What kind of drill bit is this? This is a drill bit I got in a kit that included brad point bits, masonry bits and regular drill bits, all without instructions or labels.

At first, I thought the ridges were meant to make screw threads like a tap bit, but the ridges don't extend beyond the approx 1/4" diameter of the screw.

What kind of drill bit is this? What's it for?

That's sometimes called a "drill-saw" bit used for drilling a hole and then enlarging the hole into a slot (or other shape) by applying sideways pressure.

I have a couple of cheap ones and didn't find them very effective in softwood. To make a long slot (1ft or 300mm) I had to drill lots of adjacent holes conventionally and then used this type of bit to join the holes. If I had to do it again, I'd consider buying a cheap router for the job. A hand jab-saw/pad-saw/keyhole-saw might be quicker and might be a similar amount of effort.


Concrete patio slopes toward garage causing water seepage As indicated in inspection report photo my concrete patio slopes toward the garage so when there’s heavy rain water seeps into the garage. Is installing a French drain the only way to fix this or is there another option? Not thrilled about having to jackhammer the concrete and repour after for French drain. Same problem on the driveway near the garage door but less so.

One possible solution is to cut the concrete and dig a trench for a drain between the patio and the door.  As long as the water isn't too much to overflow that drain, it will work.
But if your water problem is too much for such a drain, and I suspect it may be, the real solution is to remove the slab, grade the ground away from the garage, and then re-pour the slab.
Yes, that's a lot of work but it's the only one that is a sure-fire solution to the problem.  Having water run back toward your home is a recipe for long-term damage.  So you'll be better off all around fixing it right and not having to worry about it again.


Multiple holes in exterior wall studs for electrical wiring Our home in Toronto was built in the early 70s with aluminum wiring. Since we are doing a bunch of renovations we took the decision.to replace the existing aluminum wiring with copper wiring.

The electrician has created multiple holes in the wall studs to run the new wiring (pls see attached pics). According to him as per code he can only run a single cable through each hole. The studs look a bit like Swiss cheese and we wanted to get the opinion of the forum experts.
EDIT: Please note this is an exterior wall

Is he right?
Is there not a better way of running the wires?
Should wires be protected by metal plates across the studs to prevent damage from screws/nails?
Any other things we should be aware of or pointers you can share...

Looks like a standard install.

You can only run so many wires in a hole without de-rating the circuit capacity.

The holes are set back at least 3/4" from the stud surface, add 1/2" for drywall and you get 1 1/4" the length of the drywall screws.  Even if the drywall screw goes into the same line as the hole it isn't long enough to penetrate the wire.  If the holes were closer than 3/4" from the surface then they need metal plates.

There are guidelines for drilling studs/joists in non bearing/bearing walls/assemblies.  Typically you don't worry about the electrician as their holes are too small and if you do worry you worry about the joists not the studs.

https://www.familyhandyman.com/walls/drilling-holes-notching-and-boring-holes-in-wood-studs/


Wiring A Switch For A 240v Power Outlet I want to add power outlets to a side of my garage that currently has none but am struggling to find wiring diagrams for a 240v switch that will be connected to an outlet. Is it as easy as 2 hots connected to the bottom two screws of a double pole switch and then 2 hots out of the top two screws with a ground wire attached? I just haven't had any luck finding anything to confirm this.
My garage functions as both a hobby space and where my kids store their bikes, scooters, etc. I want to wire switches upstream of the outlets so I can keep my tools plugged in and not be concerned about a child messing around and accidentally turning a tool on.

A single receptacle has to be full circuit amperage [NEC 210.21(B)(2)], so the 15A (NEMA 6-15) receptacle would be connected to 15A breaker or you need a NEMA 6-20 or a duplex 6-15. Normally a 6-20R is a T-slot and will accept a 6-15P.
Also the 2020 NEC specifies 240v receptacles in garages now require GFCI protection too [210.8(A)(2)].


What can I use to seal section of concrete roof? We have a rough concrete roof, and it's leaking in a particular section. In that particular section, there's very little pooling and there's some leaking. It's very sunny here, so the water ends up evaporating after a few hours.

The section to be painted is about 8x8ft, and the pooling's in the middle. I'm looking for a product that I can use to seal that section of the roof. There will still be some pooling but it won't leak. I'm not going to fix the roof; I will just paint it and hope for the best. Please don't suggest anything beyond that.

I went to the hardware store, and I found all these products. Unfortunately, nobody over there knew which I should use.

What's the difference between an Ultra Siliconizer, a Fiber Reinforced Elastomeric Urethane Roof Sealer, traditional or Siliconized Acrylic Elastomeric Coating, regular Elastomeric sealer? There are so many options, and it seems nobody at the store could tell me what I could use.

There's very little traffic in that section of the roof. The only thing it needs to withstand is the little pooling, just until it evaporates when the sun's up.

Any help is appreciated.

I would suggest a two part epoxy similar to this:

Mult-E-Poxy

This is a two part system and very durable. I have it on my garage floor.

To prep the surface you are going to want to clean the space with muratic acid (it's nasty stuff).  The acid cleans out the pores in the concrete and etches the surface to ensure good adhesion of the paint.

Once the acid does its thing (follow the directions on the bottle) rinse the surface with water to remove the acid and any crud it removes.

Ensure you wait until the concrete is fully dry.

Once dry (a full day in the sun is a safe bet unless you live somewhere super humid) apply the epoxy.


Is there a code-compliant way to label a wire where the conductors are not wired in the expected way? This might be an X/Y problem, so if there is a better solution, I'm all ears. I have a 3-gang electrical box in my basement that is already overcrowded. It has

The wire for the three-way light in the stairwell
The wire for the doorbell transformer
The wire going to the "j-box for smoke detectors" (handle labeled junction in the ceiling, I have no idea of what this is, but I presume it's important)
The wire for the lights in the basement.
The two double-dimmer switches I'm planning on adding are extra deep

I intend to introduce three more wires, and cut out 1 as I'm replacing the basement lights with 4 dimmable zones. I have open access to the wall (the other side is the utility room). I know that the simplest solution would be to move the doorbell and smoke detector wires to an intermediary junction box, but that only gets rid of two wires and I'm still planning on adding three more. I'd like to if possible have a carrier(s) between the two junction boxes for the light zones as well

I'm thinking the below (stupidly complicated) diagram is the easiest way to get it all done with the least space used in the actual switch box if I introduce a secondary junction box above it. Please note, in the below diagram, common is indicated by blue wires (it's hard to show white wires on a white background).

I'll have three sets of wires running between the two junction boxes, 1 to carry 120VAC, the other two to individual dimmer circuits plus ground. My main concern is that I'll be using white wire to carry a hot voltage between the two boxes. Is there any way I can label this to keep it to code, or do I have to run all four light-zone wires to the lower box? For code reference, I'm in the US, kansas to be exact.

Edit: As per the diagram, tan boxes are shielded NM wire, grey boxes are wire nuts/splices, the two large black boxes are the electrical junction boxes (blue plastic), and the lower large box also shows how the switches would be wired.

Nope, you can't loop power out one cable and back the other.

The rule is that currents must sum up to zero (be equal and opposite) amongst all wires in each cable or conduit.

That means your idea of 3 cables - one for hot+neutral and two more for four switched lines - is a non-starter.  You would need ONE cable that is /6.  Or alternately, conduit and individual THHN wires.  (No, you can not strip NM's sheath and use the individual wires, unless they are marked, and they're  not.)

As such, the three cables are useles, and this has an effect on the landscape.

You can't eliminate the stairwell switch

Code absolutely requires stairwell switches at top and bottom.  So that one needs to stay. The alternatives are motion sensors that are positioned correctly (hard), or lights left on 24x7.

Go back to your original plan

You have four cables or things that are only always-hot: supply, doorbell, smoke, and onward power to this lamp group.   That is 8 conductors, 1 for all grounds, 1 for all cable clamps, so 10 "wire count".  With 12 AWG wire that is 2.25 cubic inches per "wire", giving 22.5 cubic inches total.  A tick too much for a 4x4x1.5" steel box, so go with a 4-11/16" square steel box (42 c.i.), or a 4" deep (30.3 c.i.).

What does that leave in the switch box? Power supply, one /3 cable to the 3way, four /2 cables to lamps, and three yokes.   That's 11 conductors, 1 ground, 1 clamps, and 3 yokes.  A yoke counts as 2 of the largest wire attached to it, so 6+11+1+1 = 19 "wires".   At 2.25 cubic inches per, that is 42.75 cubic inches needed.

Look at your plastic junction box, they are pretty big so good shot.

Conduit

If that doesn't work, you'll need to change to the conduit wiring system so you can splice all those neutrals in a seeparate third box. But the problem is those plastic boxes don't have entry points for conduit.

Your better bet would be to change the plastic box for a metal one, and let the switches ground through their yokes.  All grounds are free, but that doesn't mean they don't take practical space.  If your metal switch box then fed to a metal junction box nearby with metal conduit between, all that conduit becomes the ground, and the NM cables only nee to tie to ground wherever they enter the metal piping system.


Is it okay to staple romex to a floor joist when running it perpendicular behind a finished basement ceiling? Taking down my ceiling to run some wire to new outlets. The outlets are going in an area with an unfinished ceiling, so I know the romex there will need to be ran through the joists when going perpendicular, to get to its destination.

On the way to the breaker box though, it's going through a finished ceiling. In that portion of finished ceiling, I noticed someone basically took nails, turned them sideways, and used that to secure the romex (home made staple).

That got me thinking if I didn't have to bore through the joists in the finished area, and save me a ton of labor. I know the code is probably to prevent people from hanging stuff on the romex when it comes to unfinished ceilings, but still. I would use insulated staples instead of nails, but the concept is my question.

I also came across this on a separate site, but more confirmation doesn't hurt.

You can run cables across and under the joists. If you do though you must install them on running boards for protection. Typically it is just easier to drill.

