Is running an extension cord above a gutter safe? Saw a house yesterday where Christmas light installers ran an extension cord above the gutter - see the picture below. Is that safe? I ask since I keep imagining a gutter filling with snow and, generally speaking, seems like water and electricity don't mix.

It is not terribly safe, though weaving it over/under supports as they did at least helps to make sure it won't go flying around.
Temporary installations like holiday lights are always a bit of a problem. A few things to help mitigate potential problems:

GFCI - This is probably the most important thing. GFCI is now required for outdoor receptacles but many older houses don't have GFCI in all now-required locations (aka "grandfathered").
Grounding - It should be a 3-wire cord, plugged into a functioning 3-wire receptacle (though if the receptacle does not have a functioning ground pin but is GFCI protected then that will cover most scenarios where grounding would otherwise make a difference.) Except, as pointed out by Ed Beal, if the lights are all 2-wire (no ground) then ground wire on the extension cord is absolutely useless. But I would discourage 2-wire extension cords anyway because they tend to be thin junk.
Make sure the extension cord is secured well.
Make sure the extension cord is properly rated. It should be designed for outdoor use (some are, many are not). It should be able to handle the necessary current (Amps). Any standard extension cord, by definition, can be plugged into a 15A receptacle and therefore carry up to 15A without tripping a breaker. But many (generally not designed for outdoor use, and often not grounded) are actually not appropriate for 15A usage. On the other hand, with modern LED lights, a whole house of holiday lights will typically use only a few Amps (often less than 1 Amp).
Every year before installation check for breaks in the cord. If you find small breaks but the inner insulation looks good then tape it up well with electrical tape (not duct tape). If you find large breaks or the inner insulation is damaged, replace it.


What spacing difference is acceptable with a contracted tile job? What is a reasonable difference in gaps between tiles? We just had our bathroom floor done by Lowe’s (first mistake), and I’m not happy with the outcome, AT ALL. Is this just me being picky, or should I call and complain?

I’m not sure what they can do about it at this point, other than redo the entire thing. Also, is it normal to have used a different piece of tile around the vent?

Here are more photos; some images included below:

When a professional installs a tile floor there should be no visible difference in the thickness of grout lines.  I'm not sure what a hard measurement of percentage would be, but lets just say you should be within 15%.  Thicker grout lines will give you more room for error, which is why I would use the "visible difference" standard.

Also, the level of the tiles should also be consistent.  There should not be any sides or corners that are obviously higher than the others.  The "bare foot test" is a good (and again, subjective) way to tell if the tiles are level.  They should just feel level.

Those first two are pretty basic and even a DIY person should get that mostly right on their first floor.  Another mark of a professional job is the overall layout of the floor.  Is there a really skinny tile left on the edge of the room that could be avoided?  Was a scrap tile cut to fill in behind a vent when they could have just notched a tile?  I would be more forgiving on this last category, but it is still grounds for a complaint.

You have a lot of issues here, and you also appear to have grout splotches all over the floor as well which is so basic I didn't even list that as something to look for...  You should complain.  No installer in their right mind would argue that they did a good job.  Even a "customer relationship manager" with no technical experience would see the obvious flaws here.

The only fix is to rip out and redo the floor.  Don't worry about how much that costs and how you are being "mean" to make them do the work.  You could have done a better job than this.  You paid them for a professional level job, and they make enough money (Lowes) that they can afford to eat a job here and there to fix mistakes.


Toilet water input tube getting dislodged The input water hose in my toilet tank keeps getting dislodged. The pressure of the water coming out of the hose pushes it out at the canister it should fit into. I have heard that there should be some sort of clip to hold the hose in place but I’m on familiar with the term I should use when I go to the hardware store -how do I ask for such a clip? Also I’ve been told that the hose itself may have gotten stiff over time and I could replace the hose, but how do I know what diameter? what do I ask for?  THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!

Unfortunately, there's no separate replacement clip nor specific hose. Of course, yours doesn't use a clip anyway and would only be included with a whole new fill valve assembly.

But, you may be able to remove the hose and take it to the Hardware, Automotive or Aquarium store for a replacement...a tiny bit thicker or fatter is ideal. Just be careful, you're dealing with that plastic garbage and aged plastic can snap.

Otherwise, with your situation. I've done very well with a 1/4" or more length of drinking straw, some fine sandpaper, tinfoil or just tape wrapped around the end of the hose. It makes for a much snugger fit for the hose to be re-secured in its hole.


dealing with the difference in height between 2 adjoining tiled floors I am having my kichen floor retiled. The kitchen adjoins the hall which is also tiled.  How do I deal with the difference in floor heights.  Not sure if usual threshold strips e.g. between tiles and carpet will be ok.

There are many types of tapered transitions available. Some install under the tile, like so:

Obviously the new tile needs to be higher than the old in this case. Another type is the simple beveled marble threshold:

You could also use a hardwood strip to match your home's woodwork. Your installer should know all this, though, and provide you with options.


What's the best type of underlay for bamboo flooring I am building a new house and it sits on piers. The sub-floor I am using is yellow tongue particle board.

I have just bought some bamboo floors and wondering what's the best type of underlay for it and ideally how thick should it be, as well as what should I be looking for when choosing the underlay.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but particle board is not a good choice of subfloor, unless it has gotten better over the years. (It has, at least in Australia, see edit below)I asked the question of floor suppliers and here on SE about fastening flooring to particle board with an answer that said nobody will guarantee the floor will stay in place.

Your picture of the floor was very dark, but it did look like it was 3/4" T&G nail down. If your subfloor was plywood, you can go directly over the subfloor, no underlayment needed. It looks like you may need to screw and glue down a plywood underlayment, 1/2" would be my choice, but others may have had luck with thinner, over the particle board floor to keep the fasteners in place that hold the bamboo floor.

Edit

You need to look over the install guide for the yellow tongue, it appears it can have flooring nailed directly to it. It uses some terminology in the guide that I am not familiar with. I can guess what it means, but the idea I get is that you do not need to place an underlayment over it like I originally posted. But you need to read the install guide to determine it too.


Heater will not shut off when it reaches desired temperature I am just noticing this running the heat. If I set the thermostat to 70 it will run and run and the temperature reads 70 but the unit does not shut off. If I turn it up to 72 and then when it reaches 72 bump the setting down to 70 it will shut off.  It is super cold here for Florida but I don't remember noticing this with the AC on.

I have had my unit serviced in the summer and had the pistons cleaned out and haven't had any issues since.
Thanks
AB

This may not be the answer, but here's what I make of it...

Heat pumps have a maximum temperature they can reach when it's cold outside.  It sounds like for you, this temp might be around 70 degrees.

What my heat pump thermostat will do is call for heat when the temperature drops more than one degree lower than the set temp.  So, if I have it set to 70, the heat pump kicks on at 68.5.  If the temp falls another degree or two (mine is adjustable), it realized that the heat pump can't do it on its own, so it calls for aux heat.  It normally won't turn off until the temp is above the set temp, so it would run until the house got to 71 (again, this is adjustable).

What may be happening is that your aux heat is turning on when your thermostat falls to 68, but then it turns off when it reaches 70, but the heat pump stays on trying to get the house up to 71.  That never happens - the temp actually falls back to 68 and the aux heat comes on and the process repeats.

If your thermostat has adjustable points at where aux heat comes on and when it shuts off after reaching the desired temp, you could adjust those so it does turn off.  The other option is to just switch to "Emergency heat" when its very cold outside. The heat pump won't operate and all heat will come from Aux heat.  This isn't normally what you want to do, but in extremes, it could be needed.  Right now my house in Texas is on Emerg heat because it was 15 degrees last night.


How can I measure lengths greater than 50' to a precision of less than 1/16"? Is it possible to measure a length greater than 50' to a precision less than 1/16"?

If so, what tools and/or techniques should I use to do so?

The laser measuring devices are in that range.  A 100' metal tape has temperature coefficient expansion issues.

There are surveyors metal (and fiberglass) tapes on reels.


Do I have to have an exhaust fan above my stove? My stove is smack dab next to the back door (which is easy to open and close).  Do I have to have a functioning exhaust fan?  Or can I just close it off to solve a draft problem I am having?

And same question for the bathroom.

These fans were but in by a DIY enthusiast before we bought the house.  They do a lousy job of venting when they're turned on, and they're giving me horrible drafts.

Yes, the Code requires an exhaust vent capable of a minimum for 150 cfm. (See M1507.3 and Table M1507.3)

The duct shall be metal and extend to the exterior.

If the exhaust fan exceed 400 cfm, then makeup air is required. (See IMC Chapter 5)


WIll this box hold a 35 pound light fixture? I am a first time homeowner. I removed old light fixture and will be installing a heavier 35 lb chandelier. Will this box hold the weight? I see two torx head screws about 2.5-3 inches long screwed into something hard.  Not sure if it is a stud or a ceiling joist. Please see photo The box does not wiggle when I pull on it but I am only 105 lbs and not too strong.

WIll this box hold a 35 pound light fixture?

If the screws are course thread and driven solidly into the ceiling joist the box should hold your luminaire without a problem.

You could test it by hanging 35 pounds of weight from the fixture strap for a few days.

Standard ceiling boxes are manufactured to hold up to 50 pounds if they are solidly installed.

Here is the pertinent National Electrical Code Article:

  314.27(A) (2) Ceiling Outlets. At every outlet used exclusively for lighting, the box shall be designed or installed so that a luminaire or lampholder may be attached. Boxes shall be required to support a luminaire weighing a minimum of 23 kg (50 lb). A luminaire that weighs more than 23 kg (50 lb) shall be supported independently of the outlet box, unless the outlet box is listed for not less than the weight to be supported. The interior of the box shall be marked by the manufacturer to indicate the maximum weight the box shall be permitted to support.

That is a "pancake" box so your fixture should have a canopy that adds more volume for the wire connections since there is not very much room in that box.


Ceramic tile skirting on plywood wall I've just finished wall up the store room under the stair area of my new house. The walls of the pocket door are mounted right from the floor.

