How do I go about installing a subpanel on wood paneling that's mounted to a concrete wall? I've been reading, researching, watching, and preparing to install a sub-panel (which I'll be having a licensed electrician inspect and sign off on before going live) and I think I know how to go about doing it, but I have great respect for this very dangerous work and always make sure I know what I'm doing before I do it.

I'm not sure the significance of my situation here, but it is different enough from most information I've found across the interwebz that I wanted to ask about this specifically.  I'm in VA btw, and VA still uses NEC 2011.

Here's what I think I know: Panels can't be mounted directly against a wall in a damp location (basements can be considered damp); the ground and neutral are bonded in the main box but MUST be isolated from each other in a sub-panel; the actual box of the sub-panel should be bonded to the ground bar; if a panel is installed in the same structure as the main breaker, it does not need it's own grounding rods (but if it's a detached structure, 2 copper grounding rods 6' apart are required); if a panel is installed in the same structure, it does not require it's own main breaker (and if it is in a detached structure, a separate breaker to power down the sub-panel is required); for 80 AMP panel, 3 Gauge NM-B, or 4 Gauge copper THHN is required (this is the size that I'm planning).

And here's how I'm thinking this should be done (packchures for reference below):

The wood paneling is secured to "studs" that are nailed to the concrete with masonry nails.  Between the "studs" (I'm not sure if they can actually be considered studs so, quotes) is Styrofoam insulation.  And since Styrofoam catches fire if you just look at it the wrong way, that worries me just a little.  I'm not sure how secure the "studs" are so I figured it would be best to simply go right through them, and into the concrete with some masonry screws to secure the plywood to the wall.  I'm thinking 4 screws on each side.  Then mount the sub panel onto the plywood, and run metal or plastic (not sure if it matters) conduit out the top of the sub-panel, 90 degree it to the left, then 90 degree it down and then one more 90 degree to go left again towards the side of the main breaker box.  There are two 2 x 4s on either side of the breaker box, and I am guessing it would be okay to just drill through it as needed to install the conduit into one of the punch outs.  Where I do this will depend on where an appropriate size punch out is, but I'm hoping to do it near the bottom of the box since there's no clutter there.

Once all the hardware is mounted and ran, I'd then pull whatever wire I'm using (probably THHN, would be best?) and connect the two hots to either bars, and then neutral to the bar that's floating and the ground to the grounding bar (I believe I might have to buy one).  Some of the videos that I've watched mentioned a green grounding screw that might be on the bar one would use as a neutral bar and that it needs to be removed (I think it bonds the bar to the box).  And then I simply put whatever breakers I want/need in the sub-panel and run that wire as needed (which won't be far, this panel is just for the room that it's in).

I feel like I'm either doing something wrong, forgetting something, or maybe doing something harder than it needs to be.  But my goals are to do this safe, and up to code.  So please advise on what I'm looking at and what I'm planning so that the electrician will only have to come once!

Thanks!

Putting the plywood up makes a great base for a panel , I usually only use 1 anchor in each corner about 1" in from the edge. You can screw directly into the stud or furing strip since you plan on spanning 2 studs you don't have to go into the concrete wall. Then use screws to anchor the panel, your plan sounds good to me.


What can I use redundant/spare AGM batteries for? In my off-grid cabin I currently have a single 258 Ah (C24) Concorde PVX-2580L battery, with a 150 Ah spare (and generator) for backup situations where the main runs flat.

As I frequently see the voltage drop below 12.1V (i.e. the 50% mark) in the winter time, I have bought a pair of 2580's to double my available energy. These are of a different age and series than the one I currently have, and as one is not supposed to mix different AGM batteries on the same circuit, I am now exploring how I can make good use of them.

One thing I just came across is DC-DC chargers, such as this one from Victron. That would allow me for 120$ to charge a battery using the new batteries. That would effectively create a new circuit, so it would easily be under-utilized, if I didn't use that circuit much. I would also need to find space for the behemoth battery the 2580 is :)

Any other input on how I could make good use of the redundant batteries?

I would not charge a battery from other batteries; that is insane because it creates conversion losses for no good reason.

However, when one battery is charging, it is fine to tap that energy to charge another battery, using any of a variety of methods.  Like any charging, this should be a proper charge controller, not just a diode array.

You don't want to be in a situation of leaving a battery partially discharged for any longer than necessary, because that ages a lead-acid battery.

Lead-acid batteries are a perishable asset

A lot of people, especially who live out in the country and have barn space, don't throw stuff out.  They keep it around forever, on the logic that it "saves having to buy it again".  Do not do that with lead-acid batteries.  A lead-acid battery dumped in the back of the barn for 5 years will be dead as a stone when you go to use it.

Your only options for "surplus" batteries which are still working is a) sell it promptly to someone who can put it to work, or b) put it to work yourself.

So either get rid of it right now... or modify your system to make use of its capacity on a daily basis.  Every battery is an addition, because discharge wears lead-acid batteries, and the rate of wear is an exponential function of discharge depth.  Draining 2 batteries to 55% full is much worse for total-cost-of-ownership than draining 3 batteries to 70% full.

"Spare for when one runs flat" is also a fail

Similarly, the idea of running one battery pack dead, then switching to the next pack, is a bankrupt idea as far as total cost of ownership. Running a lead-acid pack to failure is absolutely brutal on service life of the battery.  A car starting battery is destroyed by 5-10 dips to dead.  A battery specifically for solar is destroyed by some dozens of such dips, and worn/damaged/capacity reduced by every single dip.

Again, for best use of the batteries, you want to pull them down as evenly as is practicable.  80-100% won't matter, so pull A to 80%, then B to 80%, then C to 80%, then A to 70%, B to 70%, C to 70%, etc.

Even better, have a smart battery merger/controller that blends all packs together, drawing them down equally; however this requires some intelligence - diodes alone are not enough.  (Also diodes take a bare minimum 0.2V drop and most diodes are more like 0.8% -- that's 2-6% of total battery capacity being wasted in heating up diodes.) A manual string of switches (B on, A off) would be more efficient.

Physical topology is also a consideration

If your house is spread out, and 60% of your load is in one place, 25% in another place and 15% in another place... it may be better to distribute your packs around the house so that the batteries are near the loads, rather than "wheeling" (hauling) 12V over long distances.  Voltage drop bites 12V very hard: with only 1/10 the voltage of 120V, it has 10x the voltage drop, which means 100x the power drop. You can end up losing a significant fraction of battery capacity to wiring losses, unless you're up on the ought-sizes of wire.


Are there alternatives to a traditional dimmer switch? I have just had some 230V GU10 LED downlights installed in my living room (by a professional) to replace a traditional pendant fitting.

At the same time, we added a (mechanical) dimmer, however it gives off a very audible buzz from the switch and the light fittings on anything but full.

The light fittings and bulbs are all rated as dimmable, and the dimmer is specifically designed for mains-voltage LEDs, I'm told that this is an unfortunate by-product of using a mechanical dimmer; every dimmer switch I've ever owned has given off an audible hum, but not to this extent and never from the light fittings as well as the switch. There is a second adjustment fine-tune pot on the back of the dimmer, however this is for adjusting in case of flicker, and does nothing but "shift" the hum to different brightnesses.

So, my question is twofold: is the above valid? Are there alternatives, like some kind of switch with 3 positions (e.g. off/low/hi) that may not give off the same hum?

As far as I know humming is produced mainly in the core of inductions (coils, transformers) built into dimmers and voltage converters.

Unfortunately all of these 230V LEDs have their own voltage converters, with dimmeable LED's usually sensing the phase cut angle and adjusting the LED chip current accordingly. So you probably may not overcome the humming inside the LED itself. Maybe the only way to have humming free LED light is to use LED bulbs without any current shaping electronics (e.g. 350 or 700mA LEDs) and matching PWM dimmers.

As far as the dimmer is concerned, there are products from Osram, Tridonic and others that are fully solid state electronics, well encapsulated and shouldn't produce humm by themselves. They work on bus systems (DALI, 10V, KNX/EIB) as well as on tap switches.

Regarding off/lo/high ... Ledon produces a LED bulb with "double click" feature, where you use an ordinary on/off switch to switch between off, 30% and 100% ... I saw it in operation recently - very sexy ... other manufacturers are following - search the net for "double click light"


What alternate ways are there to get into a garage when you don't have the opener? I am locked out of the garage without a remote opener.  There are no windows and no doors to get in.  What are some ways to open the garage door without breaking down the door?

Typically, garage openers have a release pull that hangs down from the track.  When closed, this release will be close enough to the door to get if you drill a 5/8 inch hole about a foot under the where the opener attaches to the door.  Fish for the line with a wire coat hanger and then pull to release.  It will take a couple of tries but you should be able to do it.

Once open, go to your hardware store and get a garage door quick release lock and install it into the hole you just drilled.  In the future if you have a power outage or a failed garage door opener you will be able to get back in.


Drilling a hole as near as possible to a corner I want to run a few new wires through my apartment, and for that I need to drill some holes through the walls (10-20mm diameter). Due to aesthetic considerations and cable bent radius I want them ideally to be right in the corner at the ceiling.

Unfortunately my drill has a size and this allows me to get not nearer to the wall than maybe 7cm.

Is there any method/trick for drilling a hole ideally directly in the corner of a ceiling?

A flexible drill bit should do the trick.


Evaluating possible early breaker failures I'm leasing a commercial space and I have concerns about the breakers and electrical space. All the lights in the space are switched by the breakers, so the breaker box gets visited at least twice a day. The breaker box is located indoors. To my knowledge, the breakers are not overloaded (e.g. 10A on a 20A breaker).  I have heard crackling noises from the breaker box, and have called the landlord to have it fixed. (The landlord is responsible for everything but the light bulbs).

