Hard to turn kitchen faucet: how to change the cartridge My kitchen faucet is getting hard to turn. I looked online and I think I probably need to change it "cartridge". However, I am not sure how. There is one screw on the bottom of the handle and I am not sure if that opens the faucet to change the "cartridge".
I appreciate any help or hint. Thank you.

That screw in the handle has to be removed with an allen wrench. Then remove the handle. The chrome dome piece then has to be unscrewed to expose the cartridge. There could be another brass nut to remove too before pulling out the cartridge. Remember to turn off the water before doing any of this. Hopefully there are shut off valves under the sink. If not, then you're looking at turning off the water to the house. Take it step by step and came back if you need more help.


Where can I get a new key for an old lock? There are two locks on my apartment door.  The key to the bottom lock was lost long ago - before I moved in - and we now just use the top lock.

The bottom lock is probably 50-60 years old and doesn't have any identifying information on its exterior.  It works fine.  We just don't use it because we don't have a key.

Once, when a locksmith was here working on the other lock, I asked him about it, but he just tried to sell me a replacement, which was going to be very expensive.

Is it possible to have a new key made for an old lock?  What would be the challenge in a case like this - is there any reason it would be easier to just replace the whole thing?

For a lock that's 50-60 years old, I'd be tempted to replace the whole thing. Just go to the hardware store and pick a similar one up so all you need to do is unscrew the old and screw in the new. Typically the inside of the lock is screwed into the outside half of the lock, and the bolt is screwed into the door on the side.

The biggest gotcha is if the hole changes size or position, not uncommon with an old lock, which is why you're better off finding a very close match. When I had to enlarge a hole in a metal door, I managed to rig two hole saws together on a common center mount so that the smaller hole saw guided the larger saw. Without this particular hole saw model, or if you need to shift the position of the hole, you'd need to first patch the hole so the saw has something to keep it from sliding all over the door, and of course this only works if you're enlarging the hole to include the entire space of the old lock.


What do the 32 elements in a "32 element digital aerial" refer to? I'm trying to make sense of the mess of TV aerials (all shapes and sizes) and cabling on the (shared) roof of our tenement.

One potentially useful cross-checking piece of information I have is that the aerial I'm looking for is a "32 element digital" - it's also a "wideband" - put in ~5 years ago (in anticipation of the transition to digital; I'm in the UK).  But what does the "32" actually refer to ?  If I count the number of metal struts, should there be 32 ?  Or does it refer to something hidden away out of sight in the "hub" the cable goes into, or a more abstract concept like the number of channels receivable ?

Yes- it the number of rods sticking out of the main antenna. 16 on one side 16 on the other side.

These rods help remove ghosting, provide a clearer overall signal.

They all have their own purpose and lengths are very precise and specific. These should not be bent, extended, shortened or connected to anything else in any way will cause poor signal. Pigeons and birds do not affect reception as they do not cause direct induction of the circuit.. but a fat bird can bend the antenna and cause some issues.

Even though that is the concept it does not always refer to any exact number. Sometimes 3 spokes can be counted as 1 element because they act a single "element"

It will not have anything to do with number of channels- this depends on your region, the version of the set top box (old Freeviews cannot pick up many new channels) best use the FreeView HD ready boxes for best compatibility.

Hope that helps you out.


Should I scrape off firmly-attached, cracked exterior paint before repainting? When preparing to paint the exterior, there are some shingles that appear to show cracks but the paint seems to be firm. Should I still scrape it off?

If you run a scraper across it and it doesn't come off then it is likely OK to leave it. You should still sand it well and prime before painting.

For aesthetics I would probably sand it smooth, it will be visible under the new paint.


How do I convert my fireplace switch into a thermostat switch? I have a fireplace that's controlled by a regular on/off switch. How can I convert it into a thermostat switch so that the fireplace shuts off automatically whenever the room gets warm enough?
If it matters, I live in the US and it's a typical gas fireplace that I've seen in other condos.

@JonathanReez if you find out that your fireplace is  millivolt controlled as @ThreePhaseEel says make sure that you purchase a thermostat rated for millivolt service. (it may make a difference).


Two Circuits down and no Breakers Tripped I had one 110V circuit running four CPU (13v) devices (Laptop, Switching hub etc) and a completely separate 220v circuit running two CPU Servers (13v output 1,300W draw each).  This set up had been running for two months as is no problems.  Yesterday I added a third server to the 220v circuit and it ran flawlessly for an hour or so.  Then ALL of it went down..... both the 110v and the 220v circuits.  I checked and neither breaker had gone (I reset them anyway).  I flipped the main breaker and no difference.  I grabbed my wire tester and it lit up on both lines all the way to the devices yet NONE of the devices are working.  No smoke, no bad smells no fire no nothing.  Is there such an issue as a ground wire needing to be upgraded or some such thing that would allow pos juice to flow to an outlet yet not allow a device to power up?  I'm not an electrician clearly if it needs to be said lol.  Thanx very much for any input you may have.

Are any of the outlets GFCI? Check the button and lights on all of them and push in the reset switch.


Low voltage vs. regular lighting for closets: What are the technical and code considerations? I'm hoping to put some lights in a residential hallway closet, so it's easier to see inside. I am considering running low voltage lighting (eg. these LV pucks), or a small regular-voltage light fixture or light socket.
What are the technical and code considerations for running LV vs. regular lights in a closet? Is it just a matter of personal preference, or is one way easier to do and/or more power efficient than the other?
For the record, I’d like to put the lights on a switch.

There are some requirements for mains voltage lamps in a closet NEC 410.goes over these requirements.
The advantage to These low voltage Low wattage lamps is the instructions allow them to be surface mounted without conduit. The transformer or supply can be used as a plug in or box mounted there is a switch in the model you listed. Code allows and even requires you to follow the manufacturers instructions so in that case where it may not be allowed with mains lighting it is possible when the instructions are followed.  So is one way easier?
Yes a simple system like you have can be run on the surface without conduit. Mains voltage requires boxes for splices these handy low voltage connections do not require boxes even if you run them inside the walls. I use low voltage rings for data and cable all the time a WBF-1 low voltage box eliminator provides a mounting surface for a low voltage Jack or plug in.
When it comes down to efficiency that is based on the quality of the LED 160lumens per watt is an efficient LED but smaller lower cost may only have 110 lumens per watt and that can be the same low voltage System or standard mains voltage lamps. The advantage with low voltage is plugging in & surface mounting with just double stick tape in some brands (yours has screws).


Installing Honeywell Wifi on Ruud Furnace with G wire replacement trying to install RTH9580. My thermostat has only 4 wires so I am trying to substitute the G wire instead of C wire. On the furnace I put a jumper between Y and G wires and moved G wire to C wire location. See pictures? I still get no power. Any ideas on the wiring on the furnace side?