I need to protect these plywood walls from damp mops when my wife mopping the floor.
My plan is to install skirting on the plywood using ceramic tiles matching the other existing walls.

I need to do this also on the plywood walls meeting the stairs.

My question is how to attach the ceramic tiles on wooden surface reliably so that they won't drop off after few months.

Even if this is successfully done, i still unsure how to protect the plywood edge near the floor.

All advices highly appreciated.

I would use mastic this type of glue sticks to plywood quite well, if you have any of the grout mix left fill the gap (you want a small gap even if you use Calking to fill the bottom gap.) I use mastic adhesive on verticle walls like this because it sticks well. It looks like your tiles are not two large and although mastic is not really for wet locations mopping won't get it saturated enough to release the tile. After grouting the tile seal it and it will probably out last you. Regular grout will stop some moisture I have seen tile on sheetrock put up this way in shower surrounds last 25-35 years before enough moisture got through from not maintaing the grout that the sheetrock failed.


How to seal the hole for a spigot through a stone wall I have a faulty spigot, which goes from the basement of the house, between two joists, to the outside.  The outside is a stone wall which is about six inches thick.

There is already a hole through the stone wall, going into the basement.  I will easily be able to replace this spigot, but I don't know how to seal up the hole.

Do I need to have a sleeve around the new spigot piping?  I don't think there is a sleeve now, but I want to do this the right way according to code.  If I put a sleeve in, how do I seal it so that rain doesn't get into the house through this area?

I tried to Google this problem, but there doesn't seem to be much info on how to seal a pipe that goes through a stone wall.

Fill any large gaps with sanded grout in the face of the stone, let that dry, then seal the outside of the pipe to the grout after it dries with Vulkem caulking.

From the inside of the house, seal the backside of the grout with expanding foam just enough to stop any air (1-2 inches deep). After that cures, fill the rest of the 3-4 inch cavity with fiberglass insulation. Most people would just fill the entire hole with expanding foam, but that makes it extremely difficult to work on it again in the future. It's a similar technique to installing new windows, first caulk, then air seal with expanding foam, then stuff the rest of the cavity with fiberglass insulation. Try not to over stuff the hole with the fiberglass, it's the best to keep it about the same density as it wants to be naturally out of the bag.

Instead of soldering the spigot directly to the pipe, I think you should solder a 3/4" MNPT fitting directly to the pipe, and then screw the new spigot onto those threads using teflon tape or thread sealant. This makes it easier to replace the spigot next time it fails. All you have to do is unscrew it, and screw in the replacement. It also makes it so you won't need to destroy your grout/vulkem/foam/insulation job down the road.


Pavers mortared to cement - how to grout joints In my front yard I have a curved walkway made out of cement. The cement walkway is about 45 inches wide and sits on top of some compacted dirt.
This past weekend I used some exterior thinset mortar (rated for outdoor use and wet conditions) to mortar concrete pavers to the walkway.
My question is related to "grouting the joints".

since I have a concrete base and no where for the water to drain, do I need to use polymer mortar to fill my joints?
Or can I get away with using a polymer sand sweeping it in the joints and watering it down?

You can use cement based grout.
Cement based  has been used long prior to polymer grouts. I haven’t used polymer or epoxy grouts outside but they work great in the bathroom.
I have used addmix in my grout but I also use this in my mortar.


Drywood Termite repellent (external) If the source of drywood termites is a second floor sliding glass door (swarming from an external unknown outdoor source), is there a good method / process to repel drywood termite?
I would like to apply a repellent to the aluminum tracks of a sliding glass door.
Two professionals have come by and only offered tenting.

There are various wood treatment products that will help prevent termites from chewing on it and setting up a homestead. Many contain copper napthenate, which soaks into the wood when brushed or sprayed on. You asked how to "repel" them, and this works on wood. If you are looking to repel them some other way, can't really comment unless you more fully describe what it is that you want to do.


How do I grip stainless steel pipes for threading? I am about to install a new central heating system powered by a wood pellet boiler. To obtain maximum corrosion resistance, I have chosen PEX pipes for the low temperature underfloor heating circuits and stainless steel pipes (AISI 304) for the remaining parts of the system.

The issue is that my vise cannot get a good grip on the stainless steel pipes because the surface is significantly smoother than ordinary galvanized steel pipe.

Therefore I ask for better solutions to secure stainless steel pipes while doing pipe threading.

You've chosen a real challenge, actually fitting threaded pipe.  Hardly anyone does that anymore.

Stainless isn't harder than other steels.  You just need to use a pipe wrench or pipe vise.  This will gouge the pipe, but that is normal in pipefitting.   If you want no-gouge, you can try rubber gripper pads as are often used on kitchens.

If you're dealing in thinwall tubing, different story.


Not sure how to change these lightbulbs. What is this lighting system? Bought a flat and found these amazing recessed lights.
The bulbs can be set to warm, cool or dim with one selector switch.
The bulbs cannot be twisted out.

What is this “bulb” of which you speak?  :)
The “multiple color temperature” switch indicates this is LED lighting.
LED is a semiconductor technology for making light.
Like most semiconductors, they are extremely reliable and do not wear out.  (Calamities do happen, but usually, they happen to the support circuitry; I’m looking at you, capacitors.)
The computer industry learned in the 1970s that when semiconductors are socketed, the socket itself becomes far-and-away the most common point of failure. As such, 99% of semiconductors are soldered to the circuit board, to eliminate that #1 point of failure.
LED emitters are no exception. They will outlast you and I, and there is no earthly reason to socket one.  (Mind you the LED fixture, or screw-in Edison replacement “bulb” which is a mini-fixture of its own, may not have that longevity... but when it fails, it’ll be capacitors in the electronic driver failing or the RoHS solder crystallizing, not the LED emitter failing.
So there is no reason for an LED emitter to be removable.
In particular, noting that the color temp switch is outside the emitter area, it goes without saying those things are hard-wired to each other.


Why is my touch sensitive switch leaking voltage? The setup:

I have a 2 gang touch sensitive switch which has a live feed coming into it from mains light circuit, which also goes on to feed the switch above too (same 2 gang touch sensitive switch but dimmable).

Connected to the 1st gang of the initial switch is the live wire for the outside lights (3x 6W LEDs) which works fine. Connected to the 2nd is the live wire for the plinth lights (20x 2W LEDs) which causes a problem. All the neutral wires are bundled together (4 of them - feed from main light circuit, feed to 2nd dimmable switch, outside lights, plinth lights).

The plinth circuit switch just turns the power on/off to another mechanical switch under the worktop which the plinth LEDs are always plugged into.

The problem:

With both the touch switch and mechanical switch off, the LEDs are off.

When we turn the mechanical switch on, LEDs stay off.

When we then turn the touch switch on the LEDs come on.

But when we turn the touch switch off, the LEDs flash every few seconds (building up current in capacitor somewhere and releasing periodically).

Even with the touch switch turned off, there seems to be 150V hanging around at both the mechanical switch terminals and the touch switch live wire (only plinth circuit).

Attempted solutions:

We switched the outside lights and plinth lights live wires to the opposite switch gangs, the 150V seemed to follow the plinth live wire and the outside lights worked fine still, so there doesn’t seem to be problem with the switch (as first sight).

We added a suppressor circuit (just an LCR circuit from maplin we read somewhere tends to fix LEDs flashing due to induced current), but it just added another capacitor to the circuit and it flashes twice - at different brightnesses. (We added this to both the mechanical switch end and the touch switch end, both same results).

We wired the exact same circuit to another mechanical 2 gang switch instead of the touch switch and now everything is working fine... So maybe there is something wrong with the touch switch?

We read somewhere about adding a fluorescent bulb to the circuit to draw the excess current and stop charging the capacitors bur that seems like a silly work around.

We had an idea of adding just a resistor to get the same solution as above, or maybe a relay instead?

Does anyone have any ideas of what could be going wrong with the touch switch or possibly with the plinth lights circuit itself? Or possibly any solutions anyone can think of?

At this point we've fixed it by just using a mechanical switch but it's bugging us as to why the 150V is leaking and why it is following that particular circuit, we'd like to use the touch switch to match the dimmable switch.

Any help in ideas much appreciated.

I'm guessing your switch does not have a dedicated neutral connection.  The switch needs power in order for the touch sensor to operate. Without a dedicated neutral, it acts as a high-resistance device and leaks power back over the other hot connector.  With incandescent bulbs, there is not enough power to light them up and you don't notice this, but with LED and fluorescent bulbs, the voltage leak is enough to power them partially. The flashing is due to the ballast.

The only way to resolve this is to either use incandescent bulbs or replace the switch with a model that has a dedicated neutral connection -- assuming your electrical box where the switch is also has a neutral available.


I am replacing my countertop and sink. How do I choose a new sink that fits my existing plumbing? I am going to replace my countertop and sink, but the installer wants me to buy the sink first and then he will make the appropriate cut outs for it.  Then I will need a plumber to install it.

How do I know how to buy the right size sink so that my plumbing wont need major work?
Or, should I just buy whatever kitchen sink I like best and then have my plumber make adjustments?

Here are some pictures:

Plumbing for a sink is fairly standardized.  The only thing you need to worry about is if you get a significantly deeper sink which pushes you below your drain line.  Since you're also replacing the counter, there's no need to worry about finding a sink that will cover your existing sink area.

Edit: Looking at the picture, I think you've got a good several inches lower that you can go before you will run into any issues with the drain.  I believe I see flex lines which means the plumber doesn't even need to solder any connections.  Note, because you have electrical and plumbing so close down there, please be sure that this outlet is on a GFCI breaker.


Temporarily marking up a polished concrete floor I live in a house with polished concrete radiant-heated floors. They're not polished to a shine, but they do feel very smooth. I' d like to apply a decorative pattern to the floors with some sort of paint or tape.