One breaker was replaced and relocated. The faulty breaker had signs of lots of arcing at the contacts with the bus bar, and the contacts looked corroded. Replacing the breaker didn't eliminate the crackling sound, and the bus bar contact was corroded as well. The breaker was relocated to an open slot. I could still hear faint crackling, but the service person could not.

I will admit that the sound is faint, and I can practically only notice it with my ear 3-4 inches away from the breaker box, and I can't localize the sound to a specific breaker. I've noticed some intermittent minor flickering on the lights as well that let me identify the crackling breaker. I would like it to be fixed, but I'm concerned that I don't have enough sufficient evidence to convince people there is a problem.

I suppose this means that I have two questions:

Should I be worrying about these symptoms? (am I being paranoid?)

What evidence could I look for that is more obvious or conclusive than the subtle indicators that I have observed?

EDIT: Image of the breaker after repair. The replaced breaker was originally in the top-right slot. After it was replaced, it was then moved to the third from the bottom slot (marked "240V. Test").

Images of the replaced breaker. In normal light, the contacts are heavily oxidized (black). There were spark marks on the case in-line with the contacts, but they were wiped off.

If you've had some trouble, you're certainly not being paranoid.

I am curious why the service person didn't move the circuit to a fresh breaker in a fresh spot in the panel, I wonder if the contact surfaces from the bad breaker are messed up, they may need attention.  I also feel it's best to take questionable equipment completely out of service, I wouldn't have put it in a fresh spot in the panel.  It's possible this problem may be beyond the service person's electrical expertise, some maintenance people are fully qualified licensed electricians, some know just enough to be dangerous (literally).

I never like to switch lights at the panel.  Like everything else, breaker quality isn't what it used to be.  There's usually a better way to do things without breaking the bank.

Anyway, I bet you already thought of all of the above.  I'd suggest you have the panel inspected by a qualified commercial electrician who will have the knowledge and equipment to conclusively test the breaker.  If they find no trouble then you spent a few bucks to rest easy, if they find trouble it would be reasonable to ask the landlord to reimburse you for the cost of the testing.


Tiles on underfloor heating I am newbie here but been reading a lot of your comments through this website and thought to finally ask my question.
I am looking for the right type of tile to go on top of my underfloor heat pump heating (Hitachi Yutaki S). I am leaning towards LVT but needed to know if that would be a wise move and what thermal resistance and thermal conductivity values I should be looking for, be it LVT, Laminate or Cermic Tiles.
Really appreciate your feedback.
Thanks!


How dangerous is induction in my wires? I had to replace a cable going to a light switch. The cable was about 7m long and contained three (1.5mm^2) copper wires, with a distance of about 2mm between any two of them.

Source

One wire was the hot wire that constantly provided 230V, 50Hz alternating current to the switch, and one was going back to the light. The third one wasn't connected to anything.

I was very surprised to see that when the light was turned off (so only one of the three wires was powered), I could measure about 140V AC on the third wire compared to a grounded water pipe, using my super cheap multimeter. I didn't dare to touch it as long as any of it was powered.

I wondered, was this measurement of 140V realistic - or was my multimeter just faulty? And how much current could this cable have provided?

I have no idea how to estimate whether this was realistic so I'd be very happy to learn whether there are any formulas to approximate these values.

If the wire is not connected to anything, it is a floating wire and the voltage measured on such wire would depend on parasitics.

More specifically, there is some parasitic capacitance, $C_{fh}$, between the floating wire and the hot wire, as well as some parasitic capacitance, $C_{fn}$, between the floating wire and the neutral wire.

When you connect one probe of the voltmeter to the floating wire and the other probe to the ground, a voltage divider is formed between the hot wire and the ground and this voltage will be divided between $C_{fh}$ and $C_{fn}$ in parallel with the input impedance of the voltmeter.

The outcome will depend on the type and length of the cable and on the input impedance of the voltmeter, but you can easily measure some significant voltage there.

It is also possible that the cable is faulty ($140$V seems rather high), so don't make any assumptions without careful testing.

You can find some more details on the topic in this post on the home improvement forum.


Kitchen Light Toggle Switch Replaced, Now tripping The house I live in was built back in the 1960's. Most of the electric had been updated before home was purchased but still have some of the old light switches. I changed out the toggle switch in the kitchen with a brand new one. I replaced it with the exact same type, 15A 120V. The old one did not have a ground as the new one does. I attached the wires exactly the same way they came off and added the ground. The white neutral was on top and the black hot on bottom. The light would work for awhile then trip. I switched the white and black to see if it made a difference and it still trips, but takes longer to do so. So figuring it might be the switch I put the old one back on and it is now still is tripping regardless of which switch I put on. I even tried with the ground on and off. I also made sure that no wires were touching or that any wires were in contact with the ground. I have hit up every youtube video to figure out why this is now happening with replacing an old toggle switch with the exact same one but new. I'm boggled. I had done my research before I did anything so I wasn't going in blind. I have replaced other switches in the house and never had an issue before. Inside the breaker box above the switch that keeps tripping is a white reset button. Could anything in the box be the culprit? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

What you are describing is a low impact overload. If it is a 15A circuit and if it was pulling say 17A it may take 2 or 3 minutes for the breaker to heat up and trip. Some breakers do go bad basically due to overuse. Do you have an ammeter or could you borrow one to see what the circuit is actually pulling? Without amperage information it would be hard to analyze what could be wrong.


Identifying function of electrical fittings I'm trying to identify what everything around my fuse box does, whether or not some of it might be redundant/could be made more compact, and who would be allowed to do the work if so (electrician or power company). This is in the United Kingdom. The reason being that I want to put a new kitchen in this room and would like this to take up less wall space.

I can see I have the consumer units on the left, and the meter in the middle, I'm mostly wondering what the other two boxes do. One looks like it has an RCD in it, but also two large '400v' switches alongside it - what would be the purpose of these? The big green thing I think is the main house fuse, but I don't understand why both this and the RCD box have lines going into the floor, where would the RCD be wired to externally to this equipment?

The green box in the far right is known as the "cut out" and is where the power enters the property. It contains the supplier's fuse.  The "tails" (wires) leave the top and enter a "Henley block", which is essentially a big connector block.  From here the power is distributed to your three "consumer units"/fuse boxes.  The two brown ones on the left are likely from the 1970s, and the gray one with an RCD is a later addition that serves one or two circuits.  The cable leaving to bottom of that box is an armoured cable, most probably serving an outside, socket, shed or light.
The brown consumer units do not support RCDs.  Given that these are now mandatory in many situations, the gray box was probably added when someone needed a new circuit which needed an RCD.
If this were replaced and brought up to date all three consumer units and the Henley block would be replaced with a single modern consumer unit with RCD protection.
However, as others have noted the existing cables are in the wall which may limit the.options on where the new consumer unit would be placed.


Cold bathroom that has exhaust So I have started to notice the bathroom with an exhaust is starting to get really cold as the temperature is getting colder.

Is there something I can do about this? Should it really be that much colder?

Any tips on here to start?

Exhaust ducts can make areas dramatically colder.

In a cold climate, there should be a vent flap near the fan that closes to prevent air flowing into the room - but these commonly only do a so-so job.

A better fix is installing a vent cap with flappers on the exterior of the duct. Because these have much more room to work with, and endure exterior conditions, they're much more effective and of better quality.

I'd probably do:
Step 1: check/clean exhaust fan and housing.
2: smoke test windows in the bathroom area.
3: since my washer/dryer are in bathroom, check that ducting too.
4: check exterior flaps


Is this door striker and lock safe? This is my first house and I didn't notice little things during the viewing etc. At the time more interested in condition of the roof/furnace/foundation.

Anyway get into it and start noticing little things and one of them is this door striker that's shimmed to close the gap to the latch.

The door jamb looks uneven as if it was sanded in the middle or something. Guessing why the shim was added. I mean it works the door latches pretty tightly and I took couple screws out they seem to be 8x3 so they go into the frame.

Just looks odd. There's a lock above it with no key I think it's called a guardian per my online research. Due to the gap from the jamb to the door that "guardian" lock doesn't make 100% contact with the door but should still work as intended?

I can deal with the cosmetic issue of it for now as long as it's secure. Just looking for opinions. Thanks

The "Guardian" lock should be fine. If you feel daring, give it a good shove from the outside.

For the strike plate, if it's secured with long screws and doesn't wobble, it should also be fine. If you choose to fix it, the approach will depend on how the rest of the door looks. I suggest you post another question that documents the width of all the reveals around the door-jamb gap.


What information do I need to size a sawn or hewn beam? I have a load bearing wall in my house that a previous occupant decided to cut a hole in to make things feel more open. They did not add a header, much to my chagrin. I'm planning to put an exposed beam in to bear the load. What information will I need to size the beam? I've found many beam sizing calculators, but none of them seem to be able to work with hewn or sawn timbers; they all require the use of dimensional or engineered lumber.

It depends on what kind of wood you're using. Different woods have different strength characteristics. You may want to swing by the local library and grab a copy of a "Timberframing: Design, Construction, Finishing" by Ted Benson, which has tables of wood characteristics.

Note: If you live in a town where a permit is required to do the work you're planning, you're going to have to get sign-off by a structural engineer - in which case, you might as well ask the engineer what dimensions you need for the wood you're planning to use.


How many ground rods are required for panel and subpanel? I have a main service panel with two breakers: the main service breaker and a single large breaker to another subpanel in the same structure.

All other circuits are serviced from the subpanel.

My understanding of NEC is that each panel requires two grounding rods at least 6 feet apart.

My home uses PEX but there is a copper main coming in on the opposite side of the crawlspace.

Do I need two full ground rods per panel? So four, total, rods?

