How to permanently get rid of light fixture? I'm renovating a bathroom, and there is one light fixture that I'd like to permanently remove. I know that I can't leave the junction box in the wall once the fixture is gone, but I have two related questions:

1) What is the best way to make it safe to drywall over the hole once the junction box is out?

2) How do I deal with the wires that are no longer needed for that fixture? Unfortunately, there is another light fixture that turns on with the same switch.

I'd really like to avoid having a cover since this is right at eye level.

Edit to include photos of what's currently in the wall.

The cable in the wall have to be physically removed all the way to the other end, or if that is impracticable, as much as possible of both ends of the cables must be removed.  It must be beyond any possibility of anyone ever energizing those wires again.

If there are multiple cables in the wall, then I mean both ends of each cable, including the far ends that are in other boxes.

If there are 2 cables and they need to remain in service, you can evaluate whether you have enough intact cable sheath to install a Tyco in-wall Romex splice.  Those can be covered up.

Otherwise that through-cable run needs to be entirely replaced end-to-end.


Do I need to cut under door jambs when installing laminate flooring? I'm planning on laminating the floor. On the photo attached, where you see a passage between the room and ensuite bathroom. So, do I have to cut the underneath of the doorjamb with a rotary tool or something so that laminate plank goes under it? I've marked in red the jamb spot.

You don't have to, but there's not a great alternative to prevent gaps from showing. An "undercut saw" can be rented cheaply at your local tool rental shop. It's basically a circular saw with the table configured for horizontal cuts. Try to run the blade teeth toward the wood to prevent tearout.

You can also use a fine-toothed handsaw with a scrap of your flooring. Lay the flooring on the subfloor and run the saw on top of it, taking care to not let the saw jump and scar the jamb.


Upstairs/downstairs cooling- leave it on or off? It's 100+ here in Texas.  My house has separate air conditioners for upstairs and downstairs.  We rarely go upstairs, but I'm told that we have to account for air flow "chimney effect" up the stairway (which is not blocked off). Convection effect draws air continually up the stairway. Setting the upstairs thermostat more than 2 degrees above the downstairs thermostat means that the downstairs unit works twice as hard because it is trying to cool both spaces.  Does this really happen?

Also, I'm told that I should not block off the stairway - which I could do - because it will create an "attic effect", causing the upstairs to smell bad.  Can I set the downstairs to 78 and upstairs to 84?  Would it make a difference in my energy bill?
-  Mac

Warm air rises, not vise-versa.  If you are running the A/C on the first floor and leave the upstairs A/C off, then the downstairs unit should not be working all that much harder than it would if the upstairs unit was cooling the upstairs.  So no, cold air is not drawn upstairs by thermal convection.  That does not really happen.

Upstairs unit off and downstairs unit at 78 should reduce your energy bill versus running both the upstairs and downstairs units.

Edit:

There is an exception to what I said above.  Because the upstairs unit must handle the extra heat load that comes from the sun shining on the roof, it is often the case that for equal square footage, the upstairs unit is larger capacity than the downstairs unit.  Also, the cold air from the upstairs unit will flow down to the first floor via thermal convection (cold air sinks).  If your downstairs unit is a bit undersized and your upstairs unit was meant to pick up the slack, then your downstairs unit will not be able to keep the downstairs cool all by itself, but this fact will not make your utility bill any higher than if the upstairs unit was running (unless your downstairs unit is also using large amounts of power from a malfunction and needs to be repaired).


phase drop and now appliances dead A few weeks back I started getting intermittent outages without breakers tripping.  It would self resolve after some time.  During one outage I was eventually able to troubleshoot and found that exactly half my panel was out.  I called the utility company and they came out next day and found a bad connection at their pole on one of the drops to my house.

As soon as they fixed that, I noticed oddities at my oven, beverage fridge and main fridge.  In the past week the beverage fridge and main fridge controls completely died.  Could this be related to the bad phase on the drop?  If so, what would be the right way to describe this to my insurer?

Edit: When the utility came out to check the connection, they found the drop with the bad connection had "low voltage".  I don't recall getting a number at that time.

Thank you!

Before you do that, try turning off the breakers to these devices, wait a couple of minutes, and turn them back on. The re-application of the lost leg when it was still connected to the other one may have set off some internal protective features that need to be powered down to reset.


Can I use the wiring from a disabled home security system to power wireless cameras? My home has an old security system which has long been disabled.

I'd like to be able to use the wiring for the sensors to possibly provide DC power to some wireless IP security cameras in various areas. For example, at the end of one hallway is a motion detector formerly used by the system which I'd like to rewire for camera power.

The control box for the security system has wiring from the mains incoming for power, and a bundle of wires for sensors branching throughout the house. Would I be able to, say, replace the control box with a standard power outlet, attach a UPS, then attach the AC adapters for the cameras to the UPS, and (taking the wire lengths into account) extend the power cables accordingly?

18awg is small for power wires. With 5VAC 2A:

At 20ft you're going to get ~4.5V
At 40ft, about ~4.0V.

For comparison, if it was 16awg, at 20ft you'd get ~4.7V.  With 22awg, at 20ft you'd get ~3.7V.

You should check the specs on the camera: they'll often give a voltage tolerance. On top of that, some transformers (especially cheap ones) don't exactly supply the voltage they say they will, especially as the current draw is higher. A crappy transformer coupled with under-sized wiring may mean not enough power for the camera, which will result in it either not working or being "glitchy".

Because you also have a wifi camera, the lower the wifi signal it gets, the more power it will take. I'm not sure how significant this actually is, but wifi is likely to be one of the main demands for power in the camera.

You can compensate for the voltage loss with a slightly higher input voltage (a 5.5V transformer would work perfectly for you). Power over Ethernet compensates for this by supplying a higher voltage (48VDC) and requiring devices can accept as low as 44V DC.

You could also potentially use the existing wire as a fish to pull a larger wire though, but that of course depends on if it's exposed in an unfinished basement or how willing you are to open and patch drywall. If you're going to pull wires, it may just be easier to pull ethernet and use a PoE hard-wired camera (more reliable, plus the power problem is taken care of).


Ceiling drywall crack recurring problem at screw location I have a drywall crack in the ceiling that keeps coming back. It is at the location of the drywall screw. Last year I applied a regular drywall patch and then painted over when it dried. But less than a year later it came back. I live in Mid Atlantic US and there is some structure expansion/contraction between summer and winter times. What should I do for the crack not to be coming back? On the picture there is crack location next to wall corner, the screw is on the ceiling side.
Thanks,
DV

It looks like the screw was installed too deep and ripped through the paper and thus has no support. Add a screw flush with the paper 1" away into the joist. Then patch with setting compound and paper tape, finish as usual


Securing wine cellar vents This may be a bit of the beaten path but here goes.

I have a 150+ year old wine cellar in my yard with venting on the top. These vents are large, roughly 2x4 feet. They are also stone and rough hewn ending below ground level. Some are covered over with sticks and dirt, others open.

I'm concerned that these openings are a danger to kids and pets - it's a 20+ for drop.

How can I safely cap these off while still providing lighting / venting?

You will need to form up and pour/trowel a concrete frame to hold a steel grate. You should be able to find a local fabricator/welder who can make them custom to your size needs, or an internet search will reveal fabricators who will make and ship them to you.

Another option would be to build a wood version yourself. I believe you could build a "slatted cover" that would be plenty strong, but it would not provide as much ventilation as a steel grate and would require some frequency of maintenance. It would be significantly easier and cheaper, however.


Do I need to add a cardboard barrier around drain pipe before adding concrete When I removed the concrete to add an extension on the drain, there was cardboard wrapped around the drain pipe. Before I add new concrete, do I need to wrap the pipe with a barrier (or card) again - and what is the purpose of this?

I have used cardboard and styrofoam around pipes this helps in several ways and I would recommend at a minimum some heavy paper stock or cardboard and grease to allow for movement in desert or high temp zones. Just guessing based on the photo. No high water issues it is best to allow movement.


Grounding in main panel without visible ground wire or ground bar I am exploring a way to install an outdoor outlet out of my main electrical panel but I couldn’t find any visible ground bar(s) that the ground wires (in green color) can connect to, nor do I see a ground wire somewhere attached to any bars at all other than one that got attached to a bonding screw on the lower side of the panel.

Is it okay to connect the ground wire directly to the neutral bar (on the right) (it also looks like I don't have any slots available)? Just wondering whoever installed this box many years ago connected those ground wires to. Can anyone shed some light on this?  Thanks.

This panel is all done in metal conduit.  There are no ground wires because the conduit serves that purpose.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  Whoever went to all the trouble to use metal conduit, probably did it because that is a Code requirement in your locality. So continue onward in same vein.  Fit metal conduit e.g. into a knockout in this panel.  Run the conduit to your new recep location. Use a metal recep box.  Then throw two THHN wires into the pipe - white/gray for neutral, and any other color for hot.

As far as landing that wire on a breaker, just pick a breaker whose outlets are is unlikely to be used hard while the outdoor recep is.  Then pull the hot wire off its breaker, put a pigtail on the breaker, and join its original wire, and your new one with the pigtail.


Spilt bleach on stained hardwood floor Unfortunately upon moving into our new rented flat we have spilt a small amount of bleach (about the size of a large coin) onto hardwood floor.

Here is a picture:

Is there anything we can do such as re-apply varnish / screen the particular area that the bleach was spilt on and attempt to match the rest of the floor? Or will we need to completely sand it and start again?

Many thanks

I would "brighten" the bleached area with an oxalic acid based cleaner/brightner, frequently the base chemical in deck cleaners.  Neutralize with a base, like baking soda.  Once dry, try a dye or a pigmented stain.  If the color is close, seal it with a similar finish, typically a satin polyurethane.


