How to add a C wire to an old Lennox system I'm trying to utilize a spare wire as my C wire for my new thermostat. A lot of what I've read online assumes you have these simple, lettered terminals in your furnace. However, that's not the case in my system.

Here's the previous wiring:

I noticed a spare couple of wires in the conduit, so I looked inside the furnace and found the yellow one I'd like to make my C wire:

Here's the inside of the system. No nice, user-friendly terminal screws, just a bunch of wire nuts!

Here's the schematic.

It's so old it obviously doesn't reference a c wire, but I'm wondering if it's possible for this system. I tried joining into wire nut with the G (green) wire, because apparently that's an alternative power source for C. However, when I tried that, the thermostat would power on at first, but it seemed when the fan tried to turn on, the system would trip and the thermostat would lose power altogether.

In the photo that shows the insides of the furnace. On the left side of the photo there's a yellow and a red wire connected together. That should be where you want to connect the C wire.

you can confirm this by tracing the wires.  From the thermostat cable, the red wire should connect with the blue and orange wire.  While the blue wire connects to a white wire, with a blue twist-on wire connector. There's another blue twist-on wire connector where two red wires connect. One of the red wires is grouped with the white wire (in the same cable), those go to the A/C.  The other red wire should run over and connect to the yellow wire, using a yellow twist-on connector.

If all this is true (it's difficult to trace the red wires through the photo), then the yellow wire from the thermostat cable (new C wire) should connect with the red and yellow wires.


Making sense of existing wiring for multiple switches controlling fan+light and separate light First, let me begin by saying I apologize up front if any of this is confusing or does not make any sense or if the attached diagram is clear as mud...

Ok, here goes:

I have a ceiling box that used to house a fan+light fixture (after 8 years of renting it out, it has been taken out and now I want to add a fan+light back). From that ceiling box I have 4 (four) 12-2 wires coming out of the ceiling. Now I know from troubleshooting that one of them (red arrow) is the power from the breaker, one of them is the power that goes to my range hood/light and over sink light (yellow arrow), one goes to switch #1 (blue rectangle), and the last goes to switch #5 (orange rectangle) which is a toggle with dimmer for the light at the bottom of the diagram.

I have no clue how the 12-3 wires are routed nor connected inside of the ceiling, only how they are connected at present at the switches. So I do not know how the white from the 12-3 connected to the common on switch #5 becomes TWO hot wires going to the commons on switches #2 and #3.

In my utopia, I would have 2 three-way switches (#s 1,2) controlling the light to the fan and 2 three-way switches controlling power to the fan motor (#s 3,4) as this is how I THINK it used to work, and since I currently have the orange 12-2 wire and the yellow 12-2 wire connected to the red wire coming from the breaker and the only switch that operates the other light fixture is switch #5, #s 1-4 do NOT turn that light on or off when #5 turns it on.

My other dilemma is how to wire the new fan+light fixture since there is not a 12-3 wire run to the ceiling in order to supply power from each of the switch sets to the light and fan motor separately as I've seen in almost every diagram I could find on the internet (where the red would connect to the blue power for the light).

I attempted to add pictures of each of the switches as they are currently connected but can only add two since I am new...  any assistance is greatly appreciated! The bottom pic is how the ceiling box is currently connected.

Richard

Going in circles (without making a loop)

What you want is possible with the addition of a single extra cable -- a 12-2 from the light box controlled by switch 5 to the fan box.  Once this cable is in place (turn the power off first of course):

Remove the retagged white wire from its screw on the dimmer (switch 5) and move it to the terminal on the dimmer that's connected to the black wire coming from the orange cable (i.e. the black hot coming in from the fan box).  This is the only change needed in this box, so you can button it up now.
Nut the new cable's black to the existing red, white to whites, and ground to grounds in the ceiling light-only box -- this makes the new cable an extension of the red wire in the 12/3 from switches 2 and 4 to the ceiling light box.  This finishes the ceiling light box.
Nut the blacks from the red, yellow, blue, and orange cables in the fan box together.
Nut the whites from the red, yellow, and orange cables in the fan box together.
Nut all the grounds in the fan box together.
Nut the black from the new cable to the black from the fan/light combo.
Nut the white from the new cable to the white from the fan/light combo.
Retag the white from the blue cable to a hot with some black tape, and nut it to the blue from the fan/light combo.
Mount the fan and button everything else back up
Turn the power back on and enjoy!

Note that the white from the new cable is not nutted to the other neutral whites in the box as that'd create a looped neutral in violation of 300.3(B)/310.10(H).  Switches 1/2 form a classical 3-way switch loop controlling the light in the fan, while 3 and 4 are considered a T-loop (where power goes to one switch and the other switch is looped from the first switch's location), and switch 5 i.e. the dimmer is wired conventionally (vs. the utterly nonsensical traveler connection that it currently has).


Running single phase appliance from three phase socket? Can a single phase appliance (Australian 230 V) be wired directly to a three phase socket using a single active plus the neutral wire? If not why?

Typically yes, you can run a single phase load from a three-phase service.

An issue would be if it is a line-to-line load or a line-to-neutral load, and whether a neutral is present.
Another thing is to make sure the voltage is correct for the application, and whether a high-leg is present (not sure if this applies in your area).


How many wires can I fit in 1" schedule 40 PVC conduit? I have a pool sub-panel with four #6 AWG running in 1" schedule 40 PVC conduit in ground under the pavers. We are planning on adding some solar panels above pool equipment. I was thinking, instead of tearing up all of our pavers to lay new conduit, to run those four #8  over the same conduit.
My question is, Can I run four #6 and four #8 stranded THWN Wire over 1 inch schedule 40 PVC conduit?

EDIT 1:
I can run the ground wire to the pool sub-panels bus bar and that will eliminate an extra #8 wire over conduit. Would that work? BTW. the pool sub is 40A circuit but it runs #6 wire over 70'. I was trying to use conduit calculator mentioned in the link but it's no longer available. I was thinking of back-feeding the solar to the pool sub (it's 100 amp rated) but I'm facing an issue when (pure sine inverter 8000W) generator is on and it will turn on the solar which is not what I want. My main solar array is interconnected on the service side and shut down when there is power outage. What I want, is to run that little array back to the solar junction box where it would be monitored and manage just like the other panels.
Now that I think about it, I can probably getaway with #10 or even #12 wire for the solar as it's only 4 panels 330w each but microinverters are rated at 240w 240V.
Any suggestions?

TL;DR No.
Chart in answer at: How do I determine the fill rating of a conduit?

1" Schedule 40 @ 40% = 0.333 in2
8 AWG = 0.0366 in2 x 4 = 0.1464 in2
6 AWG = 0.0507 in2 x 4 = 0.2028 in2
0.1464 + 0.2028 = 0.3492 > 0.333

There may be additional issues of how many circuits and/or types of circuits in the same conduit. But 0.3492 > 0.333 so it doesn't matter.


How can I fix a clothes washer faucet that is leaking? I just moved the clothes washer out of the way but now I found the faucet that connects to the washer is leaking. I tried to replace the faucet but looks like it is soldered and I cannot find a way just to remove the stem.

Is there a way to fix it without calling the plumber?

The stem should be able to be removed after unscrewing the part of the faucet as pointed to here:

Remove the red tap handle first. Then use a pair of wrenches, one on the indicated part and the other on the faucet body to loosen and remove the threaded part. The usage of two wrenches is very important because you do not want to stress the soldered pipe the goes off into the wall.

I have found the following type of groove lock pliers to be one of the most effective tools for this type of job. The fine range of adjustability and the jaw shape make the grip to the faucet parts easy. Do note that these tools can cause marks to appear on the faucet parts, especially of soft brass or bronze materials or if the threaded part is really tight.


Replace fire bricks in fireplace I have a masonry fireplace where about 8 fire bricks have fallen off of the back wall of the firebox. The fireplace was built in the late 1960's, then mostly unused for decades. I was told that the last time it was used was around 2005. The room was un-climate controlled for long periods and could have had lots of moisture exposure, but is in Texas so unlikely to have experienced freeze spalling.
The bricks do not appear to be keyed in any way, just mortared in with mortar that failed.
Can I remove all of the loose fire brick, then reinstall them with a proper refractory mortar, or is there something different that should be done? Do I mortar the fire brick only to fire brick, or also to the regular brick wall behind it?

If the firebox looks like that the inside of the chimney probably looks worse.  This is not a DIY job you need to have a pro run a chimney inspection camera down the chimney or your risking a chimney fire.  If you are feeling that lucky then buy a lottery ticket and your winnings will pay for the chimney guy. ;-)


How to repaint white latex wallpaper? We just moved to a new home, one of the room has white wallpaper, without textures, which was painted with water based painting, so it was easy to repaint. The other rooms also have white wallpapers but the painting is not water based. It looks as oil based paint. Is it a good idea to repaint these wallpapers? If yes, what kind of paint do we need to use - (oil based paint and paint thinner)? Is it a good idea to remove the wallpapers and use water based paint?

In my personal opinion, it is always worth it to remove wall paper.  Even if this one doesn't have a strange texture to it, it's always easier to patch holes or similar things later if you don't have an extra layer of vinyl to deal with.

Wall paper and glue can really vary-- some of it is a royal pain to remove, while others just peel right off the wall.  I've had both in the same house.  A spray bottle of warm water really helps.  You might need to poke holes in the paper to let the water through; this tool makes it really easy to do so by just rolling it around on the wall.

In my opinion, your painting will definitely go easier with less hassles if you aren't trying to paint over vinyl.  Of course, "the proof is in the pudding": if painting over the vinyl works for you, there is no overwhelming need to remove the wallpaper.  It really is a personal preference; whatever works for you will be good enough.


Which tools should not be operated while wearing gloves? Does anyone know of any safety organization like OSHA that gives a list of tools that should not be operated while wearing gloves? It has always been my understanding that a person should not wear gloves when operating any rotating tool because of the danger of the gloves getting caught in the rotating part and breaking fingers or loosing a limb.

