it safe to run a 300 watt 220v motor (european) on a 20 amp breaker (american)? I bought a small 220v/300 watt tool from ebay that came from either china or Australia.  I am worried that the 20 amp breaker on my 220v line in my shop will fry the motor.  do I need a step down transformer to make it work or will it work as is?

The 20 A breaker is the maximum the circuit can provide. Your motor is rated 300 W so it should use less than 2A and be fine. The concerns are frequency - 50 vs. 60 hz can affect the speed, and by extension safety and efficiency, of the motor, depending on design. In addition any used or "unknown" device, particularly if not rated /tested by a reputable source, might turn out to be a safety hazard even under normal use due to issues with insulation, grounding, or other problems.


Why does my A/C "bump" and cycle super fast at night? I've got an ancient Armstrong Concept 1000 air conditioner (it was old when we bought the house 11 years ago) hooked up to a Nest thermostat. The furnance and blower is much more modern; it's an Aire-Flow model from 2014.

The A/C cools the house fine during the day, but in the evening, the unit in the basement will suddenly start making "bump" sounds, and the house blower will stop working. It seems to start doing it reliably just after sundown; we joke that it's "bump o'clock" at about 9 PM. If I go downstairs, I can hear a relay repeatedly tripping while it bumps. The unit outside appears to be operating normally.

The house's blower motor works fine if I turn off the A/C and just run the fan.

If I turn the A/C off for a half hour or so and let it come back on, sometimes it'll start working again. Sometimes not.

We installed the Nest probably three years ago; the bump sound has been happening for the last year or so.

Any idea what might be happening? Is this a thing where the coils are freezing up? It seems like it's still pretty warm out for that to be what's going on...

Okay. I've finally figured this out after two fruitless visits from the HVAC service people, a new logic board, and new blower motor capacitor. Warranty jobs, fortunately.

It turns out the culprit was our Nest thermostat. It was hooked up without a C wire. In this configuration, to charge its battery, it periodically closes the Heat circuit for very short lengths of time. Furnaces see that short signal and generally ignore it. With our old furnace, it was no problem with either heat or AC; everything ran fine.

However, with our new furnace (an Aire-Flow, in case you're wondering), when the AC was blowing, having the Nest close the heat circuit freaked out the logic board, which responded by stopping the blower motor while leaving the AC compressor running. I'm not sure why it seemed to happen more at night — maybe something about the times the battery charged?

Anyhow, the solution was to connect the C wire (for whatever reason, the furnace installers didn't) both in the furnace and in the Nest, and everything seems to be working.

It would be nice if the Nest warned you about working without a C-wire, but hey, it is what it is.


Basement water seepage management My house is built into a slope, with the bottom floor partially underground. See photo 1 - grey wall is a common wall with my neighbor, the white back wall is entirely underground, and the left wall is partially underground, as marked by the red line I drew. To give an idea of dimensions, the wall height is 14', room width left to right is 16'. It's an old house so I would assume no waterproofing was originally applied. Walls are allegedly reinforced concrete, they should never be brick, sandstone, cinder block or anything else where I am. Side wall is about 8", so I'm assuming all walls are. It's in a tropical climate in Asia so we're coming into wet season.

The marks on the white wall, shown in the main photo are patches where water is damaging the paint, so I've removed debonded sections back to the concrete wall. In photos 2 and 3 you can see a bit better. The bubbling around the sides is a result of the rain the last few days.

I can't get to the external wall, excavate, waterproof and backfill properly because the road is built so close to the house, and the house is built right to the border of our plot so I wouldn't get permission anyway. I'm looking at ways to manage it instead. The air-conditioner you see is set to dehumidify 24/7 and seems to keep the wall dry and prevent mold growth on furniture down there so I'm happy to continue doing this, but I want a better looking wall.

My basic approach for a false wall, as I understand it:

scrape off as much plaster and membrane as possible, exposing bare concrete wall to help it breathe/dry
stainless steel bolts and framework, but using suspended framework not flush with the wall (similar to a false ceiling in a commercial building) so it is one large cavity behind there
3-4" cavity
vents at the bottom and top
water resistent plasterboard sheets
no plans to hang anything heavier than a mirror, so standard thickness plasterboard sheets ought to be strong enough

I want to prevent mold growth in the wall cavity as much as possible, which is why I mention the vents. Would the dehumidifier being on 24/7 in combination with the ventilation holes be enough to keep the wall as dry as it currently is, or do I need forced ventilation? Forced, as in, 2 low-rpm fans in the top of the cavity drawing air up from the bottom and out into the room?

For the left wall I'm considering a stepped false wall roughly along the dashed line I drew also with a vent hole, and continue the same cavity as the back wall. This would hopefully prevent any water ingress coming around the side of the false wall, if it was inclined to do so.

I don't know my neighbours that well but I do know they suffer the same problem, but just let it deteriorate.

I'm aware of things like epoxies, which at best only move the problem elsewhere, as well as the option of digging a hole for a sump and pump but I don't want to go that direction if possible. It seems so far I don't have the volume of water to justify that (compared to others on the internet). That, combined with local contractors having zero skill in this area because basements are rare would mean I'd likely get a poorly executed installation.

Appreciate any guidance or opinions.

Update for clarity: essentially what I'm investigating is if a solution like sub-floor ventilation can be adapted to my situation. They share similarities - one side is an ever present source of moisture, the other side we want to keep dry. If my wall were to actually weep or drip then it's a different story but it so far it's only ever just deteriorated the paint and plaster, and no more. If forced ventilation (or even passive) can prevent mold and moisture problems for raised floors, can't I, in theory achieve the same with a false wall and fans? Apologies for not articulating this clearly in my original post.

I've also been careful not to use the word 'fix' because that can't be achieved from the inside, which is why I chose the word 'management' instead.

Unfortunately there is no way to fix this issue from the inside.  Any product you apply will only temporarily fix the problem of water infiltration through the wall.  The only fix that will work is to excavate around the perimeter, install a drain to carry the excess water away, and apply a product to the outside of the wall that will seal it and another to provide a path for any water that reaches the barrier to flow down to the drain.

I see that you are concerned about excavating your driveway but there is no other choice.


Is outlet box required to be mounted? I would like to know if I hard-wire an outlet from another with wire running across floor to non-mounted outlet is this considered an extension cord.

"Wire", eh?  Romex NM/UF/SE/MH/whatever multiconductor building cable is out of the question. It's not flexible, and is made for immobile use in protected locations, like behind walls, rafters, underground or in conduit. You can't use building cable for flexible cord at all.

Even if you have proper cordage, you're not allowed to homebrew extension cords with a handi-box and some cord.  Specifically, 400.8 disallows any flexible cords

  Used as substitutes for the fixed wiring of a structure.
  Run through holes in walls, structural ceilings, suspended or dropped ceilings, or floors.
  Run through doorways, windows, or similar openings.
  Attached to building surfaces.
  Concealed by walls, floors, or ceilings — or located above suspended or dropped ceilings.
  Installed in raceways, except as permitted elsewhere in the NEC.
  Used or installed in a manner that unduly exposes them to physical damage.

