How can I package a relay (for lighting control)? Right now I have 3 high-pressure-sodium lights (475W actual x 3) on a single light switch.  It's a heavy duty switch, but these lights have magnetic ballasts (40 pound transformer) and they have a hell of an inductive kick.   I'd rather switch them with a relay.

Easy enough to find a bare component relay, but I don't have any idea how to package that into a Code-legal package.  Are there relays made for that purpose?

I know for instance that thermostat transformers are made which bolt into a 1/2" knockout, or serve as a lid to a junction box.  Does anything exist like that with relays?

Someone already did all the work for you

Fortunately, you aren't the first person to run into this problem.  In fact, there have been enough people who have had this problem that the good folks at Functional Devices slap an appropriate relay into an appropriate box, dress it up slightly, get it UL listed, and sell it!

In particular, you want something like a RIB2401SB for your job -- these are SPST-N/O relays rated for ballast loads up to 20A@277VAC, with a manual override switch and a multi-voltage coil that can run off 24VAC/DC or 120VAC. (A 208-277VAC version is also available.)


Replacing 2 split receptacles with 2 GFCIs I have a similar situation to
How do I install a GFCI receptacle with two hot wires and common neutral? in my kitchen.

The solution looks good and I'm ready to go ahead, but with one reservation... What do I lose in terms of safety when I remove the two split receptacles and replace them with GFCIs? What's the purpose of split receptacles - why are they safer? I've not been able to find this info on StackExchange or elsewhere.

What's safer -- two split receptacles or two GFCI's? If it's the former I'll leave things as they are.

Thanks for any advice.

Split receptacles are no safer it allows 2 separate circuits on 1 outlet. I have found a double pole GFCI to feed a multi wire branch circuit is more stable than trying to use GFCI outlets. If using GFCI outlets to prevent nuncance tripping each outlet would need to be GFCI using only the line or there may be issues if the load is used I have found a double pole GFCI circuit breaker is cheaper than a bunch of GFCI outlets. You would still have a separate 20 amps on each outlet but if any of the outlets sees a ground fault they all go dead, this would be the reason for individual GFCI outlets using only the line side and may be a good idea if your breaker panel is remote or if your fridge is on this circuit but it cost more. But no new wiring is needed with a double pole or individual GFCI outlets using the line only (feeding 1 hot wire through to the next outlet and alternate the hot to the outlet provides 2 circuits if you go this route)


base for patio with concrete slabs I'm planning to build a fairly small patio at the back (2.5m x 2.5m), and instead of pavers I will place concrete slabs (60cm x 60cm x 4cm). Would it be fine to use construction waste, such as concrete lumps, bricks pieces, fist-sizes rocks for the first layer base, and stone dust as the second layer? If so, how thick I should have the first layer?

If it matters, I'm in Canada, Ottawa, and in this area we normally don't expect lots of water to drain, so I think this fact will affect the base structure.

Thanks.

Surely you can but there a couple of things to consider. Concrete should not be less than 2 inches, so based on a 2x4 as your footing/frame I would not add more than 1.5inches of base loose pieces. The other thing is expansion as it cures. So you may want to add chicken wire overlay and use large enough pieces of concrete where you can tie the concrete pieces with wiring to the chicken wire. This will allow for the concrete to stick and stay regardless of expansion during the first 3 days of curing which is the most important.

If you are using crushed pieces then I would just make sure to tamper the rocks very well so the no sinkage occurs over time.


Can a built-in grill sit on granite, or does it need to be in a stainless steel jacket? I bought a built-in grill for my outdoor kitchen, and I'm scratching my head now that it is time to install it. I have read that it is important not to set the grill up on flammable materials, that make sense, but does it need to be one of those SS jackets? I was thinking about having the countertop guy install granite all the way around, would that work if it sat on granite?

Also, how critical is it to have ventilation ports around the grill? I didn't know I "needed" them until they were briefly mentioned in the manual, not sure if they are essential, or nice to have.

The following quotes are from the
Lion 90000 Series Instruction manual:

"Upper and ground level vents must be provided for combustion air on both sides of built-in cabinet."

"Upper and lower vents (20 sq in. minimum must be provided) for combustion air on both sides of built-in cabinet."

When instructions say must it is mandatory, not "nice to have".

The manual says the cabinet can be made from any non-combustible material, granite is stone and non-combustible, so it will be fine.


How should I paint a stain on a white wall without having to repaint the entire wall? My livingroom  has a white wall with a visible brown stain on it.
I would like to cover it with some white paint but the wall was painted a couple of years ago so it is not bright white but it has become darkish.

How should I cover the stain with white paint avoiding the "bright white patch" effect on a white wall?

First, you should fix the source of the stain. If this is water damage, it will reoccur until you stop the water. Then clean the surface, apply a primer, and then some matching paint. To get matching paint, remove a small chip of paint you'd like to match and have the store give you a custom mix based on your chip. When applying paint, you should feather it into the rest of the wall so that any transitions become difficult to see. Note that most people would repaint the entire wall since it isn't much more work and the result looks even better.


Is my dimmer switch failing or is it bad wiring? A few days ago my wife mentioned that there was a "burning smell" near the kitchen, but it went away before I could investigate. Today I turned on the dimmer switch in my kitchen, and the lights began flickering. I turned off the switch, but not before a smell had started coming from the dimmer switch (pictured below). We've used the lights in my kitchen a bunch of times since my wife first had the issue, so it isn't consistent.

Is it likely the problem is faulty wiring or could the dimmer unit simply be going bad? I'd like to know my options before I replace it or pay for an electrician.

If wires spark enough to generate a burning smell, you'll hear the arc and it's also possible the breaker would go as well.

From the symptoms you describe it sounds like the dimmer itself is going. Since it has a burning smell, I would say it's unsafe to use and you should replace it immediately.

Of course, if you see any nicked wires, or any of the wire nuts are loose then you should fix those problems. Be sure to turn off the power at the panel when you're doing this (you should check with a non-contact voltage detector just to be safe).


Bathroom Wiring - Existing light - Add Bath fan - Add gfci outlet I have a single light fixture in my bathroom on onw switch. The room has no fan and no outlets. I want to add one fan, and add one gfci outlet.

I have two ideas. Looking for pro / con / feasibility + wiring diagrams.

Simple Solution

Combine fan and light on single switch. Replace single switch with switch / outlet combo like below.

Single Switch / Outlet Combo

I assume I can run power from the light to the fan. And then rewire the switch. Is it that simple?

Right Solution

Replace the single switch with 2 switches: 1 each for light and fan. Then have a gfci outlet placed by the vanity. PROS: 1. I can leave the fan off when not showering. 2. The outlet is by the vanity, and not on an awkward wall with a switch.

New Switches

Sample Outlet location

Thoughts

I found this with the preferred answer being close. Wrong switch type, and it assumes power is run to the outlet then to the light. My existing source is to the switch. I figure the only way to have the outlet after the switch, is to have it be activated by the light (not fan) switch. That's less than ideal, but I'm open to it, since I'd never need the outlet to work with the light off.

Also, old house, so there are likely no grounds.

New Info!

I went into the attic and traced all the wiring to / from the bathroom light. There's more! I drew a basic diagram. I'm sorry it's not an official drawing, but hopefully clear enough. Also, it's on a 15 amp fuse. And this is all new wiring, and surprisingly, includes grounds.

New Plan
I'm thinking I scratch the outlet idea. I'll only add a fan. I'll add a switch next to the light switch, and tie the fan power into the light. Thoughts?

Happy Ending
Installed just the fan, no outlet. I added a second switch using an old work box, right next to the existing switch. I wired it to the light as expected, and it's worked perfectly. Thanks guys!

If we are talking recent code, NEC requires a 20A circuit dedicated to bathroom receptacles. This circuit cannot service lighting in other rooms but there is an exception for what you contemplate: to service a 10A or less load for fan and lights in the one bathroom. The point of this requirement is so that your blow dryer doesn't pop the circuit.

When you modify this circuit you need to bring it up to code and that may prove difficult if the branch servicing that light switch is only 15A and/or services other light switches (as I suspect it does). Getting this up to code would then require you to run a new 20A branch circuit from the service panel.

Having said that, either of your proposed configurations works fine. There is no problem pigtailing off the line in the switch box to install an unswitched outlet box elsewhere. Just do this on the line side of the switch.

  [210.11(C)(3)] One 20A, 120V branch circuit must be provided for the receptacle outlets required by 210.52(D) for all dwelling unit
  bathrooms. This 20A bathroom receptacle circuit must not serve any
  other outlet, such as bathroom lighting outlets or receptacle outlets
  in other rooms (Fig. 1). A 15A, 125V receptacle is rated for 20A
  feed-through, so it can be used for this purpose [210.21(B)(3)].

  [210.11(C)(3), Exception] A single 20A, 120V branch circuit is permitted to supply all of the outlets (including outlets for lighting
  and equipment) in a single bathroom, as long as no single load
  fastened in place is rated more than 10A [210.23(A)] (Fig. 2).


How do I remove this plastic fitting connected under my kitchen faucet? I am trying to replace my kitchen faucet which is leaking at the base. So far I am struggling to remove the leaky faucet. There is a black and white plastic connection piece that I have been unsuccessful at removing. Does anyone know how to remove this thing?

Squeeze those two ends together and push in... The other end should come out and you might need a screwdriver to pry it out a little more. To reinstall it, put the connector back on the pipe and push the flat white side back in until it snaps in place.


What does airflow in the sump pit mean? I have a sump pit in my basement with a pipe that comes from the drain tile. The drain tile does not see day light anywhere, it's all near the footings of the foundation.

I can feel a strong flow of air coming from the pipe. Where would that be coming from? Is that normal?

Here's a picture. The top of the picture is the exterior wall of the house, the pipe is coming in from the drain tile.

I am a residential builder, but I would suspect this "air flow" is best explained through psychrometrics and the concept of "natural draft".