Unfortunately the safety department does not agree with me and I am concerned for the safety of my crew.

from OSHA Guide for Protecting Workers from Woodworking Hazards

Hand and Arm Protection

Your workers' hands and arms will need protection from burns, bruises, abrasions, cuts, and exposure to the chemicals used in finishing.

Protective gloves are the primary means available for direct hand protection. Extra-long gauntlets or sleeves attached to the gloves can extend protection up the arm. However, the appropriateness of glove use in the woodworking workplace should be carefully reviewed on a task-by-task basis. Gloves should not be worn when operating woodworking equipment due to the potential for getting caught in moving parts.


Why do my lights blink? I have three flood lights (of this model) controlled by a single switch (this one).

When turned on, the lights seem ok for a few minutes, but then they start to slowly blink on and off.  Each blink lasts between 10 - 30 seconds.  So, a light will be on for 10 seconds, off for 20 seconds, on for 15 seconds, off again for 30 seconds, etc.

The length of time between blinks is variable and the lights are not in sync with each other.  The effect is like a slow-motion disco.

The lights were previously on a dimmer.  It was suggested to me that the dimmer switch might be at fault, so I replaced it with a normal switch. The problem has not gone away.  When I had the dimmer, I could set the dimmer at half power and the problem would not occur (though I would be stuck with constant mood lighting).

I had an electrician come out, inspect the problem, and give up.  He suspected heat-related issues, but he checked the temperature and said it seemed ok.

Edit:

Based on suggestions in the comments, I have replaced one of the CFLs with a 12 watt LEDs (this kind).

Unlike the CFL bulbs, the LED bulb has a noticeable flickering when it is on.  In addition, it also still exhibits the "blinking" effect described above.  In other words, the problem persists.

I could replace the other two CFL bulbs, if somebody thinks that one of the other bulbs may be causing issues with its siblings.  I don't know what I am doing, but this seems unlikely to me, so I have started with replacing only a single bulb.

Would using incandescent bulbs make a difference?

This very much sounds like a thermal trip issue in the fixtures. If the lights are not blinking in sync with each other then this not a power supply circuit problem. And you've tried different bulbs. It is a fixture problem.


Toilets clog every two weeks! I have two upstairs toilets (back to back in separate bathrooms) that have been backing up every two weeks for a few months now.  The plumbers and rooters can't seem to figure out what the problem is.

Initially, the thought was that using flushable wipes was the problem.  The rooter cleared the clog, tv'd the line, and found nothing (no root problem, no debris hanging on somewhere in the line - nothing).  Problem solved, right?

Well, two weeks later, the toilets clogged again.  No continued use of the wipes.  Again, drain cleared, tv'd, and nothing found evidencing the basis for the clog.

Wouldn't you know it - two weeks later, the toilets clog, AGAIN.  This time a new rooter comes out, clears the clog, and can't figure out what the problem was.

The main floor toilet only clogged during one of these episodes.  Today, the two upstairs toilets clogged again.

For background, one of the back to back toilets was off its base for a few weeks due to a remodel.  A new toilet has since been installed there, and it is still backing up.

The last couple of clogs, the toilet seems to be working fine, then suddenly, after one flush, it's plugged.  There doesn't seems to be any warning.

Any ideas on why the toilets would continually clog, despite being cleared out every two weeks?  Much thanks!!

Is everything properly vented?  A stopped up vent would be something above the toilets that could cause enough back-pressure to cause a clog.  Check the vent on the roof.

How old is the house?  If you're dealing with something old, you could have a drum trap or some other kludge that could be causing funny effects like repeated clogs.  Furthermore, the house settling could have caused the plumbing to lose the proper pitch.  Improper pitch would mean things wouldn't drain properly, and you'd get clogs.

Do you have a septic system, cesspool, or sewers?  If it's sewers you might have a problem with back pressure from them stopping things up.

It could be a check valve that isn't opening (possibly due to back pressure from the sewers mentioned above).

Do you have young children?  If they put something down the line that they weren't supposed to and it's deep enough that the TVing doesn't catch it, that could be a cause.


I cant get my plugins in my room to work? This is not the first time that me and my mom have had to change the outlets in my bedroom because three of them were broken and needed to be fixed because every time i plugged something up in the one behind my headboard it would spark and one time I plugged something in wrong and it broke the breaker so we had to immediatly get them fixed. In 2017 my plugin behind my headboard and one at the far end of my bed stopped working all of a sudden, and we hadn't tried to fix them since. (same year during the summer my father and brother broke a plug in our hallway and we decided to change that one also.) So we started with the one in the hallway and we did it all and turned our breaker back on and it didn't work, we told one another that maybe that it wouldn't work because of mine being broken. (the hallway plugin and my headboard plugin are on the same wall together and same spot mostly) so we changed the one in my bedroom and i tried mine and then the hallways and it still did not work... Does anyone know what we did wrong or what could be wrong we are absolutely confused and frustrated. (By the way we had an electrition and he had fixed three plugs in my room and my light switch just to give that info) Please if anyone could give us some advice, thank you so much.

Ok, trying to figure this all out.

Is this a rental or do your parents own the home?

Are you saying the outlets are physically or electrically broken?

Do any outlets or lights in the affected areas work?

Now that that is out of the way...Why are these outlets "breaking?" You must have a short in either the house wiring or the device you are plugging in.

Do any of the outlets have test and reset buttons? If so, make sure they are reset.

DO NOT TOUCH ANY OF THE WIRES, THEY CAN KILL YOU WITH THE BREAKER ON
Now, the best thing to do is to take a picture of all the outlets that are "broken" and post those so we can see what is going on and also draw a diagram of all the outlets. If you don't have the proper tools or the house is a rental, don't try to "fix" this issue. Get the tools, help of a friend that knows what to do, or the landlord.

First, to help with the hall outlet, this one with only 2 wires (3? is there a ground? bare copper), after being replaced, for some reason, it has no power. This is probably because it is the end of a chain of outlets. This means that until the outlets before it are fixed, it won't have power.

So, where do you start...well, turn the breaker off at the main panel to the room(s) with issues. Take the covers off the outlets (ALL outlets) and pull them out of the boxes. Turn the breaker back on and test for power at each wire with a non-contact voltage tester.

If there is power, then you can proceed. Turn the breaker back off.

If you have an outlet with 2 wires (3 if you have ground) then save it for last. If you have an outlet with 4 wires (6 if you have ground), is this a GFCI/AFCI? If this is, that must be wired correctly to function and if it is the first in a daisy chain of outlets, no other outlets will function correctly if not wired correctly. If it is a GFCI/AFCI, you need to determine which pair of wires are the line (Hot) and which are the feed (goes to the next outlet.) Hook those up in the correct places on the outlet. If not GFCI/AFCI, then make sure that the wires are hooked and tightened completely. Then move on to the next outlet.

It might be easiest to start with one outlet, replace/rewire, turn the breaker on and test. Then if it works, repeat with the next outlet.


What should I have my dehumidifier set at to dry out my basement? I have a 1600 sq ft home. The wellmate sprung a leak last Sat and soaked the basement. Im running fans down there and just got a 40 pint dehumidifier per the service guy. What setting should I set it. I have central air. I don't want basement to mold. I had it at 50 just put it on 45.

Humidity levels between 40-50% are what most people prefer in a house. So, I'd say that setting is fine. If you live in a humid region, you may want to keep the dehumidifier running down there all the time (and set it up to drain via a hose rather than having to constantly empty the bucket)


How do I fix sticky KILZ primer? Has anyone ever had problems with an oil-based primer like KILZ being sticky or not drying correctly?

We removed some vinyl tiles and mastic from a basement laundry room floor (concrete) using BEAN-e-doo. After that we washed several times with a degreaser and dried the room with a dehumidifier for a day. It's a dry climate here so the floor felt dry, but there was a grid-patterned dark stain where the tiles had been.  We had some KILZ Original Primer leftover from covering pet odors in other rooms, so I decided to prime it with that.

After a more than a week, most of the floor is fine, but there are patches of sticky primer (it feels solid, but sticky like tape), and there are a few small areas where the primer is still a bit soft and tacky.

I just read the KILZ page about Blocking Stains:

  Although it may seem counterintuitive, water-based primers are the recommended choice for sealing oil soluble stains.

My guess is that residue from either the mastic, the BEAN-e-doo or both is still embedded in the concrete, and I should've used a water-based primer.

What is the best way to proceed?

Give the primer more time to dry
Paint over it with water-based primer
Strip the floor and start over

It's about 350 square feet, so really don't want to strip it, but I also don't want to create a bigger mess by doing the wrong thing.  My hope was to prime it and paint it with something durable.

The problem you are having is not uncommon. It is a basement floor so I'm guessing below grade. There should have been a layer of 10mm poly under the floor when it was poured but either way concrete leaches moisture. This is a contributor to your problem.

If you didn't thoroughly wash the floor (I mean powerwash) with a bleach based cleaner you will have a hard time getting any product to last. If you can't pressure wash, scrub as best as you can and use an etching acid or solution. Kilz will dry, unless there's moisture or dirt underneath. Will have a harder time overcoming moisture as it doesn't have near the penetrating properties as a specific product like drylok does. But for a floor, I prefer the lasting quality of a concrete epoxy.

I know it's not your most favorable thought (starting over) so ultimately it's up to you. The right prep and technique with a product specific to the job may save you the hassle of ever doing it again. Best of luck!


How big can I go for a subpanel? I have 2 125 amp breakers for my main breakers.they are next to my meter.
What would my main breaker box be for amps?

Since your main breakers are at the meter, each "main" panel can be as large as you please, but of course each must be at least 125A.  The 125A breaker protects the wire to each panel, and the panel itself.

Definitely don't scrimp; nobody on this forum ever complained about having too many spaces in their panel, but we get lots and lots of the other.

If you have two 2-pole breakers, you will need 2 panels.  Paralleling two feeders to 1 panel is not allowed except with very special equipment.


OK to use fallen branch in garden without treatment? Recently a large branch fell off of one of our trees (a gum tree, ie hard wood). The branch is about thigh thick and parts of it would make a good garden-bed liner or similar as it is quite straight and uniformly thick. However, as it came fresh off the tree, it's obviously completely untreated.