The first step would be to lay down something temporary, like masking tape, that can be easily moved or removed after a few days or weeks without leaving a permanent mark. I understand that many tapes can leave a residue, so I'm looking for a recommendation for a product that can be removed cleanly.
The second step will be to replace the tape with a more durable tape or paint that will last a few years, and stand up to light foot traffic. (This will be inside a private home, and most foot traffic will be barefoot or in socks.) After several years, I will want to be able to remove it and restore the floors to their original condition. It's ok if this takes several hours of focused cleaning, but it shouldn't require re-polishing the floor, and I definitely don't want to risk any dye soaking into the concrete, if that's even possible.

Are there products that will reliably meet these criteria?

EDIT: according to a video on cleaning concrete floors, "concrete is a reactive surface - you don't want to put any acidic or highly alkaline [cleaning] products on the floor." I'm not sure if that helps narrow down the options - maybe an acid-free "archival grade" tape?

G tape

  Nichigo G-Tape 3040BK/WH is a high performance self-adhering flashing tape used for sealing around openings and penetrations in exterior walls. G-Tape 3040 is constructed with a unique combination of high density polyethylene cloth (HDPE) is laminated with low density polyethylene (LDPE) and proprietary acrylic adhesive. The functional PE cloth provides easy handling features such as, dimensional stability, high tensile strength, and high weather resistance. The acrylic adhesive sticks well to rough surfaces at both low and high temperatures (-4 ~ 190 degree F).

It's amazing stuff, I used it to tape a tear in my fabric tonneau cover right on a spot where it folds. After 3 years I pulled it off and replaced it just because I thought I should.


How do I install the trap for a standard bathroom sink? I have an open 1.5" drain pipe in the wall. I just need to redirect it through the (currently non-existing) drywall and put in a trap. What is the proper way to do this? Do I just put a 90 degree EL on the pipe?

Also, I noticed that most traps are 1.25" instead of the 1.5" of drain pipe that I have. Do I just step my drain from 1.25" to 1.5" and call it a day or is there some special way to do this properly?

Is PVC or some other material preferred? What else do I need to take into consideration?

There are many ways to assemble the new drain. Assuming the 1 1/2" pipe is threaded:

1) screw an 1 1/2" ABS female adapter to the pipe.

2) using a short piece of 1 1/2" ABS pipe, glue an 1 1/2" ABS slip X slip elbow on, so it ends up facing out towards where the new trap will be.

3) glue a piece of 1 1/2" ABS pipe of appropriate length into the elbow (longer is better, you will be cutting this back later). This will be the pipe that protrudes through the drywall.

4) install drywall.

5) buy an 1 1/2" ABS P-Trap assembly, the "slip-joint" type (it will come in a complete kit).

6) install bathroom sink.

7) pre-assemble and dry fit everything, measure 3 times, cut once!

8) cut 1 1/2" abs pipe back and glue on the 1/1/2" ABS male adapter that came with the P-Trap kit.

9) assemble P-trap and adjust to fit. Your sink drain pipe (tailpiece) may be 1 1/4" but the P-trap kit comes with reducing nuts/washers to accommodate.

10) have rewarding beer for job well done. No leaks = no worries.


How to raise bathroom floor ~8" I am remodeling a small (6'x5'), 2nd story bathroom accessed from a landing that is 1 step (~8") below the upstairs floor level, and I want to bring the landing and bathroom floor up to the same level as the rest of the upstairs. I am trying to determine the best way to construct this "double-decker" floor so that it will be solid and still accommodate plumbing (supply lines and drains for a toilet and sink).

Toilet and sink will be relocated in the slightly enlarged space, so I need to pull up the existing plywood subfloor to access the drains. Would it be better to replace the plywood before installing the next layer of joists? Should the new joists run perpendicular to existing joists or is it better to use a parallel arrangement aligned with the existing joists?

Links to examples or best practices would be helpful as my searches are only turning up information about adding an additional subfloor layer (e.g., plywood over plywood) or building a raised floor over concrete.

Well if it was me I would simply use 2x8s just like regular floor joists, running perpindicular to the existing floor joists, and plywood subfloor above that. Modern dimensional 2x8 lumber is actually 1.5" x 7.25" so if you use 3/4" plywood it would be exactly 8" tall.


have power at outlets and lights, with only hot connected from panel..,, whats going on? I was replacing only the supply wiring running from Electrical box to a existing circuit in my kitchen, which starts at an wall outlet and branches to lights and other outlets.

I first connected the hot wire, with ground and neutral still not connected.. and just for testing purposes, I turned on power, and to my surprise, the lights turned on, and outlets have power, I cannot see why they should be on since I still have not even connected the neutral and the ground wire from the Electrical box to the circuit.. so I am confused as to what where there must be some kind of ground? or a short between ground and neutral?

So basically my kitchen has power at lights and outlets, but with only the black hot wire connected to the branch from the Electrical box. It has metal conduit/boxes.

Any help is appreciated.

The circuit is finding a path back to source. At some point along the circuit there is a connection to another neutral, or someone connected the ground and neutral and the current is returning through the metal pipes.

The only way to find whats causing it is to start opening each outlet, light, and junction box until you find the shared neutral, or neutral to ground connection. You should correct this because an improperly shared neutral can cause that neutral wire to over heat.


What is the proper name for a solid French Door? I was looking to get some interior doors installed in my home. What I would have called "French Doors", i.e. two doors the swing open from the middle of the frame.

However, as I was talking to my superior wife, I was informed that French Doors have glass and are not solid. Having studied engineering and architecture in my youth, I was surprised to have such a fundamental misunderstanding of the term...

In fact the faithful Google machine tells me:

  French door: a door with glass panes throughout its length.

To corroborate itself, when I do an image search for "French Doors" they all appear to have glass.

So my question is, what is the name for doors that operate in the same style as "French" ones, but do not have glass in them?

Edit for clarity, I am referring to doors that operate like the ones circled below.

Or for the more visually inclined; like this, but without the glass panels.

From http://architecturaltrust.org:

Double Doors
Two adjacent doors that share the same door frame, and between which there is no separating vertical member. Double doors are often referred to as “French doors”, due to their preponderance in French architecture.


Can I attach heavy glass enclosure to plastic shower The shower surround is attached to studs but where the heavy glass enclosure should attach there are no studs. Is there some kind of anchor I can use to attach to the plastic only?
Thank you!

Glass shower enclosures are typically supported by the walls and specifically studs in the walls. Often they will be attached through the shower surface (tile, granite, etc.) if it's structurally sound. Glass is heavy. The biggest issue is typically with the door because it is hinged (suspended) on one side. Some of the weight of the door can be offset with metal framing around the glass enclosure and the door. However, the door must be fastened into a supporting wall stud and preferably a double stud.
The short answer here is No! You don't want to try to mount glass directly to a plastic shower enclosure. You need to get a professional involved here if you haven't worked with this before. If it's not mounted properly it can be dangerous.


How do you finish carpet on the landing at the top of a hardwood staircase? If I'm installing hardwood treads and risers and removing carpet from the stairs, what do you do with the top or landing if you have carpet on there now? Would you just have the carpet wrap over top to meet last riser?

You could wrap the carpet to meet the final riser, or you can install a landing tread.

It completely depends on your preference.


How can I floor my loft without compressing the insulation? I want to board over my loft for storage, but before I do I ought to improve the insulation which is very old and thin. My UK house is 105yrs old so the rafters are not as high as the recommended thickness of fibreglass insulation.

Adding chipboard direct to the rafters will compress the insulation and reduce it's effectiveness. Do I really have to faff around with yet more bits of wood to raise the boards up further?

How much heat is lost through a double layer of cardboard boxes full of junk, anyway?!

The UK DIY store B&Q used to sell 'Loft Storage Stilts' for this purpose.

Image courtesy of http://loftstoragestilts.com/ used without permission, but hopefully attribution is enough

Alas they no longer seem to be selling these, so you may now need to contact the the original manufacturer or seek out alternatives.

A google shopping search found another similar product.


Paint bubbling and peeling on a steel door I have a steel front door, behind a solid glass storm door. It gets so hot that paint bubbles and peels. Any suggestions?

I'd bet on "poor preparation/paint job" (given that preparation is 90% of a good paint job.)

If you wanted to, you could use a high-temperature paint such as engine enamel (typically good to 450F or more) (no need to go for the exhaust-manifold paints unless your doorframe is charring, I think.) I strongly suspect that's not really needed; you could put a magnet on a thermometer and stick it to the door to get a reading for what the temperature actually is some sunny day.


Can I leave an open port when using push-in connectors? This question made me aware that push-in type connectors are available and got me thinking about using them in an upcoming rewiring project.

I have three types of junctions in my rewiring project where I personally would find this type of connector to be a valuable time saver.

Join 6 wires together
Join 5 wires together
Join 4 wires together

Note: Any junctions where more than 6 wires need to be joined will be joined using terminals and I would still prefer to use wing nuts for junction points where 3 wires or less need to be joined together.

Do I have to buy 6-port connectors, 5-port connectors, and 4-port connectors, or is there a safe, permissible, and legal way to just buy a bunch of 6-port connectors and only use the terminals I need (e.g. some kind of rated "plug" that can be inserted into the wiring ports that are unused).

Leaving open ports is fine. They make smaller sizes for space considerations. Combination packs are available, though they are more expensive when not bought in bulk.

Ideal's Twister® wire connectors(p.3) have specifications for the minimum and maximum numbers of wires. Their In-Sure™ push-in connectors(p.15) are only limited by the number of ports and will accept "any combination of #12-18 AWG solid and stranded copper wires".


What kind of wax to use on birch/pine wood? So I am completely new to any kind of woodworking (as in this is the first thing I have attempted), and overall I am very newbie to doing stuff.

So right now I have a birch wood panel, with 2 pine planks on the side and a heavier wood plank on top (meant to be a sort of shelf to cover an area). I should have thought about keeping same type of wood but this won't be visible much and won't be used except to put some light things on top.