Do not connect the sub panel to grounding electrodes. A grounding conductor must be run back to the main service panel. The main service panel is the only connection to a grounding electrode system in a single building without a separate means such as a genset. The underground metal pipe could be used as an electrode, but it sounds distant. So you should install two ground rods near the service entrance and connect those to the service panel.


Strange outlet behavior I am going to be updating electrical outlets in my house, so today I checked them all with the 3 lamp tester.  Only a few are properly grounded and others not.  One outlet is showing strange behavior.

If washer is connected to the lower outlet, the upper shows proper grounding (lamps 2 & 3 are ON).  But if I disconnect the washer and check again, only 2nd lamp is ON indicating no proper grounding.  Is connecting the washer doing something funny with both receptacles?

Update:

When the washer is connected to a GFCI outlet, it runs uninterrupted without tripping that outlet. I have tested that the GFCI outlet is working as expected (the reset test).
I tested the original non-GFCI outlet in my question with a second 3 prong equipment (a grain mill) and now the receptacle tester illuminates only the middle lamp (i.e. no grounding) as expected.

So it looks like there is definitely some grounding fault with the washer but that doesn't stop it from working either on GFCI or non-GFCI outlets.

Update 2:

It looks like my GFCI receptacle may be wired incorrectly. I can't get it to trip with gfci receptacle tester. In stead, when I press the tester switch, it lights up first and last lamps indicating that neutral and hot are reversed.  I will post another update when I open up the outlet to check.

This feels like the washing machine has a ground fault, where there's a connection between neutral and earth somewhere. See Why does my laundry machine trip the GFCI when I plug it in?

If so, this is something you need to deal with, as it makes using your washing machine unsafe.

(In that case, when the tester checks for ground, power goes into the earth pin, up the earth pin on the washer, out the neutral pin on the washer, and back into the panel, which looks a lot like a real ground.)

You can also test with a different three-pin device connected, and see if you still get a fake earth reading.

EDIT: since you tested with a GFCI, and it works, I'll take another look with the new information.

When you plug in the washer, the 3rd light comes on. The usual meaning for the third light is that there's a voltage difference between hot to ground, which means the ground is going somewhere. While it's possible there's a grounding wire somewhere that you missed, another interesting possibility is that the surface the washing machine rests on is acting as a ground. This is somewhat dependent on the surface and the actual construction of the washing machine, but if the washer feet are metal, and it's resting on concrete, there might be enough conductivity to give a ground reading. In that case, your tester is giving a correct result. (But you should still run a real earth wire.)


How to wire a 3-way switch with 4 wires? Switch location 1.

Switch location 2

Switch trying to wire

That switch looks like a 4-way switch which would be used in addition to 2 - 3 way switches when a light is to be switched from 3 or more locations. Your new switch would have to replace one of the two 3 way switches or you'll have to get a 4 way dimmer switch (if they even make one) to replace the 4 way switch shown in your pictures.

CORRECTION: I thought the pictures were of the same switch but I see that there are two different 4 way switches. Do you have 4 switches controlling the light?


8,000 BTU vs. 10,000 BTU Portable A/C Unit - Will the 10,000 BTU unit cool the same room X degrees more if all other variables same the same? My 150 square foot bedroom has central air and stays around 80 degrees F (sometimes a few degrees more or less).

8,000 BTU Results

I purchased a Frigidaire 8,000 BTU unit from the Home Depot to cool the room. It is able to keep the room at 68 to 72 degrees F and runs constantly (I have it set to 62 - it occasionally switches to fan only mode to let the compressor rest).

10,000 BTU Question

I would like to cool the room more and remove more humidity. The Home Depot sells the same series model in a 10,000 BTU variation. If I upgrade to 10,000 BTUs will I see a difference? I would like to get the room to stay at 64 to 68 degrees F at 50% or lower relative humidity.

I am guessing that the 10,000 BTU model will also run constantly (occasionally going to fan only mode) as it will never be able to reach the set temperature of 62 - I am fine with this as I am replacing my old unit which did the same thing and lasted for 8 years.

My understanding is that portable air conditioners have overrated BTUs as they are no where as efficient as window units because the compressor is inside the room.

Basically, a BTU is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water (at or near 39.2 degrees Fahrenheit) by one degree Fahrenheit

So, an AC unit with the capacity of 10,000 BTU's per hour can cool more air (a bigger room) at the same rate, or the same amount of air faster than a unit with a capacity of 8,000 BTU's per hour.

So, in the exact same room under the exact same conditions, the larger AC can maintain a lower temperature than the smaller one.

If you have the AC set at 62°F and it never reaches that temperature and shuts off then the unit is overloaded and has to rest the compressor to keep from freezing up. Or it is possible the freezestat is shutting the compressor off when the evaporator coil freezes up. Either way, setting it to 62° is futile since it apparently cannot get to that temperature.

It appears your current unit can only get to 68° so that would be your maximum low set point for that unit.

A larger unit should be able to get to a lower temperature under the same conditions. But it still may never make it to 62°.

Good luck!


Why does my utility sink faucet vibrate and pound loudly? I have a water faucet in my utility room that is about 10 feet from the water heater. It is the only faucet in my house that makes any noise, but when I turn the hot water on even a little bit it will start to pound / bang / hammer loudly and also vibrate considerably. You can find a short video of the event on YouTube here. The laundry washer is right next to the faucet and utilizes the same copper pipe for hot water, and I have never seen it exhibit the same behavior.

What causes this and how can I fix it?

I did find this similar question on this site already, but I'm so green that I couldn't tell you if my situation is the same or different; so I'm assuming you all will tell me if it is a duplicate and I'll follow that advice: Why do my pipes bang when running hot water in my kitchen?

Although the faucet looks to be an older style faucet it looks to me more like a model that is currently still in production and still available. Based not only on the photo but also on the video.

That faucet has a cartridge instead of a stem valve like older faucets might have. Could be as simple as something stuck in the cartridge or the cartridge has worn out.

The first thing I would do is try and swap the hot and cold water cartridges to see if the noise follows the cartridge. If it does, replace the cartridge.

If that's not the problem make sure everything is tightened down properly where the spout meets the faucet body and check that all the fasteners for the piping are secure.

There are a couple of manufacturers that make that style of faucet which you'll need to contact for a replacement cartridge. Home Depot currently has one from Glacier Bay which would be my first guess since they've been around a while. Here's a link to the faucet on HomeDepot.com for reference.


Disconnecting pool pump housing from piping The impeller on the housing for my pool pump sprung a leak and so I'm trying to replace it.  I have the replacement housing, but I'm having trouble removing the old housing.  The housing is thread connected at the top to the piping, and I can start to turn the housing to disconnect it, but there doesn't seem to be enough clearance to turn it very far, as shown in the picture below:

The housing is in the center, with the pipe coming out the top of it.  The housing has turned just slightly counterclockwise to unscrew it from the piping, but is running against the plate attached to the filter basket to the left.  There is not enough flex to turn it much further than this.

The housing , after viewing the photo is attached to the discharge 1 1/2 inch plastic pipe. Although there are threads in view, you can also see a ring of glue (?) just above the pipe threads. So if there is no nut that would tighten to the pipe threads most likely you will need to cut the pipe to remove it from the housing. If the hole in the housing isn't very large you could try plugging it ,too.


How do I repair damaged enamel inside my toilet bowl? There is an area of enamel missing on the bowl of my toilet - just beneath the natural water line.

Is it possible to repair it with radiator enamel, or by some other method?

No. The only solution that really works is a new toilet. You can try anything you want to try, but expect it to fail.


"Reportable" electrical issues in commonwealth countries I have a friend in New Zealand who said he hired an electrician to come and do some minor work and while at this he found an unused electrical installation that he said was "reportable" and had to be fixed. He then proceeded to spend the entire day fooling around with the installation and billed my friend $1000.

Is this how things work in commonwealth countries, electricians can basically force you to do work you don't want to do? What do they do if you refuse, come back with the police and break down your door?

I can't speak for NZ, but here in the US, electricians could be held liable for the problem under what's referred to as the "last eyes on it" concept. He saw something, did nothing about it, so he owns it. That doesn't mean he HAD to fix it, just that he would have to tell the owner about it and if they have a permitting process (like we do in most states), the electrician would be required to tell the inspector about it.

What an inspector (again, HERE) could do is to "red tag" the site, basically shutting down all work until the violation is corrected. They can't bring in jack-booted thugs, beat your door down and cart you off to jail, but in SOME jurisdictions they could issue a non-occupancy order, forcing you to go to a hotel or something.


Electrical Circuit low voltage [solved] Let me start off by saying, I'm lost lol seriously. Ok I'll try my best to explain my situation here.

I have 5 outlets on a 20 amp breaker with 14/2 wire

All 5 outlets read around .57 to .76 voltage.

I have pulled out each outlet and tested the wires separately and they all read the same around.57 to .76, common sense says that there's a loose wire reducing the voltage or there's a nail in the wall that hit a wire right

OK the outlets have been working fine until today then just all of a sudden I get a loss of power, no recent reconstruction no recent nails, all the wires are tight and the 20 amp breaker has an output of 120 volts

If that doesn't throw you off enough, there's 2 receptacles that only have one wire coming in and nothing coming out, these 2 receptacles are on 2 sperate wall while the other 3 are on one wall beside each other and there's no gfci in the circuit ... what in the mother of Jesus is going on here and why are there two ends in a circuit.