Check your voltage from R to C terminals on the board to make sure you have 24 volts there. If you don't mind the feel of air moving, you would be better off just putting a short jumper from R to G. This will energize the fan relay to keep it running continuously and the best for you for constant air filtration and if equiped with a power humidifier will maintain the house humidity properly. Then using the G wire as proposed should work. Before you did this, did the fan start when flipping the fan swich on the thermostat to on for continuous fan operation? If you never tried it, it might be a good idea to change things back and do so to eliminate the chance that there's a break in the green wire. Or if your new thermostat is in place, leave the power off change things back on the Furnace and disconnect the red for power and the green and just hold them together with the power back on for a few seconds at the thermostat to see if the fan starts, again to verify no breaks in the green wire.


HVAC Heat Supply - Register type (Square Register or Round Diffuser?) We are adding new heat supply runs to our basement ceiling. We have had 3 HVAC contractors look at it and all 3 want to use 5" round air diffusers instead of the normal metal square registers.
Here is an example.

We do not have a/c and are only supplying heat. They want to place these within a foot or so of the exterior wall by the window.

None of the contractors gave a good reason as to why to use these instead of square registers. They just state that's what we use now and it doesn't really matter. My understanding is they are great for A/C but cant find any info on heating.

Question: I would like to know if we should use these round diffusers to provide heat in a basement, will the heat just sit up in the ceiling?

If we use these, how far from a window should they be installed to be efficient.

We are putting cold air returns near the floor. Also I am up in Canada so have to deal with cold winters.

Thanks for the help

I'm in Toronto, and I'm a HVAC tech. I do use round diffusers from time to time but I've never noticed them being the "go to" by any tradesmen. There must be an undisclosed reason for it. Possibly a local supplier has been pushing them out at a low price. They (round diffusers) work well enough in most cases. Basements should be supplied low wall anyway but that often results in boxes and nobody likes boxes.

Also rectangular registers have an effect called throw. Depending on the orientation of boot (A boot, end boot or universal boot) the outgoing air will have momentum and upon hitting the vaines of a rectangular register deflect but continue slightly in the starting direction.

rectangular register with an end boot

continental industries

Round diffusers have different effects illustrated by the two following images.
Round diffusers

researchgate.net

Slideshare

Honestly the dynamics involved are chaotic and almost impossible to predict accurately. I studied this topic deeply years ago. It's something I still consider when designing a system but ultimately customer want to eliminate boxes first. If given the choice, not so mechanically inclined customers will always go the "no box route" and customers who take great interest in the design of the system may be okay with a box.

Back to the OPs question round diffusers may or may not work as well as a rectangular register. For cooling they are definitely better, for heating, in my experience at least, they don't work as well. But in a basement where half of the exterior is underground heat loss is reduced compared to the floors above when it's exceptionally cold outside.

In short there is no clear answer but at least there're taking low wall returns.


Attaching Air Compressor To Junction Box I have a 4 inch metal junction box with a 3/4" mud ring attached and recessed into the drywall in my garage. I want to connect an air compressor to this junction box directly without using a plug. What do I need in order to close up the junction box and have a hole for a 3/4" flexible conduit to run to the compressor?

Is it as simple as buying a blank metal 2-gang cover plate and drilling a hole in it? Is there something off the shelf that's actually made for this?

I'm not sure for a specfically "2-gang" box. These are made for 4" and 4-11/16 and octagon boxes:

and there are 1-gang "handy-box" covers with a knock-out as well.

A 4" box will take 2 devices, but some 4" boxes are set up with tabs for the devices, while others are set up with corner screws like this plate uses and need a cover to hold devices in place.


Why are the areas (square footage) for carpet removal and for vinyl plank installation different? I requested a quote (from Lowe's) to replace the existing carpet with vinyl planks. The area the quote uses to calculate the labor cost of installing the planks ("basic labor floating LVP/LVT") is about 5% larger than the area to calculate the labor cost of removing the carpet ("removal haul carpet and pad no glu [sic]"). Why is there the difference? They are for the same physical area since the project is replacing the carpet with vinyl planks.
I am new to this site. I hope this question is not off topic since I am not installing the flooring myself, but it is a technical question about a home project. Thank you!

There are two main reasons:

When you install planks there is a requirement that the ends of the plank must be within a certain distance of ends of other planks on adjacent rows.   This means you probably cannot make your rows match perfectly even if the planking comes in a variety of sizes.   So you will have some cut-off waste and for most planking, especially click lock, you do not want to install small pieces often.

There can be defects in the planks.   The installer will not know until he is out there.   It could be scratched, miscolored, whatever.   These will be thrown out.

The extra 5% is to accommodate cut-off waste and any issues with the flooring.   For smaller jobs we actually go to 10%.   Lowes is probably being nice because it is something they stock or can get easily.

Note: On the question of also paying for installation of the extra 5%.
I am a little perplexed there.   I am sure there is some kind of
marketing/sales reason to this but I will say - NOT NORMAL.   If
someone wants 2000 sq ft of hardwood installed.   I will charge them
for materials including 2100-2200 sq ft of hardwood and 2000 sq ft of
labor.   I have never heard of charging for the 5% or 10% extra for
the install price.
It isn't fishy it is just weird.   Any install you have, you have
materials left over and clean up.   If you want a new door installed
on your house there might be 2x4s, trim, shim materials, screws,
nails, tons of stuff... I have never heard someone quote me... well I
charge for a 36x80 door at about $300 an install plus materials plus a
clean up fee based on overages... No.   Just weird.
Why wouldn't Lowes just charge you 5% more per sq ft.   We aren't
talking a lot of money until you start multiplying that across 1000s
of installs.   If they are charging 2.99 sq/ft why not just 3.15
sq/ft?   Probably because they want to keep up with the other big
boxes on pricing and 2.99 looks better in an advert.   If it is always
3.15 (or higher) why advertise 2.99?   Its weird.   It is very big boxish.
And just FYI Lowes does almost no vetting for their installers.   They
send whoever is free out and people bidding on the contract.   It's
just a random dude.   They might (and might is the right word) not
send somebody out after tons of negative feedback.   But these are
just your local installers who do not have enough work on their own -
and good installers are usually booked pretty solid and often cheaper
than what lowes charges.


Handling unavoidable rust (probably?) contamination in arc welds I've been working on repairing my front gate, which got hit by a car. It's also been a good opportunity to get better at welding (FCAW).
I'm having an issue doing some patch repair welds on the 2x2x3/32" vertical steel tube that holds the gate up. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures right now although I will try to take some the next time it happens.
The problem I'm having seems (to my untrained eye) to be caused by rust inclusions in the weld, which generally leaves me with welds that have small pinholes around the edges (which become apparent after grinding down the bead). That's my best theory.
The cause, I believe, is that the inside of the tube is severely rusted due to long term rainwater exposure. While I've fully cleaned the outside of the tube before welding, I can't clean inside the tube and I believe the rust on the inside is contaminating the deeper portions of my welds.
My question is: Is there anything I can do about this? Is there any way to achieve perfect welds when the opposite side of the metal is covered in inaccessible rust (and who knows what else)?
I've tried running over the holes with a lower voltage and feed speed just to fill them in with metal but when I grind those away, it just keeps moving the pinholes to the edges of my spot welds.
I hope this is clear. I'm actually OK, function-wise, with the current mediocre welds, since they're still sufficient and worst case I can throw some bondo over the holes or something. However, since this is welding practice for me I'd really like to get closer to perfect beads. Not quite sure what to do about this issue, assuming the rust is the issue (but like I said, that's my current theory -- I don't have any other ideas of what's going on).