The air inside the drain tile system will likely be much cooler than the temperature in the basement.  That temperature difference begets a pressure difference, with the cooler air being more dense than warm air. Nature, forever seeking homeostasis, tries to reconcile the pressure difference between the two areas..... and a draft is formed.

This phenomenon can also be known as the "stack effect" when dealing with building construction, and is one of the causes of thermally inefficient homes.  Improperly sized HVAC systems and things such as ventilation fans in bathrooms and range hoods will also serve to depressurize the house.

From a building inspector's point of view there is absolutely nothing to be worried about.


Protecting PEX Outdoors I am installing a tankless water heater, which is an outdoor model. We are likely to use PEX when redoing the plumbing, but because the heater is outdoors, we will need to have a short, outdoor PEX run.

Are there any preferred ways to protect it from UV exposure? I've seen suggestions to paint it, I'm sure I could make a covering for it, and I don't doubt that pipe insulation would work. Is there a best-practices way though?

As noted here: Is PEX exposed to the environment OK to use? you do not want to expose the material to UV light of which there is plenty in outdoor sunlight.

If it were me I would plumb the outside connections in copper and then switch to PEX inside the building structure.


Brand new lamp has me stumped I bought a very expensive lamp with a 3-way switch.  I noticed when I got home that it has a red sticker stating 60 watt maximum.   The lowest A1 bulb I could find in 3 way was 30-70-100.  Are there other bulbs that can give me a safe 3-way choice and still be under the 60 watt limit??? I'm stumped.

A1 doesn't make any sense. But in general there are 3-way LED bulbs to fit any size and they don't use much power. For example, this Cree 40W/50W/100W equivalent LED bulb:

fits an E26 socket and actual power used is 5W/9W/17W.

Equivalent power is often listed first. I think that is partially inertia/backwards compatibility - if you used to have a 30/70/100 bulb then that's what you will look for in a replacement, since bulbs have (generally) only recently been listed by the light they produce - lumens - instead of the power they use - watts. I think it is also partly "marketing" - people like to get more for their money, and 30/70/100 sounds like a lot more than 5/9/17, even though what you are really trying to get for your money is light, not power usage (which you actually want to minimize).


Baseboard Heater Problems! Cold weather started early this year and I decided to turn the heater on. However after a couple hours the heater has finally kicked the bucket after some odd 25 years. I checked the voltage and wattage on the existing heater so I could swap it out. Ran to the store grabbed a baseboard heater of same watt/voltage.

When I opened this heater up its asking me to connect the neutral wire onto the thermostat on the baseboard, however I only have the red/black wires and neither are marked as neutral. Can I test the wires to see if one is in fact a neutral wire, or are they likely a load/line setup? It is a 240v 2000w Dimplex LPC with the onboard thermostat. Thanks for any advice! Just trying to get warm.

Judging by the diagram (Fig.2) at the bottom of the 1st page on the install instructions you've linked, you should be connecting your Black L1 to the baseboard's Black, Your Red L2 to the Baseboard's Blue, and your ground to the Baseboard's Ground screw.
This baseboard heater doesn't require a Neutral for a North-American split-phase 240V supply.
You only need Live/Neutral if you have European single-phase 240V.

There's a slightly clearer version of the instructions here, with this diagram on page 2:


Trouble With Wiring New Switch to Replace Old Switch I have some very old light switches that power the lights in my kitchen and dining area. There is 2 switches for each light source on each side of the kitchen/dining area, im trying to figure out where what wires go where on my new switches. Ive attached some photos that hopefully will help. Im replacing the old light switches with just basic Leviton flat style switches that toggle up or down. These - http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-Decora-15-Amp-Single-Pole-AC-Quiet-Switch-White-10-Pack-M32-05601-2WM/202204204

So any help would be greatly appreciated

Since the setup now is two switches to control each light (what is known as a three-way switch) the new switches need to be the same type. A simple switch that is not a "three way switch" (they will be so labeled) won't replace those.

Return the simple switches and buy 3-way switches - then it will be easy to proceed.


What is the best mix for cement render? I have some bricked exterior areas that had some cement render on them, and then paint. The render has fallen off the bricks in patches.

I think the problem is that large chunks of the brick work was done using cement blocks rather than clay bricks as the areas that have come away tend to be more over these bricks than the clay bricks.

The cement bricks though are not the ordinary breeze block type porous heavy versions, but are more aerated and lighter than normal. They also appear to soak up moisture a lot easier (what I suspect is more the problem).

So given the problems with the bricks, what would be the best mix for a render coating that means I do not need to actually replace the bricks themselves?

I'd add a mortar plasticiser to a cement to building sand render mix made at a ratio of about 1:4 - I believe your namesake Travis Perkins offer a suitable product ;)

Damp the wall thoroughly before applying the render to slow down the transfer of water from the mortar to the wall.

I guess you could also use a layer of PVA ontop of the wall before rendering to provide some kind of barrier but that's not something I've done personally.


Bonding Ground Rod for Rooftop Antenna I am installing a rooftop antenna on the end of my house, opposite the end where the ground rod is located.

I plan to install a new 8' ground rod on the ground directly under the antenna. I need to connect (bond) the new ground rod to the old ground rod. I plan to do this with 6 AWG copper wire. Because of a variety of obstacles, running the 6 AWG around my house to the existing ground rod would be difficult.

Would it be safe to run the 6 AWG bonding jumper in PVC conduit through my semi-finished basement? For example, attached to an unfinished concrete wall?

Edit: I've ended up running the 6 AWG in the ground around my house. I could not find any good information about running it inside versus outside, so Iopted for the safe route, to keep it outside.

I've cleaned up after lightning hits an antenna, and designed spark gaps to protect electronics.  The last thing I'd do is install a lightning rod through my basement.  That stuff should stay outside, irrespective of NEC 810.21(J).  Ground loops are not a serious concern in this particular application.

I'd also consider changing the 8' rod into two 4' rods, which are far easier and safer to drive into the ground.


Can I connect a 100A subpanel to a 100A main panel? I currently have a 100amp main service box but it is all full and some are even doubled up.I'm wondering if i can hook up a 100amp subpanel off of it? If so what size wire to go with?

It would be on same wall next to it within 12 inches. Do I have to use conduit between the two, or does it have to exit the bottom of main to top if subpanel?

Also all I'm seeing at local store is 100 amp main boxes. Is that allowable by code to use as a sub? I know sub can't have neutral bonded by that screw either way.

My local town in Illinois uses the 2011 NEC handbook. Sorry for so many questions, but i just want to do it right. Thanks.

Let me try and answer some of your questions. First the panels you are looking at that are rated 100A simply means you can use them for any application up to 100A. You can for example add a 60A breaker to your existing panel and protect the new subpanel with a 100A rating. It is not so much what the panel is rated as what the protection is rated.

You can use other methods other than conduit but first you need to select what type of method you prefer to use and that must be permitted as outlined in Chapter 300 of the NEC "Wiring Methods". So you need to select a method then follow the installation directions as outlined in that particular selection. As an example, let's say you want to use type NM (romex) to connect the new sub panel. That would be Article 334 in the NEC. It will have uses permitted with exceptions and uses not permitted and give installation rules you must follow depending on where these panels are and the type of environment they are in.

I would like to suggest that it may be a better idea to replace and upgrade the existing panel. I believe this would be a better method and give you a better value added rather than several subfed panels.

Hope this helps

  Oops caught use overlapping


Can I wire a exterior light to a inside outlet? I have a defiant led motion light and I'm mounting it above the garage and the garage has been converted to a room, So behind the garage door is a wall with 2 standard outlets the top outlet usually has a window ac unit plugged in (but I unplug it when I'm not using it) and the bottom outlet is used for when I plug my keyboard in or laptop charger ETC, so it's usually free most of the time.

So I'm just wanting to make sure I can wire my motion light to one of these outlets with no problems or overloading of too much power.

Sorry if I sound like an amateur this will be my first time wiring anything on my own and first DIY

the exterior light model is this dfi 5988-wh, and the specs are 2450 lumens output and the watt equivalence is 29.23 that's all I has on the box.

Any help, thoughts or suggestions would be awesome. Thanks

The AC won't be running at night when the LED light is needed . LED lights draw very little power so you will probably be fine. The high bay LED's I have recently installed with similar lumens draw only .5 amps.


Reconnecting 50 amp service to outbuilding I replaced a barn that had buried 50 amp service from the main house electrical. Before the old building was demoed, I removed the breaker box. I know it needs to be regrounded, as the old building was. That part is easy. What I need need to know is how to reconnect the breaker box removed from the old building to the wires safely. Three wires and a ground. Wire nuts aren’t going to cut it. How do you spice 1/4”+ solid copper wires?

You'll need a pull box and some insulated mechanical ("Polaris") connectors for this

You are correct that wire nuts and an ordinary junction box won't cut it here.  Instead, what you need is a correctly sized(6" by 6" minimum unless you have fatter conduit than 1", which will require you to go up to 9" by 9") pull box rated for the environment (NEMA 1 for inside, NEMA 3R for outside) to house the splices, and then insulated mechanical connectors (Polaris/Unitap/...) rated for the gauge of wire in question to make the splices.  You'll also need to use a torque wrench to make up the connections -- we're talking torques on the order of 10-20 ft-lbs here.  Last but not least, you cannot bury the box -- it must remain accessible so that the next bloke who needs to mess with those splices can go in and do so without having to demo part of the building on a junction-box hunt.


Is it wrong to connect multiple J-bends (traps) together? My tenants recently told me that they have constant clogging problems with their bathroom sink and had me come take a look at it. I found the following 3-trap configuration:

This was done because the sink is too far to the right for it to mate with the drain in the wall via a standard p-trap configuration. This seems like the wrong solution to me (it was done by a (non-plumber) contractor when I was living out of state). A guy in the plumbing section at Home Depot didn't like it either and suspected that it would lead to clogs.

