Is the 60T blade that came with my Dewalt DWS780 miter good for general purpose cutting? I recently bought a Dewalt DSW780 12" sliding compound miter saw, along with 60T and 96T diablo blades. My question is, should I keep the blades?  Is the 60T blade that came with the saw good enough?  I'm thinking about returning the 60T blade to get a new blade for my table saw.  What do you think?

FYI, my current project is installing strand bamboo flooring (hard stuff!), but I would like to keep my setup as general purpose as possible, e.g. Crown molding, cutting plywood, making garage cabinetry, etc...

== Edit ==

The verdict: Stock 60T blade that came with the saw is good for general purpose cutting.  Returning the diablo 60T blade...

A 60 tooth is a fine blade for semi-smooth finish cuts. Cuts on flooring are always at the wall ends, so even a 40 is good for that since the baseboard trim goes over the cut. You should be leaving a 1/4 inch expansion gap at he ends anyway, so they won't show. The DeWalt 12" blade is a good long lasting blade. It has good balance, heat dissipation and takes a beating.  I have several Dewalts and some other much more expensive blades for my 12' DeWalt double bevel chop saw. For most applications, the DeWalt is perfectly fine. If you start doing precision cuts in $6.00/foot hardwood cabinet crowns, then buy a $100 to $200 blade. Judging from your question, you are not to that level, so the DeWalt is a fine choice.


How to determine the sizes/arrangements of supply pipes? I'm going to replace my rusted-out iron pipes with copper. The plumbing is exposed in the basement so I'm not forced to use the existing design. I'm trying to figure out when I can run fixtures in series off of a main pipe, and when I should use parallel pipes. (sorry; I'm an electrical guy!)

As a specific example, let's look at a bathroom. The thick lines are 3/4" copper, the thin lines are 1/2":

I don't want the shower temperature/flow to change if the toilet is flushed. So, it seems that I can:

Not worry about it; the layout is fine.
Increase "A" to 3/4".
Run a parallel pipe, as shown:

(I know that I could solve this with a thermostatic mixer valve, but I'm looking for a generalized answer.)

I know that there must be guidelines for this sort of thing. Is this described in code somewhere? How do you decide when fixtures in series are OK, and when you should run pipes in parallel? This answer was illuminating but I'm looking for more details.

Usually if you have multiple users from the same line, that line should be bigger in order to avoid unbalancing

EG: you have a toilet a sink and a shower, you should run 3/4 pipe across all and connect each user with a 1/2 manifold

Another solution, if you can't replace existing with bigger pipes, is to use 'automatic pressure balancer' on the lines serving all, so if a big pressure drop is found on cold water, the same pressure drop will be applied to cold water so, at each end, the pressure isn't different.


Any recomendations for low-voltage wires through walls? I have found a good central location to mount a router, however it does not have power nearby. Instead working with 120V wiring, I thought it might be easier to just make a small hole/tunnel/conduit out of PVC pipe and fish the small end of the power adapter through it. Distance wise, it's not far, just through a single wall, or about 4' - the problem is that this wall is between the house interior and the garage, and there is quite a temperature difference, so I would like to "fill it up" somehow such that there isn't much air moving in/out. Is there any good approach for doing this, while allowing the wire to be replaced? (for when the router dies in X years and it's time for a new one).

Thoughts:

some sort of "cap" that can be put on the PVC tube, such that only a small opening for the wire goes through it, something like two half-circles that fit together

Some sort of terminal where the wire connecting through the wall does not change, but cutting in a new wire would be easy, like this but longer:

The easiest is to get an extension cord for the low voltage cable on the AC adapter. Most likely the adapter comes equipped with a 2.1mm or 2.5mm center pin barrel type power plug. Extension cords for these are readily available. One would look like this:

The extension cable would allow you to power the router from within the same room from an electrical outlet instead of having to go off through the wall into the garage.

My favorite place to get various types of cables, including DC power extension cables, is PCH cables. Very reasonable prices. They have the 2.1mm size in 6 foot and 100 foot lengths.

You can also find such cables in eBay and at Amazon.

(Note: I am not affiliated with PCH Cables in any way other than being a very happy customer).


One-way switch. Why is a separate pvc conduit used? Why is it in the lighting circuit a separate earth wire is drawn in p.v.c conduit type of installation and not in steel type?

Because it's legal to use a continuous metallic conduit as the grounding conductor. If the conduit is not conductive, a wire must be pulled to act as the grounding conductor.


Electric flows question Like the Example of the “Water Supply”, Electricity flows to the house, being supplied through conduits to the service panel and then onto smaller conduit wiring for individual outlets and appliances. This “Feed” of elec. current is under pressure (or a FORCE). Is it true or false?

The water analogy is sometimes used to help people when they are first learning electricity.
Water flow (volume of water per time period) is analogous to current.
Water pressure is analogous to voltage.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_analogy


How can I prevent air leaks in my single-hung windows? In our house we have regular single-hung windows which are leaking cold air.
As usual, the double pane unit is encased in plastic trim. I can feel a draft coming out where the plastic has a seam with the glass. There is a bead of rubber going all along the seam, and it doesn't looked peeled off.

Is this a common problem? Could I be imagining a leak in this spot?
How do I fix it? Is applying a bead of silicone over the rubber seal a bad idea?

The arrows point to where the seam is:

On the windows I have installed they have a clear plastic or white wiper that seals to the frame, when these windows get older that plastic seal fails then the outside air can make it through the gap. You may need to remove the slider and look on some windows I have seen several of these, wiper type weather seals. The seals pull out to a side if they don’t slide out with players look for a staple keeping them from moving.
You may be able to find a generic weather strip that will replace yours. It’s not horribly difficult pulling the window can be the hardest part.
The entire sliding part it probably will need to come out so you can remove and replace.


Proper Procedures for Regrading Under a Deck? We have been getting tons of water in our basement during downpours (not regular rainfalls). The water comes in where the deck is located. I ripped up some deck boards and found the soil underneath basically in a mound, where all the water drained towards the foundation, especially so where the water was coming in.

I am going to regrade the soil, but what do I have to do after this? I am toying between landscape fabric or plastic on top of the regraded soil, then cleaned 3/4" crushed stones on top of that to keep it in place. Is this the proper procedure? Is it better to use landscape fabric instead of plastic? I want to make sure my regrading does not erode away over time. Any help would be appreciated - thanks!

Regrading the soil is a must since the soil level was 6" below the rest of the area. The landscape fabric keeps weeds out but not water so I wouldn't be using that. The plastic would have a limited life and you don't want to be ripping up deck planks to check it. I'd be thinking about installing flashing under the deck planks and sloping it down away from the foundation where you think the problem exists. You can get flashing in 50' rolls 20" wide at most home stores. Hope this helps a little. Good luck.


setting post in quikrete in a plastic planter I would like to set a 4x4 post (10 ft) in a tall, heavy plastic planter. I am using 2 50 lb bags of Quikrete. It says to just pour the concrete in, set the post, and then pour about a gallon of water in per bag.  Then, directions say the water will simply saturate into the Quikrete.
I guess my question is: will the water actually reach all the way down to the bottom of the quikrete mix (maybe 10-12 inches down, at least)? if not, how much do I need to stir?  And if i don't stir it vigorously, am i gonna wind up with a bunch of dry concrete mix at the bottom and properly set concrete on top?
Any help for this DIY newbie is appreciated!

When setting posts in the ground the concrete mix will absorb extra moisture from the surrounding soil. I pour some concrete mix in and stir water in.....repeat till the hole is filled. I also know of fences and 4x4 posts that were set the way you described and they are still plumb straight and strong many years later. Only reason I would say to not just pour water in on top, in your situation, is because there is nowhere for the bottom mix to get extra moisture from if needed. I would either pre-mix the concrete beforehand or mix it after you put it in the planter.


Replacing old shower arm and head I tried to replace my old non-standard Kohler shower head and arm. After I removed the arm, I realized that my shower hose is non-standard as well.   I have a male threaded fitting sticking out the bathroom wall Instead of the standard female threaded fitting inside.
I cannot find any shower arm on Amazon that fits it.
Mainly I want to install a handheld shower head.
Any advice on how I can install a new shower arm and head?

It seems you will need a threaded coupler, female-female fitting.
You will thread it onto the male fitting and that will leave you a female fitting for a standard shower arm.
Take the old removed arm to the store so you can match the threads.


good practice for using a circular saw I am a novice DIYer and recently purchased a Makita circular saw (7 1/4"). The manual says that I should always put my two hands over the saw and that it is not safe to hold the saw with one hand while holding a lumber or plywood with the other. But, when I check most of tutorials or videos on Youtube, I often find that the saw is held with one hand while the other hand is grabbing the object. Is holding a circular saw with one hand a unsafe practice? Or, is the manual just over-concerning?

Thanks,

Holding the saw with one hand is an advanced, and unsafe technique. You'll often find that folks in the construction industry (especially those on YouTube), do not follow proper safety precautions.

Holding the saw with two hands will reduce the chances of the saw kicking uncontrollably, if the saw happens to bind or hit a foreign object.  It also insures that both hands are in a safe place while cutting.


Should I remove existing subfloor sheathing before increasing height of the floor system? We're turning a 13x13 area of attic space into livable space. The new 13x13 area joins an existing room. The attic floor structure is: 2x8 floor joists and OSB board on top.

There is a ~5 inch step down from the current room into the attic space area.
Someone presented the idea of keeping the OSB board on top of the 2x8 joists and running 2x4 joists on top of the OSB board. The 2x4s would run opposite of the 2x8's and the OSB would be sandwiched in between the existing 2x8s and the new 2x4's. On top of the 2x4's, we would place two layers of plywood to bring it flush with the existing room.

Should the OSB be removed first?

You've asked one specific question here, and I'll start by answering that: No. Unless you have a particular reason to do so, do not bother removing the existing OSB.