I am not an expert welder by any means but if you were to watch enough YouTube videos on the subject you would come to know that welding very thin materials is an art unto itself. You said nothing in your question about the type of welder that you use (ARC, MIG or TIG) but one of these types is probably going to be much better at avoiding melt through on thin materials.
From what I have learned it takes lots of practice to establish the expertise to be able to successfully weld thin materials. The 3/32" that you quote should be weldable without pin hole melt through with the proper skills.
I believe that if you can avoid getting the heat so high to avoid melt through that the rust on the inside should not be a problem.


How do I insulate a crawl space? I have approx 500 sq. ft. of crawl space (under addition to original home).
15 x 35 ft. with 2 x 10 joist & concrete flooring ( no dirt ). Ventilated to outside is provided by 3 windows. The height is approx 2-3 ft of this crawl space. The foundation wall is of cinder blocks.

How do I keep the home above this crawl space warm in winter?

Do I insulate joist or walls or both?
Which insulation do I use, and how to secure it?
Should the ventilation be closed in winter?

It's becoming code in a lot of places to vent your crawl space. Pretty much everywhere if you live in a flood plain in order to get insurance. Whether flood plain or not, many areas are requiring them for everything new. Vented helps to prevent both mold and buildup of gasses like radon in your house. You can get vents which open and close according to the temperature (and water pressure in case of a flood) if you think that would help. People post mixed reviews as to the benefit of these products. Do your research if you go this route.

It is perfectly acceptable and I would say, the best approach to spray foam insulation (similar to "Great Stuff") in a crawl space that is properly prepared for it. It needs to be vented already. It needs to have certain things like pex pluming covered as the foam will eat it. The foam goes right up to your sub-floor adhering to the joists and down the walls a little. And it does wonders for your energy bill.

I owned a 4k square ft house in Montana in a flood plain with 3k square ft of crawl space that was vented with flood vents (automatic open and closing vents). I had the entire 3k square ft of space sprayed with 3" of foam insulation and it cost me about $2800. This was in 2008. -30 degrees Fahrenheit and the floor stays fairly warm. An added benefit is this does wonders for bug protection, completely sealing up your floor. This is the only way to go in my opinion.


Hanging string lights from stone I have several solid stone pillars (approx 4' high) running along the edge of my patio. I would like to hang string lights along the stones using something like Q-Hanger hooks. But I do not know how to go about securing these hooks into the stone itself. I see online some plastic anchors that look like the kind that I would use in drywall but I'm not sure if that is the best option or if those anchors would work with the hooks I have planned.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I would only drill that stone as an absolute last resort. That not only damages it in an unrecoverable way but opens it up to faster degradation from weather, especially if you're in a frost zone.

Get some aluminum wire for bonsai (example). It's anodized in a suitable color and very easy to work with. You could also use coated steel gardening wire (per Tonny's comment) or even coated copper electrical wire. Wrap it around the stone and twist it at the light location, then use the tails to attach the lighting. As Criggie suggests in a comment, you could use a wiring strategy similar to how sparkling wine bottle caps are done:

You could also use decorative metal strapping (examples). Wrap it around the post, folding at corners, and use a bolt to cinch it on the outside corner. If you leave a gap between the straps you could attach S-hooks or similar to the bolt shank.

Whatever route you choose, protect the wire well from chafing to prevent damage and shorts. (Thanks, Chloe.)


How long should I let caulking dry before exposing to water? I am redoing my bathroom and going from a tub with shower to just a shower base and walls. The walls are fiberglass and caulking is being used to seal everything up. How long should I let everything dry before using this shower?

Check the directions of the caulking product you used, but usually 24-48 hours.


2 switches controlling two lights in garage. I have two switches, (one inside the house, the other at the front of the garage). These control 2 lights in the ceiling of the garage.  I would like to install 4 new LED lights, and change the existing 2 lights into junction boxes. 3 wire runs in both switches. On one light base, there is 2 black, and 2 white.  On the other base, there is just a black and white.  Can I add a new 2 wire into this base and run to the new LED light? Marette off the black and the white wires?  I hope this makes sense.

Yes you can, you can add those 4 LED light fixtures. Just connect parallel from your existing neutral switch wire and neutrals of the 2 light fixtures that you will be changing.


Non-contact detector shows elec. from wall switch, but light will not come on In our basement there is a small room we use as a pantry. We put a screw-in receptacle where a light bulb would go and plugged in a fluorescent shop light. The wall switch is blocked by a refrigerator. So for 20 years we have left the switch on and turned the light on and off by the pull string switch. It stopped working. I took it down, replaced the bulbs, plugged it in a wall outlet to make sure the new bulbs worked and everything was fine. I put it back in the pantry, plugged it in and it still would not work. I have replaced the ceiling fixture and the wall switch and it still does not work. A non-contact detector indicates there is power all the way to the fixture. All the other lights on the breaker with this switch work fine.  What am I missing?

Ever use air tools?  The air pressure line comes from the compressor, goes to the tool, and where does the air go after that?  it just disappears, into the magical aether, or really, just the air.

Ever use hydraulic tools?  The hydraulic line comes from the pump, through the tool, and then there's a second hydraulic line back to the pump. Why? So you don't flood the shop with hydraulic fluid!

Electricity does not work like a compressor where the power comes out the hot and just disappears into the aether  (except in Australia, where it does, but nevermind that).

Actually, electricity works like hydraulics, except it's two-way, so the return line is just as important as the supply.  That return line is where your problem lies. This is called the neutral wire.

Measuring the neutral wire with  your voltage tester may be useful. It should read no voltage. If you measure hot voltage there (with the light on), the problem is between there and the breaker.


Persian blinds: why the headrail is open at the top Why is the headrail (A) U-shaped without a top cover?

I would say it will accumulate dirt over time through this open top.

Is it always this way with Persian blinds and if so what is the reason to keep the top of the headrail open?

The upper rail of the blinds is made as an open topped assembly because the inside operational parts of the unit can be easily snapped into place when the blinds are manufactured. Since almost all blinds of this type are custom ordered to width they are manufactured from very long raw material pieces that are cut size when the order is being fulfilled.