I replaced two of the traps with one of those flexible pipes and was able to make the connection with the remaining trap being rotated slightly - not ideal, but I'd suppose that two (roughly) 45˚ bends are better than what was there previously. There seemed to be no alternative way to connect the sink to the drain given the 1-1/4" pipes and fittings available at HD.

My Questions:

Is it fair to say what was there before was incorrect and was contributing to the frequent clogging problem?
What is the "right" way to solve this plumbing problem?

Much too much up and down! You want a P trap with an additional angled connector toward the wall.

The first down and up from the sink drain is correct. That is the P trap. It should end with a horizontal leg pointing toward the wall (an L shaped piece).

This will not line up with the opening in the wall because the drain is offset.  Therefor that leg will run a distance and then will use an angle to bend it back toward the wall.

You could use a right angled slip joint connector (running horizontally).

A 45 degree angle would be better (the less sharp the bend, the less likely to stop up).  However it may be hard to fine a 45 degree slip joint elbow. You could use standard pipes and elbows, but these would require glued joints rather than slip joints.

Finally there should be a straight run from the angled connector to the wall connection.

You can rotate the P part of the trap so the L leg coming off the P is parallel to the wall (assuming you are using the 90 degree elbow; if not, adjust accordingly).  Then the elbow turns the drain toward the wall.  Another horizontal run carries the drain back to the wall.

You need to measure the length of the horizontal leg of the P and the length of the connecting run to the wall; be sure to allow for the sections embedded in the elbow and trim each accordingly. Assemble.

It is easier done than described.


What kind of screws are used for the door knob of an interior door? When my painter took off the door knob of an interior door, he lost the two screws that held the door knob in place.  Does anyone happen to know what kind of screws they are?  They look like some type of Philips-head machine screws.

Thanks for all of the answers.  After bringing the door knob to Home Depot, I ended up buying #8-32 x 1" brass round-head machine screws, which worked perfectly.


run water supply line to fridge from cold side of water heater Since the fridge and the sink are on opposite sides of the room, what's the possibility of connecting the water supply line from the fridge up into the attic and down to the cold side of the water heater?

There is no issue with connecting to the cold supply line near the water heater.

However, there is a huge issue running plumbing through the attic. Attics are typically unconditioned spaces: they are not heated or cooled. In the winter, if you are in a cold climate, you have the possibility of freezing, and in summer, you will get very warm (or even hot) water from your fridge (the water that sits in the attic will heat up).

Having the pipes insulated will slow things down, but if you don't use this water regularly you'll still have problems.

Best to keep all plumbing running through conditioned spaces (and interior walls).


Horizontal lines bulging on drywall We just moved into this house a month or so ago, and with every passing day it seems like these horizontal lines on our drywall in the basement are getting more and more pronounced.  When we first bought the house, I'm pretty sure these lines weren't even there or not noticeable.  We did a home inspection and this was not brought up.

Does anybody know what these lines are, and how I can fix them?  Are they an indication of some structural damage?

Masonry walls sorry spell check brick , concrete etc .
I am not sure if flood damage once repaired requires notifications.
The bulge won’t hurt but it looks ugly I use a steamer and sometimes a spray bottle with water to remove bad tape jobs. Then retapping and painting. I don’t know if it will get any worse but it normally won’t get better, some cases it will fall off. Don’t get aggressive and pull the paper tape because some spots usually stick and can rip the Sheetrock paper.

If the room is a recreation room for kids I would wait to repair until just prior to repainting , if it is a nicer area and bothers you it is a good beginner DIY job for tape and texture .


Should I install floating solid bamboo flooring? I have been looking at flooring choices for my new home. The house currently has carpeting on the upper story and a cheap laminate floor on the ground floor. I'm planning on replacing both.

I've been very interested in stranded solid bamboo flooring, due to the environmental advantages of bamboo, the hardness of the stranded product, and the style.

Many of the floors I have been looking at can be installed either with glue, nails, or as a floating "click and lock".

The floating installation is obviously less expensive since there is less labor involved. So what would be the benefits and downsides of choosing a floating installation instead of nailed?

In general, floating surfaces can be louder when you walk on them.  This is more noticable on subflooring that is rough or uneven.  The sound can be clicking/slapping/hollow sounds.  Depending on the underlayment, the floor can feel springier than glued or nailed flooring.

I recommend having an installer do glue-down on concrete subfloor, or nail-down on a raised foundation.  The solid feel and less sound when walking on it is worth the extra installation dollars, in my opinion.


Fire pit or chiminea or outdoor stove? In an indoor setting, a wood burner is far, far more efficient than an open fire.
What about outdoors in a patio or courtyard? I have a large amount of low grade firewood and I'd like an outdoor fire of some sort.
How should I decide what's the best option?

You're not going to heat the patio significantly either way - the hot air will rise, there's no ceiling to contain it.
Radiant heat is about all you'll get, and that is pretty similar between open fire and stove - the major improvement in efficiency inside is from using less excess air that simply goes up the chimney, and trapping more of the heated air inside the house - but outside all the heated air inside or outside the stove or fire is going to go up and away from people.
If you are into large complex projects you could follow the Romans and build a "stove" under or around your patio (hypocaust ala Romans, or more modernly a "rocket mass heater" in the wall or seat form.) That gives you a larger area of lower temperature radiant heat than a bare fire.


How can I repair a vinyl window that is not staying up? I moved into a house.  There is one vinyl window with a problem.  If you unlatch the window, the top half drops like a guillotine.  Smash.  I'm surprised it isn't broken yet.  None of the other windows in the house do this.

I don't see any place where there would be a spring or counter-balance mechanism.  Do I just need to get the whole thing replaced, or is there a way to take this apart?  If I can DiY this thing, then how would I service it and where would I find parts (usually without knowing the part names, every web search seems to take you to Microsoft's web site... for windows).

Many single and double-hung vinyl windows have "spiral sash balances". An internet search of that term will reveal a lot of info. They are replaceable but it is not simple, and finding the right size can be a challenge also. If the windows are old consider a DIY replacement of the entire window unit with an easily installed block frame replacement window.


How should I replace a cantilevered rim joist? The rim joist on the front of my house has water damage and needs to be replaced. When I pulled off most of the rot, less than half the board's thickness remained. The floor is cantilevered about 3 feet. The joist is a 2x10 about 13' long. I originally was going to sister in a replacement for the damaged area but my neighbor (a city inspector) said that if it were his house, he'd replace the whole board. And since I have the entire board exposed right now anyway, I figured I might as well. What I don't know is how be sure the house doesn't shift while I replace it.

I haven't noticed any dip in the floor inside. There is nothing especially heavy in the bedroom over the cantilevered area (no piano or anything like that).

I was thinking I'd put temporary 2x10 blocking between the floor joists and then pull out and replace the rim joist. Is that safe or do I need to somehow put the floor on jacks? Can I also replace the rotted section of the bottom plate at the same time?

I can think of a couple ways you might go here. The rim joist doesn't carry much actual load. Most of it is on the common joists. Really, you can remove it and replace it without doing much else. Keep an eye on things as you do so and watch for any twisting movement in the in the joists.

Another approach would be to rip cut the joist halfway down and replace it with two boards. Remove the top half and replace it with a 2x6, then remove the bottom half and replace it with another 2x6 ripped to the correct dimension.


Replaced the wax ring but now it bubbles when the shower runs I replaced the wax ring after it started leaking now when the shower is running the toilet bubbles and if you push the toilet you can hear air escaping from around the toilet bolts plunging doesn't help it will slowly drain then you're able to flush the toilet properly

You almost certainly have a drain vent problem on the drain to which both the shower and toilet connect.  It could be anything from a clogged vent (most likely if the system was working for a long time and then suddenly started leaking from the toilet flange) to an incorrectly designed stack.

If you want to tackle the problem yourself, you need to understand how vents allow traps and siphons to function properly in a DWV system.


Sprinkler System Low Pressure Is there a way to determine if my sprinkler system has a pressure regulator installed?

My neighbor and I both built our houses with the same builder at the same time, but had different landscaping contractors do the sprinkler system installs. His yard has 10 zones with about 7 sprinkler heads each, whereas mine has like 17 zones with no more than 4 heads per zone. I should note that NONE of the sprinkler bodies (mine nor my neighbor's) are pressure regulated.

Anyhow, I added a single head to one of my zones and my system does not have enough pressure to allow for the the additional head to function properly. It seems odd that I don't have enough pressure to supply 5 heads on a given zone, while my neighbor has enough pressure to supply 7 heads on a given zone. We're even using identical sprayheads (Hunter Rotators).

The only thing I can think of is that I've got a system wide pressure regulator installed somewhere on my system, and my neighbor doesn't.  But how can I know for sure?

The size and configuration of the entire piping system that supplies your irrigation setup, from point of entry to your property (usually the water meter) all the way to each sprinkler head, along with pressure, determines how much water is available. Pressure is just one piece of the puzzle.
If there is a regulator on your system it would typically be found on the main water supply pipe, between the main municipal supply/meter and your home (upstream of everything, basically). You should understand that regulators are installed for a reason; removing, bypassing, or adjusting it could cause complications up to and including failure of system components (i.e. flood). Normally, if high delivery pressure necessitates installation of a regulator, then all your neighbors would have one as well. It would be prudent to do some asking around. Regulators usually look something like this:

In the end, the cause of your problem is usually due to undersized piping. the fact that your neighbor used a different irrigation installer and seems to have no issues points to that as well. You would be surprised at how much more water flows through a 1" pipe compared to a 3/4" pipe:

By taking pressure measurements (both static and with water flowing) and noting pipe sizes and configuration, an educated layperson (and certainly a landscaping professional) could diagnose the issue fairly quickly.


