Can I rest floor joists on a ledger lying under the beams? I'm building a 1.5 story cabin and have a full perimeter 8" block foundation that's 20' x 40' with 16" x 16" piers inside...2 rows of 5ea piers. Piers are the same elevation as the perimeter block.

My joists will run with the 20' width, 3 joists to create the 20' span (sill plate to pier...pier to pier...pier to sill plate). Basically 3 joist 6.6' long.
My questions are...

Can I run a sill plate from pier to pier the 40' way, for the girder (for lack of better definition) to sit on, and use that sill plate as a ledger for the joists? Didn't know if the ledger would have to be nailed to the sides of the girder.

Secondly, will I need to double or triple the girders.

I plan to use 2 x 8's for everything.

This is the way I had planned to frame it.

,

but the piers are actually 16" x 16" rather than 8" x 16".

No. Your joists must bear on the beam directly, using hangers or actually resting on it. Even if you'd bolt the ledger up to the bottom of the beam you'd be relying on cross-grain strength. Not a good situation.

As to your beam sizing question, that's for an engineer to answer (with drawings in hand). We don't have enough information about the structure as a whole to properly answer that. I can speculate, since 2x8 lumber isn't used for floor systems anymore, that even tripled you wouldn't meet most codes.


Will spilling a little liquid (beer, say) on untreated plywood for very little time damage or warp it? Okay, this one's a tad silly, but I really need to know:

If plywood sheets are being used as a temporary surface, and have roughly 20 ounces of a liquid spilled on them, can you assume that no damage (warping, etc.) will occur if the spill is quickly wiped up (in less than a minute, say)?

Assume the liquid is not water, but I don't care about staining since we're painting it next week - I'm only concerned with warping, rot risk, etc.

(Okay if you must know, I need to use a beer pong table today, but haven't had time to paint and seal the wood yet.  So, I'm trying to confirm that spilling two beers on a flat plywood sheet before it's treated won't cause any real damage if it's immediately wiped up.)

EDIT: One of the answers mentions support as a relevant consideration, so I should add that most of the wood (~80% will be supported by a smaller flat surface (a table).

Yes it can warp from liquid.  Will it in the case you mentioned - probably not.  Plywood will warp if you just let the board sit with moisture/humidity/gravity.  Until it is attached to something to give it shape (keep it straight) and it is coated, it will warp.  Get some bracing under your beer pong top to the plywood so it can't buckle, twist, or warp.


Return jet not working in pool I have an Inground pool and  I have 7 return jets in my pool. 6 of 7 are working flawlessly with excellent pressure coming out of them with no air bubbles. EXCEPT  my 7th jet that is right underneath my skimmer does not work. I have gone on many forums and troubleshooted many times and I still can't get the thing to work
Here's what I have tried so far
1. Covered all the other jets eyeballs up and hope the pressure builds to push out anything that is in there (no luck) also when I did do this, the pressure (18psi) remained the same
2. I've drained my pool twice and took off ALL the jet eyeballs and cleaned out the pipe with a wet vac (no luck)
3. I've bought expensive drain cleaner for the pool  (no luck)
4. I've checked my D.E filter and replaced with new filters (no luck)
5. Checked all my skimmer baskets and cleaned out the pump motor (no luck)
6. I've changed out all my o-rings (no luck)

I have visually checked for leaks everywhere and the only leak I had found was by my brominator but it isn't a continuous leak and I don't think this would be enough for a single return, to not work?
And the way they designed and put in the pool they didn't install separate manifolds for each return  so I'm out of the luck with that.
So at this point I'm pretty much all out of options unless someone else can point me in the right direction?

Take a conventional garden hose and shove it in the faulty orifice.  If the fit is loose, try and shove something into the hole around the hose... and.... turn on the spigot!

One of more things will happen:

1) You'll see water coming out of some other area.
2) The water will begin spraying back at you.
3) You'll realize that pool installers are idiots.

If the water begins pouring out somewhere else, it will provide a clue of how the plumbing is ran. If it sprays back at you immediately and almost no water pours back out of the pipe after you remove the hose it is saying there is a blockage very near you... or it's capped off behind the wall.  If it sprays back at you after 30 seconds, it means the pipe is blocked/capped farther in.  When you pull the hose out, does a lot of water drain back out?

It is theoretically possible to have a line get clogged... but it would have to be from a build-up of D.E. material or some other mineral deposit, as nothing big enough in itself to clog a line would ever have been able to make it through the pump strainer.  I know when I turn on my 3 HP pump full throttle it'll blow little crusted pieces of D.E. out of the return lines once in a while... so I suppose it is theoretically possible that some of those chunks could build up on themselves.

I am a licensed general contractor and have a great deal of experience in plumbing, electrical, and concrete.  With that being said, the 30,000 gallon gunite pool that I inherited with the house I bought two years ago has cost me a great many brain cells.  It is readily apparent that pool contractors aren't terribly good at any of the three.  To make matters worse, pools don't have to have any permits here.... thus allowing the horrible mechanical craftsmanship to continue.

Trying to logically analyze an idiot tends to crash my mental operating system.  "Does not compute.  Does not compute.  Does not compute".


Options for insulating a ceiling that is already finished (former 3 season room) Is there a way to insulate a ceiling that is already finished and has no access point? More details below:

Recently purchased a home in Eastern Massachusetts; one of the features was a room off the back that appeared to have been built as a screened in porch and eventually finished as a new family room. There's a gas radiator (though that doesn't work currently), so there isn't heat to the room, so I expected it to be cooler, but manageable. Unfortunately, I've come to find out it appears there isn't insulation in the ceiling.

The walls are almost entirely glass (there are 6 60" square sliding windows which I just replaced because the seals on the old windows were shot), so there is nominal wall insulation, but it is there. When changing the bulbs in the recessed light fixtures, I realized it was frigid up above. There doesn't appear to be an access port from the outside on either side of the room, and there's no entry point from inside the rest of the house.

I'm guessing that this won't ultimately be a DIY project, but is there even a technique to add insulation to a ceiling like this? I assume it's going to be blown in or foam of some kind, but I can't figure out what product would work well; it's a long room (20' end to end) and I don't know how to approach it. Any insights would be appreciated.

In most cases it's more effective (insulation-wise) and cost effective to either insulate on top (Add sheets of rigid foam, plywood over, new roof surface on top of that) or to tear out the interior ceiling, insulate, and put up a new ceiling.

Depending on the structure, some sort of blown-in (cellulose, or fibreglass if you like insulation that gets less effective in the cold) is the only reasonable option without opening the ceiling up - you still have a bunch of holes you'll need to patch. Foam is problematic in closed-off spaces due to over-expansion. That is probably best hired - it's easy to DIY in an attic where you can see what you are doing, while blind insulating is helped by experience.

Or (rather less expensively) face the fact that the "room" is still really a screened porch (now with windows) and don't try to heat it in the winter - use the gas heater to extend fall and spring use a little, but close the door and leave it be in winter...Even with perfect roof insulation, a room with walls that are mostly windows is going to cost a LOT to heat in Massachusetts in the winter. Floor insulation, if any, is probably not great either, based on the porch conversions I've seen...


How can you cut a solid bamboo wood plank? I want to buy SVALNÄS shelves from Ikea but the widths don't perfectly align with the space. It says these shelves are made of solid bamboo. I've never worked with this material before and was wondering if it's possible to cut with a circular saw or some other tool to fit in the space I want.

The link you have says the shelves have a paper honey comb center, not solid. You will not like it if you cut it.


How to install recessed lights without bar hangers? I'm sure I can figure out a way to mount the recessed I reclaimed, which are missing the bar hangers; however, does anyone have any previous experience in doing so?

Sure, just rotate them 90° and attach them to a ceiling joist with nails or screws through the bracket where the bars used to go.

Of course then you have no adjustment for placement between joists.


What product will insulate an exterior PVC pipe coming out of the ground with a faucet on it? We want to insulate from freezing an exterior 24" tall PVC pipe coming out of the ground that has a faucet on it ~ a heated product is not plausible in our situation.  Are there other products that will successfully insulate the pipe against freezing?  We live in the western side of Oregon, where the winters are generally mild, but occasionally/rarely reach 10-20 degrees.

You need a "frost-proof hydrant" (which will have a garden hose thread, not a fire hose thread.)

That is a valve that is buried below frost line. On the hose side of the valve, there is a small, deliberate leak (this should not leak when the valve is open.) When the valve is closed, the leak drains water from the standing part of the pipe.

Without heat, even a fairly absurd amount of insulation will not prevent a pipe standing in the cold with non-moving water from freezing; so this type of valve removes the standing water.

Here is a picture, from the state of Indiana (they evidently don't want this type to be used due to the subsurface drain.):

Here  (from Simmons, a manufacturer - no affiliation or recommendation implied) is the more complex "sanitary" alternative type with a sealed canister and a Venturi to drain it when water is next used:


Suggestions on finishing a concrete vault I have a newer home that the builder put a concrete vault in.  It is basically the porch that was dug out fully to make a room under it with a steel security door.  The concrete porch is the ceiling.  There are vents into the room so I can keep circulation in it.  I would like to finish it off without taking up much space so I can use it as secure storage.  I don't need much insulation, just enough to help keep the temperature somewhat steady as I would like to store some art and guns in there.  My plan is to prep the outside walls and ceiling by painting them with DryLoc and then finishing them.

One thought is to do 2x2 walls with foam insulation glued to the concrete and then putting either sheet rock or some kind of paneling over it.

Another thought was some kind of Foam backed OSB and securing it directly to the concrete with the foam against the concrete.

I am pretty much at a loss for what to do on the ceiling.

I am not overly concerned about electrical as I will only need one or two outlets at the most and I could do them as surface mounts.

Any suggestions or ideas?