Doorbell Transformer? Looking to update our transformer so we can install the Nest Hello. I believe I found it but wanted to verify if this looks correct?

That is not a transformer. It is a simple junction box with 3 cables.

This is what a doorbell transformer looks like. Notice the brown cable on the right. That is the type of cable you should be looking for to locate your transformer.


What could be tripping multiple GFCI breakers? I have 14 ground fault circuits split 7 on each side of my panel. I have recently had 5 or six trip on the left side and 1 or 2 on the right. It happens at all hours. It appears I have some kind of problem mainly on the left.
 It is a Square D box with all square D breakers and a single ground stake.
I have had all trip in bad storms before. Thinking maybe I need to add more ground stakes.

Any ideas of what could be tripping the breakers like this?

So Pat, the OP has not been seen since the day they posted, in Oct 2013. Hopefully this will be of help to new viewers

I had to comment that I highly doubt they have 14 GFCI breakers in their panel. I would all but guarantee that they are referring to AFCI breakers, and they are experiencing nuisance trips. Could even be that the breakers are the early SqD AFCI breakers that were recalled. This was very common of early AFCI breakers which is why you see so many subsequent incarnations.

I'll also add that grounding and bonding, or the absence thereof, would have NOTHING to do with nuisance tripping of AFCI or GFCI breakers.


Can I upgrade my hardwired smoke detector in apartment without triggering central alarm? I'm living in an apartment building and would like to upgrade one of two detectors in my apartment from an older hardwired detector to the new Nest Protect.

I purchased the battery-operated version of the Nest, and so would like to unplug the existing hardwired one.  The wire harness appears to have positive, ground, and an interconnected wire, but the interconnected one is cut and doesn't go anywhere.

Does this mean there is no communication with a central alarm?  Or will I potentially trigger a central alarm in my building by disconnecting it?

There is unfortunately only one right answer to this question: don't mess with the landlord's property.  In the USA at least the landlord is responsible for the alarm, and your touching it creates liability problems all around.

Beyond that, a typical central alarm for commercial properties uses a completely different signaling mechanism (you want to alert the central station but NOT the other apartments).  The nest simply does not play in that world, yet.


Fixing up a 1920 rowhouse - front wall - to insulate or not I tore down some 70s wood paneling in my front bedroom of a 1920 rowhouse and there is no insulation except for the plaster on top of brick.  Someone told me just to put on sheet rock(the plaster looks pretty back) and others are saying to put up the 2x4 frame and batt it down.  Problem is that I am going to lose 4" to do so..?  Being I am in between 2 attached row house, is the efficiency gained outweigh losing 4" off the front wall?  Also, I would have to re do the window framing not sure how to go about that as well.  I know sheet rock is the easiest way to go, but I want to make sure I am doing the right thing for a home I plan to stay in for many years.  Advice please before I move forward.

An inch of foam and a half inch of sheetrock might suit your space loss/window frame issues better and still be a lot better than no insulation at all. Just use longer screws into the brick, and perhaps some adhesive to reduce the number of screws you need (each screw is a heat leak.)

Being in an attached row house, the front and back walls and the roof are the main places you need/want/should have insulation, as they face the world, not your neighbors' interior spaces.


What can I do about this gap between a wooden board and the sink? The board already started to rot from below, so I need to replace it. How can I seal this small gap without having a permanent seal? The problem is that the boad is attached to the wall and I still want to be able to move the sink table away from the wall to get access to the tubes and things that fell behind the sink.

I have to say, this is a very uncommon situation. I have never seen a radiator behind a sink or heard of a movable sink table.  I guess you have your reasons, but would it be easier to put doors on the front of the "sink table" so you can access the plumbing etc without moving it?

With that said, the first thing I'd recommend would be replacing the wood board with a rot proof composite or PVC board. I'd add a 2 or 3 inch vertical splash board around the opening by the heater so water and objects won't fall down behind the sink. With the sink in place, maybe you could use a thin bead of acrylic door/window caulk to seal it to the wall and board.  If you find that you must move the sink on occasion, the acrylic caulk is easy to remove and simple to reapply. Another alternative you might try is  a strip of self adhesive rubber pillow style weather stripping to seal the gap between the sink and wall.


DIY glass shower door I have a bunch of tempered glass panels from disassembled patio doors.  I'd like to use one of these  panes as a shower door.  Most glass shower doors are hung with drilled holes or with cutouts in the glass.  Of course neither of these will work with existing tempered glass.

Option 1.

There exist non-bore hinges that clamp onto the glass.  Do these hold up and not creep with time.  Most of ones I've seen are for smaller doors.

Option 2.

Glue one half of each hinge to the glass using epoxy.  The  problem with this is getting the hinges co-linear enough that it doesn't bind.

Option 3.

As in option 2, but instead of gluing directly to the glass glue to a 2 mm layer of gasket material. This would absorb small amounts of misalignment, as well as tolerating some differential expansion between door and surround.  I'm thinking of something like a synthetic rubber.  This may require different adhesives.

Option 4.

Build a framed door from scratch.  Now the problem is to make it from something that tolerates being wet a lot.  I figure that the same panel that cabinets for outdoor kitchens are made from would work.  Other ideas?

Option 5.

Keep my shower curtain.

First you should be aware that "tempered" covers a range of glass properties. Some tempered glass is toughened where the pane is significantly stronger than ordinary annealed glass. However, when it breaks it does so into large, irregular pieces. Other glass is tempered in such a way that if the pane is broken, internal stresses reduce it to tiny pieces. This type is known as safety glass.

Panes that have their edges protected within a frame are typically toughened glass, and the stuff is surprisingly tough. Panes designed with exposed edges (such as shower doors) are typically safety glass. This is because edges are the weak point and a pane with exposed edges is much more likely to break. I recommend you talk with a glass company before proceeding. Broken panes can, and do take lives (usually from people running into closed sliding glass doors and bleeding out).

Concerning option #4 there is a product called Veranda. Home Depot sells it. It is solid vinyl dimension "lumber" that is worked like ordinary lumber. It is durable, easy to clean and 100% waterproof. It will make a good looking frame, and will bond to the glass using silicone caulk. You can securely fasten stainless steel hinges to this frame. The finished look will depend on your caulking skills. Sounds like a fun project. Good luck.


What is a proper way to support/suspend cat6 cable in a drop ceiling? I am trying to run some cat6 cable in the drop ceiling of my basement.  I want to run 3x CAT6-CMP cables that from what i understand should not rest on ceiling tiles.
From what i have read, the support needs to be attached to something other than the ceiling tile grid. J-hooks seem to be recommended/easy but i don't really understand where and how they need to be attached.
I have attached a couple of photographs of the area , i have highlighted in red the direction in which i want the cables to run.
Thanks

If you read up on the standards for datacom cabling, you might end up with your head spinning.  Those standards are very demanding and detailed.  They do make sense for big installations in commercial buildings, hospitals, data centers, etc.
But keep in mind, you'll also find tons of material based on partial understanding of the industry standards, and some rules that are just plain made up.
I'd focus on two things:

keeping your cables orderly and out of harms way above the ceiling
treating the cable gently, no kinks, creases, crimps, etc.,  so it performs as intended

J-hooks are a good way to take care of those two practical concerns.  The cables will just rest comfortably in the j-hooks.  If you decide to remove, replace, reroute, or add cables, the j-hooks will make it easy - you can just lift them out, and lay them back in.
If someone is working in the ceiling, and the bundle gets snagged and someone yanks on those cables, it's less likely to damage the cables - they won't be creased on something like a staple or cable tie.  And your install will satisfy most of those over-the-top standards, too.
You can screw j-hooks right to the joists.  The little screw you'll use for small j-hooks, maybe a #8, won't weaken the joist.  You can screw them into the face of the joist for bundles of cables running parallel to the joists.  You can position them so only about half an inch of the j-hook is on the joist and the rest of the j-hook hangs down below the joist.  If you need the cables running perpendicular to the joist, just bend the top half inch of the j-hook to a 90 degree angle, and screw it into the bottom of the joist.
The industry standards want you to limit the distance between j-hooks to 5'.  You can go further than that and probably never have a problem - people cut corners with this all the time in commercial installs.  Sometimes it's much easier to span 6' than 5' and unless there's someone very diligent checking the work, it goes unnoticed and nothing ever comes of it.
However in commercial buildings there's a lot more space above the drop ceiling, or you may be routing cables between bar joists 28' above the floor.  In residential basements like yours, I'd prefer as little sag as practical so the cables are out of the way.
So I'd go with more j-hooks so you have less sag.  If your joists are spaced 16" apart, you could try j-hooks 32" apart.  You'll spend a few dollars more on j-hooks but less sag makes it less likely you or someone else working up there in the future will mangle those cables.


Priming plaster wall for wallpaper I was wondering about priming, and possibly partially water proofing a plaster wall for wallpaper. Right now it is mostly covered by drywall mud to iron out the original (110 yr old) uneven surface but right underneath is plaster (about 3/4" thick) over brick. I would like to also apply any treatment that would act as, however modest, baffle against water penetration between the wall substrate and the wallpaper (minimize) as it may be exposed to accidental leak from the roof above. But my priorities are proper priming first and water insulation second.
E.g. can I just apply the wallpaper on the sanded drywall mud over plaster or should I first prime it with something like Killz 2?

Yes, you can wallpaper directly over the wall, but it is not recommended. Prepare for the future, you may want to change the wallpaper someday. If you don't use an appropriate primer you will never be able to remove the wallpaper without damaging the wall.


Help replacing a dimmer switch Hi. Hopefully someone can help me with this.  I have a dimmer switch that controls a ceiling fan with lights. I want just a regular on/off switch. When you run the fan it makes a noise unless the dimmer is jammed all the way up. It only controls the fan however there is a regular switch right next to it that controls a outlet.