400.7 carves out exceptions where you are allowed to use flexible cords:

  Pendants [210.50(A) and 314.23(H)] if the cords are identified for pendant use in Table 400.4.
  Wiring of luminaires as allowed by 410.24(A) and 410.62(B).
  Connection of portable luminaires, portable and mobile signs, or appliances as allowed in 422.16 [400.7(A)(3), but when used with attachment plugs [400.7(B)].
  Elevator cables.
  Wiring of cranes and hoists.
  Connection of utilization equipment to facilitate frequent interchange [422.16], but only when used with attachment plugs [400.7(B)].
  Prevention of the transmission of noise or vibration [422.16].
  Appliances where the fastening means and mechanical connections are specifically designed to permit ready removal for maintenance and repair, and the appliance is intended or identified for flexible cord connections [422.16], but only when used with attachment plugs [400.7(B)].
  Connection of moving parts.
  Where specifically permitted elsewhere in the NEC.


How do I connect a 24v air purifier to hvac? I have a MicroPure MX4 that the previous homeowner left behind new in the box.  This is a 24v unit and needs to be hardwired.  My question is can I connect the two wires to the terminal where the thermostat comes in? They read 24v.  I checked the R and C terminal for the 24v reading. OR should I connect to the blower connection?

From the Owner's manual.

Hardwiring Requirements (24V and 230V Operation)
For 24V models: Connect black and white wires to a dedicated 40Va transformer.
(Not Provided.)

Notice that it says "to a dedicated 40Va transformer". This means that you'll have to install a 40VA transformer to power the device, not use the transformer in the HVAC unit.


Three-way switch problem, potentially faulty I have a fairly specific question related to three-way switches. While I understand in principal how they work and how to wire them (I think anyway), my specific wiring is not generating the expected results. Here is the current wiring:

----------       Switch 1:       Switch 2:               ---------
| Power  |---B---Common          Common------W---X---B---| Light |
| source |---W   Traveler----B---Traveler            W---|       |
----------   |   Traveler----R---Traveler            |   ---------
             |                                       |
             ----------------X------------------------

Legend:
B = Black wire
W = White wire
R = Red wire
X = Splice/wire nut

The expected result is that both switches can independently control the light. The observed result is that one switch overrides the other (the overriding switch must be on for the light to be on, and, if it is on, the other switch will cause the light to flicker when toggled, but will not actually turn it off).

Given the above, am I doing something wrong or could one or both of my switches be faulty? (They are brand new, but at this point I'm having difficulty finding another explanation.) Thanks!

If one switch is overriding the other in a three-way circuit, that usually means one of the switches has been hooked up incorrectly.  If you get the common and one of the travellers exchanged, you will see exactly this behavior.

Double-check each switch to make sure you know which contacts are the common and the two selectable terminals, and double-check that the latter two are the ones hooked to the travellers.

(This is not an uncommon error.)


Trace a breaker to what it powers I have started on the task of labeling all my breakers but in this process it has left me with one major issue, I have one breaker that doesn't kill anything in the house. During the checks every other outlet, ceiling fixtures, appliances are accounted for, but I still have a single 15 amp breaker that I can't figure out what it controls. Is there any advice on figuring out where this breaker goes to?

Note: This may seem silly, as it's just the opposite of what you've already done, but I promise it is not in jest.

Try turning off ALL breakers except for the mystery breaker. It is completely possible that one or more circuits were erroneously "double fed" by this breaker and another.

Alternatively, you could have something not-so-obvious like an exterior light, garage door opener, doorbell that is powered off this circuit.

Lastly, someone could have "dead ended" an unused circuit by simply capping it off where it terminates, but leave the breaker and wiring for future use.


Drill or notch joist? Followup to another question where I asked about drilling diagonally up into the sole plate and joist (I think I got good answers but realized but didn't get a clear "it's ok to drill through the joists diagonally".

Trying to run coax up the basement. I am learning this desired spot is within the outer 1/3 of the 14ft joist (It's ~4ft in from one of the ends).

Where I need to get to I could drill diagonally up through these two joists or everything I'm reading says it needs to be a notch.

Can you notch this joist in the basement after it's already installed with some sort of oscillating tool or some other method?

No, No, No...never notch...always drill. I can’t think of a circumstance where a notch is better than a drilled hole ...even a drilled hole in a “bad” location.

A hoist can fail 3 ways...so we check for 1) extreme fiber in bending, 2) horizontal shear, and 3) deflection. (We check for other things to, but is immaterial here.)

1) Extreme fiber in bending means what happens when the joist bends due to the load and stretches the extreme wood fiber. The fibers are stretched most along the bottom edge and compressed most along the top edge. (In fact, there is no “bending” stress in the middle of the joist.  That is called the “neutral axis”.)

Each species is tested and their limits are known and rated. When you notch the joist, you reduce the effective height of the joist. (If you notched it 1 3/4”, you’d have a 2x8 instead of a 2x10. But if you drill a 1 3/4” hole in the center of the joist, you’d still have a 2x10, because the extreme fiber in bending is still the same distance from the “neutral axis”.)

2) Horizontal shear is the stress of the fibers trying to slide past each other. This happens furthest from the neutral axis too. (To test this, stack up 6 or 7 2x4’s that are 20’ long on two chairs 20’ apart. Stand on them in the middle of the span and you’ll see the ones at the edges slide more than the middle ones.)

3) Deflection is greatest in the middle 1/3 of the joist span. Deflection is resisted by area of the joist from the “neutral axis”.  Again, notching the joist removes a portion of that area that is furthest from the neutral axis, causing a greater deflection.

This phenomenon is greatest in the middle of the span, but affects the joist anywhere along its edge...top or bottom.

Without knowing anything about the loads on the joists or the span of the joist, I’d drill a hole in the middle of the joist (from top to bottom) and locate it 1/3 distance of the span from the bearing point.

Also, when people tell you it doesn’t matter, because the joist have knotholes, don’t believe them. Lumber is graded with knots, grain, etc. accounted in the stress rating...so adding more “holes”, etc. will reduce its value (strength).

Also, design of beams and joists is set up so that when they fail, they fail in tension...not compression. That way, you’ll see a crack develop and can take action. (If it failed in compression, it would fail with an explosion...no warning...clever, huh.)


Running NM Cable In Attic Along Rafters I'm adding some lighting to the attic and am running wires parallel to rafters. I need to go down the hip rafter and then down another rafter to get to where I need to go. Am I allowed to run the wire underneath the rafter to cross from the hip rafter to the other rafter or does it have to be drilled and through a hole to be up to code?
This is in the attic. Here is a picture of what it looks like. I'd be happy to add any more info if necessary. Thank you.

You can run along the side for parallel as you have done,
Going down the “face” of the rafter is ok.  Make sure to stay away from the roof side, you don’t want any future roofing nails punching through the cable.


Lights wont turn off after switching dimmer types and changed again Previous owners installed two wall sconces - one dimmer. That dimmer control plate broke/cracked (a glyder type) I have an Ariadni toggle that I would prefer. The glider had by looking 3 wires (single pole) 1 green, 1 white, 1 black. after turning off breaker, disconnecting I found that actually 2 of each - for the two sconces. I wrapped the two black together  as well as the other two color to themselves then connect to the new switch. went to test and breaker/switch "popped" checked connections etc looked fine. turned breaker back on and lights were on. but dimmer wasn't controlling, light are staying on. Breaker off, reconnect no pop but light stay on, disconnect new switch but back old one, same thing - breaker/switch popped. checked wires again hit breaker and lights are staying on for old switch. when the breaker popped did it kill the dimmer switch? the wiring is short as it is so cant keep stripping back. Options or solutions or advice. I have done switches all over the house this is the only issue so far.

