What does "Split" label mean on circuit breaker panel? I'm attempting to map out our home electrical breaker panel. The labels written by the electrician 20+ years ago aren't super helpful, so I've having a go making things a bit clearer.

I have several breakers just labeled "Split". No description other than that. Each one is two 15 amp breakers "linked" (bridged?) together. What I mean by linked is that there is a piece connecting both of them so they have to be flipped at the same time.

I have three sets of these, which would make a total of 90 amps. Quite a bit considering the house only has 250 amp service.

Any ideas what these "Splits" are? The only other place on the panel with large "links" are for the big appliances (stove, dryer, air conditioner).

Thanks.

Friedo's answer is essentially correct regarding the multi wire branch circuit except if these are 15 amp circuits they could not be used to feed the kitchen receptacles. Those are required to be 20 amp circuits.

The code requires multi-wire branch circuits to be fed with either a multi-pole breaker or two breakers tied together with an approved handle tie. You appear to have the latter.

I just wanted to clear up a misconception many people have about how to calculate the total load of your panel.
You said-

  I have three sets of these, which would make a total of 90 amps. Quite a bit considering the house only has 250 amp service

We don't add all the breakers up to determine the load on the panel. The main panel is required to be sized large enough to supply the calculated load of the house not the sum of the installed circuit breakers.

(If you had a 200 amp panel (the normal maximum size for a residential service) with 40 breakers installed and they were all 20 amp breakers that would total 800 amps. Far exceeding the maximum of the main breaker. If the breakers were 15 amp breakers it would still add up to 600 amps.)

A residential load calculation is a fairly involved calculation but even an all-electric house of average size wouldn't normally exceed 150 amps so a 200 amp panel is plenty of capacity.

So your breakers are good. It is a safe installation according to the National Electrical Code and a normal practice in electrical installations.

Happy Day!


8500 W generator with L14-30 plug.. How to access full capacity for house? As an emergency generator I purchased a Wpro8500 from Westinghouse. My house has a transfer switch and the wiring supports 240V 50A. The generator has a few outputs, but the 240V is a 30A. This limits the total power to 7200 watts. The generator is rated 8500 running, with 11500 starting power. It seems that the way it is engineered, you can access the full power only by using multiple outlets. (eg. 1 - 120v 20A and 1 - 120/240V 30A).

Can I access the full power by connecting the 240V outlet to the house transfer switch, and connecting a 120v outlet to an outside, regular outlet (wired for 20A)?

My thinking is: Since the transfer switch is engaged, there would be no backfeeding to the grid and because the electricity is coming from the same source, this would act as a parallel source.

Don't worry about it

Breakers have a certain latitude to them, and can run slightly above rating for a short time.  That provides for motor starting and short term overloads.

You're not supposed to plan to overload anyway

You should be provisioning power for 125% of what you expect to actually draw.  So if you plan for 6800 VA of actual load, you should provision at least 8500 VA of supply.  So don't aim to draw more than 6800 VA.

If you actually have 8500 VA of load in mind, then provision 125% of that or 10,625 VA.

VA is not quite watts

Often loads don't use the entire sine wave.  The part they use is measured in watts.  But the entire sinewave must be generated, and that is measured in VA.  This can bite you.

Anyway, it’s really hard to load the generator evenly

North American 120/240V comes in two poles of 120V each.  Each one has its own breaker trip, but they are common-trip, so the breaker will trip if either side exceeds 30A by enough margin or time.

That means you must full balance your 120V loads to get full performance out of the generator. This is hard to do.  I would say impossible without ammeters on both legs, and even that is not telling you about the difference between watts and VA.

If you find that issue objectionable, you can fix it by putting a 10 KVA transformer in front of the transfer switch. Now 120V loads will evenly load the generator, since the transformer is balancing.

Never parallel

Electrical connections should never be paralleled, except in certain rare instances.  There are many reasons for it, including eddy current heating, but one problem is neutrals.  Current will flow as it pleases, while completely ignoring any breaker trip ratings.  If your breakers are 30/15 it will cheerfully flow 39/6 if it wants to, and trip your 30A breaker.

But much worse is happening on the neutral.  With two competing neutral route, the same thing could happen and neutrals don't have breakers. So you're just setting the wires on fire at that point.

Even when paralleling is done industrially, special equipment is used which deals with this important point!

Suicide cords, never

I have done some janky things with power.  But making a cord with males on both ends is something I would never do.  No problem exists which requires that as a solution.

Firstly you have the problem that you will inevitably have one end plugged into "live" while the other end is free to contact anything or anyone.

Second, you have the problem that a suicide cord can do an end-run around your transfer switch/generator interlock.  That can be over to "utility" side while your suicide cord backfeeds the grid.  This defeats the purpose of having an interlock.


AC contactor 1 pole or 2? I wanted to title this: Outside unit running, but thermostat is off but I'm 99% sure its the contactor unless someone here says otherwise.

Thus my real question: which contactor should I buy? I typed in the part no. on Amazon but I'm experiencing death by choices. No where on my current contactor can I find the words 1 pole or the amperage. The variety of contactor choices I have are making me nervous. Heres the pic of my current one

One last question, does manufacturer matter? Do I buy Siemens only?

Everything works fine by the way the fan just runs non-stop. Just fyi I've replaced the capacitor and a fuse on the control board this week.

The L1 and L2 designates the two feeds. The contactor is a one pole contactor with a shunt.  The voltage rating is 277volts.  The FLA designates full load amps, 25 Amps, which is the max rating for the contactor with inductive load.  The LRA designates locked rotor amps, 150 amps, which is the max rating for motor startup, and the res amps, 35amps, is the max amp rating for resistive load like lighting. The coil voltage is 24v and is fed from a transformer in the air handler. Your compressor would be considered inductive load.

You don't have to go with Siemens but get a good one... remember, you get what you pay for.

Also, your fan in the compressor, should not be running all the time, only when the compressor is running. Good luck.


Can I run electrical cable and sound cable in the same conduit? In my house, I only have an underground conduit for electrical cable. I have a home theater system, but there is no separate underground conduit for home theater wiring. I want surround sound with front and rear speakers, so I need to pull underground cable for rear speakers.

My questions:

Should I pull my home theater wire for rear speakers through that electrical cable conduit?
If I do this, will I get sound distortion?
If yes, is there any specific cable which I can use that would allow the electrical cable and sound cable to be in the same conduit and not get any sound distortion?

You really want to keep these separate in a high quality audio setup, as you will get interference...especially through a sub.

I would even recommend routing the cables in entirely different directions if at all possible to minimise mains hum. Is there no other route for them? As an example, my mains wiring is in the walls, so where possible I have my audio wiring in the floor or above the ceilings.

If you absolutely can't avoid running them together, get yourself a cable that has a decent screen and make sure it is earthed.


What is the order of installation for a stair railing? I am rebuilding a set of steps, and have decided that I need to replace the handrail at the base of the steps.  This is one of the exposed handrails, with ballisters and a newel at the end.  This is a straight run - no curves and no angle changes.  From what I understand, there are basically 4 different parts - the shoe, the ballisters (the upright supports), the newel (the post at the end) and the handrail.  In what order should I install the parts?  Should I fit the Newel in before the shoe to ensure a tight miter cut?

Wickes (UK DIY store) sells stair packs and has general fitting instructions.

These are available on-line. They are too long to summarise here, but do take you through the process step-by-step.


How would you repair this broken sprinkler irrigation PVC pipe? Please see the photo. We had a (plastic!) stake hit this (red circle). There doesn't appear to be any leaking from the red circle. Unfortunately, there is quite a bit of spray from the bottom of the elbow joint (the Yellow Arrows indicate the direction of the spray). If you click the photo you can actually see part of the crack on the bottom of the elbow joint.
EDIT: As oriented in the picture, the bottom two pipes (with the T and the straight through) are NOT AFFECTED, as far as I can tell.
I'm at a loss as to how to repair this. Any ideas?

You'll have to cut the tee pipe on both sides of the tee. Cut the pipe two inches from the edge of the tee in both directions. Also cut to the left of the red circle. Bring your cutout piece to your home store and get new parts and construct a new piece to fit exactly in place. Get three slip connectors to connect the three pipes to the existing ones.


Wiring Light Fixture with 2 Sockets into Junction Box with 2 White, 2 Black, and 1 Red Wire I am installing a light fixture in the kitchen. How do I wire it?

The light fixture has:

2 light bulb sockets
2 black wires (one coming out of each socket)
2 white wires (one coming out of each socket)
A bare metal ground wire

My junction box in the roof has:

2 black wires
2 white wires
1 red wire
1 ground wire

I tried following wiring and it didn't work when I turned the switch on:

First black from fixture to first black from box
Second black from fixture to second black from box
First white from fixture to first white from box
Second white from fixture to second white from box
Ground from fixture to ground from box
Left red disconnected and covered it with cap.

Take the two black wires in the box and wire nut them together. Take the two white wires from the box and twist them together and then connect them to the two white wires from the fixture with a wire nut. Take the red wire in the box and connect it to the two black wires from the fixture with a wire nut. Connect the ground wires together. Turn off the power before doing any of this.


How can I loosen a tight sink handle? I recently replaced the pivot rod in my bathroom sink drain. Over the course of the 3 days it took me to finally come to a resolution for it, the cold water handle has gotten tight. The hot water handle moves fluidly as it used to, but now, all of a sudden, the cold water handle is hard to turn. I don't remember tightening any of the nuts or bolts under the sink. How can I fix this problem?