From there I'd say your plan is reasonable. Running the 2x4s perpendicular should pose no problem, as they're supported every 2 feet. They'll span that with no detectable sag. Be sure to butt join them over joists.

Rather than two expensive layers of 3/4" OSB, though, I'd rip 2x6 lumber to the appropriate height so that you can use just one layer of t&g OSB as the new subfloor. This mitigates the overload risk, too.

Note: I assume that you've had the roof system inspected for use as a living space (or even for storage). With 2x8 bottom chords I assume that either 1) it's a very long span, or 2) it was designed for use as such. That's a critical point here.


Subpanel or not? Neutral and ground bonded? How do I fix the AC unit to be connected properly to its circuit?
How should the AC Unit/Garage/Subpanel be setup?
Maybe I can separate the neutral and ground, then ground by connecting to the garage ground wire?
If you want to note any other changes to make, you can do so.

Notes: The "Junction Box" is where the current electrical meter is located.  A new meter pole was installed in the corner of the property.  Thus, the old meter will become the "Junction Box".  The "Main Panel" will have a bonded neutral and ground.  The "House Main" will have a separated neutral and ground.  The "House Main" will be grounded through the SER coming from the "Main Panel".  The "Garage" is detached from the house and has an Ufer ground.

Given that you are feeding two separate structures, I see two problems with your setup so far:

The house is relying on the grounding electrodes at the pole, which improperly multiplexes the equipment grounding conductor from the panel to the house with the grounding electrode conductor for the house.  This is easily fixed by driving and connecting a ground rod or grounding to an underground metal water pipe at the house, using #4 bare copper or equivalent Bare Armored Ground cable if you prefer.
The neutral and ground need to be separated at the garage subpanel, and a ground wire needs to be run from the main panel .  This requires pulling the bonding screw or strap from the panel (it'll be green on more modern ones), installing an extra ground bar to the panel (ground bar kits are available for all panel types in current production, just ask your local electrical supply house; if you can't find one, post here with information/photos of the panel and we can help), and moving the ground wire connections over to the new ground bar, as well as pulling a #8 (or larger) bare or green THHN/THWN through the existing conduit to serve as a new ground wire -- it will connect to the combination ground/neutral bar in the main panel and the new ground bar in the garage panel.  (You have plenty of room in the conduit, by the way -- roughly 680mm^2 used to 1660mm^2 available by the 40% fill rule for more than 2 conductors, and the new wire puts you at roughly 710mm^2 used.)


How long should it take to drain a home's water pipes through a faucet? Say I shutoff the water at the main of a 2-story house. I open a faucet on the first floor. How long should it take for the water to stop running from that single faucet?

Will ALL the water from the second floor need to be emptied through that faucet before I can begin work on the plumbing? I noticed it takes a minute or two for the faucet to finally stop running. Is this to be expected? I've mostly only worked on 1-story houses where shutting off the main, then opening a fixture will almost stop immediately.

Yes, all the water will drain from the second floor. It will take awhile because the faucet you're opening probably has an aerator on it which restrict flow and you only have gravity as a flow force. When working on a one story house the pipes, for the most part, are all horizontal so gravity isn't a factor.

You can speed up the draining on two story building by opening more faucets, some on the second floor and ones without aerators.

Don't forget, you have to drain the hot water pipes too.


Is it safe to install a heating duct register in the ceiling directly above a home entertainment center? We're in the process of getting bids for central heating and one of the conundrums is where to position the registers.  Due to the layout of our living room (and style preferences of my significant other) we may have heating duct register about 2-3 feet directly above our flat panel TV.  Is this a safe practice? Generally speaking, can something like this damage our electronics?

Is there a recommended "safe distance" any/all electronics should be from a register?

As HerrBag stated, heat and electronics don't get along well. Remember however, Your electronics will often run warmer than what your heating the house at and all electronics have a recommended temperature range for operating. I would encourage you to review the manual that came with your electronics.

For instance, the recommended operating temperature of my lcd tv is anywhere from 41 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. In the summer we run the AC, in the winter we heat the house to 70. Now the TV itself will give off some heat, but not enough to bring moving 70 degree air up above 104 degrees.

I find that humidity is more of danger to electronics than heat or cold, but again read your manual.


What is attached to this spigot and how to remove This adapter is attached to an outdoor spigot:

It is near the location of a former hot tub so I believe it has something to do with pressure control. When I attach a hose to it and turn it on if the hose is not flowing (e.g. a closed nozzle at the end) the water leaks (more like squirts, lots of it) from this adapter, it appears to be from the holes and not the connection to the spigot or the hose.

What is this thing? Is there a way to utilize it? I'd like to remove it so I can use this spigot but when I try to unscrew it with a wrench it does not budge - in fact the spigot itself starts to rotate. I wasn't really able to tighten a pipe wrench to the spigot due to the available clearance & pipe width.

There appears to be a rivot on the under side of the adapter but it is difficult to tell, it is somewhat rusted over.

Follow Up

My original concern was water leaking from it when it was used. While a plumber was on site doing a different job I asked him to look at this to see if something was wrong. He said the vacuum breaker wasn't working properly and ended up replacing the entire hose bib (with new vacuum breaker), I presume because he was not able to remove the vacuum breaker as well or it wasn't salvageable. Now no water spews out when it is used.

I learned a little about these doo dads this year when the two on our home started leaking after the winter freeze we had in Texas. The rubber grommets inside both went bad. After trying to get them off with no success, I took a picture and headed down to my favorite plumber dude on isle 9 at our local Home Depot. He laughed and smirked a little, then told me the backstory aaannnnddd... the trick to getting it off. Apparently, the home builders - after having a few too many of these stolen from homes during & after home builds - started enforcing the installers to grind the little locking screw off so that they could not be removed without a bit of work.
That little rusted over rivet spot, that’s where this screwhead used to be.

I also learned that there are two options you can buy when you need to replace one of these. You can buy the commercial grade that cost on average $30 OR you can get a non-commercial grade for less than $10. According to isle 9 plumber dude, they work the same. It’s like buying a Polo; does that little embroidered horse help with function?
So I went with the non-commercial $7 one, and they’re working great. Here’s how I got them off; you’ll need a drill bit that is made for going through metal. Place the drillbit on the spot where the screw was ground off, slowly drill out the old screw. Emphasis on slowly because you don't want to screw through and into the threads on the spigot. As you drill, take breaks to stop and see if it will come off. Eventually it will.


How do I paint art onto a wall? I'd like to paint art on a wall like the attached photos. I would like to know how painting art differs from normally painting a solid color. Specifically,

Is it suggested to only paint on flat walls (without orange peel texture)?
Which brand / type of paint should I use, such that it is easy to blend colors? And with that type of paint, is priming necessary?
After the artwork is finished, how would you seal it to prevent people from scruffing it up?

You are painting a mural, like Leonardo or Michelangelo.

It is a little easier now since the invention of acrylic artist paints. Modern acrylic/latex wall paint shares many characteristics, but generally is not as rich in color and does not have the durability to resist fading as well.

If you want the best finish and durability, you should coat the wall with a special art primer called gesso. This is a base that holds the finish paint well and is very flexible to resist cracking and other breakdown.

The colors for the design should be artist acrylic paints. There are student level paints that are cheaper than professional grade paints for covering larger areas. If you need to stretch the paint, you can add mediums, but his will give a slightly less intense color. If you want to paint a background color using regular wall paint, you can use a clear gesso. This will save money over having to paint the background with artists acrylics, but the color will probably be slightly less stable than artist colors.

The finished work can be coated with an acrylic varnish, either brushed or sprayed on. This will protect it, but it should not be scrubbed the way you might a conventional flat painted wall.

Information about these materials can be found on the sites of various acrylic artist paint manufacturers.


Why is the water (either hot or cold) in the kitchen suddenly shutting off Today, when turning the water on to fill my sink, I hear a 'thump" and the water is shut off instantly - the hot AND the cold water!  Reading a previous question and answer, it was suggested the strainer might be plugged with calcium.  That is not the issue with my faucet, as I have actually used it without the aerator!!  BUT, it hit me that maybe there is a bit plastic from the lift tube, in the water heater, that had disintegrated a number of years ago, might be causing the problem!  Could that be??

Start by shutting off the water supply for the Hot and Cold lines under the sink.
Next detach (unscrew) the hot supply line from the faucet line (if possible). If you can't than unscrew the hose from the valve.
Place a bucket under the valve and a rag over the open connection. Slowly open the valve to check for water flow. When (and if) water is flowing into the bucket open the valve more to jettison any debris in the line. Do the same for other side.
If no water is present at the valve than the problem is before the valve. When you reconnect the faucet hose after confirming water is flowing but no water flows from the faucet thr problem is after the valve.


How can I attach a shelf to a tile wall in a repairable manner? I am renting a flat and have permission from the landlord to put up shelves etc as long as "I don't wreck the place".

In the kitchen there is a lack of storage space, and a large blank tiled wall above the sink and worktop. I would like to make use of this space for storage using a couple of shallow shelves.

What is the best way to attach shelves to a tiled wall in a way that can be easily repaired with minimal noticeable damage?

The wall behind the tiles is brick, so will take screws very well. The tiles are ceramic, but not glazed, so will not take any kind of suction cup.

Depending upon how large the grout lines are I would carefully drill through those with a masonry bit, and then use plastic anchors and fasten shelf brackets with screws. Use enough brackets to support the size shelf you need. Then, if the shelf ever needs to come down the holes in the grout lines can be repaired easily.


How do I get the stem out of a hose bib to replace the washer? I have no idea why this isn't simple, perhaps because every repair project has to have some hitch in it to piss me off.

I have a leaky hose bib in my back yard, so I wanted to take the sucker apart and replace the washer in the valve stem, right?