A hundred years ago, that would be called a 'root cellar', and considered a great place to keep your potato crop or smoked meats.  The temperature will be relatively constant down there because of the ground contact.  Insulating will actually reduce that thermal buffering effect given the vents.

Your problem for guns and art is humidity.  I'd start by measuring the humidity to see where you stand.  A USB hygrometer is an inexpensive tool for plotting humidity over time, and you'll want that even if you go all modern and try to seal the room.


How do i replace a 4x4 square box with a 4x4x21/8 box The purpose is to hold more wires inside it and not be in violation of NEC. Using an extension would work, but i feel more comfortable with a deeper box. The problem is the 1/2" conduits that feed into the box is set for the 4x4. By replacing it with the 4x4x21/8 the holes are set further back and this would protrude the box out by 1/2", unless i rip the wall and try to offset those conduits which would be a major work problem. What do you guys normally do? This is inside the house. The extension ring seems to be my only option.

Be selective about which deep box you use.   Many of them offset the knockouts toward the back, so you can use the same offset bends you're used to doing.


How can I insulate an area without an attic above it? My laundry room and a walk-in closet are freezing cold. They're on the ground floor in part of the house that is single-story. So, there is no attic above them. How do I insulate these areas when there's no attic access? Is the only option to pull down the ceiling, insulate, and then re-install the drywall?

Well, just like in surgeries, you can come in from either side, either take off the top or take off the bottom.  Generally speaking it is easier to take off the bottom.  However, you don't say how much of a gap there is (if you know) between the drywall and the bottom of the roof.  If you don't have enough space to put enough insulation in to make it worth your while,  then you might have to remove the roof and raise it enough to put in adequate insulation/


What parts do I need to get this outdoor light working? I'm sure I need a light bulb of some type, but I do not know what kind or what else I need.  I just bought my first house and I am a DIY rookie.

The holes in the white part look like they might fit a G4-base halogen bulb:

It also looks like there is a label that's curling away from the side of the fixture in the lower photo; if so, it should have information on the maximum wattage that you can use.


my ceiling fan and light do not work Recently I turned the light switch and my ceiling fan/ light flickered a few times and then turned on.  The next time I turned it on there was nothing so I tried the ceiling fan itself and it came on but no light.  I shut it off and tried it again and no fan no light.  Is this dangerous?  Could there be a fire?  I think I might just need a new light/ceiling fan.  Please help.

When you have a fan/light combo and the lights are flickering or not turning on it generally means you have a problem within the fixture itself. The only thing you can really do is to check the box below the fan and see if any connections there are damaged or loose. Then do the same for the junction box above the fan. If you cannot find anything wrong with the wiring, then it is probably the fixture itself that is going bad. Because repair is usually much more expensive than replacement, I would recommend replacing the entire fixture.

Hope this helps.


How often should the air filter in the furnace be changed? Does the period of change of this air filter have an affect on the longevity of the heating and a/c system? What is a good rule of thumb to require replacement?

Dirty filters not only make the HVAC equipment not last as long, but the low air flow makes them less energy efficient. A dirty furnace does not conduct heat into the air as well and the dirt sticks to the fan blades making it not last as long or spin as easily.

There are two main types of air filters:

The 1" thick ones that look like this:

And the 6" thick filters look like this:

(source: filterscanada.ca)

Generally the 1" filters are good for a month or two. The 6" thick ones are good for 6 months.

There are also 2", 4", and 5" filters available but generally not at the local hardware store. Some folks who have 6" filters use a 2" + 4" filter and replace the 2" one every other month and the 4" once a year. This seems like a hassle to me, but it might save you $50 a year if you have 6" filters.


Is it normal for frost to accumulate on nails in my attic? I had a new roof installed this summer and I had trouble with my roofer (had several leaks).  Now it's winter and it's been abnormally cold the last few days.  When I put the Christmas decorations away, the pictures below greeted me.

There is a lot of frozen water on the bottom of all of the nails on one side of the house.  There is also frozen condensation on many of the boards.  The wood splintered in one area and you can see that there is a lot of frozen water on the roofing material.

I called my roofer and he tried to tell me this was a poor insulation problem.  After I told him I have 18 inches of extra insulation, he tried to tell me ventilation instead.  His argument (ventilation or insulation related) is all about condensation.  No way it could be his fault.

As reference, the side of the house with the water currently has very little snow resting on it.  The side with no water on the inside has a covering of about an inch of snow outside.  Both sides of the roof get approximately the same amount of sun.

I need help.  I have no idea if my roofer is lying to me.  I have had a lot of trouble with this guy in the past and I do not trust him at all.  So... is this normal?  If it is abnormal, how do I get my roofer to take action?  I talked to him on the phone and it's abundantly clear he thinks this is not his problem and has no plans to do anything about this.  When I had the earlier leaks I had to show him a picture of a steady drip before he would do anything.

Please help!

I'm late to the game, but this is obviously frost due to condensation. Leaks would appear as icicles. I've witnessed this phenomenon personally in very cold climates, and it's often just the result of seasonal changes that leave moist air in place from warmer days.

You may have a ventilation deficiency, but there's no evidence of roof leaks here, at least what's visible in the photos. Of course, you could have a leak elsewhere that contributes water vapor.


Can a built-in dishwasher be plugged into a receptacle? We just bought a house in California. Can a built in dishwasher be plugged into an outlet or must it be hard wired?

It can definitely be plugged into a receptacle.  Some new dish washers come with the cord already attached and some give you directions.  Almost all require a GFCI outlet and you need to read what size circuit you need.

My experience in the past 3-4 years.  Installed 6 dishwashers.  1 had cord already on it - which is kind of a pain because often there is no outlet.  The other 5 all had instructions that said it allowed for wiring to be turned into cord.  1 we did that because it made sense - used outlet behind fridge (not the same outlet as fridge).  Just look up manufacturer's instructions online if you have any questions but the short answer is YES.


Is there any reason to put 2 GFCI outlets in a 2-gang outlet box? Is there a downside to using a single GFCI plus a regular receptacle in a 2-gang box?

This is in a bathroom, in LA County, and the work will be inspected, if it's relevant.

As long as the second standard receptacle is correctly connected to the GFCI receptacle as well as properly labeled with the usual "GFCI Protected" sticker, it should be acceptable for code.

The downside is it will look awkward and you should think more about if saving the small amount of extra money for an additional GFCI receptacle will be worth it.


wet spots on covered patio after rain I am trying to figure out the source of a wet spot that forms on my covered front porch right next to the outside wall of my home pretty much every time it is raining. This started only a few weeks ago and the spot dries up within a day. Water it not dripping down from above. The wall feels dry. There is a well ventilated open space beneath the porch. The house is 100+ years old. Any suggestions of what could be the cause of this are appreciated!

If you are SURE nothing is dripping there, easily tested by placing a dish over the spot during and after a rain shower, then the spot is probably absorbing moisture from the air.

Something may have been spilled on the decking there that absorbs moisture better than the rest of the decking. Like a sugary or salty drink, or an animal secretion....


French drain lower than sump pump? Bear with me - this will take a long explanation before I get to the actual question. I’ll try to be brief.

I have a damp, moldy basement. I had an interior French drain and 2 sump pumps installed several years ago (more than 10), but that did not completely eliminate the problem. I want water to be COMPLETELY eliminated from my basement, as I want to finish it and turn it into additional living space.

I am now installling an exterior French drain. The problem that I have run into is that, for some unknown reason, there are six courses of block below the level of the basement floor. I have no idea why the house was built this way, but the problem that it has caused is that the exterior French drain will now be significantly below the level of the interior sump pits.

My thought was to just bring the French drain through the block and have it spill into the sump pit and let the pump take it from there, but since I will be so much deeper than the sump pit, I have to come up with a different solution. Here are the ideas that I have had so far:

Make the sump pits deeper and proceed with the idea of bringing the water inside the walls and into the sump pits. I wonder if this is a bad idea, because if I am keeping the water out of the house, am I shooting myself in the foot by intentionally bringing it inside?  I plan to install new sump pumps with battery backups, but if they should happen to fail for some reason, my finished basement would flood.
Keep all of the French drain outside. In order to do this, however, I would have to install additional sump pumps outside and UNDER GROUND. Can this even be done?  Again, they would have battery backups, but would be completely underground, so cleaning and servicing would require significant excavation. Should I just put in a sump pit that is 10 feet deep and keep the top of it just a few inches below grade?
Put the French drain just below the level of the basement floor and leave the additional depth below that level alone. Again, I have no idea why the foundation goes so far below floor level, but it does. Why would it matter if water is allowed to permeate the block below the level of the basement floor?  I realize that moisture could still get into the concrete floor in this option, but I don’t think it would be enough to be an issue.  If I go with this option, that will solve the issue of the drain being below the level of the sump pits, whether I go through the wall and into the existing sump pits or install new outdoor sump pumps.

Thank you in advance for your input and advise.

Water is either coming up from below (a rising water table) or its coming from surface water (the surrounding ground water in the saturated soil.) Either way, it needs to be collected and carried away.

IMHO, it’s preferred to collect and deal with the water outside of the basement.

If it comes up from a rising water table, it will enter the living space from below through cracks between the foundation wall and slab.

If it comes from the surrounding ground water, it COULD enter the living space through the wall, especially if the exterior side of the foundation wall is not sealed properly.
Either way the moisture enters the living space it will need to be collected and disposed. I think the best way to collect it is on the exterior side of the foundation wall in drainrock and a perf pipe laid 6”-8” below the basement slab.

To keep the subsurface water from seeping through the wall, I recommend installing a moisture barrier on the exterior side of the foundation wall and install a 2” thick plastic mesh on the wall to allow water to flow down to the perf pipe. If dirt is allowed to be backfilled against the wall, the dirt could hold the moisture giving it a chance to seep through the wall.

Once collected it needs to be disposed by extending a solid pipe over an embankment or in a collection well enclosure and pumped away.