Another aspect is that when the width of the blinds exceeds a certain amount there are center brackets that have to be able to clip into the upper side of the rail from the back so that the center brackets can remain hidden. (At least this is the case with some better looking styles....the center support showing from your exploded parts list picture leaves a somewhat ugly bottom flange of the bracket showing when the blinds have been installed).

When the blinds have been installed up against the top of the window frame there is not too much chance for dust to accumulate inside the upper rail. I've replaced old blinds in my house that were in place for decades and had little or no dust in the upper channel. If the blind unit is one that uses a valence piece across the front to hide the rail that acts as an air flow baffle to keep dust as well.

If you live in an area where dust is an extreme problem I am pretty sure that you will have many more short term problems with dust accumulation than inside the rail. If you must take some action to prevent any dust accumulation inside the rail you could choose to apply a narrow strip of self adhesive foam stripping to the two top edges of the rail before sliding it into place at installation. Such stripping would need to be cut away in the areas where the holding brackets are located. You would also want to have such installation use a valence piece in front so that the foam stripping does not stick out like a sore thumb.


Using self leveling cement in basement bathroom around drain Should you a use self leveling product over the slope towards a drain in the concrete floor in basement bathroom? We are wanting to install luxury vinyl plank in the bathroom and most sites say to have a perfectly level floor for it. The problem is, the concrete was purposefully made to have a slope towards the drain (built in 2015). Should we level it first or is that a mistake? I’d say the lowest spot is about 1” difference. The bathtub was installed with shims to compensate. I don’t want it to be obvious that the flooring isn’t level. Can someone please help me on what I should do for this?

Old question but to give a correct answer... You don't level basement floors - PERIOD.

You have two options:

Add a subfloor and shim that to flat - dricore squares are an example.   The problem with this is not the bathroom, it is the bathroom floor will be 2" higher that the rest of your basement.
Buy flooring that you can install over this.   I have installed many many basement bathrooms that had slanted floors (they all do).  I have used pure vinyl (waterproof not water resistant) planks and they for sure bend enough as long as the floor is pretty flat.  The planks are very high end and can look however you want.

This is a very typical basement bathroom.   The water in your basement must be able to drain.   It isn't just for the bathroom but it could be sloped for a good part of the basement to here.   You don't get to just "level" it.


What are safe alternatives of electrical tape? What are safe alternatives to using electrical tape? I don't have it right now nor am I sure when I'll be able to get it. Could I just use regular scotch tape over one of the shattered festoon bulbs?

As far as safe, duct tape is conductive in some brands especially when wet. Scotch tape is not conductive but it lacks the dielectric properties especially over a shattered globe to be considered safe. To be safe don't use this string of lamps.

Festoon lighting is normally used outdoors or on construction jobs. With a damaged lamp that gets wet a greater shock hazard is there. It would be better to remove the bulb than to have the broken parts extending from the socket.


Do you paint bare dry wall without skimming with mud? I've learned that it takes 3 coats...6" 8" and 12" skims the rest of bare dry wall. You end up skimming all bare dry wall. If you paint any bare dry wall don't it swell up and need sanding, mud and paint again? Isn't it: 6" knife for tape, 8" knife goes out from there, then 12" skims the rest of bare dry wall. ? With sanding in between.

You do not need to have joint compound or skim coating spread over the whole wall before painting. The correct way is to use the compound and skim coating plus any needed sanding to cover seams, nails/screws and other types of repairs. Then you prep the whole wall using an appropriate sealer coat or primer paint. Lastly you come with your final paint coats.


Should I remove old linoleum when replacing a linoleum floor? I'm planning to replace the linoleum floor in my kitchen in the next few months. According to a friend, I do not need to remove the existing linoleum and can just lay down new flooring on top. However, this just strikes me as wrong.

So, should I remove the existing linoleum or not?

Not sure if it matters, but I'm considering bamboo, cork tiles, or marmoleum as the replacement.

If it were me I would remove it.  No reason other than I like to start fresh when remodeling, and I don't feel like I did a good job unless I do.


water hammer after a regulator is added to system my local water dept changed my meter from a star meter to a setup that has an s bar with a regulator.lived here over 30 years and never had a regulator and never checked pressure.have hammer very bad when flushing toilets with regulaor set at 55 psi.remove regulator and add a jumper hammer stops but my psi is 95. what is causing hammer? thanks for any input.

You may have air chambers that drained during the meter installation and refilled with water, rather than air.

First, check that any existing air chambers are working. You may need to shut the main valve and completely drain the system for a while to get air back into the chambers. Most are inaccessible, inside walls, so are not easily replaced, but you can add another chamber elsewhere.

Also make sure that pipe brackets (hangers) are firmly mounted, since a loose pipe exacerbates the issue.


Shower Flange Threading I had to replace my valve stem on my shower, it was an older style with the 3 knobs (hot, diverter, cold).  I have the valve stem out and replaced but trying to re-attach the Flange is for some reason overly difficult.

Now I believe it's due to the buildup of whatever is inside the Flange (image below) because I can't get it to attach to the valve stem even when it's not attached in the wall.

Before I purchase a new Flange, the issue seems to be the "threaded piece" inside the Flange... is there something else I can try to get this to work?

EDIT
I forgot to post also that my googling seems to show pieces that do not include the "threaded" part...for example this link

https://www.chicagofaucetshoppe.com/90-268-Plumbing-Fixtures-p/ger-0090268.htm

The chromed plastic piece is called the "escutcheon" ("flange" is also fine, or "trim ring").

According to a supplier's website,[1], the "90268" escutcheon from Gerber is "tapped"* with a 5/8" inside diameter and 24 tpi (threads per inch). So you should see screw threads from the view in the picture.

However, I cannot see any threads inside the brown piece. Is it possible the threads are in the plastic and the metal piece was originally part of the faucet (welded/soldered/brazed there)?

From the photo, it looks like the center, brown-colored part is not part of the escutcheon, but part of the faucet that has come off and become stuck to the plastic, due to all the mineral deposits that have accumulated over time.

Next steps

If the trim ring (and therefore, the faucet) is supposed to have a 5/8-24 thread, then you can check if the threads are in good condition:

get a 10-cent nut from the hardware store with the same 5/8-24 threading — and attempt to spin it on the faucet.
bring the escutcheon to the hardware store and attempt to screw a 5/8 (male) bolt into the escutcheon -– you don’t need to buy the bolt.

If one or both fit, then it’s probably just a cleaning job with a descaling solution. If neither fits, it might not be the right part.

Original poster @user2676140 mentioned that soaking the part in warm, soapy water for 24 hours did not remove the scaling (minerals).   The minerals have built up over time (in the presence of soapy water) so this is to be expected.
@Eric Simpson noted in the comments that you can use white vinegar -- it's a mild acid, less likely to damage the chrome finish, and inexpensive; it just takes a little longer than a commercial descaling product.
If the vinegar doesn't work, you can use a stronger calcium - lime - rust removing solution such as "CLR" which is widely available.  [2] or [3]    You can dilute the CLR product with water.