Every switch sits in-between two hot wires. One is always hot, from the mains, and one is hot when the switch is active, and that one goes to the controlled device(s).

It sounds like you have connected the hot wire (black) from the mains directly to the hot going to the fixtures. The always hot switch should be connected to one black wire on the dimmer and the black from the fixture to the other black on the dimmer. Check the dimmer to see if there is a marking to indicate which is which.

The easiest way to test which black wires are which is to use a non-contact tester. Turn off the breaker. Separate the black wires, put a wire nut on the exposed end of each and turn the power back on. Check each black wire to see if it registers as hot on the tester. The one that is hot is the mains. The one (or more) that are not go to the fixtures.

In general, all white (neutral) wires are connected. This assumes the white wire is not being used as a hot line. If it is, it should be marked with a black marker or a piece of black tape. Similarly all greens and bare wires (ground) are connected.

Some dimmers need a neutral wire and some do not. It sounds like yours does. It should be connected to the other neutrals. Similarly the grounds should all be connected.


Should I leave outlet covers on or off for electrical inspector? I've got an electrical inspection scheduled for 4 circuits I added to my garage. I did the work myself and my city uses the most current NEC. All wiring is running in open stud walls in my garage.

I scheduled the inspection shortly after energizing and testing all of the circuits, and it is going to be a few days before the inspection. I'm going to be using the circuits before he arrives, and I would prefer to attach the outlet covers.

Do I have to remove the outlet covers before the inspector arrives?

In many jurisdictions, there is a separate rough-in inspection and then a final inspection.

The rough-in is usually done with wiring in place and before drywall is installed, unless the new cabling has been snaked into place.  Wires are exposed in boxes and no devices are installed in the boxes.

The final inspection is usually done with all devices and fixtures in place, and covers on.

But local practice varies, so your best bet is to ask the building department. They are usually happy to advise, assuming your locale allows DIY.


Does anyone know what this rubber thing I found on the tub in my dishwasher is? Last night I was emptying my KitchenAid KDFE104DSS5 dishwasher when I found this on the tub. I looked all over inside it trying to figure out where the heck it came from. It's about 3 inches long.
I have a 2½-year-old child so it's possible he found it somewhere and stuck it in the dishwasher but even so, I don't recognize it.

I asked on reddit's whatisthisthing and they identified it as a rubber foot from my IKEA cheese grater.


What features do I need in a stud finder for use on plaster walls? I have an old house built in the early 1930s. The conventional stud finders are useless on plaster. The more sophisticated ones are more expensive in the $50 range.

What features would a stud finder need to have to work well in my situation?

This stud finder with magnet and level is what I keep on me at all times.  It is the only stud finder that I have and works excellently.  It is strong enough to pick up nails used for crosses most of the time too.

I have no affiliation with the product - I am just a customer that has bought 6-7.  The magnet is super strong and the pointer + level help.   The only downside is the plastic tip breaks on every one if I drop it, but it still does the trick.  A bonus is that it finds screws, nails, tools, whatever... in hard to see/reach places. I don't know how many times I was up in an attic and dropped something and pulled out the stud finder.


hardie plank siding minimum length I'm starting a project to reside my house with hardieplank lap siding.  I have a few corners where the window is very close to the corner.  I plan to use hardie trim around the windows and at the corners.
What is the best way to handle this situation, wide trim pieces or a very short length of hardieplank?
What is the minimum length of hardieplank I can have between 2 pieces of trim (likely nailed to 1/2 inch plywood sheathing with no stud behind it)?
I'm assuming I shouldn't butt up 2 pieces of trim vertically and would go with a very wide trim (about 8 - 10 inches) to run from the window to the corner but I'm concerned with how that will look.

Thanks,
Jeff

Is it less than an inch long? I would keep the window trim and corners consistent throughout the home,although there can be exceptions, but I would strive to keep all details the same, and if it takes short pieces of siding to do so, so be it...

The siding you plan on using can be easy to break at the corners, let alone what a small piece will do. Using a small diameter masonry or glass bit, pilot the hole where the nail will go in. Hardie (r) siding is hung from nails anyway hidden by the next course of siding.


Hard-wired smoke detector chirps when light switch flipped I have a hard wired smoke detector that is connected to the same circuit breaker as the two hallway lights. The two switches at the end of the hallway do not turn the smoke detector on and off, however before I added a three-way dimmer to the circuit, the alarm would chirp whenever switching the hallway lights on and off. I didn't quite understand what was happening, so I went ahead with my plan to install a three-way dimmer. Now with the dimmer switch installed, the smoke alarm turns on when I'm at any setting other than full brightness. I believe this can be explained by a voltage drop causing the alarm to trip.
This perplexes me because no switch position can turn the smoke alarm on or off, however it's acting like one end of the circuit connection is experiencing extra resistance whenever the dimmer is activated, or as previously when the circuit was inturrupted briefly when the switch was flipped.
The hallway switches behave as you would expect, turning alternately on and off when one or the other is flipped.
I was hoping for some suggestions as to how the alarm or switches might be wired to explain this, and how I could fix the problem so that the alarm doesn't do that.

I think I have figured it out. One of the guys in the comments suggested that it chirps every time it switches between current and battery. What I think was happening was not that the lines were directly connected to the  switches, but that they were getting EM interference from the current changes on the switched lines. I took apart the old detector and determined that it was too old to keep using. I installed a new one, and the problem disappeared. I would need an oscilloscope to confirm the interference theory, but it makes the most sense.


How should I repair crumbling joist pockets in a brick wall? I'm renovating an old row house with wooden joist in masonry pockets. In many places, the mortar under the bearing point of the pockets has crumbled, cracking a few bricks and lowering the pocket. Assuming I can replace or at least temporarily move the joists, how should I repair the bottom of the pocket?

You remove the old brick and rebuild the bottom of the mortise.

If it was me, I would get a tile saw and cut a single rock that would exactly fit. Why use crappy brick, when you can use a rock that will last for a million years? If you cut the rock so that it exactly fits (and I mean EXACTLY to a hundredth of inch). Then you hammer the rock in tight and you need no mortar.

If you don't want to spring for a tile saw, you can use cold chisels.


Can hook up this light fixture to a cord? Is it possible that this light fixture could have a power cord connected to it? For home use...

The tag says:
Caution (Please read below):
Factory wiring is for all "on" operation
For switching application: (W/ BDP)
connect red wire to a switched input
For switching application: (W/O BDP)
connect grey/red to a switched input
Other label: 120/277 volts,  model "ibc 454 mv"

Wiring instructions

For what it's worth I found this at texasbowhunter.com (beware, knowledge gained from random discussions is to be avoided):

  I used the exact same lights on my shop and if you leave that red wire out only half the lights will come on. -Jes

You might want to wait for others opinions; but I'd feel pretty safe powering the black and if only half the lights come on, hook up the red too. Also if it came with them nutted after having been installed somewhere, +1.  But it'd still be nice to confirm this in the installer's manual which I can't find. (Which I see you have but it doesn't match the color scheme? so, erm... call them?)