I thought it might be another receptacle throwing all the other off, that's what anybody in the right state of mind would think right, but the breaker only control those 5, I can't help but laugh instead of cry cause its so mind boggling, haha please help so I can have a fridge again :(

3 receptacles on one wall, one has 3 wires coming in and the other 2 receptacles have 2 wires for in and out,

I also thought, hey maybe the breaker is not throwing the current far enough so I switched it with another 20 amp

Please don't say a 12 amp breaker shouldn't be on 14/2 wire cause its against the code... I didn't install the wiring, I'm just trying to fix it

solved, I took the 3 wires off the outlet and found that 120 was going in to hot by testing ground to common, but 11.78 was being drawn from common and nuetral so the only possible explanation was that the wire from.the breaker box to the outlet which had to be  the neutral wire, everything looked fine in the breaker box, everything tested 120 being pushed out, but taking a closer look the neutral wire was burnt but tight through the hole on the metal strip. taking even a closer look the neutral wire was about ready to break , it wiggled like a jelly bean. Changed it and boom power to my fridge, thank the Lord.


How can I hang drywall from a ceiling made out of aluminium insulated panels? I am closing in my Florida room. I want to drywall the ceiling. It is made out of aluminum insulated panels. I can't get any drywall screws to grab. No studs to drill into. I can leave it as is, but drywall would look nicer(and make my wife happy!). Any suggestions? Is gluing an option?

Do you need the fire resistance and sound-deadening of drywall, or just want the look?

You might consider something else that would look quite similar but not have the weight.

I put textured paintable wallpaper over wood paneling, like
this textured wallpaper.  Once painted, it blended right in with the drywalled wall next to it.  Nobody knows it isn't drywall, even standing right next to it.


How can it be dangerous to feed a water heater from two separate panels? In a recent question, a user asked "Can a water heater be installed between two apartments and wired to both apartments' breaker boxes, effectively splitting the bill between the two?". One of the answers suggested that it was okay, and the poster of the answer went on to ask in a comment "How is running a hot, neutral & ground from each box to a subpanel that's circuit breakered & running a single totally code line to the water heater wrong or dangerous?".

Rather than have a discussion on comments, I thought I'd pose this question to the community.  How can supplying a 240 volt electric water heater from two separate electrical panels be dangerous?

WARNING:
This answer describes a fictional installation, and is NOT meant to be a solution to a problem.  This setup should NEVER be implemented in the field, as it is unsafe, and violates countless codes. These codes are intentionally ignored in this answer, in an attempt to keep the answer short and to the point.  There's likely no way to make this setup safe, and this answer makes no attempt to do so (and neither should you).  There are obviously other flaws with a circuit like this, though this answer only seeks to explain one particular flaw. Please stay safe, and don't ever try this at home.

Assuming that both panels are fed by the same 120/240V single split-phase distribution transformer (which may be a terrible assumption). The wiring would look something like this.

Click for larger view
That's two panels, wired to a single transformer. I've eliminated the grounding conductors, to keep the diagrams cleaner.  I've also added a 120 volt load to each panel, to make the installation a bit more realistic.  The whole idea of a secondary panel has also been eliminated, again just to make the diagram cleaner.
Ignoring any obvious code violations, this idea seems to work. The heater works, and everybody is happy!
At some point in the future, the tenant in Unit 1 has to have some electrical work done. Before beginning, the Electrician turns off the main breaker in the panel.

Click for larger view
Luckily, The Electrician immediately notices dimly glowing lights. They grab a meter, and find that the panel is still energized.  The confounded Electrician begins to investigate, charging $150 per hour while they do so.
If you follow the circuit, you can see why the Electrician was almost electrocuted.

Click for larger view
Electricity flows into the building on Leg B (red line), and into the panel in Unit 2.  From there it goes to the water heater, through the heating element, and over to Leg A (blue line) of Unit 1s panel.  Since the main breaker is open, the electricity can't follow the normal path along Leg A back to the transformer.  Instead it takes a detour through a lamp, and ends up on the "neutral" line in Unit 1s panel.  From there it flows along the service neutral, all the way back to the transformer.
The panel in Unit 1 is being backfed through the water heater, causing an unsafe, potentially deadly situation.

To make sure this answer appeases all involved, and so that it's not "ABSOLUTE DRIVEL!". I've added a secondary panel to the diagram, to show that it still has the same problem.  Unfortunately, I wasn't sure how to wire up the "neutral" for the panel, so somebody will have to fill me in on how that should work.

Click for larger view


Sump pump horizontal distance - Why do 90 deg angles put more load on the pump after a vertical drop? I'm installing a new sump pump basin in a new location in my crawl space. I currently have a Zoeller M53 1/3 HP. The discharge pipe will come out the back of my house, but I want to bring the discharge to daylight near a ditch at the front of my house. So basically, the pipe will need to do a 180 from the back of the house to the front. I can use 45s to lessen the load. Unfortunately, I can't have the discharge pipe come out of the foundation in the front of the house or the side given the basin location. I also want to hide the discharge coming out of the foundation in the back of my house and behind a bush.
The picture here shows how the discharge pipe comes out of my crawl space.

From here, I'll need to use a 90 (or 2 45s) so the discharge goes from the back of my house to the side of my house. Then do the same so it goes out front. This will basically equate to 8 45 degree elbows and 1 90 degree elbow. There will be roughly 150' of horizontal pipe. Overall, this seems like quite a bit of load on the pump.
This picture explains what I mean. In the picture I'm just using 90s for visualization, but could use 45s if that would lessen the load on the pump.

My question is, why does the number of turns and horizontal distance after the downward 90 degree elbow (where the freeze guard is) matter? After the pipe enters the ground, the pipe will be sloped and gravity will help push the water to the end. It seems like after the pipe leaves the foundation of my house and goes downward, there shouldn't be any extra load on the pump.

As  Jimmy Fix-it says, it's a question of whether the pump sees those elbows, and the associated pipe friction, or "dynamic head," or not.
If you have (say) a 2" discharge from the pump, but you put 3 or 4" pipe in the ground, then it's likely that the pump will never "see" the rest of the pipe, if it's properly sloped and does not freeze or clog.
If it's 2 inch pipe all the way, then it will fill up when the pump is running, and the pump will be pumping against that pipe friction. Whether or not that's a problem would depend on the pump specifications. Gravity flow with low head is quite slow compared to typical pumping rates.


Refinishing table, Water-Based Polyurethane Dries Fast and Leaves Blush after Sand. What to do? Here are the facts:

Pine table
I applied a wood conditioner at the beginning.
I stained in the garage with the garage door open.
Super high humidity now.
The water-based polyurethane dries super fast.
I used a water-based polyurethane on it and when it dries, it looks nice and glassy but when i lightly sand, it leaves white spots (I think this is called "blushing").
I can apply the water-based polyurethane again and the spots disappear, however because of defects like a bubble, I have to sand it and I get the blushing all over again.
With one application, I tried applying very slowly to minimize bubbles and it worked, however I would get brush marks because of the quick drying.
I sanded w/ 220 grit with my orbital sander on the slowest speed to try to even it out as much as possible. I'm still going to sand a little tonight since some poly drops showed up. I don't want to pierce the polyurethane.
I was at a paint store and I don't think the guys knew what they were talking about, however some old guy that was a customer there told me that if there was a gentle breeze that could contribute to my problems.

I want this to look amazing at the end: nice, smooth, and glassy. What should I do about the white fogginess?

The blush is precisely because you're sanding. You're taking the nice, smooth, shiny surface and putting millions of tiny scratches into it.
You have identified your own problem: As you indicated a slower application rate allows you to eliminate the bubbles and that eliminates the need to sand, but it's drying to fast for you to work slowly. So, you need to make some changes to your application setting:

Wait for cooler, drier weather.
Work indoors where it's cooler and drier (assuming inside is air conditioned).

Make sure you still have adequate ventilation, but a water based product shouldn't be too bad. Read and follow the instructions on the tin.

Buy a poly that has a slower drying time.

Any one of those 3 should help significantly.
Do not use a power sander, even with 220 or finer grit. A machine is going to take way too much off way too quickly. Unless, of course, you're trying to remove most or all of the coating.
When applying the poly, you should only need to sand if you're planning on adding another coat. The sanding (220 grit or higher, by hand, very lightly) is designed to give a "key" to the existing surface for the new layer to stick to. It has the added benefit of knocking off any bubble or nibs (bits of dust that settled on the wet surface).
Once you're satisfied with the surface you've got, STOP! There should be no need to sand your final coat.


Very unsafe-looking receptacle While I was searching for duplex receptacles where one was NEMA 5 (120V) and the other was NEMA 6 (240V), I found a few normal ones that were what I was looking for (Leviton 5031, 5842, 5844, Hubbell HBL5492I), as well as this horrifying abomination:

I see two immediate problems with it:

It will accept both NEMA 5 and NEMA 6 plugs in the same receptacle, but a single receptacle can't operate on both of the required voltages.
The vertical slots are the same height, though I'm not sure whether they're both big or both small. If they're both small, then polarized plugs won't work at all in this. If they're both big, then it's even worse: polarized plugs could be plugged in the wrong way (although given point 1, depending how this is wired, there may not even be a "right" way).

Is there any possible way or place in which using this would be safe or legal? This seems even worse than the usual Chinese "junkstream" products, because those usually at least look okay in the picture.

I searched for this and couldn't find a NEMA code for this outlet (no surprise there!). But in my research it appears that this has been around for a long time, terrible idea as it was. Attached is a pic of a similar outlet that is obviously quite old.  There are actually 3 of them with the same configuration in the pic.  I would rather have made this a comment, than an answer, but pics can't be posted in comments.


What is the correct material to sheath pex pipe under a slab? It's recommended in my area (due to rocky soil) to install a sheath or channel under the slab for the pour, then slide the PEX into the sheathes afterwards during the rough. This also allows the PEX to be replaced later on.

What type of material should be used for this sleeve? Is it compatible with insulation if I wanted to insulate the hot and cold lines running under the slab?

Additional information: This will be inspected work, under IPC 2012 and IRC 2012. We are in climate zone 4.