It looks like this.

1 has a black wire connected to a piece of black wire which is connected to the switch. This seems pointless but what do I know. It also has a red wire connected to absolutely nothing.

2 and 3 have black wires connected together with a black wire coming out of that and going to the switch.

4s black wire is just connected to 2s white wire.

The remaining white wires are connected together.

Can someone please tell me how to wire this to a regular switch? And do I need a special switch? It seems like a awful lot of wires. The dimmer just says 600w120vac60hz5a

I was just going to shove it back in and deal with the ugly tan switch but I’m not sure about that red wire.  Any help would be great.

Disregard wires that are not part of your project

And leave them alone.  What those other wires are doing is scientifically interesting, but attempting to learn electrical wiring by disassembling ones house is out of the question. Much easier on everyone's nerves to get a "How To" book from the library and read it through.

The red wire is a spare, to allow switching of fan and fan-light separately.  You are not using it today.  That is a good sign, it means the builder actually intended that ceiling box for a fan, and presumably used fan-rated boxes.

Ground wires are very important, but they have a simple M.O. - every ground connects to every other ground. That's all they ever do. They don't need thinking about, so when trying to understand a circuit, you can disregard them.  Just don't forget them.

So we ignore all the things we don't care about, what's left? I see 2 wires.  Black and black.   Looking at a common light switch, I see 2 screws.   Easy as it gets.

Mechanically

Those extra wires are called "pigtails".  For the supply black, you need a pigtail.  For the other one, as you note it is redundant, and could just go direct to the switch.  (Either way is acceptable, I broadly use pigtails even when I don't have to, because it lets me attach the pigtails at a workbench instead of up a ladder).

If those pigtails are permanently attached to the dimmer, don't use them.  It will wreck a perfectly good dimmer to cut them, but they may be too small a wire size - often dimmers are provided with lighter wires, and UL allows that because they are pigtailed like this, but lightening up the wire is not allowed here.  However, these wires look like the same wire stock already in the box, look for screws at the dimmer: if you can remove them, just do so, and attach them to the new switch.

When attaching to the switch, two methods are generally available: shape a J-hook to wrap them around the screw (clockwise) then tighten...  or push them in a backstab hole which grabs them tight. The backstabs seem much easier, but are unreliable and cause a lot of weird problems later. If you have a better quality switch, the backwire  holes may be directly under the screws, those you tighten the screw to clamp the wire.  Those are OK.


How do I remove blown in attic insulation? I want to replace the drywall ceiling in my house. It's old and has been painted over a million times. Home was built in the 50s. How do I replace the ceiling without replacing the insulation? Or if I take out the insulation to replace it with new, is there a best way of doing it? Insulation is all blown in cellulose. Thought about just shoveling it into bags and into a dumpster. That would take a while. Home is one story. 950 sq ft. Seattle area.

Maybe you should consider putting a layer of 3/8" sheetrock over the existing ceiling. Find the strapping or ceiling joists, mark them on the wall, them go right over the old damaged ceilings.  This will save you a ton of work and mess, and not waste the insulation.  With the money you save, install extra insulation!


Is it normal for the A/C to be dripping from top pvc that's coming from attic? I thought I remember being told that water should drip (condensation) from the bottom pvc that comes out of the house but it should never drip from the top pvc.  I thought he told me that if it dripped from the top it meant the "pan" was full and needed to be emptied.  I was told recently that it's normal for them to both drip some because of the humidity right now.

I'm not sure which answer is correct and if there is something I need to do about it now.

When the forced air unit is in the attic sometimes the condensation is drained into a normal interior drain and a second, outside drain is used for overflow.  The overflow drain is in a visible place so you know that the main drain isn't working and you can fix it.  In fact I had this very problem a few weeks ago.

If you remember being told it should never drip from the upper drain, it sounds to me like it could be a secondary overflow drain.  In that case it would be worth getting it checked out.


How can I clear a slow running kitchen drain? My kitchen sink is draining slowly, even thought the U-bend is cleaner than a clean thing.

It seems to be the case there's a partial obstruction between the U-bend for and the inspection cover outside. As the only thing that feeds into this outside drain are the kitchen sink, dishwasher and overflow for a condensing boiler; and even though we're pretty obsessive about not letting fat or grease down there, I suspect there's a build up of detergent, and some fat.

If it were fully blocked, I'd happily get my plunger and give it a good going over, but as it's slow draining, and there are so many vents feeding into it, that's no use. I have tried snaking it, but that has only really ensured there's a 1/4 inch (out of a 1 3/4 inch plastic pipe) path for the first 6 feet - it doesn't feel like there's any really obstruction; Similarly, I'm able to push a hose pipe up from the inspection cover up towards the kitchen until it meets the point where the 1.75" pipe meets the 3" foul drain (I can hear the end of the hose tapping against the end). Any water jetted up from the outside flows away with no problem, and after a bit of work, is flowing clean.

I'm at a loss as to how to clear the rest though, so the drain runs clearly, and without backing up the overflow for the central heating and out into the cupboard under the sink.

Are there any options other than calling a plumber out, who may have a longer / larger bore snake?

Get a drain cleaning water bladder of appropriate size for your pipe.  They should have them in the UK.  They are readily available in the US and Canada. Hook it up to a garden hose.  Take off your kitchen sink's trap (the U pipe) and feed it as far as you can into the drain pipe.  Turn on the water to the garden hose, and it will likely clear out whatever you have in there.


How should I go about installing a 12 volt DC residential circuit? I have a couple deep cycle batteries that trickle charge from a solar panel, for emergency use. Right now the only way I get useful power from them is to use a 12VDC -> 120VAC inverter, e.g. the type that can hook up to a car battery.

I'd like to semi-permanently install the batteries in the basement and set up a couple 12-volt circuits for daily off-grid use. E.g. maybe installing some 12 volt LED lamps, or removing the wall warts on some of my electronics.

Is there any standard for wiring residential 12 volt circuits? Is it even legal? I can't find anything on wire gauge recommendations, outlet and plug shapes, etc. I've seen some generators, e.g. this one, have a 12VDC receptacle with two angled blades, but I can't find anything like that at the usual retailers and I'm not sure if that's a standard receptacle shape or not.

Does anyone have any experience or guidance on where to get started for 12-volt DC residential circuits?

(This is more a side project to help reduce my electric usage and take advantage of the solar panel I already have than a serious source of emergency power. I'm not interested in a generator.)

What you're describing is basically what you'll find in an RV. However, it's not likely to be as useful as you might wish.

The "12V" in the name of a lead-acid battery is nominal. The actual voltage might vary between 10V and 15V. Most electronics can't tolerate that kind of variation. Audio components can suffer from ground loops. Even though many devices in our homes run on DC today, AC is still a good choice for power distribution.

In an RV, most of the 12V goes to lighting and fan motors, which simply get brighter/darker or faster/slower, within that range of voltage. The variation may not be ideal, but it still works.

Since your voltage is 1/10th that of conventional house wiring, your current will be 10x as much. That means the conductors will need to be much thicker - more copper, and more expensive.

Once you have both 120VAC and 12VCD in your house, it's annoying to switch back and forth between 120VAC and 12VDC. Whatever you set up, consider a 12V converter for when you have shore/grid power, so your 12VDC devices can be used all the time.

A widely-used standard for DC outlets is the "cigarette lighter" plug. If you install them in your walls, I recommend labeling each one with the max current.

Be sure to put fuses on each circuit, at your distribution block. And a master fuse as close to the battery as possible.

When a lead-acid battery charges, it releases hydrogen gas. If you're going to put that system indoors, you need ventilation to clear the gas, and prevent an explosion. Alternately, you can use sealed lead-acid batteries ("SLA"), but they're more expensive.

Be very careful to keep your two wiring systems separate. Don't ever run them in the same conduit or junction box. Labels on the low-voltage will help avoid mixups in the future.

The cheapest, simplest, most reliable way to provide emergency backup power to a home is a generator with a transfer switch. Even RVs with batteries and solar panels will have a generator.


How do I mount a second ceiling light from the same junction box Have an existing ceiling fixture (pendant) that is wired to a switch. I'm interested in wiring another light to the same fixture, A simple track light like this one.
I understand that as per code, all connections need to be made inside a junction box. Trying to think of a creative way that I can wire this light (or a similar light) into the existing light on the ceiling while keeping  the current pendant.
One thought was running conduit from the box, and then externally mounting another box for the new light. I-realize this is not a very elegant or aesthetic solution but that is not what most concerns me.

You could use surface mounted box's and raceway.
You would need one box extension on the existing box, this will allow you mount your pendent and then run a raceway, containing the wiring, to a second surface mounted box.
The examples i linked to are all not the same brand, just examples to illustrate what i am talking about. If you go to the home centers electrical dept you will find a section containing these types of products in various brands, sizes and parts to allow you to configure any type of surface mounted raceway/box's.
Of coarse you will need wire, wire nuts, tools and the appropriate knowledge to work with electricity in order to do it safely.


This hole in a concrete porch needs fixing I might buy this house and have never lived there.

The porch has an big air space of maybe 4 feet underneath the slab. Some of the rebar at the bottom edge of the slab is visible when peering in. The rebar is not the small round stuff; it's more like the T-shape metal 'fence post' thicker design.

Of course, the crack also needs repair. There are other smaller, less visible cracks.

The hole has been there for a long time so the concrete around the hole feels a tad crumbly.

The porch is perhaps 6 x 20 feet. I didn't measure the slab thickness, but it's probably 4-6 inches. There is a basement block wall towards the back side underneath.