The half inch knock-out is where you're going to install a cord relief in, and then feed the cord through it and back out the rectangle hole to wire it, then shove everything back inside and find a cover plate for it.


Toilet leaking around tank bolts After several adjustments, there is still water leakage around the bolts on the underside of the tank. Any thoughts?

Tank bolt gaskets - every now and again (around 40 years on the last one I changed out) you have to remove the old crusty ones, clean things up, put on new ones, apply silicone grease if you know what's good for you, and reassemble.

If you just crank up the bolts instead you can crack the ceramic, and then it's new toilet time.


Light switches On in the Off position and Vice Versa Good Morning,
I have a Levitron Two Position switch, which switches on in the OFF position.
I know a cheap fix is to just turn the switch around, but there is a label at the bottom of the switch that says says Levitron and it won't look good upside down.
I tried to switch the wires on the terminal and it still only turns on in the OFF position.
Before there was an old switch which I took out and replaced with the new two position Levitron switch after I replaced it, ALL THE SWITCHES IN THE HOUSE NOW ONLY WORK IN THE OFF POSITION.
I tried hard to switch the wires around but to no avail.
I made a wiring diagram for your convenience:

There are three entry points into the box:  From the Top, Top Left, and Bottom Left (denoted by the arrows)

I didn't put the green wire in the diagram because the switch works without it (I am testing it with the old switch)

The B marrett has a red and black wire was not connected to the switch and I am not sure where it originates from.

Standard colors are:

Neutral: White or gray

Safety Ground: Green, yellow w/ green stripe, bare, or the shell of non-flexing metal conduit, and metal boxes.

Hot: all other colors.

If a multi-wire cable is used, the white can be marked with hot-color tape and used as a hot. That does not apply in conduit. Conduits need 1 neutral per circuit and it must be white or gray.
Ground NEVER EVER Goes to anything else
Safety grounds, always and only green, yellow/green or bare, are never wired to any other conductor. Period. End of subject.  I don't how how in the bloody green blazes a green wire came to go from the switch's green screw to the neutral bundle, but fire the guy who did that.  That person lacks the basic knowledge required not to kill somebody.
If that's you, quit and hire a pro. Seriously, what the heck.
STOP EXPERIMENTING
You've dug yourself an irrecoverable hole because your response to "it doesn't work" was to "try random stuff".  By "random" I mean you don't have knowledge of what it does.
What will happen when you hit a combination that works (or works "good enough"?  You stop.  Trouble is, there are many combinations which will work and will kill you.
When you are stuck, stop and collect more information.  I know you're not doing that because of the ground wire in the neutral bundle, which is a "101" blunder.
It may be too late
Unfortunately, you seem to have relied on a notion that no matter how scrambled you make it, there are standard color-codes or groupings that will tell a remote expert how to fix it. That belief is false, unfortunately.  There are no color codes other than what I said at the top.  The only way electricians tell the next electrician the meanings of the wires is by how things are arranged currently.
Now, the only path is a great deal of on-site  iterative testing, which is too far beyond your skill-set to be achievable, even with support of people online.  I think the option available to you is to call a pro... unless you took good photos of the starting condition that was known-working.


Why are both exterior and interior walls constructed of concrete block in my home? I bought this house 9 years ago, it was built in 1954. A few years after I had gotten it, I decided to get creative and pull down some of the paneling on a wall that separates the kitchen from the living room -to put a window-opening between the two rooms. That wall is all brick. Upon further inspection in all of the other rooms walls, I have discovered that every wall inside this house is constructed of brick. A few years ago the house next door to mine had a fire and when I saw the interior, I could tell that it was studs and drywall or paneling dividing he rooms, (the two houses were built around the same time and looked relatively similar, so I figure that they might have been built by the same builder), and I'm not complaining, having a nice sturdy structure, I am just wondering what compels some builders to use bricks for every single wall of a house when they construct it? I mean it, even the walls of the (tiny) closets are brick.

My house was also built around this time, and I have concrete walls under the tiny bed of sheetrock and paint. Back then materials as such were not as expensive and there was more of the material source, thus they used those source materials. As the country grew in numbers (people) certain materials became expensive and may have taken too long to set, so they went with the cheap route of using wood, thus making building a house much faster as well with putting little to no heart in the work. I'm proud to have a house built by a Masonry and for me I find it much safer, having a fireplace and all that could start a house fire if not properly cleaned/maintained. The above statements are merely more of an observation/my thoughts. Here is a link that might interest you. Why Concrete?


Bleed radiator in to jug, frothy bubbles on the surface of the water I bleed 1/2 litre from radiator into a jug, frothy bubbles on the surface of the water, does that indicate air bubbles trapped in the water or is that normal ?

Also the water is clear but slight brownish tint, is that to be expected or should the water be crystal clear since it has recently be drained and refilled ?

Short answers:

Condition is likely normal.
Water does not need to be clear.

Details:

On the color - Despite being refilled with clean water, rust/sediment will remain within your system and radiators - causing the water to take on that color. Unless there is a reason to drain the system, introduction of excessive clean water will speed system corrosion due to the dissolved oxygen brought in with fresh water.  In a closed system, old water is 'like fine wine'.

On the bubbles - If you let a sample sit exposed, do the bubbles disappear?  If no, this suggests that they are caused by a chemical (other than water) that was added to / remain within the system (ie. antifreeze, corrosion inhibitor).  If the bubbles disappear over time and do not remain on the sides of the container, this is the behavior expected of water used in radiant heating systems.  If you boil the same sample of water on a stove top (not microwave!) and similar bubbles form, this also points to a chemical treatment in your system. Have you had work done on the system recently, but did not add a chemical additive? If so, the frothing may be caused by cutting oils introduced into the system. If the sample boils and settles like normal water - your frothy bubbles are normal and created during the bleeding process.


How can I test the maximum current an outlet will provide? I want to know how much power is still available on a circuit.
I went to the electric supply store but they could not locate the device I described...
I want to plug a device into an outlet and slowly increase the draw until the breaker pops so I know how many more things I can plug into the outlet.

It's called a Kill-A-Watt

A testing instrument that tells you what your appliances are currently drawing.

But you don't load up the circuit to breaker trip, because that would be reckless and unsafe.  You use it (or them) measure the actual current draw of the other loads and add them up.

You must also multiply any continuous loads by 125% when factoring.

Example: You have a 20A circuit.

1 amp of floor lamp
5 amps (a 4 amp PC, on continuously so rated 125%)
8 amps of air conditioner

That leaves 6 amps usable for a non-continuous load, or 4.8A for a continuous load.


Hardwood or softwood for paneling a workshop wall? I'm planning to insulate and panel the walls of an unfinished garage workshop, and would like to use wooden boards instead of sheetrock or other alternatives.  I'm thinking 4" wide boards, 1/2" thick, of various lengths in horizontal rows, maybe a mix of species or different stains for appearance.  My question is: what kinds of wood are most suitable?