Why doesn't the flange fit on a new bathroom faucet? I purchased a Kohler Mistos today for the bathroom sink. I took out the old faucet, struggled with the old drain assembly, but got that off with no damage to the sink.  I attempted to put in the new drain flange with plumber's putty and it wouldn't fit. I took a small box cutter and trimmed the ribs off the plastic and it still won't fit. I took the putty off, though it wasn't in the way, and it still didn't fit. I tried screwing the rest onto the flange and hoped I could use the plastic nut to pull it down.  That didn't work.  I don't know what else to do.

The box does have in small print drain assembly made in China.  Is this someone using metric and not standard measurement, machine off in production, or am I just not doing something right?

These photos both show Mistos parts, which of the 2 pop-ups look like yours?  The top one is for commercial use, the bottom one residential.  Kohler will replace the top one, if that is what you have.

Drain units also different, commercial top, residential bottom


We now have two cars that are plug in, and we can't charge both at same time!!! Can we "split" a circuit? The entire garage and one outdoor outlet are on the same 15amp breaker (110v) and it cannot handle that kind of load as each charger pulls about 11 amps. I am trying to guestimate the cost of adding an outlet, splitting a circuit (if that is even possible) or even going a step up and adding a 2 vehicle charging station at 220V.  Can this be done? Would it be outrageously expensive?

Our circuit panel is completely full, is that an issue?

Very new at this and trying to figure out what's feasible.

If your panel supports the load, a 220v circuit will be more effective for your two vehicle charging situation. It will reduce the charging time by more than fifty percent and allow you to charge in sequence rather than simultaneously.

Outrageously expensive is a subjective concept and would have to have a reference for your level of income. You can get a quality EVSE that runs on 220v for a few hundred dollars, possibly less on the used market.

Of course, the expense of the EVSE is only a small portion of the total. A qualified electrician may charge as much or more than the cost of the unit to install a circuit. As Mr ThreePhaseEel suggests, a photo of your panel would provide additional information.

To keep your costs down, you may want to consider to install the necessary conduit and boxes yourself, drilling holes through the wall if required and installing a pull-string to facilitate wiring routing or even pull the wiring yourself. Leaving only the connections to be made will shorten the electrician's time and your costs.

Our EVs would take 44 to 48 hours to charge on a 110v circuit, yet takes fewer than 4 hours on our 10kw EVSE running on 220v. You may find you can charge less frequently than was required with a 110v circuit and also to stagger the days for the two vehicles.


Can anyone identify/name this plumbing component? Located under all the "AM/PM Kitchen" (bedroom) sinks in the house:

It adapts the 3/8 PEX output from the mixer valve to 1/4 PEX to the spigot. The thing that looks like a valve does not appear to do anything.

Sorry I don't have a banana for scale, but it is a fairly small item as you can tell from the 3/8 and 1/4 inch PEX at the top.

It also appears to be totally devoid of brand or part markings.

The faucet is probably Delta™, but because the valve and the spigot are separate items, it is possible that they are not the same brand.

I am looking for proper terminology, or a link to a product page, etc.

Or just informative observations.

I discovered the answer to my own question. I went to the Delta™ site after looking up Delta™ faucets on Amazon™, and discovered that this widget is indeed an integral part of the spigot -- it allows Delta™ sprayers to be plugged in and functions as the diverter. Or the diverter receptacle.

Unfortunately Delta™ doesn't offer a mating sprayer in the nickel finish that they sold this faucet in.

Alaska Man gets the kewpie doll for suggesting that I look at the faucet manufacturer website. I had been assuming that the widget was a separate component, and had not ever considered the idea that it was part of the faucet!


Which is the ground wire in my lighting circuit? I am installing track lighting and have uninstalled the old florescent lighting. I am now left with:

1 white wire
2 black
1 yellow

And what looks to be an exposed copper wire.
I understand that the white is my neutral and the black are my hot wires. I’m confused about the ground. Is the yellow wire or the exposed copper my ground?
I really appreciate any help and insight.

Odds are excellent that you have an additional bare wire and cable sheath out of sight up the ceiling. And that your "yellow" wire is actually "White, but old and yellowed."
This is a crappy install, in that the cable sheaths should have been coming all the way into the "old fixture as junction box" and if they don't make it to the hole, that obviously wasn't happening, and the next thing in line wasn't grounded, (and I doubt the first thing was given how short that ground wire is cut,) unless that cable has just retreated into the hole after you removed the fixture. Bare copper or green are grounds.
It's marginally possible but highly unlikely that the ballast in one fixture was running a tube in a separate fixture (where yellow would be a reasonable likelihood as a real color.)
If so, you're going to need to replace that wire anyway.
For cables used in North America, the conductors are black, white, bare, then black, white, red, bare, etc - i.e. you won't find a yellow wire in a normal household cable. You might in a conduit. But the yellowed/aged white wire is a much more likely case.


What is this knob on our fireplace? Dumb question, probably, but you guys have come through for us in the past...

Our house has a fireplace installed by the previous owner with two sliding knobs.  Our question is, what are these?

http://oi52.tinypic.com/dzj7ec.jpg

The top slider is probably the flue. If so, is convention that the in position is opening or closing the air to the chimney?

The center knob is obviously for opening the door.

Finally, what do you think the bottom right slide does? If you had to guess, what is the difference between the "in" position" and the "out" position?  We've played with it when the fire is working but we don't notice a difference.

There is some kind of electrical blower on the bottom which, when you plug it in, forces air out the vents on the bottom.  However, it doesn't seem like this slider on the lower right controls the air coming out of those vents, at least not obviously.

Any ideas from the world of Stack Exchange?

The upper knob is logically the flue control. You really don't want to close off the flue with a roaring fire going. The exhaust gasses need to go somewhere. If not up the flue, then...

The lower knob is logically air intake. It might be from inside the house, or if the insert is externally vented (best) then the air for the fire comes from outside. In either case, shutting that down will dampen the fire, but it will do so gradually as the oxygen in the cavity is depleted. And I don't know if it is designed to completely shut down the incoming air at all.

Personally, if I were the previous owner who installed it, I would have kept the instructions for the insert around. And then when I sold the house, I would have passed on (to the new owner) a whole pile of instruction manuals for every item in the home. Read the manual.


A screw driver tip that won't hurt painted screws? Is there such thing as a soft tip screw driver that won't hurt painted screw tips?

In researching your question I came across several jeweller sites that claim that with proper technique you should be able to remove the screws without damage.

However I found this unsatisfactory, so I dug deeper, and the answer is yes, there exists nylon bladed screw drivers


electrical fixture replaced now lights dont go on/off I installed a new track light to where the old fixture was.I have power to the light track but the on/ off switch does not work anymore and the lights stay on, unless I turn off the circuit breaker. I replaced the switch thinking it was faulty, but did not help. There are 2 cables at the fixture box with a black and white and ground from each cable.
I attached black to black ,white to white, ground to ground wires from track just like it was before.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,

Wires are NOT color coded as well as you think.  However, black-white pairs are grouped into cables. That's important.   (I'll disregard grounds; all grounds are ground and all go to each other).

One of the black-white pairs in the ceiling is supply power.  Black is always hot, white is neutral.

The other black-white pair is a switch loop.  When the switch is on, the two wires are shorted to each other. The white is supposed to have a marking on it to indicate that it is not a neutral wire, but that was skipped.  This kind of lazy installation is what makes color coding so meaningless.

Disconnect the wires from each other and check which are energized with the power on.  Alternately, you can look for the pair whose resistance changes a lot when you throw the switch, but only check resistance with the power off!

The switch-loop white needs to be marked with black tape etc.  Code requires we use that one for always-hot.  The remaining switch wire (black) will be switched-hot.  That goes to the lamp black.

So join the black supply wire and the white-tagged-black switch-loop wire with a wire nut, push it into the back of the box, and never touch it again.  These two wires never went to the lamp, and would have been joined just this way, so there was never any reason for you to touch it.  I understand the urge to learn electrical by dismantling things, but position information is very important in lazy wiring where nobody marks anything.

If you want to be the opposite of this, I am a huge fan of marking all wires as necessary so their function is clear, and all like colors can simply be joined to each other. In my world, an unmarked white is neutral, an unmarked black is always-hot.  Switched-hots are red, unless there's 2 or more in the same box, then blue and yellow.  Two yellows in the same cable are the 2 travelers in a 3-way switch circuit. (travelers are interchangeable and there's no need to distinguish them from one another).

The remaining white (from supply) is real neutral to the lamp. The remaining black (from switch) is switched hot to the lamp.


What caused my paint to alligator and how to fix it? I did a drywall patch over my shower, using quick dry joint compound, a few coats with sanding in between. Walls were washed with dish soap and dried prior. A few days later I primed with zissner BIN shellac. Few days after that, I could see a crack around the drywall patch, so I did more joint compound, sanded, primed again with the BIN, then painted with a latex paint. Now the paint is alligatoring everywhere on walls and ceiling all the way down to the original paint, which is latex. I only used one coat of paint and waited 2 days to shower, but it is pretty humid in there typically. I did the exact same thing on the other side of the room with no issues, so I’m wondering if the humidity is to blame?
How did this happen?
How do I fix it and prevent it from happening again?

Pattern cracking (alligatoring) can be caused by:

1) applying a hard coat (oil base) over a softer coat of paint.

2) applying too much paint per coat.

3) applying one coat over another coat before the first coat can dry...often because the first coat is too thick.

4) inability of top coat by to bond smoothly to glossy finish.

Repair is by:

A) scrape and sand down to original finish.

B) apply primer.

C) apply finish coat of SAME manufacturer as primer.


How can I clamp two 325 mm planks while gluing them together? I have a base that is 650mm deep.  I'm going to have to glue several planks together to get this depth and, eventually, the last two to make the 650mm base.  The problem is, I don't have (and can't see for sale) 650mm clamps to do this.  As it's 2m long, I'd need quite a few clamps to do it.

Can anyone think of any alternatives?