If it is not a good idea to use a strong concrete patch, why not?
Otherwise, if it is not a good idea to open up the hole a little and fill the huge air space with something, perhaps a concrete slurry, why not?
How about using a Trex or wood product (or some stamped design) to re-cover the porch after patch since it would otherwise look ugly?

Thanks.

Knowing that the earth has subsided from underneath the porch (and it's all cracked, anyway), I'd ask for a discount along the lines of what it would cost to bust it up, throw it away and re-pour it.

I bet I could sink that porch into the basement with a hammer. Move on to the next house, unless you both want to play the discount game.

If you're going to call out a truck to pour 12+ yards of concrete, you might as well have a nice, entirely new pour. If we really want to get into how to 'fix' this, we'd need a lot more pictures and knowledge of the substrate in this particular situation.


How to move a washing machine? I need to move my washing machine for a couple of days to a friends place due to some construction in my place.

I remember that when I first bought it the seller, when delivering it, removed a security brake, that is used to transport the machine without damaging it.

I would like to know how important it is to brake the machine for transport and how to do it.

Packaging braces are used because shippers aren't concerned about being careful, and appliances may travel thousands of miles by any number of carrier types.

Use reasonable caution when you lift and convey the washer and it'll be fine.


Nomenclature for water management objects Building roofs and parking lots cause prevent rain from naturally entering the ground.   A bird's eye view of a building shows a footprint where water can not drain into the ground and must drain into non-footprint areas.  Other objects such as tiled patios can effectively increase the footprint of roofs and parking lots.

A larger 'object footprint' reduces the area for natural draining.

What is the correct term for 'object footprint', which prevents natural draining and its complement: land that permits natural draining of water?

Impervious Surface Area is the term you are looking for. The opposite - land that allows water to flow through - is technically "pervious" but more commonly referred to as "permeable".


need to dig in narrow rocky land We have very rocky land and need to dig about 3 feet (by 2 feet) next to the garage/home wall.  Is there a special equipment that will do the job without damaging the home's walls?
Thanks

It's called a pick and a shovel. Should take an hour or three. I own a backhoe - I don't try to get close to my foundation walls with it - that's inviting disaster. P&S is also inexpensive and can get anywhere, unlike equipment.

If you mean "solid rock" the answer is a bit different, clarify if that's the case. For rocky dirt (or any dirt) loosen with pick (and/or digging bar), remove with shovel.


Blower fan doesn't work in cool/auto or on modes I've read the posts with the opposite issue, which have been helpful (you guys are amazing!) but still no solution. Problem is that the blower fan does not come on when system is on "Cool" and fan is on 'auto' or when system is on "Off" and fan is on "on". Interestingly, we discovered fan comes on when system is on "Heat" and fan is on "auto".

Things I've checked and tried:

Replaced thermostat first; no issues w/ install
Blower motor capacitor was weak but have now replaced
Tested motor by testing common wire to each of the speed wires (High, Med, Low), all showed about 7-10 ohms
Relay seems to check out, and the switch does go on/off when we turn the fan "on" or "auto" on the thermostat. So I think the thermostat is working fine, but fan still doesn't come on.
Since the issue seems to be on the cooling/fan side, I was convinced that we had an issue with one of the green or yellow wires connecting the thermostat to the relay or the relay to the fan/main limit, etc. So I tested continuity on the connecting wires by disconnecting for example, the orange between whatever you call the terminals where the thermostat connects and the bottom of the relay.  I tested continuity on 5 different yellow or orange connectors, and all looked fine (i.e. 0 ohms).
Longshot, and earlier in the process, I tested the Door Interrupt Switch and it was fine.

I must not be understanding some part of the wiring that affects cooling and the fan, but not the heat. Could the Fan and Limit Controller be the culprit?  I am guessing not, because it seems that this relates to heating (a shutoff if plenum gets too hot, right?) but would not affect cooling or just running the fan.
I am so frustrated... could use your help. thank you so much.

If you want anything close to an accurate answer. You're going to have to tell us a bit more about the wiring between the thermostat and the furnace, or include some photos of the wiring. And include make, and model numbers for all the equipment involved.

Most furnaces manage the blower themselves during a heat call, i.e. the thermostat simply energizes the W wire. Some also manage it during a cool call, but not all do. So when calling for cooling, the thermostat usually energizes both Y for cooling, and G to turn on the blower.

Since you say the blower doesn't come on for cool calls, or when the fan switch is moved to the ON position. That points to a problem with the "fan circuit". Between the thermostat and the furnace, there should be a wire (usually green) connected to the G terminals of both devices.  When this wire is energized, it tells the furnace to start the blower.  Some furnaces have an on/off delay, so the blower may not come on immediately. On some units, this delay is adjustable.

Since you haven't told us the make and model of any of the equipment, there's no way to be specific about what happens in your furnace. Some furnace control boards have terminals for HEAT, COOL, and FAN. While others may only have HEAT, and/or FAN.  The motor speed wires are connected to these terminals, to allow the furnace to run the blower in different speeds depending on the situation.

The first thing I would do, is test for voltage between the grounded ("neutral") and the COOL terminal on the board, during a cool call.  If you measure about 120 volts (line voltage), that means the board is energizing the terminal to turn on the blower. This means there's a problem between the board and the motor, or with the motor itself.  If the terminal is not energized, then you'll have to start moving "back" through the circuit.

If the furnace is signalling for the blower to turn on, but the blower is not starting. You could try connecting a different speed wire to the terminal. Since the blower works for heat, you might try putting the wire that's on the HEAT terminal on the COOL terminal. If the blower fires up, you know it's a problem with the motor. WARNING: Don't run the system this way for long, you're just checking to see if the blower starts.

If the furnace is not signalling for the blower to turn on (no power to COOL terminal), then you'll want to start by making sure the thermostat call is reaching the furnace. Disconnect the wire connected to the Y terminal, and set the thermostat so it's calling for cool. Measure voltage between C (or the common side of the transformer), and the wire that was connected to Y. You should get about 24 volts AC. If you don't there's a problem with the thermostat, or the wire between the thermostat and furnace. If you do, then the problem likely lies within the control board.

Without more details about the system, it's impossible to offer any more specific advice. It's possible that there's an open limit, which is preventing the blower from turning on. However, without a schematic, there's no way to know if there are any limits that might be involved.


Not level where drywall and backer board meet In process of replacing a one piece fiberglass stall shower. Have removed it and put up backer board but line where backer board meets drywall is not level. I'd say drywall is maybe as much as 1/2" over backer board at worst places. All 3 walls already backer boarded, taped and mudded. How can I get seam more level before I start to install tile?

Once you tile, it wont' be that far off. However, if you aren't planning to use thick tile, you may worry about that edge potentially seeing a lot of water. However, there's a lot of ways to deal with this:

Install a plastic corner bead where the drywall meets the backer board and plaster over it. (I'd probably solve this way)
Install some matching chair-rail or bull nose tile that could hide your mistake.
If your mud isn't set yet, just remove the backer board from the wall and add some strapping behind it.
Finally, you could just add add another layer of backer board.


What metal is along the top of a plaster wall in a 1930s house? I have a house built in the 1930s with lath and plaster walls. I was planning to install a hook, so I needed to find a stud. My normal stud finder didn't work (as expected), so I used some rare earth magnets. However, I found that there is about 3-4 inches of something metal all along the top of the wall. This seems to extend to every wall on the floor. I am fairly new to this era house - what could be along the top of all the walls that would be made of metal?

It is likely to be "drywall bead " used to make joins between plasterboard at internal an external corners. It makes it easier for builders or renovators to produce a clean sharp corner.


Large gap around new toilet due to improper floor installation I recently replaced one of my toilets and ran into a snag.  I have another toilet to replace in the not-too-distant-future and I expect that I will encounter the same problem.

The bathroom has a newer floor, and after taking up the toilet I discovered that the new floor was simply laid on top of the old floor. Rather than replacing the toilet at the same time or at least taking the toilet up to install the floor properly, the new floor was cut to fit the body of the toilet as snugly as possible.  Of course my new toilet has a different footprint than the old toilet, and rests on the new floor at the back of the toilet but the old floor at the front.  I very-roughly hand cut some pieces of flooring and doubled them up under the front of the new toilet to at least keep it level.  This still leaves a large gap that I need to some how cover/fill.

I'm not sure what the best way is to deal with this. It hasn't been the highest on my list of things to work on, but this weekend my kids were taking a bath, splashed lots of water out of the tub, and some of it dripped into this space.  It seems to be drying up fine, so I'm not worried about water damage (the old floor is linoleum and it is a one story house, so there is concrete below that).  As a result of this event I figured that sealing the toilet to the floor would be a necessity, but apparently that might be controversial.

Regardless of whether or not I need to seal the toilet, I still don't want it to look this ugly forever.  Is there any way to fix this up without ripping up the floors?

I ended up getting this fixed in what I suspect is the only way it would get fixed - I had the floor fixed.  I was planning on doing it myself but when the toilet started leaking a bit (presumably because of some residual rocking due to the uneven floor) I finally just hired someone to come out and fix it quickly and correctly.

The toilet was conveniently located in a small alcove, maybe 4'x4' (wall on one side and the back, open in front, and a 3 foot wall on right).  This made it easy to pull up the toilet, pull up a minimum of floor (about 8 "planks" total), and properly cut the floor so that it fits snugly around the toilet flange.  The toilet was then reinstalled normally, and it looks perfect.  If I had more time it would have been a very easy DIY project.  Fixing the floor probably didn't take more than an hour total.


How do I stop backyard from flooding when it rains hard? Every time it rains hard, my backyard floods. The house is 54 years old, but this didn't start happening until maybe the last 4-5 years or so. Who should I talk to about fixing this problem, and what is the usual fix?

Put in one of these. It's a French Drain, it is also on this sites FAQ.
How do I build a French drain?