National Electrical Code 2011
Chapter 3 Wiring Methods and Materials
Article 334 Nonmetallic-Sheathed Cable: Types NM, NMC, and NMS
II. Installation
334.15 Exposed Work.
(C) In Unfinished Basements and Crawl Spaces. Where cable is run at angles with joists in unfinished basements and
crawl spaces, it shall be permissible to secure cables not smaller
than two 6 AWG or three 8 AWG conductors directly to the lower edges
of the joists. Smaller cables shall be run either through bored holes
in joists or on running boards. Nonmetallic-sheathed cable installed
on the wall of an unfinished basement shall be permitted to be
installed in a listed conduit or tubing or shall be protected in
accordance with 300.4. Conduit or tubing shall be provided with a
suitable insulating bushing or adapter at the point the cable enters
the raceway. The sheath of the nonmetallic-sheathed cable shall extend
through the conduit or tubing and into the outlet or device box not
less than 6 mm (¼ in.). The cable shall be secured within 300 mm (12
in.) of the point where the cable enters the conduit or tubing. Metal
conduit, tubing, and metal outlet boxes shall be connected to an
equipment grounding conductor complying with the provisions of 250.86
and 250.148.


How to put telephone plate back to the wall I have this telephone plate in the kitchen and the backsplash tile is brand new.

I don't remember how it looks like before. There were only two wires coming out.

Now I don't want to cut the tile and insert a box. How to actually mount this back into the wall (now tile backsplash)? There is no way to screw in the plate. I am thinking about just superglue into tile somehow. Any advise?

Thanks

I would just drill two holes into the tile and use plastic anchors to face mount it to the tiles.  Raise it  up slightly so the wires are in the recessed portion.

I wouldn't think super glue would work well here. Silicone may work but may end up looking messy.


How to finish drywall under stair treads and risers seamlessly? I'm a homeowner who's building new home and am in the process of finishing drywall against a staircase. We're trying to get the stair treads and risers to meet the drywall seamlessly and without trim or casing.

In order to accomplish this, ( the drywall below the treads and against the risers ) it seems like tear away bead is the best bet.

Questions

Is tear away bead the  recommended way to finish the drywall in this use case? If not, is there a better way? There is going to be vibrations from people waking on the steps.
Would J bead be more appropriate?

Since your goal is not to use any trim, we can't cover it up. You need something that will look like drywall after you paint it. If you use joint compound / putties it will crack at the seams if the steps budge/give.

What about paintable caulk? It'll maintain its elasticity so it won't crack, it'll seal the edge, and it'll look like drywall after its painted.


Installing a mirror on wardrobe sliding door I want to hang a 1.5m tall wooden frame mirror on my wardrobe sliding door but I am afraid it would fall off and shatter into pieces some day. Is there a good way to install it securely with minimal damage to the sliding door?

I would suggest hollow wall anchors.  Four of them, two per side and six to eight inches from each end.  These anchors come in different grip ranges so you have to have one that is matched for the thickness of the door panel (likely 1/8") plus the wooden frame of the mirror.  They can hold a reasonably good load and they have amazing pullout when used on paneling and hollow doors.

An example of the anchors is here https://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/Anchoring-Products/Hollow-Wall-Anchor-Info.aspx

If you don't have enough wood frame around the mirror then you may have to use a mirror clip with the hollow wall anchors.

This suggestions though will put four holes  in the door skin about a 1/4" in diameter.


Install a new tub that has cracks? first question here. We're having a bathroom remodeled. The first tub that was delivered had a huge crack in it, so we asked for a replacement. The second one took 2 weeks to arrive. It has two tiny cracks in the corner. One appears to be (shoddily) covered over by plaster.

We're ready to send this back and ask for another replacement, knowing fully well that this will delay our project further. Is there any universe in which we'd actually install this instead? What would the risks of doing so be?

The key questions are:

Is it warranted? For how long? Are you willing to accept liability for failure after that period (or after the company closes its doors)?
Does the warranty cover replacement expenses? I'd wager no. The problem there is apparent.

Don't do it unless you have no practical alternative or are compensated for potential costs in advance.


Where do I connect C-wire to Burnham boiler? I'm adding a smart thermostat to one zone of a two wire, oil fired boiler system. I've roughed in a new wire and could use some help determining where to terminate it at the boiler. The wiring is far too neat and I can't figure it out. The wires terminated on "Main End Switch" go back to the relay on the boiler and connect to terminals labeled TT. Pics below. Thanks in advance.

You've got two yellow wires on the lower left.

One of those two is the C wire -- according to the wiring diagram it is the upper one, but check with a multimeter. Remember to set it to AC mode.

Once you figure that out, the easiest way to do it would be to connect it to a new terminal block.  Then connect the C wire from the thermostat to that terminal block -- this will support additional new smart thermostats as you acquire them.


Should I have a 15 amp breaker instead of a 20 due to aluminum wire? I've been digging into an addition to my house from the early 1970s (final permit signature dated 1973). It uses individual wires in flexible conduit from the panel through the crawl space, and NM in the walls. The NM is 12 gauge, and the breaker is 20A. So far I have found one NM cable that is aluminum--most are copper.

Should the breaker have been 15A? (The aluminum cable is very clearly part of the original work--the breaker could have been changed later?)

The conduit has a neutral and two hot wires (black and blue). Was this common practice? Was it done for convenience?

There's a decent discussion about making aluminum wire connections over here: What's the best way of replacing a plug or switch in a house with aluminum wiring?

If there is #12 Al wire on the circuit, the breaker should be 15A. #10 aluminum wire can have a 20A breaker, and you shouldn't normally see anything like #14 aluminum. Or you could just pull new copper wire and permanently disconnect the aluminum. Your home insurance company might not even cover you if they discover that you have aluminum wiring on your branch circuits. Aluminum is still common for the big feeders into your main panel, though, and that's fine because it's terminated appropriately by the electrician.

Any device that aluminum wire is connected to should be approved for connecting to aluminum wire, and any connections between aluminum and copper wire have to be made with special connectors. There are different types. Some are crimps that compress the wires very tightly to "cold weld" them together, some are special wire nuts, and you must use aluminum oxide inhibitor. The oxide inhibitor is included in the special purple wire nuts that are rated to connect aluminum and copper.

One of the issues is that aluminum and copper have different rates of thermal expansion and contraction. Combine that with the tendency for corrosion when aluminum and copper are in constant contact, and the fact that aluminum oxidizes (rusts) very rapidly if oxide inhibitor isn't used. All the inconsistent expansion and contraction and corrosion helps to loosen connections. Add the fact that aluminum oxide is an effective electrical insulator and you have a lot of potential for connections to go bad over time, leading to overheating and fires. Loose electrical connections get hot (and might also produce sparks), and heat starts fires (as do sparks, since they're hot), etc.

If you're going to leave the aluminum wire in place, though, maybe you want to avoid the twist-on connectors (wire nuts) and use the cold-weld crimp-on connectors, then seal the connections up really well with something like lineman's rubber splicing tape.

You don't want this in your walls:


Geothermal Resources I am very interested in learning more about Geothermal solutions for my house.

What are the best resources for learning about and planning a Geothermal systems for a residential house?

Also, does anyone know any resources for DIY Geothermal solutions?  I was kind of hoping to start by tinkering with a smaller scale system to maybe use along with my current HVAC system.

Talk to some local installers first.

Unless you have a background in HVAC, I would say installing a geo is NOT a viable DIY project.


What’s best for attic insulation I want to improve my attic insulation. What is the best option to use - Fiberglass batts or blowin insulation? The code says R-30, but will R-38 or higher be better option (New York area and also plan to air seal the attic). I currently have batts which I believe would be R-20.  What would be best option? Thanks

Blown in insulation fills the cracks better. For that reason, as a second layer it has big advantages.

Downside: You have to borrow/rent the blower, which, if you are in my situation, you need to plan two trips to the hardware store an hour away.

Upside: Blown insulation goes in very fast. My stepson and I did one section of my house, 28 x 40 feet in about 1.5 hours, once we were set up.

Downside: This is a really dirty job. You need to wear goggles and a good dust mask. The coffee filter cones aren't adequate for this. It also gets in your clothes, hair, ears...

Downside: It takes two people: One to break bundles and put them in the blower, one to crawl around in the attic.

Batts: My experiences with batts in attic spaces has been dismal. Lots of places where gaps were left either because of blocks nailed to trusses, or batts that were sloppily installed. Batts are for walls.

You have a choice of either fiberglass blown in, or cellulose. The latter is in essence finely shredded newsprint treated with a fire retardant. It's R value tends to be lower than fiberglass, but it's also substantially cheaper. Also is more sustainable.


3/4 bath plumbing expectations I'm hoping someone can help me figure out the following.  I paid my home builder to plumb a 3/4 bath in the basement.  As we got close to closing they finally cleaned up the basement and gave us a tour.  I could see where the toilet drain protruded through the floor and a vertical pipe with a right angle pipe on it for the vanity.  What I don't see is a drain for the shower.  When I asked the builder they stated the drain was under the concrete.  Long story short, I closed on the house and now that I'm planning to finish the basement I'm starting to doubt they plumbed it correctly.  In your experience(s) is it an acceptable practice to NOT have a drain protruding for the shower?  I can post photos if needed.  Thank you for any information you can provide!

[
[

A roughed-in stand up shower drain should be a 2" pipe sticking up out of the concrete with a pipe cap on it about 17" or so away from the wall or proposed future wall.

Ask the builder where they put it exactly. If they can't show you then they owe you some money to fix it.

Good luck!


How to securely attach a wooden plank to a wooden banister I need to securely attach a wooden plank to a banister. The plank is temporary so I need a method that won't do permanent damage to the banister (I do not mind plugging holes and using touch up paint if needed)

Please see attached diagram. I don't know if nails or screws are the right approach. Or if I need to drill holes and use one of those plastic tube inserts.

I need to do this because I need to attach a baby gate to the banister but the irregular shape of the banister prevents me from using any pre-made baby gates.