I wonder if it is a good idea to use the branch in the garden as it is, or if this is a pest risk, especially regarding white ants (termites). If it needs to be treated can it easily be done / is it worth the effort or should I just get rid of it?

If you mean using it as part of a planter, then it will rot just as Doresoom has explained. Even if you treat it, the wood hasn't been properly dried which will cause other problems.

If you're just using it as a divider on the ground I wouldn't worry about it rotting. The rot will just supply the soil with nutrients. Since it's untreated, it's also safe for gardens that are grown for human consumption, as treated lumber harbors harmful chemicals.

I don't believe it will cause termites problems as long as it's not against any buildings. It's also a good idea to make sure the garden is not too close to your house, as the moisture from waterings can attract pests and encourage rot.


Are there span tables published for repairing a cut roof joist? A roofing company mistakenly cut a 2 foot section out of a roof joist, on my home.  I'm seeking a reference to what would constitute a proper repair, preferably a prescriptive code or a load table.   I am aware of the American Wood Council tables, but that's for uncut modern lumber and at this point I have neither.

This rafter spanned 14 feet with a mid span support. The roof is flat, with 2x4 rafters at 24 inch on center, topped with 1x6 boards, all nailed.  This is all true dimension rough cut Douglas Fir: good solid stuff.

One end of the cut rafter buts against a brick chimney. The house was built in 1938 and is in an earthquake zone (Hayward Fault).

The roofer said nothing but screwed some plywood on top to cover the gap.

Update 1:
The roofer added a patch.  The gap is almost at the center beam.  The patch overlap is 9 inches on the right side, and about 4 inches on the left.  On the left both new and patched rafters straddle the center beam.

The only access is through a 14 inch hole below.

Update 2:

After consulting with a structural engineer (who wanted 12+ inches of overlap), we ended up compromising a bit.  A filler piece will take compressive load when the chimney slams into the house in a quake:

There is no mention where the cut out is but this should take care of it in any respect, as long as the mid span support is a series of posts and not a purlin...
Can you get a 2X6 in there that will give close to a full span? if the material is clean or can be scraped clean, a healthy bead of construction adhesive zig-zagged on the face of the old 2X and screw the 2X6 starting 4 inches from the ends with a pair of screws and 12+/- inches apart in the remainder in pairs also. Use 3 inch drywall screws or 2 3/4 inch SDS screws through the 2X6 into the 2X4. Make sure the screws draw tight the material, pilot if needed with a 3/16" bit.

If you have a mid span support that goes to good bearing through to the foundation, you can use a shorter repair joist, but a single joist that goes over multiple spans is stronger than a single span joist.

FWIW, it looks like a 2X4 will suffice from what I seen the table at page 396 of the 2012 building code (table R802.5.1).


Can you identify this timer panel? We have these programmable timers in our home for the Underfloor heating in the bathrooms.

There are no manufacturers markings on the panel, and they're not intuitive to program.

Anyone able to identify who makes these? knowing that I should be able to download a manual or at least a cheat sheet.

. . . and I found it, sorry, I've looked a dozen times but today my google-fu is strong.

It's an Aube Th123 Series


Does a run of 1000 feet of CAT6 line need to be in conduit? Our local fiber optic internet company wants an outrageous amount of money to run a line from the road 1000 feet back to our home, so we're doing it ourselves and then having a tech come hook us up.
We're in northern Minnesota - will we need to encase the line in something? Do they make pre-insulated CAT6?
What should we know going into this project?
We're completely off-grid, so there are no electrical lines.

To directly answer your question, there is direct bury ethernet cable. You would probably want to go at least 18" deep with it. But there is still a chance it will break, and then you'll be replacing the whole run, so it might make sense to place it in conduit right away to make future replacement easier.
However, the real issue is that 1000 ft is much too long for Ethernet to work properly. For CAT6 cable, the general limit is about 300 ft, which can probably pushed a little, but not 3x as long. In your case, the best best would be to either run fiber optic cable, coax, or use a wireless bridge. There are some reasonable options available for either of those. Fiber is not trivial to install unless you get pre-terminated cable. For either fiber or coax, you would need some sort of converter at either end. The wireless link would probably be easier. Wireless would also require devices at each end to convert wired/wireless. All options would require electricity at the end points.


Light junction box cover does not conceal the box opening I recently replaced a hallway ceiling light with a pendant, only to find that the supplied canopy was smaller (5") than the hole previously cut in the ceiling (6"). I'm hoping someone has encountered a similar problem and has devised an effective solution. (Attempting to repair the plasterboard doesn't seem like it would work.)

What you need is a ceiling medallion. That's a fancy name for "a circular thing you stick on the ceiling to look nice and cover a hole". A lot of them are designed to actually have a lamp hang from them, but there are some with a big hole in the middle which is exactly what you need here. There are simple ones:

and fancier ones:

Some are white or metallic and ready to use as-is. Some are designed to be painted. You can get them online but a local store where you can really see what they look like may be better.


Are these walls prepared properly for tile? My sister and I are doing our bathrooms in our condos. I am seeing her job and am concerned they aren't doing right.

They used the concrete sheetrock for her shower but it didn't go to the top. So they did some patchwork with sheetrock and put some sort of netting that was placed over it.  I thought they would then mud/sand this so then the tile can be put over it.  They did not and the tile person is putting the thinset over this netting and attaching the tile.

My worry is the patchwork of about 4 inches wide of sheetrock that is at top of the shower is not flush to the walls or the existing sheetrock. Picture a 5x9 shower with no tub. The three walls all have sheet rock up until about 4 inches from the ceiling.  apparently they ran out so they got more, cut it to fit the 4 inch cap and screwed it in.

The netting I'm talking about was patched over this probably to make it one surface and smooth but they didn't mud.

Sorry if I'm not explaining right but need to know if they aren't doing the right thing here. We've already been burned by a contractor and this one has had issues as well.

I'm a little concerned by the fact that "this one has had issues," but it sounds like this part of the job is being done correctly.

Just a couple of definitions, quickly:

Drywall (aka sheetrock, plasterboard, wallboard, gypsum board) is gypsum plaster covered in paper, and is used on most walls and ceilings in dry areas.
Cement board (aka CBU) is used in wet areas like showers; drywall - even the green or blue stuff - will eventually disintegrate in wet areas.

I'm assuming that the 4" patch at the top of the shower walls is cement board, same as the lower part.

It's standard to use fiberglass tape over joints between cement board to minimize movement between the boards, and apply thinset and tile over that area as usual. You might fill the gap with a little extra thinset while tiling, but you don't use drywall mud in there since moisture will just weaken it.

The fact that the cement boards aren't flush to each other shouldn't be a problem unless the gap is more than 1/8". Even a little more than that isn't going to cause problems, depending on the size of the tile used.

The most important thing to be aware of when a new shower is being installed is preventing water from getting into the walls. For this reason, a vapor barrier (plastic sheet) should go between cement board and the wall studs, and extend down over the lip of the shower base (or pan). This allows any water that gets into any joints between cement boards to run down into the shower base and down the drain.

The cement board should extend down to about 1/8" above the lip of the shower base - there's no need to overlap it, since the plastic is doing so. The bottom row of tile should extend over the bottom edge of the cement board, mostly covering the lip of the shower base, then silicone caulk should be applied to seal that gap.


Is it ok that the cable for my dryer circuit is suspended from the ceiling? I have a dryer line hanging from the ceiling joist. Will it pass code if it's attached to the poured concrete basement wall? Do I need to put the wire through conduit? Thanks.

No, it's not.
It needs to be protected in conduit or a covered stud wall at least 8' up as measured from the floor. And, like others have said, it needs to be secured.


How to fit a screw into a drilled big hole on wall? I am fitting a window blind on a wall.
The wall is made of plaster board as far as I have known.

I have drilled a hole on wall bigger than the screw size.

The drilled hole on the wall has a diameter of 6mm

The screw I try to fit in has a diameter of 3mm

Here is the image of the drilled hole o the wall:

Here is the image of the screw with the window blind holder:

How do I fit the screw tightly and safely on the large drilled hole on wall?

For this you can use wall drilling anchors as shown in the images below. They are also known as wall plugs or rawl plugs. You can get them from any hardware shop.


How do I crimp an F-connector onto RG-6 cable? My current home project is putting RG-6 in the walls instead of through the cold-air returns and across the carpet between rooms. Thanks to some forethought during previous remodeling projects, laying the cable and getting it in the walls is the easy part.

Right now, I am stuck on crimping the stuff.

I bought a crimper, a 50 pack of F-connectors, and a 500' box of quad-shield RG-6. No matter what I do, the connectors slide off the end after crimping. I followed the instructions that came with the crimper, googled, watched some youtube videos, but nothing seems to work.

What I do is strip off 1/4 inch around the inner connector, then an additional 1/4 inch of the outer sheath. Inside there is foil and what I can best describe as tinsel. I fold this back, leaving the inner layer of foil on the plastic insulation. I then push on the F connector, using my channel-lock to grip it while pushing.

The problem is that it appears not to slide all the way on. The connector has two circular parts, and it looks like the inner one is supposed to go between two layers of the cable. However, it barely goes in and it starts pushing and distorting the outer layer before it just won't go anymore.

If I crimp it at this point, it doesn't have anything to hold on to and it slides right off. I can also see some of the foil and metal sticking out from underneath the connector, leading me to believe it is not on all the way.

What am I doing wrong?

Edit: the issue was I was using dual-shield connectors with quad-shield cable. At first I thought they would work with both, but I checked the package again and I was wrong. However, I chose to pick the answer to use compression connectors since I went that route and it really was a lot easier with better results.

Edit: here is what I bought. I'm planning on buying compression tools and trying that instead.

Crimper

F-connectors

Cable

I have the same problem with the two piece, so I use the compression type.  They cost more money, but they are simply worth it.  I've never had one pull off.

This is the style most cable and satellite companies use.

Never use electrical diagonal cutters or dykes to cut cable. They flatten out the end.  Use cutters like this.