Well, I took the screw out, the one in the middle of the handle. Then I unscrewed the hex around the stem, but the sucker just won't come loose. It shakes around and wobbles like it should come off, but it just doesn't.

I thought maybe I needed to unscrew the handle out of there once I got the screw and nut off, but wound up just breaking off part of the handle.

So now I am buying a new hose bib anyway to replace the one I broke, but I am still curious, how the heck do I get that sucker off?

For reference, the hose bib is the style pictured here.

(I need to do one of these myself in the next couple of days.)

As I recall, you would follow this procedure...

Turn off the water, so no pressure is found at the valve itself.
Remove the handle, by unscrewing the small screw in the center. Be careful not to damage the phillips head recess, as this screw is probably made of brass.
Remove the small nut around the stem.
Put the handle back on. This part is only temporary, to allow you to unscrew the stem itself.
If the stem will not pull out, you need to pull out the packing around the stem. That packing prevents water from escaping past the stem when the water is turned on. You may need a needle nose pliers to pull the packing out.
Once the packing is removed, the stem should unscrew easily. Do so.
Verify that you have the correct size washer, and put the new one in. Again, be careful with that screw as it is often made of a soft metal. If you damage the head, replace it too. (If the water has been dripping for too long, the seat for the valve can actually be eroded. So look inside for signs of this. There are tools you can use to repair a valve seat, but it might just be better to replace a valve that is badly damaged.)
Screw the stem back in.
Replace the packing. New packing can be bought from your local hardware store, and it is a good idea to replace it now. It is basically cord, impregnated with graphite or teflon, that will compact under pressure from the nut.
Put the packing nut back on, not too tight that the stem will not turn, but not too loose that water comes out when the pressure is back on. Either of these problems are easily identified and resolved of course.
Put back the handle in its proper place, tighten down the screw carefully.
Turn the water back on. Check for leaks.

I think I got the major steps down.


How can I make a wooden floor flat, without using self leveling product? I am preparing to install laminate flooring in the hallway of our 30 yr. old house. The hall is just over 3 feet wide and 23 feet long. The support piers/beam run lengthwise in the center of the hall and of course the foundation has settled causing the floor to have a "crown" in the center. The hall floor drops off from the center out to the walls on both sides the full length of the hall. The "drop off" is fairly consistent, approx. 3/8" to 1/2" low at the walls at all points.The floor had carpet with 3/4" particle board underlayment which I have now removed. The plywood subfloor is in good shape and I need to avoid tearing it out to shim the joists.
  I started using self leveler on a 3ft. section and quickly realized that several bags would be needed. I also fear that the water from the mix will soak into the particle board underlayment in the floors joining the hall(3 of which have already been finished with laminate),so I am looking at alternate methods to get the subfloor ready to install new 3/4" plywood underlayment that will be flat enough for the laminate.
  I like the idea of wedge shaped shims at each joist(16'in centers),but will the plywood sag between shims?

Self leveling underlayment is the way to go and maybe there is a way to accomplish that, I have used caulk to create a "dam" to keep it from going places I did not want it to go or touch.

But to answer your question, use bundles of what is known as "undercoursing shingles" they are in essence wood shims that are 16" long, 3/8" at the thick end and about a 1/16" at the thin end and vary in widths in the bundle. If you floor has a consistent drop of 3/8" on each side of a high spot, lay the shingles close together, and so the thin ends are close to the high spot, and the thick ends are at the walls. Hold them in place with staples on the thin ends, if you can get a narrow gauge stapler and compressor would be handy for this. Laminate flooring will not span over any distance, that is why to set them close together. If the thin ends of the shims are 4" apart, the thick ends will be very near or at the walls. The thin ends, with the highest part of the floor between them, should more or less create a straight line between the ends of the shims and the high spot. A little sanding to flatten out here and there would most likely be needed too. I have used this technique under hardwood flooring, a different animal than what you are working with, but with care, you may be able to pull it off.


What's the proper way to address a moisture issue in a concrete slab? About 4 years ago my wife & I purchased a home. It was approximately 10 years old at that time. The foundation is a concrete slab.

Approximately 2-3 years before we purchased the house, the previous owner had an addition built on the back of the house. They poured a new slab for this addition. It appears that the slab was not appropriately treated to resist moisture.

Fast forward to the present - we notice dark spots in the wood floor in the addition. It appears we have moisture coming up through the slab.

We have had two plumbers and a landscaper come in to look at it. There is no plumbing in the addition and both the plumbers and landscaper have suggested there may be old irrigation lines under the addition. We did investigate this possibility and discovered that there are old sprinkler lines, but they have been disconnected and capped. There was an issue with the neighbor over-watering his lawn, with the result that water was pooling next to the addition. We have spoken to him about this and it has been resolved. We also did some landscaping to slope the ground away from our house and back into his yard. Finally, we also installed gutters so when it does rain, the water is directed away from the house and directly into drains. I should mention that we are in Southern California, and the water table in our area is very deep and there is little danger of heavy rain.

After all this, I am reasonably certain we have addressed the source of the moisture, but the damage is done & it's now time to undertake repairs.

We are going to have a professional replace the flooring. We have gotten two estimates so far, but frankly, none of these flooring professionals seem to have a clue what to do. We want to remove the old damaged flooring, eliminate mold (if any), apply some sort of waterproofing to the slab, and replace the flooring. We did some research into products for sealing the slab, but neither of the contractors we've talked to seem to know anything about them.

Here's what I understand needs to be done:

rip out old flooring
clean the slab with bleach to remove mold (if any)
allow the slab to dry out
apply something to seal the slab against future moisture incursion
apply flooring

I have two questions: first, is this plan correct? Am I missing any steps or are there any that are not correct? And second, what sort of products can be used to seal the slab? A plastic sheet barrier? Some sort of "paint on" sealant?

A plastic or EDPM rubber sheet will work, if the flooring installers don't puncture it. That pretty well limits your flooring to a floating floor, but that's not a great impediment.

Nothing  painted on to the inside of a concrete structure will stay put if water is coming from the outside (more commonly seen as failed attempts at "waterproofing the inside of a basement" but the principle is the same. Painted on products only work from the outside.

On the other hand, if you have actually resolved the sources of moisture, there should not be any more.


Shared ground on bathroom light, fan, heater combo I plan on replacing the exhaust fan in my bathroom and want to replace it with a light/heater/fan combo. In doing so, I want to be able to power both the vanity light and the fan light with a single switch, while leaving the heater and fan independent.

The image below (orange squares are connections made with wire nuts) is my proposed wiring plan. I will have two separate 20A circuits entering the switch box supplying power. One of those will supply power to a single pole switch to control the vanity light and the light in the fan unit. The other circuit entering the switch box will supply a dual single pole switch which powers the heater and fan via 12-3 from the switch box to the fan.

Inside the switch box I'll have all my grounds tied together, neutrals for each respective circuit tied together (but separate from one another), and the switches wired normally with black conductor supplying power on the line side of the switches, and black and red are switched hot to the fan and heater.

Ultimately, my questions concern grounding and code compliance. Because the fan fixture is grounded as a single unit, do I ground the fixture via one circuit or both? Additionally, since the fixture has two circuits running into it, can I share the ground in this case and ground via either cable entering the fixture? According to my interpretation of Article 250 of NEC 2014 this is permitted. Is this correct, and does 250.130(C) apply here?

Any other concerns with this plan?

Connect all ground wires together in the light/fan combo. Ground paths often parallel, like anytime MC cable is used, a ground wire is pulled into a conduit, or a metal box is installed on a metal stud.

250.130(C) only applies in conditions of the paragraph ahead of it, where it refers to receptacle replacements and circuit extensions of existing circuits (that were initially installed prior to a grounding conductor being required).


When would one use an impact driver versus a regular drill? Or vice-versa.  As best as I can tell, the impact driver is very good for most any type of screw going through wood.  When would you use a drill (with screw bit) instead?

Drills and impact drivers are similar in that they're both rotating power tools and they have some overlap in usage, but they work differently and have different strengths.

Drills apply a constant torque and tend to have good control across a range of speeds and clutch settings. They're good for work that requires care or precision, like drilling a hole or driving a a smaller screw.

Impact drivers provide much higher torque but in rapid bursts–very much like a hammer provides bursts of linear force. This makes them good for heavy-duty jobs like driving long lag bolts (you can even take the lug nuts off your car wheels with most impact drivers), but the banging action makes them a little bit difficult to control. They're also not good for driving into something very soft–between the hammer strikes there's no torque applied and the bit can actually rotate backwards. You can see this by holding the chuck with your hands while the driver is on; you'll feel the pulsing of the strikes but chuck won't actually rotate. Finally, some impact drivers don't have a clutch, which means you need to be very careful if you're driving something that could be over-tightened or broken by the high torque.

Besides the higher torque, impact drivers have another huge advantage in that you don't have to hold them tightly to provide the torque. The momentum of the rotating striker inside is what provides the rotation force, so even when you're driving something very tough it's quite easy to hold the tool. Drills on the other hand provide a constant torque and require the user to provide the reaction and prevent the tool from spinning.

If you have to pick a single all-purpose tool for general DIY use, a drill is much easier to control and is useful in a wider range of situations.


Remote indicators for sump pump I'm installing a 1/3 hp 5.6 amp 115 v. Liberty sump pump w/ float switch in a basin in my very cramped dirt-floor crawlspace, to remove seasonal high water-table flooding. I pulled 12 ga. Romex from the panel about 75' to a single-gang receptacle box in my laundry room wall. I then spliced and pulled a short length to another single gang box at the c.s. ceiling and installed a duplex receptacle to plug the pump into.