Use screws

The baby gate will tear the banister up so you need something to protect it. A 2x4 is a good solution
Screws come out easily and leave small holes. 2 screws total (I'd suggest 3" myself) should do the trick. Wood putty the holes and stain and/or lacquer

One tip: put something like a piece of plastic (maybe a plastic bag) between the banister and the 2x4. The lacquer finish (or paint) might get damaged by being sucked up to the 2x4


I Don't know how I can I make my kitchen sink drain down pipe intersect with the "p" trap? I have replaced my kitchen counter top and sink, The new drain is in a different position. The drain down pipe does not run into the "p" trap at a straight vertical, no matter what I do with the other elbows and pipes it is just not able to connect properly and maintain a straight vertical. I am temporarily using a flex down pipe, its not at all a permanent solution.
What can I do?

Sounds like you need to install a new P-trap. Cut it off past the trap and then re-plumb in the correct spot. You may be able to use the old P-trap depending on where you need to cut, how it's glued, etc, but without a picture that's impossible to judge.

Be sure when you cut it that you'll be able to get a new fitting on the end, that usually means at least 3/4" pipe sticking out into the cabinet space.

Dry fit the entire assembly first, including the tailpiece to the sink, and only glue it once it's all in place.

There are P-traps with unions on one end that can help if the fit is tight, and regular unions (or slipnuts) are also sometimes necessary.


Maximum electrical outlets in room I'm working on a rebuild of my office. I have a number of low-power devices (e.g laptop, musical keyboard, monitor, internet router, etc) which are plugged into extension cords and then fixed to the wall; there are three of these, taking my six outlets (three locations, one double outlet in each) up to 12 outlets.
As part of the rebuild, I would like to get rid of the extension cords, and just have 12 wall outlets.
Is this possible/legal to have this many on a 15amp circuit? Anything I should be aware of?
Located in Utah, USA, if that becomes relevant.

Yes, generally speaking you can have as many receptacles as you want on a circuit. There are limitations in some jurisdictions, but 12 - which is really 6 x duplex - is not very many and is unlikely to be a problem.
There are limitations on splitting circuits across multiple rooms, generally when kitchens or bathrooms are involved. But most other rooms have no restrictions.
A few things to keep in mind:

Total power consumption. Obviously, you already have this under control. When it is practical (relatively easy to run another circuit, panel space available), running an additional circuit is often better, as it allows higher total power consumption. That is not an issue for most consumer electronics, but if you plan to add a laser printer or any other high power devices then an additional circuit may be helpful.
Surge protection. I always recommend putting all high value electronics on a good quality surge protector. While there are 1 & 2 receptacle surge protectors available, most common are larger surge protectors - typically 5 to 8 receptacles. That can help a lot in terms of "where to plug everything in". That being said, more receptacles are still often better, particularly if they are spaced in more useful locations.


Close old OTR hood vent hole on exterior stucco wall How do I permanently close and seal the old vent hole on the outside stucco wall ?
Do I have to remove the old metal  vent (see photo) or can I just put stucco patch on top of the metal and fill in the entire hole with stucco patch ?
What is the correct way to fill hole on stucco wall ?.

You need more than patch or filler for that large of an area. Chicken wire, construction cloth or even expanded metal can be used to make it a quality repair. At that point you could patch , there is enough wire showing just make sure to overlap and work the base coat in so it is held in place by the wire.


Smart switch wiring with no neutral Long time reader, first time poster. Working on updates for our new house and I bought a few lutron caseta switches the other day to wire up in our front entryway. I went with the PD-6ans which requires a neutral wire. I pulled the plate off and looked around and saw a neutral bunch so I thought I was good to go.

Well, like any project I get myself into, things didn't go as planned. The two switches on the left come from one circuit with the neutral bundle, the switch on the right is on a different circuit and there's no neutral.

Can I use the neutral bundle from the other circuit in the box or is that a big no-no? If not, is there any other way to get around it?

I'm thinking I may just need to buy a different switch that doesn't require a neutral (Lutron Caseta PD-5WS).

Here are a few pictures of the three gang box. It's a three way switch on the far right and left, single pole in the middle. For what it's worth, at the other location (in the garage) for the three way on the right there does appear to be a neutral bundle.

Also, there's a ground wire that doesn't go anywhere from that far right switch. Should I pigtail it into the ground wire bundle in the box that is in the other circuit?

Thanks for any help you can provide!

The problem is, you're trying to solve this problem as a box i.e. you want to do all your improvement in this box.  But you have 3-way switches.  You need to solve each 3-way switch group as a group.

Indeed, the right 3-way is totally separate from the others, and should not be cross-connected.  If your box allowed separators you could even put a separator in there.

Rightmost 3-way

On the rightmost 3-way, this is location is the "remote" and both power and lamp cables come into the other end.  That is where the smart-switch should go.  Lutron Caseta all operates wireless, and their remote switches don't even use wires, so if you put the remote here you simply won't use the 3-way cable at all.

If you want to use a mechanical switch, then you'll need to follow their guidance for wiring one, which is fairly illogical actually. What it's trying to say is you connect a remote switch between the Caseta's black wire and its blue wire.  If the switch is thrown, Caseta treats that as an on/off switch command.

So in this case, the Caseta at the far end would send always-hot on the black wire to this location.  That goes to the black screw on the 3-way.  From a brass screw goes the red wire, back to the Caseta's blue wire.  White is unused.  The other brass screw is unused.

The rest of it

The left half of the box is complicated.  The top cable goes to a lamp, its wires are switched-hot (black) and neutral (white).

The top left cable has 2 3-way travelers (white and red) and always-hot (black) heading off to a remote 3-way switch.

The bottom left cable is kind of interesting.  It goes to the lamp controlled by that 3-way (that's the red wire), and it is also the source of power for the box (black=always-hot, white=neutral).

Anyway, here, you would install the Lutron Caseta master, adding its always-hot to all the wires in the black bundle, and adding its neutral to the neutral bundle.  The "Load" would go to the red wire from the lower left cable.

As it happens, the remote 3-way is already set up in an advantageous way, with red and white going to travelers and black going to common and that's already wired to always-hot.  So leave the black where it is.  Tap red for the Caseta's blue wire. The white traveler is capped off.


Can an outlet on a three-way circuit be made live full-time? I'm in the process of fixing up my 30+ year old garage. The current set up for power in the garage begins with a 12-3 cable running from a 3 way switch in the house, under ground through conduit, into the garage and directly into another 3 way switch. The switches control the lighting in the garage, an exterior garage light, and 1 20 amp outlet. They can be turned on and off from either the garage or house.
The outlet only has power when the switches are on, meaning the lights are also on. Ideally, I'm looking to separate the two so that the outlet always has power for purposes of charging tool batteries, or operating tools in daylight when lights aren't needed.
Being able to turn the lights on and off from the house isn't a must have. My initial thought was to install a junction box in the garage, run the 12-3 directly into it from the house, capping off the traveler, then from there run wire to the outlet, and to the switch that controls the interior lighting. Any input is appreciated

Relays to the rescue!
While it may seem that you do not have enough wires in the ground for two travelers (or a traveler and a switched-hot), an always-hot, a neutral, and a ground, there is a way we can get always-hot power to the garage without sacrificing three-way control of the light.  How is this possible, you may ask? Well, it turns out we can use a device called a relay to implement a remote-controlled switch using a single control wire alongside always-hot, neutral, and ground.  This way, we can have the switch in the house turn that wire on and off, which controls a relay in the garage that works in a three-way fashion with the garage light switch.
For this, you'll need:

A fairly deep 2 gang box (your choice as to whether it's plastic or metal) with a decorator/toggle two-gang cover
An Air Products & Controls PAM-1 relay (SPDT, 10A@120VAC contacts, 120VAC/24V multivoltage coil)
Some 12/2 NM (you'll be shucking a short length of this for pigtails, as well as replacing the run out to the existing receptacle with it)
A few wirenuts suitable for 3-4 12AWG wires, as well as one suitable for 5-6 12AWG wires
And a deadfront (blank face) GFCI to provide GFCI protection to the garage

First off, the garage circuit is verified to be off at the breaker, then the old box and switch are removed; the box isn't needed, but the existing 3-way switch there can be reused if it's in good shape.  Once that box is gone, you can install the two-gang box to replace it; if you're using a metal box, you'll need to supply/fit NM clamps and a box grounding pigtail as well.  With that out of the way, we can then remove the existing wiring run from the light fixture to the receptacle box and replace it with a new run of 12/2 NM from the receptacle box (black to brass, white to silver, bare to green + a grounding pigtail if the box is metal) to the new switch box, reusing the clamping means in the existing receptacle's box.  Once that's in place, and the incoming 12/3 as well as the cable to the existing light and the new run to the receptacle are run/clamped in there, we can install the relay using the supplied double-stick tape.
From there, we can adjust the wiring at the house three-way switch.  The black wire in the outgoing 12/3 to the garage and the wire landing on the common terminal (identified by a differently colored, non-green, screw) on the house-side switch get removed and wirenutted together along with a black pigtail that is run to the switch's common terminal using one of the smaller wirenuts (the one suitable for 3-4 12AWG wires).  Once this is done, the house-side box can be buttoned back up, as that's all that's necessary there.
Moving back to the garage, the GFCI gets white and black pigtails attached to its LINE screws and a bare or green pigtail attached to its grounding screw, and the garage-side 3-way switch gets a bare or green pigtail attached to its grounding screw as well.  From there, the hot and neutral going out to the receptacle get attached to the corresponding LOAD screws on the GFCI, and all the grounding wires (bare or green) in the box get nutted together using the big wirenut (the one suitable for 5-6 12AWG wires).  We can then use another smaller wirenut (3-4 12AWG) to nut all the remaining white neutral wires together in the box, including the white neutral wire from the PAM-1's coil and the white neutral pigtail from the LINE side of the GFCI, before moving on to the remaining hot and switched wires.
The red wire from the incoming 12/3 cable gets nutted to the black wire on the PAM-1 with one of the wirenuts supplied with the PAM-1, and the PAM-1's red wire gets capped off with another of the supplied wirenuts.  The blue wire on the PAM-1 (its common terminal) then gets nutted in with the black wire from the incoming 12/3 cable and the black pigtail from the LINE side of the GFCI using one of the smaller (3-4 12AWG) wirenuts.  Finally, the black switched-hot going out to the garage lights gets connected to the common terminal (differently colored, non-green screw) on the garage 3-way switch, and the yellow and orange wires from the PAM-1 get landed on the traveller terminals (same colored screws) on the garage 3-way switch.
Once this is done, you can button everything back up, turn the breaker for the garage back on, reset the new garage GFCI, and make sure it all works.  Enjoy your upgraded garage!


find other end of ethernet cable My house is wired for Cat5e. In each room there is a blank socket with a cat5e cable behind it. I presume they all terminate in a common location. I've looked in all the usual and unusual locations where they might terminate but I can't find them.