Assuming this is a faucet that fits variable widths, each tap has screws underneath the sink which allow you to adjust the height of the tap relative to the sink.  The exact technique used to adjust the height varies, but generally in my experience you have to:

Loosen the locking screws/nuts - these lock the larger nut in
place (if you have any)
Adjust the height of the faucet with the large nut under the sink
Tighten the locking screws/nuts again

As for why this could happen - changes in ambient temperature could have caused a slight adjustment in the height of the faucet above the sink - so the bottom of the tap could be turning against the sink where it didn't before.  (This happened to me with both my hot and cold taps at different times.)

Here's an example of what they look like - these are my own faucets.  Each tap has a brass ring holding it in place right under the sink, and two locking screws that lock the brass ring in place.  The height of the tap is set by turning the brass ring.


Ceiling-fan switch no longer turns off fan I've been installing new outlets and switches in a condo my wife and I recently bought.The old ones were fine, but the wrong color. I've been replacing like for like, swapping the older Leviton beige switches for newer white ones. I've replaced single pole switches with single poles, 3-ways with 3-ways, and 4-ways with 4-ways. And I've tried in all cases to connect the existing wires in each box to the same terminals on each new switch. (I'm an extreme novice when it comes to electrical work.) The problem I'm having is with a 3-gang switch group in the family room. The right-hand dial is a rheostat control for the chandelier in the room... Pushing it in turns it on and off and spinning it varies the brightness. It's working OK (probably because I didn't touch it; I just substituted the existing beige knob for the white one in the photo...; - ) The middle switch is SUPPOSED to turn the ceiling fan on/off, and it did before I changed the switch. Now the ceiling fan is on all the time; toggling the switch does nothing. The only way I can now turn the fan off is either flipping the breaker which controls the circuit the fan is on or standing on a chair and pulling on the fan's chain. (It's a fan-only ceiling fan; there is no light fixture on it.) The left switch also turns the chandelier on/off. I don't think it did this before I messed with these switches; I'm guessing it was just linked to a switched outlet, but I haven't gotten that far yet.

When I pulled the left & middle switches out of the box, installed the new switches and reconnected the wires, I obviously miswired something because that's when the fan stayed on constantly (and when - I think but am not positive - the left switch also started turning the chandelier off/on. Note that both switches are single-pole and each is connected to three wires. The middle switch (the one which used to control the fan but now does nothing) has 1 red & 2 black wires and the left switch has 3 black wires. Any help/suggestions sincerely appreciated. I have several good photos I could attach but this forum apparently doesn't provide a mechanism for inserting/attaching photos, at least I couldn't immediately find a way to do it.

Yes, you miswired. Now you need to disconnect the wires to the switch in question, figure out which is the hot feed, and make sure the switch is between that and the lines to & from the fan. But since you think the left switch has changed function, it looks like you have made a hash of things.  Next time, label every line before disconnecting.
I suggest bringing in an electrician rather than risking doing something even more wrong.


I have 2 single slots (left & right) at bottom of panel but using 12/3 wire for two separate runs I'm learning to wire and have done okay lately, but now I want to tackle adding a Ground Fault Breaker to my panel to power some outdoor receptacles and landscape lighting. I've already run 12/3 (in the grey sched 80 conduit) in an exposed ditch that was used to run power and gas to a new backup generator. It has been filled in. For now I am setting up two or three outdoor receptacles on the black run to our fence which will be used for a variety of events... social/xmas lighting/vacuum for vehicles/power tools/etc. The second hot (red) will be run to the front of the house in a couple of months to power two or three receptacles on our sizable wrap around front porch for the same type of events.

Problem I think I am running into is at the panel. I just realized that I am down to two open slots that are both side by side on the very bottom of the panel. From what I am reading I will want to use a 20amp GFCI breaker but I'm thinking I need a double pole breaker(?). If that is the case, am I out of luck if I only have two single side by side slots at the bottom of my panel? Are there 20amp breakers made that would accept 12/3 wiring AND fit into a single slot?

If "NO", can a 12/3 wiring setup be used across two separate single side by side 20amp breakers? I see the issue of sharing the common/neutral wire as being a major problem if I tried this approach.

I'm open to suggestions short of re-running two runs of 14/2. The hole (through our 20-inch concrete foundation) I will use to run the 12/3 only has just enough room left to get through. I fear pulling two 14/2 lines will be way too tight.

I do have the option of removing a breaker on one side of the panel because it's use is questionable. Once removed I would have to then move all the breakers below up a notch to make the bottom right have two open slots. Is that a lot of work to move them up? I've not done work in the panel before so don't know if doing this requires any rewiring or if it is just a matter of popping the breaker out and moving it one higher and popping it back in.

Again, I'm open to any suggestions and look forward to some constructive feedback!

*****UPDATE 4/20/2014*****

After looking closer at my wiring panel I see that the issue of limited breaker space may not be an issue after all. We recently had a natural gas backup generator installed. When installed, a transfer switch was also set up right next to the wire panel. In the process of rewiring, it appears the majority of breakers were redirected to the new transfer switch. It appears that I now have about 10 or 12 breakers available (they no longer have a hot wire going to them)... to include 2 unused 20amp double pole breakers. I'm thinking now I can simply replace one of the 20amp double pole breakers with a 20amp GFCI double pole breaker and be done with it. I did note the neutral bar still uses the original neutral wiring but see that there are at least 4 open neutral slots. I will consult with the electrical contractor who did our back up generator install.

Does this make sense that the transfer switch would be the primary source of control for the circuits on back up? Does it also make sense that the breakers in the original wiring panel are available for other uses?

*****UPDATE 4/21/2014*****

Just heard back from the electrical contractor re: availability of those breakers. All of the breakers that have no wires are now available for other uses. I can now replace one of the existing 20amp double pole breakers with a 20amp GFCI double pole breaker! Makes my day!

You will need a double pole breaker, or two breakers connected by handle ties for a multi-wire branch circuit.  If you're wiring outdoor receptacles, you'll likely want GFCI breakers, instead of AFCI.

You should be able to shuffle breakers around in the panel, to accommodate the double pole breaker.

All that said. It sounds like you are quite inexperienced, and you may want to either do more research, or find somebody who has electrical experience to help you.


Stainless steel sleeves to hold wire rope? My original idea for the fence was to use eyebolts and rivnuts to close the wire, similar to the drawing below:

But then I saw a Stainless steel sleeve like the one below. I know it's used to protect the wire:

So I'm thinking... is there such a thing as a stainless steel sleeve that can also be used to hold the wire so that it does not move?

That way I would eliminate the rivnuts, eyebolts, and the loops. And it would be just one piece of wire across several posts. Something like this.

In theory, it's one piece of wire that crosses all 3 posts, and this stainless steel sleeve would be holding the wire:

What you are doing appears to be similar to standard sailboat wire or cable "rails" and as such a visit to a boatyard/marine supplier would probably inform your process. Rather than being clamped at each post, the wires are typically tensioned from end to end (so the end-points need to be sturdy/strong.) They will also have crimp-sleeve (or swage-sleeve) fittings in stainless, but those are typically just at the ends (in your illustration, it would appear that you intend for them to be crimped inside the posts, which is impractical.)


Unable to remove flush mount light fixture I have a Satco CFL Ceiling light fixture which was installed when we purchased our condo. The fixture had a twist and screw style dome which got broken and I am unable to find a replacement, so I was going to replace the whole fixture.
I see two screws in the middle, and I had assumed that when I would unscrew them the fixture would come off. But even after unscrewing them it's just stuck really tight on the ceiling and it doesn't seem to budge.
I have tried twisting the fixture. I tried browsing the Satco product page but I wasn't able to find this model anywhere.
I was hoping that someone here may be able to shed some light on how I can remove the fixture.
I would also be happy to just get a replacement dome, but don't know where to look.
.

I would bet that it is being held on by paint.
The two screws should be the only mechanical fasteners.
Take a utility knife and cut the paint line between the ceiling and the metal of the fixture and then use a thin scraper to push in between the ceiling and the metal of the fixture to pop it free.
If you have a Habitat for Humanity Restore or a home salvage store  you can go and look through their used fixtures


More backyard drainage problems. I have a steep tree and grass covered back yard where rain water flows down during storms. This exits through the garage but is causing soil erosion.  I too would like to know what sort of professional to consult about a diy drainage plan.

It depends on your own expertise. Landscape architects specialize in designing outdoor spaces including storm water management. However they're not regulated equally well in all states and are a design professional so you may have to shop around a bit to find one you work well with. A good one can give you a complete plan that's going to be attractive and not lower the value of your home. They may also have existing relationships with reputable contractors if the work needed is beyond you.

Civil engineers are experts in drainage, and they're tightly regulated everywhere. They're the go to resource for technical questions about how much water to expect in the usual and worst cases and sizing drains, dry wells, etc. Don't expect detailed information on which plants prevent erosion and attract birds or if a giant gravel-filled trench will look ugly.

Basically it boils down to your own design sense and familiarity with the subject. A landscape architect can provide more hand holding, an engineer can provide more detailed answers to specific questions.

It is slightly alarming that your garage is involved though. The civil engineer is a safer bet if there's a possibility of the garage's stability being compromised.


How do I determine my breaker panel's maximum wattage? I'm trying to figure out the maximum wattage my breaker panel can supply. If I look at the breaker panel I see 2 large breakers, one with 40A and one with 50A (plus the test button, etc). I'm going to assume the 50A is the main circuit breaker (the kanji reads chief utility breaker I think). Not sure what the 40A is for.

It's also rated for 100/200V apparently, so by my calculations that would be 5000W maximum capability. So would running one high-end gaming PC, a microwave, aircon and a hair-dryer trip it?

For reference, I'm in east Japan which runs 100V at 50Hz.

I've taken photo's of the breaker panel from left to right, 3 photos in total for clarity of reading the kanji and figures.