Because this is a garage and not a living room, my main concerns are practical, not about appearance.  I want to avoid wood that is likely to crack or warp with the seasons.  (I am in Maine and the seasonal changes in climate are pretty dramatic.)  Ease of installation, durability, strength, any insulating properties, could also be good to know.  I'm not too concerned about the differences in appearance.

Cost is not a major concern, because I intend to cut the trees and saw them into boards myself.  For softwoods I have access to pine, spruce, and fir in abundance, maybe some cedar or hemlock.  For hardwoods, I'd probably use less-valuable species like beech, birch, popple, ash, soft maple, apple, etc.  We do have oak and hard maple in our woods, but my intuition is that these furniture-grade woods should be saved for more worthy applications.

I like (and use a lot) softwoods. They are easier to install (nail) and is more forgiving with respect to movement.

Hardwoods (especially if it’s being milled on site) will tend to split as it dries. You’ll probably have to pre-drill any nailing at the end of each board too.

However, your biggest problem with either choice is going to be shrinkage. Using green lumber you’ll need to be careful about twisting and shrinkage or it could be unsightly quickly.

BTW, any wall common to a habitable space requires fire rated gypsum board on the garage side of the wall. Check with your Building Department to see if you need to “rough-tape”.


How do I identify and fix a buzzing noise in my commercial freezer? I have been using a second-hand TRUE commercial freezer for almost 13 years for my home catering business. It has been making a buzzing noise since yesterday.
How can I identify the source of the problem?

DIY repair tips will depend, entirely, on what the source of the problem is, and will be an excellent 2nd question. This answer will provide suggestions for finding the buzz, since we can't help you fix it until we know what the problem is.
Here are some tips for finding the source of the buzzing noise:

As jsotola suggested in a comment, listening carefully may allow you to identify where the issue is.

You may have to put your ear very close to different parts of the freezer.
You may have to stick your head inside to see if you can identify where it's coming from.
It's possible that something was put in the freezer with a stiff but flexible piece sticking out, and that protrusion was pushed against the inside wall of freezer just hard enough to buzz from the general vibrations of the freezer running.

You may also be able to feel excessive vibration by putting your fingers on different parts of the freezer.

Be careful, the coils can be hot!
Touching different parts might be enough to damp the vibration and stop the noise which will also tell you where it's vibrating.

Look for broken parts.

If a piece of plastic has recently broken (due to age, most likely) the broken parts may be vibrating against each other when the compressor is running.

I'm sure there are other things you can do to locate the source of the buzzing - use some creativity and imagination if these suggestions don't help you pinpoint the issue.
Once you've identified the problem, if you're not able to figure out a solution on your own (move that box inside the freezer, if that's the problem, etc.) post a new question, with a complete description of where the buzzing is coming from (pictures always help!) and I'm sure you'll get good recommendations on how to fix it.


Do I need to "fill in" concrete control joints before floating floor installation? I am preparing to install a laminate floating floor over a concrete slab in my basement.  The concrete slab is installed in what appear to be 18' x 18' squares, broken up across the dimensions of my basement.  The slabs are separated by 1/2" wide control joints.

Do I need to fill these joints in with a foam, concrete, or other kind of patch prior to installing a floating floor?  The flooring is the Home Depot Pergo flooring with built-in padding.  I am going to install a 6 mil vapor barrier on top of the slab prior to installing the flooring. The flooring will be installed perpendicular to the control joints.

As far as the joint is concerned, you could fill it with a self leveling sealant, as represton says.  I don't think it will affect the flooring either way, though, as your moisture barrier will keep the humidity away from the flooring (and the room).

And, a point of clarity...  This is not an expansion joint, this is a crack control joint.  It is intentionally weaker so that as the slabs settle, as they eventually will, the cracks will occur along the joint and be less obtrusive.

But more important for all of this, I feel, is whether or not the slab is flat enough for an unsecured laminate.  High spots will allow the flooring to move, resulting either in an uneven feel under foot or noise.  You might want to caulk in the joints to keep the leveling compound out, then apply a self leveling cement based product to the whole floor.  Have you run a straight edge around to see if that slab is nice and flat, and will the flooring package insert tell you what the tolerances are?


How do I hook up the wires for my double oven installation? I am installing a double oven. The wires from the oven are red, black, white and a ground. The wires in the junction box are two black and a ground.
All are 220V/240V.

What wire gets connected to what?

You will need to replace the wire from the electrical panel to the junction box.  Your new oven requires a neutral (white) wire to power some 120v electronics in it.  Your existing wiring doesn't have that - it just has two hot wires for 240v.


Why can't you install a GFCI in a box that has more than 4 wires (not including ground)? I installed a GFCI receptacle yesterday, the instructions were saying that if you see more than 4 wires in the box (excluding the ground) call an electrician.

In my case everything you see to the right of the brown dotted line was connected to one box (4x4)

Instructions are obtuse because of UL

This has to do with the device's UL listing.  UL only approves devices for certain applications; i.e. you can't use an Alumiconn to splice 9600V wiring. Two things assure you stay within those applications:  First NEC 110.3(B) which requires you obey the labeling and instructions, and second, UL also approves the labeling and instructions as part of the listing.  That is because, generally, they only test for conditions described in the instructions (e.g. they don't test Alumiconn for 9600V splices).  Anyway, if you wonder why some instructions are so stilted and weird, that is why.

When a manufacturer writes instructions likely to be read by amateurs, UL gives it extra scrutiny.  It is UL who is imposing the "See electrician for >4 wires" issue.  You have to hook up the two LINE terminals or the device won't function.  With only 2 additional wires, UL feels comfortable with the instructions.  >4, there become several wrong/dangerous ways to hook it up.

Just use LINE.  Leave LOAD alone.

Anyway, for you, it is simplicity itself.  Everything goes onto LINE.  Don't even remove the warning tape from the LOAD terminals.  So you would just pigtail.

Do not use the LOAD terminals at all unless you have a specific reason to do so, and only for the pairs of wires where that reason exists.  The instructions will say something else; they want you to ignorantly protect parts of your circuit without realizing you are doing so, and because of the side-effects, that's something I do not agree with.

Why not use LOAD for everything? Well, you're perfectly allowed to; and you're advised to by the instructions.  That will place everything downline into the GFCI protected zone.  That seems oh, so clever: Free protection! And that is the purpose of having LOAD terminals!  However, this has a dark side, if those downline loads don't need GFCI protection.  Any trivial leakage from those things will stack i.e. cumulate, increasing your risk of nuisance trips.  Nuisance trips drive people crazy.  Do people do a laborious bug hunt on each leg of the downline that wasn't even part of the project in the first place, to suss out every last dirty contact or NM wire that's getting wet, or stick isolation transformers on their refrigerators?  No, they don't; they rip out the GFCI.

So "GFCI everything" is a grand theory, but not something you can really live with.  UL doesn't care about that. They say "you should do the bug hunt".  UL can come and do the bug hunt, IMO.

What is a good idea to not protect?

Grounded hardwired loads, esp. lighting where dangerous power tools operate (e.g. curling irons)
Any downline outlet which has its own GFCI protection
Refrigerators that are cord-and-plug connected (post NEC 2014 you'll need to get a variance if the fridge is in a location where all receps need GFCI)
Safety equipment of any kind (including refrigerators).  It won't do to have an emergency fire pump trip a GFCI the moment it starts; the purpose of the gadget is to protect from fire, not electrical shocks.