You'd install PEX without sheath inside the slab for underfloor heating only. Otherwise it should be sheathed to allow it to comfortably expand depending on temperature variations, it also makes it possible to change the pipe if it bursts due to freezing, or bad quality pipe for example. Sheathing also protects against UV light which is bad for PEX.

Why not simply purchase pre-sheathed pipe?... (link to my favorite shop areound here). It is a little bit more expensive than naked pipe, but it saves a lot of effort. You can get pretty much any type of pipe with the sheath already on, you can even get them pre-insulated.

I had (once) to shove about 10m of pipe through a sheath, and it was a lot of work, and we did it in the garden with the sheath held straight between two trees! The PEX pipe wants to curl back as it was when it was rolled, so it catches in the sheath corrugations, even with the end tapered and lubed it was a full body exercise...

If you want to do that... get a sheath that's a bit too large. For a 20mm pipe you'd get a sheath with 25mm ID, get 32mm ID instead, that will be a lot less work! And the larger ID allows you to stick a rounded end on the pipe (like a copper pipe endcap) which will make it slide a lot better...


Remote controlling a chandelier My house was built in 1833. In our dining room, there is old wiring in the ceiling. I am hoping to be able to pull in new wiring to hang a chandelier over the dining table.
Here is the problem. I want to use the switch on the wall (which controls an outlet) for control, but without ripping my walls apart. Is there any way to convert the chandelier to a remote controlled light?

You can use a wireless ceiling fan switch for this purpose. I also have an older home that has plaster walls, and a ceiling that I don't want to touch. The only thing I needed was power to the ceiling fixture.

The remote control has 2 main parts. There is a small relay box which is attached to the fixture, and there is a wireless remote control that can be attached to the wall. All you need to do is wire the relay to the fixture, and you are good to go. The relay can usually be hidden in the junction box or the fixture itself, so it would be invisible.

The other option would be to fish some NM wire across the ceiling, and down the wall. This will involve some cutting of the wall and ceiling in a few places. You would also need to drill through the top plate of the wall, which is probably quite thick in such an old house. There are electricians out there that do that kind of work, but it won't be cheap.

There are also controls out there designed to be used in a smart home, but you would also need the infrastructure in place to use it. At minimum, you would need internet access and a smart hub to use it. The cost of setting up one of these systems is generally not worth it for a single fixture.


10 gauge wire with 50 amp breaker My house has a 10 gauge wire leading to a 50 amp breaker. My understanding is this is not allowed and the conversation should end there.

However, this circuit is for the AC unit which specifies a minimum circuit amps of 33 amp and a maximum breaker of 50 amp. HVAC folks are telling me the 10 gauge wire is fine in this case. Why is it acceptable to seemingly violate the normal code specifically for an AC unit?

Because it IS NOT "violating the normal code". It is following the codes allowed for A/C units.

Electrical codes are not nearly as black and white as home centers and quick code guides will lead you to believe.

NEC 240.4(D) restricts smaller conductors (14,12&10) to lower than what is in the general ampacity charts. It also says this applies unless allowed in 240.4(E) & (G). 240.4(G) says 240.4(D) does not apply to certain installations, A/C units being in that list.
Depending on the conductor and application #10cu might be rated for 30, 35 or even 40A.

If this is a bit confusing I can post all the relevant articles.


How do I cut Semi-Rigid Aluminium Ducting? I wish to cut the duct work without damaging my hands or my wife's kitchen scissors.  So what tool should I be using?

(Trying to get the ends squared using a freehand hacksaw does not look easy.)

Leather gloves and safety glasses.
Wide rubber band wrapped around the duct at the position you want to cut (a wide band stays in position better than a narrow one).  Leave a little extra to allow for smoothing out any irregularities at the end.
Permanent marker to mark the line you'll be cutting along.
Hacksaw to start the cut.  With the line marked, it's easier to keep the cut square, but you could also use a pair of tin snips to complete the cut.
File to smooth out the cut end and make it square if you've got any irregularities.


Length of insulated copper line set for a central air conditioner How long can a insulated copper line set for a central air conditioner be outside the home?  Is there any problem with it being as much as 10 ft.?

It depends on the specific unit. Some mini-splits I've looked at can do 50 feet (tube length), and 30 feet of elevation difference. What your specific unit can have depends on your specific unit.


how to stabilize a wobbly dining table I have a antique dining table with pedestal type legs on each end. The table has no support piece across the length because it also has leaves and a drop leaf on each end. how can I stabilize this table? it rocks back and forth while you eat if anyone leans on it.

Check the four corners of the table, underneath it. There should be a bolt or two coming from each leg thru the frame with a washer and nut on it. Get an adjustable wrench and tighten all the nuts. Good luck.


Ceiling access panel or pvc pipe options I'm finishing a small basement office and I'm almost ready to put up drywall. I've been dragging my feet on fixing one issue. There are pipes running along the floor joists to the kitchen sink. The pipe branches off and under the joist and then feeds an outside spigot. Is my best bet to frame something to drop the ceiling down a bit and then put in an access panel? I don't want to lose too much space there because that's where the window is. Or should I move the split back out of the office so that it doesn't dip under the joist in the office space?

Are there any other solutions that would be easy? Any drawbacks of moving that split further back so it's out of the office space?

If you're not afraid of plumbing, move it. If you're not confident in your plumbing abilities, frame around it.


Joint thickness for glass block spacers I am getting these glass block spacers for 4" blocks but the website I got it from says nothing about the thickness of the joint it provides.

I would like to build my framing before it arrives (could be up to 2 weeks) in the meantime but, for that, I need to factor the joint to calculate the width my glass block window. Can you guess it from the picure (my guess is something like 3/16-1/4")?

This site says 4” modules in both directions. (I know some glass blocks come in 6” modules.)

https://m.lowes.com/pd/SEVES-24-Pack-2-375-in-x-4-in-Non-directional-Glass-Block-Spacer/1000117677

So to answer your question, the mortar joint is going to be as wide as necessary to provide a 4” module. (The spacer will make the joint the correct width.)

Don’t forget to add one mortar joint width for your wood frame


Find and eliminate musty smell in bedroom and bathroom How can I find and eliminate musty smells in my bedrooms and bathroom?  These occur in the first floor above a crawlspace which frequently has standing water.  I've posted separately about making a vapor barrier, but here I'd like to ask about the smells.

One of my bedrooms has smelled musty for 20 years.  I tore down one of its external walls, did not find any mold, but replaced the 50-year-old insulation which smelled bad.  Could that mild insulation smell have been seeping through the sheetrock into the room?  Must I tear down the other external wall and replace its insulation?

The bathroom sheetrock is only two years old, yet smells very damp.  Inside one wall, there are small gaps in the subfloor around the water and sewer pipes.  This allows wet crawlspace air into the wall, but could that small quantity cause such a smell?  Or could I check for a leaking sewer or water pipe?  How can I treat the inside of this wall to remove the smell?  I will seal it from below, but want to treat it first.

Thank you for your help.

It is absolutely unacceptable to have standing water in the crawl space of a pier and beam foundation. I would start with regrading around the house to direct surface water away from the foundation. The goal is to establish a swale about 4 ft from the foundation on any side where the ground slopes up from foundation.

Standing water in the crawl space will lead to a lot worse than a musty odor. It will eventually lead to rot in the beams, floor joists, and sub-floor.

Some people put drains under the soil in the crawl space leading to a sump from which water is pumped out and away from the foundation. Is the soil level in your crawl space below the level of the soil outside? Do you live in an area with a high water table and plenty of rain?


What is the maximum number of average sized people that can stand in a standard upstairs bedroom of 12' x12'? Of course there are many different types of construction, but assume average since generally buildings have standard compliance codes and construction companies will do at least the minimum required. Of course, standards can vary across cities and across states and boundaries, but this post is not intended to receive a precise answer but rather something general.

Assume that a house or building is built to code of generally average residential requirements. Nothing extremely strong and nothing unreasonably weak, just an average room in an average residential building built to code, upstairs.

Moreover, people themselves vary a lot in weight so just assume an average human weight of 150 lbs.

A 300 pound refrigerator which is 33" x 36" = 36 pounds per square foot. This is obviously not a problem for any upstairs and there are also other things in the same kitchen including multiple humans, stove, cabinets, even washer and dryer are often in the kitchen and these are all no problem.

Extrapolating even this 36 lbs per square foot to a 12' x 12' room which is 144 sq ft, that is a weight of 5,184 lbs and may not be close to the limit, and this is exactly equivalent per sq ft to a standard 300lb fridge.

5,184 lbs is the equivalent of 34.56 humans weighing an average of 150 lbs each.

It is my guess that there is not enough square footage for enough humans to even stand in any normal sized room to come anywhere close to the weight limit for any room, even if you packed people in so tightly that you couldn't fit a piece of paper in between any two people. Maybe even if you also stacked the two high, which is more than can fit since with a rough average 5'5 height (averaging male and female), you cannot stack people two-high in a standard room which will be usually between 7 and 10 feet tall.

I wonder if you can even possibly fit enough people in a standard sized room in any way possible to come anywhere close to the weight limit for a standard room built to code.

I actually found a calculator online, it is on the Hilton website for Hilton hotels: https://hiltonworldwide.hilton.com/en/hotels/groups/popup_space_calculator.jhtml

In that calculator, if I put a room size of 144 (assuming sq ft), it returns a total number of people recommended as 12 people. Of course, a hotel is going to realize people are generally going to be a little crazy and do a lot more, so I am sure their estimate is quite a bit lower than the actual possible amount.

Their low estimate may also take into account fire regulations, of which aren't relevant to the question as to the maximum number of people that a room (of 144 sqft) will actually hold.