IMHO, it’s preferred to collect and dispose of the moisture on the outside of the basement, rather than inside the basement. This will eliminate the possibility of mold inside the basement and eliminate a possible power failure causing the sump pump to fail (even with battery backups) and thus water damage. This may be the most expensive method of solving the problem, but it’s sure to work.

One reason your footings are so much lower than your basement slab is due to the frost line. If so, you may need heat tape on your drain and float switch.


Why do I measure low, varying phase leg voltage which fluctuates with load? I have 123 volts on one phase and 89 or less on the other phase depending what I turn on. How do I troubleshoot this?

RED ALERT! Call the power company TONIGHT and report an outage

You have, at the very least, a lost phase.  And quite probably a lost neutral.

Now, in most of Europe, this would mean a 100% outage, since their power drops only have 2 wires.  America uses 3, which we get a lot of weird effects when 1 wire breaks.

The weirdest effect is a lost neutral, where both hot legs are still hot, but the 120V voltage wanders all over the place high and low - the two legs adding up to ~240V, but one higher and one lower.

The lost neutral is an immediate and imminent threat to your safety.  95% of the time, the problem is on the service drop between your meter and the pole/transformer, since that's the one flapping around in the breeze and accumulating metal fatigue. That's why to call the power company straightaway.  The last time this happened to me, the PoCo was out in an hour, on a Sunday, after saying they'd be delayed due to another emergency. Fixed not only our complex, but a weak hot wire on our neighbor, too.

The other possibility is a lost hot, which I discuss at length here.  In that case, the other hot will appear to work, but be weird and weak. What's happening is a 240V appliance (like the water heater) has cycled on, and is effectively shorting the two poles through its high resistance heating element.  So your 120V appliances are now in series with the water heater, all trying to share 120V.  That may work well enough for the water heater to reach its high setpoint and cycle off, and that leg will go dead again  Don't do that, though.

Meanwhile, shut off the main breaker!

You may shut off all breakers and turn the main back on, and then do one of the following:

turn on ONE 120V load only (no breakers with double width or tied handles) e.g. Furnace or fridge.  It may not work.
If you know panel topology reasonably well (the weird way that poles are striped across the breakers), you can turn on 120V loads on one pole OR the other, never both... but all 240s must be off.


How do I divert rain water off of property? My upper back yard sits on a slight hill. When it rains, water forms in holes like springs, and water continues to run down my driveway days after it has stop raining.

I just had a new driveway poured and the rust from the rain coming out of carport has damaged the newly poured concrete. The problem water has been going on for over 12yrs.

It's coming through the basement, which has a large concrete add-on slab in front of the basement. Water continues to get through even with a sump pump, and the window well get full even while there covered.

Common and relatively easy solutions tend to be done with a combination of french drains and drywells.

French Drain

A french drain is a drainage system that helps prevent runoff past the drain line. For example

in this rather crude drawing, the top of the image is a higher elevation than the bottom. Water will form runoff going toward the house in the drawing. By putting a french drain along the uphill side, and running alongside the house, the drains intercept the runoff and channel it toward the outflows (which currently go into nothing, but don't do that).

French drains are basically trenches that contain perforated drain pipe under a layer of loosely-packed rock. You can see a drain cross-section here.

Drywells

A drywell isn't strictly necessary if you can take the outflow ends of the drain and go directly to a storm drain or some place where you don't care about standing water (ex. a lake or pond), but there are also concerns with eutrophication when considering residential runoff, so make sure you are complying with local regulations if you decide to make your water someone else's problem.

A drywell, however, is an elegant way to store all that wonderful rainwater your drains just collected.

A drywell is basically the same as the drain, but instead of going somewhere, it doesn't. You don't want these too close to any structures, which is why it's drawn away from the house, but it needs to be connected to the drains (black connecting boxes). Those drain pipes can be simply buried without needing the gravel/rock trench to extend all the way from the drain trench to the drywell. This also allows you to place the drywell (almost) wherever you want, but a low-lying area is best.

A drywell can be made in a variety of ways to suit your aesthetic. You can get plastic tubs as a preformed well, you can just dig a hole and fill it with loosely-packed rocks, you could do something even more creative.

Of course, your situation (and mileage) may vary. Instead of an impermeable driveway, you could have installed a permeable driveway. Many of these act as drywells because of their construction. The aggregate bedding can store excess rainwater. You could also attempt to replace much of your soil with something that drains better, like sand as opposed to clay. That might even work into your landscaping plans, but could be much more complicated if not.

Ultimately, you're just trying to move water to a more convenient location. French drains and drywells tend to do that pretty well.


How do combi boilers with built-in hot water tanks work? A number of combi boilers on the market in the UK have small (approx. 20 litres) internal hot-water tanks. These boilers are commonly marketed as being suitable for households with high hot-water demand. Sales literature typically claims reduced delivery time and increased initial flow rate of hot-water. I understand these benefits but would like to know how these boilers behave during low-demand periods.

Specifically, when a hot water tap is opened for less than 5 seconds or an appliance repeatedly draws small amounts of hot water.

My current boiler immediately fires-up in these situations and shuts down again before any meaningful amount of hot water can be generated, let alone reach the tap. I realise that there is scope for more efficient user behaviour but do combi boilers with in-built hot-water storage help to overcome this particular user inefficiency, by delaying fire-up until a given amount of stored hot-water is discharged, for example? Or do they fire-up immediately, just like their none-storage counterparts, in order to replenish their internal storage?

Many thanks.

There's no one-size-fits-all answer. In my particular unit, made by Westinghouse (whitelabeled from HTP, I'm pretty sure), there's a configurable delay. Some units will have a minimum number of gallons that need to flow prior to starting. Others may start immediately.


Can I retrofit a 2-speed or variable speed blower on a Payne PG8UAA forced air furnace? My furnace blower is rather loud and runs at one speed.   I wish to have the blower run at a slower speed to mix the air in the house when the heat is not called for.  I see some furnaces have variable speed blowers, which may also solve this issue if I run at high speed when the flame is ON and low speed when OFF.

Can I retrofit my Payne PG8UAA furnace with a two-speed or variable speed blower?

There are no other issues with the furnace, so I do not wish to replace the whole unit.

Thank you

According to the manufacturer's documentation, your furnace should have a 3 or 4 speed blower motor. The problem is, the furnace control module doesn't use a separate speed when the unit is running in continuous FAN mode.

  When the R-G circuit is made, the blower motor operates on heating speed.

The control module only uses two speeds, one for COOL, and one for HEAT/FAN.

Click for larger view

You could run the blower at a slower speed during both HEAT and FAN calls. But you'd have to insure that the blower is maintaining adequate flow during heating, otherwise you will damage the system. This is not recommended, as you could damage the system, and void the warranty.

You might be able to swap out the control module, but you'd have to contact the manufacturer to determine if there's a compatible replacement.

The other option is to build your own control circuitry, but that's beyond the scope of this site. And will likely void the warranty on the unit.


What should I look for during a deficiency walkthrough? I'll be taking possession of a brand new town house next month and we'll be doing a deficiency walkthrough to catch any issues before we move in. This is not a home inspection, but our ability to get the builder to fix any deficiencies from the building process. The property has a 2-5-10 warranty.

I'm looking for a comprehensive list of things to check while we do our walkthrough.

Furthermore, I've been in our new town house a few times and have noticed some issues with the paint. For example, poor cut job at the ceiling, not 100% coverage in areas. Is this too petty to bring up?

Some additional context: this is a Parklane development in Metro Vancouver.

At the risk of simply stealing something from the internet and re-posting it (oh the horror!)...

http://coolthingstoremember.blogspot.com/2006/09/new-home-walk-through-checklist.html

  Pre-Delivery Checklist

  Bring a level, measuring tape, notepad/pen, flashlight, mirror,
  stud-finder …

  Doors

  Open and close all doors. See that doors are well-fitted and operate as intended.
  Make sure all six sides are painted – front, back, top, bottom and both ends.
  Be certain locks, including deadbolts, operate properly without binding, and that thresholds are adjusted correctly.
  Look for warping.
  Hinges should be clean and free of paint.
  Sometimes doors must be trimmed to fit. Make sure the cut is at the bottom, that it's straight, and that so much hasn't been cut off that
  the door is now hollow at the bottom.
  Check that locks are well-installed and do not rattle when the door is closed.
  Check that the exterior doors have been sealed with weather-stripping.

  Windows

  Open all windows.
  Determine that locks operate properly.
  Tracks should be lubricated to prevent binding.
  Make sure screens are in place and not torn.
  Look for broken panes.

  Walls

  Walk the perimeter of each room, checking floor and ceiling moldings to be sure they are uniform.
  Look for gaps that need caulking, protruding nail heads and proper finish.
  Examine all wall and ceiling surfaces under natural light and, if possible, at night under artificial illumination. Poor drywall work
  tends to show most when the lights are on.
  Look for visible seams, nail heads that have popped out and other irregularities.
  Be sure the walls are square. Otherwise, the tile floor or patterned vinyl floor will be askew. In such a small space, anything
  that's out of line will become a constant source of irritation.
  Inspect the wall finishes for uneven paint coverage.

  Electrical

  Be sure all wall outlets and switches operate correctly.
  Test light fixtures, making certain they are attached securely and contain the correct-wattage bulbs.
  Locate the main electrical panel and review the function of each circuit breaker and fuse.
  Your new home must be equipped with ground fault and arc fault circuit interrupters (GFCI and AFCI). GFCIs protect bathroom and
  exterior receptacle circuits, while AFCIs protect bedroom receptacle
  circuits. Ask your builder how to test these devices.