Are there tools/equipment I can use to send a signal on one of the cables and track it through the walls/floors?

There are wire tracers (e.g. "fox and hound" a brand name, not affiliated, don't even own own one) or "tone and probe" more generically - you need the type with an inductive (non-contact) probe. Those inject a high frequency signal which the detector detects. But I'd start with a careful check or re-check of basement, attic and near where the telephone and or TV enter the house (I guess if the cables are "behind blank panels" rather than terminated to jacks you'd have to look inside blank panels for the other end of them, too.)


What could be causing the foul smell in my bathroom sink? We bought a 1967 year old ranch 2 years ago and have been experiencing a foul smell coming from our bathroom sink.  We have been putting bleach, vinegar and soda down the sink and overflow over and over again but the foul smell keeps coming back. What do you think the problem may be?

A blocked vent is probably the most likely culprit. Other things to consider: leaking plumbing from a low point in the trap under the sink letting the trap drain, evaporation of the water in the trap if this sink is rarely used.

Some sinks do not have a true vent, and may have in place aa AAV (Air admittance valves-AAVs or Durgo valves or Studor vents). In my experience, these are poorly designed and allow sewer gas to seep through.

Sometimes really old hair that has been in a drain pipe for a long time will smell pretty bad. Not a sulfur smell like sewer gas, but more like a poop smell.


Can I insulate under my condo's subfloor? My condo does not have a basement. I have a subfloor with three dummy registers. I don't know why they are there. My heating ducts are in the upper part of the side walls. In the winter the cold radiates two feet above the floor making it uncomfortable to keep my feet off the couch.

I wanted to insulate the space under the subfloor through the dummy registers or from the garage inside wall.

Is this something I should look into? Would it work?

You can easily unscrew off cover of "dummy register" and see if there is a duct on them. No matter what they are a doubt they are big enough to fit through.
Most of the time an access hole is in the floor of a closet or utility room. If you dont have one I would create one there. Look hard though you might find an opening somewhere. If there is ducts down there probably also plumbing. The plumber had to get down there after the house was built to install them.   There is probably a foundation wall and box/floor joist in the way from the garage or anywhere else outside unless an openning was created when house was built.


Can I put a 3-gang box and a 2-gang box (Old Construction) just next to each other to make a 5-gang box? Home Depot doesn't seem to have 5-gang boxes - can I put a 3-gang and a 2-gang box together assuming that existing wiring reaches as required?

If HD is your only option then they can order it for you. Here is one -

If you put two together then the spacing will not be right for the cover plate to line up for all switches.

They do make modular ones so you can daisy chain several together, I have seen them a lowes but i can not find a link.

You may need to go to a dedicated electrical supply house.


Is my fridge not cooling because of this fan? I'm trying to fix a fridge/freezer that recently stopped working but still has power. I removed the panel from the freezer and there was a lot of ice build up which I let defrost. I noticed that the little fan which (I think) forces cold air into the fridge seems a bit wonky. It sometimes starts running if I give is a spin to get it started but then stops shortly after. This video shows that: https://youtu.be/ZQMJDpgACQc. Is this "abnormal", or should I look for the source of the problem elsewhere?

In short, yes. The fridge is cooled by running refrigerator air through the freezer compartment; that fan is responsible for making the air exchange happen. If the freezer still cools fine while the fridge doesn't then the fan is a likely culprit. There could also be a problem in whatever electronics control the fan, but start with replacing the fan only.


I need to know how to replace a water damaged wood rotten stud in a wall I just bought a house built in 1930. The previous owners had a crack in the shower. I need to know how to replace the stud that holds up that wall as it is now rotten from water damage. The drywall is also rotten. The wall is not load bearing. And there's also water damage in the floor. My main concern at the moment is the stud. Also it should be noted that I stopped the leak for the time being.

Cut out the rotten drywall then use a reciprocating saw to cut out the old stud and replace with a new one. If it isn't load bearing and its only one stud this is easy. You may plan on also cutting out a portion of you bottom plate and replacing it if it also rotten.


Removing hotwater baseboard heater I would like to remove the wallplate of my baseboard hotwater heater element. I got everything apart except the wallplate which I can't get off. I removed the nails that I thought were the only thing that was holding it up but it's not moving....any ideas? The house was built in the 50's.

I ran a saw blade behind the wallplate and found a couple more nails that were hidden by the pipe and fins. After removing all the holders, I was able to lift the pipe up enough to get to the nails.


How can I prevent mice from entering my house? Every fall when the weather gets cooler it is a given that a mouse will end up in my house.  I understand that this happens probably to most home owners (especially considering the number of trees I have around my house, etc.).  But if I wanted to take some action next summer/early fall to prevent mice from entering, what could I do?

This is probably a futile exercise. Mice can squeeze through the smallest of gaps so you'd have to virtually hermetically seal your house to prevent any mouse coming in. Obviously you can block up the largest/most obvious holes and make it generally more difficult.

What you can do is make your house a less welcoming environment.

Make sure that you keep all food sealed in plastic containers etc. so that your house is not a source of food for them. They might still get in, but only for warmth.


Pressure relief valve putting out water My water heater has been draining out large amounts of water which I understand is caused by the water temperature being to high. How do I address this issue so that it won’t continue?

if the water is dangerously hot it's probably the thermostat that needs attention , if it's warm or cold probably the valve itself or the pressure regulator.


Is it worth it to replace hollow-core interior doors with solid core doors? I bought a house built in 1970 which still has the original interior doors.  They are hollow-core, boring, brown doors.  I am debating whether to simply paint them white or replace them with new pre-hung 6-panel doors.

So I am wondering if more value would be added by going with solid-core doors instead of hollow-core (enough to justify the added expense).  To my untrained eye, I can't tell the difference by simply looking at a door whether it's hollow or solid.

Secondly, I know that solid-core doors do have some sound-dampening attributes that can be useful between rooms, but does it make any sense to replace a hallway closet door with a solid-core?

The differences between the types of doors is pretty obvious in use:
SOLID CORE DOORS

Mimics the appearance and feel of a solid wood door
Muffles sound better
Heavier and slams better

HOLLOW CORE DOORS

Lighter and easier to handle than a real wood door
Cheaper?

Jeld-wen says:

Hollow core doors are a good choice for areas where sound transmission is less important, like a closet or pantry.
Solid Core doors are heavier and more resistant to normal wear. Solid core doors are commonly used in areas where more privacy is preferred. If interior noise reduction is a priority, consider the JELD-WEN® ProCore The Quiet Door®, which reduces sound transmission by up to 50 percent when compared to a hollow flush door.


Sewer smell every time it rains I've just moved into a newly build house a few months ago and every time it rains, it smells like sewer in a bathroom and the living room.

I'm using the municipal sewer and I checked in my own yard to make sure it's not clogged and everything is fine.

I don't know what to do and I've had one plumber come to check it out, but he couldn't find any reason.

What else should I look for? I can give you more details, but I need to know what exactly.

Well normally all plumbing has a TRAP - there are a couple reasons for this - the P-TRAP fills with water and provides a barrier between the inside of the house and the outside of the house. This can prevent critters from entering (not completely but less likely), it also prevents sewer gases from entering into your home. Since yours happens to be when it is raining the sewer systems are loaded with additional water - and perhaps based on how that system is - your house is unduly affected. That said I would be investigating your plumbing for  the proper installation of TRAPS.

You stated in a Bathroom and also in a living room. Where is this living  room in proximity to that bathroom or other drains in the house ?

I suspect you have a missing TRAP somewhere or a blocked Vent Stack - and most probably related to that specific bathroom. Your plumber should run a camera down the drains in that bathroom and the Toilet itself, and also the VENT Stack for that bathroom - plumber should check for clogs of the vent stack or a covering - as when it rains is your vent stack becoming blocked.

Seeing as it is new construction sometimes things are blocked off during construction or debris can fall into it thereby creating a blockage. Have the plumber check it thoroughly with a camera system - snake the thing does not tell you much unless you run into something. The camera will spill the beans.


Why does garage remote not work after replacing the remote/batteries and pairing it up again? I have replaced the remote, put a new battery in, paired it up with the garage door opener. The remote only works when I am standing right under the garage door opener.

Please help.

If it works when you're standing under the garage door opener, that tells you that there's nothing wrong on either end (the remote and the opener). It's likely that interference is overwhelming the signal from the remote when you use it from a distance.

One common cause of this interference is certain kinds of light bulbs. Make sure that the light bulbs in your garage door opener are approved for use with garage doors (check the garage door opener's manual). You can buy low-interference light bulbs specifically for garage door openers from your local big box hardware store. They are more expensive than regular light bulbs, but may be worth it if they fix the problem.


When I turn the light on/off on one circuit, it makes the light "blink" off/on on another circuit I apologize for the long post, but I wanted to provide as much info as possible.

Recently I started a DIY home electrical project to replace a lot of light fixtures, the light switches, and the sockets in my house.  I changed out all the light fixtures and everything worked as it did before.  I changed out the light switches/dimmers and everything worked as it did before.  I started to change out the sockets and I have hit an issue.  Before I call an electrician I am looking for some troubleshooting advice.