I found another site which said that the building code weight limit for residential homes on the west coast used to be 40 lbs per sq ft. This is the building code, which means that it is not the full limit, and that it was deemed relatively safe.

At 40 lbs per square foot which is pretty safe but not at the total limit, this would be 144 sqft * 40 lbs/sqft = 5,760 lbs, which would be 38.4 people averaging 150 lbs each.

So, based on the former code in that area of 40 lbs, nearly 40 people in a 12' x 12' room is not even the maximum number of people.

According to that post the new code is 30 lbs/sqft, which it is possible that the contractors use lesser materials than in the past to save money. In that case, a newer building with a code of 30lbs per sqft, even if the contractor did exactly to code and not a pound more, in that case it is 144 x 30 = 4,320 lbs / 150lb ppl = 28.8, so about 30 people.

Design is based on “working stress” and “ultimate stress”.

Working stress design accounts for many factors, including repetitive loading, short duration loading, etc. So, when the Building Code requires 40 lbs. per square foot LIVE LOAD, it is also adding in DEAD LOAD (weight of flooring, etc.,) short duration loading (Live load for less than 7 days), repetitive joist construction (single loads are rated lower).

Ultimate stress design calculates the maximum load (for live and dead load combined) before failure. Often this method is used, but then a “factor of safety” is used (such as 2) so there isn’t a failure.

You’re asking for the maximum number of people, but not accounting for length of stay, dead load, etc.

Also, are these people standing on the furniture, no furniture in room, hips touching, etc.? The code assumes a certain amount of furniture, circulation, etc.

Btw, at 40 psf, I’d assume about 36 MAXIMUM people. That’s 144 sf / 4 = 36. But they’d be in the room for less than 1 hour...depending on the species and grade of your lumber and size (thickness) of you subfloor, etc.


base board transition piece We have already laid baseboard in both rooms but when we got to where they meet, two different levels. Is there a way to put maybe a sloping piece so they meet? What should I do? The flooring has about a half inch difference.   Also one side is at a corner and the other is just at a straight wall

IMO, a sloping piece would look awful.

Better to find something that 'explains' the transition. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue if you have a doorway or archyway between the two rooms, so that you would have an architrave that would create a vertical division between the two rooms.

If the two rooms merge, the ideal would obviously been to have discovered the difference beforehand and to cut down the height of the baseboard in the room with the higher floor to end up with a consistent baseboard height. I am assuming that you don't wish to remove any and cut it down (or build up the lower baseboard, if that's possible, for example if it is not molded then you could add additional height without removing what's there).

If it is molded, then I would cut a section of the molding and create vertical 'ends' to both the high and low sections (for example with a mitered joint, like a picture frame), making sure that the vertical pieces join neatly to both ends of the existing horizontal runs, and also to each other, thus creating a division, but one that will hopefully look sensible.


How can a 5V power supply power 3 LEDs at 3V each? If I have three LEDs at 3V each = 9V, how can a 5V power supply 9V power to those LEDs?  Does it have anything to do with Watts?

LEDs are typically wired in parallel, just like almost every other light on the planet (you are describing a series circuit). 3V LED + suitable resistor = 5V at somewhere around 20-50mA each. Put as many in parallel as your wiring and power supply can handle.

Based on this and some other questions you appear to be missing some fundamental concepts of electrical circuitry. Go find a tutorial on basic electronics, preferably before cooking some expensive lighting fixtures. Books by Forrest Mims are particularly good and available on AMazon.


Buzzing noise coming from metal conduit when circuit under load A few years ago, I had a 20A 240V circuit for an electric car charger professionally installed. The circuit runs from the service panel through metal conduit to the hard-wired charger (EVSE) in the attached garage. A couple of years after the initial install, some additional circuits were added to the conduit to serve a newly finished basement.

When the car charger circuit was originally installed, I had the electrician pull 10 AWG wire instead of 12 AWG for a bit of future proofing.

I recently upgraded the car charger to a 30 amp (24 amp continuous) unit with a 30 amp breaker.

Now, when the charger is operating I can hear and feel a buzzing noise coming from the conduit. It's loud enough that I can hear it from a few feet away. The sounds seems to resonate into the drywall, amplifying the noise.

If I lower the number of amps the car draws, the noise diminishes. It seems that prior to upgrading to a 30 amp charger, the buzzing was quiet enough that I never noticed it. At a full 24 amp load though, it's definitely noticeable.

The car seems to be charging fine and while the conduit does get warm where I hear the buzzing, it doesn't seem to get hot.

Is this normal or is it something I should have checked out further?

This gets a little tricky. First NEC Table 310.15 (B) (3) (a) says 4-6 conductors in a conduit need to be adjusted to 80% of their normal current carrying capacity. So 30*.8 = 24A which is the continuous load of your charger. In NEC speak the definition of continuous is a load lasting over 2 hours. If that is true then you have to add 25% load to your charge for conductor sizing. If all of what I just stated is true, then your #10 conductors are under sized and this might be why your conductors are buzzing.

Buzzing is caused by the conductors emf (electromotive force) opposing each conductor and causing it to vibrate at 60 hertz per second. This causes two things to happen first they generate heat, which we know heat + electricity = bad, and second your conductors are moving causing splices and connection points to loosen up (also not good). Start up buzzing is common in industrial sites and sometimes allowed, but these sites have skilled maintenance crews who are supposed to have scheduled routines to maintain these circuits. In a dwelling this is not so common.

It might be a good idea for you to invest in an infrared thermometer which are fairly inexpensive nowadays, so you can scan your entire circuit while you are charging to see if it is heating up above average room temperature. It might turn out you will need to either up grade your conductor size or downsize your charger.

Remember our main concern is to prevent a burn or shock hazard so stay safe.


Unknown growth on window I found this growth on several of my back windows.

I'm not sure if it is mold or moss or something else entirely.  Hoping someone could help me identify it and how to safely remove it.  Thanks.

Looks like moss growing in the window putty, probably from accumulated dust/dirt. Don’t think it’s dangerous but you’d need to remove the screen first and then scrape it off using something non-abrasive and blunt as you don’t want to damage the putty underneath (or the glass). A plastic paint scraper would probably do the trick.


Can I drive a ground rod near a gas meter? I am redoing the electrical in my 1940s house.

The house has no grounding electrodes but the meter and panel are grounded to my water pipe outside in the front of the house. (This actually looks like someone else's recent DIY hack job.)

To bring the electrical work up to code, I want to drive a ground rod right under the electric utility's meter. The only problem is that my gas meter would be located just a foot or so away.

I've already checked to make sure the rod itself wouldn't be driven into a gas line, but I need to know if it would be against code or just plain unwise to drive a ground rod here.

I found a very similar question here, but none of the responses specifically answer the question with regard to safety or code compliance:

The electrical ground to the water pipe is required and not a hack.  It is supposed to be connected as close to the supply side as practical, preferably upstream of any cutoff valves.

There should also be an electrical ground connection to your gas line if any of the gas lines inside the house are conductive, like black pipe.

When I set out to install the ground rods for my house a few years ago, I knew they would be within 18 inches of the gas feed from the street—as they had just installed the gas line.  I asked the gas company, electrical inspector, and electric utility if that was okay.  They all said that was just fine with them provided it didn't nick the gas line.


Did I damage the breaker by incorrectly wiring a generator? During a power outage I attached my generator incorrectly (I have never done this before - I just was not paying attention).  Anyway, I crossed the ground at the box with the black. When I turned on the power and then the specific circuits inside the nearest GFCI arced and smoked.  I turned off the power immediately and found my error. The rest of the house is working fine now on generator power but the one GFCI outlet will now trip every time I turn on that specific circuit which feeds a run in the basement. I did replace this outlet with a new equal amperage GFCI.  Did I damage the specific breaker?  As I said, everything else is working properly and no trips or issues - just this breaker.  It is immediately adjacent to the board in the basement.

You probably overheated and burned every component in that line, including the wiring and the GCFI outlet.

You probably melted/decomposed the insulation on that circuit. The GFCI is tripping because you have significant leakage on the hot or neutral lines, which means they're leaking to either the ground or to some other path within the house.

You may have damaged wiring on other circuits in the house, even if they appear operational.

I don't think it's possible to burn out a breaker unless it was already defective. It interrupts the hot leg and has no grounding, so it has nowhere to short to, and will shut off it senses too much current, saving itself and whatever is on that circuit.


How a concrete/brick storm drain is made? This must be really simple, but I havent found any instructions and I'm unsure on how to proceed.

I need to make two storm drains (concrete boxes with grills on top and a pipe to direct rain water), from what I can imagine, I must lay a concrete slab, then lay the bricks, plaster the bricks with cement/sand/waterproof-additive. Is that it?

I feel like I'm missing something.

There are so many manufactured options for channel shaped surface drainage equipment that you should not have to create one from scratch. Search the internet.
If you must create your own, your method with the slab and brick should work, or make some wood forms and make it entirely out of concrete. Make sure the surrounding soil is firm and compacted to support it or it may move or crack. And reinforce the concrete.


Why is water running into my water heater when cold water inlet is turned off? I'm installing a new water heater. The cold water inlet is turned off and no water is running in the house.

After attaching the hot water outlet to the water heater I can hear water flowing/dribbling into the water heater.

Does this mean I have a bad valve that is allowing cold water to back-flow to my water heater? I can't hear water flowing at any of my sinks, tubs, etc.
How could I find the bad valve.

Additional information: This has been running for over an hour and even with water heater off a small stream of cold water runs from all my faucets when I turn on the hot water side of the faucet.

This is because after turning off your water you still have water in the pipes.   The water heater in most houses is at one of the lowest points in the house.   Meaning that even after turning off water at tap and even after leaving a faucet open, whatever is lowest will still get what water is left in the lines.