The front view will look something like:

_____________
|===:===:===|
|===:===:===|
|===:===:===|
|===:===:===|

the | on each side are the pine planks
: are smaller birch wood peices
= are horizontal birch wood planks
and _ is the heavier wood (oak?) on top.

I am going to glue/screw stuff together. Will be sanding down the birch wood peices since they have wax/finish on them.

This brings me to my question - After I put all that stuff together, how do I put wax/finish on all of it. It will be covering an old/ugly radiator cover so it will be near radiator (but it won't be incredibly hot since it's not that close to it and there is plenty of space for heat to escape).

I am looking for minimum effort/cost but I want to make sure that the finish won't get ruined after 1 heating season.

Just to re-iterate there is already a metal radiator cover on top of radiator, so I am not afraid of wood burning or anything like that. This would sit on top of the metal cover ~half an inch space between metal cover and wood).

Ok, so you need easy finishing options:

Let's start with wax since you mentioned that. Paste wax is probably the easiest option, although many waxes and wax/oil blends will work. You could also try beeswax, butcher's block wax, or even paraffin. For any wax that's too firm, try mixing with mineral spirits or mineral oil and applying some elbow grease. Wax and oil provide minimal protection and are easy to put on.
Oils are similar to waxes in that they are easy and nice looking, but don't provide much protection. Boiled linseed oil is a good choice if you don't mind the yellowish color. Both waxes and oils are easy to refresh if they ever lose their luster.
Another easy choice is a wiping varnish. If you like the look of wax, these may work too. You can buy one or make your own by mixing polyurethane (glossy) and mineral spirits (25%-50% mineral spirits). Wiping varnish is easy to apply. You wipe it on, let it soak in for a minute or two, then wipe off the excess. A cotton rag is best--paper towels will leave fibers behind. A couple of thin coats will give you a nice natural look and some protection. If you want a glossy look and more protection, add a few more coats, maybe 5 total. Do a quick rub-down with 600 grit sandpaper or super-extra-fine steel wool between coats.
other oil/varnish/solvent blends are also in the same ballpark as wiping varnish. Watco danish oil is an example of one that's basically a wiping varnish with some additional oil. It goes on just like a wiping varnish, but leaves a softer finish. This means it offers more protection than straight oil, and less than a straight varnish.

If you're applying this to an assembled piece like you mentioned, something too viscous may be annoying to get into the crevices. The simplest solution to this is more thinner (mineral spirits), and fewer coats. If you're using mineral spirits, take precautions to keep the fumes out of your lungs (mask, ventilation).

There are other good choices too, like water-base or spray-can-laquer, but the ones I have listed are probably the best combination of nice looking and easy to apply for a beginner. If the heat is not extreme, I think any of these will hold up OK. I didn't mention stains or dyes because you didn't mention wanting to color the wood.

For a deep dive into this topic, I have found "Understanding Wood Finishing" by Bob Flexner to be an invaluable resource. That book, plus experience, accounts for most of what I know about finishing.


What would be the best tuck pointing temporary alternative? I have a brick home and I am seeing a lot of spots that are missing mortar.  It was not obvious at first, but we have had a bit of an ant problem and I tried to figure out where they are coming in from and that is how I started to discover lots of holes.  We can not really offord to have the house repointed right now, but would like to stop the bugs and I am also thinking it will be good for winter coming up to fill these holes up.  Is there anything I could use, like masonry caulk, that would be effective but not mess things up for when we do want to have the tuckpointing done?  Should I just use some mortar instead, even though the bond will not be as good without properly clearing away old mortar?

It sounds like you're asking how to apply a temporary fix to missing mortar. Honestly, filling in the holes is already 50% of the work. You might as well clean out the failing mortar first and do the job right.
Proper tuck point repair does not require significant skill or investment:

Cut the failing mortar joints with an angle grinder.
Remove the mortar with a rotary hammer or just a chisel.
Clean the joints.
Apply new mortar with a trowel and tuckpointer.
Clean errant mortar off the bricks

But if you really want to skimp on the job, you could skip removing the old mortar and just add new mortar to the major holes. Then when you're ready you can cut out problem mortar as described above.


Should I replace bathroom OSB subfloor with plywood? Before we begin, English is not my first language so my terms could be a bit wrong.

Considering I'm planning to install 1/4" concrete backer-board over the sub-floor before tiling it again, is OSB okay as a sub-floor or does it have to be plywood?

I'm in the process of remodeling our upstairs bathroom in a condo unit. What is there now is a 3/4" OSB sub-floor (over which tile was directly installed). Before we bought the condo, the toilet leaked and got shaky (and unusable, as it wanted to go through the floor; fortunately, there was a joist just underneath to support it); it's dry now but the OSB sub-floor around where the toilet was is completely rotten and has to be replaced.

I believe the original contractor who built the house did a sloppy job in there, 1st by installing OSB in the bathroom instead of using plywood and 2nd not putting any backer-board before installing the tiles and 3rd by the way the spread the thin-set under the tiles (the "curvy/old" way).

OSB was an idea introduced in the late 1970s and caught fire in the 1980s.  After a few decades of use, compared to plywood, OSB just does not hold up as well. You would have thought wood manufacturers would have learned from manufacturers of plastics, and moved toward fiber-mat combination for strength and durability... guess not.

I have observed plywood homes which have solid (but squeaky) sub floors which are several decades old and still in excellent shape.  On the other hand I have observed sub floors which are OSB and just a few years old and crumbling into their original configuration (saw dust).

Environmentalist may very well like OSB but for wet applications, its not desirable.  In wet applications mold, mildew and rot are the constant battle. Bathrooms in homes are just not configured to deal with these issues, Bathrooms in residential construction don't disperse water/humidity from the air, and usually have very little air movement, most being tied to only one register outlet of the central air system.  It helps if one keeps their central air system fan in constant "on" mode as opposed to allowing it to cycle off.


Replacing 3-way switch in 4-way circuit with an occupancy switch - not working correctly I'm trying to replace one of the 3-way switches in a 4-way switch circuit with a 3-way occupancy sensor.

Here's my current wiring for the occupancy sensor:

And here's the current wiring for the other 3-way switch

I haven't touched the 4-way switch.

Before I changed any wiring, the black screw on both 3-way switches was connected to the black wire.

Here is the current behavior of the circuit:

When occupancy sensor is OFF:

4-way switch does not function
If the 4-way switch is in the OFF position:

3-way switch does nothing

If the 4-way switch is in the ON position:

3-way switch works, but only if I switch it slowly. If I switch rapidly, it only works every other time the switch changes.

When occupancy sensor is ON:

3-way switch works properly
When the 4-way switch is switched, the lights flicker off while the switch is in between positions.

Any thoughts on what I've screwed up with my wiring?

You generally have 3 conductors in a 3/4-way switch loop, and you can't misuse ground as a conductor.    That leaves Only two ways to do it (short of a relay and low-voltage wiring):

Smart switches in the auxiliary locations

Obtain smart switches designed to be "remotes" for the main motion sensor and interact with it electronically, either using 1 wire as a data line, or wireless via power-line signaling or radio.

Very lucky topology

This can only work, if

supply power comes in to the light, the switches are all one spur, and the motion sensor is in the first box.
supply power comes into the same switch box as the spur to the light, and the sensor is in that box.
the essential interconnections are in conduit, and you can pull more wires.

Otherwise you'll have a spot where you need 4 wires, and you only have 3 in the walls.

Your sensor needs three wires coming in: always-hot, switched-hot from the switch, and neutral for the light's current return.  The sensor doesn't need neutral, but the light does, so inevitably neutral must come back this way.

http://www.lutron.com/TechnicalDocumentLibrary/369488.pdf

It does not support a 3-way switch.  It supports a plain switch which switches between 'open' and always-hot or switched-hot. If it is placed in one position and the one other position was a 3-way switch, then they have you rewire the 3-way to be a plain switch.

Since you have two remaining positions with manual switches, those two positions must together emulate the behavior of a plain 1-way switch.   They way you do that is the classical 3-way circuit.  The 4-way switch needs to be swapped out for a 3-way.  Which you happen to have spare. However, if supply to the light also travels the switch wires, you'll need 4 wires in that segment:

always-hot for the smart switch
messenger 1
messenger 2
neutral to return current from the light

This is one more than a traditional n-way, installed with the usual 14/3, and you can't retrofit a consuctor.

This does work if your topology is just right: the two remaining physical switches are on a spur.  In that case you won't need to carry lighting power (i.e. The neutral) between switches and you'll have enough wires.


Upgrading from 100 to 200 amp load centre with 100 amp service shutoff I want to upgrade my load centre panel that currently has a 100 amp main breaker w to 200 amp one along with the 100 amp service shutoff. The main is about 20' from the inside 100 amp fused shutoff connected with NMD-7 3/3. The meter base is outside on the opposing wall of the shutoff and is rated 200 amp.  The shutoff and meter base are connected via conduit so i can't easily see the wire gauge.
Do i need to replace the NMD-7 3/3 wire?
Can i replace the main panel with a 200 amp and change the 100 amp service shutoff at a later date?

You can use a 200 A panel with 100 A service with no problem; it's done quite regularly. You can just put a 100 A main breaker on it (saving the 200 A one it may have come with for later). A lot of times the 200 A panels are cheaper, have more slots, and/or are just physically bigger (easier to work in), which is why they are used even if the service is less than 200 A.


Turning a Shed to Gym I have bought one of those rent to own sheds to covert into a gym.  We are looking to finish the inside with either sheet rock or wall panneling.  I am not sure of the steps.  I know I need to insulate bc I'm in Ga and to be able to handle the weather it needs insulating. My question is what is the best to use and do I need to do the vapor barior.