On the right picture, (1) - (4) are for sockets. (Centre, South, North and ???)  (7) - (11) are for Aircon Units and (12) is for the interphone system. (5) I'm not sure of, and (6) is for an Electrical Oven Range... but this place has a gas range.

OK, I am not 100% percent sure of this, but what I understand from the labeling on one hand fits in with what I know of electricity on the other. So, let's say 98% sure.

40A : this is the circuit breaker itself, standard three-phase AC.

50A : this looks to be a residual current breaker, rated 30 mA.

So:

If something in your house has a short circuit between live and neutral and starts sparking, the 40A breaker should trip protecting you from starting a fire. 40A is the maximum draw you have.
If, on the other hand, you have a short circuit to earth -such as live current getting in contact with an appliance's external surface- then the residual current breaker cuts in.

The residual current is there mostly to protect the user from becoming the shortest path to earth, or in other words getting electrocuted. This is why it needs to be at a very low differential rating of 30 mA. It also makes sense that it has a higher current rating (50A) than the main breaker, since we want to make sure the main breaker trips before the residual current breaker gets damaged.

To complete the individual circuit identification:

(4) is for the washing machine

(5) is for the fridge

The other circuits are as the OP indicates.

To answer to original question: 40A x 110V gives you 4400 VA. Since this seems to be a 3-phase + 1 neutral setup, you will in reality have three times the current, 40A on each phase. So, in total 13200 VA.

This is not quite the same in Watts, but with a hypothetic cos(phi) value of 0.95 you should be good for some 12000+ W. You should be OK with the devices you want to connect, as long as the circuits are well balanced (equal draw on each phase). I would suppose this is so -the installation looks really professional quality- and try it out before requesting changes, since adding more power will mean changing the main breaker and the residual current breaker (as well as paying a larger monthly charge).

Hope this helps.


What type of insect is this in my pantry? Found hundreds of these in the pantry. What is this?

More pictures here. They are really small.

They look like flour beetles.
They've likely gotten into your rice, grain or flour and all that will need to be removed.  Try keeping pantry grains in plastic or glass airtight containers.
Be careful with pesticides if you go that route, since it will be near your food


What could be preventing my garage door from shutting? To shut the door I have to push the wall control twice, then hold it in until the door completely closes.  Usually about half way down it still stops and begins to open again.  The garage door opener is approx. two years old Craftsman, 1/2 HP.

Check your sensors. The sensors could also be very dirty or blocked by something.

Openers also often have cutout sensors that will stop the drive when the load gets too high on the motor. It may be that the load in your case may be too high due to wear, dragging rollers, bent track, lack of lubrication, or rusty chain/screw. Look for these things and correct if possible.

The overload cutout sensors are often adjustable and may be set to low and thus need re-adjustment.


Can I add a second circut using an existing ground and neutral? I would like to add a second circuit to my BBQ area. There is conduit running from the panel to the BBQ with three wires, hot, neutral and ground.

Can I just add a second breaker and run a second hot wire and use the existing ground and neutral. Or do I have to pull three wires? I will have a GFI for each circuit.

If you want two breakers, you can't share a neutral and ground. The shared neutral and ground could be exposed to too much current, because they don't have breakers for protection, only the hot does. An example:

Assuming you've got an existing circuit with a 15 amp breaker and 14 gauge wire, you add a second 15 amp breaker, running a new 14 ga hot, and sharing the neutral and ground from the existing circuit.

You have one load plugged into the "old" outlet, drawing 10 amps. 10 amps comes out through your old breaker and your old hot, the old 15 amp breaker sees 10 amps and doesn't trip, and the 10 amps goes back through your old neutral.

Now you plug in another load to your "new" outlet, drawing 12 amps. 12 amps comes out through your new breaker and your new hot. The new 15 amp breaker sees 12 amps and doesn't trip. 12 amps goes back through your old neutral. Now you've got a problem.

Your old 14 gauge neutral is now carrying 10 amps from the old circuit + 12 amps from the new circuit = 22 amps: thats more than the rated capacty. You haven't tripped a breaker, but you've overloaded your wiring. This is a very dangerous situation.


How should I reattach my patio door weather strip? I have a patio door and the weather strip appears to have come off. It's looks like it's designed to snap into place, but I can't figure out how to do it. Any ideas?!

Here's the door with the groove the piece fits into. The groove has some form of gray felt liner.

I can't find information on the manufacturer.

Problem was that the door was installed improperly. This was the non sliding door, so the felt should have been in groove sealed against the wall, not in the groove which the weather strip attaches to.

The felt was stopping the weather strip from going in properly. Flipped the door and presto, the weather strip hammers in  perfectly on the unfelted groove.


Should I use a dedicated circuit for a towel warmer? I purchased a 120 volt (70 watt) towel warmer that will be hard wired into our bathroom. I have 12-2 wire on a 20AMP breaker already in there that will be used for outlets and lighting.

Should I run a dedicated line for the towel warmer or can I use what's already there?

This is the towel warmer I purchased: 24" KEEGAN HARDWIRED TOWEL WARMER

This is a pretty small load, so it probably won't be an impediment, but you need to follow all the rules for wiring in bathrooms.

If the circuit powers hardwired loads only, this with the other loads can't exceed 80% of total capacity.

If the circuit powers hardwired loads and receptacles, the hardwired loads can't account for over 50% of capacity.

If the circuit powers receptacles in the bathroom, then it can only power things in that same bathroom.  NEC 210.11C3


What should I use to seal this window? My master bedroom has a set of French doors with a window above the doors. During a recent thunderstorm, I noticed the window was rattling. Upon further inspection, the window is held in with little strips of wood at the top, left and right, but not the bottom. there is also nothing sealing the gap between the glass and the frame/wood.

I'm going to remove the strips and the glass this weekend and reinstall it properly. My question is: what type of product should I use to seal the glass in the frame?

You'll want to use glazing compound, which comes in both oil-based, and latex, and can be found in both cans or tubes.

Once you have the glass removed, and the frame cleaned up.

Run a bead of glazing compound around the frame (where the glass will sit).
Set the glass in the compound giving it a little wiggle to work out any air bubbles, and to make sure the glass is set in properly (don't worry about a little excess oozing out, you can trim it off later when it cures).
Using a putty knife push in glazing points every 6-8 in.

Install the interior trim, and wait for the glazing compound to cure.
Once the compound has cured enough (24-72 hours), using a utility knife carefully trim off any compound that has oozed out.
If you are not using interior trim, you will want to apply a bead of glazing compound to the interior side of the frame, and use a putty knife to smooth it to a nice finish.
After 7-10 days you can paint the glazing compound to match the frame.


how do i make a light switch turn on a lamp plugged into receptacle the living room has a light switch inside the front door, however it does not control any of the outlets. the photo is of the outlet closest to the switch.  this outlet has the red wire (another outlet does not).  With the breaker switched off, if i break off the tab between the red and black wires, (while still wired in the box) will this allow me to plug a lamp into either the top or bottom of the outlet and have the switch control it, without possibly screwing up any of the other outlets that may be on the same circuit.
Thank you.

The red wire may be a switched hot. The best way to find out would be to remove the black wire with the power off put some tape on the black and with the power back on see if this is now a switched hot. If it is great turn the power off break the tab and put the black back on.

If nothing happens pull the switch and see if the red is connected in the switch. I would guess the black is the always hot and someone changed the receptacle without breaking the tab so it is always hot.


Regrading under deck to protect footings from water I had an above ground pool installed and a deck built around it early last fall. The way the builder built the deck footings was to pour 4' of concrete 12" in diameter, then attach metal post brackets to the concrete where the 4x4s sit. This would be fine if the concrete came up to grade (grass level) but the builder poured the concrete so it comes up to about 6" below grade. So, when it rains,  the footings fill up with rain. Right now, about half my footings are filled with ice from pooled water that never drained (so the bottom 6" of the 4x4 is in ice).  There is also a drainage problem in the area. Anytime we have a torrential rainfall,  the ground does not drain fast enough,  and I have a pool of water surrounding all my deck footings.

I need to do something in the spring when the ground thaws,  but I'm not sure what. I think i need to regrade the whole area under the deck (about 350 sq ft) with a small shovel since the deck is only 4' tall, and bring "grade" level down to the height of the concrete. That way water won't pool in the area around the wood 4x4s. But, that is a huge amount of dirt to move by hand... maybe i could dig trenches under the deck to guide water away from the footings to another area?

I've attached some photos for reference. This winter I've just been shoveling snow away from the deck, and using a submersible pump to evacuate water on warm days when the ice melts a bit. It's a mess.

Any advice would be great!

You need lots of fill dirt. Put about 3-4" or more right underneath the deck. Than add lots of dirt to the area outside the deck. Grade down away from the deck and divert the water toward that area of your yard that almost looks like a ditch. Once you get your grade set, throw out some tall fescue grass seed (or whatever you like) and cover it with straw. Water it every day until the grass gets about an inch high. Keep watering it often until it is about 3" high and then you can begin mowing it.


Flooring Subfloor Condition How smooth it has to be Just tore out 800 sf of ceramic tile for installation of laminate flooring.  I've spent 2 days on a hammer drill trying to wear down the 30 year old thinset, but there are still quite a few spots remaining. They are eventually worn down and pretty smooth, but still there.  Most of them are less than 0.5 mm.  How clean does the floor need to be for a floating system?
There are some depots from carpet tack strips.   Does it has to be filled?

I would use an angle grinder with a concrete surfacing disk.
These have carbide or diamond embedded blocks and will really clean up high points in a floor. Any bumps will affect the floor and the area around it.


Can I drain a 15'x35' concrete brick patio using a floor drain connected to a 4" PVC pipe? I am looking for a solution to drain my patio which is sloped toward one of its corners. The size of the patio is 15'x 35'and the area is Toronto (for rain volume estimation)
I would like to drain my patio using a floor drain (4" diameter) connected to a 4" pipe that will be drained to a dry well that will be ~12' away from the corner in question.