  Flooring

  Tile and vinyl flooring should be clean and free of chips and cracks.
  Check for missing grout, and be sure molding is installed and painted or stained.
  Walk all carpeted areas, checking for loose fits at the edges, ripples in the middle and squeaks in the subfloor.
  Walk across all floors. You should hear only a minimum of squeaks and notice a minimum of spring when walking on the floor. Due to the
  nature of wood, a wood floor system will have a certain amount of
  unevenness.
  See that floor coverings have a relatively flat surface.
  Examine seams in carpets and vinyl to ensure they are tight.
  Inspect ceramic tiles for surface cracks. Joints between ceramic tiles should be well-filled with grout.
  Inspect flooring for damage.
  Examine carpeting for stains or shade variations.

  Kitchen

  Check countertops for scratches and abrasions, a frequent complaint. Counters are a magnet for toolboxes from every trade.
  Also make sure the cabinets and appliances are level and properly anchored to the wall or secured to the countertops.
  Check all doors and drawers. They should open fully and without binding.
  Ask for the instruction manuals for every appliance in the house – the range, refrigerator, dishwasher, furnace, heat pump, water heater,
  electronic thermostat, everything.

  Bathrooms

  Look for scratches and nicks in the sink as well as the shower enclosure and tub. Workmen like to put their toolboxes there as well.
  Check that the sink and tub stoppers hold water, and that the shower strainer is fastened securely.
  Make certain the toilet is securely fastened to the floor. Don't test the commode by trying to rock the fixture back and forth. That
  will break a seal that's correctly installed. Just sitting on it is
  enough to tell if it is tight.
  While sitting there, close the door and take a long, hard look at the walls and other surfaces to make sure they are acceptable. Flaws
  show up most when semi-gloss paint is used, and that's what bathrooms
  should be painted with, not flat paint.
  While you're at it, be sure to see if the toilet-paper dispenser is at the right distance and height. If it isn't, you may have to be a
  contortionist to reach the roll.
  Check for chips in bathtubs, toilets and sinks.
  Ensure that all faucets work properly.
  Check that cabinets are securely fixed to the wall.
  Examine caulking around tub and shower enclosures and at countertop backsplashes.

  Heating/Air-conditioning

  Test for cold A/C.
  Check the furnace and hot water heater.
  Ask about the capacity, shut-off mechanisms and the type of filtering systems installed.
  Review the operation of your heating system.
  Locate the furnace filters and ask about their care and maintenance.
  Ensure that heat registers are not located below a thermostat.
  Check the location and number of cold air returns and make sure they are unobstructed.
  Learn the location of any fuel lines (gas, propane or oil) and understand how to operate any shut-off devices on these lines.

  Mechanical ventilation

  Locate the switches for ventilation and circulation fans (normally placed near the thermostat).
  Locate supplemental fans and switches in each bathroom and in the kitchen and ensure they are operating. Make sure you understand how to
  achieve proper ventilation in order to avoid condensation problems
  which may not be covered under the warranty.

  Plumbing

  Locate the shut-off valves for the main water supply and the location of other shut-off valves throughout your home.

  Kitchen

  Check for damage to countertops, cupboard doors, sinks and appliances.
  Ensure that cabinet doors are properly aligned.
  Check spaces for standard appliances unless specific measurements were given to your builder. The space allotted for your appliances
  should be correct.
  Test the range hood fan and light.
  Make sure there are electrical outlets above the counter.

  Closets

  Make sure that doors are secure and that they open and close easily.

  Upgrades and options

  Rain glass it kitchen cupboards.
  Rain glass shower enclosures.
  Tile in kitchen and bathrooms.
  Vinyl in laundry.
  Marble in bathrooms.
  Granite in kitchen.
  Correct carpet and pad.

That list is pretty comprehensive. :)


Two switches in same box, on different circuits Is it acceptable by US NEC standards to have two switches in a double wall box that operate on entirely different circuits in a late 50's house?

Yes, it is.

As long as other requirements for wiring at met, there is no problem with two circuits (or 3, or 4!) in a box.

Consider, in fact, that code requires this for dishwasher and disposal installs today: Split the bridge on a receptacle and wire each outlet to a different circuit.


How can I place treads on these stairs around a corner? I have built the start of these stairs. It's a difficult concept for me to build stairs around a corner so I cut part of the deck so it wasn't an abrupt 90 degrees going into the stairs (which wouldn't have really worked anyways).

I am at the point now of putting the tread on the stairs. I have a few boards screwed down already to keep the spacing between the stringers the same but how do I go about getting rid of the gap between the first tread and the stringer "toes" edge?

You can see in my picture there is a gap where I placed my pencil. My plan was to cut the boards at the same angle the stringers are at. So basically every board will end on a full 2x4 stringer top. Thats why I doubled some stringers. Any thoughts? Even if I cut the board on the left at an angle I will still have that gap. You should be able to see the pencil in both pictures.

So you have two issues: the cut angle and the gap.

Cut Angle

Whenever two boards meet at and angle, you have to cut each board by half of the angle in order to get the edges to line up.  So, in the top-down picture with the pencil, lets say that is a 30 degree angle.  Cut each board at 15 degrees.  You can't cut the board to line up with the stringer - you have to "split the angle".

Mind the Gap

Again, using the top-down picture, the board on the right will be in the "correct" position because its naturally perpendicular to the stringers.  The left board hits the stringer at a 30 degree angle, so either you will have to cut a small, triangular notch out of the board, or make a notch in the stringer for the board to fit into.  Notching the board (probably with a jigsaw) will be the easiest option, and when you're done, the fronts of the two boards should line up.  To make getting the notch in the right place easier, cut the notches with extra board hanging out over the edge before trying to cut the 15 degree miter to meet the other board.

I may be able to add a drawing later if this isn't clear enough, but I think it should get you going in the right direction.

*Obviously I made up the 30 degrees measurement.  Get an angle guide to measure each one before cutting.


Connecting to water line stubs left at construction I'm looking to install a utility sink on my patio that already has water lines that are capped off by the builders. If I am correct there is also a capped off drain pipe available. Are the water lines in the picture pex pipes? If so, do I just cut off the end caps to connect fittings? I appreciate any additional help on the best way to install my utility sink to the lines below. thx!

All looks fine to me. 1-1/2" drain, 1/2" supplies. Just turn off the water at the appropriate point and cut off all three caps. I'm not sure what the sleeves are for over the supplies, but I'd remove them.

Don't forget to put a standard sink drain trap in to block sewer gases.


How to pave a small area but get maximum drainage / permeability TL;DR: How should one going about creating a hard, smooth surface that drains well, where slope can't be used to achieve the drainage.

We have a small 1/10th acre city lot, and two large dogs. Their waste products had been wreaking havoc on our plants, so I constructed a small 'dog toilet'. I dug a 4x6 foot box about 8 inches deep, filled it first with pea gravel, then a top layer of river rocks. I then trained the dogs to eliminate exclusively in there. While the plants and grass have seen an improvement, there are some problems with the area as it is now. First, the dogs clearly don't like stepping on the river rocks, and secondly the rocks make picking up their droppings rather cumbersome.

I'd like to basically replace the gravel and river rocks with a sort of smooth paved surface. However, I want to maximize its drainage capabilities.
While a simple solution would be to just use entirely the pea gravel, the two beasts will definitely kick the gravel out all over the place while they're running around in the yard chasing each other.

So the next option I was thinking was perhaps paving in a sort of cobblestone style surface. A local landscape company sells larger river rocks that each have a large flat side to them. I think using those with sand filling in the gaps would do a good job of creating the surface and providing good drainage. However, I'm unsure the sand will sufficiently hold the rocks together, both when the dogs are stepping / running across them, as well as handling cold Minnesota winter frost related issues. Is polymeric sand a good option, would that still permit a high rate of water drainage?

You can get permeable paving (sometimes sold as Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS)) which looks like solid paving but has nibs on the edge of each block so the surface is self-draining. Some are rated for driveway or commercial car parking use, so no problems about the blocks moving.

https://www.marshalls.co.uk/homeowners/driveways/permeable-paving


Is surface-mounted cabling on my basement ceiling a threat to my safety? I am concerned about a wiring issue in a basement of a home I will be moving to. Someone put paneling on the ceiling and the wiring is stapled to the paneling and some of the wires are bundled together and wire tied. Is this unsafe, and what can I do about it?

Depending on the wire size the NEC expressly forbids stapling to the bottom of the joists, or as the OP has stated fastened to paneling on the bottom of the joists.

From 2014 NEC;

  334.15(C)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.

From the OP's post it sounds like they put all the cables in bundles on the paneling. The smaller ones need to be run through the joists or on running boards.

The question would remain if the "paneling" qualifies as a "running board". I would argue that 1by material is needed to qualify as a running board not paneling.

Happy Saturday!


how do I reprogram a wired keypad for a garage door opener? We moved into this house about 15 months ago. No problems with this until recently the external keypad stopped working. The keypad itself is Liftmaster, but the unit itself and wired openers (the button pads to open/close it) are Sears craftsman model 139.53425SRT. The keypad does NOT have an ENTER key, but it has '*' and '#' buttons, in addition to the 0-9 numbers. The keypad is wired to a button pad just on the inside of the door.

The best instructions I found for a keypad without an enter key say this:
"Is this a hard wired keypad? If so: To program the keypad, first unplug the garage door opener from the electrical outlet. Next, remove the nameplate from the console that the keypad plugs into and locate the program/operate switch. Flip the switch to program. Next, enter your desired four-digit PIN number into the keypad. Slide the switch back to operate and plug the garage door opener back in. The keypad should be programmed."

I followed this, although the button pad is wired with a battery. So when it said to unplug the opener from the electrical outlet, I instead removed the wires from the button pad opener to the actual opener in the garage ceiling. Should I instead have remove the battery at this point?

The button pad that the keypad is wired to does have a PROGRAM/OPERATE switch under the nameplate.

I have the same keypad outside the garage and a panel with large rectangular pushbutton inside. The Keypad is wired to the indoor panel and the panel is wired in turn to the opener. Have had it for 25 years since it came with a 1994 Craftsman opener. When the battery dies the code is lost and needs to be reset.