  ⚠ Caution -- CLR is acidic. It can burn your skin and etch metal. Read label directions for safety.

Then what?

If you are able to separate the metal from the plastic escutcheon again, your next challenge will be to reattach the metal to the faucet.

I would suggest looking at the opposite handle.  If you can remove the chromed plastic escutcheon from the other faucet, and the brown metal stays with the faucet in the wall,  then take a look at how the brown metal spindle is attached to the faucet.

If you see a way to reattach the brown piece to the faucet (i.e., it is a press fit), then go ahead and do that.

If you determine that the brown metal piece in the photo has become permanently separated (broken off) from the faucet, and there is no way to reattach it, then you have a serious repair job.

Maybe a plumber or an advanced amateur can solder or braze it back together, while protecting the tile.
If not, and the metal part of the faucet is damaged, you probably need a new faucet.

* The supplier's website says "tapped", but the threads are probably molded into the plastic rather than tapped. That doesn't matter for the purposes of this Q&A.


gas heater not always firing up It's a small propane direct vent wall mounted heater. The pilot is running fine. I had been crossing wires between TH & the thermocouple on the gas valve but this has become unreliable & the main burner won't always light. I give the gas valve a tap then it works fine, for a week or two. Is there a way to 'service' the solenoid in the gas valve?

I have had moisture problems many times with gas furnaces. Some furnaces gas lines have a drip leg after the shutoff valve, this leg is a 4-12” leg going down that is capped. This is there to catch water and rust from getting into the valve.
If no drip leg moisture gets into the valve and the moisture hangs the valve up and a drop of water on a orifice can stop the gas flow since the orifice is small and water is ~200x denser than air.

Moisture can be the issue if you do not have a drip leg it may help to install one if you have a drip leg turn off the gas prior to the leg and clean it out to see if this helps. I always use gas rated pipe dope and a bubble solution to test for leaks after cleaning.

This if moisture is the issue once dried out the valve will usually operate normally or have for me , I lived at the bottom of a long run and had to clean my drip leg several times a year.


Where can I find replacement stops for a shower faucet? I've looked everywhere locally for a replacement shower stop and cannot find the right now. This is from an old shower (about 20 years). I've attached photos that show the size on top of a ruler.

The wide part is about 7/8" diameter, the narrow part is about 5/8". The hole in the center is about 3/8" diameter. It's plastic, and about 1/8" in thickness.

Any ideas? I'd really rather not replace the entire cartridge for this one small part, since that would involve taking out tile, etc....

Thanks!!!

-h

I'd say Screw It. That is, I haven't found any glue to be permanent & have had fantastic results only with screws. Screws for plastic that are coarse threaded are the best. Find tiny screws, coarse or fine thread, & pre-drill homes for them slightly tinier than the screw's threads, you'll need a precision or eyeglasses screw driver to seat them...I'd do both the crack & the split. And, still crazy glue it just before your screws re-join everything for a good as or better than new stop. Then, you'll also have a solid part to even make a joint compound mold & make your own new stop...it's just plastic & any PVC or ABS would do. I'd even bet you could quite easily make your own out of a thick metal washer with some very careful jig-sawing & drilling, it ain't gotta be pretty it just needs to last.


How can I prevent the intake vent for an on demand water heater from getting plugged? We have a Navien on demand water heater. The intake and outlet vent pipes run out through the poured concrete foundation and have a plastic grill on the end.
If the intake vent is blocked in any way the water heater will not turn on as a safety feature.

I have to add another tighter mesh over the intake in the summer or paper wasps build nests inside the pipe.  If I leave the mesh on then in the winter it gets blocked with snow and ice.

I need some sort of vent cover that blocks insects and does not get blocked by snow. Here is a sample with the "as delivered by the contractor" on the right and with a crude but workable filter for summer use on the left.

Any ideas?

Edit: the manufacturer suggests adding a PVC T valve at the end of the outlet.  The number of elbows allowed is governed by the length of the run and number of previous elbows in the run.
I'm going to try a T valve and the filters shown in the answer below.

Picture of the vents would help. The way I've usually seen them installed is with a 90deg elbow on the intake so that it points down. That would prevent snow from clogging it.

The exhaust vent pipe usually has a 90 deg elbow so that it points up. You can get a rain cap for the end of it to keep rain/snow out.

Looking at this document from your manufacturer it shows one of the vents elbowed to face down like I indicated the other one isn't.

After seeing the pictures of your vents it looks like you can elbow the one on the right and then get a hooded cap for the one on the right. Something like the Noritz PVT-HL looks like it might work.

Then you can install a tighter mesh to keep the wasps out.

By the way, have you tried those wasp deterrents that look like nests? I haven't but they seem to have good reviews.


Is 12 cu. in. LB PVC Conduit large enough to splice 12/2 run? I am running a 20A circuit to the garage and using a LB conduit at a point where my run comes out of the basement and goes underground. I want to run 12/2 NM from the house to this junction box and splice with lose cables that will continue the run to the garage.
This feels like Electric 101 and the box feels big enough. This is why I was surprised when doing Box Fill calculation it appears as if the junction box is not big enough.
In the photo below you see 3 12 AWG wires. Imagine a 12/2 NM comes out of the hole that goes into the house and the standard 3 splices.

4 12 awg conductors = 4 x 2.25 = 9 cu.in.
Volume allowance for all grounds: 1
3 Clamps: 3 volume allowance.

This leads to 13 cu.in. but the box is 12. Am I double counting something? It just feels strange that a perfectly reasonable looking junction box is not sufficient for this simple use case.

You don't need a clamp allowance because there are no cableclamps here
There's no need for a clamp allowance here, because that is for cable clamps that sit inside a box and anchor the jacket of a cable to the box's entrance, and you don't have anything like that in this scenario.  So, you have 4 2.25 in3 allowances for the 12AWG wires + a fifth for the grounds, which makes 11.25 in3, within the range of this 12 in3 marked body.


What is the purpose of power going into a Phone Receptacle? It is my understanding that the following photo contains a phone jack (old style 4 prong) to the left and a standard nema-15r outlet to the right.

Well, we had found some mold in our basement under some old wood paneling and when I removed the old Sheetrock I noticed Romex (that is live) going into the box. My question is, what would be the purpose of this? Obviously, i'm going to cut power at the breaker and remove this... but why would someone do this in the first place? Is this not a phone jack as I'd assumed?

From your back side picture it is apparent that no small gauge low voltage wiring goes to the box with the four prong plug. So unlikely that the plug was used for wired phone service at any time in the near history.

It is almost sure that someone at one time wanted to power some ill conceived device with power through a four prong plug. If you open up that box you will undoubtedly find that some pins on that plug are wired into the power circuit that passes through that electrical box.

Sometimes it is just hard to understand some of the schemes that folks will dream up and cobble together, whether it is safe or not.