Here is the link to the drain http://www.homedepot.ca/product/abs-4floor-drain/981915

The "standard" solution would be to use to use a catch basin (9"x 9") which looks too large to me
http://www.homedepot.ca/product/9-x-9-inch-vortex-catch-basin-pit-complete-with-concave-grate/412421

Is my solution acceptable?

Edit: this is not a reffering to the load that this drain can take
Here is the setup, the drain will be hidden under a precast concrete slab that is the base for an offset umbrella

My this is the umbrella, attached with concrete anchors to the slab

edit:
After reading your updated question, you will be fine installing the smaller drain. I have a large driveway drain that I installed a few months ago, and it works great to drain the huge puddle that used to form. I used a drain box similar to the 9x9 that you have, and 4" pipes.
Occasionally, during a very heavy rain, it will get behind and not completely drain until the rain stops, but that is because the pipe itself is only 4"!

Great question!
I am not an expert, but I would highly recommend the larger drain. The reason is, on a small drain, every time the drain gets stepped on (or driven over with a lawn mower), 100% of that weight gets put on your pipe underneath. A 4" pipe isn't designed to carry that weight, and could crack.

Even though the 9x9 drain won't necessarily drain any faster, it will have more surface area under it to support being stepped on, that way the soil under the drain, instead of the pipe supports the weight.


Found: rotted conduit main power supply into house Was digging out my final gate post hole and realized that the conduit carrying the main power supply into the house was corroded through. The cable sheathing does not appear to be compromised. I'm wondering what I am in for regarding repairs and cost... sheesh.

It will not be cheap and it cannot be ignored. But if it is between the utility pole / vault and your meter, it might be their (the utility's) responsibility. That varies from place to place, but it certainly can't hurt to call them.


Well water pressure drops after very little use time Purchased my home 8 months ago and one of the first things I did was replace the pressure tank, switch, and water softener, and added a new filtration system. Everything was running fine, but overall pressure was a bit low, so I adjusted the pressure switch, and all was good. About a month ago, I accidentally broke part of my water line, so I replaced the broken piece, and all was good, for about a week. At that point, pressure would fall off in the house rapidly. Just using a faucet would give about 10 seconds of full pressure, and then quickly drop to barely a trickle. Flushing a toilet would kill pressure at all faucets for minutes.

To diagnose the problem I would turn on a faucet and then go to the pressure tank. The pressure gauge was at 60, and would slowly lower, like normal, but the water was still a trickle at the faucet. So, I replaced the pressure switch. Drained the tank, cut power, checked that the pressure in the tank was 38, attached the new switch, turned it all on, and it filled without issue. I checked the faucets, and everything worked fine. Ran the shower and flushed the toilet, and there was negligible pressure drop in the shower. This lasted for about 24 hours before the same problem came back.

To make sure the issue wasn't my filtration system I ran a new line directly from the outlet of the pressure tank into my cold water lines, bypassing the filters. Same issue as before, little to no pressure after a few seconds of use. So I turned the power off, drained the lines and pressure tank, rechecked the pressure in the tank, turned it all back on, and it again it worked properly for about 24 hours before returning to its old ways.

This behavior has me confused, and I am now unsure of what to try next, or check next, or what to look in to. Any help would be appreciated.

Update: I took apart the my system from the check valve to the spin down filter, flushed all of that out, then put it all back together again. I got the same 24 hours of normal use, and now it has gone back to its old ways, but, the pressure doesn't drop as much, and it recovers more quickly from a toilet flush than it did before.

And for reference, the initial break in the line happened between the pressure tank and spin down filter.

After trying everything I could, attaching a hose to the farthest water line in the house to a hose and flushing water back out to check for blockages. Changing or cleaning all the filters. Bypassing every part of the system I could. I finally took the step of replacing the pressure tank and entire T assembly, and that fixed it.

I have no idea what was wrong with the pressure tank though. I checked for water in the air compartment, and there was none. The pressure gauge always seemed to be working, and showed normal pressure drop with usage and increase when the switch turned on. There were no blockages in the T or pressure tank that I could find.

So I never found the actual problem, but it has to be something with the pressure tank. It looks like the answer to my issue was to just replace the pressure tank.


Why are the front and rear slide rails offset on my Craftsman table saw? I've got a couple of questions regarding a Craftsman table saw (Model 315.228510) that I own.

When attaching front rail, it said to match the 6-7/8 mark on right scale to right edge of saw base. The saw has two extensions- one on each side. I noticed the distance from right edge of saw blade is right around 5 inches. What my question was is the purpose of lining up right edge of saw base to the 6-7/8 mark?
When attaching front rail and rear rail, the two rails are not the same length-the rear rail is shorter. Is it suppose to be that way? It seems to me you would want it to be same length so that the rip fence could be used the full length.

The rear rail is shorter because the rear clamp of the fence does not need as much side to side space as the near side of the fence. Here is a picture of a typical table saw fence:

Notice how the near side has the widest part of the assembly.

The measurement scale on the front rail is lined up so that the index arrow on the front side of the fence shows the distance from the saw blade to the side of the fence. The recommended distance from your instructions, using the edge of the table as a reference, is an easy setup. However that may only apply specifically to that model saw with a particular fence and a particular thickness of saw blade. Also note in the picture above how the index mark arrow is offset from the actual fence side.


How to identify a whole house water filter type? I am trying to identify the type of filter used here, so that it can be replaced. I don't think it has been...ever.

It looks like a standard whole house filter similar to this one. Replacement filters can be obtained at almost large hardware, orange or blue store.  There is a variety of Replacement filters that are for sediment, charcoal for taste, and others. I use a similar filter at the kitchen sink to remove the chlorine taste of the city supplied water. You could shut off the water, remove the filter and then reinstall the reservoir part, and take the removed filter to the store for a replacement.


How can I mount a speaker on the ceiling? I want to this heavy bookshelf speaker on my ceiling as a center-channel, preferably horizontally, as it's above my projection screen.  I want to angle it roughly 20 degrees downward so that it's properly aimed at a listener sitting on a couch about ten feet away.  It's 11 x 8.2 x 14.8 inches ; 16.1 pounds.

It has no bracket mounting holes, and I'd prefer not to screw into the cabinet, but will do so if necessary.  Wall mounted brackets are not going to work, because the screen is in front of a bay window.

Shelf is dead easy. Your basic shelf with a lip on the front edge so the speaker does not slide off, as beautiful as you like or as ugly as you don't is really up to you. Perhaps some felt to protect the speaker.

4 threaded rods or chains, 8 hooks (if using chains) 16 nuts and 8 washers if using threaded rod. Best option with threaded rod is to place a board in the attic above the framing and run the rods through the ceiling and through it (now you'll tell me you don't have an attic...) but lag screws with a machine screw threaded part are available, and can be screwed into the framing and have a barrel nut added to join to threaded rod.

The angle is achieved by making the back chains or rods shorter than the front ones. If you are willing to screw into the speaker, put 3-4 hooks on it and hang it with chains directly. Hooks for chains should go into framing.


Should I upgrade my evaporator coil when a I get a new furnace? We are about to start adding a 400 sq feet addition to our just purchased to-be rental property that is 1000 sq feet, so 1400 sq ft. total. The property is in NE Ohio, so we get heavy snow and cold and humid summers.
In this house we are:
Replacing the 17-year old gas furnace with a high-effeciency unit.
Abandoning our in-slab forced-air ducts and putting in attic ductwork in both the existing space and addition.
The 3-year, 2-ton rated air conditioner compressor we are going to keep - the HVAC guy said it may be underpowered, but since it is so new we are going to see how that goes.
The interior is going to be a total gut, from the flooring to the attic, so anything goes and I'm not worried about anything getting damaged.
Since we are changing out the furnace though and changing the direction of the airflow from down (into the slab ducts) to upwards (into the new attic ducts) he is suggesting we change out the evaporator coils to one that is rated for 2.5 tons in a upwards direction. He says that he has seen issues with just flipping over evaportor coils, and if we do decide to upgrade to a 2.5 ton compressor, we would have to upgrade the evaporator coil as well.
This is an additional $1200, which is inline with an evaporator replacement. What I want to know is a) what he is suggesting makes sense, and b) are there issues will running an over-sided evaporator vs. the compressor? I'm more concerned with this being done right than cheaply.

You need about 1 ton of cooling per 400 sq/ft.
At 1,400 square feet you will be undersized by about 1.5 tons. If you have excellent insulation everywhere then 2 tons might work but you will likely notice that your unit is constantly working on high for hours on end.
Also, from https://www.cooltoday.com/blog/is-it-bad-if-my-evaporator-coils-and-condenser-coils-dont-match

For example, an evaporator coil that is smaller than the condenser coils might, in some cases, provide better dehumidification but it can’t cool the home as well. On the other hand, an evaporator coil that’s larger than the condenser coils will cool the home well but will remove little to no moisture from the air.


What is this stucco-like finish called? The chimney is a wide column in the middle of the living room. The finish on this chimney sort of evokes brick, but I don't think it is. It reminds me of stucco, but it isn't that either. The house was built in 1975.

I'm trying to determine what it is so I can answer the following questions:

Can I remove the bumpy finish, make the indoor surfaces of the chimney smooth, and paint it?
What's usually behind this kind of finish on a chimney? Brick? Drywall?
If I wanted to screw a pull-down flatscreen mount above the fireplace, how would I anchor it?

Close-up of the material:

Picture of the room for context:

1) Yes.  It would probably be easier and more cost efficient to simply cover it (drywall, paneling) or fill it in with more stucco (requires more skill).

2) Brick or block.