I am working on a circuit (#18) that controls the load on 2 upstairs bedrooms and an upstairs hallway. In the upstairs hallway there are 2 sockets. Also there are 2 light fixtures controlled in a 4-way configuration; two light switches in the upstairs hallway and 1 light switch in the downstairs by the bottom of the stairway.

When I turn the 4-way light off/on from any of the switches it makes some lights on a different circuit (#2) "blink" as it they turn off and then immediately back on.  They only blink when I turn the switch off/on from any of the 3 switches in the 4-way. They don't dim or flicker or blink randomly(that I have been able to observe).

Circuit #2 is a load of light fixtures that span 3 different rooms (entryway[2 fixtures]/dinning[1 fixture]/kitchen[2 fixtures]).  The light fixtures that are "turned on" on circuit #2 and are closest to the bottom stairway switch on circuit #18 in the 4-way configuration will blink.  I.E.: if the 2 entry way fixtures (circuit #2) are on, they will blink (nothing else); if the 2 entry way fixtures are off, and the dinning room (next in line on the load on circuit #2) is on, that fixture will blink.  If the entryway and dinning room are off, and the kitchen fixtures (next in line on the load on circuit #2)are on, that fixture will blink.

These are all LED lights on circuit #2, and Lutron MACL-153M-WH Maestro 150-Watt Multi-Location CFL/LED Digital Dimmer or Lutron MA-R-WH Maestro Companion 120V 8.3A Designer Digital Dimmer Switch.  These all worked fine for some time.  They are using approved LEDs.

There are CFLs on the 4-way on circuit #18, and  Lutron MACL-153M-WH Maestro 150-Watt Multi-Location CFL/LED Digital Dimmer or Lutron MA-R-WH Maestro Companion 120V 8.3A Designer Digital Dimmer Switch.  These all worked fine for some time.  They are using approved CFLs.

The light fixtures, LED bulbs, and dimmers work fine on circuit #2 unless the light on circuit #18 is turned off/on.  Everything on circuit #18 works fine (no observable issues).

This problem only started after I replaced a wall socket on circuit #18 that feeds the 4-way (2 light fixtures/3 Lutron dimmers).

From my research so far I am in fear that somewhere along the load of  circuit #18, there is arcing to circuit #2.  The "blink" does not happen repetitively or randomly though.

I am also worried that the "blink" in the light is my breaker box or digital dimmers warning me of something mis-wired.  There are no issues on the individual circuits (that I can observe) as both circuits (#2 and #18) operate fine independently of each other with only the 3 switches in the 4-way configuration causing issues when turned off/on.

Is it possible for a circuit to impact another circuit without arcing somewhere (in the wall or at the breaker box)?

Any help or advice is appreciated.  Has anyone else had issues like this with LEDs/CFLs and digital dimmers?

Thanks.
Brad

LED bulbs are extremely susceptible to voltage spikes. Mine flicker whenever I adjust incandescent dimmers on the same circuit. Welcome to the new world of energy efficiency.


How do I repair drywall holes around outlets near my counter? We recently had our countertops replaced. The old countertops had a backsplash, and the new ones do not (we're thinking of adding a tile backsplash later on). There is a higher breakfast bar, so a small space of wall between the kitchen countertop surface and the higher bar surface, where there were two outlets.
When removing the old countertops and backsplash, a hole around both outlets was created. Now I'm not sure what the best way to repair the drywall would be in this area - I have seen drywall patches designed to go around outlets, but the space around the outlets seems a bit wider than would be ideal. It seems like it would also be difficult to access the lower area partially hidden by the countertops to patch in a new piece of drywall. Any tips?

Cut a rectangle of new drywall that's of substantial size and appropriate for the area to be repaired. I would cover all those screw holes since they're probably weakened behind. Cut out for the outlet box.
Trace the patch on the wall with it in its intended position.
Cut out the existing drywall on the trace using a keyhole saw and/or utility knife. Be careful to not damage wiring.
Float some plywood or scrap lumber behind the cut edge and screw it through the existing drywall.
Screw the patch in place.
Tape the repair joints.

Be aware of where your studs are and either cut down the center or leave some overhang so you can mount the repair backing. Don't cut right against the edge of a stud and don't cut right against the upper molding. Leave at least a good inch.


Power consumption of air conditioner Hey guys,

Can anyone please help me how to estimate the power comsumption of an air conditioner. I know it is hard to get the exact number due to the different conditions that the AC might be running at but I am only looking for a rough estimation in KWh. The two tables “Electrical cooling input + the cooling capacity” are confusing me. I appreciate any help. Thanks.

If you are looking for a rough estimate, then use the manufacturer's estimate (from the label) of 5014 kWh per year.


How to reinforce and straighten a fence post I have just put up a fence but one of the posts has warped quite a bit in just a couple of weeks. It is concreted into the ground and is straight up until half way up the post (about 3 foot) and then bends about an inch into my garden.

I was thinking about getting a steel flat bar and attaching it to the opposite side of the post, the idea being that if the bar is rigid enough it will pull the bend back in. Just wanted to know if this is worth pursuing because a thick enough flat bar (maybe 5mm?) would cost at least twice the price of the post itself and I'm not sure it will even work.

Alternatively I wondered if using 2 steel angle bars on the corners of the post would achieve the same but I could get thinner (and therefore cheaper) ones as I'm assuming they will be more rigid due to the angle.

Nope, there's no training the wood to work against it's grain...without cutting many slots into it. That's your only option for keeping everything mostly as-is.

Another option is to cut the post where the bend is and big-dowel on a new piece.

You can also screw a chunk of pressure-treated or cedar onto the post's top and re-screw the fence panels onto that, to then slice off the warp from the yard side. The gap at the fence isn't usually noticeable.


Bathroom Exhaust Fan Keeps Running We live in a two bedroom town home, and within the upstairs bathroom, an exhaust fan is located in the ceiling (but not above the bath tub/shower).  There is a wall switch containing 3 switches: one switch is for the "primary" light, the second switch is for the fan, and the third is for a "heated" light (we rarely, if ever, use that).

Recently, we needed to have some repairs done to or roof, and it seems that ever since then, the exhaust fan is constantly running.  The switch for that fan does nothing to turn it off.

About a month or so ago (fan again had been running, but apparently that was "normal", as it eventually stopped), after "disabling" current to the bathrooms (via the fuse box in the garage), I did take apart that switch, but did not see anything definitive there.  I also removed the cover to the fan in the ceiling, but again saw nothing definitive there.

There is some small stains in the ceiling around 3 sides of that cover to the fan, but nothing serious (as far as I can tell).  I also know that when they did the roof repairs,  the contractors did need to "move" some vents, but I do not kn ow which ones.

I will send an EMail to the contractor about this, but can you folks provide any guidance, assistance, and/or insights as to why this is the case?

Thank You.

A light switch is a mechanical device with moving parts. They get used many thousand times over their lifespan. The switch could be bad. It is possible that in your case the failure is that the switch is staying closed, i.e., ON,  when it is flipped OFF (the position in which it is supposed to be open).

Turn off the breaker to that particular switch. This should turn off the fan. (If the fan continues running, then either you have turned off the wrong breaker, or the workers wrongly connected the hot from another circuit to the fan so that it is being fed by two breakers. The contractor must correct this.)

Remove the two wires on the switch that controls the fan and move or bend them so the bare ends are out of the way. Neither of two ends should be hot (breaker is off) but if you have a non-contact tester make sure neither is hot.

With a multimeter in resistance mode touch the leads to the two screws on the switch from which you removed the wires. This is a check for "continuity", meaning if the switch is ON then you should read close to zero resistance (say micro ohms). If the switch is OFF, you should read very, very high resistance (mega ohms), meaning the switch is "open".

If you have low resistance when the switch is OFF, then the circuit is not being broken when you flip the switch OFF. Replacing the switch should fix the problem.

Replacing a switch is a relatively cheap way to begin troubleshooting your issue.

EDIT But consider the possibility that the fan has a moisture sensing switch in parallel with the manual wall switch. If you have this and either the sensor is faulty or a source of water is wetting the sensor, then this could keep the fan running even when the manual wall switch was OFF.

Moisture sensing fans do exist but one would have to know if they were supposed to be connected in parallel with a wall switch or in series with a wall switch, and could be both with two different wall switches but would probably be only in parallel.


DIY Deck Stripper Formula I'm stripping latex off my second story deck (8x38).  I've stripped approximately a 12x8' section using 2 gal of Jomax Stain & Finish Deck Stripper.  (This should have been enough to do 200 sqft instead of 90) While it says it will remove latex finishes, this product isn't exactly made to remove paint - but it has worked, slowly - dwell times of 1-2 hours instead of 15 minutes. It is also $20 per gal and I'd need 6 or 7 gals to complete the surface.

Since this, and most deck finish and paint strippers, are just Lye (Sodium Hydroxide) and a surfactant, what would a recommended ratio be to make my own solution?  1-2 oz lye to 1 gal - Stronger?

What surfactant - Tri-sodium phosphate? Dawn?

I'll whip something up tomorrow one way or another, so any pointers is appreciated.

I'll be neutralizing with oxalic acid.

I'm open to other recommendations for stripping that does not involve sanding or scraping.

[Of course, eye, skin, hearing, and respiratory protection will be worn throughout... ;)]

I found my answer - pasted below for completeness.

Short answer is 2+ oz to 1 gal.

Homespun Paint Stripper
Mixing your own.

By The OHJ Technical Staff
Old House Journal

Well before today's sea of commercial chemical- and solvent-based paint removers flooded the market, folks set on stripping mixed up their own. This caustic-type stripper is concocted to taste from common ingredients that cost next-to-nothing.

1lb household lye (caustic soda)
2 or more boxes grocery corn starch

In a non-metallic container, such as a joint-compound bucket, gradually dissolve lye in 2 gallons of warm water. Start with a medium-strength solution Ñ say 2oz. lye per gallon of water. Test for effectiveness, then increase concentration if desired. Make a pasty stripper by mixing corn starch and water in another bucket. When the water is milky, slowly blend it into the lye solution.