The need for a French Drain arises from a few problems, but usually from standing water in or around your home. This is caused by poor drainage, usually from clay rich soil or overly compacted soil. A French Drain will relocate the water very efficently. Link tot he question above for specifics.


Refinishing slate tiles with worn-out portions We recently moved into a home that has slate tiles in the bathroom, but the tiles don't seem to be well-maintained, and they have several areas where the lacquer finish has worn off, probably due to water buildup.

What would be the best way to fix these areas? Is there a product that I can apply that will effectively refinish the problem areas and restore the color to the tile?  I'd like to try to avoid having to strip and refinish the entire floor.

I actually did a spot test on one of the tiles where I etched off the problem portion and applied some sealer (TileLab sealer & finish), but it turned the color just ever-so-slightly darker, and nowhere close to the original dark green color of the rest of the tile. What could be going on?

I would start with a light acid etch or whatever you do to reseal and bring a shine out will magnify the surface scum/ effervescence.
I use muriatic acid and water with this I would start out with a weak solution 30:1 with possibly a max of 15:1.

I would mix up a small batch remembering to always add acid to the water AAA to prevent a thermal reaction that happens if water is added to acid.

Safety glasses and rubber gloves will be enough safety gear and a good idea to have the vent fan on or window open. I would sponge the areas staying away from the grout or not etching the grout as heavily.
Once the surface looks good rinse the sponge and then rinse the etched area at least 3 times and make sure it is fully dry Pryor to coating with a quality sealer.

The reason I suggest trying not to etch the grout it may really change colors and then the entire floor would need to be etched so the color will match.
Start with a weak solution and possibly 2 or 3 wipes of fresh solution prior to going stronger is the best advice I can provide.

Muriatic acid can be found in pool supply stores and most lumber / big box stores as this is commonly used to balance the ph in pools and to etch concrete and stone products.


How do we repair a hole in our basement foundation wall and the floor? Our house was built in 1924. There's a hole in the foundation wall that we need to patch up.
I know we can replace the bricks but what do we fill in the hole with?
Directly over it upstairs (in the front room) is an old wood fireplace that has been replaced with an electronic heater the last owner added to the house.

It is to remove ashes from the fireplace that is above it. So there will be a shaft up to the fireplace. I would  only fill in the hole shown and not fill the shaft.


Do I have to worry about Bimetallic corrosion corrosion in this compression fitting? I had an old fridge in my basement with an ice maker and water dispenser. I want to hook it up to my bathroom sink. I have a bunch of spare 1/4" fittings in my toolbox. The only problem is my compression fitting that came with the fridge is this silver metal. My compression fittings are all brass. Previously that silverish compression fitting was connected to a copper line with a brass compression nut around it, and it worked just fine. I just want to make sure that I don't have a risk of a flood from bimetallic corrosion in the distant future.

requested to make an answer:
I believe you will find it is nickel plated brass, This is a common type of fitting and there would not be a problem. One of the largest problems for galvanic corrosion that I have seen is between copper and galvanized. A dielectric union helps but with a high mineral level in the water some corrosion can bee seen in just a few years. Most of the compression fittings for bathrooms & kitchen sinks are nickel plated brass it keeps them from growing green stuff on the brass and it is quite common.


Old house. Front porch light wiring is piped so need to know how to install an outlet box. Pic attached I removed the old front porch light and found that the old wiring is being run through a pipe that sticks out about 1/2”. I can’t install the new light because it needs to  flush to an outlet box. Ideas?

The picture shows an armored conduit holding the wires. You could mount a box by removing the nut and mounting a box through a knockout at the back of the box, replacing the nut on the inside. You'd want to make sure it's rated for outdoor since it's exposed.
I'm not sure what type of base the light has and whether or not it will cover the box once you mount it or if that's important to you.
In this particular application code may allow you to attach the light directly to a mounting bar attached to the nipple. However, before you do that check codes. One of the electrical pros here might help you with that.


Power everywhere after turning off the main circuit breaker something weird happens in my house. I switched off the main circuit breaker for the house in order to change some light sockets and surprise - when i double checked with AC voltage tester I got positive on the light bulb socket. Not only that, I tried few more places - the tester detects power everywhere, but not only on the hot wires - the neutral ones started to trigger my tester too (before switching the breaker off, and after switching it on again i got power only from the hot wires only). I know the tester is good, as i have small diode indicator on the light switches and they are still working after turning off the main breaker. No lights or electric appliance worked tho, so i think it's some low voltage current flowing.
So it seems when my main breaker is off - not only the power is still on, but it's flowing in the neutral wires too.
What could be the problem?

Update:  Every reading was measured also with phase meter and multi-meter with the same results.

Thanks!

Update 2: Photo of the circuit board with the breakers (old school):

It's possible the panel you have illustrated is one of several such panels serving power into the unit, so you may need to do an exhaustive search for any others.

It complicates things if this building has more than one unit.   Wiring to the other units could be still energized obviously... And this could create false readings on test equipment (capacitive coupling) -- or there could be actual cross-connection between the units, so your unit might not be fully de-energized unless others are too.

Cross-connection could be a load in your unit served out of their circuit... Or even a neutral cross, where their load is served from their panel, but it uses the neutral on your panel, and if you sever that neutral wire which has current flowing through it, the upstream side will be energized to 230V.

A lot of testers are complete junk, or are not made for house wiring and need some skill to successfully apply.

A common night light is surprisingly useful.   It is simple, honest and  not particularly reliable, which means you must check and double-check it. I honestly find them more useful than 3-lamp testers, though those are OK for a final check for new outlets.

Plain old analog voltmeters with the moving needle are useful.

Digital voltmeters (DVM) are useful but a little tricky.  They are so sensitive they can pick up micro-currents from capacitive coupling, which happens when a dead wire runs physically parallel to a still-energized wire. So you have a DVM a reading of 109 volts on a 120V circuit that you thought was turned off - plug a night-light in, and the voltage mysteriously disappears.

If the electricity is powerful enough to illuminate any light, even an indicator light -- that's not capacitive coupling, that's genuine power.


Why are furnace/central AC blowers so inefficient? I can buy a ceiling fan from Home Depot capable of moving 5,000 CFM of air for about $50, and it uses a mere 50-60 watts while doing it. By contrast, most furnaces seem to have blowers that operate in a much lower CFM range but use humongous 1/2 or 3/4 horsepower motors that use 600 watts or more when energized.

How does this make any sense? Why is a 1/2 horsepower motor or larger were required for a furnace or central AC but a ceiling fan can get away with such a smaller, more efficient motor and move more air? Or is a ceiling fan CFM not the same as a furnace blower CFM? Is it that the blower requires a much higher RPM to push the air through the ductwork, so the blower CFM is more like a "delivered" value rather than a "supplied" one?

Is it possible to replace these beasts with more efficient versions? Do such things exist?

Okay, so I think I figured out the reason, and I learned a lot about HVAC in the process.

The answer is that a ceiling fan is moving air at basically zero "static pressure." Static pressure in an HVAC context means the amount of resistance that the air has to moving. In a free environment, that's zero, or close to it, but in a tightly restricted system of ductwork, it will be much higher. A ceiling fan is rated at such-and-such CFMs... but at zero static pressure. They don't tell you this because it's obvious; you're probably not mounting your ceiling fan in the opening of a four-foot-diameter cylindrical duct. If you found a curve of CFM versus static pressure for any given fan, it would probably drop off steeply. But of course there would be no reason to because the whole point of a ceiling fan is not to push  air through a duct, but to circulate it in an open room, so the motor is optimized for that use case.

This is compounded by the fact that most ductwork is terribly done, so furnace manufacturers err on the side of oversizing the blower to make sure the unit isn't starved of air (causing it to operate poorly or even die early), or incapable of supplying the living environment with the required heat. Either of these things would make people blame the furnace and make the furnace company look bad.

So the short answer is that you have to use a powerful blower in an HVAC system because ducts suck. A ductless unit/system could probably get away with a much less powerful blower because it wouldn't have to work nearly so hard.


Can beams be up against a post base like this? I'm building a 12x16 ground-level deck in my backyard (not attached to the house). I'll have 4x6 beams anchored to concrete footing.

My question is: can I install a 4x6 ledger beam that will have its ends up against a post base (the beam will be supported by Simpson Strong-Tie framing angles)? I'm hoping my Sketchup model will illustrate clearly what I'm trying to explain. For some reason I don't think you can/should, but I don't know anything about building decks (I'm learning as I go!). Any help/advice would be awesome. Thanks.

There is nothing wrong with this from an architectural standpoint.   Honestly you should only have tied in framework touching the support posts.   Meaning here - if the footing heaves, the ledger is failing no matter what.   Either it adjusts because of the tie or the concrete, result is the same.

It would be against standards (and maybe code) to have non-tied framing laying on or within a micro-distance of the support posts.

Being practical though, this is poor design.   At least give yourself some wiggle room.   I would say 2" at least.   What if one of your pours doesn't set right, what if your measurements were slightly off level, whatever.   I wouldn't want to have to shave concrete out to make the ledgers level.

So my answer is in theory fine, but not practical.  Also it sounds like you are a DIYer and haven't built 40 decks.   Don't make things so hard on yourself.


How to secure shoe moulding against metal frame A wall of our home has floor-to-ceiling windows and an integrated sliding door. The wood flooring butts-up directly against the metal frames of these windows and door. Though the flooring was cut very accurately to align with the frames (minimal gap) it still looks a bit unfinished without some sort of trim. Additionally, parts of the metal frame are prone to condensation in the winter and I would like to create a barrier that helps prevent any drips of water from running down the metal all the way to the sub-floor.