Always use a good cable stripper, never use a razor knife.  You never want to nick the inner copper wire.

The compression connector can run as high as $200.00.  I've seen this economy compression tool at Lowes for under $25.00 and it includes a hand full of connectors.

I can't say you will never have problems with them. but I've never had a problem with ghosts or snow on my tv's since I started using these tools.

Added  Please remember for every splice or connector you loose around 25%, or it could be worse for bad connections.  Don't daisy chain connections.


Wiring Combination Switch GFCI Outlet I read some related questions, but can't find an answer given my wiring. I'm trying to wire a combination switch/GFCI outlet Pass & Seymour 1595SWTTRWCC4. I also checked the wiring diagrams, and none of them match my wiring (two red line wires)...

Here's the wiring of the gang receptacle:

Here's how the combination switch/GFCI outlet looks:

Here's how another switch is wired without two red line wires:

Here's where I'm stuck. Where do the two red line wires go? My guess is in the Hot Line?

I'm guessing one of the red/white pairs is the line (from the panel), and the other set is a feeder to the rest of the circuit. You'll have to determine which set is the feeder from the panel, and where the other set goes and whether or not you want to GFCI protect it.

If this is true, you should connect them both to the line side hot terminal of this device as well.

Edit - Picture of end result


Is this UPS Socket Defective? I have 2 UPS of the exact same model. In one UPS, all of my Type B Plugs would not fit
In the first image, the hole on the socket is on the edge. My Type B Plugs (3 pin) would not fit. On the second image, the hole on the socket is on the middle and my Type B Plugs (3 pin) would fit. For reference, the last image shows what a Type B Plug looks like.

Edit: As it might be a "Fake" I included the picture of the serial number of the back of each UPS.
The first image shown is the UPS' serial with the plug that fits. The second image shown is the UPS' serial where the plug does not fit.

That is a valid type of socket. See the APC manual for the BX-1400 MS.
However, I would be extremely careful plugging any US type B plugs into this UPS. As far as I can tell, this is a 230V UPS. The US type B (aka NEMA 5-15) is normally used for 120V devices. If your device comes with a type B plug and, like most but not all computers, monitors and laptop power bricks made in the past several years is rated for 100V - 240V (or similar) then this will work fine. However, if you have a device that requires 120V (or 100V - 125V) power, using it with this UPS is a very bad idea.
All that being said, if the socket on one UPS works correctly and on another it does not, take it back to the store.


What's the difference between a No.4 and No.5 hand plane Background

Most current and past hand-plane makers seem to follow the numbering system (and design details) popularized by Stanley (and invented by Leonard Bailey?).

There are a bewildering number of different types of plane, but there seems to be a grouping of the general-purpose bench planes used in converting a roughly-hewn chunk of wood into a straight, flat, smooth, square piece of timber:

fore planes - used first to remove large irregularities.
jointer planes - used to flatten longer sections of wood.
smoothing planes - used last to produce a smooth finish.

A No 5 jack plane is often described as a type of fore plane (in some descriptions it is used after a scrub plane). A No 4 is a typical smoothing plane. One or other of these types seem to be most commonly the ones first purchased and used by DIYers.

Question

I have recently bought a second-hand Record No.5 jack plane and was pondering whether I should buy a No.4 smoothing plane. However it seems to me that the similarities are many and the differences few and that I could probably set up the No.5 to do a reasonable job of smoothing.

Similarities

Same iron angle (45°)
Same angle of grind on iron (25°)
Same width of iron (2 in.)
Same size mouth?
Same system (identical parts?) of adjustable frog, chip-breaker, lever-cap, etc.

Differences

Longer (14 in. instead of 9)
Heavier (due to extra length)

Images from old Record company catalogues

Is there any other physical difference that makes a No.4 more useful for smoothing, other than it's smaller size and weight making it easier to handle?

Addendum

Following keshlam's answer I found this guide to grinding plane irons which others might find useful

The plane iron may also be ground slight differently in shape (as opposed to angle)... but yes, those are the largest differences. They do affect how the plane is used.

A longer plane improves its ability to accurately flatten a surface (it can level out wider-spaced hills and valleys where a shorter plane would just follow the curves). But depending on what you're doing, the additional weight may be tiring or may be helpful -- harder to lift, but the weight helps keep the iron in contact with the wood.

The ideal hand-tool woodshop has a range of planes from jointers (long) all the way down to block planes small enough to hold in a hand, plus various specialty planes (shoulder planes, rabbeting planes, router planes...) each of them having its own trade-offs -- just as the ideal woodshop has a range of chisel sizes and types. Most of us don't have ideal shops, and that's OK. You can do the same jobs with a smaller setup, it may just take more work and care.

If I had to pick just one of those two, I think I'd have gone for the #4 first... but that may be personal bias; I've already rescued several of that size from various garage sales, and because I haven't had to do serious smoothing/jointing yet. And I'd suggest a block plane as your second purchase -- they're light enough to carry anywhere and more useful for spot-trimming than you might think.

If you do buy a 9" plane, it's seriously worth considering a low-angle plane (lower bedding angle, higher angle on the blade). Among other things, that gives you a wider range available if you need to grind blades to other angles when handling special cases. These do tend to be a bit more expensive, though, largely because this design is mostly offered by the higher-end manufacturers.

(Edit: Yes, I know, "long jointers are long, duh". Redundancy fixed.)


Do I need to insulate the entire basement or just a few walls? I have a 1920s house with concrete foundation that had a semi-finished basement. After a recent 3-day rain storm, my basement flooded (about 1") due to hydrostatic pressure. It wasn't just my house -- all the homes on my row had the same issue.

I removed the drywall and insulation from the finished portion of the basement. Some areas of black mold were found and I am working on getting that taken care.

I am looking at insulating the basement again because it gets cold down there and I am using it as an exercise/home theater area. So, do I need to insulate the entire basement or can I just insulate some of the walls like it was prior?

According to information from buildingscience.com, it is recommended I apply rigid foam insulation to my walls:

  The best insulations to use are foam based and should allow the foundation wall assembly to dry inwards. The foam insulation layer should generally be vapor semi impermeable (greater than 0.1 perm), vapor semi permeable (greater than 1.0 perm) or vapor permeable (greater than 10 perm) (Lstiburek, 2004). The greater the permeance the greater the inward drying and therefore the lower the risk of excessive moisture accumulation.

Just insulating the ceiling will keep the ground-floor floors warmer, if you walk around barefoot, but won't save much energy (air-sealing is a better investment for that) or keep the basement any warmer.

If you want to improve the basement climate, any insulation of the walls will help retain a corresponding percentage of the energy you're losing. Air sealing helps a lot here too, as does an indirect-vented boiler or furnace (so you aren't pulling cold air into the basement to make up what's used for combustion).


Dealing with an outdoor grill with a bad gas line I had my backyard done about 6 years ago. I put in lawn and a large patio of pavers. I also had an island built that has a built-in grill and sink, and storage underneath. The island was built of cinder block, finished with a stone veneer, with a tile counter top. There is a natural gas line and electric power. Concrete was poured into the bottom of the island to make a "floor."

The guys who did this didn't use the correct pipe for the gas line, so it began to leak. I'm lucky I caught before it became a catastrophic event, and needless to say, I shut off the gas and the whole thing has sat unused for a couple of years.

The guy who did the work is long gone, so there is no remedy there. But now I'm thinking about selling the house. I'd rather deal with this in some way than leave it for the next owner, because it's a safety issue and a red flag for potential buyers. Plus, it's not even useful anymore.

I'm curious as to how you would handle this. I've come up with a few options:

Run a new gas line. This seems like the most logical choice, except that the gas line would have to run under much of the patio, which is pavers on top of a base of mortar. But the biggest obstacle is the concrete "floor" in the base of the island. I don't know how I would get through that. A small child could get inside the island, but that's about it.
Knock it down. Pull out the grill and sink. Demo the island and the concrete floor. Cap the electrical line. Fill in the hole with pavers to make it look like it was never there. This would be a lot of work doing the demo and hauling it away, then finding replacement pavers, which might only be available by the pallet.
Convert the grill from natural gas to propane. That would make it fully functional again with a refillable propane tank. This is theoretically possible, because the grill manufacturer makes the same model in natural gas and propane variants. I have a parts list for the model, so I know what parts I need, but I can't seem to figure out where to order the parts or what they cost. It's a Turbo Elite grill which is sold only by Barbeques Galore. I went back to the store and asked about doing a conversion and was told that is a subject they cannot discuss for some reason. Then they did a kind of wink, wink, nudge, nudge thing and slipped me the card of a plumber who could supposedly do the conversion. I actually lost the card, so I never talked to the plumber.

I'm curious if anyone has any other advice, suggestions or comments.

Converting to propane is probably the only viable option. I don't know what the code is in your area but the gas line being in contact with the concrete suggests that it's not to code. Gas lines underground should be in a chase and buried to a set depth. It should never touch the concrete. My code states a minimum of 18" depth, it can't exit the building underground through the foundation and it must be flexible. Plastic gas line is approved for direct burial but uses pre sleeved risers to penetrate the ground. Your gas line is leaking so it should be rendered inoperable by disconnecting it at the valve and capping it. A propane conversion is relatively easy to do. If you can't find the appropriate kit, universal burner kits are available.

I'm not sure if this applies to you. It's aTurbo conversion PDF. If you reference the model number it would be helpful. It's on there somewhere. Sometimes the built in barbecues have information on a tag attached by the regulator.

Another potential option is to repair the pipe. Assuming that the line is "to code" up to the break, the line could be repaired by breaking the concrete around it and continuing the chase higher after a joint in the pipe is made. This would only apply if the "floor" was poured above the original "to code" gas line install and caused the damage.


Is it OK to splice NM and NM-B cable? I'm replacing some light fixtures in my house, and the existing cable coming out is very old. I was able to make out the stamp along the length, and it's 12/2 NM cable, rated to 60C. It's got a neutral, hot, and a ground.

Newer cable, I've come to find out, is NM-B, which has a 90C rating. The light fixtures I've picked up are labeled that they need a 90C minimum rating.