Apply with a tampico-bristle (whitewash) brush; the stripper is particularly practical for removing paint on masonry. However, like all caustic strippers, this mix is highly basic and will darken some hardwoods. Test first in an inconspicuous area and rinse the surface thoroughly before repainting. Most important, work carefully while mixing and applying the stripper. Wear eye protection and rubber gloves, making sure to rinse skin immediately if it comes in contact with stripper.

Edit:  I attempted mixing this as strong as 1 lb Lye: 1 gal water and letting it sit for more than 3 hours (while reapplying frequently)  Still no luck on my deck.  Back to finding a commercial solution


Removing a stud (or two) under a ceiling beam The wall in this picture is in the middle of a large, previously framed but unfinished basement.
I'm trying to figure out if there is proper support in the top beam for me to remove a stud (or two) to create a doorway. All wood is 2X6.
Can anyone help?

enter image description here

Are these wall studs for your first floor?

If so then you need a proper header above the door and double up or triple the 2x6 studs on the outside of the door to support the header. The header should have 3 boards to accommodate the wall thickness. A 2x6 header is probably sufficient but I would go for 2x8 or 2x10 if it doesn't impede head clearance. Better to over-engineer than to under-engineer. Speaking of engineer, you may wish to consult with one.
It's looking more and more like a load-bearing wall. I don't think they double up the top plate for the fun of it when building a cosmetic wall.


Trying to replace a toilet's water supply line I'm investigating replacing my toilet's water supply line/the possibility of installing a bidet.

This is what my current supply line looks like

From what I can tell, there's no easy way to replace this type of hose without replacing the water shut off line, but I'm a bit scared to attempt that as I have no idea how difficult it is, nor do I particularly want to do it if I don't need to.

Is there a way to replace this style supply line easily, or am I going to need to replace the line + the shutoff valve?

As was mentioned, the gray hose is connected with a compression fitting at the bottom, and maybe a pre-crimped fitting at the top. In any case, they thread right off.

I'd go buy a stainless mesh-wrapped hose in the next length up from what you need and with the correct end fittings (standard for a toilet). These will have integrated seals, so just snug them up slightly.

Put a slight corkscrew twist in it to take up the slack. It'll look great.

Optionally replace the valve with a nice clean new one and shorten the supply pipe to get it closer to the wall. This will require a compression fitting, but they're not difficult if you start with a clean pipe. Be sure to use two wrenches, one on the valve body and one on the connection nut, so as not to strain the pipe.


What can I do about my new driveway that is higher than the garage floor? I recently had a new asphalt driveway installed.

Due to the slope of the driveway they stopped about 2 1/2 feet from garage. This has created a problem with the end of driveway being 5 1/2 inches higher than the garage floor. This makes it extremely difficult to get motorcycles in and out.

Can anyone suggest a solution to fix this?  I don't want any boards or anything like that but something that looks like it would belong there.

Looks badly done - grass should have been removed before paving, grade fixed if needed so water won't run from driveway into garage.

For a crude fix, place a slot drain right up against the garage to divert water, and infill with lots of "cold patch" to make the slope inbetween as smooth as possible, rather than this huge drop at the end of the pavement.

For a better fix, hire a different paving contractor...


Hanging a TV above a wood stove? I'm looking at hanging a TV above a wood stove for my family. There is a heat pipe that comes out of the top of the stove and into the wall. We would like to eliminate using a shelf but if it is necessary it's not a problem. My questions are, how far must a shelf be from that pipe according to code, and also how far away would the TV need to be from the shelf to prevent overheating and damage to the TV?

Thanks!

Code aside, the hottest thing in our living-room after the woodburner itself is the area directly above the wood-burner. I don't think this is a good place for any electronics, as most electronics generate heat of their own. Typically they dump these using heatsinks (large lumps of metal that quickly spread the heat over a wide area, like a radiator on a car or in your home), but these rely on the ambient temperature being relatively low. You'll find the electrical circuits in your TV will have a MUCH shorter lifespan - nevermind what it would do to the screen itself.

To be sure, check the manufacturer's recommendations for siting the telly and you'll probably find a safe operating temperature range. Compare this to the temperature of a thermometer hung where you want to hang your telly.


Pressure level in central heating system Recently (since last week), the pressure in our heating system (as indicated by the pressure gauge on the boiler) is dropping rapidly.  We're having to top this up around once every two days.  As I understand it, this is caused by a leak somewhere in the system.

Are there any ways to identify where this leak may be.  I've been around all the radiators and visible pipes to check, and can't find anything.  Is it just a case of waiting until water starts dripping though the ceiling somewhere?

You could rent one of those infrared cameras from your local big box store.  Using this to look in the walls and ceilings might help in locating the leak, depending on how big of a leak it is.


Moved to a home with a surround sound system, how do I set it up? We recently moved to a home with a surround sound system, but we have absolutely no idea how to hook them up to our TV.

There are two front speakers. Their make/model are Yamaha NS-A636. Photos below:

There are also two back speakers. Their make/model are KLH 403A.

And then they left a panel in the middle of the room that looks like this:

There is no other equipment in the room.

How would I go about hooking this up to my TV? I have a LG OLED55B6P. Do I need to purchase any equipment? How would I hook up the equipment to the panel without knowing which connector goes to which speaker? Also, how do I ensure these are powered correctly?

One of the hookups (to the right front Yamaha speaker) also looks like it was cut. Is there a good way to figure out which connector goes to which wire in the speaker? I feel fairly comfortable with my soldering skills.

go to Goodwill and get a receiver for like $15. Then hook up the speaker outputs to those speaker connections coming out of your wall in the 5th photo. You dont need to use a multimeter. The speaker wires on the receiver will be marked Left Front, Left Back, Right Front, Right Back, Middle, and Subwoofer. As you hook up the wires, listen and make sure you are connecting to the right terminals.


Trane XV80 furnace, two wire setup, wanting continuous fan when no heat is needed I found the "Why doesn't the “fan on” mode work after I installed a new thermostat?" thread on this site and am wondering if the manual rewire steps would also work for a two wire system. The setup: older house with Trane XV80 furnace, two wire setup, thermostat/Rh to controller board/R; thermostat/W to controller board/W1; thermostat Rc to Rh jumper; controller board W1 to W2 jumper. As I understand it an additional green wire would be the best solution, but that's not an option for me. Can I get the fan to run continuously during the summer by manually moving the thermostat wire from Rh to G and the controller board end from W1 to G? Thanks.

It's probably simpler to just wire a switch at the furnace wired R and G. In the summer you just hit the switch. You can switch the wires in your furnace and thermostat to have control at the stat. Or you could install a Fast Stat, which uses two wires to signal a full complement of wires.


Samsung automatic washing machine going off and on automatically! I have Samsung automatic washing machine just 3 years old.  It is getting auto off during the washing cycle and again gets on in few seconds and again goes off.  What should be the problem?
We called service center and their guy checked the machine and it worked just fine yesterday noon. And now its giving same problem today. Please suggest

This sounds like you could be having problems with the power mains that feed the washer going on and off. This could be caused by the power delivered to the dwelling going on and off due to poor power delivery system (highly dependent on your country location). Alternatively it could be caused by intermittent wiring from where the mains power enters the dwelling and then distributed to the washer location.

It there is poor power delivery then it should also be visible via blinking or flashing lights.

The latter case of the intermittent wiring can be a very dangerous situation as it can produce high heat and cause a dwelling fire. If you do not have the capabilities or confidence to investigate that then it is highly advised to call in a professional. In the mean time unplug the washer and stop using it until the electrical problem is fixed.


Can this failing concrete patio be resurfaced and how? Parts of my concrete patio are eroding from around the gravel on the surface.  I think it was built in the 70s or 80s.    Some parts of the patio are in great condition, others are very bad.  Shown below is the worst part and a close-up of it.
Question: What is causing this failure, can I stop it and/or is there a way I can resurface it as a DIY project?

Next image shows both fair and bad spots in the same area:

Next image shows the tile in best shape:

No, you can't resurface the surface economically, as it needs skill, and is a labor intensive business. You can repave, or adding topping concrete though. The original cement facing has simply flaked out due to weathering.


Reset or repair stand alone dehumidifier? After working well for a few years, a stand-alone dehumidifier has stopped taking water out of my basement. The dehumidifier drip tube does not even get wet.

The noises tell me the fan and compressor are working.

Is there some reset or easy repair inside the plastic cabinet that I could try to get the dehumidifier working again?

(It is a Soleus or Sunpentown 65-Pint Dehumidifier SD-65E.)

Thanks.

The dehumidifier has lost it's refrigerant charge. It will cost more to repair than to replace.


Can I extend the ground/bus bar in a main service to accomodate subpanel equipment ground? I am about to replace the main service breaker panel in my house.  The old panel (a 200amp Siemens 40-circuit) had bus bars that extended the entire vertical length of the box.  The new panel I would like to install (A Square D QO) has doubled up bus bars that only come down about 30% of the length of the box.

The problem is, this box feeds a 100-amp sub-panel, whose wire comes in from the bottom of the box.  For the old install, the large (#2 I believe) ground wire feeding the sub-panel is connected at the very bottom of the bus bar.  Unfortunately, in the new panel, it will not reach the shorter bus bars.

Will the code allow me to add a ground bus bar to connect the sub-panel ground to?  There are threaded bus bar holes near the bottom of the breaker box that would be within reach of the large ground wire.  If so, what do I use to bond the additional ground bus bar to the main ground bus bar?

Yes, you can add an insulated ground bar in the can (you should be able to get one specifically designed for your particular can, but here's what they look like):

.. and then connect it to the other ground bar using a piece of #4 AWG (solid bare copper, or stranded THHN insulated) assuming you're still at 200 amps. This guarantees that the green bonding screw that's actually bonding your neutral on the other bar will affect both bars if it is removed. It's common to add these for isolated grounds, where they're connected to a different ground altogether instead of the other bar.

Note - the one you buy may come with its own bonding screw, and the appropriate tapped hole to receive it - so check for that prior to connecting the two together (IOW, read the installation notes that came with it).