3) Purchase a TV mounting kit suitable for your make/model TV and use masonry anchors (http://www.doityourself.com/stry/h2anchorconcrete) to mount it.

Good luck!


Box fill calculation for isolated ground receptacles After too much reading on what I thought would be straightforward, I'm a bit turned around on calculating box fill, and hoping I could get some help in doing so. Here is a diagram of the circuit:

A few notes:
Yellow lines are home runs for isolated grounds. Orange triangles are twist-caps, and I just grabbed a stock, non-IG outlet for the picture. All wire is 12awg stranded THWN run in LFMC or FMC, all boxes are metal, ideally for surface mount. Wiring in boxes B, C and D are the same as A, with one difference between each box - there is one less unbroken IG wire passing through the box compared to the one before it, so of course box D will have a smaller fill than A.

Thanks in advance!

I worked in a hospital back in the late 90’s early 2k. I still have notes in my code book pointing to 250.146.D with a note that states isolated grounds count as +1x the wire size, I jumped back and read it and today it is not clear. But since it is a separate means of grounding I would count the isolated grounds as grounds but separately from the required grounding. This would mean in that box a 2x total count for grounds where 1x the wire size is normal. An isolated ground can pass through a box or panel without being connected if not used in that box or panel. The isolated ground will be bonded at the service panel for the building.

Hope that helps , it is fuzzy but I know it was required so I would count it.


Solving subfloor squeaks I am planning to remove carpet in a living room and dining room area of my house and replace it with floating laminate flooring. There are some spots in my current floor that squeak so I was planning on using an impact driver to drive down some screws from above the subfloor to the joists below.

I currently did not remove my carpet or tack strips yet but I was wondering is there a trick to find the joists underneath the subfloor? Also, what screws would be best for this job? I was currently looking at Senco 08F200Y Duraspin Number 8 by 2-Inch Subfloor Collated Screws. I didn't know what length of screw would be best for the job.

Also, underneath my living room and dining room subfloor is my basement which is unfinished so I could look up to see where the joists are. For the most part they are 24 inches apart on center however there are some joists which are slightly less than 24 inches apart and in some areas its about 16 inches apart.

When you remove your carpet you should be able to see little impressions where the floor has been nailed or screwed into the joists. It should be a simple matter to line up your screws and put them in. If you somehow miss the joists you can merrily move a little bit to the side and try again. You might also consider pulling any nails at the squeaky spot as the problem may be a loose nail. Sometimes the squeak is an underlying problem (no pun intended). If the screws don't do the trick you could have someone move around on the floor while you go downstairs and try to locate the problem.


Correct direction of flooring I am laying vinyl plank flooring in the kitchen.  I know the correct way is to go perpendicular to the house entrance and the floor joists. The trouble is the doorway to the living room. The living room is laid east to west, parallel to the floor joists and main entrance.  If I do it correctly the kitchen will be perpendicular to the living room hardwood floor and that might look odd. What should I do?

This question, although properly phrased and detailed has been put on hold by members of the community for some unknown reason. It calls for expertise and informed opinion, which seems to be lacking in some of the answers, which relied primarily on opinion rather than informed expertise.

I actually got a great answer from http://homeguides.sfgate.com/correct-direction-laying-hardwood-floors-49169.html

So yes there is actually a correct way to lay a floor.  Unfortunately this community board was utterly useless.

@mmathis you should spend more time educating your self as to home improvement techniques and less time gathering your friends to vote a question on hold. Although I admit it's a great way to force new users off the stack, if they disagree with your opinion.

Yes, I think you are correct, having two kinds of flooring that look like wood laid at right angle to each other could look odd.

However, having two different appearing wood floors could look odd too. If you can’t match the living room flooring EXACTLY, I’d choose a different style, color, texture, etc. of flooring in the kitchen.

The kitchen is a totally different use than the living room, which gives you an opportunity to change the flooring.

Often, when we design, we want to “define” each space separately. That is to say, we want to give each space it’s own character. Changing floor color, texture, etc. is one way to do that.

Consider a tile floor in the kitchen.


What is the maintenance schedule for a concrete driveway? I have a concrete driveway that I'd like to keep looking good, and in good working order. What needs to be done to maintain the driveway, and how often should it be done?

Wash
Driveways should be cleaned on a somewhat regular basis (at least 2 times a year). If you have a power washer, use that, otherwise a hose with a strong stream will do it.
With a power washer, you can use driveway cleaning solutions to add a little soap into the mix. If you don't have a power washer, use a bucket and a stiff brush.
Obviously, not all driveways are created equally so this could be quite the project depending on how long and wide it is. Concrete is like any other porous material exposed to the elements; your looking to wash away salt, acid from rain, from car exhaust, from general traffic, etc...
Repair
Secondly, you'll want to repair any cracks in the concrete. Cracks in expansion joints can be filled in with a non-hardening UV safe silicon, while cracks in the actual driveway should be repaired with a concrete repair mortar.
In colder climates, water can get into cracks and when it freezes over winter, it can cause the concrete to shift, causing more damage.
Seal
If you choose to, you can use a concrete sealer; this is usually rolled on and seals the pours in the concrete to prevent water penetration and generally makes it easier to wash the concrete the next time around. You'll do this about once a year.
You can go a bit extreme and use a concrete epoxy with some aggregate (sand) mixed into it to further protect the concrete. This is usually used in a garage to provide an easy to maintain and clean work surface, but this can get expensive and is usually found in automotive shops.


What is the ideal method of supporting a 27" deep floating desk across 10 feet of wall? I'm building a floating U shaped desk in my office that will go from wall to wall.  This desk will need to support the monitors and accessories of two desktop computers.  The towers will be on shelves closer to the ground out of the way.

I would like it to be 27" deep along back wall, which is 10' 7.5", and 24" deep along the arms, which will extend 4' out.  The finish surface will likely be cabinet grade pine plywood, 1/2", sanded and stained a nice color.  I will fabricate the surface using two sheets of plywood, cutting a 69.75" x 48" outside dimension L from each sheet.

I've spent hours searching for something similar to this, but common sense would dictate that the deeper the shelf, the harder it is to use small and concealed support. Another concern is preventing the plywood from warping under load. So far the best advice I've received is to use flanges and threaded pipes on every other stud all along the underside.  Either that or spend $30 a pop for a few granite counter top brackets.  I would like to avoid that.

Using an in-wall bracket is not an option as I rent an apartment.  I have no problem patching holes from bolts but I can't go cutting into the sheet rock willy nilly.  I would like to know if anyone has experience with this sort of thing or has any ideas that would work.

This is an idea i'm considering, using 3 different shelves.  I would do the arms as 4' x 2' shelves flush to the corners of the wall, and a single middle shelf at 27.5" x 27".  But I'm still worried that 27" is too deep for support.

I built a floating desk with brackets like these.
It is critical to fasten the brackets in solid structure (studs).
I used  fasteners like these.


Does this GFCI need a sticker for code-compliance? I replaced a 2-prong outlet with a GFCI, wired as shown (connected ground wire coming into the box to the metal box as well as the ground screw of the GFCI, black wire to brass terminal & white to silver). The box has no separate grounding wire and wires are only in Romex, not metal conduit. Multimeter shows hot and neutral are correct. Later, I realized I never checked whether the ground wire was actually grounded at the service box. To be code compliant, do I need to apply the "no equipment ground" sticker regardless, or only if the bare copper wire coming in is not grounded at the service box?

The NEC in 250.130(C) now requires extending an Equipment Ground Conductor to the grounding system when making an extension of a two-wire circuit that does not have an EGC.
If your circuit was extended before the current requirement or was extended by local exception then the receptacle needs to be marked " No Equipment Ground" and the ground should be left disconnected.

406.4 General Installation Requirements (D) Replacements
406.4(D)(2) Non–Grounding-Type Receptacles. Where attachment to an equipment grounding conductor does not exist in the receptacle
enclosure, the installation shall comply with (D)(2)(a), (D)(2)(b), or
(D)(2)(c).
(a) A non–grounding-type receptacle(s) shall be permitted to be
replaced with another non–grounding-type receptacle(s).
(b) A non–grounding-type receptacle(s) shall be permitted to be
replaced with a ground-fault circuit interrupter-type of
receptacle(s). These receptacles or their cover plates shall be marked
“No Equipment Ground.” An equipment grounding conductor shall not be
connected from the ground-fault circuit-interrupter-type receptacle to
any outlet supplied from the ground-fault circuit-interrupter
receptacle.
(c) A non–grounding-type receptacle(s) shall be permitted to be
replaced with a grounding-type receptacle(s) where supplied through a
ground-fault circuit interrupter. Where grounding-type receptacles are
supplied through the ground-fault circuit interrupter, grounding-type
receptacles or their cover plates shall be marked “GFCI Protected” and
“No Equipment Ground,” visible after installation. An equipment
grounding conductor shall not be connected between the grounding-type
receptacles.
Informational Note No. 1: Some equipment or appliance manufacturers
require that the branch circuit to the equipment or appliance includes
an equipment grounding conductor.
Informational Note No. 2: See 250.114 for a list of a cord-and-plug-
connected equipment or appliances that require an equipment grounding
conductor.


can two fixtures share one vent at a connection? I'm trying to figure out how to best plumb the drains for a toilet and tub.

The toilet is going to be 3" drain and go direction to the main vertical stack. The tub is 2" and is going to connect to the 3".

My question is if both the toilet and tub drains can share one vent stack at (or right next to, depending on fittings) where the two connect?

Here's a top-down schematic. The "X" is where I was thinking one vertical vent could go up inside the wall.