Make sure you have a fresh battery! There should be no need to disconnect the battery or unplug the opener. In fact, if you unplug the battery the circuit board in the panel has no power and cannot be programmed. What is being programmed is the circuit board in that panel NOT the opener as is done with wireless remotes for your cars or wireless keypads. The reason to unplug the opener is probably a safety concern. It is very easy while working with the panel to accidentally push the large button on the panel and operate the door opener! The door might strike you or someone else.

To program the following is the easy procedure Just open the small rectangular plastic plate on the panel where the battery is located, move switch to "program". Enter desired 4 digit code on the keypad. Move switch back to "operate". Test by entering the code.

Note: while the opener is working you can touch any key on the keypad to stop/reverse it. When the door closes you can re-open it while the light is still on in the keypad by pressing any key. Once the light goes out you must enter the 4 digit code again.


Caulking a corner instead of taping with joint compound? Is it considered acceptable in drywall / sheetrock work to use caulk to finish an interior corner instead of using tape with joint compound?

This is not my own DIY idea – this was suggested to me by a drywall contractor.

In this specific instance it was a wall-to-ceiling corner which is about 26' long.

My sense of things is that this would be a shortcut, and if caulking was a high quality substitute for taping then no one would ever use tape. I'm pretty sure caulk would be more prone to cracking over time, especially since caulk shrinks and the joint would have no reinforcement.

But there could certainly be methods and/or products I'm not familiar with!

First I would not even have a conversation with that contractor.   Gone instantly.   If he is cutting corners here, what else would he do without you knowing?   Bye.

Caulk in corners - I have had to do this as a temporary fix but here are your issues:

your corner isn't really a corner.   Corners look good because of the sharp angle.   You can for sure see if a corner has been caulked and it looks off to the eye.   If you don't care about aesthetics then no big deal.
paint does not adhere to caulk like it does drywall/mud.   No matter if you use the most paintable caulk in the world, the caulked part will look off.   Paint will chip, paint will be more easily discolored, and touching up painted caulk will look lumpy.
caulk will not last unless the home environment is both well conditioned and very stable.   So you might get away with caulking an inside wall on the first story of a two story house with a basement that is always set to 68F.   Might last you 7-10 years if you don't touch it.   Doing a wall on a ranch in a temperate climate, the drywall will shrink and expand, make the best caulk pull or get brittle within a year or two and you will have to constantly have to recaulk.   Simply not a long-term solution.

But the fact that this topic was breached with a home owner is a huge red flag.   No normal contractor that does drywall would even have this thought in their head.


How to fix Kitchen drain that came apart? My kitchen drain came apart, it is like 12 years old. I noticed it is not a locknut connection, so I am not sure how to attach these parts. The sink strainer itself is loose and I can pull it out easily, so I was wondering if I need to reseal it as well? Above the connection you see a black washer. Any advice?

UPDATE - Per Ben's advice after looking closer I could see it did have a drain screw and it broke in half. Below you can see what it looks like. Now I just got to find this part and replace it every 10 years from now on.

UPDATE 2 - I shopped around to a big box and a plumbing supply store, but it seems such retaining screw is rare and none of them ever recall stocking such a part. They also said that was a unusual way of making such an assembly. So I am just going to replace it with a Deep Cup Strainer that should fit in perfectly. If that screw went after 12 years it is bound to go again. And since this is a double sink, I am going to replace both of them.

I believe that you lost a (retaining) screw. It might have fallen down the drain... hopefully it's lodged in the p-trap. This is similar to: How to replace my kitchen sink basket with no lock nut?


How do I waterproof a wood door? I'm replacing a shed door.  Nothing fancy and I didn't want to spend a lot, so I didn't invest a lot on an exterior door.

Instead, I have a hollow core wood door blank to which I've applied two coats of primer and one coat (so far) of exterior flat paint.

While it's not a huge deal if the door only lasts a few years, I'd like to do whatever I can to prolong its life as much as possible.  What further treatment can I give the door to help extend its life?

Metal and/or fully adhered rubber flashing and drip edge on top of door trim placed under siding.  Oil based finish to door and frame.  Seal bottom and side edges of door with oil based finish.


What would be a fair day rate for a 1-day excavation job involving 1 person and a 24" bucket excavator? We're hiring a local company to come move dirt around our 1/10 of an acre property in a small town. The job will be 1-day of work, all by machine (no hand-digging). What would be a normal rate to hire an excavation contractor for a 1-day job involving one person and a 24" bucket excavator? No materials and no waste removal (all the dirt will be dumped on-site).

Price is going to depend on many factors that vary by location.
Call several different local contractors, pick the one you like best.
Get the biggest machine you can fit on the site, eg: a 4 foot bucket holds 8 times as much dirt as a 2 foot bucket, so it can turn a 1 day job into a 1 hour job.


Gap between floor, wall and stair We recently purchased a resale house, which is about 25 years old. I just noticed there is a gap where the floor, wall and stair (leading to basement) meet. The gap seems pretty big (about 1 cm). This was not caught by the inspector.
Is this something to be concerned of or I can simply caulk it?

OK - based on picture at the bottom you need to:

extend the trim - marked in yellow
mud/tape/sand pant the area in red all the way up into the top trim

That is the easy option and could look great for years.
The other option is buy trim/pine-board and cut out a triangle so that you form a rectangle where that wall is cracking.   Based on the indention and cracking it looks like the wall above may be sitting on something less stable and moving - that triangle looks awfully out of place and I usually see that on wall over concrete.
Note that if this is moving around seasonally that much you may just need to cover the entire area with something more flexible - wainscoting, planks, etc.


Are tankless water heaters worth it in cold climates? I was thinking of switching over to a tankless water heater. A friend of mine said they are not good in colder climates since the water coming in is colder and takes longer to heat.  Is this a valid concern, or are these things designed to deal with this type of thing?

Tankless heaters are rated by the amount they raise the temperature of the water at a specific flow rate (and as the flow goes higher, the amount they raise the temperature is lower), for example:

Rise in Temp:    50°F      75°F     100°F
Flow rate:    3.8 gpm   2.4 gpm   1.9 gpm

Basically, the lower your incoming water temperature, the larger a unit you need to get. Sizing is also dependent on the number and types of simultaneous consumers of hot water (eg, being able to run two showers at once requires a larger size than is needed for just a kitchen sink).

This manufacturer site shows incoming temperatures in North America, and helps provide sizing information based on their models.

Anecdotaly, I know virtually all new construction I've seen around Ontario for the past couple years (including Ottawa, Ontario) uses tankless heaters.

Resource: http://www.tanklesswaterheaterguide.com/


How do I install EMT conduit for an outdoor 6/4 power run? I need to run NEMA 14-50 50A outlet from the breaker show to the garage (approximately 30') . From the red line, I plan to run 1" EMT conduit as show in the picture, four #6 wiring inside, 50A breaker and such.

I will pull permit from the city (Dublin, CA )
Breaker (Square D) is 200A with only AC connected.
A DIY doable ? what tool do I need to bend and assemble the  conduit ?

Quote is over 1k ..

It is definitely doable.  Like @Tester101 indicates, you need a conduit bender.  They are available at the big-box stores.  Will be a little more expensive than you might like.  So will wire.  A pipe cutter, like the plumbers use would be advantageous to make your cuts square.  And, of course, you need a drill suitable to make a hole through your house. Other than that, you need a screwdriver, tape measure and pencil.

Your biggest challenge will be maintaining your patience.  Bending conduit is not intuitive.  You should do a little study before you start, and recognize that you're going to make a couple of miss-bends.


How to diagnose a greywater system backup In recent weeks I have noticed that the drain pipe from the washing machine has been overflowing into the laundry room. We stopped using the washer thinking that we needed a plumber to come to the house. I live in a rural area where it is difficult to get a plumber out. I was outside while my wife was using the dishwasher, and I noticed water bubbling up from the ground. I grabbed a shovel and dug down to the greywater piping. I noticed a hole had been cut into the piping because the hole in the pipe didn't look natural. It looked like it was made with a reciprocating saw.

I am not sure why this hole would be there. Maybe as some type of makeshift release valve? I don't know if there was something covering the hole while it was underground, but I know for a fact that this is where the water was coming out. I covered the hole and the water started backing up into the house, so it seems like the system is clogged or full. The previous owners told me that the greywater system is pretty new, but they owned this house as their winter home and didn't spend much time testing the system.

Not far from this is a pipe sticking out of the ground with a cap on it that I can unscrew.

My question is how do I diagnose what the problem is? Or what are my options? I have called the plumber several times, and I am sure he will get out to me eventually, but it is at least $100 for him to make the trip, even if he cannot help me. I am hoping to accumulate as much knowledge about the situation as I can so I make the right decisions. I just don't have the money to throw at this problem until it goes away.

Edit for more information: The drain runs out to an area about 200ft from my house from what the previous owner told me. There is no above ground parts to the system except for the pipe with the cap on it near the house.  I snaked the line for about 50 feet and could not find any blockage, but that doesn't mean much. I suppose that I need a longer snake to really test.

I would bet the pipe IS blocked and the previous owner or his handyman opened up the pipe to get it to drain into the yard.   You need to have someone figure out where this line is going (maybe with an inspection camera) and clear it if the output is proper.  Most likely it is clogged with roots and soil.


How to correct this pointing? This is a picture of the wall of my house:

I need to fix the pointing; I think it's causing water to enter around a window at one point, and it's generally a disaster.

The house is in the UK, built about 1970, and is externally stone (with a cavity with concrete blocks inside).  This hard, circular profile, gray cement is what is used to point the whole house.  The main part of the house has wide eaves which protect from weather, and generally the pointing looks good, with a good bond between the cement and stone.