It is funny because my new helpers go through this exact experience when prepping for plumbing work.   And they are each surprised about the amount of water that is still left in the pipes (and more surprised that they have to clean it up).

What you are experiencing is normal and if the water heater is the lowest (gravity) or one of the lowest spots in your water line it is perfectly normal to hear water flow after it is turned off and then dribble for a while - takes 5-10 mins for gravity to works its way out sometimes.


Need help identifying shower stem Our shower handle recently became wiggly to the sides. The part sitting on the stem/broach seems to be stripped, causing it not to turn the stem when I turn the handle.
However, this stem doesn't show up in any of my searches.

Looks like it's a Delta shower valve. Matches the one in this link.
http://www.nononsenselandlord.com/2016/01/how-to-fix-a-delta-shower-faucet-leak/


In replacing a skylight, can I reuse the existing curb and flashing? After finding water coming down my front door from inside the ceiling I had a roofer come out and take a look. He stated that the skylight was at the end of its life. This does appear to be the case as there is definite condensation between the panes and getting up on the roof I can see that all the seals do not look good.

He said it looks like the roofing is fine, and that the flashing around the skylight is fine. He recommended that I simply order a new one, pop off the old one, and screw on the new one. But I'm having second thoughts about reusing the old flashing. It appears to him to be installed correctly, and to me it looks a lot newer than the skylight (the roof was replaced 3 years ago). But will unscrewing the old one, and screwing in the new one be properly sealed?

I did go ahead and order a new one (A 4'x4' laminated VELUX), but don't want to mess things up.

EDIT: I did the work. Here's the followup.

This is before:

After:

From the inside:

I unscrewed the old one - noting that there were 2-3 screw holes that didn't have screws, and that there were 3 different types of screws that were used.
I Inspected the curb and flashing, making sure it looked sound. It did. I couldn't see any flaws.
I placed a little roofer's caulk in the old screw holes (not sure it was needed, but figured it couldn't hurt).
I placed the new skylight over the existing curb and flashing.
I screwed in the new skylight using the screws that came with it - pressing down on the frame while doing so.

Time will tell but I think it works.

Installing or replacing this type of skylight is very straight forward. The flashing should work as it is. The only concern would be where the old mounting holes are and will the new skylight curb cover the old ones. If not a counter flashing can be added without redoing the flashing.


When replacing a window, what are the pros/con of a retrofit vs new construction? I am replacing a old Garden window with a new "flat" window.

I was given a quote for "Retrofit" option, and then a $400 more for a "new construction" option.

I have Stucco wall

I understand that with a retrofit they need to put a Z-bar, and with new construction there is more breaking of the outside stucco. But that is all I understand.

Is it worth it or not to pay $400 extra for new constructions? why would I and why shouldn't I ?

If picture will help, let me know.

The major difference between a new construction and retrofit window is the way the new window frame is attached to the house.

To install a new construction window the installer will have to chip away the original stucco, cut away some interior drywall, remove the window, remove the paper backing behind the stucco, and then once the new window is in ensure the window is properly flashed and re-wrapped properly to ensure everything is watertight.  After that, they will patch the stucco which was removed to perform the window install.

In a retrofit install, the windows include a Z-bar or Flush fin which which allows the installer to cut down and reuse the existing window frame to mount the retrofit window frame to.  The flush fin (Z-bar) covers the gap between the inside of the existing frame and the exterior of the replacement window and allows you to simply install the window from outside rather than tearing out the exterior stucco and interior drywall.

If your original windows were installed correctly and aren't leaking the retrofit windows would be the way to go in my opinion.  You will lose a tiny bit of window viewing area using the retrofits, but the install time will be much faster (and of course much less expensive) and there's no worry about tearing up the inside and outside of your house.  I've never seen patched stucco that looks totally right either.  The energy savings will be there regardless of the installation method you choose.


Replacing subfloor in bath Working on a bathroom remodel project and found rot and water damage to the plywood subfloor around the shower area. The shower is 36" x 36", and the joists are 24" apart and his part of the subfloor actually spans from the bedroom through this bathroom and into the next room. Was thinking of cutting out damage, adding some perpendicular supports and laying down new 3/4". Would this be correct? We're putting down a new acrylic shower pan and will tile the rest of the floor. Would I need a vapor barrier with the new subfloor too?

You got the right idea, but I'd opt for adding a double 2X? between the existing joists at either end of the bathroom span and fill in with an extra joist making your spacing 12 inches on center instead of 24. Add a couple of perpendicular stiffeners, and you will have a good stable base for your new 3/4" sub-flooring.  Tile needs a good solid base or your grout will crack every time.

The vapor barrier is not so important on the floor, however, if you are doing new walls, a properly installed vapor barrier is very important.  There are several methods of adding a vapor barrier, depending on what types of tile backer you plan to use.  Think of it as a system and get all the right layers on in the right order.


How to angle an edge of plywood at 45 degrees? Say you have two pieces of plywood.

the goal is:

to assemble the two pieces at a 90 degree angle (where 3/4 inch
edges are touching)
create an angled edge sit the edges sit flush
against each other

How can a 45 degree edge be created spanning the height or width of the plywood?

EDIT: assume edge requiring the 45 degree angle = 6ft

If you do not have a table saw and the run out table big enough for this job and you do not have a track saw you can use a straight edge and clamps.

The straight edge (hear after referred to as SE ) needs to be rigid so it will not flex in the middle, a long level works, but some times it so thick that the motor of the saw may not pass over it, and the clamps can also interfere. Testing is required with your saw.

I have a long SE that is not as rigid as i would like so i  have to cut a 2x4 the correct length and clamp it so it reaches the middle of the SE from the side to keep the saw from flexing the SE.

I  created a block of wood that is as wide as the distance from the edge of the saw fence to the blade so i can place one side of the block on my mark and the SE up against the block. Then i know that with the fence against the SE the blade will hit the mark.

For 45 deg cut with circular saw a sharp blade is needed with as many teeth as you can afford.

Because of the rotation of the blade you want the finished surface or your plywood to be on the bottom. I.E. the finshed side of the wood will be underneath and saw will be on top, this will keep the finished side from getting tear out. ( this is the opposite of a table saw )

Go slow and keep the saw fence against the SE. Do some test cuts on scrap wood.


Running power to a single switch from a three way switch In my garage I have a three way switch that powers the ceiling lights in the garage. There is one switch near the garage entrance near the garage doors, and one switch near the back of the garage.  I also have an outdoor light at the back of the garage that was wired before I bought the house, but never connected, so the wires are just sitting there. There is no power to this light currently.

Is there any possible way to power the outside light off the three way switch?

Take a look at how three way switches are wired.  (The actual physical layout of the devices may be much different, but this is how the connections work.)

Note that the common from one switch goes to the breaker, and the common from the other goes to the light.

IF the cable to your outside light is in the same box as the switch fed from the breaker

AND the circuit's neutral is in the box, as well as the common hot / travellers

THEN you can tap the circuit ahead of the switches to power the light.

It looks like this is probably the case.  It looks like the neutral is coming in on the same cable as the hot.

Not sure whether this switch is the one fed from the source or the one that connects to the light.  You could verify by seeing if power cycles on the common terminal when you move the switch, but unless you're super confident working with a live box open, I think it's best to just try it and see.  No sense working around energized conductors if you don't have to.

What you'll want to do is add the white to the white from the outside light to the splice with the other neutrals.  Also add the ground to the other grounds.

I recommend the push in type connectors unless you've had some practice
splicing with wire nuts, I think wire nuts are better once you have some proficiency, but the push in connectors are hard to mess up.

You'll want to connect the common, the source hot, and the outside light hot with a pigtail - for this purpose, about 9" of #12 black wire:

Remove the black conductor from the common screw.
connect one end of the pigtail to the common screw terminal
splice the other end of the pigtail, the black that was on the common, and the black on the cable to your outside light, with a push in connector.

(This picture shows a pigtail with a receptacle but it works the same with a switch terminal.)

If you lucked out and the wires are in the switch nearer the source, your outside light will now be energized at all times.  If it switches on and off with the three way switches, it's in the wrong box and you have a bigger project getting it to work the way you want.

The last step will be to add a single pole switch to the outside light.

To do this,

remove the black wire from the outside light from the push connector by pulling it lightly while twisting it back and forth.
connect a new black pigtail to the other screw terminal on the switch.
push the other end of the new pigtail into the connector with the other black wires.

Sketch:


ceiling fan switch on wall I purchased an older home and the ceiling fan in the bedroom has a resistor (I think) on the wall, it is a switch with a round knob to control the light and fan speed.  Can I bypass this and control with the pull strings, as the fan in this room is newer.

You could bypass the switch but there is a code requirement for a light or outlet to be controlled by a switch. I would just leave the switch on. Note it is not a resistor but a solid state SCR or Triac that is adjusting the waveform, a very small resistor is used to vary the gate voltage to the SCR or Triac. If a resistor was used it would get very warm in the wall because the resistor would have to dissipate the heat, solid state controls turn the power off for part of the waveform.


What size wire and pipe for a 125A subpanel in an attached carport? I realize this/these questions have been asked a million times before on this forum, but I appreciate any help that will help me drill down on exactly what materials I need and what I need to do.
Because I live on a rock pile, here in Washington, and it would take forever and a day to dig a trench, my goal is to run wire/cable in sch40 conduit that is mounted up under the eaves of my shop about a 100' from a junction box mounted next to my 200A service panel. The thought behind the junction box is to give extra room for bringing the wire/cable into the 2x4 wall before entering the service panel.
The conduit will go around my shop to a 125A sub panel located in an attached carport that will support a welder, car lift, large compressor, plasma cutter, and lights/outlets. For economic reasons, I would like to use aluminum wire/cable.