                   Toilet (3" drain)
                   +--+
                   |  |
                   |  |
                   |  |
                   |  |
       +-----------+  +-------------------------------+
                   |  |
   Vent?           |  +--------------+         (wall)
     +-----------> | X  -----------+ |
                   |   /           | |
       +-----------+  +------------+ +---------------+
                   |  |            | |
                   |  |            | |
                   |  |            | |
                   |  |            | |
                   |  |            | |
        To main +  |  |            | |
        drain   |  |  |            +-+
                |  |  |           Tub (2" drain)
                |  |  |
                |  |  |
                v  |  |
                   |  |

Will one vertical vent in that spot work code-wise? Or do I need to give each fixture it's on vertical vent that ties together higher up in the wall?

To clarify scale, the toilet will be about 2' from that shared wall, and the tub drain about the same (just on the other side).

Yes they both can share a vent. The distance between yours is 4’ if I read it correctly so you are well within the distance between the vent and fixtures so you should be golden unless your local code has some bizarre requirements.


What are some tips for soldering brass fittings to a copper pipe? Over the years I've soldered several remodels worth of copper pipe (water and hydronic heat).  I'm not great, but I get the job done, until I have to add a brass fitting.  For some reason, I can't get the solder to suck into the joint.  Does soldering a brass fittings to copper pipe require a special technique?

Very Important Make sure the joint is really clean when you solder - so use emery cloth or sandpaper to remove any contaminants in your solder joint and flux the joint prior to heating.  I like to wipe the joint with acetone before applying flux but I'm anal retentive like that.

Also you might want to consider using MAPP gas vs propane - those brass fittings take a lot of heat before you will get solder to flow into the joint.


fishing wire from second floor to garage in first floor I was trying to drill a 1” hole on the horizontal beam in the wall to fish cable from second floor to garage in first floor. After drilling about 12 inch deep, I cannot go further anymore. Here is few pics about the hole and the wall structure, as well as the drill bit. Please let me know what is going on or if you have any better ideas. Thanks]1[]2[]3

I think that using a spade type of bit there will be really tough going. I would use a regular twist bit. Possibly two if it is really tough going - e.g., 1/2" first and then followup with a 1" through the 1/2" starter hole.

If you have access to do so, it may be easier to drill from the bottom up than from the top down because the hole will empty itself thanks to gravity.


4 Wires in Switch Box - Ceiling Fan/Light I wanted to add a remote transmitter to my ceiling fan and the correpsonding wall switch.   When removing the current switch (dual slider fan/light), I have five wires in the switch box. There is a blue wire that powers the light.  A orange wire that powers the fan. There are two black (cloth wires twisted together); one of these is hot and the other is not--and ground.  New switch only has two black and ground.   (Current switch was wired as follows: Black from switch to both cloth blacks.  Red from switch to blue. Yellow from switch to orange.) Confused how to wire new switch with only two blacks and ground.  Thank you!!

The non-live black braided wire is not neutral.  Wires are not neutral simply because a voltage tester doesn't light up.  The non-live black is onward always-hot.  It became de-energized because you disconnected it from supply when you separated it. I trust you did not do that hot :)

Take the blue wire out of service. Cap it off at both ends. Tape the cap down (they fall off single wires otherwise).  That's the only time you ever tape a wirenut.

The LINE/SUPPLY black from the new switch joins the 2 cloth switches.

The LOAD/TO-FAN black from the new switch joins the one unattached wire (red).

Up in the fan, connect the fan controller to red and neutral.


How to replace a standard 2-gang light switch with an electric dimmer switch I'm looking for a some assistance in fitting a new electric dimmer light switch. I'm in the UK if that makes a difference.

I am trying to replace my existing two-gang light switch with a LightWaveRF two gang dimmer but am not sure where to start as the instructions are telling me to look out for colored cables that aren't present in the existing switch.

Here's my original light switch setup:

Here's the new LightWaveRF switch:

What steps to I need to follow to install this switch?

Here's what's in the wall (just in case we need to use these!)

I have included two images. The first identifies the wires in your current switch and the second image identifies where to put said wires.

In case your wondering the "S" terminals are for slave units


Floorplan reasonability check: would need to put a kitchen drainpipe in a concrete subfloor slub I'm  planning a remodel in an appartment, and the way I see the space would work the best is when I bring a kitchen quite far away from the mainlines.
And layout dictates that sink drain pipe should go in a concrete subfloor, which I estimate will be 8-10cm thick.

The pipe in the kitchen-side can go above the floor inside the cabinetry, but it must be underneath the floor in the hallway-side (that is drawn in yellowish and approximately 2.1 m long).

I'm also not perfectly sure how low it can be attached to the main drain (it's vertical and plastic), probably some millimeters (at least) in height would be lost there.
So, if use 4cm diameter pipe and lay in with 4-6 cm incline it adds up to the subfloor thickness. But it adds up just in pure math. Is it reasonable enough for the real attempt?

The reason I ask is I must present a plan for authorities now, and then it would be impossible to place the kitchen in any other place and I would hate to lay the pipe without proper incline just to fit in, and then install a sink drain pump.

Also, should I use iron, or plastic tubes are fine to be laid within a concrete slab?

Thank you for your time and suggenstions!

You could install a laundry type pump system to pump the kitchen water overhead . I had one of these pump systems in a laundry area in an apartment I lived in and it worked perfectly. And, if you wanted to add a bath room or powder room they have systems that "pump up"for that too.


Wiring home network patch panel (568A vs 568B) I've bought a data patch panel in order to cleanup my home network wiring (which was a mess). Before wiring the patch panel I didn't read about the two wiring options: 568A and 568B.

I've wired the patch panel as indicated (panel is 568A). I've installed one cat5e outlet in order to test if it was working properly.

I've used a basic network cable tester to see if everything was ok and it wasn't successful.

After reading more on the subject, I realized that my patch panel is wired 568A and the outlet is wired 568B.  So my two options would be to
1. Re-wire the outlet to 568A; or
2. Re-wire the patch panel to 568B

What is the best option ? Is there another option ?

Sorry if this simple answer comes across as too basic. But you really could get the decided by looking at your own setup.

Rewire at the end that has more slack cable in case you need to cut it off some to re-do it.
Evaluate if the wall jack is reliable if re-wired. It may need replacing if not reliable for multiple re-configurations.
Evaluate if the press fit connections on the patch block are designed for multi termination usage.
Work at the end that is physically easier to access.


How do I go from a 3-way switch controlling my basement lights to multiple 3-way switches? Currently my basement has multiple lights that are connected to a 3-way switch that can be operated from upstairs or in the basement.

I’m renovating my basement and will break it up into 3 different sections with an open floor plan.

I’d like to have 3-way switches controlling each section of the basement individually

I’m new to this and no I cannot afford an electrician right now

Any advice will be appreciated

What you're really looking for is zone control.

You still want the ability to turn all the basement lights on/off from the 3-way switches.  In fact, the ability to do so is a Code requirement, since the stairwell lights must be on a 3-way.  However, you want the ability to extinguish lights in areas you don't need.

So what you can do is add an additional block of switches on the "switched side" of the 3-way circuit.  That is, the side after the 3-way travelers.   In other words, don't overthink it.

The simplest way to do this, by the way, is to install lamps with pull chains.  But we can do it with real switches.

Let's start with a simple view of what a 3-way circuit is.  (And by the way, I strongly recommend you get colored tape and actually mark your wires these colors - because things will get really complicated if you do not!!)

Don't overthink it: don't mess with the yellows here. As things are, the "red" is on or off according to 3-way command. It branches out to your multiple, various lights including the stairwell light.    So we're going to have the "red" serve as the power input to another bank of normal (1-way) switches. They will input red "switched-hot" and output "switched, switched hot" to those lights you want separate control of.

Now, you can control the bunch with the 3-ways, and select which of the bunch turn on at the supplemental switches.

The stairwell light proper, since by law it must be under direct control of the 3-ways, will still get its power off the red, and will not be under a subsidiary switch.

Is this conservation necessary?

The better thing to do might actually be say sayonara to incandescent lights, and convert to LED.  Then you won't need to worry about the electric bill.


holes in the wooden columns of the porch I noticed there are some holes in the wooden columns of my house's porch, once a while I see bees in and out of those holes (shouldn't they be living in a hive?).
Do you think this might pose a problem to the columns, should I do something about it?

Whack the pole with a hammer a few times and see if you can stir the bees up enough to fly out. stick a piece of wire down there to get an idea of how big an opening there is and maybe spook them out. Last resort, spray some insecticide down there and then block up the hole with some caulk.
I don't think a few would be a major problem to the columns but you don't need a major nest around your immediate living area.


How do I remove a stuck faucet/tap cover? I've been fixing leaking faucets in a bathroom. There are total six faucets in a bathroom,
two made into a bathroom basin, two made into the wall in the shower tube
and the last two are on the wall on top of the mop sink.

I have fixed the leaks with basin's faucets but was unable to do it with other four faucets because
have failed to remove the faucet covers.

They seems to be stuck. To get a better grip I wrapped some duct tape around the chrome covers and then used
the spanner - but to no avail. Tried the strap wrench - no luck too.

I thought it could be the silicon sealant that glued the covers to the wall - but after I have removed most of the sealant
(used the sealant remover to soften the sealant and then putty knife) it has not not changed the situation at all
as the cover is still stubornly refusing to unscrew.

Any ideas how can I get these covers off? Can you recomend some special tools? I was thinking about
a type of a pipe wrench for cone shaped pipe (as the cover is shaped as a cone)?

Go to your local hardware store and purchase a strap wrench:

The rubber strap wraps around and grips the cover. Then you rotate the wrench anticlockwise to unscrew the cover off the tap. The strap prevents scratching of the finish which would normally occur trying to unscrew the tap with the jaws of a regular wrench. There are also regular-style wrenches with soft jaw fittings that may also be used.