So, I take it I've got to replace at least the cable that connects to the light. My plan is to pull out the existing NM cable in the attic, and splice in some NM-B, which I will run to the fixture.

Is there anything wrong with doing this? Do I need to run a new NM-B cable from the breaker?

You can splice diferent sizes, temperatures or types (NM, UF, THHN, SJOOW) cable anywhere it's legal to splice cable.

It needs to be inside a junction box.
The boxes need to be someplaces boxes aren't disallowed.
The cables need to have proper cable clamps entering the box.
The boxes need to forever be accessible without disassembling any part of the building with any tool (aside from the box covers, obviously :)
There needs to be enough room in the box for the splices.

"room in the box" works like this:  All ground wires count as 1 wire. All cable clamps count as 1 wire.  All other wires count as 1 wire each. Multiply your number of "wires" by 2.0 cubic inches for 14AWG.... 2.25 cubic inches for 12AWG.....  or 2.5 for 10AWG.  For you, 6 wires = 13.5 cubic inches = a deep handy-box will suffice, or my go-to, the 4x4x1-1/2 square box (21 cu.in.)

I'm very fond of steel boxes because if there's any sort of arcing or shorting in there, the metal chassis will help assure a breaker trip and also dissipate the heat to keep things below combustion temperatures.   Also plastic boxes are stupid overpriced for what they are.


temporary roofing repair Ok so we have a shingle roof that needs to be replaced. We are having some lumber logged off to pay for the repairs. We need to make it for about another 3 months. I was planning on using half inch pressure treated plywood and screwing it down with the roofing screws for metal roofing, caulking around the edges with henry wet patch caulking, and putting the caulk around each of the screws. So my question is will it be ok to screw plywood over the top of worst leaks and caulk the edges till we get the roof replaced? Or rather will this repair last for the three months we need?

I would think that some rolled roofing installed in horizontal overlapping strips starting from the lower edge of the leak area would be a much better temporary solution than mucking around with the plywood idea.

Rolled roofing will be much better to seal to the existing shingles at the ends of the strips and along the top edge of the upper most run. It may very well be lower cost that the plywood and is certainly more adaptable to size of area to be covered in a temporary way.

Rolled roofing is normally installed in such a way that the lower edge is top face nailed with exposed nails. The upper edge is then nailed but the next strip comes along with some overlap and will cover up that upper row of nails.

Use good old google to search with "rolled roofing installation" for links to sights and videos on the subject.

Note: If your roof has large areas with severely rotted roof decking use great care when navigating around on the roof to avoid crashing through and risk of serious injury.


What to do with ground wire in a double gang dimmer switch I am replacing 1 of the 2 dimmer switches in a double gang box. I'm replacing the right switch in the picture.
The new dimmer switch (Lutron smart switch) has 3 wires, which includes the ground wire. But as you can see in the picture, the old switch on the right only has two wires coming out and no ground.
My question is: What is the best way to handle the ground in the new switch?
The junction box isn't metal and doesn't seem to have anywhere to connect the ground wire.
Apologies for the basic question, I'm super new to wiring and I've read the ground isn't super important, but I just want the correct/safest answer!

You don't need to do anything. The switch will pick up ground via the screw heads of the mounting screws.  (this "via the screw heads" trick does NOT work for receptacles).
If you really want to attach the ground wire, then find the screw hole in the back of the box that is tapped 10-32.  That is specifically for a ground screw.  You can't use screws tasked with some other purpose.  You can drill and tap your own #10-32 hole, or you can use a grounding clip on the edge of the box.   Of course you don't have to do any of these things for a switch or self-grounding receptacle.
Now, that thing you're doing with the wood blocks is not allowed.  You cannot make a "box extension" out of wood, because the job of a junction box is to contain fires from electrical arcing.  Wood would only accelerate such a fire.
I gather you have been using wood screws to mount the switches on the wood; instead use 6-32 screws to mount it to the metal.  Further, you will need a metal box cover so the box is fully encapsulated in metal.
If you really, really need the switches to sit prouder than that, you can either rework the box with a taller "mud ring", add a Legrand Wiremold Surface Conduit Starter Box as a 1" box extension, or add something like a Hubbell PTC200GY switch extender, which is made to be a weatherproof outdoor cover for switches (but if you only use it as a spacer, I won't tell :)


Can I use Quikrete FastSet Repair Mortar to replace the mortar between stones in a fireplace hearth support? My brick fireplace hearth is supported by large stones sticking out perpendicularly to my foundation wall in the basement. It forms a kind of shelf on top of which the hearth was laid. The stones themselves were attached together and to the foundation wall using mortar. This mortar was very crumbly and falling apart. I removed all the old mortar therefore the hearth is not supported by the stones anymore. I'm looking at replacing the old mortar and providing structural support to the hearth again. I was advised by a mason to inject new mortar above and between the stones using a mortar bag from below. He advised me to use type S mortar for this.

I already have a 60lb bag of Quikrete FastSet Repair Mortar. Is it wise to use this product in place of regular mortar, or should I really use mortar? The FastSet seems to be a structural solution so I don't see why it couldn't be used in this situation, but it's only advertised for concrete repairs, so I don't know.

Quikrete FASTSET Repair Mortar is a great product.  The biggest difference between it and a typical type S mortar is that it is "fastset" (duh) meaning it will be hard in about 20 min.  Not cured, but hardened. And that it is intended for commercial use as it will eventually reach 6000 psi after it's full 28 day cure. This product does not need any bonding agent as it is already added.
http://www.quikrete.com/ProductLines/FastSetRepairMortar.asp

Any regular type S mortar will harden in about a day or two depending on the enviorment. And will eventually reach 1800psi
 http://www.quikrete.com/ProductLines/MasonMix.asp

You may think "oooo  stronger is better" but not so with mortar. You always want the mortar to be weaker then the surrounding material (stone, brick, cinder block) That is why it comes in so many strengths. From strongest to weakest type, M S N O K.

Sorry to be so long winded.

Basically, go with the type S, and use the FastSet Repair mortar for repairs around the house.


2nd floor p trap for clawfoot tub I have a 1908 home with a clawfoot tub on the 2nd floor. It had some sort of lead box between the 1st floor rafters and under the permanent flooring that leaked. (A rat had chewed into it before I bought the home).  I want to replace it with a modern p trap but it is not accessable from down stairs, it would be enclosed below the flooring...can this be done OK?  There is no room between the bottom of the tub and top of the flooring, also cannot re-orient the tub so access can be made anywhere. I know it has to have been done in past...what is the answer?  thanxz, bob

All too often these things are not installed with serviceability in mind - meaning you rip open the ceiling or floor when you do need to service them. Usually the ceiling is less trouble. Evidently that might be a once in a century operation, if this is the first time it's needed to be serviced...but it still makes me curse whoever entombed it and didn't provide an access panel.


How do you protect solar panels from hail? Saw another question on solar panels and it reminded me of one big thing that always made me hesitant to consider them.

We get several hail storms each year and having an expensive glass covered(?) panel facing almost straight up seems like it is asking for trouble. How do people who have solar panels mitigate this risk?

Smaller panels are one way to go; see this article Hail Damage and your Solar Panels:

  If you decide to install photovoltaic
  modules and worry about hail damage,
  there are a couple of things to
  consider. One of the most important
  concerns the size of the modules. If
  the region you live in is subject to
  frequent or serious hail storms,
  smaller modules are easier and less
  costly to replace. Also if a large
  module sustains damage, it will
  seriously reduce the power output, or
  even cause the system to fail
  completely. The drawback with using
  smaller modules is that they are often
  more expensive to install.

But of course there is not much that would withstand very large size hail but then your home insurance should cover the damage (just like the damage that would happen to your car and/or house during one of those hail storms).  I do not think it is very expensive to get your solar panels added onto your home insurance policy (if they are not covered already).  See this answer too: Do roof solar panels and hail mix?


how many outlets can you put on a 15amp breaker? how many outlets can you put on a 15amp breaker
?

It depends on your local Building Codes, Local Electricians, what you think might end up using the circuit & if there's carpet...An average Upright Vacuum Cleaner sucks up (pun intended) most of the 15-amps. But, some used to say 6, then 8 then 10 & now I'm hearing 12. Some go with a "Rule of Thumb" being 1.5 Amps per outlet to arrive at the 10 number.

I prefer to do Home-Runs for each average sized room & might hit 8 which includes a single light. But, I also use 12-gauge regardless of whether I'm doing 15 or 20-amps on both ends, in case a 15 needs to have both ends bumped up to 20's in the future.


Ensuring a down pipe attached to a wall stays elevated above the ground I have a downpipe that I noticed was full of water. When I lifted it up, all the water started gushing out. The attachments had come off and it had slipped down leading me to believe it was sitting tight against the ground blocking the flow. I will replace the attachments but I'm not sure if it will slide down again causing the same problem

Suggestions as to how to get it to stay elevated that would be great.
Cheers

Replace that pipe clamp with one that isn't broken. You can, most likely, simply use the original screw holes (whether into wooden siding above that stone veneer foundation wall, or into plastic/lead inserts into stone/brick above where we can see).
If you need to, put a dab of caulk into the old holes to prevent water ingress and drill new ones for the new pipe clamp.


What could be causing AFCI breakers to keep tripping? I recently had my basement remodeled by a general contractor. This included a bathroom, family room, wet bar, and home theater. The electrician added 4 circuits in total, all of them using arc fault breakers from GE. I've had lots of trouble with the breakers tripping, seemingly unrelated to the circuit's load. Replacing one of the AFCI breakers with an older style GFCI breaker makes the problem go away, though this isn't a long term solution since the electrical code where I live says we need AFCI breakers for remodeling work.

My electrician has contacted GE and says they are aware of problems with their AFCI breakers and are working on a revised design. Has anyone else had trouble with GE breakers? These breakers are installed in a GE panel.

Your electrician could add a SquareD sub panel that would have the four SquareD AFCI breakers, fed from the GE panel with a standard two pole breaker.