My thinking was that a simply strip of shoe molding, with a thorough poly top coat, could be used. Here's the the area with the molding before being slid into place:

And now with the molding in place:

What I don't know is how to secure and seal this molding. It should be secured to the wall to allow room for expansion of the flooring, but I do not think it's feasible to nail/glue into a metal frame. Would it be problematic to nail/glue directly to the flooring in this situation? Additionally, is there an appropriate way to "seal" the gap between the molding and metal frame, such as a silicon-based caulk? The pictures above actually show the condensation drips that I am worried about traveling beneath the flooring. If this condensation eventually does cause damage I'd rather it be isolated to the molding then getting into the flooring/sub-flooring.

The only option is to nail it to the floor. If you attach it to the door frame, it will be too flimsy.

You could try an epoxy sealant, but water will get in anyway. Preventing water ingress requires a structure that is designed for it.

I wouldn't worry about condensation. Normally, its only when you have a steady flow of water that there is a problem.

Caulk will not do anything. Sometimes at the marina I see funny boats where the owner thinks they can keep out water with caulk. They get a leaky window because they have a sucky boat, so they get the idea in their head that all they have to do is seal the window with caulk. The leak continues. So, they reason they need to use more caulk. You can guess where this is headed. Soon, the boat looks like it should be renamed "Count Caulkula".


Should I caulk around this drain pipe? I've got an interesting drain layout in the kitchen.  Our water supply lines to the sink come up straight through the floor as is typical around here.  However, the drain does not.  It drops down and over at an angle and goes into the wall before dropping into the crawlspace.  This is an outside wall, and I'm in a region that can see as low as -20 F during the Winter.

Currently, the drain pipe goes through a larger hole which is not caulked/sealed in any way.  I'm sure I'm losing heat in the Winter because of that.  However, I'm concerned that if I were to caulk around it that I might encounter freezing issues.  Is freezing in drain pipes a thing to worry about at all?

You should seal that hole to keep vermin from passing through and to insulate. Any traps (the "u" or "p"-shaped drain fixtures that maintain a water-seal to prevent sewer gases from venting into your home) should be prevented from freezing, but those are usually located under the sink fixture outside of the wall. Some bathtubs and showers may be an exception to this, but in freezing locales these traps are usually placed in a location normally protected from freezing (like an interior wall or basement).


Must I upgrade this bathroom circuit from 15 amps to 20 amps? I have long known that the electricians who originally wired my house did some questionable things, one of which is putting every GFCI-protected outlet in the whole house (besides the kitchen) on one circuit protected by one GFCI outlet; this includes two outdoor outlets, one outlet in the guest bath, and two outlets in the master bath.  And it's a 15 amp circuit.

I'm now replacing the recessed light in the walk-in shower (in the master bath) with a fan/light combo. Naturally, the electricians did not GFCI-protect that light, so I want to move it to the GFCI-protected line coming into the master bath (the most "downstream" end of that GFCI-protected string).   While I'm at it, I want to create a new branch circuit for the master bath (leaving the two outdoor outlets and the other bath's outlet on the original circuit).

My question: does code require that I make that new circuit 20 amps?  "Yes" because current code wants 20 amps circuits to baths and I'm doing new work, or "no" because I'm simply splitting an old circuit that (apparently) was compliant at 15 amps?

GFCI lights and fans

  Naturally, the electricians did not GFCI-protect that light, so I want to move it to the GFCI-protected line coming into the master bath

Naturally.  Lights and fans don't need GFCI protection.  However fans do have a tendency to have minor ground faults.  Is there a reason you want to protect them?

Keep in mind there's a side effect; if you feed your lights off the same outlet as your bathroom appliance receptacles, and you have a ground fault in an appliance, it will kill your lights.  So you'll be standing there in the dark holding a 400 degree curling iron with no idea of where you can set it down.

Bathroom receptacles must be GFCIs.  Nothing else need be, but you might want to GFCI (or convert to low voltage) lights inside showers.

Bathroom circuits, grandfathered

If the scope of work does not allow you to easily replace a wiring run, it should be grandfathered, i.e. you are allowed to keep the old run and do the best you can with it.  If the scope of work is large enough to make changing the wire easy, then the grandfathering is broken and you must replace.

installing a new 15A circuit to a bathroom is Right Out, since obviously, if you can install a new 15A circuit, you can install a new 20A circuit just as easily.

Bathroom receptacles must be on ...

A bathroom receptacle must be on a 20A circuit that is shared only with other bathroom receptacles (in any number of bathrooms).

Or, a bathroom receptacle must be on a 20A circuit that serves only loads (of any kind) in this same bathroom.

Take your pick.

That said, there's a big problem with either setup.  Almost every heat-making bathroom appliance (hair dryer, curler, straightener) is a 1500W heater.  It would be better if they were higher wattage (they are in Europe), but UL caps them off at 1500W.   You cannot run two 1500W appliances on a 20A circuit.

So once again, as NEC constantly says, it is a code book of minimum requirements, not a design guide of best practices.   So anybody who puts one (1) 20A receptacle circuit in their bathroom because Code tells you to ought to think again.  This is exactly where a DIYer should use his powers of DIY to build the system that works for you, not do the bare minimum  like a contractor would.


Is it safe to touch wire testing at low to medium voltage on a 14 or 12 gauge wire, 15 or 20 amp (current) circuit? Title is the question.

I'm using a Klein NCVT- 3 Voltage tester with a bar graph indicating voltage, and don't see anything in the instructions, and haven't ran across anything in a textbook or internet on this.

Voltage tester is testing at 2 out of 5 bars, still yellow, not red.

Voltage meter indicates <2 Volts.

No!
A non-contact tester is used to double-check that a circuit is on/wired correctly (i.e., if it doesn't light up when expected, then there is a problem) or off (i.e., if it lights up when you don't not expected, then there is a problem). When used to check that a circuit is off, that is typically to make sure that it is safe to work on the wiring:

Check circuit is on (using tester or by checking that light or appliance is on)
Turn off breaker or remove fuse that you think controls the circuit
Check circuit is off (using tester)

Remember, it takes a tiny fraction of an Ampere (GFCIs are rated in milliamps) at 120V to kill. SAFETY FIRST.
All that being said, there can be phantom voltage from another circuit or there could be low voltage (telephone, network, doorbell, thermostat) - neither of which would be a problem.
The ground wire ("exposed copper wire") under normal circumstances will carry no current at all except when there is a fault in a circuit. There are limited circumstances (certain types of switches) where a very small amount of current is allowed on the ground wire. However, there are a number of other incorrectly wired situations that could cause dangerous current on the ground wire without any obvious fault, including:

Ground used instead of neutral - e.g., need two hots + neutral + ground, only have hot + neutral + ground, improperly used neutral wire as a hot and ground wire as neutral
Neutral and ground connected together where they shouldn't be, allowing all neutral current to flow on both neutral and ground
Wires simply connected to the wrong places and "happen to work", but quite dangerous.

The only way to tell for sure is to check the voltage with a multimeter. The finger test is NOT RECOMMENDED.


Can indoor cable be connected to outdoor cable of the same gauge? i want to run power to my shed but i can cover about 1/2 the distance from my panel to the shed by running wire through the house. I've got a bunch of regular 14-2 cable left over from a previous wiring job so rather than running the whole job in underground cable, i'd rather just buy outdoor cable for the part that's outdoor. just wondering if you know if this is allowed. I'd splice the lines together using a junction box.

There's no problem doing what you want, as long as the junction is in a dry location.


Can Thinset be used for covering cement driveway or garage cracks and small holes? I have small holes and cracks in my cement driveway and garage floor. Can thinset be used to level these floors?

Not the best option for the problem.

This product may help


How to remove rusted remains of kitchen sink tailpiece? While taking out an rusted tailpeice it broke and you can see what was left in the pvc pipe.

How can I remove the rest of the tailpiece?

Update: Also how would I know which tailpiece size to replace it with.

Update: I ended up cutting just below the T-connection thing. Installed new PVC including the new PVC tailpiece. Before I put all that back though I realized I probably would never have that much space under the sink and replaced the faucet and supply tubes.

Last question, should I replace that curled up supply tube on the left with a shorter one to put less stress on the tap?

Thanks again everyone!

I think I would just be inclined to replace both the tail piece and the PVC pipe (and trap if necessary).  You might be able to get it out without damaging the pipe but more then likely you will at minimum, rough up the surface inside which might just attract gunk to stick to it over time. It's probably easier than trying to remove it too.  This should not be an expensive repair.

As far as what to replace it with, you need to measure the diameter of the existing piece and the distance between the trap and the sink. Make sure to account for the overlap needed for the fittings - better to have it a bit too long and cut it down.


Sewage smell from kitchen sink area (An update is below the pictures.)

We just moved to our house in November and had to buy a new dishwasher. We had installers install it for us. A couple of months ago, we started noticing a bad odor around the kitchen sink area, and we couldn't pinpoint what was causing it. A couple of weeks ago we noticed the smell was triggered when we started running the dishwasher but not all the time.

The other day, I placed a cup of vinegar in the dishwasher and ran it, and there was no smell during that cycle. It returned when we filled it with dishes and ran it later that day.

I have noticed the smell at times when I walk into the house after going out. I have also noticed it at our laundry closet, which on the other side of the room of the kitchen. We did have a plumber come out once before we figured out a trigger for it, but he didn't find anything. Of course, the smell wasn't triggered, either.

We're on the city water lines and sewer. I'm attaching pictures of our kitchen sink drainage system. I really want to know how to get rid of this odor once and for all. Apparently, the house has a very potent smell at this moment but I'm not there right now, and the dishwasher is not running.

Update

One of the answers below suggested that the action of the dishwasher draining would siphon the water from the other P-traps. After conducting a test, I concluded that this was not happening. After running the dishwasher, I double-checked the two other P-traps. They were full of water, so I accepted that even though the configuration is not standard, it still does work.