Circuit is dedicated, and will operate off a 15 amp GFCI breaker. Acknowledged that the manual calls for the pump to be plugged into a receptacle 4' above the finished floor above, which is problematic for a number of reasons- tile floor; no room to install another receptacle next to the stackable washer/ dryer above the pump, if it needs servicing, would need to pull the power cord, etc. I feel confident that were a 100-year flood to occur that flooded the full height of the c.s., the breaker would trip, and that would be that until water subsided. I'm not an electrician, just an ignorant homeowner, and could be wrong.

I have a couple of other questions:

I would like an indicator (preferably green and red neon or led lights) mounted in the laundry room box that will do 2 things: tell me when the circuit is energized, so I know the breaker hasn't tripped, and also to tell me when the pump is drawing current, so I know when / how often it's operating. Is this possible with the current wiring setup? I could install another receptacle there for an indicator and wattage meter, but would prefer to tell at a glance what's happening.
I got a 20 amp GFCI breaker before I settled on the current pump, which now specifies a 15 amp breaker. From what I'm reading, I should probably go ahead with plans to install a 15 amp instead of 20 amp, correct? Is there a risk of fire by using the 20? Thanks.

With the listing on the pump for 15 amp circuit this should be your max.

There are several ways to monitor if there is power at the outlet. The easiest way would be to install a neon or led indicator light; very low current draw on both with long life spans. There are modules you can put on the hot wire and they activate a switch when the motor is running that could turn on a second neon or led indicator lamp. I have similar setups on some motor controls so I can see at a glance if the breaker is on and if the motor is running. Both could be added to a single gang box attached to your existing outlet box.

The quick Google search I found cr2550 remote current indicator. Pull the black wire through the center of the core and when your pump is running the led will light. Its all wired for 11.85$ max continuous load 20 amps.  (I use accuamp but they cost about 75$  and can handle up to 175 amps with adjustable turn on point). a simple ideal indicator part # 777121 attached to the connections of the outlet black & white will show when there is power (120v) indicator.  If the LED is not lit you know the pump is not running either not enough water or pump has failed if the other indicator is on.

Hope this helps.


Grounding outlet in metal box If you have a grounded conduit going in to a metal box (no ground wires), do you need to attach a grounding pigtail to the metal box and then to the outlet ground screw? Or is the metal/metal/outlet screws connection enough to provide grounding?

I ask because I have seen both a grounding pigtail from the outlet to the box and no grounding pigtail from the outlet to the box.

For receptacles, the screws are not enough.  That is because you plug in loads, and that load could have a rather significant current draw. That is too much for screws.  (and this explains why the screws are enough on switches).

However, there is one thing that is enough.  Notice how any common receptacle has a metal "yoke".  The ends of the yoke may also have removable drywall ears.  Notice also the metal box has metal where the screw goes in.  If all these things are true:

The metal box is flush to the wall, and the surrounding wall surface is not proud of it
The metal parts on both receptacle and box are bare and free of rust, paint or other contaminants
you have removed the little paper/plastic "squares" that capture the receptacle's screws on the yoke

Then the hard-flush mating of those bare metal surfaces is an adequate grounding path for the receptacle, and you don't need a ground jumper.

Remember most recpetacles have one hole tapped #10-32 for a ground screw.  If you need to wire a ground, you can use that hole, use a grounding clip, or drill and tap your own.  If you do, it must be -32 thread of finer; random sheet-metal screws are Right Out.  10-32 is the quasi-standard and cute green 10-32 screws are readily available at any building supply, with or without preattached green pigtails.  I'm not a fan of the "with" because they are solid wire, which makes it the only solid wire in my work.


Broken Slide Stop Clip In removing my desk drawers, I broke one of the 12 clips when I squeezed the top, it snapped.   Where can I find a replacement?  Is there a name for this type of clip?

These clips are from an individual manufacturer and are not a common hardware item. You could contact the drawer-slide manufacturer, who might provide a clip gratis. If that fails, or you wish to experiment, you could fabricate a replacement from springy plastic or even a metal strip cut from a food can (smooth edges to avoid cuts), since you have the other clips as models.


On a side by side house that has two meters and two separate main panels. How many ground rods are required How many ground rods are required for a side by side house that has two meters and two separate main panels.

If you don't have another grounding electrode, or just water mains, you need two rods, no matter how many meters there are
If you need ground rods (i.e. there's no other grounding electrode save for metal water service lines), then you only need two of them, no matter how many meters are present at the structure.  This is set out most clearly in NEC 250.58:

250.58 Common Grounding Electrode. Where an ac system is
connected to a grounding electrode in or at a building or structure, the same electrode shall be used to ground conductor
enclosures and equipment in or on that building or structure.
Where separate services, feeders, or branch circuits supply a
building and are required to be connected to a grounding electrode(s), the same grounding electrode(s) shall be used.
Two or more grounding electrodes that are bonded together
shall be considered as a single grounding electrode system in
this sense.


Need to caulk between mount and exterior wall? I'm going to help a friend repair a small fence for keeping her small dog contained. The fence is lightweight plastic of some sort, and mounted to a rail that runs along the exterior wall of her house. We're going to need to remove the rail and shorten it a little bit. When I put it back on the wall I'm going to caulk the old screw holes to make sure no water gets into them. Should I also caulk around / between the rail and the wall to keep water from getting trapped between the rail and the wall?

If the fence is plastic there should be no need to worry about water damaging any of it's pieces.
If the rail is removed and there's a chance of water getting through to the house it is a good idea to caulk the top and sides of the rail. Urethane caulk is durable and paintable, but very hard to tool (very sticky). 100% silicone is the most water proof, but not paintable. Latex will work get a 40 year-type for exterior use.
If the fence is attached to a section of the house that is constructed of wood or may allow water to enter the house, than yes caulk away.


How to cut center stile from cabinet? I am considering adding full-length pull-out shelves in some of my kitchen cabinets, and this will require cutting out the center stile.  I've seen advice elsewhere online about shoring up the top rail with a full-length strip of half-inch plywood on the inside, to distribute any central loading to the end stiles... but I have not found any advice on how to competently cut the center stile so that
(a) the cuts are flush to the top and bottom rails
(b) but without marring the top and bottom rails.
About the only idea I have is to make my cuts a little proud from the rails, and then sand down to flush.  I guess this is OK as long as my rails aren't veneered... I don't think they are, but i'm not positive.
Can anyone recommend a technique, or else a tool that is perfect for this task?

Definitely cut the stile so as to leave a bit of wood behind on the cabinet. Then using a sharp blade and a straight edge, score the veneer. Many shallow passes are better than few deep ones. If you can cut all the way through, you can probably remove the veneer before you attempt to sand down the stub.

And if you are careful to not muck up the stile too much then you can attach it to one of the cabinet doors.


Connect USB device to a ceiling light I have a single bulb pendant ceiling light in a funky shade and I'd like to run some led strip lights around the shade.

I've seen this: https://www.olenstechnology.com/product/lampchamp/

Which would work in concept but seems to be a bit big and more than really needed.

Is there a way to wire in a USB socket into the lamp power? Could I dismantle a wall socket USB (like this: USB wall socket) and hook it into the ceiling wiring?

Or are there any better / dedicated mains to USB socket devices out there?

I don't see a non-hokeydokey way to mix mains powered E27 and LED strips in the same fixture, and USB only makes it worse.  Here's what I'd do.

Convert the whole works to 12V or 24V DC

For the LED strips, you use any of the literally thousands of 12V LED strips readily available for $7 per 5 meters, all over ebay and amazon, or hundreds of 24V LED strips.

For the E27 screw-in bulb, you use 12-24V LED bulbs intended for RVs.  Most of them work on both 12V and 24V.

If it has a lamp cord and plugs in, just put a 12v or 24v "wall wart" power supply on the end of the lamp cord.  If you have space up in the lamp,  you could also use a modular power supply such as those made by Meanwell.

This will not be dimmable.  But for the LED strips, 12/24V dimming and RGB controllers are readily available and could be tucked up inside the lamp.  They use a wireless remote.  This would work for the LED strips not the screw-in.

If someone screws in a 120V bulb into the socket, it just won't work.


Subfloor damage under exterior wall I am upgrading our kitchen and have found some damage to the subfloor from previous water leaks. These leaks were fixed long ago and there is no moisture in the subfloor or surrounding wood. We ripped out the subfloor up to the exterior wall (pictured) (there is also a window here) but it looks like there might be some damage past this point. I am wondering if I need to remove the subfloor underneath the window or if this will suffice. I have sprayed with mold treatment and have checked the 2x4 in the window frame which does not seem soft (with the screwdriver test). Am I being too meticulous and this looks fine? Please let me know what you think. Thanks

It's difficult to say from a photo but it appears that there is damage to the piece marked below.  It's also quite possible that there is more damage on the other side of this wall that you cannot see now.
I'd tear the whole thing out and fix it right.  Of course that's a bit of work and it depends on whether you are looking to fix it for the long term or just wanting to patch it back together for a short term fix.


Water heater too hot, possibly caused by low water flow I have a puzzle:

The water heater in a small building was too hot -- scalding.  Turning the thermostat down to warm or even vacation didn't seem to make a measurable difference.  We were about to have someone out to replace the thermostat.

The gas water heater is only one year old. This building is small.  Four bath sinks, one urinal, 3 toilets, one kitchen sink.

We turned off the hot water valves in the bathrooms sinks for safety.  We then observed that two sinks in ONE bathroom had just a trickle of cold water (each with their own shutoff valves).  Hot water (when it was enabled) seemed to have full flow.  Cold water in ALL other locations in the building seemed to have full flow.

I scratched my head and didn't put the two things together - asked someone else for their help and he noticed a hose bib outside had only a trickle and that it was part of the shut off valve for the building.  So he completely opened the shut off valve.

We regained cold pressure in the bathrooms.  We also saw a reduction in the hot water temperature.  (I also verified that when turning the thermostat that the thermostat clicked over at the low temperature as I passed it -- which is what one wants.)