Ok look, you live in the south like me and I am an insulation company owner in the south.  So a few options.  If the building is wood...do not use spray foam unless your attic space is designed for spray foam.  Essentially a spray foam building has attic spaces designed for the moisture removal.  And most buildings are not designed for this.  If your attic is air conditioned go for spray foam.  If not then you need to stick to the guidelines of your construction.  If you have metal walls then you need a vapor barrier with a 1 inch minimum gap between the metal and the vapor barrier and the wall leads up to a ventilation exhaust out the roof.  Then place your batten insulation in the wall and use what ever wall medium you wish (paneling, drywall, whatever you wish).  The air gap between the exterior wall and the vapor barrier leading to a roof vent is the key as that removes moisture and condensation as well as adds to the R Value of the insulation you install.   For a 4 inch 2x4 wall you need R13 and no more as stuffing an R19 reduces the effectiveness to R11.  So stick to the wall cavity recommended levels. R11 is a 2 inch wall, R13 is a 4 inch wall, R19 is a 6 inch wall, R30 is a 10 inch wall.  Hope this helps as Im a pro!


Should I frame a closet prior to putting in hardwood flooring? Putting hard wood flooring in my office but want to also put in a closet. Should I frame the closet first, or put in the flooring and then frame on top of it?  Thanks!!

Walls first, then floor.  Otherwise, if you ever need to remove the floor, you'll be forced to leave some of it in place to hold up your walls (or take the closet out as well).


Will walnut work for an office table? I am looking at getting a walnut butcher block table for an office because the dark color will work well with the existing color scheme. The maker offers a choice of "natural oil finish" and "varnique semi-gloss" whatever that means.

However, I have never used walnut before. Are there are any gotchas I should know about with walnut? (like odor or allergic reactions)

I currently have an oak butcher block desk and the only problem I have had with it is that where my arms rest on the edges of the desk there are dark spots that appeared after about 6 or 7 years of use.

Much beautiful furniture has been made of Walnut over the past centuries. I see no reason why it wouldn't be an excellent choice for your table.


How do I open this light fitting? These fittings don't have any obvious affordance for removing or opening them.

Any ideas?

Try twisting the ring around glass part, or twisting the entire thing.

I suspect it's just the glass bit.


Changing Out Receptacles Hello I am changing out your standard electrical receptical

with a USB one

However, the issue I am running into is that the USB receptacle has a body that is larger than the junction box in the wall that the wires feed into.

What options do I have to use my USB receptacle, but have it mount flush with the wall?

And if it matters, I am East Coast USA

In this situation I usually remove the existing boxes completely and replace them with blue plastic remodeler boxes. These mount to the drywall using wings that fly out when you run the screws in.

By taking out the receptacle and moving the wires aside you can see how the old boxes are mounted. Often there are there are nails passing through the inside of the box. Pry those out or cut them off and gently remove the box. Carefully trim the drywall to fit the new remodeler box, and secure it using the mounting wings. You'll want to pull the cable into the new box before you fit it into the drywall.

This type of remodeler box has limited space for the receptacle's mounting tabs, so you may need to trim the ends of the mounting tabs to fit in the available space. If you don't do this they can keep your trim plate from laying flat against the wall.


Water from bathroom basin taps flow changes Please firstly excuse my stupidity if this is a simple matter..... But I wonder if someone could tell me why the flow of the hot water reduces when I turn on the cold tap (they are separate, although the same happens with the kitchen mixer tap)?  Might this be due to the configuration of the pipes.... I thought that the sources were different, with the hot needing to go through the (combi) boiler, but the cold not having anything to do with that.... Of course, I know nothing much (at all) about these things :o/

Also, there is some kind of nasty black build up inside of the taps themselves, which I attempt to remove but gradually builds up again.
This is 2006-built rented property of rather dubious construction in some aspects, so I suspect that a half-hearted job has been done overall..... The landlord is not any help and I am not a DIY-er where plumbing is concerned.  I purchased new taps but he will not fit them and besides, I do wonder if the problem is somewhere in  the piping....?
The water from the supplier is not contaminated.

I hope someone can help or advise me; I have brushed teeth with bottled water for two years now :o(
Best wishes.

Since the hot water's flow rate depends on keeping the boiler pressurized, and this can only happen by feeding cold water to the boiler as you draw hot water, the total flow rate is limited by the flow rate of the cold water feed to the house.  You will see a similar reduction in flow rate if you open both the bathtub and the bathroom sink's hot (or cold) faucets, or any combination of separate water valves in the house.


How to properly lay Tatami mats I'm thinking of building a Japanese style room with Tatami mats in my new flat. Now I strongly suspect that this is not as easy as simply buying mats, having them delivered so I don't have to carry them 20 floors up, and placing them on the floor, but I couldn't easily find a tutorial either.

Do I need to place something below the mats to provide air flow, or is that a bad idea?
Are there common mistakes?
Is there a noticeable difference between "standard" and "premium" mats?
Is there an English language tutorial showing correct procedure that I may have overlooked.

I plan to circumfence the room with bookshelves, and the mats would ideally be flush with them.

I wouldn't know, but I did some brief poking around & found some items you might find useful.

I'll summarize what I gleamed to answer your questions:

The Real (see 3rd bullet point) Tatami just goes right on the floor with nothing beneath, Tatami's are made to breathe. From an old Blog Wood Used Under Tatami Mat, scroll 2/3rd's down to 2004/8/10.
Just not fitting them tightly & Etiquette of the room & of the Tatami. See YouTube video Japanese Tatami Room Etiquette
I didn't run across anything about Standard or Premium. But, Standard would seem to have a synthetic foam core & Real Tatami or Premium has a rice straw core. You'll have to ask the manufacturer, dealer or retailer about Standard's floor treatment or breathability.
I didn't see any tutorial, but the video in Bullet Point 1 gets into it a little & there doesn't seem to be much of anything to it beyond throw them down & butt them tight.
I did find something on cleaning though. See YouTube video Tatami Tips.


Can't remove single handle shower handle I have a Delta Monitor Multichoice 13/14. Removed the hex screw but handle will still not come off. I tried all kinds of twisting and banging on it. Some people suggested rotating the handle past 180 degrees which i tried with some light force but do not want to break the assembly at the same time. Is there something I'm missing or are the pieces most likely corroded together? I'm assuming they were not glued together.

Confirming from the fine manual it appears you're on the right track-- remove the set screw then pull.

You may be able to use a faucet puller tool for slightly more leverage.
If there is a buildup of mineral deposit or corrosion you may need to use a chemical to loosen the threads.


Should I be concerned about water spilling behind tile wall? I recently attempted to replace a single handle shower valve (cartridge and all). During removal of the assembly, there was water remaining in the pipes after I had shut off the main. The water leaked out and fell down behind the tile wall of the shower. Should I be concerned about a one-time water spill behind the tile? Is there anyway I can clean it up? The only access is the approximately 6" hole cut in the tile for the valve access.

This should not be a problem. Just make sure to leave the cavity open long enough to let the wet spots dry out.


Powering 2 switches from 1 switch, legal? (not 3-way) Ok, so I have a dimmer that controls a light in an alcove. I'm adding built in cabinets and adding LED strip lighting on the back side of the trim. The LEDs will be powered by a UL rated dimmable power supply. This will be mounted in the cavity between the ceiling and the false ceiling of the built in cabinet as will the driver for the Halo remodel canless recessed light. The cavity is about 6" tall. I'd like to be able to switch the LEDs and the recessed light separately. However, the current switch panel is a 3-gang and no room for a 4-gang to run an additional wire and switch.
What I'd like to do is use the existing switch for the recessed light to power 2 separate single pole switches in a 2 gang box in the ceiling of the cavity, accessible by pulling the canless light out. The power from these would then go to each respective driver. I'd use wifi switches so using them day-to-day would be no hassle. I know its a little weird, but is this ok to do?

I purposely left out a big piece of information as I really didn't want to add another visible switch. While I probably could have used my original idea, like I said, I knew it was weird. I also began thinking about the wifi switches and the fact that when the master switch was turned to on from off that those switches may or may not default to their last on/off setting. Possibly always starting as off, requiring turning lights on from app each time. At the very least always causing a delay in the lights turning on. I hadn't yet filled the drywall work from when I first added the recessed light. Also I didn't want the switch in the closet. Contacted Lutron, no dual LED dimmers, no plans to make one. Thought about tinkering with the Maestro dual dimmer for incandescent/halogen and adding a resistor to the load, but its just more trouble than its worth.
So I gave in, and just added another switch.
Thanks for all the help


Finding replacement for antediluvian lock I would like to replace an internal lock on the cupboard door in my flat. The lock is very old and I struggle to find a similar type in B&Q. I can mostly find locks that are to be mounted inside the door not on the side, like the one I have. I'm looking to learn the following:

Does this type of lock have a proper name so I can search Amazon, eBay and find something similar?
Judging by the provided dimensions, is anyone in position to suggest a potentially suitable replacement?


Are splices made with insulated cable connectors required to be inside a junction box? I have a need to splice a 6/3 romex and 4/3 romex in my attic.  It would look something like this:

4/3  |-- (6/3) new destination
-----|
     |-- (4/3) original destination

I am looking at purchasing the following connector:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UKGG0C6/

The current breaker is 70amp.  I will downgrade that to 50amp because of the 6/3 wire.

I have read conflicting reports on whether these connectors require a junction box or not.  Can someone please give guidance?  Please cite any references rather than just opinions!

You'll need a box, and a pretty chunky one at that

Splicing wire this large is indeed done with insulated mechanical splice connectors like the one you linked -- you will need one per wire, and a torque screwdriver or wrench, marked and calibrated in inch-pounds, to install them properly.  As to containing the splices, you will need something larger than a normal junction box -- in fact, what you need is called a pull box, and needs to be sized according to NEC 314.28(A):

  (A) Minimum Size. For raceways containing conductors
  of 4 AWG or larger that are required to be insulated, and for
  cables containing conductors of 4 AWG or larger, the minimum dimensions of pull or junction boxes installed in a
  raceway or cable run shall comply with (A)(1) through
  (A)(3). Where an enclosure dimension is to be calculated
  based on the diameter of entering raceways, the diameter
  shall be the metric designator (trade size) expressed in the
  units of measurement employed.