We also have an "extension" (or what I think might originally have been a garage) which is a flat roof, no eaves, and features issues like in the picture.  The cement has blown off in chunks, and can easily be removed by hand (that which hasn't fallen off on it's own).  As you can see, behind is a must weaker looking mortar between the blocks.

I am thinking of using a lime mortar to repoint, and following advice I've found on the internet, would make the pointing slightly recessed, and not a "ribbon" (the picture doesn't show it well, but especially on this bit of the house, it looks like it's been piped on out of a bag!)

  Is this sensible?  Should I use a lime putty, or a weak hydraulic lime mortar?

What confuses me is that the internet is full of advice about "historic" buildings (of which there are many where I live: Calderdale in West Yorkshire).  But our house is not really historic...  And also none of the local houses, either very old or rather new, have pointing which looks remotely like my house.

I'm a novice DIYer also from Calderdale. I recently repaired some pointing on a similar type of property. Unfortunately it doesn't match the rest of our pointing but I prefer the look of the result i'd be tempted to repoint the rest of the house.

Rake out the dead pointing, i used a mortar rake disc on mini grinder.

4 sand 1 cement and some plasteciser (in place of lime) from B&Q as quantified on the packaging.

I was advised from a few builders but other than that I probably know as much as you from online forums! :)


Walls out of square, how to align base cabinet? Hello all. In the process of remodeling a kitchen, and the corner where this standalone base cabinet is going is quite out of square, to the tune of about 1/2" gap at each end of the cabinet. Next to it will be a fridge. We're doing granite or solid surface countertop with a 3x6 subway tile backsplash.

Countertop/cabinet people, how should I square this cabinet up? Flush to the back wall, flush to the side wall, or split the difference?

My first instinct is to go flush to the side because it'll look better straight-on and the fridge will hide the 1" side gap and the countertop guy will just scribe the back of the countertop to the back wall. But would that throw off the fridge? I dunno. How would you do it?

Assuming you're installing cabinetry along the entire wall, I'd do this:

Find the point on the back wall that sticks out the most.
Measure out one cabinet depth and mark a line over the entire length of the floor. (Use a grout line as a reference-- even if your tiles are off-square, these are the lines your eyes will pick up as square.)
Install cabinets to this line, use shims to fill in the anchor points and the sides if necessary.
Tell the granite cutters that things aren't square, and let them deal with it.

I realize that this particular installation has a standalone on the end.  This really doesn't change anything -- You want the fronts of all your cabinets to be on the same line as you'll pick up the tiniest of inconsistencies, even with the fridge breaking the line.


Why is noise coming from our hot water radiator even when it is off? I own a condo and the heating is from a hot water radiator. We have a hot water radiator at the living room and there is quite a noise (some clanking but mostly like water running on a pipe) coming from it even though the main valve is all the way off. The one in the bath and bedroom make no noise on or off. Any tips appreciated.

It depends partly on your location but many radiator systems have bypass pipes through which water passes to and from other radiators on the same circuit - even it that particular radiator has its valve turned off.

Air in the heating pipework can cause the sort of noises you describe and can be eliminated by bleeding the air from the system.

See answer(s) to similar question


Can I cover an electrical box with tile? I had 5 outlets moved to under my cabinets. The Electrician put a junction box over the old outlets. I now need to install backsplash. Can the tile guy cover the box with the backsplash?

No.

In most countries/states it is not permissible to have a normal wiring join in an inaccessible location.

If you check local code, there may be specialised splices that can be used in inaccessible locations but usually you would have to replace the wiring with continuous wires.


April Aire 600 powers off while furnace is firing After having a new furnace and AC installed in the summer of 2018, replacing my 20-year old equipment, the existing AprilAire 600 whole-house humidifier behaves differently than before.

During the time that the furnace burners are not firing, the humidifier panel is lit, the water runs when it needs to, and the humidity is adequate in moderate weather.  When the burners kick on, the humidifier control panel powers off completely and nothing happens until the burners kick off again. Once the burners turn off, the panel powers up, displays an error message (r1) for a few seconds, and resumes operation.  This is really only a problem when the weather is really cold because not enough water gets to the panel when the furnace fires more frequently.
The furnace is Trane, 2-stage and the AC is American Standard, 1-stage. The AprilAire controller is digital, and the thermostat is Ecobee.

Is there a common or likely mistake during install that could cause these symptoms?

Furnace model: S9V2B080U3PSBA
AC model: 4A7A6030J1000A

Humidifier must run while the furnace runs

Aprilaire model 600 operates on the principle of evaporation. It's an evaporative cooler ("swamp cooler") installed in the heating system. It's installed as a bypass between the furnace outlet and the cold air return; a portion of the hot air coming out of the furnaces goes through the Aprilaire 600, picks up moisture, and goes immediately into the furnace air return.

Because of its operation, it's very important that the water valve can operate while the furnace blower and burners are running. Otherwise, each heating cycle of the furnace can add no more water than whatever is left standing in the humidifier's pad.

ecobee could control the humidifier

The ecobee3 and ecobee4 thermostats can control that Aprilaire 600 directly. Is yours one of these? Do you prefer to use the Aprilaire controller instead, or is this arrangement simply a result of not knowing the Ecobee has this capability? It's not impossible to make everything work correctly with the Aprilaire controller but it's simpler to let the ecobee manage humidity for you.

Wiring for ecobee control of humidifier

When the ecobee is installed there's a setup wizard that figures out whether and how you have a humidifier connected. After getting the wiring sorted out we'll circle back to fixing that configuration (I'll edit it in after you confirm this is the direction you want to go).

If your ecobee model is one that supports accessories there's an easy way and a less-easy way to wire it. The easy way involves the transformer that came with the Aprilaire unit. Make a ring: one transformer wire connects to one water valve wire, the other water valve wire connects to one of the ecobee ACC terminals, the other ecobee ACC terminal connects back to the second transformer wire.

The less-easy way powers the Aprilaire 600 water valve using the transformer that's already in the furnace. This is how I have mine set up, but I don't recall exactly which wires I used. I'll have to edit to add detail on that..


Is it correct to put plywood outside front door? The plywood on my front door is rotten as you can see here (there are few stair steps)

There is a roof on top of it covering the front door area

I suspect water still can get in and sit on top

Is it correct that plywood supposed to be used here? Should it be decking board? To let water running down?

Nope, it's not normal, but it isn't necessarily incorrect. Actually, you can see the ends of the original planks under the plywood...just above the old rot in the top stair riser and next to another plywood patch. However, it can continue to work if polyurethane or paint were maintained.

There is pressure-treated plywood for exterior use that could be used when this rots out, if you like the look. But again no, traditional natural exterior grade wood is the only "correct", but many today even go with backyard deck type pressure-treated planks (not panels).


How do I remove wallpaper from drywall? I know there are a lot of different ways to remove wallpaper, ranging from elbow grease to chemicals and steam machines.

What way(s) work(s) best?

It depends :)

It really depends on how old the wallpaper is, if there are multiple wallpapers glued over each other and how much glue was used.

If the wallpaper is not too old, and was put on in a proper way, usually, a steamer works very well. It has the advantage that it loosens the glue without making the wallpaper to fragile to pull it off.

I usually try to stay away from chemicals, because they always have some danger for health associated.


How to ground an amplifier without ground pins on outlet? My electric guitar amplifier's plug has got ground pins but my wall outlet does not have any ground pin and I want to use this amplifier grounded. How could I ground this properly and safely If there is no grounded outlet in room?
Wall outlet looks like this (no ground pin):

"Safely" is the problem.
The only way to correctly earth it would be to run a wire literally to ground somewhere - actual earth, using a large metal spike into the bare ground, to an established bonded earth, or to already grounded piping [do not do this if you are even slightly uncertain as to whether your building's piping is all correctly bonded to earth already.]
That is really not a DIY task.
If you live in a country that doesn't have compulsory earthing, you need a professional to install correct earthing. I would seriously never recommend this as a DIY project. If no-one bothered to earth the sockets [because code doesn't insist you must] then you have no guarantee that anything in the building is correctly earthed.


How can I prevent the clanging of my extractor fan vent cover? I installed this exterior vent for our oven extractor fan

However, the metal plate in the vents keeps swinging open and closed when it gets windy and we can hear it in the house to the point where the constant clanging is annoying. I added some rubber washers and foam around the inside of the flap, but the annoying clanging has become an annoying thudding.

I had thought about adding some weight to the flap, but don't want to risk a flap that doesnt open as it should. Is there a way to resolve this or perhaps even another exterior wall vent that I could/should use to resolve this?

I think you just need to find a better built vent hood.  The first one I found searching on HD specifically calls out this problem in the description:

  Unlike other versions that tend to rattle in the wind, the back draft damper on the ProMax cap has been designed for noise and wind resistance and its stylish wide mouth appearance helps to optimize the airflow.

Try shaking it and moving the flaps in the store to see if they make a noticeable sound.


Can subterranean termites live on wet wood only without access to the ground? I didnt know that my sink was leaking making the woods under it wet which made it ideal for termites. When I check under the sink there were mud tubes and termites. The house/sink is made of concrete and the only wood was the cabinet under the sink. No wood is in contact with the soil. So my question is can a subterranean termite colony live without access to the soil? There were swarmers that got inside the house a few months back which I guess found the wet wood under the sink and started a colony. Is that even possible?

You should ask a professional, well established pest control company.  I can tell you only about my experience in Florida that Subterranean termites can establish colonies by building mud tubes up the sides of concrete block, to reach wood inside your home. In Fl. A lot of the big companies use Termidor, which is injected into the ground surrounding your home.  They treat your house every ten years and will offer a warranty if you pay about $125. Per year and they inspect your house yearly for signs of damage.  What we call dry-wood termites fly into your house through openings and colonize after they drop their wings. Often they can be treated with a type of heat gun and other means if the infestation is localized.  If they are all through your house they usually treat by tenting the entire house and gassing them.
I'm sure there are other opinions and treatments, esp. in different climates.