Does my refrigerator's water line require a shutoff valve behind the refrigerator? Is there a code requiring a water shut off valve to be behind a refrigerator with an ice maker/water dispenser?  This pertains to New York State ( Rockland County).

Yes.  Sort of.  It doesn't require it to be behind the fridge, but it does require one on the supply.

Uniform Plumbing Code
606.0 Valves
606.5 Control Valves. A control valve shall be installed ahead of each water-supplied appliance and immediately ahead of each slip joint or appliance supply.

Unless your county has amended the code.


How to get GE Lo-Water PreciseFill unstuck from rinse mode? The washer fills. Then "rinses". Then fills. Then rinses. Over and over again, skipping all cycles, never making it to spin/finish. It spins, but the indicator light always says rinse.

It never stops. It doesn't agitate, the light never turn on for "soak" or "wash".

Is it the timer? It moves. And the modes seem to be firmware controlled.

kewords: stuck in spin mode, stuck on spin. Perpetual spin mode. stuck in rinse cycle. will only spin, will only rinse.

It turned out to be a bad timer. Since it drained, and spun and rinsed, I knew it was not the pump or filter or motor. I found "the last one" online, but it was a super easy fix that saved my hundreds of dollars (thousands if my girlfriend had her way). Just locate your model number (on the inside of the lid, or under it on the body).

Just pop the top control panel off by removing three screws. Then unscrew the circuit board. The handles just pull off with evenly applied pressure.


What could cause my toilet to 'Gurgle'? The last few days the toilets in the house (2 toilets) are making a gurgling noise. When I go and look, I can see the water is standing very low. When I then flush the toilet, the water either keeps rising (not going down the pipes) or flushes normally. And then there's about a 50/50 chance of it to start gurgle again.

We've tried unclogging it with a plunger, but it does not help. So I'm suspecting it has something to do with the septic tank.

What should I try to fix this?

EDIT: I should also note that one toilet is on a floor higher then the other.

I've been a victim of this before. This is bad news.

In my (rare) case, the roof of my apartment building drained to the middle of the building and down the sewer pipes. During phenomenal downpours (twice in five years), the flow of water coming down that pipe was faster than the flow of water leaving the building. The water backed up to the lowest point where it had an exit which was my primary bathroom. It did so with such intensity that water was violently sloshing out of the toilet bowl, the stopper on the sink was forcefully ejected, and the bathtub was backing up at the same time. The only good news in all this mess is that it was fresh water.

Clearly, this is not quite your case. However, it is an indication of the same similar fact: you have a flow going in the wrong direction in your sewer line. Before the astonishingly violent discharge and water flowing everywhere, the toilet would gurgle.

Since it's a septic tank for you, you need that serviced now.

The reason the flushed water level is lower is probably that the siphon link between the bowl and the sewer line isn't being broken.


Addressing irregular water pressure Some time ago I posted about issues with my tankless water heater, concerned about the water going cold mid shower.

Recently I found the issue isn't in the water heater - there are times when all the water pressure in the house including cold and at the closest spiggot to the mail drops by around half. It seems to be pretty regular intervals,  roughly every 10 minutes.

What could cause this and how can I fix it?

Edit:

Thanks for the responses everyone. There is a large recycling center fairly close by. It is likely the reason for the periodic drops.

I've adjusted the regulator. Although the pressure still drops it isn't nearly as severe.

Hopefully it'll be enough to keep the flow sensor on my inline tank from kicking off.

Many homes suffer from low pressure/flow issues for various reasons. This regular drop in pressure/flow seems to indicate an external problem, such as a large water user (commercial or industrial) using water from your water main line for some automated process.

Also, check with your water distribution entity to see if they have changed the way they regulate or maintain water delivery pressures (most use pumps).

As for a fix, if one of the aforementioned causes turn out to be true, it may take some diplomatic activism (or maybe some not so diplomatic activism).


Converting pendant light to wired hanging lamp - what to do with ground wire? The short: what to do with ground wire from pendant light when converting to hanging lamp?
The long: I've found several tutorials on how to add a plug to my wired pendant light, and I've determined that I can give it a go with an extension cord. I think I've figured out which wire is hot and which is neutral (though they're both the same color - found out that the neural side is ridged on the plastic cover, and hot is smooth). In disassembling the light, I find what I assume is the copper ground wire attached to the metal bar the light hands from, but not running the full length of the cord. As I disassembled the hardware to get to the cord (as well as remove the heavy decorative bar that would make it hang down too low), the ground wire came off. The only thing left is the regular old lamp wire - is that all I need to attach to the extension cord wires, or do I need to somehow reattach the ground wire? Thanks!!!

Sounds like the ground wire would have attached to the ceiling mount which in turn would have grounded the chain and any metal attached to that. The value in the earth is if, some how, the live comes lose and touches the metal rather than potentially electrocuting you it will be connected by all that metal to earth and trip the breaker. You want the earth connected to a metal part that touches everything. Typically the mounting point would have a green earth screw to attach the earth to.


Do I need to seal coat part of my new asphalt? I just had my driveway asphalt coated.  In general it looks pretty good, but there are 2 areas (about 10 sq ft each) where the (due to the location) the asphalt was laid by hand and not rolled on by a large machine - so the surface has some roughness and is not as flat as the rest of the driveway. (Aesthetically this is not a problem as one area is where trash cans will be situated, and the other is the creation of a side path through some bushes.)

Today it is raining and the first thing I noticed is that those manually laid areas are extremely porous - rain is running down to them and then just disappearing.  I called my asphalt guy and he stated to me that "oh once the asphalt has cured then those areas will naturally seal up"

I am skeptical of the curing process closing up those porous areas, and my concern is that in the winter there is potential for cracking due to ice expansion.

Will the porous areas seal themselves up?
Are my concerns about cracking in those areas valid?
If seal coating is advised, is doing this myself a smart or dumb thing to do?

Asphalt doesn't crack due to porosity. It cracks when it expands and contracts due to heat cycles, and as it dries out from age. Poor substrates exacerbate this.

Once they are cracked freezing water has much more of an effect. Then it's able to push with enough force to cause damage.

Sealers mostly preserve the surface appearance. They don't do much at all to increase longevity.

The point is, unless you want to keep the surface visually uniform, I wouldn't worry 'bout it. I'm sure others would.


need to convert 220 to 110 for hot tub downsizing I had a hot tub which we down sized.  The old tub had a 220 dedicated GFCI breaker subpanel.  The new tub requires 110.  Is there a way to easily down size?

The answer is it will be easy to change fro 240 to 120v.
Your 240v feed uses 2 hot’ and a ground at a minimum possibly a neutral.
Moving the wires in the main panel will be need to install a 120v 15 or 20a receptacle
Remove the 240 v GFCI and install a single pole GFCI. Put the black on the GFCI tie the neutral pigtail to the neutral buss and the white to the neutral point on the breaker, ground to the grounding buss if a main panel the neutral buss can also be used, if there is a red wire put a wire nut on it.