Heating basement floor with water heater Can I simply add a loop of pex from my water heater, under my flooring, and back into itself? Would I need some sort of pump?  I haven't laid the tile yet and water heater is right on the outside wall of the bathroom I'm building. Would I need to put this between the backer and the tile?

Adding hydronic radiant floor heating is a lot more complicated than you could imagine. To do a system for a bathroom running off of a domestic water tank, in operation for potable water requires all potable water components. Potable water components are expensive.

This is the simplest picture I could find and it still doesn't technically apply to youwww.floorheatsystems.com

The storage tank isn't being used for domestic water. It's only being used for floor heating.

Other things that you need to consider are legionnaires bacteria radiant floor temperatures are right at the bacteria's ideal growth temperature of around 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Solution
Electric radiant floor heating is your best bet.

Resistive electric floor heating mats are available www.findanyfloor.com

This requires a little bit of electrical but is much simpler to install. It's also much thinner then pex.


What wire size should I use to repair a circuit containing some #12 and some of unknown size? I need to replace the cables in one room which has many outlets. Currently the older wiring is labeled 12/2 WG. There is another wire also white (back when) right along side but it doesn't say what gauge it is.  Should I replace all with 12/2?

One has to be fished through to the 1/2 bath and is right on the edge of the outside wall.  Eek. They all worked fine until a laborer cut through two of them. I am not afraid to do the wiring as long as I am sure that they are both 12/2 gauge.

The wire gauge you need can be determined by checking the breaker for that circuit - if it's a 15 A breaker, you can use #14 gauge wire; if it's a 20 A breaker, you need #12. In general, lighting circuits are on 15 A breakers and wired with #14 wire, and receptacles are on 20 A breakers and wired with #12 wire. This convention is relatively modern, though, so your 1975 wiring may not follow it.

There is never a problem using bigger wire than needed, so even if the existing wiring was #14, you can replace it with #12 - just don't replace the breaker! A 20 A breaker needs #12 wire throughout the entire circuit.

You can also get a tool to measure the size of the wire. Something like this:

Or this multi-purpose wiring tool:


Garage door won't open unless I hold the wall button down My Genie garage door closes fine on all occasions but it won't open unless I hold the wall button down. This causes real hassle as I can't use my remote opener to open the door as well.

Here is what happening...

When it is fully open or close, left sensor - solid red, right sensor - solid green. If I block the sensors, left sensor blinks red, right sensor stays solid green.

If it is close and I press the wall button and let go, door would open an inch or so and stop. No flash on motor unit light bulb.

If the door is closing and I block the sensors, door stop immediately (does not bounce back up).

What could be the problem/s and how to fix? Thanks in advance.

I checked again, the spring is broken. Need to call professional.


Why does my kitchen sink smell when the washing machine is running, and what can I do about it? I live in a flat, on the second floor. When we run the washing machine (which is connected to the kitchen sink's plumbing) it gurgles a lot and often produces a nasty smell. Why is this, and how can I fix it?

One or both of these drains are improperly vented. There should be a pipe going up, shortly after each of the traps, to vent the plumbing to the roof. Often this is done inside the wall where you normally wouldn't see it. Without it, the flow of water going down the drain can build up pressure and push sewer gases past the trap and into your home.

The fix is to properly vent the drain, by either removing the blockage in the existing vent, correctly hooking the drain line to the existing vent, or installing a new vent either to the roof or with an air admittance valve.


Pool Light Keeps Burning Out I’m troubleshooting an in-ground pool light that burns out within 5 seconds of turning it on.  The old light burned out like this the first time I turned it on this year.  The old fixture was shot, so I replaced it with a new one and the bulb burned out within five seconds.  Water is not leaking into new fixture.
I disconnected the feed wire from the fixture wire and read 125V at the feed wire, about as expected.  I then isolated the hot and neutral wires by disconnecting them at the breaker box (about 66 feet away, cable running underground) but the ground wire is still connected. A continuity check between the disconnected hot leg and neutral or ground wires shows minute continuity (about 5,000 ohms resistance).  Is that normal?  If not, would a small leak to ground like that cause a light bulb to burn out?
The light bulb is 500 watts on a 20 amp circuit with a GFCI circuit breaker. The breaker never trips and the GFCI test function operates normally.
I’ve checked and ensured no loose connections at all wire connection points (including switches) from the breaker to the fixture and I find no evidence of arcing or overheating at those points.  The circuit is wired with two three-way switches.  Nothing else is on the circuit but the 500 watt bulb.
If nothing else I’ve reported here would burn out bulbs without tripping the breaker, then what else could the problem be?  Thanks, Rich

My first comment is old lamps if correct may have leaked and allowed atmosphere in and the filament burned up, lamps over 300w are quite rare and most have been replaced by HID over the last 40 years.
More realistic HID ( metal halide or sodium vapor ok with a ballast)   Are you sure you don’t have a ballast in there somewhere?
Open circuit voltage for a sodium s55 could be there but when the starter strikes in a few seconds it’s high voltage pulse would blow a incandescent filament.
I think this may be what is happening if not old stock.
the original lamp could have been a 500w equivalent sodium  at 150 actual watts because hid’s usually are 400w the next size is 1000w that is actual watts but equivalent is Close to 150w so now you know why most changed years back
a 500w lamp will have a mogul base and only produce 10k lumens . A 150w high pressure sodium may have been classed as a 500w equivalent the open voltage would be in the range you measured Or close 110+ I did not discuss metal halide because their open circuit voltage is 2x what you measured and HPS has a much higher strike value.
So we have old stock incandescent mogul base or a possible HID lamp that has a ballast and starter , I can caution you if your meter is not rated do not try and test the strike voltage most meters are only good to 1kv for the test leads up to 5kv but some HPS have strike voltages from 12-20kv , I learned this with a fluke 87 many years ago.
For well under 100$ you can get a LED flood almost any brand will put out 500w equivalent and consume 75w with higher end ones only drawing ~60w
And they will last 50000 hours compared to 2000 of an incandescent.