Woodworking workflow I'm totally new to woodworking (cabinetry, to be specific), and need verification that I'm going about this in the correct order, from a high level.

This is what I have in mind for a general workflow.  Is this what you'd recommend for a beginner?:

Cut/drill/etc
Dry fit
Sand
Glue up
Finish (stain/varnish)

Yes. There are books that can guide you step by step on projects while you are learning.

Normally, finish is done last because otherwise you might mar the finish while doing working on the piece. Also, finish should be on the exterior surface of the work piece only, not inside the joints. The only way to ensure this is to finish the piece AFTER the joints are sealed.


How to avoid stripping screw heads? In at least two different contexts now (installing shower handrails, installing gate on fence) I've found myself stripping the head of the screw beyond all use. I must be doing something wrong, so what is it?

The screws I'm driving are two or three inches long with a Phillips head. I'm using a cordless drill with a Phillips bit. I find that no matter how hard I push from behind the drill (even with all the body weight I can muster) and no matter what speed I drive at, the drill bit jumps out of the head of the screw. When that happens repeatedly (either because I think I can make it if I just push it harder, or I get frustrated), the head ends up getting stripped and then I've got multiple problems (getting the screw out, replacing it, and getting the replacement in without stripping it) that set the project back. What am I doing wrong?

UPDATE: Thanks to all who contributed to the great answers below! After checking my screws and bits (Phillips, not Pozidriv; right size, not worn), drilling wider pilot holes and then being careful with the speed and torque, I decided I wasn't using the right tool for the job (what's that they say about bad workmen?) and I went and got an impact driver. Then the first few screws went in like magic --- it was incredible! And then it sheared off the heads of the next couple of screws. Grrr! I couldn't manage to get the remnants out, and ended up drilling new holes in which I tried some new store-bought screws --- same result. Double grrr! So I drilled some new holes and tried some hex-head screws, which went in just fine with a socket on my cordless drill. Hurray!

Conclusion: I hate Phillips heads for high-torque situations; I much prefer hex heads. That's how I settled this particular matter, but there are some very important and useful answers below that were not "accepted" that nevertheless may help people in slightly different circumstances.

What am I doing wrong?

If you're stripping the heads, Phillips head screws probably aren't the right kind for the job.  They cam out under excessive torque [1].  And once they do, the bit becomes a grinding tool, chipping away the head.  They're good for uses where high torque isn't required.  Phillips head screws intended for use where they might require some torque are hardened, which reduces the chipping if they cam out.

The solution is to use the right kind of screw for the job, and to not substitute brute force for proper technique in a demanding situation.  Excessive torque shouldn't be required if you don't cut corners on technique.  But if a lot of torque is needed, use screws that can handle it.

Drill a pilot hole.  There are actually different optimum-sized pilot holes recommended for different materials.  With soft wood, a precisely sized pilot hole often isn't critical if you are close, but If you are screwing into hardwood or metal, the right size pilot hole is important.
Lubricate the threads by rubbing the screw on some candle wax or bar soap (not liquid soap), before you drive it.
Don't use a worn driver bit or one that is not the exact size for the head.  This is especially important for Phillips head bits because camming out and grinding away the head also grinds away the bit, making it more prone to cam out.
In a demanding situation, use hardened screws or a different type of head.  For example, square, hex (Allen), or star (Torx) socket heads are common for high-torque applications, or a hex head that you use a socket to turn.

[1] There's a long-running argument on whether cam out was an intentional design objective or just a characteristic of the design.  According to Wikipedia:  The design is often criticized for its tendency to cam out at lower torque levels than other "cross head" designs. There has long been a popular belief that this was actually a deliberate feature of the design, for the purpose of assembling aluminum aircraft without overtightening the fasteners. Extensive evidence is lacking for this specific narrative, and the feature is not mentioned in the original patents. However, a 1949 refinement to the original design described in US Patent #2,474,994 describes this feature.


No remote/pull chains, how do I turn off fan without turning off the lights on combo unit Just moved to new house 2 months ago. Bedroom ceiling fan/light fixture doesn't have any chains and did not have a remote with it. I have 2 wall switches, one turns the entire unit on/off and the other does nothing that I can tell. One switch on the fan unit with only function of switching blade direction. Aside from unscrewing the light bulbs anytime I want the fan on to sleep, or buy a remote, is there a way to control off/on function of fan seperatly from lights (not worried about adjusting the speed of the fan, just want to turn it off or on at current speed).

I assume I will eventually need an electrician or new fan/remote however those aren't options for me financially for at least 3more weeks. Seeing as to how it's a bit cold outside, I'd like to use my lights without needing to throw on a few extra layers every time or worse, walk in, flip the light switch to see where I'm gong and be instantly annoyed with the cold air and fact that I can't seem to fix the problem.

There are no brand symbols or names on the fan/light unit that I can see from below. have not seen ANY marks whatsoever but will add a comment if I figure out the brand of ceiling fan I'm dealing with. Most likely Hampton bay or the other "h" brand the commonly excludes pull chains on their ceiling units. And unit is 6yrs old or less (house is only about 6yrs old).

Is there a solution that doesn't involve dragging this on til I can replace the unit or remote?

Check the wiring of the fan (after taking the regular safety precaution of turning off the breaker and double checking that the wires aren't hot), chances are that there are 3 connections (besides ground): neutral, lamp and fan. It's very likely that lamp and fan are jumpered together.

To disable the fan entirely you can then simply remove the jumper and connect the switched live to only the lamp.

To fix it properly you can remove the jumper and connect a separate switched live wire from the second switch to the fan. If that isn't in place you will need to run that extra wire which can be difficult depending on access from above.


How to add additional speeds to a box fan I have a 20" Box Fan, that has 3 speeds. It's a commerical model from Lasko, heavily built, puts out a lot of air... too much actually for my normal needs.

So I'd like to add speeds in addition way slower than what it has. As far as I can tell it's a straight power cord to the motor with a 3 way switch which I assume is some sort of resistor bank that limit the power to the motor.

In a perfect world I could have a similar switch with 6 or more settings, or alternatively another switch that works with the existing one, to multiply the 3 speed setting, which I think can be done by resistors in parallel or series.

I know a little about electronics, but not enough as to the best way to go from here.  Part of me was thinking of a lamp dimmer but doubt those can handle the inductive load of a fan, or an AC fan speed control like this http://www.amazon.com/Speed-Control-Cord-AC-Cooling/dp/B00809BQZG

Here's a pic of the project if curious, it's DIY allergy filter using the box fan and a decent hepa furnace filter. https://instagram.com/p/z07BOOJ0pX/?modal=true

I used the variac and got the noise level down from 74-84db to 45.  Pleasant white noise, vs Is that Industrial Music you're playing?

I researched various approaches, that fall into the basic camps of a
variable resistor (like the sun court-variable speed, speed bully) and variable transformer.

The resistor ($20-$30) absorbs part of the power, thus generates heat, and the reviews of which almost always were super low, with burnout of the device and or fan, heat noise etc.

After trying to find the power requirements of the fan (which was not well documented anywhere), i figured it was about 1.5 AMP Max.  So I got a 3AMP Variac Variable Transformer ($65) which there are several that all look like rebrands of the same thing from China.   It is big, beautiful in an industrial manner, smooth dial, and works perfectly silently (no buzz hum), so I can choose whatever noise/airflow I need.   That said it's not calibrated correctly, so 100% on it's dial does not correspond to 100% when no variac is used, but it does go above 100% to make up for it.


How to do surface preparation of walls before painting them? I am planning to paint my house but i don't know how to prepare a good surface before painting the walls. Please give me some ideas and suggestions?

I assume it's drywall.  It's tough to advise without knowing the existing conditions, but you'd probably be safe with a primer.  If it's a new wall that has not been painted, it depends if it's finished with drywall mud.  If not, you'll need to mud the wall and sand it prior to applying primer.


Single pot light in room continually dimming / flickering, before dying after a few days I've just moved into a new apartment and am having trouble with a specific pot light in the main area.

There are 4 lights on the switch (all recessed), and they are all working fine except the one. When I moved in, the bulb (as well as a few others) were dead. I let the landlord know, and she brought over some new bulbs. I replaced the lights.

The problem one felt different than the others when replacing; with the others, getting the old one out and putting the new one in were a bit of a struggle. Wiggling the bulb back and forth out of the plug, almost feeling stuck. I was worried to pull to hard, lest I shatter the bulb. With the problem one however, it came out very easily, and the new one fit very easily as well. It almost didn't feel like it would stay in place if I let it go (though it did).

When I turned the lights on, the problem one had an issue with flicker-dimming. It would periodically go into fits of flickering, but not completely off, just dimmer. A day or 2 later, it was out again.

I opened up the fixture to check on it, and after moving it a bit, it came back on. But it had to stay in that exact position - anything else and it would turn off. It continued to do the periodic flicker-dimming.

Again, a few days later, and it was out. This time, no amount of moving it around would make it come back on. I don't want to go out and buy more bulbs to test it, just in case that isnt the issue.

The bulb in question is an MR16 50 Watt Halogen, the same as the rest. The fixture (and all others) claim to be rated for "42 Watts Max", though I've been unable to find MR16 bulbs less than 50W, and the rest of the lights seem to be doing fine.

Here's one of them that I replaced (though not the specific one in question):

Here's a photo of the fixture itself:

"50W" is mentioned on it a few times ("NW2000 50W","ISMR2000M/T 50W"), but I'm not sure what either of those mean.

Any suggestions?

I think you know the answer. You had a 50 watt lamp in a fixture rated for 42 watts.

The cheapest solution would be to have used a less powerful bulb. But it's possible that you have damaged the fixture. I think you should try harder to find a less intense bulb. I just shopped online for 1.37 seconds and found six MR16 type bulbs rated below 50 watts.

Or you could change the fixture. You might need a new one now, anyway.