If Bessey K style are not in the budget, Bessey H pipe end clamps are very economical, with new lengths available for the price of an iron (or steel) pipe.

Found these on Amazon UK


Appropriate tool to remove wires in push wire I have several switches that have the push wire in the back and I'm going to replace each one with new ones. However, nearly all of them are using the push wire technique and its deep.

I have on a set of these, but apparently, they don't go deep enough.

Any technique I might be missing in trying to remove the wires?

I use one of the flat blade screwdrivers from this tool set from General. This is available from many better hardware stores or directly from the General Web Site.

I have found that the flat ends on these are formed much longer and the poke down into the slot on the back of the outlet much better. The flats on the type of screw driver bits that you pictured generally get thicker within a much shorter length.

When you replace the outlets / switches with new ones do use the screws instead of the poke in wire holes. This will produce much more reliable connections. Another thing to watch for is to place the wire hook under the screw head so that the end of the hook goes around the screw in the same direction that you use to tighten the screws.


Closet Wall, is it Load Bearing? Trying to figure out if the front wall of this pantry cabinet is load bearing. We'd like to remove the front of the pantry and install cabinets here instead of the closet, but unsure if we can pull down the framing around the door. We have photos of the wall when it was just studs and a copy of the original floor plan.

The framing above the pantry door is not load bearing. The doorway to the left of the pantry in the middle picture is load bearing. You can tell by the solid header.


How to prepare wall with peeling paint for painting I am filling in cracks on a wall and when I use the sander it takes of existing paint which then peels off in strips is there an easy answer that's not to hard thanks

If you're using an electric sander then you want to keep that moving all of the time & not linger in any areas. Lingering will heat up the paint & cause it to release. If the paint is peeling off in strips you may also have a poor paint job where Priming before Painting wasn't practiced. But, you won't make that mistake.

You can hand or pole sand with the sandpaper or sanding screen to avoid so much heat & it will also demonstrate how much heat sanding creates. Additionally, you can Wet-Sand with nothing but a Wet household Sponge. This doesn't create heat or even dust. But, definitely remove any loose paint edges as best you can.

If the paint keeps pulling off where you haven't sanded & you have plenty of Joint Compound or Spackle to feather the edge where you finally find sound paint, then rip off as much as possible...This part assumes you have plenty of Primer & Paint to tackle the larger area(s), once with Primer & twice or with 2-coats of Paint.


What glue to stick polycarbonate and glass together? I am searching for strong glue that

Bonds polycarbonate to glass
Is cold and hot weather resistant (approximately -50 to 50)
Is transparent
Optional: Would ideally bond glass if it was broken like PVB

I already searched that some blends of silicone and polyurethane adhesives are used to bond those two together, but I don't know about the cold weather resistance.

Readily available products will include clear epoxies and marine grade silicone adhesives
Auto/Marine silicone sealant is typically rated to -40F, up to 350F and is quite clear between 2 pieces of glass, I do not know how the solvent will react with the PC in terms of changing the clarity of the surface. It dries like a high durometer rubber and can assist in noise/vibration damping from one surface to the next. These take at least a day to cure.
30-minute epoxies harden solid, but have a lower temp range, around -60F to 180F. They get HOT when they cure, which can lead to warping of certain plastics, but when bonded to glass this should not be a problem.
Optically clear lens adhesives are based on epoxy or acrylate and have a slightly more narrow range of temperatures, usally -40 to 150F. They are solvent free and are thus cured rapidly using ultraviolet light or heating (or both together). The lack of solvent should mean no change in surface clarity of the PC.


Preventing draft under door A pretty chilly draft is coming in under my kitchen door. Although this is the only door in the house without a door sweep, the door is weatherstripped and has a recently installed storm door outside.

I do want to install a door sweep in the future, but since I just moved in, I bought a door snake as a temporary measure to stop the draft. Unfortunately, it seems to do very little. There's still a lot of air coming in around the snake, even though it completely covers the bottom of the door.

Are there any other quick and easy ways of fixing a draft? It's strange to me that the storm door isn't more effective at keeping air out.

You might try one of these, if it could fit. They're pretty cheap as well and basically like a double sided "door snake".

Does the storm door itself have a sweep along the bottom? We bought an old house recently that has original doors to the outside. The storm door that the past owners installed works great as it has a sweep that 'scrapes' along the concrete outside until it seals in. If it's open the wind just blows around every crack of the door, but when it's closed you can't really feel anything.


What steps should I take before staining a deck that has weathered for several months? I sanded my deck last year, power washed it this year, but have not yet stained it because it won’t stop raining long enough to dry the wood for me to stain.

When and if the wood ever dries, what steps should I take before finally staining?

There's really nothing you need to do unless you're dissatisfied with the smoothness of the wood, or if it's discolored significantly and you'd like to freshen the surface. In both cases, a random-orbit sander should do a nice job of smoothing and bringing out fresh wood.


How do I determine if I have an open neutral? I live in VA. My bath and bedroom lights were working fine and suddenly it was as though I threw the circuit breaker. Everything on the bedroom/bathroom circuit breaker went dead. I checked the breaker and it was not tripped, but I reset it a couple of times and still no change. I then replaced it with a new one just in case the breaker was going bad, still no change. The GFCI receptacle in the bathroom is on a different circuit. I checked it with a digital multi-meter and it checks out to 122V with the bedroom / bathroom circuit breaker off.

I also checked all other receptacles and switches with breaker on using an analog voltage detector and it shows hot on both the neutral and the hot side, but with my digital multi-meter they show only about 1V between the neutral and hot wires. This sounds like an open neutral from what I know, but how do I verify and isolate if so? I would say I have slightly more than a general working knowledge of electricity and circuits, but not used frequently so this is a little perplexing. Any help is certainly appreciated.

To test a bad neutral simply test the known hot to a good ground.  Hot to ground should return nominal voltage ~ 110 - 125 Volts and hot to neutral would read something irregular.
In the case the ground is either bad or missing simply run a drop cord from a working properly grounded outlet and test hot to ground.
FYI: The above tests are to test that the branch circuit in question does indeed have a good potential of nominal voltages ~ 110 - 125 Volts, but is unable to complete the circuit from an open neutral.
Isolating Open Neutral
Isolating the open neutral can take a bit more work, but you can save yourself some time by following these steps...

Isolate the branch circuit breaker.  See if it is labeled and what portions of the house may be using it.
Identify what is working on the branch circuit breaker and work your way upstream toward the non-working area until you can localize it to a room or similar area.
Once you've localized the area turn off the circuit breaker.
Next, start by inspecting the attic or other unfinished areas such as the basement or crawl space to learn the layout of the wiring.  This will give you a better idea of how the electrician wired the branch circuit and help you better isolate the problem.
If you don't have any unfinished areas then one by one inspect behind each outlet, switch box, recessed light, or similar for any signs of a lose neutral.
After checking and reconnecting any suspicious taps you can reset the circuit breaker and test.
Repeat as necessary.

In the event nothing upstream works this could be indicative of a lose neutral from within the panel itself.  Unfortunately, I don't think such is a DIY job and recommend only qualified electricians inspect and repair any problems inside the panel.

Alternative Step

Purchase a 77HP-G Tone Generator
This device goes on the source conductors ( black and white ) after the breaker has been turned off.  This only works on open circuits, that is, non-continuity between conductors.  A fault to ground for example will not work.
It sends out a audio frequency on the conductors that the probe will amplify.
The source of the problem can be isolated to some extent but using the device takes practice.

Worst Scenario

It does happen that some junction boxes will get covered up and hidden from previous renovations and remodels.  This is an unfortunate reality that makes isolating the problem quite messy.  Other than opening up the walls there is no other way.
Similar to hidden junction boxes are wire staples and nails that during the building of the house either were hammered too hard damaging the wire conductors or penetrated the wire because of accidents, negligence, and/or improper installations. Again, the only solution is to open up walls and ceilings.


Dishwasher confusion I’m trying to track a fault in my wiring to the dishwasher. Ive seen evidence of a critter chewing on a coating but nothing touching anything bare to ground out. The breaker trips instantly after I try to turn it on so I know something is not right, I’m just looking for a good starting point for the troubleshooting

A good place to start is the motor. With the power off, disconnect or unplug the leads to the motor. Then turn on the power and see if the breaker trips. If it doesn't, then the motor is the problem, check the winding for continuity. If is does trip, keep working back toward the main connection till you find the fault.


Do I need to replace motor stator if windings are broken? Broken coil windings

Sorry, first time poster, long time reader. I think pic was uploaded.  Do broken coppper windings on a stator motor necessarily mean it is a bad stator?  This is from a motor stator assembly on a Samsung front load washing machine (WF350ANP/X001). Thank you so much for help.  Don't want to spend $150 if not needed, but don't want to falsely assume the issue is something else.  Background info if helpful: Upon start up, the machine appears to attempt a wash load test by a few short "wiggles" then after a period of about 5 minutes of nothing, produces a 3E error code.  I believe my Hall Sensor or RPS is also bad (visibly has a nick in one probe) so I have that on order.  I may have created this breach in the windings myself as I left the motor assembly on the floor while researching (kid stepped on it?).

A broken wire means that electrical current will not be able to pass through the winding. Many of the newer washers use these large diameter stators with multiple pole pieces (the one in my Kenmore washer is ~12" dia with 36 separate magnetic poles). They often have three windings that are organized so that the same wire is wound around every third pole. Just one wire broken means that one third of the poles will not get energized by the motor drive controller.

The broken wire would have to be repaired or replaced if there is any hope of salvaging the stator. In addition your pictures seem to show multiple damage locations including parts of the enamel wire insulation being knocked or scraped off. This is not a good sign as adjacent turns can short out. Shorted turns on one pole piece can imbalance the motor as the rotor part of the motor turns in operation.