At first I assumed there must be two water entrances to the building, which would explain the full flow in some locations but not others (need to confirm there isn't a 2nd entrance.  It seems so odd I'm having doubts about that theory.)

Note, this shutoff valve is also right next to the bathroom sinks in question.

I'm trying to come up with a model in my head how all of these things could be related.

Pressure built up in the water heater which pressurized part of the system?    Why only part?  Air in the water heater?  But I never get any popping at the taps.  The pressure release valve works fine.

Is there a coherent explanation of this behavior?

The final piece of the puzzle reveals what was going on.

What I thought was a 2nd or 1st building shutoff was a shutoff outside the building that only shuts off those two specific bathroom sinks' cold water supplies.

Why!?  Who knows!  It's an old building.

But that explains why those two taps were too hot and why none of the other fixtures in the building were affected.

Another factor was that I was using the kitchen sink faucet to test the water temperature, but those are probably not anti scald.


Should I attempt to repair a leak in my radon mitigation system's pipework? My radon evacuation system has been in place for about 10 years and it operating efficiently. However, the caulk that was used around the outdoor fan has deteriorated. When I cleaned up the area to ready it for a new application of caulk I discovered that some of the air is exhausting out at the fan output connection.

Video

Is this ok? Should I caulk the spot where the air is leaking out which is just below the gasket that attached the exhaust pipe to the fan unit? I have photos and a video.

Since it's low-volume and outside I wouldn't worry about it, but Ed's right that there's some indication of blockage. There should be very little back-pressure on that pipe.

However, I've never seen downspout used for radon systems. I'm not sure how you'd reliably seal that (and it may not be legal where mitigation is required by code). My guess is that it was never completely airtight. I'd be replacing it all with welded PVC or ABS and replacing that mangled no-hub coupler.


How can I fix/replace this cracked step? My 1960 Massachusetts home has red oak flooring, and one of the treads on the first to second floor staircase has started splitting:

The crack is almost unnoticeable, and I'd love to fix it by just reinforcing the bottom. Unfortunately, to get there I'd have to cut through the popcorn-finished plaster ceiling of the basement stairs, and it would be tough for me to patch that without looking bad.

I could replace the tread, but I'm concerned about matching the finish. I could remove, repair and reinstall it, but it's nailed down so I don't see how I could get it out without damaging it.

Any suggestions about the best path forward? Am I overly-concerned about matching the (pretty generic polyurethane) finish? Am I overly optimistic about repairing the tread? Should I just go in through the popcorn and plaster?

Here's some more info. A side view of the stairway (with cat):

And, I believe the basement stairs have the same construction as the stairs with the cracked step (they certainly look the same from the top), so here's a wide view under the basement stairs:

and here's a closer view from the other side:

Edit: I just drilled a 5/8" hole through the stringer under the split tread, and slid in an inspection camera. I saw just what I expected: the bottom of the step, the center stringer, and the plaster boards for the ceiling over the basement stairs. (And, the webs of various disappointed spiders.)

Edit 2: The surface on the basement stair ceiling isn't stucco, it's popcorn (with a bit of swirly texture), which given my home age seems likely to contain asbestos. I'd test before I do any work on it, but that's yet another concern. (I've corrected the rest of my text.)

Edit 3: As Michael Karas noticed, the basement steps seem to be pine, although the upstairs steps are oak. I measured, and the visible tread thickness on both stairs is 3/4", and the basement stairs do NOT have a second board under the visible tread. (This isn't exactly a high-end building...)

There is really no good way to patch this up or fix it without access to the area under the cracked tread. So I would suggest just doing that - open up the stucco covering under the subject area so there is enough room to work in there.

The nature of the fix will depend to some degree as to weather the crack is open or tight. Since you say that it is barely noticeable lets say that the crack is tight and you would be satisfied to just leave the crack width as is and just solidify the tread. Since the underside of the tread is probably unfinished you get an excellent opportunity to be able to use wood glue in the repair process. If there is paint, finish or stain on the underside of the tread you would have to sand it off so that you can repair with glue. The best glue is the yellow variety of professional wood workers glue.

To apply a fix you will want to cut a piece of wood that will fit comfortably under the tread up against its bottom side. It does not need to cover the whole bottom though. Make sure it bridges the crack by at least 2 inches on either side and is long enough to extend from the end with the crack to well past the other end of the crack. I would use a hardwood board for this patch (oak, maple or birch would be good ones to use).

You want to prepare this add in board for screwing to the underside of the tread. The best screws are flat head wood screws with Philips type slots (instead of straight slot screws). Make sure that the screws are the correct length so that they go through the thickness of the add in board and into the tread without going through the tread. If the patch board is 3/4" thick and the tread is 1" thick then a good screw length would be 1 1/4". Pre-drill clearance holes through the add in board along its sides so that they are away from the crack area. Counter sink the clearance holes just enough so that the flat head screws are just even with the surface of the board. Next you will need to drill pilot holes up under the tread in the correct locations so that screws can go into the tread without splitting it more. A good way to do this is to hold the prepared add in board in place and drill through the clearance holes with the pilot bit up into the tread. Use a stopper on the drill bit so that you do not accidentally drill all the way through the top side of the tread.

Next apply the yellow carpenters glue to the side of the add in board opposite the counter sink holes. :-) Spread the glue all over but do not leave an excess either. You could also apply some glue to the underside of the tread since it is common to apply glue to both sides of a joint but you can skip that if you have placed just the right amount on the add in board.

Then you put the board in place and install the screws into the pilot holes and firmly tighten into place. Be careful not to over tighten and strip out the screws in the pilot holes. Since the screws are only going into the treads about 1/2 inch they could strip out of you get two aggressive. I recommend hand driving as opposed to using a power driver for just this reason.

When it comes to patching the stucco area you may decide to take a more drastic step and remove all the stucco and re-do the area with drywall. It is much easier to work with and patch up if you ever have to go through it again in the future.


Can I remove/brace two studs to fit a new regular sized breaker box? I have an old 11in wide breaker box in my condo and I'm trying to find out if I can remove the two extra studs (Red in drawing) in the wall to fit a regular 14.25in wide newer breaker box. I'm including a drawing of the wall, pictures and videos.

That wall or the studs inside it rather extend 13in higher than the ceiling. The bedroom ceiling is higher by the same amount. The wall is 18in wide.

I wanted to find out what's inside the flat ceiling above those two studs so I made cutouts inside a linen cabinet/shell built between that wall (breaker box wall) and another to the right. I made two cutouts. One on the wall behind the breaker box and one in the ceiling.  I see a lot of wood in the ceiling cut out that makes me think removing those studs is going to be too much trouble if at all possible.

Is there a way to cut a section of those studs (red ones) to fit the new breaker box and then reinforce them with some kind of metal plate brace (see drawing pls) so the weight of whatever is up there gets transfered down the normal way? Is there such a thing? Any other option available?

Video links:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JOSHiEkASKI2X27zgBuzSZQ30yvJIA4E/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WybjZAxEy2mUTLmQnbAn4H_AKT_iC5_s/view

Thanks

I got a general contractor to look at this and he said that I could remove them without worry. They're not load bearing. He suggested I cut them above and below what I needed to install the new breaker box though. Driving a couple of nails before cutting them. I'm looking into doing that in the not so distant future.

Thanks all.


What wood joint can I use to connect railing members over a post? For the fence we'll be using 2"x4" pressure-treated wood that will be attached to 4"x4" PT posts with wood screws.

What wood joint should I use so that I don't need to buy any more hardware to make it sturdy?

This is what I originally thought of doing, but the builder says that I would need to add L-brackets on either side of the post to make it stronger.

Then I thought of using a half-lap joint, but the builder says that it would make the sides weaker. Each 2"x4" is about 12 feet.

So he explained that he would use something like this. He would use some special glue between the joins:

My question is: what joint is strongest for this particular scenario? I really don't want to buy more hardware to make it stronger (like the L-brackets).

You have a couple things going on here, so let's clarify:

There's no joint that makes anything "stronger" here if you're using adequately-sized railings and appropriate fasteners to begin with. You don't need the rail boards linked together in tension. It's not important. Railings don't fail by falling off the post along the rail assembly. If they fail, it's due to the lumber cracking or getting pushed off the fasteners somehow.
Therefore, it's entirely a matter of aesthetics. How do you want it to look from the most common perspective?
The main point of using something other than a square butt joint is so that, after the railings shrink, you don't see the resulting gap as readily. A bevel joint hides the gap visually. This applies to decking, siding, and any other joint in wood. A half-lap requires substantially more effort, but allows you to use fewer fasteners, which has both cost and visual benefits.
You can make things weaker with the wrong approach. The half-lap as you drew it in your previous question will weaken the railing, because you've halved the thickness of the boards all the way to the edge of the post. If you imagine a cartoon dumbbell sitting on the railing just beyond the right edge of the post, all the weight is being supported by half the railing's thickness if we assume that it'll easily split lengthwise along the grain. Bad news.

If you're bent on a half-lap joint, the solution is to make a narrower connection, such that it's just wide enough to securely fasten it to the post, but doesn't compromise the strength of the board at or beyond the width of the post. 1-1/2 or 2 inches would do nicely.

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What gauge wire for 1HP pool pump? Have a 1hp 11 amp above ground pool pump that is going to be about 50 feet away from the breaker. Will 12 gauge wire be enough to run it?

Photo of the pump can be seen at link below
https://photos.app.goo.gl/qZxYcZ9aCNohwWk67

Your wire sizing is fine

Motor conductors are sized as a continuous load (125% of Full Load Amps), so 12AWG is more than adequate for an 11A motor.