I found out that if I run the furnace fan, it triggers the odor, and there is a vent opening directly under the kitchen sink, which you cannot see in the pictures above because it under the cabinetry. It is a concrete slab foundation.

I contacted a plumber for assistance. He suspected a busted sewer line, so we contacted a sewage cleaning company. They came and discovered a lot of roots in the sewer drain, so they cleaned it out. There was immediate relief from the odor. The roots were causing a blockage, but nothing was actually coming out of the drains. You'll find out why in a minute. After a week, we could still trigger the odor, so we knew something else was going on. We contacted the sewer guys again to stick a camera in the duct work under the sink. They found sitting water. Egads! They ran the water on the kitchen sink and discovered flowing water (not even a drip, but a major flow) into the duct work sourced somewhere close to the kitchen sink. Conclusion: there is a leaky drain pipe in the concrete slab that is just above the duct work to cause it to fill with water.

Because it was drain pipe leak, I contacted my warranty company. We bought the house in October, and it came with a 1-yr warranty. They gave the name of their technician indicating there was a $75 deductible. Fine. He got there, and I explained the situation to him. Apparently, plumbers don't have cameras to use. We spent an hour just explaining and describing the situation. He told me to call back in a week if I hadn't heard from him. I called him today; he said he'd call me back after lunch; that he had just left a message to the warranty company. The warranty company called me back this morning:
"We don't cover leaky pipes in the concrete slab."
Boom!

Your undersink setup is quite unusual.
Normally you wouldn't see three independent P-traps.

What's happening is that as your dishwasher drains its siphoning water out of the other traps. This allows sewer gasses to rise through the sink drains.

To correct this, have your undersink area replumbed to have only one P-trap with the other drain sources connecting before the single trap. For your dishwasher this is quite simple because your garbage disposal has a nipple where your can attach the dishwasher drain hose. This has two main benefits. The first is that it shares a P-trap as discussed. The second is that any solids end up first in the disposal, rather than directly down the drain. There is a plastic plug in the nipple that would have to be removed before using it.

It's likely that you code forbids you from connecting the dishwasher directly to the disposal without the use of an air gap. An air gap installs at the sink above the counter and, among other things, prevents backpressure on the waste line.


My bulb is permanently on. Why? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Setting: Victorian house, kitchen.

Light switch.
1 red wire going into common.
1 red wire going into L1

Original set up in the ceiling rose.
1 black wire, neutral.
2 red wires in the loop on the ceiling rose.
1 red wire, live.

I recently changed my light fitting. I took all the wires out of the rose and connected them directly to a Habitat Fisherman light fitting.

It should have been simple.

Connect neutral to neutral. Earth to earth and live to live. Isolate the 2 remaining red wires into connectors.

I did that and the new light won't switch off. It's permanently on.

I tried changing the red wires in turn to figure out if i had connected the wrong red to red but there only seems to be one red wire that is live.
(I haven't done a pro test using measuring tools)

I  took a picture of the rose just after I connected the first red wire to a connector. Originally this wire was in a loop position.

To supplement what brhans says in his answer ...

Like this but without the middle cable (which is power to the next light & switch, not present in last ceiling rose on a circuit).

You have old colours - black instead of blue, red instead of brown.

Your electrician used the correct two-red cable for the switch, most electrician nowadays use the "normal" cable and put tape around the wrong-coloured wire to indicate it's actual purpose.


Water Heater Dripping and Hissing Internally I came home today and found that the gas water heater (traditional tank style) was not working.  The pilot light was out so I relit it and the heater came on.  After about 10 minutes I noticed that it had shut off.  There was a sound like water dripping on a hot surface coming from inside the tank, maybe a drop every few seconds.  The pilot light was once again out.  There is no sign of water on the floor.  Time to replace it?  The unit is a Whirlpool, about 10 years old.

In then end it was indeed the thermocouple.  At some point the water heater shut off and things got cold enough that condensation formed when it was restarted.  Since replacing the thermocouple, the problem has not reoccurred.


Electric oven: Bake and Broil not Working isherwood: Same oven as prior question, but new issue.

In bake mode, the broil and bake elements get warm.  Neither element gets hot.  In broil mode,  neither element gets warm.
The cycle lamp is on in each mode.  The controller terminals show proper continuity across all terminals in all modes.

The oven is a Hotpoint RK38T.  The controller is model WB22X5134.  All electrical and mechanical, no electronic components

I would appreciate comments on the cause and how to fix this issue.

New data: The voltage across the thermostat terminals shows 224 volts in broil mode.  I was expecting 110 volts because line 1 is not connected to the thermostat in broil mode.

First I am looking at your other post - thanks isherwood for linking , however you should have linked to it, to make it easier to read it..

You actually have a very similar issue and it could all be the same.

1: Did you check your range outlet for proper voltage.
You should have 110V on both phases to Neutral and if so equipped to ground.

2: Your elements could be broken at the heating element connection. Generally there is a screw type connection with a nut. Sometimes they are also insulated with a compound at these connections / pass throughs. The possibility is they could be cracked or broken completely - WHEN you have the oven UNPLUGGED and off - give a slight tug on the wires attached see if anything is loosey goosey or wiggly.

What voltage do you measure across the elements in each mode ?


Can I reinforce a beam by cutting the rotten part away and adding an extra piece instead? So here is the thing... I had this beam under a metallic veneer and water crept in and rot it. What I found by removing the metallic veneer, was this:

In the middle of this rotten area, parts of the wood are really eaten out and I can stick my finger in it. However, it is less than 50% of its thickness. That beam keeps the roof like in this sketch:

It seems like most of the forces from the roof would be on the sides, and not so much in the middle, which is, I think, good news.
So I'm thinking of options for this... Should I get a contractor? Should I do it myself? Should I replace the entire beam? Should I make a cut out and add a material? Should I add metallic brackets?
I think I would like to do it myself, but I would like to have some pros and cons from someone with more experience, as I never did anything like this before. I'm thinking that I will cut the rotten part, treat that area, leave it a couple of days, then fill it with another piece, like in the sketch below:

I'm thinking that by adding a Dovetail cut and a snug fit of the extra material, it will give a more structural strength than just a simple straight cut. Does anyone have any experience with this? What would be your advice on this situation? I can add metal brackets afterwards, but so far, I think this is the way to go...
EDIT: I went into the attic and noticed that the trusses look like this (see full sketch):

I think you have several options depending on how the roof is framed. There is some missing info so I’ll make some assumptions and you tell me if I’m wrong.
Option #1: Patch in wood. If the roof trusses span from side to side, then there is very little load on the beam. The beam has not sagged, which is an indication that it’s over sized. Therefore, you could remove the dryrot portion and not affect the structural integrity. (You’ll need to fill in what is removed, so the metal siding can be reinstalled.)
Option #2: Do nothing but stop the leak. An interesting thing about dryrot is that it stops once the moisture is stopped. You’ll need to reinstall the siding AND seal the siding joints. If the existing wood is too “punky” to hold nails and screws, then you’ll need to insert blocks of wood, similar to Option #1 to hold the siding.
Option #3: Restore the beam to its original “full strength”. This is the most difficult repair and is probably not required. You may cut the dryrot away and you don’t need a dovetail cut. Just cut the wood so that new wood can be glued back in place. You need lots of clamps and lots of wood glue. Essentially, you’ll be making a glu-lam beam. Make sure all surfaces are coated in glue and sufficiently dried. However, I believe this is overkill.
In all the options, the end connections need to be secured to the side beams. Depending on the design of the roof trusses, the beam is actually a “tie beam” and it’s purpose is to keep the side beams from spreading apart.


How do i install a wooden door frame to a brick frame wall? What are the process and steps to installing a wooden door frame to a brick frame wall?

If you're installing the frame in a new wall, then you should have 'tie-wires' embedded into a groove running up each side of the frame.
These are usually L-shaped lengths of galvanised wire about 4mm thick with the short leg of the L embedded in the groove in frame and the long leg sticking out.
The long leg is then embedded into the mortar between courses of bricks in the wall in at least 3 or 4 locations on each side of the frame.
If this is an exterior door then you should also have a strip of "DPC" (plastic sheeting) in the same groove running all around the frame and this keeps water from getting past the frame into the wall.

If you're replacing an existing frame, then it depends on how you've removed that one.
If you've knocked bricks out (or half-bricks) and will be laying new ones then you can continue as if this was a new wall and embed the tie-wires from the door frame into the new mortar between the bricks.
If you've just knocked an existing frame out, but left the brickwork as-is (still a neat rectangle without bits missing), then you'll probably have to drill through the door frame and mount the frame to the bricks with masonry anchors of some sort (something like the things often called 'rawl bolts' in SA). Choose positions where you would drill through into solid brick and not into the mortar between the bricks - those masonry anchors expand when you tighten them and, depending on the strength of the mortar, can sometimes just crack the mortar out of the joint.


new electrical outlets and switch pop breaker We have a house from the 1960s with armored cable and metal boxes.  I was trying to replace the outlets and a switch in the kitchen so they weren't almond/painted but the new outlets and switch keep causing the breaker to pop. I put the old one back and everything works fine again.  Is there something I am missing on old vs new outlets

Are you located in Canada? Was the tiny tab broken between the two gold screws on the receptacles?


is this the right way to ground fault protect both sides of an mwbc? is this the correct way to ground fault-protect both sides of an mwbc?
 pigtail the (line) neutral to two separate gfci outlets, and pigtail the (load) neutrals to the neutral that's going outside.

Close, but not quite.  From the point of the two GFCIs onward, the neutrals must be kept separate.