Remove small 30 inch baseboard Heater We have a small baseboard heater in our kitchen that we never use.  It has it's own thermostat and turn on and off switch, but is on the same breaker as the other 4 baseboard heaters in the house...all that have their own thermostats and on and off switches.  Can I just cut the wires (after turning off at the breaker panel) cap them, label them and then place a plate over the opening?

Most electric heaters that I have seen are direct wired. In other words the line voltage wire does not have a box in the wall the same way a wall switch or receptacle has.

You can remove the heater but if there is no box present you should add a "old work" box to terminate the wires in. since there are units active beyond the one you are removing, yes, those wires will need to be reconnected to carry the circuit to the other heaters. The added box will allow a junction box cover to be attached.


Ceiling box has 2 black and white wires but fan/ light only has 1 of each Installing a new fan/light with 1 red wire 1 white wire and 2 green wires
The box in my ceiling has 2 black wires, 2 white wires, and one bare wire.
(The 2 black wires were capped together, and the 2 white wires were capped together)

Manual says to connect the red fan wire to the black ceiling wire, the white fan wire to the white ceiling wire, and the green fan wires to the bare ceiling wire.

I have connected the green wires, but I do not know how to connect the other wires since there seems to be an extra set?

Here's what I think is going on.

The box in your ceiling is not connected to any switch.  It was used as a splice box. That is, when two wires are connected, the connection must be accessible, (not behind drywall) and in a properly rated box.  The blacks are always hot, and it carries on to another outlet or switch in your home.

If you want your ceiling fan and light to be controlled by the pull chains, then it's simple.  Simple attach the black and white wires in the fan/light to the same coloured bundles.  I recommend using a pig-tail to do this.

If you want it operated by a switch, you'll need to do some wiring, which can be awkward.  I'd ask another question for that.

The other consideration is weight -- You need to make sure the ceiling box is sufficiently supported.


Gripping a 45mm / 1.75" metal disc to allow replacement of corroded toilet lid fixtures We wish to replace the corroded fixtures in our bathroom. It is a corner fit toilet with very little room for manoeuvring tools on the underside. I need to be able to hold the plastic washer in place with pliers whilst gripping the 45mm / 1.75" metal disc on top and turning the disc to unscrew the corroded bolt through the washer. The ‘L’ shaped pin on the right disc turns independently from the disc itself and I will need to remove the filler from the left disc if I can find a viable solution to turn the discs. Many thanks in advance for your assistance.

That plastic nut is not going to unscrew off that corroded bolt. I don't have a Dremel rotary tool so my first thought would be to fracture the plastic nut with heavy pliers so that it could be torn off. I would try what is called here "channel locks" but has a different name in the UK. I have some very large channel locks that would grip the plastic nut with the jaws of the pliers parallel to the bolt. I would try to get the jaws a little off the centre line of the bolt. There is a risk of breaking the porcelain in this approach that one must be willing to accept.

Another approach would be to use a hacksaw blade. Grip the blade with a heavy glove or a rag and saw into the plastic nut parallel to the axis of the bolt. Saw all the way to the bolt and then tear off the plastic nut with some pliers.


Can I use marine plywood as a deck surface? I have a deck that needs to be re-planked.  I've seen it suggested that, instead of deck planks, one could use marine-grade plywood as a flooring.  If so, it seems that this would be both lower material cost and easier install.  Is this true?  Are there disadvantages?  Are there guidelines for such installations?

Marine plywood is not that different from CDX plywood they use the same glue and pre press process and hot press cure process.

The main difference is in the veneer used , tight knots , with the core plugged so there are no voids compared to cdx.
 Even marine plywood needs to be protected from water so you will be adding a paint or other material on top , drilling holes for drainage creates places for water entry Into the core. It may sound like a good idea I would just about guarantee it won’t last as long as a dimensional lumber surface with a simple stain. Have you priced 5 quarter marine ply? I don’t think you would want a deck made out of anything thinner than 5/4 and that may be pushing it. If it freezes in your location don’t use it, the water will penetrate the wood and when it freezes it will come apart.

Again the difference is in the quality of the veneer and by the time you go thick enough and seal it you would do better with a wood or composite product.


Secure dishwasher hoses under countertop with zip ties Good Afternoon,
I need to tie the dishwasher hoses to the countertop underneath
I have decided to tie them with zip-ties in the event that I have to remove the dishwasher to access the plumbing (I just have to cut the zip ties, instead of unscrewing permanent brackets).
I am **thinking of  using cable staples (image below)  and inserting them underneath the countertop, and just looping the zip ties in them.
I am wondering  if anyone has any other better suggestions?

Use ring-ended zip-ties and screw them in place. That's what the rings are for
Why complicate it?


Can I ventilate attic space using wall vents? As an alternative to use a timber trussed tiled roof vent that involves removing tiles, can I instead replace two or more bricks, some on each end of my house, with wall vents like this?

Presumably this would allow good cross ventilation... but would there be any drawbacks?

Gable end vents were a common approach to attic ventilation decades ago, but those aren't nearly large enough. Gable vents don't provide the airflow that a soffit-to-ridge system does (via convection and vacuum), so they need to be quite large. A vertical loop is much better than the strictly horizontal circuit gable vents provide.

A rule of thumb is 1 square foot of ventilation for each 300 square feet of attic area. This number is typically used for soffit/ridge ventilation, though. What you actually need depends partly on the layout of the building, and whether some areas of the attic are remote with respect to the closest vent.

Then there's the fact that the vent in question doesn't offer much weather protection. Most gable vents are louvered, so that rain drains off even when driven by wind. You don't want your attic wall and the ceiling below rotting out due to regular wetting.


I tightened a Titus Minifix Cam too hard and now I have to take it apart. Is that OK? I put together this TV stand, and used a cam/bolt dowel for the first time when I got to the step of attaching the top of the TV stand (A) to the two stand panels (E). Since I assumed the cam had to be as tight as possible and it was fastened by a screwdriver, the first one I fastened I tightened way too hard and it messed the hole up a little bit. It was still tight, but it was a little angular and ugly, but that's fine because it was sturdy as hell. Once I realized not to do that I didn't do it again, but fast forward all the way to the final step of attaching the bottom/base and when I tilted the stand to its upright position and everything looks great except the top is backwards. Now I have to take everything apart, but I'm worried that since I've screwed everything in so tight, including the cam/bolt dowel, that when I put it back together it won't be as sturdy. Is there anything I can do to fix this situation? I'm an idiot.

It is understandable to be stressed about not breaking your furniture.

These cam locks can be loosened and tightened more than once.  The cam can only turn so far with pin inserted into it. Just turn them all 1/4 turn counter clockwise to unlock them from the pin, then you may need to tap lightly from under the top at each of the points where there is a cam lock or dowel. Use a rubber mallet or something that will not dent or leave marks, if you only have a regulare hammer then use a piece of scrap wood to protect the furniture.

When reinstalling the top do the opposite (tap in down). Then turn each cam 1/4 turn clockwise. When you get to the cam that is questionable do not try to take it out as the wood is particle board and you may end up doing more harm then good. Just use the screwdriver to push in as you turn, the pin will prevent the cam from turning to far so snug it up tight but no need to be Hercules just snug to tight not super tight.

What you do not want to do is unnecessarily turn the cams or turn them more then 1/4 turn when the pin is not in them as that may cause excessive wear on the particle board. The hole is sized to fit the cam. Nothing holds the cam in the hole except for the pressure created by the cam's internal machining rotating against the pin.


What is the typical (N.American/ UK) cost difference between greenfield installation of hot water heating and warm air (HVAC) ducting? I am in a situation now where I am having to choose between hydronic heat distribution and forced warm air heating.

There are many factors to evaluate and this question is not about the plusses and minuses of forced air heating/cooling vs hot water pipes and radiators.

For a reasonable sized home for a family of four, well insulated to low energy loss (not passive), what  is the usual difference between the cost of the piping/radiators/installation (water) vs cost of ducting and venting (air)?

Are there differences in the types of duct? I notice some websites show rectangular ducts, some circular, sometime different materials it seems.

From what I have seen so far, the air ducting system looks like it could be much cheaper, as rectangular ducts can be run around the ceiling to avoid space loss, masked as beams, or installed in a suspended ceiling (which I might end up having anyway).

Any advice much appreciated!

UPDATE:
The system would not include A/C at this point but might be added in the future.
We are told warm air heating would make things dusty without filters, so some kind of dust protection would be good, though HEPA filters and anti-allergy not necessary.
Recuperation would be good.
Suspended ceilings would most likely be in place.
There would be 2 showers and one bath with possibly 2 showers in operation simultaneously. There would be a dishwasher and other appliances that might need hot water.
Energy source most likely mains gas with possibility of heat pumps.
Wood burner also an option.
Construction/recon here not of the best quality, will need to expect thermal bridges and mould build up.
Temperatures range from -30C to +40C around the year.
Low noise essential - eg: Bosch hydronic air handler, recuperation with heating, low noise fans etc

Real pricing would depend on the actual type of installation of each system you would choose to install. For example; Hot water systems could be as simple as a series loop system or as costly as a zoned system where every room had it's own thermostat to control the temperature of that area. Simple and cheap would be finned tube baseboard radiation. More costly would be convectors, wall mounted or recessed into the wall, to the very expensive cast iron baseboard or cast iron radiators. Forced air would also have many options, including zoned or a non zoned system, the use of different types of filters, including electronic air filters, humidifiers, ultra violet lights to kill bacteria.,standard or designer registers and grills, insulated or non-insulated ducting, choice metal thickness for the duct-work. Lastly would you also like air-conditioning with that. So, my suggestion would be to consider the actual type of system you would want and have contractors give quotes for your chosen system. Just asking for a price comparison of hot water vs. forced air is similar to asking how much a vacation to somewhere would cost. Answer is " it depends" I hope this gives "food for thought".