AFCI breakers can be sensitive to certain loads. I've experienced problems with florescent lighting, power tools, and vacuum cleaners tripping the breaker.


Marginal cost of window (framing) while in design phase I've drawn up my sketch of floor plan I'll take to a house designer, but haven't added any windows yet. I'd like to have as much detail added to save designer time, but since I'm on a budget, I need help understanding what framing a window costs.

If I add a window here or there what does the extra framing cost, compared to a blank wall? Assume they're the load bearing exterior 2*6 walls, and like 4'*4' in size.

Where I live, 4x4 windows cost about $600 and another $300 for framing, header, etc. Trim around the opening varies from $100 - $200, depending on type of trim, stain or paint, etc.

Framing is not what is expensive in a house. It’s the finishes.

BTW, an “egress window” is required by Building Code in all bedrooms AND sleeping areas. It needs to open a certain amount and can’t be more than 42” - 44” or something like that off the floor. Check with Building Codes in your area.


Drain dripping noise from Garbage disposal into P trap after running the dishwasher or just running water into the sink, about 30 seconds later goes this nerve wrecking:  POCK... POCK... POCK
The dripping comes from the garbage disposal pipe and the water drops are falling into the P-Trap below. The figuration worked for over 10 years. What changed?

Your drain vent has become blocked.

More likely, based on your statement that the figuration worked for over 10 years, the vent has been absent, incorrectly installed, or blocked for over a decade, but the sink drain was somehow getting vented anyway.

If you recently changed any drain plumbing elsewhere in the house, you must have inadvertently eliminated the incorrect but accidentally working sink drain vent.

If you have made no plumbing changes anywhere, then the drain pipe must have originally been large enough to vent itself, but has been steadily, year by year, becoming narrower and narrower due to accumulation of grease and other obstructions.

In any case, your problem is a lack of proper drain ventilation.

Dripping water goes tick... tick...tick... not POCK! POCK! POCK! And how did you figure out where the water was dripping from and to, inside an opaque drain pipe? The loud noise you hear is not water dripping. It is air being sucked through the P-trap by water flowing through a choke point somewhere between the trap and the next downstream vented pipe.

The effect of a blocked drain vent goes beyond the nerve wracking noise. When the water is sucked out of the P-trap like that, dangerous sewer gases can leak into your kitchen.

You may be able to effect a temporary fix by snaking out the drain pipe downstream from the P-trap, but for safety's sake you really must get the drain vent cleared out.


What's the best way to finish this trim So I'm doing my baseboards in my basement, and I'm running up to what was previously installed.  I'm going to slide the baseboard all the way flush with the vertical part.  From there, I'm a little stumped what to do.  My thoughts were to:

Cut the cap the goes along the stairs vertically flush with the end of the stairs and then leave it blank from the base straight up
Find another piece of trim that matches the cap along the stairs and run it vertically down to the base.  The problem is, that cap is thicker than the base, which I could taper down to meet up, but I have no idea how  I'd deal with the cap on the top of the base
???

Any thoughts as to the best way to blend these?

Abutting moldings are often resolved with transition blocks. You could make a rectangular piece, slightly wider than the current gap.  Trim back the angled cap  so that it is flush with the vertical line at the end of the stairs. Trim back the base molding a bit. Make the block a bit taller than the end of the cap.

The ideal thickness would be different from all that abut it. Reveals (intentional offsets in thickness) are easier than trying to get exact flush matches. And they are usually better looking.


Can a slab under load be concrete jacked or otherwise supported without taking down the wall? I have an issue with soil erosion below the front corner of my garage floor which has caused a crack to form and a piece of the slab (~4sq.ft) to sink.
This in turn is affecting the portion of the outside wall which is supported by the area to sink/lean.

The garage was built by previous owners and is a simple concrete-block wall with a brick veneer on the outside.  The part of the front wall that is currently sitting on the cracked piece is only about 3' but I imagine it's likely that the void underneath is larger.

I'm currently reading up on concrete jacking, but am worried about the additional load of the wall on the slab. I know that it's typically recommended to wait 24h before driving on a jacked slab, so would the  concrete jacking process have enough pressure to fix my situation?

If there's another approach that I might be missing, I'm also open to suggestions.

Here in my town, I have seen foundation repair that is great for loss of substructure support, such as soil compaction or erosion.  What they do is bore a hole in the slab, and inject expanding urathane foam into the slab underside, as they watch the slab level and cracks.  What happens is under thousands of pounds of pressure, the foam replaces missing soil, and litterally lifts the sagging slab. Since the foam is like a liquid, it flows to where it is needed, and supports very evenly.  Once the engineer is satisfied he has the right amount of list, they turn the machine off, and shut the valve, but leave the fitting connected.  They wait for the foam to harden, before they disconnect.  At that point, the repair is pretty much permanent, at least until more erosion or settling causes the need to repeat.

As long as there isn't a place for the foam to escape, this works great.  If there is a sinkhole, or an opening that lets foam out, they may have to inject, pause for a day, and inject again...  till they get the needed results.  Obviously this is for a slab on or in the soil.  For slabs poured over basements, screw jacks and perhaps beams are installed in the basement.

But this is a job for a foundation repair expert.  This is one of those areas a do-it-yourselfer can do more harm than good.  A foundation repair company will have insurance for liability, in case something goes wrong that is his fault.  If you do it yourself, you could make things worse, and there is little limit to what worse means when it comes to supporting a house on a failing slab.


What is the name for a lateral band saw guide: one that guides wood forward at a set distance from the blade What is the name for a lateral band saw guide: one that guides wood forward at a set distance from the blade ?

I want to cut strips from a long flat strip of wood (ripping rather than a cross-cut)


How can I get a shock from a circuit when the breaker is off? While I was replacing an old outlet, I received a shock from something in the box. I think it was the metal box itself.

Before I started, I performed the following to ensure the power was out:

Plugged a lamp into the outlet and turned it on
Flipped the breaker off; verified that the light went out.

I then started to disconnect the wires when I received a shock.

After I flipped the breaker for the whole house, I replaced the outlet without any further problems.

Should I be concerned that my ground isn't really grounded?

Well, if there is something leaking current onto "ground" and that thing is connected to your metal box, and the metal box is not connected to the ground in your breaker panel, no, that's not great.  I would take a multimeter, turn off the breaker to the house, and check the resistance between neutral and the box.  If it is large, then they are not not bonded together at the panel, but yet something somewhere is connecting them in your house.  Try using a 3-prong tester on some outlets in your house and see what results you get.


Connecting a Leviton light timer w/ 3 way set up I am trying to connect the Leviton VPT24-1PZ Vizia 24-Hour Programmable Indoor Timer with Astronomical Clock in a 3-way setup w/ LED lights. There was previously another light timer there (prob ~30 years old and couldn't properly keep time). On the other end of the circuit is a light switch.

I am attaching two photos:

Wiring going into the existing light switch on the one end. To be honest, I don't care about keeping it if it made the installation of the Leviton timer easier.
Wiring from the old light timer, which I am now replacing. I note that it only had the 3 wires coming out of it and wasn't connected to the copper/ground. The Leviton timer has 5 wires coming out of it.

Follow the instructions that came with the timer. Otherwise, look them up online. And make sure your timer and switch can handle LED lighting. This could be a critical point to consider, or not. Also, Which of these two switches takes power from the source, and which of these two switches gives power to the light(s)? Three-way switches typically have three terminals as well as a bond wire or a bond screw for Ground (4 altogether). Not sure why the Leviton would have 5 wires. Check the included specs sheet for clues.


How can I remove a toilet brush that is deeply stuck in a shower drain? I was trying to clean my shower drain with a toilet brush and the toilet brush broke inside the pipe. Now, the head of the toilet brush is stuck about 2 feet down in the pipe. Water will not pass, the head is stuck.

Any suggestions on how to pull this toilet brush head out? I was thinking a toilet snake, but not sure it will even get past the brush head to pull it out from the underneath.

Coathanger, cut into a wire, with a hook on the end might work.
Push the hooked end past the stuck brush, keeping the hook near the perimiter of the pipe.
Rotate the hanger 90° so the hook is under, and engages, the stuck toilet brush.
Pull up on the end of the coathanger with a pliers or vicegrips.


Light with Dimmer and LED bulbs blinks when on by itself I have a light and the switch is a Lutron LED/CFL compatible dimmer switch. If only that light is on it will blink a lot, 2-3 times every 5 seconds.  However, if I turn on another light that is on the same breaker then it stops blinking.  I do have one other light on that breaker that has a dimmer and that one is an incandescent and works fine with or without other lights on. The bulb is dimmable.
I thought maybe it was a bad dimmer so I replaced the dimmer and the same thing happens. Any ideas as to what the issue may be?
Dimmer model is Lutron CTCL-153PDH and it has 10 of the G40D-WW6DF bulbs on the fixture.

Incompatible Bulbs
A modern dimmer (or timer or smart switch) needs to get some power from somewhere. That can come from:

Complete circuit using neutral in the switch box. These dimmers will say "require neutral", have a white wire for neutral and include directions on how to connect it. Based on the installation manual, these dimmers don't use neutral. Neutral is the "best" technically, but because many older installations don't have neutral readily available in the switch box, many switches (dimmers, timers, smart switches, etc.) avoid using neutral.

Complete circuit using ground. These dimmers will say "require ground". They use ground as a legal loophole for completing the circuit, since ground == neutral for all practical purposes. That is not permitted for other uses (e.g., receptacles, light fixtures, etc.) but is permitted for dimmers, timers, smart switches, etc. that are designed properly and that use the ground for very low levels of current. Based on the installation manual, these dimmers don't REQUIRE ground. Ground is shown in the diagram, but there is no mention of it being required. In addition, there is the following note:

When no “grounding means” exists within the wallbox for an existing switch or dimmer, the National Electrical Code (NEC) allows a switch/dimmer to be installed as a replacement as long as: 1) a nonmetallic, noncombustible faceplate is used with nonmetallic attachment screws or 2) the circuit is protected by a ground fault circuit interrupter. Lutron wallplates meet this requirement. When installing a control according to these methods, cap or remove green wire before screwing control into wallbox.

which means you can, if and only if ground is not available, install this dimmer without connecting ground. That would absolutely not be the case if the dimmer used ground to complete the circuit. **FYI, that means that, especially if you don't have a ground connection, you must use the included (non-metallic) screws instead of standard metal screws.