Consider: if you had a device drawing power on the black hot circuit from a load farther down the line, and nothing on the red, which GFCI would its neutral return current flow through?  Since they're just connected in parallel in your diagram, it would flow through both, and then trip both, since current out is not equal to current in within each GFCI.  If you separate the neutrals, you can make sure all the current from the black hot flows back through its proper GFCI, and none crosses over to the other one.

Also note that this scheme will fail if you use any 240V devices on this circuit.  The only way to do a mixed 120/240V circuit is with a 2-pole GFCI breaker.


The diagram shows 80" on the inside, with 4"x4" posts, why does it show 90" on the outside? I'm trying to understand the instructions for this pergola, but to me, there's a 2" discrepancy...

The diagram shows 80" on the inside, with 4"x4" posts, so why does it show 90" on the outside? Shouldn't it be 88" on the outside?
Thanks in advance for your help!

Well, I couldn't find your exact pergola at newenglandarbors.com, but similar ones did specify a 5" post. So the numbers might be right.

In any case, lay the parts out on the ground. The "bent" that's made up of two posts and the beam that sits between them will probably have a natural way that it goes together. Measure that width and set your base brackets accordingly.


How to strengthen cracking joint compound after application over insulating foam sealant Long story short, the wife is pregnant and wants the cats litter box  'outside.' My solution: put a 1'x1' hole in the wall ~10" deep between our living room and patio. Place a pet door over the interior hole. The inside of the wall needed to be enclosed so I put a frame inside the wall using 2x6. I sprayed that expanding insulation foam called Great Stuff all over inside. Let it dry, cut it to the shape of the hole. Sanded and applied joint compound. After it dried the insulation is of course soft so now the joint compound is cracking. I didn't use mesh tape. Since its in the wall it doesn't need to be pretty but it needs to be sturdy and uniform so the cat isn't digging out pits of wall. Is there something I can just lay over the cracking joint compound? Concrete patch ( or would I run into the same problem) or more mud?

I would like to avoid having to rip out the foam and mud I've already spent two days applying.

This has to be the dumbest thing I've ever done, please help!

Cut the foam flush, cover it with real drywall, and apply your mud over that.


What are the pros and cons of different types of windows? I live in the North Eastern corner of US, and my house has 50 year old single-pane wooden windows. They held up not too bad, considering, but now I want to replace them all. Things that are important to me are:

Decent energy efficiency (this, hopefully, is easy to judge -- the numbers are "printed on the box")
Durability (this is a tough one to know up front. All I know is that I hate broken seals)
Maintenance free-ness
Not astronomically expensive.

Coming from the IT world, I usually obsess with specs and numbers, and new shiny things tend to excite me -- after reading various stuff online for a bit, my thinking goes: "vinyl is cheap for a reason, wood is nice looking but requires maintenance, and fiberglass is where it's at!" But is it even the right approach? Should I stop obsessing about technology, and instead focus on finding a great manufacturer (under the assumption that great vinyl window will live longer then an average fiberglass one).

I guess my actual questions are:

Is window technology important? And if it is, then what's good?
What are the good window manufacturers?
What else am I missing (let's talk about just picking the right windows, and not even start on installation)

I replaced the widows in my house this spring, and you're asking a lot of the same questions I asked.

First, the cost of the windows themselves is only part of the equation.  You also need to consider the removal of the old windows, installation of the new ones, and the finish work - because chances are, all the trim, and all of the interior sills will also need to be replaced.  Installation can actually be 50% of the cost of the job, and a poor installation will ruin any value you might get from buying a top-notch window.

There are a few things to consider when looking at the windows themselves.  First, as you point out, is the construction.  I ended up going with vinyl - again, a quality vinyl window and a cheap vinyl window are two different things - the local shop here had examples of a number of different windows cut open so you can see the difference.  Cheap windows may not be insulated, or may be made up of different pieces glued together, rather than a single extruded piece.

Next, the glass.  You can get single, double, or even triple panes.  Some use argon between the panes, some don't - the sealed, argon-filled windows offer better insulation.  Then there's the low-e coating on the glass - it can be applied in different ways, which will affect the durability and effectiveness of the window.

You need to consider casement vs single hung vs double hung.  Are they on a 2nd or 3rd story?  You'll probably want to get a window that allows you to clean the outside without having to get up on a ladder - most double-hung windows will allow you to clean it from the inside of the house.  If you're putting windows into a bedroom, you have to allow for a certain size for egress - you may need to go with a casement window in that case.

The bottom line is, check around - get at least 3 estimates, unless you're planning on installing them yourself.  See what's included in the estimate - one of our estimates included a single line item for "Installation", while another had 3 pages of details, down to the number of board-feet of trim, cans of foam insulation, and the cost of the building permit.  Guess which one we went with?


I suspect my house has asbestos since it was made in 1969 and has popcorn ceilings. This is what I have found about asbestos As the title says, my house was built in 1969 and has popcorn ceiling, so according to many readings on my research it's very likely that the ceiling and possibly other parts of the house has asbestos.

I read in this post that if the ceiling is painted, it would be harder for me to get rid of asbestos but also it would be safer for me since it would be less likely that asbestos can get released to the air. I'm honestly not sure if the ceiling was painted and I'm not sure if I can just tell by looking at it, I mean, it looks pretty white just like the walls but I'm not sure if it was painted before I moved to this house, since it has been 1 year since I moved in. I don't have a way to contact the previous owner so I'm not sure, but in case that they weren't painted, can I apply some kind of sealant instead of paint them?

I've seen that if the part of the house that contains asbestos isn't disturbed it doesn't poses a healthy hazard. By "disturb" I'm not sure if I for example If I kill a bug with a piece of paper and slam it agains the wall or the ceiling containing asbestos would pose a risk, or only if I really scrap the ceiling really hard, do any update, construction, etc. then particles really get into the air is only when I really should worry?

Would also be dangerous if I touch the ceiling with my hand and then I touch my food with those hands would that be dangerous? I ask that because I have little kids and they might do that, so then I would know I need to do something about that.

I'm not sure if the insulation in my attic might have asbestos, but given the year the house was built I suppose that might also have asbestos, in any case, I know I need to install more insulation in my house because my inspector told me that the current one is pretty thin, so the question here is, do I then need to hire a professional to install  more insulation instead of doing it myself, which it can pose a high risk for me to breath asbestos when installing more insulation?

Also according to this answer in this post It can have a health risk if you breath it for a short period of time or for months or years. I mean some sources say that even if you breath it once, it might be super bad for you, so it's then hard to tell how bad is to breath asbestos if sources say for one second for months or years, so how bad really is? and does it depend on how much percentage of asbestos is in the ceiling?

Thank you so much in advance!

This is all speculation until you have the house and its surfaces tested.

Once you have those results you will have either:

nothing to be concerned about,
results to base subsequent decisions on.

Until you have the results then you won't be able to make firm decisions, so have it tested.


How to organize drill bits? I don't have a drill bit set, since I wouldn't use most of the bits in typical sets. I buy individual bits depending on what I need for a project. I now have a motley collection of bits in various sizes, material, intended use and wear (often they come in sets of two so I'll have one "used" and one "new"). I can't easily identify a drill bit at a glance. Their original packaging is to bulky and fragile to use as storage.

Is there an easy, inexpensive way to keep them organized so that I can tell at a glance which bits I have and which is which? It should be a flexible system, that doesn't need to be re-set every time I go and buy a new bit - so it can't be a box with non-customizable slots for different bits, for example.

The best I can think of is to use a label printer to print flag-style labels and affix them to the base of each bit. I guess it's better than nothing, but I'm hoping for something more elegant.

My dad solved this problem by drilling many holes into one edge of a 1x2 that did not go all the way through. Rows of these were nailed up across the wall studs near the drill press. It was easy to find drill bits even if there was no particular order. Multiples of one size could be placed into one larger hole.

Keeping a digital caliper on a hook nearby allowed quick diameter measure if needed. Also helpful was the printed drill size and thread chart taped up on the wall.


Short circuited an AC outlet. After resetting breaker, outlets wires have no current I was replacing an AC outlet with a new one (the fancy type with USBs). When first testing after installation with breaker on USBs we’re getting power, then I tried plugging in a regular AC plug and got a quick spark and short  that tripped the breaker.

I investigated what happened and the live wire came into contact with the outlet box, noted by a blackened mark on the inside of the box.

I then covered the wires with electrical tape. Tried again and no current. I thought I had fried the outlet itself, so used a new one and still nothing.

Finally I used a multimeter to confirm the wires are dead even when breaker is on.

All other outlets on this breaker are fine, just this single outlet.

Any ideas?

Case 1

If you had a short circuit that popped the circuit breaker and then when reset there is no power I would begin to suspect that a wire connection has become unreliable due to the current surge of the short circuit.

The most likely thing that could be a problem here is if one or more of the wire connections in the circuit consists of the the poke in style terminations. This type of connection is notoriously unreliable. When the wire is inserted a spring tension of a bent piece of metal is all the holds the wire in place.

Over time the string can get weak due to temperature cycling that happens when the contact is asked to deliver relatively high current alternately with relatively low or no current. It is possible that the very high current surge of the short circuit has led to a failure of an already marginal contact.

So I suggest that you check all the outlets on that circuit and see if they are using the poke in style terminations. If so replace all of those with the better quality outlets that have screw terminal terminations for the wires. Some of these will use a wire bent in a loop under the screw head and others may have a clamp device that you insert a straight wire into and then tighten with the screw.

Case 2

Another possibility is that the outlet in question is wired down wind of a GFCI unit that has tripped due to the circuit imbalance in the HOT and NEUTRAL wires when the short of the HOT to the electrical box occurred.

In this case you will have to study the circuit layout to see if there is a GFCI in the circuit someplace.