I just had to replace the bearings in my top loader washer and this required removing the motor assembly that is pictured below. There is a good solid reason that the service instructions said to carefully remove the stator and place it on a soft towel out of the way while working on the rest of the bearing replacement.


Urethane or not rough pine walls Converting a garage into a living space using sawn pine walls for battan board look.  Want to leave the natural look but not sure what will happen to the wood. Do I have to use a water based urethane with a spray or can I leave it natural.  I have approx 500 sq ft. Any suggestions including urethane (not to amber) would be appreciated.

I'm guessing the pine is being installed on the interior of the garage? Although it can (and commonly is) used as an exterior wall. Either location Board and Battan walls are rustic and natural.
If used as interior walls they can be left unsealed. Rough Pine will eventually become less bright with age. This can be prevented by applying a sealer to protect the wood. A urethane will work, but if used on rough lumber it may not look aesthetically appealing with any sheen, but matte or flat (this is a personal call).
A water based floor sealer will be he easiest to work with. There are also deck sealers that can be applied (Flod brand gives good results as does Thompson). All will dry clear to leave wood grain viewable, but protected.
It will be easiest to apply whatever you ultimately choose before installing the B+B pine. Several coats all sides is ideal.
The same principals should be used if boards will go on exterior wall. Only you must install a moisture barrier (30 # felt paper or Tyvek) under the boars first.


How can I hide television cables on a brick wall? My handyman mounted my TV and cut holes at the top and bottom so we could hide the cords. He went to put the cords through the hole and found a surprise layer of brick  in between the holes so he couldn’t drop the wires down. I’m curious if there’s anything I can do to get them hidden? My handyman is out of commission with an injury and these wires are so ugly. I can’t take my tv off the wall because I have brackets and holes up there now.

You can't just throw power cords through walls

Obviously, this handyman makes a couple bucks with a drywall hole saw, punching holes in walls and telling people to drop their TV cords and cables through the holes.  For signal and data cables, sure.  But for mains power cords, that's illegal.  You should fire this guy, as he's probably been doing lots of illegal and dangerous work for lots of families, and have someone competent check the work he's done.

It doesn't work for mains power cables for two reasons. First, you can't enter or exit a wall, except at a junction box. Second, wire inside walls must be a different type, as the safety requirements are completely different.   Have a competent person run conduit or special in-wall cable such as NM from any convenient outlet to a site behind the backside of your TV.

Also if your TV is powered by low voltage cable and a wall-wart, and total power is less than 55W, the low voltage cable can go inside the wall directly. The wall-wart cannot!

The rules for data cables are more flexible. However the brick in the wall is not random.  That's going to require either finding a route around it, or having an engineer determine whether it is safe to remove it.  Holing it large enough to pass data cables through will be effectively the same as removing it. Those bricks could be holding up your house.

(Yes, I know. It's the never-ending battle between architects, who have to make the house actually able to stand up, and interior designers who want those annoying structural features to go away.)

Another option, after fitting electrical socket***s*** behind the TV, is to have a qualified professional reroute the TV cable (and ethernet?) to a location directly behind the TV, and then mount the cable box behind the TV also.

I assume you are dealing with a Roku3 or Comcast style cable box where the remote is radio-based; older less sophisticated cable boxes use infrared-based remotes which require line-of-sight to the cable box.   You can detect an infrared remote by seeing how far away it'll work at night, and then try again in broad daylight with direct sun blasting the cable box.  If broad daylight reduces the range, it's infrared-based. (the sun is very loud with infrared light, which the remote has trouble shouting over).


Which sanitary tee for kitchen sink plumbing? I am planning to lower the height of my kitchen drain outlet from the wall in order to accommodate a garbage disposal but I am unsure of which sanitary tee to use. My current plan is to use a 2 x 2 x 1.5 sanitary tee that stubs up to a 1.5" trap adapter. However, I see that there is also a 2 x 2 x 2 sanitary tee available. Which sanitary tee is considered standard for a kitchen sink? Also, if the 2 x 2 x 2 sanitary tee is preferred, what fittings would I need to reduce to the 1.5" pipe from the kitchen drain?
Updated with picture. The drain is currently cast iron. I intend to replace this portion with ABS and lower the outlet.

I have seen both 2" and 1-1/2 adapters at the drywall waiting to accept the white "tubing" (yup, that what plumbers call it, the thin white pipe used under the sink). From a practical standpoint, as to what readily available at your local hardware store, I would choose the 1-1/2 ABS sanitary T plus an adapter at the wall. You can also use the 2" abs and adapt down to 1.5" abs in two abs pieces, then get an abs straight piece then the 1.5" abs to male threaded tubing adapter. The latter solution has more pieces and is therefore slightly costlier.
I'll let someone else pontificate on Code.


What size transformer do I need to power a ¾" 24VAC solenoid valve? I am trying to automate the irrigation and I read that buying a 24 VAC solenoid valve normally closed would be the best. 12V ones being less reliable due to heat and the big-AC ones clearly not passing safety regulations.

I found lots of decent prices like http://s.aliexpress.com/iq6vMnQr but somehow they missed to write what transformer do I need to power one or two. I dont want to spend too much the 220v AC to 24v AC, so I need to know how powerful it should be.

3/4" solenoid valves use around 20 to 30 VA. to open. Look on the name plate and it should say what the  VA. or watts is. You can buy a ( 120/208/240) input X 24 volt output transformer Rated at 60 va.for about $50.00. I saw on  Amazon  a Siemens MTO100C 120/208/240volt X 24 volt, 100VA. for about the same price.


How should I rewire a miswired 3-way switch? I have a 3 way switch that was wired incorrectly when the switches were replaced with a different color switch.  Is there a methodical way for me to identify which wires represent which piece of the system so I can correct the bad wiring?

Currently if switch 1 is on, switch 2 can turn light on or off.  If switch 1 is off, then switch 2 does nothing.

I had this EXACT issue when I moved into my new (to me) house. The original owner was a bit of a handyman and had done several small (and big) projects all over. In many cases regarding electrical work he'd done, I had to go back in and clean up.

Here's a fail-safe process to fix a three way setup that isn't working:

Turn off the breaker controlling this light. You may also need to cut additional breakers if either or both of the 3-ways are in "multi-gang" boxes with other switches on different circuits. Use a non-contact voltage tester to ensure all of the screws on the side of all the switches in both boxes are dead before pulling out any switches.
Disconnect all wires from both of the 3-way switches (but do not unwrap or un-nut any of the twisted wire bundles, or disassemble any other switches). Pull these wires out of the box and separate them so there is no bare copper touching any other metal.
Turn the panel breaker back on. From this moment until step 5, the second you are not extremely cautious around every bit of bare metal in that box, you will pay for it.
Probe all the wires you disconnected and separated one at a time with your non-contact voltage tester, being extremely careful not to touch any of the other wires with the tester or any part of you. You will find one loose black wire in one of the two boxes that is live, and all other wires should be dead. The live wire is your panel hot; remember it.
Turn off the breaker at the panel again.
Back at the box with the wire you identified as the panel hot, connect the hot wire to the "common" terminal of the 3-way switch for that box. Looking at the body of a three-way switch, the common terminal is the terminal that has another terminal screw on the switch body facing the same way, but doesn't have a screw directly across the switch body facing the other way. A picture's worth a thousand words; see below.
The other two insulated wires you removed from the switch are the "traveler" wires. One will be black, and the other red, and they should both be a part of the same "trunk" of Romex wire. Connect the black to one of the remaining terminals other than the grounding terminal, and the red to the other terminal.
Both of the two wire "trunks" should have white and bare wires in addition to the black and/or red; ALL the white wires in the box should be twisted into a bundle with a wire nut, and all bares should be twisted in a bundle with or without a nut.
Screw the terminals down firmly, attach the ground wire to the green grounding terminal screw if one was connected (bathrooms require a bare wire ground to be connected to the switch, most other rooms don't), cover all the switch terminals with a layer or two of electrical tape, and, being careful not to short out any wires, push the wires and switch back into the J-box and screw it down.

Now, go to the other switch box. Examine the loose wires which you disconnected from the switch (there should be two black and one red). The black wire that doesn't go into the same outer insulation conduit as the red wire is the hot lead to the light. The other two wires are the other ends of your traveler line. Both these "trunks" should have white and bare wires in addition to the black and/or red; the white wires should be twisted into a bundle with a wire nut, and bares should be twisted in a bundle with or without a nut.
Connect the light's hot wire to the switch's common terminal.
One note; if you connect the black wire from the traveler to the same side of the second switch that you connected the black traveler wire to on the first switch, the switches must be set opposite each other (one up and one down) for the light to be off. Personally, I prefer to be able to turn every light in the house off by pushing all the light switches down. If you're like me, then swap the red and black wires of the traveler pair, connecting the black wire to the opposite traveler terminal from the one you used on the first switch. This will result in the circuit being off when the switches are set the same way (both down or up).
Connect the traveler wires to the other switch terminals in the manner you choose, and connect the ground if you have one. Wrap the terminals in electrical tape, and put the switch back in the wall box.
Turn the panel breaker(s) back on. Have another person stand at one switch, while you stand at the other. If the light is on, flip one of the switches. Now, have the other person flip their switch; the light goes on. Flip yours (light off). Flip theirs again (light on), then flip yours again (light off). You've now gone through all four combinations of light positions, and verified that either switch can turn the light on or off.
If something still doesn't work, turn off the panel and take the switches out of the box (but don't disconnect them). Make sure none of the terminals are shorting out against any other piece of metal in the box (including the box itself, if it's conductive). If it STILL doesn't work, replace one or both switches (they're about $3 a pop). if it STILL doesn't work, I'd call an electrician; there may be a break in the wires of this circuit, or there may have been a mix-up involving multiple switches in the boxes; pretty much any way you slice it it could be dangerous or expensive for you to continue to try to fix it.
Once the switches are working to your satisfaction, put the switch plate back on over the box (make sure before you start screwing in plate screws that ALL the holes line up), and enjoy your repaired three-way circuit.