Battery power. Not ideal because batteries need to be changed periodically. This dimmer does not use a battery.

Leak current through the attached light fixtures. This is the only choice left, so this dimmer must be doing that. Unfortunately, this leakage causes problems with some LED bulbs. A dimmer-compatible LED bulb has to function properly in a number of ways that simply don't cause problems with incandescent bulbs. If the bulb is not truly compatible then you can get any/all of:

Dim light, flashing light, buzzing noises when on, particularly if at less than "100% power".
Dim light, flashing light, buzzing noises when off.

Turning on additional devices on the same switch (e.g., replacing one LED bulb with an incandescent bulb) almost always changes the characteristics of the circuit enough to eliminate a lot of problems. Changing something else on the same circuit can have effects too, as you have discovered. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but when you are dealing with the extremely low levels of power used by LEDs, a lot of things don't make sense. A single 6W bulb uses only 50 milliamps!
As noted in the installation manual:

CFLs or LEDs do not dim, have a poor dimming range, or they flicker / flash.
Verify Step 7. Ensure bulbs are Lutron compatible.

and

Audible buzzing (common with LEDs).
If bothersome, use a different bulb.

Lutron has a complete list online.
I recommend getting bulbs on the official list. There is a good chance that a newer bulb from a manufacturer on the list will also work. But the "unknowns" - hit and miss - and in this case "miss".
The alternative is to get a dimmer that requires either ground or neutral, provided your switch location has the necessary ground or neutral wire. Those will definitely avoid any "blink when off" problems, but might still have blink when on problems if used with a non-dimmer-compatible or, as seems to be your case, non-quite-compatible-enough bulb.


ceiling mount shower curtain rod I am currently (slowly) re-modeling a small bathroom (about 32 sq/ft) and I have small problem with the shower curtain rod.  The space is small, and one of the walls that the shower curtain rod would mount to has a piece of window trim.  Currently there is an adjustable rod that is fit between the two walls, and it works, but its ugly.

I am looking for possible suggestions for a shower curtain rod installation, perhaps hanging from the wall above where the rod is currently installed.  See the pictures below for a better idea of what I'm talking about.

Also, I was looking at Ceiling Shower Rod which looks decent.  I'm not sure if this is the best solution though.

Is it possible to use a pressure mounted curtain rod inside of the shower stall?  The lower picture (the right side of the shower stall?) looks like the start of the shower stall wall is flat but the top picture (left side of shower stall?) looks slightly curved.  But still I wonder if you move the shower curtain rod below where it curves on the left, then is it flat enough on both sides for the pressure from the curtain rod to hold it in place?


What type of switch will allow two lights to operate individually or all at once? I have two sets of LED lights and I'm looking for a single switch that will allow for the following options:

OFF
LED set 1 ON
LED sets 1 and 2 ON (both on)

I don't have extensive training in electrical or circuits, but I am pretty handy and for the life of me can't figure out a way to wire the above scenario. Everything I think of will seemingly turn on both sets no matter what. I can't figure out how to isolate one LED set on the same switch as powering both. Anyone have any ideas?

If you want a single control to do this, look at multi-position rotary or slide switches. It's fairly common to have a switch that connects a common to two outputs (let's call them A and B) and gives you the choices  off, A only, A and B, or B only. Variants which drop one of those options are also readily available.

Switches of this sort are often seen in multi-bulb table lamps that offer several settings. They used to be common in stereo components to select which of two sets of speakers will be powered. They're also used in slightly modified form as the pull-chain switches that control ceiling fans.

A good electronics supply house should have several alternatives which meet your needs, differing in size, in how they're mounted, in the kind of knob they have (or the shaft to which you can attach a standard knob), how much voltage and current they can tolerate, and so on. You may still be able to find suitable switches at Radio Shlock, though they've phased out most of their hobbyist-friendly parts department.


Retrofit LED can light In the past, I've replaced old incandescent can lights with LEDs and it has been a breeze.
For the latest can light I'm replacing though, the attachment is different and I can't find an LED retrofit that would seem to work.
This is the inside of the current can and the trim that attaches using the slots at the top:

Here is a typical retrofit LED:

The can doesn't have the holes on the side for the prongs of the retrofit LED.  Instead there are some clips right next to the light socket.  There are also the vertical slots closer to the bottom of the can but I don't know what they are for.
Is there a way to attach this LED to this can?  Another LED that would work?  Or am I out of luck?

I found a solution.  You can buy these on Amazon:
The are called "Retrofit Recessed Downlight Housing C Clips with Self Tapping Screws for Down Light Can"
You screw them onto the wall of the can, and then you have slots to hold the torsion spring of the LED.
They seem to be available only on Amazon (not even the big box stores) so not an easy thing to find.


oval undermount lavatory sinks that'd fit 18.25" x 15.25" cutout? I'd like to replace my 20 year old lavatory sinks but keep the countertop, and am having a tough time finding sinks that fit the latter. Can anyone suggest (mfr model or retailer?) oval undermount lavatory sinks that'd fit 18.25" x 15.25" cutout?

It won't be perfect, but an Ovalyn by American Standard would work with the countertop hanging over the edge all around. Kohler or Bates and Bates will show an inside sink edge beyond the cutout on two sides.


What is the standard height of a frameless shower door handle? I'm having a frameless shower door installed and to me the handle height seems rather low, but it could be because I'm a tall person. The handle is centered at around 35" from the bottom of the door. Does that sound right?

Is it common to customize this height?

Standard knob and lever heights for interior doors is 36" above finished floor, If the handle for your shower is 35" from the bottom of the shower door, and there is a curb under the door, that would put the handle about 39-42" above the bathroom floor. Already is higher than standard.

No there is no set rule for handle heights of shower doors that I know of. They are usually set in the center of the panel, which should be about where yours is if the door is the standard 6' height for frameless doors. This is based on observations while shower doors are being measured for by the installers over the years. Nothing was ever specified for the height, just handle style.


How should I treat outdoor wooden stairs to preserve them? I plan to replace outdoor wooden stair planks.  They are exposed to Florida heat and rain. I planned to paint them brown so they match their peers.
However, do they need any other treatment so that they will endure the test of time?

You would want to treat them with a waterproofing/sealer first and then wait the required dry time before painting them.
You might be better off staining them brown. Stairs take  beating and paint might just crack and peel off.  There are a lot of stain/sealers out there to choose from.


Do you have to have a thermostat for an electrical baseboard heater? Ours didn't come with a wall mounted thermostat! So do we need to buy one?

You could just turn the breaker on when you are cold, and off when you are hot, I suppose. If that gets inconvenient, yes, you'd need a thermostat.

They do not normally "come with one" because one thermostat may control many heaters, or one thermostat and a bunch of relays may control even more heaters.

Some units do come with one built into one end of the baseboard itself, but that is a special option. You may be able to return the unit you have and get one like that if it would be more convenient in your application.


Unplugging a Gas Water Heater Daily I only use hot water once a day to shower. Recently, my 16 year old Bradford White gas hot water heater has taken a turn for the worst, and will only put out a little hot water at a time, and, regardless of whether or not I'm using water, the fan will run constantly.

I'm considering upgrading to tankless in a few days, but, in the mean time, I don't like the idea of the blower running up my electric bill. Am I safe to unplug the water heater from the wall and simply plug it back in an hour or so before I shower in the mean time?

Is this an exhaust booster? If it is I would not turn it off without turning down the thermostat so it won’t be running without a proper draft. This is the only fan on gas water heaters I have installed, boilers with induction fans are a different matter and without the Induction fan the system won’t run. But normally a multi pass system not a std household water heater.


Why do my outlets start working when something is plugged in? I am in an apartment and have a small bar between living room and kitchen. In that bar is an outlet. It is NOT on the same breaker as the living room lights, fan, or outlets.

Recently my lights and outlets quit working in the living room area. We had 7 kids over for a birthday so since the outlet on the bar was working, I know because my phone charger was plugged into it, we moved the TV to that part of the room. When I plug the tv into the bottom outlet all the lights, ceiling fan, and outlets start working in the living room. This only happens in the bottom outlet and NOT the top outlet. How is this possible since they are on separate breakers?

I'm not sure if it's relevant but there is a roof leak in apartment. We have mold growing in closets in one bedroom, landlord says it is not mold, and water drips from air vent in ceiling in dining room when it rains. Nothing close to this plug though.

Standing under ceiling fan. Outlet is just above my jacket on bar wall.

Try turning off the power to the bar outlet and also the power to the living room lights and outlets. Pull out the bar outlet and inspect it for loose connections, especially on the white,neutral, wire. The two breakers you turned off could be sharing the neutral and it could be loose in the bar outlet or connected by the backstabs in the outlet.


Sense Energy Monitor In Panel Spacing Just installed the Sense / Square D Wiser Home energy monitor. The instructions state to leave the energy monitoring box somewhere inside the main panel. My main panel is a bit crowded with ground wires directly touching the sense energy monitoring unit. Any issues with this setup or anything else I should be concerned about?

In case anyone is wondering, the extra black and red wires that are clamped are from a generator inlet port. They are going to the first breaker on the right which has a generator interlock kit installed to prevent backfeeding to the utility company. I added the wires into the clamps so I can also measure when I'm running off of generator. This gives me the advantage of knowing precisely how much load I'm using and to keep it under the generator's limits.

I don’t see any problem with your setup, using the system to monitor your generator is a good idea. I have done similar with CT,s or current transformers I have my generator looped 4 times through my CT’s since my gauges are analogue I know to divide by 4 when the generator is running depending on your CT’s or what ever they call your clamps you may need to do the same to get better resolution with the generator. (4 times provides a 200 amp reading on my gauges that a 50 amp reading would be hard to tell if 35 or 50)


Light fixture has 3 white wires together, 2 black together, and one by itself, how do I connect a new fixture? The light fixture I removed has 3 white wires basically melted together.  One black wire by itself, and the other two blacks are connected.  How would I go about wiring a new fixture with one white and one black?