Help identifying glass pattern We are trying to find a replacement for one of the sidelights on our door. The house was built in 1933 and 7 of the 8 side lights appear to be original. I haven’t been able to find this patter anywhere.

This is a 'Glue Chipped' glass rather than a pattern.  Each pane of glue chipped glass is effectively unique due to the process.  First the glass surface is sandblasted.  Then glue is applied, which adheres to the sandblasted surface.  When the glue is removed it pulls away some of the glass surface leaving a uniquely 'chipped' finish.  Double chipped glass undergoes the procedure twice but requires a thicker glass because chipping will obviously weaken the strength.
Glue Chipping was often used to create signage for shops and bars by using a pattern stencil during sandblasting.  Geometric designs were also created this way.

Some more examples and info on my blog here - (I / we dont sell old glass btw, its content only, and my own research)   https://sashwindowspecialist.com/blog/usa-old-textured-window-glass-id/
Simon


Fireblocking a balloon framed house lead to rot in the walls? Conditions:  Balloon framed construction, house built in 1930, Southern Connecticut region
Does installing a fire-stop or Fireblocking where the sill plate and rim joist meet, block airflow and promote rot in the walls where moisture may get trapped?

I have heard conflicting views as this may have become code in some areas, yet will create the risk of future rot in the walls.

I own a 1930 Tudor influenced , 2 story colonial in Connecticut.  It was built using Balloon Framing construction, which left open voids on all sides, from basement to attic.  I recently framed-in the basement and finished it as a living space.  I inserted pink insulation in the “Balloon” cavities as far as I could reach above the sill plate, and closed the balloon voids with panels of drywall, to create a fire stop and minimalize heat escape.  I am not sure if this will stagnate the airflow and promote rot in the walls of my home, or if there will still be enough airflow to let moisture out of the balloon voids behind the walls?  Thoughts? Suggestions?

If you close off the bottom of balloon framed stud bays, yes you will impede the flow of air from basement to attic.  However, water vapor may still be able to escape through the sheathing, tar paper, siding, and paint.  Old houses tend to breathe quite a bit and take a lot of work to really seal up.  It would be hard to say how well sealed up your house is, who knows how it was built and what's been done since 1930.

I might be concerned that there may have been some minor leaks or seepage that were draining down the wall cavity to the sill.  With the bays open, these might have dried without causing any trouble but with less air flow, might soak the insulation and rot the sill or bottoms of the studs.  If there's any seepage like that you can probably spot some dampness after rain or some darkening of the wood.

You could pull some of the bats in the basement occasionally, especially after storms, and see if it looks like there's any trouble - dampness in the bats or the framing.


How to remove broken freeze plug adapter in a spa pump This is the wet end of the Emerson pump in my Jacuzzi spa.  Pictured above is a broken freeze plug adapter.  The freeze plug adapter threads into the pump (lower center of pic).  It broke with part of the threaded end still in the pump.  What is the best way to remove the part that remains in the pump?  None of these parts are metal.

Drill a hole in it, then use a standard screw extractor. But a new plug and re-install. FYI, its not a freeze plug. It is used to let trapped air out of the pump before priming on initial fill/refill and startup.


How can I install a pre-hung door when soundboard has been installed? Normally a 2x4 wall has a finished thickness of 4.5" (2x4 + 2x 1/2" drywall)

I have 1/2" soundboard under  one side of the drywall so my finished thickness is 5"

I know that I can custom-order pre-hung doors with this jamb size, but is there way to cleanly install a standard 4.5" jamb?

Should I install flush to one side, leaving the half inch and add a moulding to cover it?
Should I split the difference to 1/4-inch on both sides?

One approach is an oversized pre-cased, split-jamb door.  These have casings (room side moldings) pre installed to the jamb and are attached separately from each side. The joint in the middle is hidden by the stop (the molding that the door actually rests against when closed). This is a home center site describing the process.

These doors probably would have to be special ordered and cost more than standard prehung doors. An alternative is to create your own jambs using standard clear boards. This does require some skill with either a chisel or router, but is not beyond the skill level of a fair DIY carpenter.

You could also install a standard pre-hung door with the jamb on the hinge side flush to the outer edge of that wall. This will leave the other edge of the jamb about 1/2 inch recessed, the thickness of the soundboard. Just putting a narrow piece of board the same thickness as the jamb would work (there is no structural issue). However, butt aligning boards generally does not look good - the edges shift slightly and it always looks like an unintentional (or unprofessional) joint.  The standard way to solve that is to create a reveal.  This is a small step in level between two adjoining lengths of wood.

You could put in a simple square edged molding (or thin strip of board) that is set back from the inner edge of the jamb opening about 1/8 to 3/16. If the soundboard is tight up against the jamb (it really shouldn't be, but sometimes is) use a board/molding slightly thinner than the jamb. Other wise, just slid it back a bit. Then when you measure for the casing. create a second small reveal set back from this filler strip.

Another, simpler, but less elegant approach, is to use a backband or cap type molding.

The one illustrated is a bit deep, but you can probably find one smaller and simpler.

Putting the shorter edge on the outside edge of the short jamb with the thin edge overlapping onto the inside edge of the jamb.  Then nail the casing agasint the cap/backband. Becasue the door opens on the hinge side, this inset molding should not interfere with functionality.


Is there a purpose for reveal between window jamb and casing (other than aesthetics)? Hopefully this question is answerable. When making up window trim, there is typically a small reveal between the jamb and the casing. Is there a reason for having this, other than aesthetics / tradition?
Possible things that came to my mind, but I don't know if these are valid: easier to install, easier to hide imperfections.
I found this image that should clarify which pieces I'm talking about - jamb and trim/casing.

Flush joints are both challenging to achieve perfectly, especially where several come together, and are generally ugly. A seam in a flat surface looks odd, as though something was added on due to poor planning.
It's that simple.


Should I avoid running conduit above sewer line exit on basement wall? The prior owner of our house had an epoxy repair made on the basement wall where the sewer line exits (see images). We've lived here for 20 years and this repair is solid; there have never been any leaks.

Now I'm working on putting some outlets in the basement, and I'm wondering if I should avoid running conduit along this part of the wall above the exit point. Just in case there might ever be an issue in the future, I was thinking that having a conduit there could complicate a repair in that the electrical work would have to be undone before the wall repair could proceed. I'm not sure if I'm over thinking things, or if it is indeed a good practice to steer clear of this part of the wall, irregardless of the presence of a wall repair.

Shouldn't be a problem. Even if for some reason it was in the way for a future repair you could always cut the conduit do your repair and then patch conduit using a junction box.


Split plug gfci replacement In my kitchen I have 2 countertop plugs, each is on its own circuit wired with 12/3 and top and bottom receptacles are split. Red going to top black to bottom and shared neutral. How would I replace them with GFCI's?

Technically, the only way to accomplish what you're asking is to use a double pole 20A GFCI breaker, as there is no such thing as multi-wire branch circuit GFCI receptacle.

Preferably, if it existed, you'd use a double pole 20A DFCI "Dual GFCI + AFCI" breaker, but until then your only option is the GFCI double pole.

Credit goes to SpeedyPetey for helping make this a good answer.


Question about GFI in a house My rental house was built in 1985 and there is some kind of master GFI (for lack of a better term) in the garage that controls all the GFI outlets in the house.  I'm told all the houses are built like this now.  My property manager sent out an "electrician" to check on a light switch that wasn't working.  While there, he said he noticed the outlets in the kitchen and bathrooms were not GFI and took it upon his self to install GFI outlets.  He didn't even know enough to know they were controlled by a central GFI.  Anyway, now I have GFI outlets but also still have the GFI that controls them all.  A friend of mine said they basically cancel each other out now and that now it's unsafe!  Does anyone know how this works?  I am totally ignorant of electricity and how it works and I'm trying to explain this as best I can.  I'm really nervous because I don't want an unsafe situation.  I'm not happy with the "electrician" who did this and didn't even take 5 minutes to call and get an authorization to do the work.  He's not getting paid for it, that's for sure.  Thank you for your help and advice.

Your problem isn't at all what you think it is

A GFI receptacle has "line" and "load" terminals -- power comes in on the "line" hot and neutral and is fed through the GFI's internal 'switch' (it's really closer to a circuit breaker, just set up to trip on current differential between hot and neutral instead of overcurrent) both to the outlets on the front and to the "load" terminals, which allows you to daisychain lights, outlets, etal off of the "load" terminals of a single GFI and have them all protected that way.

Furthermore, your friend is wrong when he says that two GFI's in series "cancel each other out" -- the configuration of two GFI's in series is legitimate and will not cause a hazard or damage them; it's simply indeterminate which one trips on a ground fault downstream of the second GFI.  Think of it as a game of quick-draw, just with tripping GFIs -- whichever one "wins" trips first and "shoots the circuit dead" so to speak.  (A similar problem arises with regular breakers and short circuits, as well.)

But there is a problem here

However, the configuration you describe is simply impossible without violating other parts of the electrical code -- the kitchen/dining room outlets must be on dedicated small-appliance branch circuits, and the bathroom and laundry room are required to be on their own circuits as well, yet the kitchen counter outlets, bathroom outlets, and laundry room outlets (new for 2014 it appears) all must be GFCI protected.  Point your property manager and electrician at sections 210.8 and 210.11(C) of the 2014 NEC...


What are my options to level a concrete driveway? I have quite an old house that was built in the 40s. During the heavy rain and winter seasons, I typically get large puddles of water in-front of my garage that seeps slowly through the weather strip. As you can imagine this is quite problematic due to water being a very destructive force.

I've isolated the problem to be an unlevel driveway slope where water will collect in-front of the garage. This is due to the frankenstein concrete slabs that are not level with each other from the driveway to the garage.

I'm wondering what my best options are for leveling this driveway to correct the slope so water will runoff towards the street gutters and grass. It seems that if I leveled the slope from the garage towards the street, the water would naturally run-off to the gutter.

I've been reading up on trench drains, self-leveler concrete, and much more to which I believe leveling the concrete would be my best bet. However I'm fairly new to most concrete work, so I'd like to make sure I'm going down the right path first.