  (1) Straight Pulls. In straight pulls, the length of the box
  or conduit body shall not be less than eight times the metric
  designator (trade size) of the largest raceway.

  (2) Angle or U Pulls, or Splices. Where splices or where
  angle or U pulls are made, the distance between each raceway entry inside the box or conduit body and the opposite
  wall of the box or conduit body shall not be less than six
  times the metric designator (trade size) of the largest raceway
  in a row. This distance shall be increased for additional entries
  by the amount of the sum of the diameters of all other raceway
  entries in the same row on the same wall of the box. Each row
  shall be calculated individually, and the single row that provides the maximum distance shall be used.

  Exception: Where a raceway or cable entry is in the wall
  of a box or conduit body opposite a removable cover the
  distance from that wall to the cover shall be permitted to
  comply with the distance required for one wire per terminal
  in Table 312.6(A).

  The distance between raceway entries enclosing the
  same conductor shall not be less than six times the metric
  designator (trade size) of the larger raceway.

  When transposing cable size into raceway size in
  314.28(A)(1) and (A)(2), the minimum metric designator
  (trade size) raceway required for the number and size of
  conductors in the cable shall be used.

Given that you are splicing in this box, and that a 4/3 W/G cable is equivalent to 4 4AWG THHNs (actually a bit less due to the ground being bare, but lets ignore that for now) or 212mm2 of fill, which barely fits down most types of 1" conduit, we wind up needing at least a 6" square box, and likely something more like an 8" square box.  Fortunately, a NEMA 1 pull box of that size (such as this) isn't too hard to get one's paws on -- your local electrical supply house should definitely be able to get one in for you.

Grounding the pull box, by the way, will require you to use either:

a four-way insulated mechanical splice for the ground wires as well as an 8AWG copper pigtail from the insulated splice to the green ground screw in the box.
or a ground bar in the pull box, attached to the box where the green ground screw goes, with the ground wires landed on that.


How do I easily separate unglued PVC pipe from joints? I've been retrofitting an existing PVC irrigation system around my house. Part of that work requires that I work in shallow holes adding T joints and elbows in places where there were none before. In an effort to measure twice and cut once, I've been assembling the system without glue to make sure I have the layout correct. More often than not however I'm running into issues separating the slip joints and pipes despite the fact they aren't yet glued.

What's the best way to separate these joints? Should I be applying some sort of lubricant beforehand (that won't affect gluing later on) or is there a trick beyond forcing things? With too much force I'm afraid I'm going to break pre-existing joints or mangle the existing fittings.

The best lubrication I've found is some good ol' Elbow Grease™.

Actually, you should measure the proper lengths and just cut. Then glue it up and install. You can mark on the PVC how far it should go into the fitting if you want to be really precise. However PVC itself expands and contracts a lot with temperature change and is fairly flexible anyway. So, in my opinion,  being extremely precise doesn't mean all that much anyway. Also, The solvent melts the PVC surface to weld them together, so the fittings will likely fit differently while gluing, thus making the dry-fit method even worse than just measuring.

Another solution could be to mark how far in the fitting the piece should go and lay them next to each-other in that position, even tape them together, to check your layout. That seems pretty time-intensive, though. I still think it would be better to just measure accurately and double check your measurements.


Raised oak grain after 3 coats of acrylic polyurethane I'm refinishing an oak table top.  Got it sanded down smooth, stained, then applied 3 coats of Benjamin Moore Stays Clear acrylic polyurethane, lightly sanding between coats.  But after the 2nd coat I didn't sand much because I was afraid it would damage the finish.  My 3rd coat went on like glass, but now that it's dry, the wood grain is quite raised. Is there anything I can do at this point to get the wood grain smooth again?  I think, after reading, that I should have sanded more in between coats, but that's water over the dam now.  Thank you for any help.

A common mistake with water based poly is application that is not thick enough.

Give it a light sanding then apply a final heavy coat (or two) and it should come out beautifully.


What should I know before plastering a concrete pool? These two videos do not make it seem extremely difficult to replaster the pool for, say me and a friend:

Swimming Pool Plastering Process (YouTube)

Marble Dusting A Pool Also Known As Pool Plastering (YouTube)

Seems that I can rent all the tools from Home Depot?

What should I know prior to making the move and buying that plaster (I am thinking DiamondBrite for about $20 for 80lb that each cover 25 sq ft, unless you advise otherwise)?

It is a concrete kidney shape pool of about 2K sq feet that just took an acid wash.

After reading a great article by Richard J. Kinch, I can break down "difficulties" to several stages:

Choosing or making/mixing you own plaster
Old plaster is no eager-to-bond, hence needs either a "bonding layer" or to be taken out in places where it's loose
Mixing plaster and water with no lumps
Delivering mixed plaster to a pool
Managing the time between mixing and applying
Splitting pool in less risky to more risky/difficult sections to learn gradually
Avoid "hot" joins [related to "timing"]
Striving for a uniformed thickness

These are just the few. Any others you would suggest? Or maybe solutions to the above.

Having done some plaster, but only on interior walls (not drywall, real plaster), and some finish concrete and masonry work, I have to say that the most useful thing you can do is build yourself some sample surfaces and try to learn there.  Actually hardened materials are a major pain to remove, and will look awful if you do a poor job.

Remember that a great deal of the strength in the surface comes from the chemical reactions (including oxidation) in the materials.  Therefore, you really need to have the moisture levels right.  A big challenge when plastering is making sure that the underlying layer doesn't suck the water out of your mix, which will cause the layer you're putting on to fail (because it's too dry when setting up).  Mist the surface carefully: too wet is just as bad as too dry.  (Ask me how I know.  Go ahead, ask ;-))

The remark from DMoore is also right: a smooth appearance over the area is quite important.  Building some guides that allow you to check for high and low spots when you're still wet will make your life easier.  I haven't done anything nearly as large as a pool, but this made my life much easier in large sections of wall that needed to be repaired in a historic building.

I watched the old-timey pros do some plaster over a brick wall in my last house, and it appears to me that the trick for seams is to have the assistant mixing batches to time thing just so.  That way, the edge of the work you're just finishing is still fresh when the new mix shows up, and you never really have a definite seam (this is the "hot joins" bit you mention).  Of course, to make this work you basically have to do the whole job in one go.  Hard to do, if it's big enough.  If you're doing this for the first time, I think planning to do this with only two of you will result in not being able to do that.

Do not neglect keeping the work clean as you go.  You can make a pretty good job look like total crap by having stray bits of mess hanging around, and hardened Portland cement is very hard to clean up.  (You can do it with polishing and so on, but it's way better to get as clean as close as possible in the first place.)

If you can find some smallish and nice finish-concrete or finish-plaster problem to try doing first, your hand and eye with the trowels will be way better when you get to this much bigger job.  If you can learn to love wavy bits in your finished work, then learning as you go might be ok.  But if you can try to learn in some smaller jobs first, I bet your life will be better.  I wish I could go back in time and re-do the first ceiling re-plaster I did, because I could see how I got better as I went across the ceiling (I was out of time because my wife wanted me to cook something rather than butter the ceiling some more!).

Good luck.


Single pole/single throw switch turns one light on and one light off I have a single pole, single throw switch which controls a ceiling light, no pull chain (light A) and (unnecessarily) a wall light, with pull chain (light B). When the switch is in the OFF position, light A is off and light B can be turned on with its pull chain. When the switch is in the ON position, light A is on and light B is off, regardless of the state of its pull chain.
Is this most likely to be caused by a short? Or is there a proper wiring configuration that could result in this behavior? I am alone and can’t isolate the circuit to pull out the switch, but that will be my next step (I can see a few wire nuts are in its box so it is possible there is misconfiguration there)

Someone tried to tap light B off at the switch-end of an old-school switch loop
The behavior you're describing is symptomatic of a relatively common wiring error where someone looks in a switch box, sees that there is a black and a white wire in it, doesn't pay attention to the fact that both wires go to the switch, and connects a second light across the switch at that point, assuming the white wire in the switch box is a neutral.  However, in an old-style (pre-2011 NEC) switch loop, it's not a neutral; instead, one of the wires carries power to the switch, while the other wire carries the switched-hot back up to the light, with neutral nowhere to be found in this picture.  (It terminated at light A in your situation.)
So, you'll have to either abandon the old feed for light B and feed it from somewhere that has always-hot and neutral (such as light A's box), or replace the run from the switch to light A with a /3 cable to bring neutral to the switch for use by light B.  (The latter also has the nice side effect that it brings the switch wiring up to the "new style" standard set by NEC 2011, where switch loops are required to bring neutral with them for use by dimmers, timers, sensors, remote-control switches, and other such "smart" gizmos.)
Why does it behave that way, though?
If you're wondering why this error yields the symptoms you're seeing, simply draw the resulting circuit out:

Hot goes to the junction of one side of the switch and the "hot" side of light B (which has a switch built in)
The other side of the switch is joined with the "neutral" side of light B and the "hot" side of light A
And the "neutral" side of light A is connected to neutral

As it turns out, the two lights form a series circuit, which explains the curious behaviors you see.  In particular, with the switch off, any attempt to turn light B on puts light A and light B in series, which will mean that the bulb with less resistance lights up more; with fancy LED bulbs, you get either dim glows or flickering from both bulbs, as you have observed.  Once you turn the switch on, you short out light B, which explains why light B can't turn on any longer -- the lion's share of the current is taking the express route to light A via the closed switch, instead of the congested road through light B (and its switch).


What should I do about this possible mold I found under paint? I live in Austin, Texas, which is important in that we don't receive much rain, and it's not very humid.

I was peeling paint off of the old drywall, and found what appears to be mold on the bottom of one of the exterior walls of my room. Some of it is beneath a window, but some is offset two feet or so on the other side of the same window.

Some of it coincides with what I believe to be old termite damage. It's clearly been patched, and the infestation is definitely inactive.