Depending on the size of the original feeder you may need to pigtail to a #12 wire on the breaker (and at the new receptacle) you may need a new box or mud ring at the tub location to mount your receptacle and pigtails.

If the box is in the weather a bell box or weather tight box and an extreme use cover or In use cover for the outlet.

I suggested a #12 wire for the new circuit because the few small tubs I have installed receptacles for were 15 & 1 was a 20 amp. If it happens to be 30 amp 120v (I have not seen for a hot tub but possible that would require a #10 awg wire. For the pig tails if needed.


Can I connect an Asian 240v water heater to a US 240v circuit? How can i wire directly an Asian single 240 volt line with neutral  instant hot water heater to my 240 twin line tap in the United States? Can i tie the two legs on the breaker into a single wire? I am not sure how the neutral would feed then. What is the best way?

Asian and US power work in a very different way.   Both transformers are 240V.  However Asia applies safety earthing  on one end of the transformer's 240V winding.  America pegs it in the middle.  Philippines is a weird compromise because they have both systems and are in the middle of trying to harmonize on one.

The concept is that American power is safer since voltage is only 120V from earth.

Neutral is not earth/ground.  Neutral is a normal current-flowing conductor like the hot(s), it is simply the one that uses the same transformer lug as earth.  That makes it the "less dangerous" conductor.  It is not earth and should not be connected to earth anywhere except one bonding location specified by Code.

Some appliances are built with weaker insulation on the conductor planned for neutral.  Code doesn't allow them to do that, but they do it anyway. Not mentioning any subcontinents here.

Your water heater wants 240V across its two supply terminals.  in Asia, one of them will be neutral, in the US neither will be.   This use needs to be permitted in its labeling or instructions as approved by UL, CSA or other competent listing agency.  CE is not a listing agency.

In a US installation of a five-continent 240V device, you will have no use for US neutral.  You will need two hots, and this must come off a 2-pole 240V breaker.


Replacing a GCFI plug on my fan I have an indoor/outdoor fan that has a GCFI reset plug at the end of the power cord that has tripped and will not reset.  Can you tell me the proper method to replace it?  I have extremely limited experience in electronic repair and would need some pretty detailed advise if possible...any help would really be appreciated!

If I understand correctly, you have a GFCI device on the end of a power cord attached to a fan - i.e., the GFCI was provided with the appliance and is not built in to the building. Assuming that is the case, there are two possibilities:

Failure of the GFCI
A ground fault in the device

If the GFCI has failed - and they can fail - then replacement makes sense. However, I think more likely is that there is a ground fault somewhere in the fan. A ground fault could include wiring (e.g., starting with cracks in the cord insulation), motor damage, switch damage, etc. I know of only two ways to get a 100% definite diagnosis:

Replace the GFCI. If the fan works, the problem was the GFCI. If the fan doesn't work, the problem is the fan - in which case toss the whole thing (and in which case you have just wasted a new GFCI module).
Replace the GFCI with a temporary regular plug. Plug the fan in to a GFCI-protected receptacle (e.g., kitchen or bathroom that has been updated to include GFCI) and see if it works. If the GFCI receptacle (or breaker) trips immediately then the problem is the fan - in which case toss the whole thing. If the GFCI does not trip and the fan works, then you should replace the temporary plug with a GFCI module.

I suspect an indoor/outdoor fan has a GFCI included because typical use may include outdoors, in the rain, plugged into a grandfathered non-GFCI-protected receptacle. So bypassing the GFCI protection, except for a very temporary testing procedure, is not a good idea.


What screw size can I go to when re-tapping an M6 bore? I purchased a used jointer. The fence should've been held by two M6x20 bolts (according to the manual) to the body of the jointer. When I went to attach the fence, I noticed two wood screws and the holes were filled with some unknown material. After I cleaned out the two holes I noticed they were stripped, that explained the missing M6 screws.
To which size can I re-tap the holes? I think M8 is perhaps too big, so what about SAE? Is there something close to M6 size?
By the way, I'm confused by the tap sizes, especially the SAE, UNC, UNF, etc.  Besides that, how do I choose the right drill bit size for the new tap? I've spent a whole day trying to figure it out - I'm now frustrated.

Tap size chart and Drill Size Chart are the useful search terms. Most any useful tap size chart will have the drill size listed. A drill size chart will help you sort out the relative sizes of drills in fractional inch, number, letter, and metric sizes. Taps you can get at the hardware store may simplify the process by being packaged with the correct tap drill. Ordering on line from a "real metalwork supplier" (often less expensive, and far more selection) you'll likely have to order them separately.
What will work depends just how stripped out it is.
1/4-28 or 1/4-20 are the "next size up" with 1/4-28 offering a bit more allowance for hosed threads since it's a finer thread (and thus a bigger tap drill - #3 = 5.4102mm) but if the holes are stripped all the way to 6mm that's still a bit precarious. 1/4-20 uses a #7 tap drill = 5.1054mm)
The rather unusual but extant M7 is the first size that will work if the holes are ripped out to 6mm - 7x1 uses a 6mm tap drill, 7x0.75 uses a 6.2mm tap drill.
Next up from that is 5/16-18 (F tap drill = 6.5278mm) or -24 (I tap drill = 6.9088mm)

UNC = Unified National Coarse
UNF = Unified National Fine
UNEF = Unified National Extra-Fine

SAE (society of automotive engineers) is an older standard that has been incorporated into the Unified Thread Standard.
You can also repair the threads to M6x1 by using a Heli-Coil® thread repair kit (or possibly generic knockoffs if their patents have expired) where the hole is drilled out larger, larger threads are made in the larger hole, and a Helical Coil that fits in the new threads on the outside and has M6x1 threads on the inside is inserted in the hole. [I have used this product rather extensively, but am not associated in any other way.]


Anti-Vibration mats for top loading washer? I am getting a new washer/dryer set.  I originally had a front loader set, but it started smoking and I got tired of the front loaders.  They will be installed upstairs and I was curious if the anti-vibration mats actually work? Does it depend on location? I found some selling online, but do you actually need to get one of those or can you just use something else?

Also, I was thinking if the washer/dryer come with feet, isn't it best to just have the feet flush with the bottom of the washer/dryer so you avoid the feet being out of balance?

Yes they work.  They distribute weight across a wider area and also act as shocks.

However the most important thing is to make sure that your legs are firmly on the ground and the weight of the wash machine is evenly distributed across all 4 legs.  If you don't do this then the mats become useless.

Also since this is a DIY site I will point out what I use on my washer.

Buy cheap plastic party cups.
Buy silicone caulk.
Cut party cups so that they are only 1.5" tall.
Fill to at least a .5" (up to .75") - all cups should be filled equally.
Let silicone cure (could take a few days).
Balance wash machine.
Sit cups under.
Notice that cups make a scratchy sound so put felt pad under them (this could be step 6).