Faced with the same dilemma I went with French/trench drain in front of the garage.  It fixed the water issue and really wasn’t hard to do with a diamond blade, skillsaw and pick.  The sections of drain were $40 each and the blade was $15.  It would have taken several bags of leveling/topping cement at $15 each plus renting a float and I don’t have the same finesse that it takes to have a good looking finished product, plus I feared it would crack or look bad after all that.


How to approach fixing this kitchen sink faucet leak at the base When I run a lot of water in my kitchen sink, a small amount leaks out at the base of the faucet.  The first photo below shows the little pool of water and the second photo shows the whole faucet.  (I did not see a make or model number on the faucet.)

How might I go about finding out what is wrong and fixing it?

Thanks.

It is difficult to determine the source of the leak from your pictures, water leaking down the chrome faucet body is almost impossible to see without careful scrutiny; it could be coming from one or more of several components.
I will address a likely cause and help you on your way to disassembly and troubleshooting.
When the spout swings around it does so while riding on two rubber o-rings. Water enters the spout from the main mixing valve and these o-rings prevent that water from leaving the spout except for at the sprayer head. The o-rings get worn flat over time, and the seal is compromised, they will be located near the top and bottom of the spout body:

To remove the spout and change the o-rings, you must remove the handle and the retaining cap. Start by using a small flat screwdriver to remove the trim plug that hides the handle retention screw:

There will likely be a set screw in there, possibly requiring a hex wrench. Remove the handle, the retaining cap, then pull up on the spout to remove it. I would suggest replacing all seals, o-rings, valve cartridge at this time. And get some waterproof plumber's grease, it will improve longevity of the spout o-rings and make your spout swivel nicely.


Do I need building control approval to install an external security camera powered by power over ethernet? In the UK, I understand that to wire in a new external plug socket or light using mains voltage, I either need to get a qualified electrician to do it or have the work inspected by building control.

If I install an external security camera powered by power over ethernet, do the same regulations apply? There would be no mains voltage involved and no modifications to any circuits. Simply an ethernet cable going through the wall and wired to the camera on the outside and plugged into a router and POE injector on the inside.

You don't need "Building Control" (in the UK, called planning permission) approval for this.

The requirement in UK building regulations only extends to mains voltage.  A PoE injector is typically 48 volts or lower - not something that is covered by current regulations.

Just remember to take all the usual precautions (outdoor grade cabling, secure fixings etc) and you're perfectly ok to do this.

If you still have any doubts, contact your local council planning office - it's free to make general enquiries like these as you are not trying to get concent for building works.


Run mini-split heat pump heads at different temperatures I vaguely remember the contractor who did maintenance on our ductless heat pumps two summers ago telling us not to set the thermostats of the two small heads that share an outdoor unit to different temperatures.
My memory is that there was something about the outdoor unit's inability to adjust the amount of work it's doing that made such an arrangement bad. I haven't been able to find any confirmation of this online though.
Am I making this up, or is it really good advice?
It's a two-story house, 900sqft.
(not counting the basement, where we occasionally use a radiant/oil space heater to keep the pipes thawed.)
The whole downstairs has a single double-wind heat-pump head with its own outdoor unit.
Upstairs the bedroom and office each have a head with piping out to their shared unit.
The reason I'm stressing about this now is because, with both of us working from home every day, we've been mostly-closing the door of the office so we can have that one room ~10F hotter than the rest of the house during the day. (The difference is large enough that we're not much worried we'll forget and leave it overnight.)

It's complete BS. If that was actually a problem, then the system wouldn't let you do that.


Reason for a fried wire? I installed a new outlet and tied it in with the rest of the outlets in the room in a metal box up in the attic. The house is wired with 14-3 throughout, even on outlets and switches that only require 1 hot. I wired the new outlet with 12-2 before even checking to see what wire the other outlets were using. To make a short story long, two of the outlets are no longer working. I checked the wires in the attic and sure enough the 14-3 that feeds those two outlets is cooked.

My question is do I need to wire up the new outlet with 14 gauge, or did that have nothing to do with the other wire getting fried.

OK you don't really give us much information, but I thought I should address what we know. First I recommend to all DIYselfers to never make branch circuit changes like you did since you really do not have the experience level. If the original electrician install 14/3 you have to assume he had a reason, and we may never know why.

So I would advise you take out the 12/2 and reconnect your circuits back to 14/3 connecting color to color. If nothing else at you new receptacle addition you can wire nut it off and label it "unknown" and leave it as such in the back of the box where it can do no harm. Also I am bothered by your splice in the attic I am assuming you have installed that splice in a box and cover and not left it exposed in open air.

If this doesn't satisfy your question I suggest you take @isherwoods advice and maybe even bring in an electrician to help you trace out wires and explain what is happening in your system.


Entire circuit dead after GFCI outlet We had a storm, and a GFCI outlet breaker flipped (orange light on). I reset it by pushing the button, and the outlet started working again. But everything else on the circuit remains dead.
Can a GFCI outlet "go bad", or is there something else I should be looking for?

These devices do go bad, but when that happens they often will not reset and the outlet itself will not have any power.  However, there are a lot of different designs, so its possible the LOAD side of the GFCI has gone bad, I guess.

Another thing that can happen when a surge is on the line is that already loose or poor connections can melt or break.

Your next step is going to get a multimeter and check for voltages along the circuit.  This will involve frequent trips to the breaker panel for safety.  Turn off the power when you are disassembling any wiring or taking an outlet away from the wall.

First, pull out the GFCI outlet (leave all wires connected) and check the LINE and LOAD terminals with your meter.  LINE should always be hot, even when the outlet is not reset.  Once it is reset, the LOAD terminals should have voltage.  If they do not, replace the GFCI device (label line and load wires before removing the old one).

If there is voltage, you will just have to move down the line to the next dead outlet.  On any other outlets the damage is likely to be melting or a loose wire.
You're looking for the outlet that has power coming in, but not going out.  Really scrutinize any outlet that just has wires pushed into the back rather than using the side screws - those push in connections fail the most.


Is it safe to ground electrical appliance? I have a large lamp with a metal frame which is not grounded(which I thought is a legal requirement for metal framed appliances in my country, but perhaps not).

Is there any risk if I swap out the 2 core cable with one that contains an earth, and ground the frame?

Am I'm being paranoid?

Is it safe?  Assuming your ground isn't faulty, yes.  But there's no need.

In order to meet code, an appliance with an ungrounded metal frame needs to be double insulated: that is, it needs to be designed in a way that it takes two failures for the exposed metal to become electrically live.  For example, in your lamp this could take the form of insulated wires plus a non-conductive paint on the inner surface of any metal the wires might contact if they broke.


Generator connected direct to an Unused Breaker I have a 30 amp generator and want to connect temporality to my breaker control box. I have cut off the main and am off the grid. I have a 60 amp range breaker that is unused as I switch to gas a few years ago. Can I tap into that breaker with my generator and selectively use the needed breakers to power lights home outlets etc. not to exceed the generators capacity? Thx for the feedback

Yes, but not safely nor legally. There are plenty of resources available explaining the risks of doing so and the right way do it. Here's one:

This is dangerous.
It is an electrical code violation.
It is illegal in most places.
It is a fire hazard. The power created by your generator is generally greater than the rating for the receptacle, wire and breaker [when connected using a male-male extension cord].
If you don't disconnect your main breaker it can shock the power company linemen - and you will get sued.
You can easily get shocked because the male plug prongs are exposed [when connected using a male-male extension cord].

I realize that the statements above refer specifically to the male-male extension cord to an outlet approach, but the legality and risk to linemen points are valid.

Plus if the insurance company determines that you were negligent or
reckless in using such a generator connection, they can refuse to pay
out on any insurance claims that result. The best thing to do is to
use an approved transfer switch or lockout device. ~Johnny


Installing a light designed to be hard wired as a corded light- what happens to the ground? I have a pendant light (single bulb) that used to be hard-wired in my previous house. I would like to install it in a closet as a plug in light (with an in-line switch). The fixture has a ground wire running up the chain and the plug wire has only the two wires. What do I do with the ground wire from the light? Can I just remove it and attach the cord?

The best solution is to use a plug and cord with ground and only plug it into a grounded socket.

Or you can use a GFCI protected plug, that will disconnect the power if a ground fault is detected.

Failing to do either of them is dangerous.


How bad is Latex Paint down drain and how to remove it? This falls under the category of "I should have asked before starting the job"!  I've been painting a bedroom with latex paint and to clean the brushes/rollers/etc at the end of the day I take them to the outside sink in garden (basically just a basin with drain that leads to main drain and then out to sewer system in street).  I fill a bucket with water and throw everything in, then a few hours later, I wash everything in the sink and put away.  I'm noticing that the sink is starting to back up.  If I leave it, and come back in 1 hour, it's drained, but it's worrying.  I do throw the bucket of painty water on the garden but apparently the paint still on the rollers/brushes is still significant when I squeeze them and brush  them to get paint out over the sink.

My two questions are:

How should I clean up brushes/rollers/etc that are covered in latex paint to a) get them clean and (b) not clog up my sink.
Should I worry if I've poured latex paint down sink in terms of clogging up sink?  If so, what should I do about it?

Thanks,

Dave

Latex paint uses water as it's thinner. It's water soluble and won't dry as long as it's wet. If you wash your brushes and rollers with plenty of running water you should be fine. I clean mine with the sprayer and even then it takes quite a while to remove all of the paint. You can also set your brush in a bowl of water and let water run over it for a few minutes to thoroughly flush it.

If you dumped it down the sink, you might have a problem but should be OK if you flushed it down with plenty of water. Hopefully your problem is just in the p-trap, which you can easily remove for cleaning or replacement. I'd remove the trap, clean if possible and replace if not, and see how your sink runs. If it's still slow you might need to get the drain camera'ed to see where and what is blocking it up.

As far as disposing unused paint, either leave it until your county/city/whatever has a free haz-mat drop-off, or add kitty litter to it to dry it out before throwing it away.