What size and type of wire/cable do I need?
What size PVC conduit can I run the specified wire/cable in?
Is it acceptable to use LB conduit bodies to get around the corners of the shop or would those bodies be too tight for the specified wire/cable?

I plan on using the long sweep elbows for other change of directions as needed. Thank you for all your help.

Most jurisdictions would allow 1/0 Al THWN or better wire rated at 120A (per 75°C terminations) to be rounded up to 125A protection, and a #4 Al ground if using non-conductive PVC conduit.
1.25" minimum conduit would be needed with Sch40 PVC. Long sweeps are probably not necessary. If you use Sch80 PVC you would need to use 1.5".
LB's are fine, you may need to upsize LB's to 1.5" with reducing bushings to accommodate the wire size used, consult the internal markings on the LB's.
You need to protect the feeder with a 125A breaker at the service, check the stab limits in your main panel, sometimes you can't install another breaker across from the 125A breaker.
Your subpanel needs to be rated 125A minimum. However, often for pennies more, you can get a big 200A panel with lots of extra breaker spaces, so do that if it can fit.


Good way to remove something from a bathroom sink overflow drain? My wife dropped an earring down the overflow drain of her bathroom sink.  The earring is about 1" in diameter, so the hole which goes from the overflow to the main drain is too small for it to pass through.

The earring is silver, so it's non-magnetic (I checked the other one to make sure).

Short of removing the sink and turning it upside-down, any other ideas on getting that thing out? I thought of just a hook and wire, but it would be a crapshoot on being able to hook it.

Just want to add, here's what the sink looks like. Note that the overflow drain is very narrow, and if you measured between the opening and the back of it, it's maybe 5/8":

I'd be going at it with a strongest vacuum you can come up with. Maybe put a nylon stocking over the end of the hose so the earring doesn't get damaged flying down the pipe.


Attic knee wall custom ripped top plate - Will it work? Can I use a table saw to cut a 4x4 at an angle to replace the top plate in this knee wall to salvage the wall?
Background: I have an attic bedroom which lacked insulation. The rafters are only 2x4s so my sister convinced me we should install these 2x3 along the rafters to place the insulation between. Unfortunately, now I'm realizing that this make the rafters into thermal breaks and I'd much rather remove the 2x3s and layer foamboard directly over the 2x4 rafters to avoid this. Problem is, going back to the normal way to frame the kneewall would require all new lumber. I'd like to save the wood and work already done by just replacing the top plate. Is it possible to do that?

It might be easier to nail a 2x4 to the roof joists and then cut the tops of the vertical studs to fit the angle of the top plate. You could then easily nail the studs to the top plate.


Problem with Ladylux kitchen faucet sprayer I have a 14-year old Grohe Ladylux kitchen faucet.  Recently, the spray knob stopped working properly.  Normally when you press and release the knob, the faucet goes to spray mode until you press the release knob.  Now it only stays in spray mode if you continuously hold the spray knob down.  Any ideas on how to fix this?

For mine, it seems to be limescale or other mineral buildup.  While throughput is no longer an issue after I soak it in vinegar/water, the mechanism that switches back to plain flow isn't working and I'm very frustrated.


I am building a off grid house in Ghana and would like to use an American 200 amp breaker box and plugs I am building a off grid house in Ghana and would like to use an American 200 amp breaker box and plugs. Are the solar inverters different? or can I wire it to work?

Two Systems of Electricity
Throughout the world, there are basically two different systems of electricity that (almost) every country uses one of.  Both are safe, and neither is particularly better than the other, but they are different, and not directly compatible.

120/240V 60Hz

This system is used primarily in North America, and is often referred to as US style power or split-phase power.  120V is used for small things, and heavy loads use 240V.

230V 50Hz

This system is used in most of the rest of the world besides North America.  It's sometimes referred to as European style power, as that is where it originated.  Note that while it's 230V nominal, some locations actually use 220V or 240V, which is within acceptable tolerance of 230V.
Since this system is used so widely, the availability of equipment is actually huge -- if you don't like the style of something local, there's probably another country with the same power system that has what you want.  So, for example, while you might not like some of the options local to Ghana, you can always import from the UK, Australia, Germany, China, France, etc., and they will all be compatible with your local power system.
Build to Local Standards
As I understand it, you're planning to build an off-grid house in a location where the local regulations are lax enough to allow for either system to legally be used.  Since most of the devices you're hoping to power are expecting 120/240V 60Hz power, you're thinking of building that type of system, even though 230V 50Hz is the official standard of the country.  I would strongly advise against this, for many reasons:

All electronics and electrical building materials used in this house must be imported from North America.  While this might not seem like much extra work when you're building the place, it will be a big pain every time something breaks and needs to be replaced.  This is especially true if the dead item is the inverter, since you'll be without power until you can source a new one.
Local electricians will not be familiar with, or qualified to work on, a 120V system.  As such, you will have to DIY almost all electrical work, and will have trouble getting good help.  An electrician trained only in a 230V system could easily make dangerous mistakes on a 120/240V system.
When you eventually sell the place (which will happen someday, as houses almost always outlive their owners), the next person will not be able to plug in their electronics, and will not know how to work on the system.  As such, they will almost certainly want to rip it all out and replace it with the standard system used in the country -- and they'll deduct the price of doing that from the price they're willing to pay for the place.
When guests come over, they will not be able to plug in their cell phone chargers or other electronics.
Local regulations may change.  While at the moment, the government in question isn't strictly enforcing that all buildings in the country use the country's official power standard, can you guarantee this will still be true in 30 years?  It's not impossible that the government would make you change it later, at your own expense.

As such, I highly recommend you build a 230V 50Hz system as the primary power system for this house.  In order to use the devices you like, I recommend you evaluate them on a case-by-case basis, and replace them with a 230V version if there's a good one available, or get a converter for only that device.
Powering Electronics from the Other System
It's very often possible to power devices that were designed for one system on the other one, but how easy that is depends on the device in question.  Broadly, there are three categories:

Universal Input Devices

These devices don't care which system they're supplied from, and will happily work on either.  Usually all you need to do is change the cord, or use a passive plug adapter.  They can be identified by their label, which will say something like 100-250V, 50-60Hz.
Most modern DC electronics these days are designed to be universal input.  This includes most computers, cell phone chargers, TVs, etc.  Check your labels; you might be surprised to find how many devices you can use with no conversion.

Things that care about voltage, but not frequency.

Things like light bulbs and toasters do need the voltage to be correct, but they do not care at all about frequency.  As such, they can be powered with a transformer of appropriate size (a 240->120V step down transformer in your case).  Again, check the label -- it'll either say 50/60 Hz or it won't mention frequency at all.

Things that care about frequency.

These will almost all be electric motors (or things that have them inside, such as AC compressors, and your washer and dryer).  Most low-cost AC electric motors are synchronous with the grid frequency, and will run 20% faster on 60Hz than on 50Hz -- which will likely burn them out.  Frequency isn't nearly so easy to change as voltage, so for these categories of appliances, I recommend replacing them with a local version wherever possible.  If you absolutely must use one of these, then you need a frequency converter, which will be expensive.  On these, the label will specify voltage and frequency exactly.
Note that some motors are not synchronous to the AC frequency.  In that case, they'll be in one of the two above categories.  In particular, newer HVAC units are often coming with 'inverter' compressors, which cost more but allow for better efficiency, and are usually universal input.


Repressurising Logic Combi 24 boiler I bled a rad that was cold at the top, and not much water escaped. This fixed the rad, but the pressure in the boiler dropped to just below 0.3(It may have been low to begin with, since I hadn't checked this in a good while). I checked with the manual, and a couple of youtube videos of similar boilers, and then happy that I knew exactly what to do, I opened two valves on the filling loop(which was already attached by whoever installed it), expecting the boiler to re-pressurise... but literally nothing happens. I was wondering if anyone might know of a reason for this? I am quite sure all valves that should be opened, are. I haven't had any problems with the boiler before this.

Below are the instructions from the user manual.. my filling loop is basically in the state you see in the last picture(set up). Turning the valves as instructed does nothing.. Any help is much appreciated.

So I got a guy out to fix it. This was months ago at this point. However, he discovered that the fill loop had been put on "the wrong way around". I'm not a plumber, or person who knows about pipes, but I am assuming from his explanation that water simply couldn't flow either way through this small section of pipe... regardless, he said he put it on the right way around, and indeed I can now repressurise the system. I have no idea why the guy before this put the pipe on backwards..


Is there a way to remove the top of this barrel? Will the top of this barrel come off in such a way as to be usable as a lid? It seems to be melted/glued on to be an integral part of the barrel, so I'm guessing the only option is to saw it off.

EDIT:

SolarMike's idea of using a broomstick is excellent, and that worked to place my fitting. However, because I had drilled the hole through the bottom where the thickness of the plastic has significant variations, it wouldn't seal. I even bought a Uniseal, which seems to be a fine product, but it still didn't seal.

I pondered how to put the fitting in a hole drilled on the side of the barrel, hoping the plastic would be more even there, and considered how to plug the hole on the bottom.

Then an idea dawned on me which seems obvious in retrospect: flip the barrel, drill a hole in one of the caps that's already fitted and threaded. A little pipe joint compound was all that was needed on the threads, and a gasket around the fitting.

Then, based on your comment that you only need the lid as a dust cover, I would cut around the top of the wall as close to the lid as possible.

Once separated then remove any excess on the lid to leave a slight taper to help the lid "sit" neat after.

I have cut these with a hand wood saw before, a bit boring but the plastic usually cuts well. I found a jigsaw too "bouncy" and it would not be close enough to the lid.

I did 8 of these barrels for my parents for rainwater and made a tool on a broom handle to hold the nut & washer to screw the fitting into so the two original holes were fine, no need to take the top off... Depends on what your fitting is I suppose...