But your choice of wiring method is partly off the mark

However, unjacketed MC cable like what you linked is not suitable for wet locations or direct burial, so it can't be used outside.  Furthermore, since this is a pool pump you're wiring, NEC 680.11 governs what wiring methods you can use:

  680.11 Underground Wiring Location. Underground wiring
  shall be permitted where installed in rigid metal conduit, intermediate metal conduit, rigid polyvinyl chloride conduit, reinforced thermosetting resin conduit, or Type MC cable, suitable
  for the conditions subject to that location. Underground wiring
  shall not be permitted under the pool unless this wiring is
  necessary to supply pool equipment permitted by this article.
  Minimum cover depths shall be as given in Table 300.5.

As a result of this and the fact PVC-jacketed MC (which can be buried) isn't typical big-box fare, you cannot use direct buried cable for this, and basically are forced to go with conduit (typically, rigid PVC at Code burial depths), with individual 12AWG THWN wires inside instead of a cable.  Once you get into the house, though, you can transition at a box to a different wiring method (such as regular MC or NM).


Laminate flooring without molding? I'm going to be installing laminate flooring in a metal enclosed patio and am wondering how to handle the molding around the edge.  I've done laminate flooring several times so I'm familiar with the install of the flooring but I'm having questions about how to finish the flooring due to the metal structure and cheap paneling so I don't really have anything to nail molding or 1/4-round to.  Any help would be appreciated.

How to attach the 1/4 round or molding to cover the gap left to the wall for expansion, the room is one like this: http://www.doityourselfpatios.com/enclosures/images/Big_Enclosure12.jpg, where there is no substantial structure in the wall to nail or even screw to. I've only installed molding in wood framed homes where I had wood to nail the molding or 1/4 round to and I'm not sure in this instance what the proper way to do this would be. I was thinking just use some liquid nails to glue the molding to the wall.

There are many different types of moldings you can install that are around 1/2" thick that you can glue.  Pine would glue down fine on metal (might require doing it in sections so you can keep pressure on it for a day).

I would not go with quarter round here because your gluing surface is so small and it will eventually move, get stepped on, furniture hitting it, and just look bad.

The other thing I have done with using laminate in sun rooms is run metal t-mold transitions all the way around.  Here is an example.

If I were using this exact one I would probably saw off the right side so it is only 1/4".  This means you install the track, then flooring then glue the molding in the track after (just a little glue so it can be brought up if needed).

These are the only two things I have done.  One is more indoorsy and traditional.  It probably has a better chance of failing if the outside gets to it - water, large temp changes, dew.  The transitions would work well for a wetter area.  I do this for pool houses a lot.


Can I replace an existing receptacle with a Leviton USB receptacle? I have this Leviton USB product, which contains 1 hot terminal; 1 neutral terminal and 1 ground terminal.

I want it to replace a receptacle that has 2 hot terminals and 2 neutral terminals (along with the ground).  Can the new USB receptacle replace the existing one?

At the link you provided, Leviton has a product sheet with installation instructions. As they note in there, if you need to connect two wires each for line and neutral, you must use the backwire connections:

  To Side Wire (if more than one wire is required on a terminal, you cannot side wire and must use the backwire option)

What that means is that instead of wrapping the stripped wire end around the screw, instead you insert a straight portion of stripped wire into holes in the back. Sometimes those are spring clamped just by inserting them, but here it sounds like the screw will tighten a clamp onto the inserted wires.

You might be able to straighten your existing wires to do that, or cut and strip according to the instructions, and slide the pairs of wires under the clamps.


How to connect 2 water tanks at different levels with one pump? I have 2 water tanks installed in my 3 story building. 1st one  is on top of the 3rd floor, the other one is on top of 2nd. The pump is installed at Ground Floor.

Before now, the water flow was manually controlled by using Ball Valves but I want to automate it using Floating valves or whatever.
If I install floating valves on both tanks, the problem will be solved but the pump will blow up.

Kindly provide suitable solutions

The OP probably has long since satisfied his running water needs, but for anyone reading this later, here is a method to keep two tanks filled with the minimum of installed devices. The only active components required are the pump and two float switches.

Each tank must have a float switch and an overflow drain near the top.

In each tank the float switch must be set to a level lower than, but close to, the drain level.

The switches must be set to run the pump when either water level drops.

The pump must be connected to the infill of the upper tank.

The overflow of the upper tank must be connected to the infill of the lower tank.

The overflow of the lower tank should lead to a sewer or waste line via a suitable water trap.

As water is used from the upper tank, the upper float switch will trip and tun on the pump. The water in the upper tank will rise until the upper float switch is pushed off.

As water is used from the lower tank, the lower float switch will trip and turn on the punp. The water in the upper tank will rise until it reaches the overflow, then the water in the lower tank will rise until the lower float switch is pushed off.

There is no possibility of the pump running against closed valves because no flow directing valves are required nor installed.

EDIT: Another poster has installed something like this and has discovered that his drain line does not empty the upper tank as quickly as the pump fills it. His upper tank overflows before his lower tank fills.

The best mitigation for this problem is to make the drain lines very large. Since a drain should begin to operate as soon as the water level reaches it, there is almost no pressure available to drive the flow. The drain pipes should look like drain pipes, not like fill pipes.

Another mitigation is to restrict the pump flow to something the drains can handle. Either use a smaller pump, or install a gate valve or globe valve in the fill line. (Do not use a ball valve, these are hard to adjust.)

In short, to avoid flooding, you can make the drain larger or make the fill smaller.

A third way to prevent flooding is to install a second float switch in each tank to serve as a safety switch. This switch must trip at a level above the drain, and well above the fill switch, but below the top of the tank. The pump must stop when either safety switch is raised. It will start again when the drain has caught up.


Why does my light box have 2 cables for this one switch? Took down a ceiling fixture and discovered what looks like a possible switch loop, except I don’t understand how the connection gets completed with the current set up. Basically, 2 lines coming into the fixture box. The black from line A is wired to the fixture, and the white from line A is essentially “capped off” (is cut short and contained within the insulated portion of line A). The white from line B is wired to the fixture, and the black from line B is capped off. Over at the single pole switch there is a black wire and white wire attached. This would make sense to me as a switch loop if the 2 capped off wires were joined together, but they’re not.

I see that this is a 2-gang switch box, but the picture doesn't include detail of the other switch.  It looks like there was once a ceiling fan hung here and the extra wire would be for the fan, controlled by the second switch in the box.


Need to add traction to existing polished concrete surface My front porch is polished concrete, and gets slippery in the rain.  What is the best way to add grip/traction to an existing concrete walkway?

More info:  My front porch is part of the house slab, so it's the full width of the house, and extends about 4 feet from the house.  The roof also covers this porch, however rain splashing off nearby bushes always means that the concrete walkway is dangerously slippery in any wet weather.

You can make the surface a bit rougher by using an acid etch. Muriatic acid & water is commonly used to clean concrete prior to sealing or painting. A strong solution allowed to sit will actually etch the slippery surface away. It's much easier than grinding.

Once the surface etch is deep enough rinse with fresh water if the first solution did not etch enough add a higher percentage of muriatic acid. I would start with 4 parts water to 1 part acid. Remember to always add acid to water.

Most big box stores sell muriatic acid for this use and pool supply stores have it for balancing the pH in pools and spas so it is easy to find and not very expensive at ~$10 per gallon.

Added per comment: we always add acid to water to prevent an exothermic reaction. If water is added in some cases it causes the water to rapidly heat and can boil and splatter the acid from the reaction. So to be safe remember AAA always add acid


Flood safe/auto-shutoff hose triggering for no reason The hot water line to our kitchen sink has one of those flood safe/auto-shutoff hoses. It has started triggering and cutting off the water whenever we turn the hot water on more than half way. I took it off and cleaned a little debris out of one end of the hose but after reconnecting the problem continues. What could be causing it to trigger? Should I just replace it?

When you look at the amazon reviews on Floodsafe hoses, most of them say the same thing, great idea, but they shutoff too easily. That, and they won't stop a small leak, only a catastrophic rupture. So your best bet is to replace them with a non-floodsafe high quality hose.

If you're going to be away for an extended time, have someone check on your place from time to time, and it doesn't hurt to shutoff the water.


Small neutral wire at service drop to panel I recently moved into a gorgeous Victorian style house built in 1890. I am concerned about the point of entry of the service drop to the fuse box.containing a much smaller neutral than i would have expected. Is is 60 amp service. There is also a sub panel with no problems that I can see. There are no other problems and everything functions fine. Is it normal to see a smaller wire providing neutral path on an old service drop? Thanks in advance.

It is common in really old homes to find a #10 (10 gauge or AWG) wire for a 60-amp neutral.

However, it's underrated for today's more power-hungry world.  If I remember correctly (pros, correct me if I'm wrong), your house should have #6 wire for the two hot lines, #8 for the neutral, and #10 for the earth ground.

Are you at risk?  A pro would be forced by code to tell you yes, but it really depends on what you're operating.  There is no simple "rule of thumb" that will tell you if you're OK, thus the need for the pros (and the reason the code changed over the decades).

A simple test is to touch the insulated neutral when you have a high-average amount of power being consumed (dryer's running, stove's on, TVs & computers are operating, and the lights are on type of thing).  If the wire is warm, you have risk.  If it's not, you're OK (with the caveat that this is a simple test and can only be trusted to a degree).

Please be careful touching that wire.  Don't get shocked.  Your safety is more imporant than a simple test.  If you can't easily touch the wire without risking shock, call an electrician!


Is it better to paint wood siding or replace it with vinyl? I live in Boulder, Colorado. It's time to get my wood siding painted. There will also be a little bit of repair involved. One paint company recommended replacing some sheets of siding, the other 2 recommended Bondo and caulk.

We plan to keep this house a long time. I'm trying to figure out if it would make sense to replace the wood siding with vinyl, or keep painting the wood?

I haven't gotten any vinyl estimates yet. If it's 10X the cost of a paint job then there's no way I'm doing it. If it's more like 2-3X the cost of a paint job then I'm interested in finding out more about tradeoffs.