What are the substitutes for kitchen wall tiles above a kitchen counter? Can anyone let me know what are the various options that we can use in place of ceramic wall tiles in kitchen (just above the kitchen counter)?

You mean as a backsplash?

Just about any material can be used:  ceramic, glass, vinyl, ABS, wood, aluminum, steel, contact paper, etc.  See this gallery for many ideas.

While most of them are ceramic tile, which is the current fashion, look carefully and you'll see vinyls which look metallic.  Here is Home Depot's version of that.  We are considering that for behind the range.


Can it be appropriate to orient a 2x4 "wide side out"? When we frame walls, we normally orient the 2x4 with the thin surface facing outward.

What are the consequences of orienting the 2x4 so that the wide surface faces outward instead?
Does the wood have more or less strength to hold a fastener in either orientation?
Is a 1.5" (the depth of a 2x4 when oriented with the wide surface out) embedment sufficient for a screw or nail to have maximum holding power?

If not, what is that threshhold (minimum embedment for a nail or screw)?

Any other considerations?

I am asking this question in a generalized format per SE best practice, but my specific goal for asking is that I want to know whether I can hang heavy things from 2x4's oriented wide surface out. The reason I want to orient them this way is because they will be fastened to concrete, and to fasten a 2x4 to concrete oriented with the thin surface outward will take a 5-6" anchor.

The reason why 2x4s are faced thin side out is:

The other way would mean you would use a 2x2 base which would be too wobbly, even for non-loadbearing walls.
The wide side is more prone to warping issues.
Can you imagine trying to get plumbing/electric/whatever through the wall if it were framed like this.
It is fine to have a board facing like this (given normally faced framing throughout) and is actually a must for an outside corner.

To your point exactly, what your are suggesting is much better than the alternative even given that you would have longer bolts.  The wide side will be much more stable against the concrete and will allow a tighter bond.


How to protect an old, internal windowsill? I recently repainted my room yellow, don't forgetting the internal windowsill. Here are some pictures:

As you can see in the third picture, the windowsill is all but flat (my house is very old).
Since the painting used is the same used for the walls it's not a "heavy duty" painting, not something that would last long on the floor for example. I would like to protect the windowsill somehow in order to avoid the painting to "come off".
I've thought of two main possibilities:

protective transparent painting
a protective, "second" windowsill made out of plexiglass/polycarbonate/whatever

The latter option is what I'd like more, the problem needed to be solved being mainly how to adapt the flat plexiglass to the uneven surface (some sort of adjustable feet maybe?).
Measures are 103x13cm, maximum allowable height of this protection is 5cm (if I want to still be able to open and close the window).
My question then is:
Have you got any suggestions for one or both the options I gave? Do you have a better idea?

I generally use a clear-coat Varnish finish on my outdoor painting projects to reduce wear damage and to extend the life of the paint. You can get this as a spray or a paint. This is the easiest and cheapest solution but provides only moderate protection.
For superior protection:
You could attach a piece of plexiglass or tempered glass with adhesive or standoff mountings. I'm not sure if the adhesive would be visible between the glass and the voids in the surface. Using an attractive glass with standoff mountings would provide a very clean and modern look. A quick google search for glass standoffs shows that you can get them as short as .5in/1.25cm.
A final thought would be to make a mold around the windowsill and pour in an acrylic resin. This would fill in the voids in the surface and provide a very sturdy glass-like finish.
Here is a link to pouring acrylic on a table. You can adapt the instructions for your windowsill.
Note that using an adhesive or acrylic resin is more a less a PERMANENT installation. It will be very hard to remove either. The varnish or glass+standoffs is considerably easier to remove later if you want to repaint or change the look.


Can I install a new hob, or will I need a larger circuit? I want to swap a ceramic hob for another model.
My current set is: oven and a hob rated at 2075+6000=8075W in total ,they go through a 32Amp Circuit breaker, the oven is plugged to the wall, the hob is hard wired.
The new hob is 6500W, 2075+6500=8575W this should be fine considering circuit diversity. Is this a straight job (wire the new hob) or should I get an electrician to actually upgrade the circuit breaker?

Straight up. If you only work on the cooktop and do not go into the wall circuits, fair game.


8/2 wire for 240v EV charger I'm new here. I would appreciate any helpful info.

I have installed an EV level 2 charger in my garage. It is a 30 AMP charger. I is around 8 feet away from the breaker box. I used 8/2 wire to be on the safe side for future possible upgrades and used a 2 pole 40 AMP breaker for now. The EV charger is working fine. The question I have is that the two hot wires are 8 gauge but the ground wire is a bare 10 gauge wire. Is this OK or should I replace the ground with an 8 gauge wire?

Thank you so much for your kind support.

Yes, a 10 AWG ground wire is fine for up to a 60A circuit.

The 8/2 Romex (NM) cable is good for amperage up to 40 amps. However, the breaker must match the socket / EV charger spec.  If the socket is a NEMA 6-30 or 14-30, the breaker must be 30A.  If the EV charger docs specify 30A breaker, then that must be so.

Again, the 8/2 cable is perfectly fine for 30A or really any size up to 40A.  So if your spec calls for a 30A breaker, you only need to change the breaker. 30A sockets will accept #8 wire.

It is possible that a 30A-nameplate charger might want a 40A breaker. The documentation will tell the tale.


How do I fix a door that's sticking closed? I have a few doors in my house that tend to stick when you try to open them. A few of these I was able to fix by tightening loose screws or repairing stripped screw-holes, which got the hinge plates to sit flush against the frame.

However, there are still a few doors that stick. I've noticed all of them have a larger gap on the hinge side than the latch side, as seen in the photo below:

(Click for larger image)

In all cases, I have confirmed that the hinge plates are flush and properly secured to the frame and the door. I have also noticed there is space between the hinge plates.

How do I go about fixing this?

Short of reframing the door, I'd suggest taking a belt sander to the side of the door that sticks.


Voltage fluctuations and GFCI tripping drivng me crazy Voltage at a GFCI pug in the bathroom goes down 20 volts when I plug in a 1800 watt hair dryer from 120 to around 100.  At the same time when I measure the voltage at a plug in the kitchen it goes up 20 volts from 120 to 140.

The bathroom GFCI triggers randomly with nothing plugged into it.  The GFCI doesn't seem to trigger by loading or voltage fluctuations.

After checking the breakers and grounds an electrician told me it must be a Edison transformer issue and to call Edison which I did.  Edison found nothing wrong yet.

Help

A faulty shared neutral can do exactly that.


Can I reuse cold water copper pipes for hot water? I have a segment of copper pipe for supplying cold water to my gas heater currently.  It runs inside a wall so I don't want to replace it.  Now I need to change the piping and want to reuse that segment so that the water inside it runs in the reverse direction and it is SUPPLYING HOT WATER to the tap from the heater.

My issue is that can cold water copper pipes be reused for hot water?  What is the difference between cold and hot water pipes?

There is absolutely no difference between the materials used for hot and cold water pipes (at least there isn't in the UK!). The same copper is used for both and if you have a piece of pipe that was previously used for hot water you can use for cold water and vice versa.

As long as the pipes are connected up properly then there'll be no problems.


Contractor is installing a vinyl fence and posts but is not using any water with concrete. Is he doing it right? I hired a reputable local company to install 6 foot vinyl fence around my yard. Salesman was telling me how they would be using cement to hold the post in place. To my surprise I see the workers use dry cement mix with no water or sand or anything in the holes for poles. When asked about it, they saying that "water from the ground and rain" will activate the cement and its better to do it this way than pouring wet cement. Is this correct? I even called the company and they said that this is how they are doing it for everyone.

I put some posts into concrete - made a dry mix and tamped it down.

Next day it was just about done - the mix absorbed moisture from the surrounding soil and was fine.

If you need a really smooth top surface then adding a wetter screed is a possibility.


Running conduit between basement and 1st floor My basement is currently unfinished but within the next few months we plan on finishing half of it as living space.  Before the framing and drywall goes up I want to run a conduit between the unfinished side of the basement ceiling and the 1st floor outside wall.  It would not carry 120VAC, strictly low-voltage wiring like network and audio cables.  My plan was to use 1" Carlon Schedule 40 PVC (1" EMT conduit if I have to) have it travel from the unfinished side of the basement, across the ceiling of the finished side of the basement (above the ceiling obviously), pass through the 1st floor bottom sole plate and extend about 8 inches or so up into the 1st floor wall.

I would run all of my data and audio cables through this conduit along with a pull string for future cable runs. I would seal around the outside of the conduit with 3M fire barrier caulk where it passes through the bottom sole plate to fill the gaps.  The end of the conduit that is inside the 1st floor wall would be unsealed since I won't be able to get to it and future cable runs would need to exit out of it.  If necessary to pass code I can seal the opposite end of the conduit (the end on the unfinished side of the basement) with the 3M fire barrier caulk, sealing around the cabling as well.

Is this setup permissible from a code standpoint?

Would I be violating the requirement of sealing air gaps between floors even though one end of the conduit is sealed and one isn't?

As far as I know this isn't a "fire barrier" situation like going through my garage walls would be.

Yes. Your plans meet code for fire protection.  The low voltage wires you mention do not require placement within conduit (but I think it's a very good idea for future use/change).

Both the IRC and UBC requires one to "seal gaps around ducts, wires, and pipes at floor and ceiling level penetrations [between floors]."  602.8 "06 IRC"; 708.2.1 "97 UBC".

The type of duct, wires, and pipes used are irrelevant in regards to fire protection.


Framing long walls - Lots of 8' sections or should I use longer top plates For interior walls (bearing and non) I'm wondering what the preferred method for framing might be on long walls. For example a hallway. Should I just use normal ~8' long 2x4 as top plates and stagger the top and bottom plates a few feet or is it better to buy longer top plate 2x4's to reduce the amount of joints.