Do you have a photo from before the old fixture was removed fully?
You need a hot plus a neutral for a light.
Likely the bare black wire is your hot switch lead, something you can verify with a non-contact circuit tracer (a tool you should own for safety sake, for example Klein NCVT-1).  The white neutrals often get all tied together, don't worry about overthinking that one too much, just hook your white there.
The connected hots might be some totally other circuit using this box as a waypoint.  Unless there are more lights run by the same switch, or something else, it's best to just ignore them and move on.


Can anyone help me identify this old audio cable? I have this old Bang & Olufsen vinyl record player, with a old connector for the speakers. Do anyone know what type of connector this is? And if there exist some converters?

Looks like DMX, but it can't be that?

Would love to get this to work again.

Those are 5-pin male DIN connectors.  Same as used in the original IBM-PC keyboard cables.

From the photo this is obviously a patch cable of some kind for an audio application.

Here are some typical wiring schemes:

(Shields are connected to pin 2)

5 pin Male cord Mt. 180 degree, Din Connector (Amazon)


Building a retaining wall around our shed - moisture barrier needed? I'd like to build a retaining wall/large planter around our shed to create some scenery and block the "crawspace" underneath the shed.  Should we use a moisture barrier against the exterior walls of the shed for additional protection against rotting (shed is wood siding), or should the stones for the planter provide sufficient protection?

If the planter is going to be in direct contact with wood, absolutely. Concrete is porous and it will be permanently saturated with water.


Older Zenith motion activated flood light not working properly I have a Zenith 2 light (halogen) flood light that worked fine until a couple of months ago when we needed it most!  There was a guy in our driveway in the middle of the night casing our cars.  Our cameras picked him up but the flood lights did not and have since not worked.  When I turn them on they stay lit (20 minutes in this case) as set.  When I approach the sensor at night the little red light flashes as if it's picking up motion but the lights do not turn on.  Should I just replace the unit or is there another fix?  I have the same set-up on the back of our house and it's worked fine for many years.  I have the setting set the same as the light on the back of the house.  Only difference is that the problem lights are switched on every evening as they are wired with other outside lighting

Replace the Fixture
In this particular case, since the red light flashes, it sounds like the sensor is OK but it isn't activating the relay for the light. But on an older halogen unit it is not worth repairing - just replace it with a new LED fixture. The electronics do wear out over time, especially with outdoor fixtures, and you will save money on electricity with a new LED fixture.
Look at the existing bulbs to find the power (watts) used and then translate that into an equivalent LED. For example, if your existing fixture has 2 x 100W Halogen bulbs, that is roughly 2,000 to 2,500 lumens according to this chart. Replace it with a new fixture like this one picked at random from Home Depot and you get 2,400 lumens for 26W. At 0.13/kWh (average US according to a quick search), saving you $8.25/year for each hour/day that the light is on (motion detected -> lights actually on; the motion detector (old or new) uses very little power).


Sink Drainage Configuration I have a double sink, garbage Disposal & dishwasher. There must be a better way. How I can modify this to make it better?

If it's not leaking, don't fix it. But if it bothers you that much...

For starters, typically on a dual sink setup such as this, the garbage disposal drain is pointing towards the other sink basin. For the sink basin without the garbage disposal, there is a tailpiece, which is also a T, attached to the drain. Come straight out of the garbage disposal to the T in the tailpiece for the opposing basin. At the bottom of the tailpiece is where your trap goes, then to the drain line stubbed out of the wall.

I answered a question similar to this a few days ago with some diagrams. Let me find a link to it and I'll update my answer with it.

Edit:
Here's the link to a similar question.


How to make an uneven, damaged 'rustic' tile floor even for tile & parquet laying I want to lay a tile border & parquet centre in my kitchen. That requires an even floor, ideally level too.

The existing floor is an uneven mix of badly damaged tiles, with some parts plain concrete (former chimney breast location).

From what I've researched, there are three options:

Remove the tiles, and make it even with self leveling compound.
Don't bother removing the tiles, make it even with self leveling compound on top of them.
Apply a tile membrane to adhere it to the tile, and then tile/parquet on top of that.

Any other options I've missed?
Any no-no's?
What sort of adhesive to use?

Unless you are concerned about an asbestos material under the tile (such as old linoleum squares), I would remove any old material and start clean.  If you keep building on top of the old materials, you might need to rip all your doors down to make them fit with the new floor.  Conversely, you need to consider how high to make the new floor in relationship to the old floor.  Last, while you may still need floor leveler, a better bet is to install a nice new clean level underlayment board such as concrete board, durarock, hardibacker, or other tile board for tile or a nice clean 1/4" sheet of plywood and paper for hardwood.


Is it inadvisable to reuse PVC? (Sch-40 white stuff) I have some salvaged PVC (Schedule 40) from a run in the irrigation system that I'm rebuilding which is now unused - I'm considering reusing it in the rebuild of the system. Is this foolish?

The salvaged section is SCH-40 pipe from Charlotte pipe, and has some ASTM info on it. I can post a picture if it will help. I could use this 'salvaged' pipe in either the primary part of the system (if acceptable), or in a side-bar to the primary system which is purely accessory, or not at all.

I'm guessing it's likely better to use fully-new pipe and connections in the work I'm doing now, as it should significantly reduce the likelihood of leaks in the new work. If this is the case, I'm happy to hear it, but I'd also like to know what the potential issues of re-using old PVC is, as there is a solitary long run that is non-essential where it would be useful to have a reduction in cost (as small as it may be). Plus it could always go to another project (like watering the garden, or something similar), if the risk is mostly to critical/annoying-to-fix situations like deeply buried irrigation.

Odds are it's fine, but you have more information to make a proper risk assessment than we do - for example, I wouldn't want to reuse it in my house, around wood or other materials prone to water damage, or if I was running something more valuable or potentially harmful than just water through it; just in case it did decide to fail majorly on me. I probably wouldn't do it if the cost of fittings would be greater than the cost of the pipe, either, since if it failed I'd likely double that cost to fix it.


What's the best way to paint MDF? I want to paint an MDF radiator cover with either a satin or a gloss paint. Should I apply to paint directly to the MDF or should I apply a primer first?

Just like wood you should apply a primer first.

Then undercoat and finally the top coat (or two).

The primer will stop the other paint just soaking straight into the MDF and the undercoat will give "body" to the finish.

Even if you get a "one coat" paint I usually find that it needs two (or occasionally three) coats to get a good, even finish.


No room to unscrew kitchen faucet It's a pretty simple problem, but I couldn't find anything, maybe I'm searching for the wrong keywords.
There's no room no unscrew my kitchen faucet, even if I twist the spout along with it there's just not enough room for a full turn of neither, it was probably installed before the countertop.

I tried to unscrew the spout off but there's not enough room for that either...
Worth noting that I'm in a rented apartment and I have no tools, I wonder if I can solve with by bending it with some pliers or some other cheap tool I can buy.
The other faucet I'm substituting this one with is bendable so it fits fine
Edit: I can remove the ring but not sure if its enough, tried wiggling and pulling the spout but it won't come off, I'm also afraid to ruin the wall.

It looks to me like the nut on the spout would turn independently of the spout itself. Put the faucet back in its original position and turn that nut while holding the spout stationary. See if you can thread that off and pull the spout out, then you'll be able to rotate the faucet body.
If that's not the case, it looks like you'd be able to find a position that would allow you to spin the spout, or a combination of positions as you turn it and the faucet body simultaneously.


Why are the contractors leaving lambs wool fibers in my floor finish? Contractors continue to leave wool fibers in the finish. They rebuff the floor and add another poly finish but still leave wool fibers. What are they doing wrong? They seem to think this is ok and normal.

They are using new clothes on final finishes.  New wool will shed maybe the first 10-20 times you use it and for finish coats I have only used older clothes or microfiber.  They could also be buffing a little too soon and this will definitely cause more wool to pull out.   I would hit the areas with wool with 320 grit sandpaper or just leave them in there and they will work their way out with more drying and usage.


Spacing for recessed lighting in bedroom Tonight I'm installing recessed lighting in my bedroom and have a question on how to space the cans. The room is 12' x '12. How many cans should I put in the bedroom and how should I space them?

There are a number of variables you need to consider in order to space them correctly.

First, how much light do you want? Brighter rooms require more lights.  Related to this is the max wattage of your cans.  You will need more 35W lights to achieve the same brightness you'd get with 50W cans.

What type of spread (angle of light ) do the bulbs you plan on using produce?  Bulbs with a wider spread will cover a larger area but light will be more diffused.

The typical rule-of-thumb is 24" from each wall, and then 3-5 feet between cans.  So in a 12' room you'd probably want two rows of lights.  Considering it is a bedroom and you don't need it as bright as a kitchen, you can probably get away with 2 rows of 4 lights for a total of 8.  If you are using 50W bulbs then you will have 400W of light in your room.

The height of your ceiling also plays a big role. Higher ceilings typically require more cans since the light diffuses more before it hits the floor.

Also take into consideration the position of ceiling joists; this might limit where and how many you can place.

I always recommend drawing out your design on graphing paper before you make your first cut.  Find out the spread of your light (taking into account the ceiling height), and draw a circle under each can with a protractor. You want the light produced on the floor for each can to slightly overlap another light so that thre are no dead spots.

Make sure you check the ceiling joists before you start cutting!

I should also mention that if you are installing into an insulated area, make sure you use IC (insulation contact) rated cans!


How do I change a bulb in this flush mounted light fixture? I need to replace the bulb in this flush mounted ceiling light with a glass dome but cannot open it. There are two handles (springs?) that I assume should be used to achieve that but I could not figure the system out. I tried pushing on them upwards or pulling to the side but no luck. I have tried rotating the glass dome but that does not loosen it.
Any ideas?

The solution was inspired by Ed Beal's idea.
Pulling both handles out released the glass dome. Each handle can be pulled out separately to help keep the dome from falling.