How can I add a 50AMP breaker for a NEMA 14-50 outlet to my panel? I have two 150amp panels, both with sub-panels installed. I need to add a 50amp breaker for an electrical vehicle charging port.  I'm looking for the best way to do this, with what I have available.
The single pole 30amp on the 'Barn Sub Panel' (Yellow Box) is no longer needed, and there is rarely load (only for a welder) on the 50AMP breaker in the same 'barn sub panel'.  Could I install an additional 50 AMP breaking in this sub panel?   Note that the breaker feeding the barn subpanel is a 40AMP.   That seems to be an issue, but looking for thoughts on this.
Is there another configuration that could be considered to satisfy the additional 50AMP requirement?
Thank you.
Panel 1 and Barn SubPanel

Panel 2 and Pool SubPanel

Panel 1 & 2 Door Label

Pool Sub Panel 125Amp

The good news: you only have a few things to clean up in your panels
The good news in your situation is that your "alien breaker" problem is less severe than it appears at first glance; while your panels are Arrow-Hart (Murray), they are cross-labeled to accept Bryant (now Eaton) BR, Westinghouse (now Eaton) (H)QP, and ITE EQ-P (apparently now Siemens QP), in addition to being able to use UL classified Eaton CL breakers and their native Murray (now Siemens, but recently discontinued) MP breakers.  This means that we don't have to go on a wholesale breaker-swap rampage, but only have to fix a few troublespots.  In particular, since you have 4AWG copper going to the barn, we can change the barn subpanel breaker out for up to a 70A breaker, conservatively assuming that the wire is 60°C rated.  In other words, you can use a BR270, Eaton HQP2070, or possibly a Siemens Q270 here (the labeling issue is a bit weirder in this case since there appears to have been a designation change as the ITE breaker product line changed hands) if you can't find or don't want to search for a NOS Murray MP270 to go there, as Siemens discontinued the Murray product line over the course of the last couple of years.
Moving on to the micro-panel in the barn, we can start by removing the THQL1130 as it's no longer needed.  From here, your options depend on if the barn has a shutoff nor not; if there's a shutoff switch at the barn that cuts off all power to the barn, you can simply whack in a THQL2150 for the car charger and a TFH filler plate in the top right to plug the open hole.
If the barn does not have its own shutoff, though, then things get more complicated as you'll need to add such.  In that case, the filler plate in the top left comes out and both of the outer top slots are filled with THQP150 breakers, connected by a THT2 handle tie, to provide power to the car charger as it's a 240V only load and does not need common trip as a result, just common disconnecting.  From there, you'll want to add a THQL21100 (the precise rating isn't critical as long as it's greater than or equal to 70A as it's merely being used as a shutoff switch here) in the bottom spaces with a THQLRK retainer kit holding it down, then move the feeder wires from the main lugs to the THQL21100 to allow it to serve as a main shutoff for the barn power.  You should also make sure the bonding and grounding is correct here in this case; neither the welder nor the car charger need a neutral, so a 3-wire feeder with a single bonded bar in the barn subpanel can work, but you'll want to make sure you have a solid grounding electrode system at the barn all the same to keep stray natural electricity from making a mess there, at least.
Once that's done, we can move onto the rest of the situation.  The possibly-THQL? breaker feeding AC#1 should go and be replaced with a proper breaker for the panel, and the double-stuff breaker labeled "Garage Plugs", while likely of a suitable type (Siemens QP/QT), looks to be overbreakered for the circuit unless it's feeding big, chunky 30A receptacles (NEMA 5-30 exists, and is dryer-receptacle sized) on 10AWG wire, of course.  Finally, we move onto the pool panel, where that Homeline HOM230 sticks out like a sore thumb in a BR panel, and needs to be replaced with a BR230.
Of course, if you want to upgrade either or both of the micro-panel subpanels to larger units, that is a fair prerogative; unless there's a safety-switch somewhere for the main cutoff for the barn, you'll want to use a 100A or 125A, main breaker, 24-space or 30-space panel in an outdoor-rated/weatherproof (NEMA 3R) enclosure there.  The pool panel looks to be at the same structure as the main panels, so the need for a main shutoff isn't an issue, and it can be upgraded to a 125A, 24- or 30-space, main lug panel in an indoor (NEMA 1) cabinet as a result.


drilling and putting a wall plug into spackle, taped up dry wall hi i recently tried to put up some curtain rails and unfortunately whilst drilling have put a much larger hole and made a mess of the wall, now i need that same area to put the curtain rails on, can i put spackle into the large hole together with the path/tape and then redrill into the hole with a wall plug? will it be stable? thanks for the answers in advance i presume its an insanely novice question

Only the lightest of curtains should be hung with hollow-wall anchors in the first place, even if you use togglers (anchors with mechanically-deployed wings). Screw-in or expanding drive-in anchors are almost guaranteed to fail after a short time, and heavy or frequently manipulated curtains should be mounted into framing.

To your question, if you fill the hole well with setting-type joint compound, which is much harder and stronger than "spackle" (a rather vague term leaving much room for confusion), and then you carefully drill for a toggle anchor, you'll probably be ok.


What can I do about a gas pipe that is in my way? I have just taken part of a studded wall out for modernization reasons, but found a gas pipe right there in the middle of the aperture. The easy way round this would be to use a 'flexi hose' is this ok to do so?

As Tester101 mentioned, a flexible hose is not suitable for concealing in the wall.

Similar to plumbing that is in the way, the pipe needs to be re-routed and moved.  Depending on your location, this might be something that is permitted by the home owner or it might require a licensed technician to complete.

Unlike water where a small leak is unlikely to kill anyone, an incorrectly plumbed gas line can be deadly and as a result, unless you have experience working with gas lines, it is best and safest to call someone in to complete this for you.


Leaking joint/pipe. What product to use? Our “plumber” drilled hole in main down pipe (plastic) instead of in the ceramic main out pipe (Black). Probably good that he didn’t touch that!

Anyway, the product he used to seal the “joint” has degraded over last two months, and is now leaking. Short term, I need to re-seal. Wondering if anyone can tell me what product to use?

The flexi pipe is the out from the washing machine.

Many thanks

As others have said, fixing this isn't a "get the right stuff to apply to the join" situation, but a "completely redo the join using the correct method" situation. Your plumber did a complete hack job; you risk sewage leaking into your home, as well as backflow into your (I'm guessing) washing machine. And, any sort of caulk you apply will only work temporarily. And, what happens when you want to move the washing machine for service?

If this was done by a "real" plumber, then you should definitely get them back to do it right.

(I don't have the chops to recommend a full fix; perhaps someone else will add an answer that does.)


How to connect Nest in Europe I found a question regarding the Nest thermostat here. But that is only a question "Will it work?". Thanks to that I know it WILL, the problem is...HOW. I know the wire naming conventions are different etc, and also that there is a "OpenTherm" protocol over which thermostat and boiler are communicating.

I found a way how to supply the Nest thermostat with separate transformator power supply(24V) and I hooked up a relay on heating and it simply does not work. My question is, can Nest do this and if so, how should I connect it in order to make it work?

Check out my blog,

Humble, just trying to share my experience implementing nest on a 220 240 v system

http://usingnestthermostatineurope.wordpress.com/


Why does my garbage disposal blow "swamp gas" up the other sink? I have a generic garbage disposal, and if I run it with water it runs fine (it spins fine).  However once it spins through the water and starts spinning "air" something akin to swamp gas (looks like faint smoke, and smells like rotting) starts coming up out of the drain on the other side.  I don't think it's actual "swamp gas" (from the sewer system) coming up through, since there is still water in the P trap.

Swamp gas is pretty close actually. Most disposers have quite the bacteria culture growing inside it's mechanism. What you are seeing and smelling is an aerosolized portion of this culture ejected from the disposer by the spinning action. It can't go down the drain because it is blocked by the water in the trap. It doesn't normally come up through the disposer inlet because the air is cool and humid and dense. The typical rubber baffle also restricts passage.

Once the disposal is running without water, it is acting like a rather inefficient pump, pushing the smelly air and moisture down it's outlet. The easiest path for gas to follow from there is out the other drain.