Is it acceptable to not have access to the main water shutoff valve? I recently learned that our 1970s townhouse doesn't have its own main water shutoff.  Instead, two contractors have access to a room with a water shutoff for the building (about a dozen units).

My neighbours seem to have lived with this fact.  The supply valves are old and difficult to close, or don't close entirely.  I find myself hesitating to do even basic repairs (faucets, toilets, etc.) in fear of something going wrong and not being able to turn off the water.

Am I being overly cautious?  Should I insist on having my own main water shutoff installed?  Should I have the contractor repair or replace all the supply valves instead?

There are a lot of buildings that have this situation where people may be condo or townhouse owners.  The normal thing to do in your situation would be to upgrade your shut-off valve.  Maybe even install another one right before/after your first opening on the mainline.


How to make white portland cement stronger? We are trying to make white pavers for crosswalks versus painting. In 2013 we made some that are still in fair shape, did not write down what we used as a formula. I think it was 3 to 1, one part Portland to 3 sand. When we broke one open it looked like porcelain. The ones we have made since are not holding up to freeze thaw and heavy equipment doing snow removal. We made some the other day using I part Portland 2 parts sand, we mixed acryl 60 1 part to 2 parts water. We mixed Portland and sand first then added water mixture mixing only long enough to hydrate. When we removed from the forms you could see they were full of holes. What's up ???

For maximum strength your first recipe, 3 to 1, is ideal. A better material that will increase the bonding strength of the concrete molecules is shredded fiberglass. Added in proportion to your mix it can substantially increase the concrete. I would also not use any admixture which is normally used to increase the bond when pouring fresh concrete to cured.   I agree with your mixing as little water as needed. That step alone will yield the strongest concrete. Conversely, it will also make it the most difficult to work. So finding the median can be difficult.   If the pavers are plain and with out an intricate pattern adding some sort of framing or reinforcing bar will allow the subsequent poured concrete additional rigidity able to withstand more compressive forces. Depending on the thickness of the pavers a 3/8 inch re-bar square an inch shorter from the edges of the paver will help a lot. Or a steel mesh or grid is also sufficient.  You should also allow the concrete to set as slowly as possible. Increasing the cure time by slowing the water that evaporates will produce a stronger concrete. Once the pour has become firm wet it down gently with cool water and cover it with plastic.  The air pockets found in the cured paver  may have occurred do to  the way it was mixed or how it was poured. If you are using a drill paddle switch to either a barrel mixer or a shovel. Either will decrease the amount of air that becomes entrained into the concrete.


Do home radiators waste water? I received my second quarterly water bill and cannot believe it says I'm using 49,000 gallons of water each quarter. That's over 500 gals per day!

So I started thinking about average water usage per appliance, shower etc and it still does not add up. The only thing I can think of, is maybe the water passed through the radiators is the culprit? I've tried searching online for an answer, but no dice.

While I do know my home heating is based on hot water passing through radiators and baseboards, does this mean its an open system? Therefore, whenever the water passes by all the radiators then it leaves the house and into the sewer? Hope not, since this looks to be inefficient to me. I would assume home heating systems that use water are closed systems and not lose water.

Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree on what's consuming all that water, but at the moment, I need to understand how water circulation works in radiators.

To answer your question, the radiators in your home are a closed loop. If they are single-pipe steam radiators, then there is a small amount of vapor loss out of the little valve on the radiator. (The one that may hiss a bit while warming up.) If you have that type of system, the water level in your boiler must occasionally be topped up, but that would be a few gallons of water per month. But if your heating system was installed in the last few decades, it's more likely you have the much more common forced hot water, which is an entirely closed loop.

My guess is that your meter was misread, or the meter is faulty.


Adding hot receptacle from current light switch power? My current situation is power comes into light switch and then to receptacle controlled by light switch. I need to add a hot receptacle. I assume I can pig tail the incoming power wires inside the light switch box and have one set lead to the light switch and the other to lead to the new hot receptacle. Is this correct thinking?

Given that the line cable (hot and neutral) enters the switch box, you can run a new cable from the light switch box to a new receptacle and connect it so the switch will still switch the existing receptacle.

You cannot run a new cable from the existing switched receptacle to get an always on receptacle.

If you wanted to do away with the switched receptacle, you could remove the switch from the circuit and connect the wires with a wire nut. The existing receptacle would then be always on.

You could install a ceiling box and light fixture and run a cable from the switch box to the light fixture. That way the switch would control the ceiling light.


Replacing an old 4 way toggle by leviton 4 way switch There are 2 white wires on one side, 1 red on top and 1 black on bottom  on other side, there is no ground/green screw as it is very old.  I transferred all the wires one from the old switch to their corresponding spot on the new switch, one by one (2 white wire on black screws, the other 2 wires on the brass).

The switch now works, but not the way it used to be.  So I switched sides, and it's still the same.  What did I do wrong? Can you please help?

Unlike most people, you correctly understood the importance of the black and brass screws with 4-way switches.   You also correctly understood that you can swap travelers.

But just to confirm, make sure the 2 wires on the brass screws go into one cable or conduit, and the 2 wires on the black screws go into a different cable or conduit.

So I assume your problem is that the switch is "up" when it used to be "down". There are two ways to solve that.

Physically flip the switch over when installing it... OR
Pick one side (e.g. brass) and exchange the two travelers.


Low amp power breaker strip or reciptical adapter for knob and tube homes during rennovation we are renovating our home room by room. We have been working on electrical, but the top and 3rd floor been delayed due to, well, pure time vs time with then new baby. So the thing about this home is its classic late 1800's and the knob and tube that is there is tied into junctions before new branches hit new box. There are 2 junctions in, one being 2nd floor + hall, one being attic, the bedrooms one outlet, woulda been awesome in the old times.

So this is a low amp situation in a modern world until i can get to new circuits. I have ran over the remaining knob, and, albeit no visible damage or total DIY wreck job from the past, i would like to keep those branch circuits running under 12 amp "full load" peak. The first thought besides low watt bulbs, + modern stuff, was a limiter at a power strip or at-receptacle breaker for each room.

Does such a device exist to ensure no tentacles of these old school receptacles come under too much load? Say, 3 amp at outlet max, or more wishfully, variable up to 15A per receptacle for future new wiring use?

The 2014 NEC still allows K&T, The houses I have worked on they all had really good copper closer to hard drawn. The only problems I have have really found is newer connections were not in boxes and improperly spliced causing problems. If you want to add breakers it would be best to do it in a box close to the fuse box or newer service panel. Eaton makes small DIN rail mounted circuit breakers in smaller values 1 amp steps up to 10 then 13 & 15 link to Eaton page wmzt113t. The 2014 NEC still allows K&T, The houses I have worked on they all had really good copper closer to hard drawn the only problems I have have really found is newer connections were not in boxes and improperly spliced causing some issues. If you want to add breakers it would be best to do it in a box close to the fuse box or newer service panel. This type of breaker is common in industrial control panels with values from 1 to 40 amps with single,split and 3 phase systems. If used they would need to be in a listed enclosure but would provide a lower amperage than standard breakers. There are other manufacturers that make similar breakers but this is one I had on my desk so I had the part number available WMZT113T 13 amp.


Can a private electromechanical meter be placed between the utility's meter and the main breaker? I want to run an experiment which compares the readouts of the newer electronic smart meters against older electromechanical meters.

Is there anything in the NFPA 70 or any other law or code which prohibits feeding the loads from the utility's power meter into a private electromechanical (analog) meter inside my home before passing the lines to the main breaker panel?

This would essentially make the analog meter a private submeter hooked in series with the utility's smart meter.

Some things to consider are whether one meter could interfere with the readout of the other or whether this would violate any terms of the utility company.

For the legal aspects of this question, I am a resident of California. Assume that the county uses the NEC 2013 or 2014 without amendments.

The meters shouldn't interfere with each other. They're just ammeters, after all; current is current. You will be charged for the parasitic load your new meter introduces, of course, which may vex your test.

Bigger problem is that you'll need the electric company's cooperation to turn off your circuit so you can rewire—and they are almost certainly not going to be happy about having anything upstream of the main cut-off.

You're more likely to get approval if you install a new box with its own main breaker, and make the old box a subpanel of the new one, with the meter between them. That puts the weirdness firmly inside the domain that you are entirely responsible for, and leaves a clear way to isolate it from their lines if necessary.  Essentially, that's the normal setup for apartments which are paying for electricity separately; you're just setting up a single apartment.

I suspect you're going to find that the electronic meters really are as accurate as the mechanical ones, or if anything are more accurate.

Wouldn't it be easier to just ask the manufacturers of these meters what their error tolerances are? Or to ask apartment building owners who have a mix of meter technologies whether their numbers add up reasonably?

(Especially since the cost of installing the second meter is going to swamp anything you think you might challenge on the bill, never mind the legal costs of trying to convince folks that your meter is the more trustworthy of the two. If you're concerned about your bill, putting the same money into energy efficiency upgrades would be a far better investment.)


Help with installing 2 breakers I need to install two breakers into my panel. My buddy already ran the two wires into the panel, but has kind of left me hanging. I've attached a picture of my panel and was going to copy what the builder did (home is 2 years old). It looks like I can use the same bar for both neutral & ground? Why do some breakers have 2 whites and that's it? Did they use a white as the hot? Why do some breakers just have 1 black? I'll be installing two Eaton All In One. These have the white pigtail. I'm assuming I just tie the ground in with another ground on the bar, use a new space for the neutral, run the hot/neutral to the breaker followed by the pigtail to the bar in a new space as well. Suggestions? Sound right?