My suspicion is, since it's an old house, that there is no vapor barrier, and the mold is the result of condensation. I suppose it could also come from a leak in the window. The previous homeowner blew in insulation, and my understand is that without a vapor barrier, that can cause some condensation problems.

Is it worth it for me to just tear out the drywall, add a vapor barrier along just the one side of the room, and then insulate it? Or should I use some bleach to clean up the mold damage, cover it over with some Kilz, and paint?

The damage is clearly old -- probably around a decade. But now I'm thinking, well, I've got the paint off the wall, might as well. But I also have a tendency to take projects too far, so I could use a second opinion.

IMO you are making several leaps here that don't fit.  You've got mold below a window, spread out about 2 feet on either side, and you suspect condensation as the culprit.

You specify that the damage is old - years old by the look of it.  Condensation happens every year, every season.  Why would the damage be old, it should be fresh if it's condensation.

Finally - if condensation were the culprit, the condensation and thus the mold would be uniform. Water leakage through a window, however, is going to fan out below the window in both directions...

The answer is your window leaked at some point - years ago by the sound of it since the damage is old.

Solution?

Remove and replace ONLY the section of drywall that is damaged.  Do not add a partial vapor barrier as that's about as useful as putting in an aquarium with only 2 sides.  Mud and tape properly and repaint.


GFCI Problem with Three-Way Switch WAS Two Switches Neutrals Only, Switched Hots Not Used I replaced an old two-prong receptable with a three-prong GFCI (no ground) yesterday. It won't reset. I found out that "downstream" there is a light on the next level down that is controlled by two switches, one at the top of the stairs, one at the bottom.  The original receptable is fine (resets, green) as long as that light is not turned on. As soon as it is turned on, the new GFCI receptacle trips.

Now for the weird part. I open the light and it has two cables coming in, each with a black, white and pink wire. I assume (not a great idea) these are one cable each from the two switches, and that based on the color they are hot(black), neutral(white) and switched hot (pink). I would have assumed the light fixture's bulb holders would be wired with the switched hots (combined together) as hot (to the bulb holders' black wires) and the white neutrals should be combined and attached to the white of the bulb holders, but they're not.  Instead the neutrals (really I should say "white", 'cause who knows what they are) from one cable is fed to the hot of the light holders, and the neutral of the other cable is attached as neutral.

Does this make sense? I just bought the house, and the light and switches worked until I installed the GFCI, and the GFCI I just installed doesn't work either.

I would have thought that the pink switched hots should be combined and attached to the hot (black of the bulb holders)  Of course, if it were that simply, why was it not that way already?

Edit:

Edit2:
When I took the switches out of the boxes so that I could take pictures, not disconnecting anything, the upstream GFCI would not reset, even with the switches open. When I put them back again, it would.

Again, it all worked before I changed the two prong outlet upstream with the GFCI.  That is the only change I made.

When I looked in the 2nd switch box a second time I noticed there were some bare wires, maybe grounds I had not seen before.

Is it possible all this is about a ground or a neutral?  If so, how do I track it down?

Edit 3: Addl pics as requested

Edit 4:
Add pics of the "unrelated" switch, per request. See below.

Bottomline, if I can't figure this out shortly, I'm in trouble with the wife, so I bought another standard, non-GFCI receptable so shortly I'm going to install it. I don't have a ground, but the box is metal and the cable is armored, so I think the receptacle is grounded. I gather I can test by seeing (carefully!) that I get 120V AC across the hot and the box? And if I don't, it's not grounded?

Edit5: Adding pics of the missing junction box!! Great catch.

From your description it sounds like you have the intelligence to understand this stuff, but are simply lacking certain nuggets of information.  You'll want to read up a lot on "switch loops" and particularly "3-way switches".  It will all make sense pretty quickly, then.

Oh, and one more thing that's a bit harder to uncover:  In America, wire colors do not have firm meanings.  Green always means ground.  White or gray always mean neutral, unless marked or in switch loops and messengers - the goal being to build the necessary circuits with readily available multi-wire cable even though it's the wrong color.  "Hot" lines are everything else - including marked whites and (implied) switch-loop whites, and there is no official standard of how to designate certain types of hot. (however in commercial facilities, consistency is required.)


What's best to use in a sawzall to cut steel pipe? So our new place came with an old antiquated huge satellite dish in the yard. Getting it down wasn't much trouble, but I'm stuck trying to figure out how to get the big steel post it sat on out of the way.

The original plan was to just sawzall the thing down below ground level, cover it up, and forget about it. Except this thing pretty much just laughs at my sawzall while the blade just tickles it.

So without having to potentially dig multiple feet down to dig the whole thing out, can someone recommend a better blade? It's my first time trying some longer than usual Diablo steel cutting blades you see in the image.

Or would I need to find a buddy with welding gear? I could swear I've cut stuff worse than this before with the sawzall so I'd prefer to go that route if possible.

EDIT : So far I've found that the Diablo Steel Demon DS0908BFD AND The Diablo Diamond Grit "Cast Iron Cutting" blades were pretty much worthless against this thing. I sat there for about 15 minutes with the diamond grit blade expecting something and got nothing but disappointment. Pipe 1, Sawzall 0 :(

It will probably be 3 to 6 hours of non-skilled labor (neighborhood kids?) to dig up the concrete and remove the whole assembly.  Don't cut the post off:  it will help wiggle out the base.

Dig a hole immediately to one side of the concrete base of a convenient size.  (There is no need to dig all around it.)  A post hole digger works great.  Make the hole at least as wide (front to back) as the concrete so you can tip the concrete into the hole.  The hole need not be as wide (left to right) as the concrete; only enough to detach it from the surrounding soil.  The concrete depth should be at least 36 inches below the frost depth, but that is hard work and most people would go 24–30 inches and call it good.  (Also note that link says a standard parallel-sided hole is not desirable, but most installers use an auger or post hole digger so it is unlikely to be pyramid shaped.)

The block of concrete will weigh up to 250 pounds, so no need to be polite and dainty when trying to move it.  Roping it to a heavy vehicle, tree, boulder, etc. and jumping on the line would not be overkill to gain sufficient force.

Once it is out, use a sledgehammer or blunt end of a splitting maul on the concrete to break it off the pipe and into easy-to-carry and easy-to-use pieces for trimming a garden, driveway fill, etc.  Then you'll also have a sturdy pipe to build a fountain, chime, etc. too.


Recurrent cracks in brick wall There are recurrent cracks in the brick wall shown in the image.  The cracks have approximately equal width along their length.  The cracks appeared within the first year of construction of the house. The cracks were then  repaired but keep reappearing in the same location.

There are no other cracks similar to these anywhere else on the other walls of the house.  The only other cracks are shown in the image in orange below the basement windows.

The wall shown in the image has a length of around 40 feet and is south facing.  Any ideas on how to solve this cracking problem permanently in a practical and aesthetic manner?

In light of my comments above I would propose treating the crack as a "control joint". These type of joints are added in large spans of masonry to control were the material cracks Side walks and large stucco walls are a good example of this.

Since your wall has already found its' least path of resistance to crack, I would have the joints that are cracked, cleaned of masonry cement totally by chiseling it out and saving as much as possible for later use. Set backer rod in the left over void pushed in to the depth of half the width of the joint and caulk the joint. You must use a high grade of caulk close to the color of the mortar to start. It will still not look right since the caulk is a solid color and the masonry cement has small subtleties that will make the caulk look bad. This is why the old cement is saved. Grind it up mortar and pistle style to get the cement in a fine grain state again, then dust the wet joint with the dust before it "skins over". If it skins over, it will render the dust unable to stick and tone the color of the caulk to the adjacent cement.


Ground wire is hot, drop ceiling carrying current? I am no electrician by any means but I have ran thousands of feet of wire, hooked up receptacles, lights, hot water heaters, breakers, etc... the average things with never an issue. I ran some new recessed lighting in a old basement. 4 lights 2 switches to be exact. I first ran a wire to each switch from desired ceiling location of first can and then the same with the other switch. Each switch is running 2 lights. 1 located in back of room one in front (so they can dim lights separately). I then ran a wire from each switch to a junction box in ceiling from hallway from here I ran a home run to main box and added a new 20 amp breaker.

I went to go hook up dimming switches and the first set I hooked up no problem... walked to the other side hook up my neutral, hot and then while I hooked up my ground it popped the breaker. I sat there dumbfounded for the better of 30 minutes trying too determine what went wrong. I hooked everything up excluding the ground and it all works but the moment the ground from the 12/2 going to light touches the ground going to the junction box it fails me. I then started further testing and found that my chirper will go off anywhere on that side of the room if near the drop ceiling rail. I know this is quite scary! Its not until I touched an old junction box in the ceiling with my hammer at the same time as the drop ceiling rail did I realize it was actually live. Ive spoke with a few knowledgeable electricians and they said it was most likely an old issue sending residual current back through the ground.

If this is in fact a great possibility then how and where do I start too look and solve this grave issue? If not, what is the next plausible issue?

Note:  In new junction box I just connected black/black white/white ground/ground. In breaker there is a shared bar with both ground and neutral wires connected.
Inside the can lights there is quick connectors that I cut and used wire nuts but I have rechecked this several times and everything seems correct.

It sounds like there's an ungrounded (hot) conductor shorted to ground somewhere. Finding the short is likely going to be a tedious task.
Check your work
Did you install grommets or clamps, where the wiring passed through knockout holes in boxes? If not, start by inspecting the wiring where it passes through the knockouts. The edges of these holes (especially on thin recessed lighting boxes) can be quite sharp, and can easily damage cables and wires as they pass through the hole.
Check all your connections, making sure nothing came into contact with ground or non-current carrying metal. This can sometimes happen when wires are pushed into boxes, so check for loose or pulled out wires.
Inspect cables/wires where they are supported, especially where supported by metal staples or clips.
Check existing work
Start by turning off each breaker in the panel one at a time, while monitoring the voltage on the drop ceiling rails with your non-contact voltage tester. When the voltage goes away, you've found the offending circuit.
Once you know which circuit is causing the problem, it's time to start the tedious task of locating the fault.  Do your best to trace out the circuit, and determine all the equipment on it.  Open up all outlets and equipment, and inspect the wiring inside.
It may help to move along the circuit, and disconnect the load conductors (the conductors feeding the next junction) at each junction. Then energize the circuit, and check for the voltage again.  This can help you isolate the problem, and will help you focus on the problem wiring. Once you find the offending part of the circuit, methodically inspect the wiring. Checking for damaged wiring, loose connections, improper wiring, etc.
Unless you get really lucky, you're likely in for a long tedious search. Good luck.