I  would recommend reading up on vinyl siding. It's really not as maintenance free as its manufacturers claim - it fades and becomes brittle. And unlike wood it can't really be repaired.

Not to mention it looks pretty ugly and fake.

Also if your house has any architectural details, then they would probably be covered up by the vinyl installation, significantly reducing curb appeal and possibly valuation of  your home


Unfasten unfamiliar springs that fix an old mirror to its frame I have obtained an old mirror that needs restoration. Its design suggests to me it may be from the 1950s and there is a French-language label on the back side, so maybe its provenance is French as well. (It is almost certainly European.) There are four metals springs at the back corners that fix the mirror (its wooden back side) into the metal frame.

I am wondering this: How can I remove (or unfasten those springs) in such a way that I can temporarily remove the mirror from its frame, clean the (rusty) springs, and put everything back together again? For instance, are such springs kept in their fixation holes also by spring forces and could I pull them out there without damaging the hole?

Pull gently outward (axially, away from the spring loop) while pulling the bent spring tabs up and out of the holes. Spring tension will increase while you pull so it may help to have someone hold the frame. The wire is pretty rusty so do not overstretch or it could break.


How many terminal bars N / PE do I really need? I've purchased a wall mounting enclosure by ABB (serie Europa), and in the manual they recommend special designed terminal bars ABB 12494 for the enclosure. I can't figure out if I need TWO of this bars, one for neutral and one for protective earthing or I've to get just one actually and use it for both? Please help me to figure this out.

Enclosure:

Recommended terminal bar:

First of all a warning. If you are not sure with working on mains then stay away from it. Furthermore for safety always remove the power from the incomming line by opening the corresponding breaker.

If you look good then you can see that the connective bar is separated into 2 parts. One part for (P)rotective (E)earth (yellow/green) and the other part for (N)eutral (blue).

You can use a insulated bar any way you like. In this kind of connection boxes a non insulated bar should only be used for PE(green/yellow) connections.


Why does the hot water tank need to be drained of water in order to replace the gas valve? I'm changing the gas valve in my hot water heater. Exactly as shown in this video.

The video is queued at the point where they drain the water from the hot water tank. My question is... why?

Note: The instructions from the manufacturer also call for draining the water from the tank first too. So the video makers aren't just making up this step for nothing, I presume.

Why does the hot water tank need to be drained of water in order to replace the GAS valve? And what bad things could happen if I replace the gas valve without draining the water out of the tank?

Fig.1. Video maker points to hose connection point for draining tank

Edit: According to this video, it looks draining the water might be a safety precaution? As any hot water left in the tank could be a scalding risk? So it seems like if I'm certain the water in the tank is cold, I can skip draining the tank?

The valve should have a part that inserts into the tank to measure temperature in the tank and decide when to turn on and off. When you remove that part, the water will drain out anyway. Better to control the drain especially if the water is hot.


Can I route coaxial cable for tv through a gas fireplace? Cable guy told me to drill a hole from outside in right through sheet metal in gas chimney to connect tv to cable mounted on mantle?

DO NOT DO IT!!!!

Chimney vents must not be compromised! All heat and gas related stacks must be left intact. No additional venting or other holes may be put in them. As the comments have noted, you run the serious risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, as well as the risk of chimney and house fires.

Find another route well away from the chimney.


Propane BBQ flame too high when I turn up the flame on my propane bbq, I start to get a hissing sound, like the pressure is too high. This started happening after cleaning around the burner. It happens on both sides so it’s not the knobs. Is it possible the regulator is busted?  I’ve taken it off the tank and put back on but same result. Here is a video of the problem: https://share.icloud.com/photos/0RYk9cj1pOW11b082YBLHTqPg

If the gas flow is too high to maintain a flame, and it seems like the pressure is too high, then yes your regulator is bad.

I didn't watch your link since I'm on mobile, but some amount of hissing is normal if it seems like it's running normally.


How do I replace a triple dimmer switch to a much smaller conventional switch? Our kitchen lights are playing up, they're halogen spotlights controlled by a dimmer switch, and one by one they're either refusing to switch on, coming on if the dimmer is halfway on but off when it's fully on, or (weirdest) slowly moving between on and off and on again without touching the switch.

I feel like the first step here is to change to a normal switch - does anyone who knows more than me think not? But the dimmer switch is 18cm wide and it looks like triple conventional switches are much smaller. When I take the switch off the wall, will I be able to take the metal box out, put a smaller one in and use filler or something to fill the gaps? Or is there another way?

Well, this is a really old question but it sounds like your dimmer is a decora style switch.  You can switch this decora dimmer to a regular style switch and buy a new cover plate.  Alternatively, you could install a standard decora switch in place of the dimmer switch.

However, if by 'triple' switch, you mean three way switch, you should be warned that diagnosing an incorrectly wired 3-way switch can be confusing to the electrical neophyte.  Additionally, because a traveler can be electrified when you expect the wire to be off behind a switch, it can be much more dangerous to work on for someone who is a novice with 3-way switches.  I would strongly recommend using an electrician to solve this problem.  If not, I'd strongly recommend turning off all the power while working on this problem, labeling everything as/before you disconnect the switches, and using a continuity tester (while the power is off) to determine which wire is the traveler to which switch.

Of course, another possibility is that you have a 3-way configuration but the dimmer is a single pole dimmer.  Switching to a 3-way dimmer switch could solve this problem but you'll still to know or figure out the correct traveler configuration for your situation, which will require a decent understanding of 3-way switches.

If in doubt, be safe and use an electrician.


how to rewire 3 way switch I just moved into this house. There's a 3 way switch that I can't figure out how to rewire it.When I turn it on at the bottom of the stairs, I can turn it off at the top of the stairs. But after doing that it won't be able to turn back on at the bottom of the stairs unless I switch it back on at the top of the stairs. I included a picture of how previous owner wired it, also a picture of all the  wire combinations I tried.
"Not Work" - lights won't turn on.
"Worked"- light will turn on but still the same problem. So I hope someone can tell me how to rewire it. Thanks

Several wires in a sheath is called a cable.  The difference gets important fast.

Traveler wires

First, it's time to stop the dizziness and confusion with the travelers.  You should not have to play musical chairs with travelers.  (It's not hazardous so as long as you are only exchanging the wires which belong on the 3-way, but it's a stupid waste of time).  And to save us trouble later, let's mark the travelers; I recommend yellow tape, but if that color is already assigned, just use blue.  Mark both travelers the same color, there is no need to distinguish them from each other.

This will always be true about travelers:

There is no wire-color standard. Really. That's why we mark them!
Both traveler wires are in the same /3 cable
Both traveler wires go to the 3-way switch
In the same /3 cable, travelers stay the same color. We don't have "crossover cables" in mains electrical.
However if the /3 cable is spliced somewhere, all bets are off.

So. In box 2, all 3 wires go to the switch, so that's no help at all.  However in box 1's left /3 cable, red and white go to the switch.  Gotcha!

Red and white get marked yellow (or blue if you prefer).  In switch #1 box, and also switch #2 box, unless you have reason to believe the cable is spliced somewhere else.

Identifying the common screw terminal

You've talked a lot about screw positions and never about screw colors.  On 3-ways, screw positions are meaningless. Screw colors matter.  The common screw is black, the traveler screws are brass/yellow.

Now we've identified the traveler positions by logic, and identified the traveler screws by color.  There is only one way this can possibly connect, and it must work. Unless:

A third 3-way (4-way), or splice in a lamp box?

Remember the part where I said "if the /3 cable is spliced in another box, all bets are off"?   That could happen in a lamp box, or the site of a current or former 4-way switch. There's no substitute but to search every possible box for this.  You'll recognize it when 2 wires from a /3 cable are spliced to 2 wires from another /3 cable. (Not counting grounds).

In that case, the traveler principles still apply, but you have to figure out which cable is which amongst several white /3 cables coming into that intermediate box.  ...and this, this is why I advocate marking travelers with colored tape.

There's one more possibility.  Here, we presume the left /3 cable connects to box 2.  What if it's actually the right /3 cable??? That would make this whole thing a bodge job of considerable proportion, but it would explain a lot. The troubleshooting here might be beyond you, and it might be time to bring in a handyman.


Repairing water damage to plaster over concrete block We had a leak in our attic and have water damage on our ceiling (plaster on lathe) and exterior wall (plaster on concrete block). Because of our stupidity, we know that the leak consisted of exactly 1/2 a gallon. The water damage happened a month ago, but I have been ignoring it.

My plan today was to scrape off any damp or damage plaster in preparation of fully drying the block wall and repairing the plaster. I don't have a moisture meter (yet), but was hoping that I would be able to find the dry edges. The damage seems to keep going with the paint and plaster coming off in fairly large sheets.

The central part of the wall is damp to the touch, while it is hard to tell about the edges. Is the right way to go about this to keep gently scraping anything that comes off? How do I know when to stop scraping?

I understand that you want to remove the damaged material but you also don't want to scrape so aggressively that you end up removing a large amount of undamaged material that could have stayed in place, and it is difficult to know where to draw the line.

A good rule of thumb is that if the material can be removed using light pressure with just your fingers and crumbles away easily then it is too damaged that it probably shouldn't stay there.

Keep removing material that you are able to easily remove using only your fingers. You can use scraping tools to make the process easier and to save damaging your fingers from repetitive wear, but don't remove a piece of material using the scraper that you wouldn't have been able to remove using only your fingers.

You may find that there is material which can be easily removed, but hasn't been water damaged, particularly if this is an old house there may be crumbly plaster just due to it's age or pre-existing damage. Unfortunately that should be removed too.

Once the only material remaining is material which is strong enough to stay there that can't be removed by pulling with finger strength, you can plaster over it, but ensure it is fully dried out first and remove any dust from the surface with a brush.