A continuous top and bottom plate are preferred, and longer 2x4 or 2x6's are available for this. If you need to breakup the wall, then make two separate walls and nail them together, to the floor, and with a staggered top plate. When possible, you want to end the wall near a corner to give the joint more support. Also try to stagger top plates near corners for additional strength.


Replace evaporator coils when replacing R22 condenser with a 410a unit? My outside unit has died after 10 years of loyal service and I have two quotes to replace the old unit with a new SEER 16 unit.  One quote is to replace just the condenser and the other quote from another HVAC co includes new evaporator coils.  The reasoning is that the pressure would double on the 10 year old coils and that it would likely to develop a leak in the near future.  The proposed new evaporator is the exact same model etc that is currently installed.  If I want to go beyond SEER 16 I would have to replace the furnace unit as well.  What is the best approach?  The total difference between the two quotes is $2,200.
Condenser Model: Lennox 13ACD-048-230-01
Evaporator Model: CH33-48C-2F
Furnace Model: G40UH(X)

I also have the exact same setup on the 3-ton unit for upstairs so I am sure I will have to replace that soon enough as well.

I agree replacing everything will save in the long run. Flushing the system rarely gets everything and residue in the system can shorten the new system life. When the company recoveres the R22 out of the system being removed from service that same R22 can be used to top your other R22 system legally. Other than that it is supposed to be sent back to a recycler.


How to use network patch panel in new house I just moved in to a townhouse built in 2007 with a seemingly nice CAT5 and coaxial cabling. In fact, I found a patch panel in the closet! I opened it and found this:

I also noticed some of the rooms have ethernet ports and/or coaxial cables/outlets sticking out.

I guess I have 2 questions:
1. Where should I connect the router so that I can get connectivity from any of the ethernet ports in the house.
2. Where should I connect the (comcast) cable modem?

Any other tips are greatly appreciated.

From this photo:

Cable modem is likely attached to the cable at the lower right corner.
Cable modem network jack goes to the internet port on your router.
Lan ports on the router are connected to the patch panel in the center.  The yellow cat5/6 wires are networking to the rooms.
If you want TV's in different rooms, you can swap out which white cables are plugged into the top splitter (or get a different splitter with more ports, but the fewer times you split the signal, the better the signal is). The bottom splitter is the first split to the cable modem to give it the best signal. Yellow cable line is most likely the source, and white cable lines go to the various rooms.
Blue wires should be for telephone. I don't see where the external connection is, so if you don't have a dial tone, it may not be connected to the demarcation outside. If that's the case, either the last owner never used it, or they plugged in a voip box into a network and phone jack elsewhere in the house.


Is one circuit connected to two breakers safe? We redid our bathrooms and had an electrician come in and put in new wiring for outlets, heater/fan/lights and heated floors. He had to replace the electrical panel, because the house is older (1956) and didn't have enough space to accomplish the task. So he installed a new electrical panel. Everything was fine for a while.

Then the lights started to flicker and electronic devices started to pop on and off.

Then 1/2 the house started to lose power. No breakers were tripped.

We called the electrician and he said the power loss was probably coming from the pole and to call in the power company to check the line.

Power company came out, checked the line and determined it's something in my house that's causing the outage.

Since then the power has gone out for up to 24 hours at a time. Flickering lights signal the outage. Now being an old house they have most of the lights along one line. Dining room light, kitchen fan light and several outlets in our bedroom are on the same line (it's a ranch) on one side of the house, the other side has multiple fixtures and outlets as well. I went down to the electrical panel (surprise nothing labeled) to see which circuit breaker was causing the problem. Went up and down both sides of the panel, but not once did the lights or outlets go out. Finally I turned off one side of the panel (left) and then started to turn on breakers one at a time and discovered 2 separate breakers 6 down from each other combined, turn off the power to the lights and outlets along this line.

Now with the old box, no problems, electric did not flicker, nor did only 1/2 the house lose power.

Question, what did the electrician do and is it safe to be on 2 breakers like that until he can come out and look at the problem?

Thanks

Did the electrician replaced the Service panel only, or (s)he also worked on other things like adding junction boxes and ran new conduits? The problem of 2 breakers (let's call #1 and #7 connected to the same circuit (lights in this case) might not be at the Service panel, but it could be that he had mistakenly connected wire from #7  to the existing light circuit which already had been connected to #1 prior to this, at the new junction box. You need to trace down where the old lighting circuit connected to those #1 and #7 wires.


How should I fasten air exchanger ducts to unit? I have an air-exchanger, and the hoses are little loose. That is I can feel the air flowing out between the motor and the hose.
Here is a picture of the overall thing:

Here is closer picture that shows where the air escapes from exactly:

How do I make it more air tight?
I see that there is some sort of sticky aluminium foil or something that they used before:

Maybe that's what I need to use again? If yes, what's it called?

I agree with Michael, and add that you could also use large HVAC zip ties. If the lines seem to come loose easily, then you would be better off using a tape. Now, "Duct" tape and "Duck" tape are not the same. "Duck" tape is what most people see as the old fashion silver/gray colored roll of tape that now comes in wild designs and colors and can be bought at every store that sells tape. "Duct" tape is designed for duct lines, HVAC, and is usually an aluminum foil type tape, and a common brand is 3M.


Does commercial wiring differ from residential wiring downstream from the main panel? I'm not a licensed electrician, but I have years of experience with code-compliant (permitted and inspected) electrical work for RESIDENTIAL properties that I own. I'm currently preparing to make some electrical modifications in a COMMERCIAL space that I lease, and I'd like to do the work myself.

My project will be limited to extending existing circuits and replacing older wiring, conduit, receptacles, switches, and fixtures. I'm familiar with the basic concept of single-phase residential wiring vs three-phase commercial wiring, but, other than running wire through conduit, do any of the differences come into play downstream from the main panel?

You use conduit pretty much universally unless your AHJ says you don't have to.  Metal conduit is the ground. AC is not.

You also work in THHN/THWN wire, and you use stranded wire unless you're a masochist.  Shucking Romex is right out, except for pigtails.

We tend to use 12AWG because being stranded, it is cake to work with, and AHJs like 12AWG, and that means no backstabs, ever.

And you use a lot of colors.  A residential romex-flinger only ever sees 3 colors: black white red, and you know that guy's been around when all the THHN in the conduit are  Nazi flag colors.  You definitely should buy every color under the sun, especially gray, which is the alternate color for neutral.  Taste the rainbow!

Choose colors for clarity!

Romex people are habituated to using different colors for things that are actually the same. If your 3way circuit is supply-3w=3w-lamp, red and black for messengers? Use yellow and yellow. The two messengers are the same thing. (And maybe red or orange for the lamp run since it is a switched hot). Same with 2 hots in a 240 circuit - black and black, you don't need to tell them apart.

Here's a great example of what not to do: Two parallel conduits, 8 wires in each.  One conduit has 10AWG wires: 4 red and 4 black, for 240V circuits.  The other conduit has 12AWG wires: 2 red, 2 black, 4 white. The marks have all fallen off.  By cut lengths it's obvious he meant each 240V circuit to have 1 red and 1 black, but you can't tell them apart!! UGH!   I'm pulling it all out, and with minimum wire replacement, rearranging it thusly:

10 AWG: Each conduit gets 2 red and 2 black. 12AWG: each conduit gets one each of white, gray, black, and red or blue. (That's how I tell the conduits apart.) Now it's stupid-easy to distinguish all wires.  How do I distinguish the two 240V circuits in each conduit? Easy, The two blacks are circuit 1,  the two reds are circuit 2.

It's a mind-blower, isn't it?

Tape is also your friend.  Get multicolor tape and don't spare it.  It's good for grouping and good for marking.  You're not allowed to remark hots to neutral or ground, so white, gray, or green on hots is just a marker.

The realistic max for conduits is 4 circuits, and there are only 2 neutral colors.  So tape your gray neutrals white, and your white neutrals gray, for 2 more colors.


How do I safely install a weight bearing fitness equipment system in an apartment? I am looking to (semi) permanently install some fitness equipment in my apartment (the Lifeline Jungle G XT system if that helps). It requires installing a strap mounts into either two ceiling joist or wall stud mounts. The device at maximum use will be holding full body weight, around 235 lbs for the heaviest user, dispersed across the two mounts. Ideally this would be installed in the ceiling for maximum usage/space, but I was also considering installing it above a doorway if possible. I am not sure what the joists are like in our ceilings or how to find out. Are either of these locations strong enough to support that much weight? I have a horrible image in my head of performing an exercise, pulling the joist, and my neighbors, through onto me.

If neither of these solutions are suitable, is there a way, without many power tools (basically just an electric hand drill), to build a free-standing structure that could support this weight?

I felt like using SketchUp, but you can easier secure it to the ceiling or wall.

I roughly used the dimensions on the Impex Marcy SM2805 Suspension Rack

The drawing is based off of a few 2x6's and only 1 cable support is shown but there should be 4.
This would run roughly $100:

10x 2x6x8 (some cut to length either at home or in store) ~$5.70 each
31ft of cable or chain (chain ~1.60/ft)
Screws

DO NOT GET PRESSURE TREATED LUMBER

You should never used pressure treated lumber for indoor uses.


How do I finish a ridge cap? I've installed the ridge cap, using modified 3 tab shingles.

I've installed the ridge cap all the way to the other end of the ridge, but I'm not quite sure what to do now.

The next shingle will be hanging out over nothingness, how can I nail it down?

Please don't nitpick about not using Ridge Cap Shingles, that's a different question altogether.

That's what I've done in similar situations. Cut off the top half of the shingle (using the piece without the glue line) and 2-4 nails right through your last shingle. Cover the nails with a drop of roof cement.