What should I replace this broken condensate line connection with? This is on the condensation hose coming off of a 3" PVC pipe which I think is an exhaust for my HVAC system. The tube runs to a little electric pump on the floor that sends any collected water to a nearby drain. It looks like maybe a Brass PEX fitting reducer?
I measured with calipers and the OD of the bolt is 0.9", the OD of the PVC it screws into is 1.1", and the OD of the tubing is 0.42"
Does anyone know what I'd replace this with?

That is a simple brass hose barb.
I'd carefully unscrew it from the pipe, being sure not to twist and damage the PVC. Then I'd take it to my local hardware/big-box store and purchase one in a matching size.
If you have enough slack in the tubing, I'd also cut it off an inch or so below where the barbs are stuck in it and bring that to the store. I'd use it to ensure the barb end of my fitting went into the tubing.
If you don't have enough slack in the tubing, and, based on that angle and the fact that the brass fitting broke, I think you may not, I'd either:
A) Buy a short run of tubing and another double-barb fitting to patch the two together, or
B) Buy enough tubing to run to wherever this is supposed to go, but without stretching quite so tight. i.e. buy an additional foot or so more tubing than you currently have to relieve the strain on the fitting.
If you don't have any, pick up some white Teflon™ thread tape while you're at the store.

Put 1-2 twists of thread tape around the threads of the fitting (wrap clockwise, just like you'll screw the fitting in.
Tighten the brass hose barb into the PVC fitting (make sure you cleaned out all the old thread tape first). You'll want to tighten it firmly, but not over tight. Check back later for leaks (since this is a condensate drain) - if you see any leaking, give the fitting another 1/4 turn or so until the leaks stop.
Push the new hose onto the new barb end.
Connect the new section of hose to the old section with the double-barb connector (if necessary).


Whole house filter/water softener affect water pressure? Since moving in we have some issues with the water pressure in our house.  I have adjusted the water pressure coming into the house and measured it at around 60psi (originally was set to around 35-40psi). That helped with the initial low pressure but is still very low when using multiple fixtures.
For instance, I cannot run the hose outside to water the grass and take a shower at the same time without the pressure at both outlets suffering tremendously. Or washing machine and kitchen sink. I get that doing these will cause lower pressure, but it's pretty significant.
Inside the house, the main water line comes up from the basement floor and runs directly to a whole house filter and then through a softener before running to any of the fixtures. Both the filter and softener are Morton brand if that matters. All plastic tubing.

Either or both can affect the pressure.
Pressure gauges on both sides would show how much, (if checked while water is flowing through) and in the case of the filter should be there as an indication that it's time to change the filter element. Have you tried that yet? They do require regular replacement (or cleaning, depending on the type of filter element.)
Water softener typically would have less impact, though it's also odd (or frankly poor plumbing layout) to have the hoses on soft water in most cases. Perhaps one specific hose outlet if the water is so hard it leaves spots when you rinse the car, IF you even wash your car at home. Hard water is generally better than softened (with sodium) water for watering plants.
The other element that can commonly affect this is pipe sizes (and/or partially closed valves.) Most water softeners (that I've met) have 1" inlet/outlet, but it's not uncommon for the installer to cheap out and use smaller pipe to connect them, which causes a restriction and pressure drop in use.
It's also possible that the PRV/pressure regulator may be of inadequate size, or have a filter screen of its own that needs to be cleaned. If you have a pressure gauge on it, check to see if it's dropping there (before it even hits the filter and softener) when your water use increases.


Wiring a switch/outlet combo device and GFCI I have a two-gang box where the first device is a GFCI and the other is a switch/outlet combo.  (switch on top controls a fixture elsewhere, and a standard outlet at bottom which should be always on.)

There are two pairs of wires coming into the box. Can anyone point me toward a diagram of the correct wiring in this situation?

First you must determine which of the two cables entering the box is the power source, and which goes to the light fixture. The one with the single wire that goes to the dual device without any wire nuts is probably the cable to the light fixture, but the way to tell for sure is to disconnect the hot (black) wires of both cables and test them with a volt meter.

If you want the GFCI to protect all the outlets, but leave the light on if it trips, wire it like this:

Break and remove the tab between the two hot terminal screws on the dual device.

Use a wire nut and a white jumper to connect the white wire from the power source to the white wire to the light fixture, and to the silver LINE screw on the GFCI.

Use a wire nut and a black jumper to connect the black wire from the power source to the brass LINE screw on the GFCI, and to one of the switch screws on the dual device.

Connect the other switch screw on the dual device to the black wire to the light fixture.

Use a white jumper to connect the silver LOAD screw on the GFCI to the silver outlet screw on the dual device.

Use a black jumper to connect the brass LOAD screw on the GFCI to the brass outlet screw on the dual device.

If your GFCI outlet doesn't have LINE and LOAD terminals, or if your dual device doesn't have four screw terminals, then you have unusual equipment and this diagram won't make sense. In that case, modify your question to describe your devices.


How to add insulation to a hollow core exterior door? During some renovations to my house and I removed some wood-paneling and uncovered an exterior door. The door faces west, so it gets the late afternoon sun and in Phoenix, the door gets hot.

Typically, I wouldn't be concerned about an exterior door but it's a hollow core door which lets in a lot of heat.  I can't afford to replace the door with something that is solid, yet, so I'm trying to figure out a way to provide a bit of insulation to it.

The door looks like this:

While we will not be using to enter/exit the house at this time, we'd prefer to leave the door somewhat accessible.  This is eventually going to be the main entry door into the house, but if we aren't able to insulate it at this time as is, then we'd consider covering it again.

Since it's hollow core, I know it has the honeycomb interior so using spray foam would be really difficult.

I was thinking about purchasing some rigid insulation foam board, attaching it to the door, then attaching a piece of wood on top of it.  My reasoning is that it would give a bit more protection from the heat of the summer and the cold in the winter.

Does anyone have suggestions on how I could insulate this door?

I think you've hit on the easiest solution. Putting in a layer of insulation board and then boarding over the top of that is the approach I'd take.

If you don't want to use the door then you can just put insulation right to the frame and board over that to hide the door completely. However, if you want to be able to use the door then you'd have to leave enough space at the edges so that the door could open without catching on the frame.

Insulation board is quite light so you'll probably be able to glue a frame to the door an inch or so in from the sides and then put the insulation in that. A piece of hardboard glued or tacked over the top will keep the board in place. This will mean that there is still some heat leakage around the sides but nowhere near as much as through the entire door.


Insulation inside HVAC duct (and related issues) Should I be concerned with the fiberglass insulation batts the former owners of my home stuffed in an uncapped end of our rectangular HVAC duct?

I noticed this set up when investigating rat/mouse infestation where they've clearly burrowed in the Batts in the ceiling of my unfinished basement.

My solution was to remove the soiled insulation, cap the duct, and put up new batts.

Is that a reasonable solution?  Ultimately I'm concerned about the health risks but building/safety/damage is a close second.  I have consulted a pest control company as well.

Your response was fine. The previous owners were probably trying to cap the duct, but didn't realize that fiberglass insulation is air-permeable.


Bought a US appliance and powered directly off Aus mains, is it boned? Hope this is on topic for this stackexchange.

I recently bought a lamp from the US and had it shipped to Australia. Stupidly I powered it straight off the mains through an adapter. The device is rated at 120V 60Hz and Australian mains are 240V 60Hz. The lamp turned on for a split second and wouldn't power on at all after that. The device has a fuse in the back of it that appears to still be whole, the manual says this should be replaced if the lamp no longer dims correctly.

Have I written off the device or is it possible that it has remained intact? (I know it is impossible to say definitively but some information would be of great help)

Does the device have a transformer or similar internal electrics?

If so there's a very good chance you've burnt it out. The fuse only protects against excess current - not incorrect voltage.


How to correct possible subfloor l/360 deflection under live load, when basement below is finished Installing porcelain planks 6"x 36" with 11mm thickness, in main floor Living room that was previously carpeted. House is 2 story town, 13yrs old.

Room size across W 18' x Length joist span of 11.8'(below shows end of joists are sitting directly over steel support beam, directly under in room below shows ceiling joists span of 11'4"rest on steel beam) ,S.P.F. 2x8 joists, 16"oc, cross braces. According to-Deflector Cal. is L337

Subfloor
is 5/8" OSB possibly T&G, some unevenness, dips and joint lipping more on large area on one side by patio door entry. No bounciness but does not feel as stiff as should be for large tile. Alot of squeaking and creaks even though applied several screws on all seems only lessened somewhat. I am now at this point.

I will add  1/2 or 5/8 plywood perpendicular. Then follow with a membrane like Ditra and then tile.

But advised now of possible Deflection L337 but I can not get to floor joist thru basement to sister any joists,  as room is finished ceiling. How do i accomplish this correctly. Am I on borderline deflection or do I need to do more to fix this, other than stiffen with another layer plywood running perpendicular?

Appreciate any input,
thx
Jake

Typical requirement for US building codes is l/360 live load deflection limit. So it is not quite accurate to classify this as a correction if the design deflection is l/337.

If the finish material requires a stiffer floor, then a structural change is required for aesthetics and or performance, but not for structural safety. Structural modifications will normally require selective demolition of finishes whenever structure is not exposed.

The options are:

install the tiles with l/337 deflection and live with the possibility of aesthetic and or performance issues.
expand the project scope to modify the structure.
select a different floor finish.