Often, occasionally grinding up citrus fruit is adequate to keep odors in check.The acidity does slow down the bacteria, but the citrus is mainly masking the odor. Pouring a box of baking soda into the disposal will absorb some odor, and the basic (opposite of acid) environment also slows down bacteria. In addition, the powder can be left to sit for a while before it is washed away.

The only sure way to eliminate the bacteria colony is to block the outlet by removing a section of pipe and obstructing the opening with a secure plug. Fill the disposal with a strong chlorine bleach solution and let it soak for a few hours. Place a bucket under the plugged drain before removing the plug to catch the solution.

Even if you completely eliminate the colony with bleach, introducing more kitchen waste will cause another colony to establish itself eventually. It does help to only run the disposer when water is running. It helps prevent the bacteria from being aerosolized. You should do this anyway, running the disposal without water can cause it to overheat. This additional heat also enhances the smell that is emitted.


How to seal p-trap leaking at inlet My sink is leaking at the p-trap's inlet. It is plastic going from my garbage disposal into a metal fitting. It looks like it was sealed with something like petroleum jelly. I've wiped it off in this picture though since it obviously wasn't working anymore.

What is the appropriate way to seal this and prevent further leaking? Fortunately it seems I caught it earlier enough that not too much damage was done.

It is not sealed with petroleum jelly but a beveled slip washer.  You can try to tighten the nut on the p-trap where the black pvc enters the copper p-trap.  If that does not work, you will need to get a new 1 1/2 beveled slip joint washer.  Your big box home improvement stores carry them as do any plumbing supply houses.

They also make rubber washers for this fitting:

But I prefer the beveled slip washer since it works on compression.


What is the fully burdened hourly rate for an HVAC installer? While it's pretty simple to get an hourly rate that is paid to an HVAC installer, I have found it more difficult to ascertain what the fully burdened rate is.  This is the complete cost a company to put that installer on jobs, not including profit.  So this rate would include all costs to the company (sometimes described as 'overhead') that are directly related to the employee.

The value of knowing this rate is that if you are having HVAC installation work done, and you know how many person-hours the job takes, then you can get a rough idea of how a quote was built (and so how much mark-up / profit is included in the quote).

For instance, say you ascertain that the equipment and supplies for your HVAC install cost $2,500 and permits and other direct expenses are $500.  Also, you know that there will be two people on site for 6 hours, so 12 labor hours.  If you knew that the fully burdened rate was, say $150/hr, then 12*150 would be $1800.  So without markup, the total with parts and labor comes to $4,800.  Adding a fair mark-up for profit, maybe 35%, you come to 1.35*$4,800 = $6,480.  So if you get a quote for $8,000, you can back-into their mark-up of 67% and pass on the deal, as that rate is excessive.

I'm sure this rate I'm asking about varies across companies, but the question is about the rate at an efficient, well-run company. What would a reasonable rate be, or range for such a rate?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the underlying question you're asking is, "how do I determine a fair price for HVAC work?"

Unfortunately, answering that does not involve forensic accounting, as the four things that go into a price (labor, materials, overhead and profit) are all exceptionally (and surprisingly) variable. I wrote a small diatribe on that subject here: Is is appropriate to negotiate price with contractor

So, the same advice I gave on that other question applies here. Get quotes. Try to compare apples to apples. Find a contractor whose sensibilities match yours. If all the quotes come in too high, ask about what you might cut from the quote to get a better price. (Or maybe there's seasonality that can be used to your advantage.)


Shutoff in shower very tight all of the sudden I have a Symmons hot/cold shutoff in my shower. Normally, when I shut it off it goes a little beyond "12 o'clock" (more like 12:30/1:00). Anyways, I've noticed lately that it stops at exactly "12 o'clock" now and is now very difficult to turn back on. Is this because of the weather?  I live in Massachusetts and we just recently had to start using the heat. Is this normal?

Most of these systems have some type of collar/sleeve that covers the internal valve assembly.  I've seen them unsrew a small amount and begin to rub into the underside of the handle making it feel tight when turning off the valve.  I would try taking off the handle and see if you can screw that sleeve into the wall a couple of turns.


Can't remove Schlage knob I live in a 60 year old house with several old Schlage door knobs as in this photo:

There is a small hole in the collar and two smaller holes on each knob. Pushing small sharp objects in the hole in the collar doesn't release anything. Ditto the holes on the knob.

I'd appreciate any guidance about how to remove the knobs so I can tighten the assembly or replace.

Turn the knob all the way and hold it there, insert a small stiff object into the collar hole to depress the knob retention tab while pulling outward on the knob. It will slide off into your hand.


Fiberglass reinforced vinyl windows -- better/worse/same as being reinforced with aluminum/steel? My wife and I are looking at Sunrise replacement windows. They seem to be very sturdy windows with a nice lifetime warranty. I've heard that I definitely want to get some kind of structurally reinforced vinyl window as vinyl by itself is not very strong. In looking at how these windows are reinforced, the best I've come up with is this statement:

  FiberCore Plus, a pultruded fiberglass
  I-beam reinforcement that is coupled
  with urethane insulation comes with
  every door to add to the strength of
  the design.

(from here)

How does Fiberglass compare to aluminum/steel reinforcement structurally? Is fiberglass reinforcement sufficient/superior/worse? Should I be concerned with fiberglass reinforcement in any way? How will the reinforcement material impact the window's lifespan?

Note, I'm in the Mid Atlantic (Maryland).

Reinforcement is very important for vinyl windows. That said, lower quality vinyl windows always need reinforcement to help with warping. This only minimizes or delays warping due to the low quality. These include all the vinyl windows sold at Home Depot, Lowe's, and other building supply stores. Although not all those are reinforced. High quality vinyl windows won't warp but are reinforced to minimize deflection which is when strong winds hit a window causing the window to bow ever so slightly and allow air to infiltrate. This happens to wood windows, aluminum and vinyl. Reinforcement also allow the window hardware to be fastened to both vinyl and reinforcement. Fiber glass and other composite materials are used as reinforcement because they are not thermally conductive like aluminum and steel.

High quality vinyl window brands are Okna, Gorell, Polaris Ultra series, Soft lite, and sunrise. All of these windows are reinforced. However, I don't think the Sunrise window hardware is fastened to the fiberglass.


Adding 48" planks to widen a 36" bridge with no support at ends How much load can a 48" (wood) board support if it is supported in middle, but unsupported for 6 inches at ends? It is for  a 600 lb mower that must go over a wooden bridge we will are adding width to. The tires of the mower are 45" wide. Could we use 1 x 6" pressure treated decking? The weight is more on the back 2 tires. The 600 lbs includes the person on the mower. Can we get away with 1" X 6"?

Assuming reasonably equal weight distribution, each wheel of a 600 lb. mower and a 200 lb person would carry 200 lbs. Any 2x4 or wider SPF lumber that's reasonably free from large knots will suffice.

The actual calculations are difficult due to the unknown weight distribution (front/rear, tire width, tire pressure, etc.), but experience tells me that you certainly will not break 2x4 or 2x6 (or larger) lumber in that application, especially if you were to run a sleeper under the ends to tie the boards together and distribute load. I consider that overkill, though, and I'd only bother to do it if you see substantial flex in the individual boards as you roll over them.