I couldn't identify any breaker with only two white wires, but the 10 breakers at the bottom each have two white wires plus one black. This is because they're arc fault (AFCI), ground fault (GFCI), or combination of the two functions. Those kinds of breakers have to monitor the current through both the neutral and the hot lines. The white jumper from the neutral bar to the breaker makes this possible.
The breakers that have only one black wire connected to them are conventional breakers. The neutral wires corresponding to these are attached directly to the neutral bus bar.
The connection of the new all-in-one breakers is just as you said. The white pigtail should connect to the neutral/ground bus bar, and the ground conductor from your new circuits goes there too. If the pigtails aren't long enough you can extend them with a piece of same-gauge white-colored wire joined with a twist-on connector (aka wire nut). Then the black and white wires from the new circuits go to the line and neutral terminals on the breakers. Position matters; the breaker will be marked in some way to indicate which terminal is which.


Is this the legal and best way to add power for bathroom fans? Summary:

I would like to add bathroom fans in bathrooms #1 and #2 (see drawings). There are currently no fans. I believe the existing bathroom circuit layout is not up to code so I am looking for the best way to add these fans.

I live in Nevada (Washoe County) and the 2011 National Electrical Code applies to me.

Details:

Please see the following drawing where I have detailed how everything is currently laid out. The layout is just based on my understanding from turning the breakers on/off and pressing the "test" buttons on the GFCI outlets. I don't specifically know the order things are wired.

My understanding is that this is not compliant because several bathroom lights and receptacles are on the same circuit (#2 in the drawing) and there are non-bathroom receptacles on the circuit (per 210.11(C)(3)). I also believe that if I added something to this circuit I would have to bring it up to code, correct? Do you have any opinion on if it is safe to leave it how it is?

So, since I believe I cannot add the new fans to circuit #2, I am considering adding them to circuit #1 (see second drawing). My reading of the electrical code is telling me this is allowed, could you confirm this?

Drawing #1: Current circuit layout:

Drawing #2: Planned circuit layout:

Summary of questions:

If I added something to circuit #2 in the drawing I would have to bring it up to code, correct?
Do you have any opinion on if it is safe to leave circuit #2 how it is now?
Is it legal and a good idea to add the fans to circuit #1?

Answering your questions in turn:

Yes, you would have to bring Circuit #2 up to Code if you altered it.  The applicable provision is actually E3401.4 of the International Residential Code as your jurisdiction doesn't use the Annex H model legislation to adopt the NEC.
The primary hazard the current wiring poses is that tripping Bathroom 1's GFCI turns the lights out on the unsuspecting occupant of Bathroom 2, which could lead to a minor disaster (say involving a hot curling iron, or stumbling and falling in the shower in the dark).
Adding the fans to circuit #1 isn't a problem, by Code -- bathroom outlets other than the required receptacles serving the countertops can be on any general-use branch circuit.  With a fair bit of rewiring, though, it's possible to juggle things so that the bathroom lights and non-bathroom receptacles move to circuit #1 while the bathroom receptacles stay on circuit #2, which would make things almost fully Code-compliant (bathroom #3 would need to be addressed separately, but that's simply a matter of putting a new breaker in the panel and moving bathroom #3's homerun to it, based on your diagrams).
Last but not least, you don't need a divider to put two different circuits in the same wallbox as the voltage between adjacent devices can't exceed 300V on a residential 240/120V service. The requirement for dividers between circuits in mains-only boxes only kicks in for commercial folks and their 277V lighting circuits, see NEC 404.8(B) for details.


Warm Weather Smell...Again Trying to track down an odor that has once again shown up, now that weather is getting warmer. I believe it to be a sewer odor, but no water leaks in the sewer pipes. House was built in 1910...with basement, so plumbing is easy to see.

The bathtub, vanity, toilet, and kitchen sink all go into the old cast iron main vent stack, and none of them were vented. I put an AAV on both the kitchen and vanity.

This odor only happens when it gets warm out...70-75 or warmer. Odor seems to come through strong into my closet, which is the backside of where the tub hooks in, but there's definitely water in the trap. Also I can smell it in the basement, and of course the HVAC sucks it in from the basement spreading it around to the entire house.

Just looking for ideas. Maybe a crack in the sewer vent pipe? Just frustrated at this point. I hired a plumber to at least check it out last Summer. His comment, "Well I don't have a real good nose to smell the odor."  Ugh.  Thanks for any recommendations!

If it's a sewer smell and you are sure that all of the traps have water in them, then it's likely a cracked / broken vent pipe, or a bad DIY addition where they didn't take the vent pipe all the way out through the roof (that happens more than it should because people don't want to end up with a leak in the roof). Call a better plumber. Look for one that does camera inspections, they can snake a long flexible video camera into your vent pipes and look for cracks, dead animals etc. There are also detectors that can "sniff" out odor, it's primarily methane gas and a chemical that is the result of fermentation of the sewage called Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S). Good plumbers have those detectors.


Clickey clackey bathroom exhaust louver I have a bathroom exhaust vent with louvers similar to the image below.  It vents out the side of the house above the bathroom between two bedrooms.  When it's breezy out, the flaps rattle so that it sounds like we've got critters in the attic.  (It was actually pretty freaky to hear, since we had just moved in.)
The bathroom fan is never (rarely) used, so I'm certain it's not the cause of the flapping.

So - is this normal and what's a recommended (quieter) alternative which would provide adequate exhaust without allowing pests to enter?

Sub-question - Last year, I blew in 6-8 inches of insulation in the attic.  What might be the likelihood of replacing the vent just from the outside without needing to trek up there and disturb/compact all my hard work?

Thanks.

I used something like this (4 in. Round Wall Vent). It only flaps when the wind is really blowing.

Here is another option that should have no clickey clackey at all:

Cape style backdraft damper


Oven Terminal block melted Wondering if I could hardwire just the negative wire of oven plug directly to the negative wire of the oven. The positive and neutral are connected to the terminal block. The negative connection of the terminal block has been burnt off and is no longer part of the ovens terminal. Would it be safe to leave the positive and neutral wired through the terminal block and hardwire the negatives together? Using electrical tape to make sure none of the negative wiring is exposed.

The most common cause of melting/burned terminals is a failure in the heating element.  These often fail in a way that allows the heating element, which is encased inside a metallic tube with an insulating layer, to make electrical contact with the tube.
In most cases when this happens, it causes excess current to be drawn from the panel and the circuit breaker trips.  But in other cases it fails in such a way that more current than the terminal can handle is drawn but not enough to trip the breaker.
If you remove the heating element and check it with a meter, you should find a relatively low resistance between the two terminals and an infinite resistance from either terminal to the outer shell of the element.  If there is a resistance value read from either terminal to the shell, you have a defective element and it should be replaced.
Your best bet is to replace the burned/damaged part as well.  Makeshift connections here can be dangerous considering this is a relatively high current and also high temperature application and using parts not designed for this application can cause them to fail unexpectedly.


Do I need a special receptacle when more than the standard number of wires need to be connected? I've got two regular wall outlets controlled by one single pole switch. I want to replace them with new ones, and thought I just needed to grab a couple duplex plugins for them.

Except there's more wires than the duplex outlets have receptacles. I'm looking at 2 blacks, 2 whites, 2 reds (except on the furthest outlet there's only one red as the carrier) and I'm wondering what specific outlet type I need for this bugger to keep this configuration, or do I just cap the pairs and run one lead off them? See image for more details, any education welcome as always.

If this is, in fact, a split outlet, you should be fine wire nutting the blacks and a black pigtail, the reds and a red pigtail, and you can connect the whites directly or wirenut them and a pigtail, as you prefer. You will need to break the tab connecting the receptacles on the hot side, at least (my guess is that they broke the hot tab and left the neutral tab connected, looking at the picture we're starting with.)

Connect that grounding wire to the new receptacle, as well...


How do I make a fake rock finish for a water feature? I would like to create basin for a water feature.  It would look really cool if it can have a fake rock finish.

How would I go about creating it?  What material would be recommended, I have seen a couple for sale and it seems to be made of fibre glass.  I can buy it, but I would prefer to make it myself.

There are several types of silicone molds that can be filled with regular concrete. There is a limited selection at the box stores, but you can find lots of different designs online. These are nice because you can use cheap bagged concrete mix, add colored dye if you want or even put in real stones and embed with the concrete.  Most of these molds are fairly small, 3 ft by 3ft and make 2 to 4 stones each.


How do I get rid of toilet stains? So my friend said I could rent out his place for free if I can get it clean and the person was here last didn't take very good care of it. The toilet looks like it hasn't been cleaned in ages and there are stains. Any idea what the best way to remove them is? I've scrubbed at it for like an hour with a pumice stone and while it's a mild improvement, there's still a long way to go. Any ideas as to get it clean?

My furnace blew up a few years ago and my insurance company hired a professional cleaning company to clean everything. (About 8 weeks and $35,000 later and they were done.) I had to leave the house, but stopped by occasionally to watch.

I had terrible rust stains in the toilet (we have “hard” water). They used an electric drill (actually battery powered...maybe that’s a safety thing) with a bristle toilet brush stuck in it. They cut the plastic handle of the toilet brush off down to about 6” - 8” long then stuck it in the chuck where the drill bit would go.

They used Comet cleanser (they said Bon Ami could work too.)

You’d think it would splash like crazy when you start scrubbing, but it doesn’t.  They laid the brush tight to the wall of the toilet and moved it around slowly...stopping to add Comet cleanser from time to time.

Try it...you’ll be amazed.


Can't determine candelabra type bulb This bulb came out of my Harbor Breeze ceiling fan and I'm not sure what type candelabra it is. I can't find manual.
One time I bought a bulb at Lowes but it was wrong type but I don't remember what type that was. Aye,aye,aye!

The very cleverest thing to do is to take the bulb in the picture with you to the store so you can compare it with the replacements that they have on the rack.

It can be a good idea to place the bulb in some type of paper bag wrapped in a paper towel when you transport and handle it so in case there is an accident of some sort and it gets broken there is not glass flying all over your car or the parking lot.