The reason the wall hasn't dried out for a month is probably that the paint on the surface is preventing the moisture from escaping. Once the damaged paint is peeled off you can use a dehumidifier in the room for a few days with the windows and doors closed to help dry it out.

If you don't have a dehumidifier then the process will take longer but you can help by leaving a window slightly ajar.

I have successfully used this method to repair a plastered wall which was crumbling in parts due to it being over 100 years old. The part of a few square metres which I re plastered has held for over a year now.

EDIT: It looks like you may have to take down your curtain rail temporarily while you sort this out if the damage extends that far.


Can I begin installing laminate flooring in a hallway? I am a new home buyer and I want to replace some carpeted areas with laminate. Especially where my dogs are already chewing at it. I can't afford to get all of the material at once. My question is since the area that is the worse is the hallway can I begin there and what is the recommended direction to go?

You sure can. In fact, it's often best practice to start in a hallway, which is one of the places where a crooked installation really shows against the walls By starting there you minimize the chance of visual oddity.

Typically, wood flooring is installed parallel to the longer side of the room. In the case of a hallway, you'd run it lengthwise.


How to repair pierced refrigerant line in chest freezer? My idiot friend was screwing brackets inside an ice cream freezer with self-tapping screws, and one of the screws pierced a copper line containing refrigerant. Apparently it made a crazy hissing sound and super cold gas came out of the hole. It happened outside and nobody was injured or anything, just shocked.

I figured since I know how to sweat a copper joint, I could fix the tiny hole in the copper line, and then get an HVAC tech to refill the lost refrigerant.

The plan is to cut the section of pipe with the hole in it, slip on a coupler, and solder the joint.

I know I have to be extra careful to not get anything inside the copper line, but aside from that, does this seem doable?

Also, which kind of solder should I use (60/40?), or should this be brazed?

If you're going to pay and HVAC tech to refill the system for you, then why not have them do the copper repair, too? But why an HVAC tech? Call a refrigerator repair company.


Is there such thing as joint-compound primer? And, is there a need to prime before texturing a ceiling? In this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIt3YEJjFko

The guy breaks down the process of making a California Ceiling into five steps:

Cover the Walls
Prime the Ceiling
Mix joint compound
Spray the ceiling
Knock it down

If you see on step 2, there is prime the ceiling. This makes sense. If you look at my ceiling you'll see there is primer near the walls.

It looks like the popcorn that I removed did not stick to the sheetrock where they did not prime the ceiling. It looks like they primed the ceiling near the corners. This kind of erks me because I was ok with the acoustic texture, had it have simply stuck to the ceiling -- what did they save by not priming all of the ceiling, a couple of dollars?

Now for my question, if I'm doing textured ceilings again should I prime before I apply the sheetrock mix, and then prime after for the paint; and, if so, should I use the same primer? Would my latex primer work for both of these, and is it proper to use primer twice in this process?

Here is another YouTube video of the knockdown ceiling texture. He doesn't primer the ceiling first.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1WkL1wmsCY

This guy does the Slapbrush method of texturizing, you can also see that his ceiling is only primered in stripes. Why don't people primer the whole thing?

http://youtu.be/sWsmZhJxfuQ?t=4m2s

This makes me even more confused.

Do not prime the drywall before it is taped and sanded. Do all your drywall work first, then apply your textured coating. Normally there is no reason to prime the new drywall or joints before putting on a compound based textured top coat.  If you intend to use a textured paint instead of a compound based texture, then you would prime the entire surface with a PVA drywall sealer/primer before applying any paint coat.  Assuming the texture is compound based, then let it dry completely and prime this with PVA sealer/primer before painting.  Do not use a regular heavy based primer or paint/primer product on your texture. Use PVA. The reason is that PVA is very light and dries extremely fast and if applied properly won't re-hydrate or saturate you texture causing possible damage. Once the PVA is cured, (usually just an hour or so) you can paint over it with regular latex paint without fear of texture falling off.


Furnace won't adjust to thermostat setting I have a 2007 Trane furnace that has been working the AC all summer just fine.
With the cooler weather, when I turn on the heat and set the thermostat to 72 degrees, the furnace comes on but heats the house to 82 degrees. When I put the thermostat back on cool and set the temperature, the cool air works fine.
Why won't my furnace adjust to the heat temperature set at the thermostat but will work with the cool setting?
Is it a problem with the thermostat? Or is there a heat sensor problem?
Can anyone help?

Does the furnace shut down when the thermostat stops calling for heat (or very soon after)?
Furnace
If the furnace does not shut down when the thermostat stops calling for heat, it's a problem with the furnace. It likely won't stop immediately, but should stop fairly soon after.
Thermostat
If the thermostat does not stop calling for heat once the set point is reached, it's a problem with the thermostat. Usually there is some form of indicator on the thermostat, that lets you know when it's calling for heat.
Read the manual for the thermostat, and make sure you're programming it properly.


How can I paint concrete pavers with scenes? I was given some concrete pavers that have scenes molded in them. I would like to paint them so that the details in each block can be seen. One is of an eagle and another is the American Flag. How do I go about doing this?

The one word answer is "Paint." If you're just going to hang them on a wall as art, then you're done.

But I'm assuming you're still going to be walking on the pavers after painting them, so it's not quite that simple and you'll need very durable outdoor paint, and/or a durable clear topcoat to protect the paint from wear & water & sun / UV damage. Perhaps:

Outdoor art paint & clear coat, this "PAINTED ROCK GARDEN MARKERS" site recommends

  Patio Paint or outdoor craft paint
  Patio Paint clear coat or clear outdoor sealer

A deck finish like Natural Clear Transparent Waterproofing Exterior Wood Finish
"A 1-2 punch consisting of an epoxy sealer and a marine varnish" - the page says it's great for weathered wood, but it should be good over painted stone as well.

Whichever finish you choose, be sure to check that it's compatible with the paint you use.


How can I replace multiple 3 way switches with motion sensors? My tenants never turn the lights off in the stairwells of my 3 family house, so I'd like to replace all of the light switches with motion sensors. Here is a crude diagram of how this is set up now.

Each number indicates a 3 way switch. 2 questions:

Can I replace each switch with these sensors?
The #1 switch on the left with the asterisk is in the first floor apartment and I'd like to disable it, so that the first light only comes on from motion in the hallway when a door is opened. How do I take this switch out of the loop?

You can probably replace the switches with those sensors, but you're going to have to do some creative wiring to work around the fact that they're not 3-way switches, but the switches you're replacing with them are. You'll likely end up with the light being on whenever either of the switches is on. You also might run into trouble if they ran the 3-way switches as a switch loop (no neutral in box), because "smart switches" like these require a neutral so they can use power for themselves to decide when to switch on and off.

Here's what the difference between these wiring schemes looks like if you draw it out:

Also note that those occupancy sensors still have a hard-on switch, so your tenants can still just leave the lights on. You might want to look instead at vacancy sensors. (An example vacancy sensor is Cooper Wiring Devices K01-400RW-L, but note that it does not handle CFLs, just incandescents.) These, you tap to turn them on, and they turn themselves off automatically when everyone's gone. That sounds more like what you want.

The how for switch #1 depends again on how they wired your #1 switches and the light they control together. If you diagram out the connections, it becomes straightforward. Until you have enough info to diagram it out, you don't have enough info to rewire it, either.

As an aside, all the exterior stairwell lights I've seen in apartment complexes were on timers. They'd come on around dark and flip off in the morning. I knew they were timers rather than photosensors because a couple times a year they'd end up slightly out of sync with actual daylight hours, but if these are in fact exterior lights, putting them on a photosensor and disabling the switches entirely might be an option.


wire Cat6 cable through PVC pipes I bought this house with phone cable wiring though PVC pipes all over but no Ethernet at all. I'm wondering if there's a way for me to fishing Cat6 cable through those pipes. Note that it's concrete house, there's no way i can drill through it. And it has five floors...

Should be trivial; conduit (which is probably what your "pipe" is) is ideal for this.

Either use the phone wire to pull in a rope and use that to pull in the Cat6, (and use one for phone if you are still using a landline) or vacuum in a string if there's conduit, but no phone wire. If you need multiple wires, figure out how long they are, cut that (or a bit longer) and pull them all in at the same time - you'll need someone keeping them from tangling on the way in.

For single wires, if you buy the usual box of wire you can feed straight from it with no tangling.

Hollow braided rope is nice for a pull string, as you can expand the end by pushing on it and slip the wire(s) inside the braid, then smooth it down & tape the end in place. Allow about a foot of overlap so the rope can get a good grip on the wire.

Don't pull too hard or bend wires sharply (it ruins Cat-whatever wire) and where possible, pull down, not up (let gravity help you - carry the box of wire to the top end and pull down through the house.)


Is it possible to use ABS cement to glue together THREADED ABS union fitting on P-trap for permanent connection? Is it possible to use ABS cement for threaded ABS union fitting on P-trap for permanent connection? Or it won't be secure enough even if it glued together with cement?
Or need to actually replace with a P-Trap with union that glues together with cement.

Don't ever glue a fitting that is designed for threaded pressure fit.
The threaded fittment allows the piping to be lined up then tightened for a leak free connection. Nobody but an expert could possibly line up hard glued piping under a sink. The standard fittings sealed by plastic seals, held by threaded connections, has a range of adjustment in translation and rotation about multiple axes to give leak free connections.
Sweated copper drains can be lined up because they can be adjusted to fit and then all the joints sweated at the end without disturbing the fit. This cannot be done with glue joints. AFIK it is not possible to dry fit glue joints and then squirt glue into the joint.
What often happens is the plumbing under the kitchen sink gets bashed in the course of using the undersink space for storage or for a trash can leading to a leak. Hence some people try to make solid connections, but this cannot be done without special expertise.