How should I use a plumber's snake? How should I use a plumber's snake if my kitchen sink drain got clogged? Are there any suggestions on when this device is applicable and how to use it?

Lowe's has a nice overview, but here's a quick summation: First, check the sink trap to see if the clog is there. Most kitchen sinks have a "clean-out plug" in the u-bend pipe attached to the drain under the sink - this pipe is called the "trap." It should have a "cap" screwed into it, called a clean-out plug, with a square knob on it - this knob is where you put a pipe wrench to loosen the plug and remove it. Be sure to have a good size basin, bucket or large mixing bowl underneath to catch anything coming out of it! If you don't see the clog, feed the snake into the drain from the plug, until you feel the obstruction... if you don't run into the clog, try feeding the snake up the other way, it could be between the sink and the trap. Rotate the snake's auger while keeping up a gentle forward pressure, and this will break up the clog. When you pull out the snake, it will probably have some nasty, dripping gunk on the auger, so keep that basin and some paper towels handy!


What is the best way to build a simple desk capable of supporting several hundred lbs.? I'm in the middle of designing a desk that will have to support several hundred lbs., but I'm unsure of what would be the simplest method of bracing to carry a significant amount of weight.  All my research has dug up are fancy desks that promote form over function, and tend to be on the small side, like a writing desk.  What I'm envisioning is a strong worktable-type unit that is low enough to sit at, about 8-10 feet long with no drawers or shelves. While I'm confident in my plans, what worries me is that I'll design it to be too weak.  What is a simple, cost-effective way to design such a brace?


How to build plastic prototype? I'm not sure if this is the place for this question but I couldn't find out any StackExchange website for this question so I'm posting it here.

I always wondered how companies build the plastic chassis/form-factor for their products. I mean there are some very sophisticated shapes like calculators, monitors, remote-control car toys .. etc all of these products have plastic chassis with colors. How the companies build these?

I mean I know there is 3D printing but as far as I know 3D printing is still at the early stages if I'm not mistaken.

p.s. if you can suggest a better website for this question please tell me.

For prototyping, there are many methods. For plastic, 3D printing and CNC routing are two popular ones today.

For actual production, though, the methods would be different. Options include:

Injection Molding
Roto Molding
Thermoforming
Vacuum Forming
and others...


Why won't my toilet flush right? Did our plumbers not put something back right? We've had issues in the past about having the sewage line get backed up.  We just had the plumber here almost a week ago to replace the water line.  Now our toilet won't flush right.  It flushes all the water into the bowl but it just stays there and slowly goes out of the bowl but it still leaves solid waste behind.  We have tried our normal "fixes" when the line gets back up but it's still not doing right.  We plug the shower when we take one so the water doesn't drain and then wait overnight to flush but it does the same but then we unplug the tub and the water there drains perfectly fine.  What I'm wondering is if the plumbers did something under the house that affects the pressure of the toilet flushing.

If you had "the sewage line get backed up" all along and didn't do anything to fix it (replacing the water line doesn't) then the sewage line will only get worse.

As for your tub (I think you want me to guess you shower in the tub instead of having both a tub and a separate shower), it probably connects to the sewage line after the clog that affects your toilet.


Filling gaps in a shower hob - best substance for this gap? My shower hob has a number of leaks. I've highlighted a gap in the photo below which appears to be allowing water to run through to the other side of the shower hob. If I use silicone sealant in the position with the red circle it prevents water running off the edge of the hob, so a large pool of water remains which cannot dry out overnight.
Is there a substance I can use to fill the gap circled in red?
I am planning to use a product such as "Shower Plug 220mL" after any other work in an attempt to prevent ongoing leaks.
Note 1: In the photos below, I've placed transparent packing tape over all of the gaps, which I used to test and verify where the leaks were coming from. With the tape on, all but one of the 5+ leaks around the hob stopped.
Note 2: I've let the shower head run in a bucket for a long period of time without any leaks appearing, so I'm not worried about leaks behind the shower itself.

I have had a similar problem with the grouting in tiles missing. As we know we are to change the bathroom over the next couple of years, I have filled the gaps with bathroom silicone and smoothed it down with a wet finger.


Three Way Switch Works With Power Off I have a switch box with 3 switches in it, each powering a different light.  All three switches are supplied by pigtails from one incoming cable.

Two switches are simple single pole switches and when the breaker is turned off those lights stop working.

The third is a 3-way switch and when the breaker is turned off, the light continues to work.

All four combinations of both 3-way switches work as expected, with the breaker off.

When the 3-way switched light is lit, it does NOT back-feed the other two lights.

I read online that there used to be a technique used where two breakers/fuses on the same phase were connected through some black magic to power a light, but I can't envision how it works.

Sadly half of the wires are knob and tube so I can't see any neutrals.

It looks like a Carter-style 3-way (as you state that have knob&tube). In my opinion you have a 3-way on a circuit and the other on another circuit with a shared neutral.


How should nail holes be repaired in a gypsum firewall? I've got a couple nail holes from pictures being hung in the garage that I'd like to patch. The drywall is 5/8" fire-rated. With that in mind, are there any special considerations when patching this wall? Should I be using fire caulk/foam or just use all purpose spackle on it as if it was any other drywall?

Just as minor voids left during hanging of the drywall are filled with joint compound, you can do so with nail holes and any other minor penetrations. Many times an installer will miss framing with a screw and pull it out, leaving a similar hole. It's not a concern.


Timer device and Motion Sensor on same box? New outdoor GFCI box installed from existing indoor receptacle, plus new LED motion sensor installed from GFCI box, plus plug-in timer device for patio lights. Will motion sensor timer and plug-in timer both work from this new box?

The plug-in timer is a Defiant model TM142DOLBD while the motion sensor is either a Heath/Zenith 5312 or 5318, not sure which.

The timer did go on at dusk but did not turn off in 2 hours as set. It stayed on until dusk. Since timer and motion sensor both have a timing feature, could they be incompatible when used on same receptacle or circuit?

The shutoff time for the Defiant timer plugged into the GFCI should not be affected by anything other than what time it senses dusk.


How can I remove wax from a wooden counter so I can resurface it with Danish oil? A wooden (beech) kitchen counter has been treated with cheap wax in the past, and is now discolouring because of food preparation and constant splashing. I've decided to make a better job using Danish Oil but first need to remove the wax from the beech.

I have performed this routine 4 or 5 times:

Soak with White Spirit.
Sand with 120 grade along the grain.
Wash with hot soapy water.

The reason I've done this so many times is because there always seems to be more wax coming out of the wood.

My question: Do I have to continue sanding and washing the wood to remove any trace of wax, or have I done enough already to apply the Danish Oil?

I'm planning to rub the Danish Oil in to the wood with a cloth, leave overnight, then buff it up in the morning, possibly applying more the following night depending on the colour.

If anyone has any advice for producing a really nice water resistant finish, that will be greatly appreciated.

The worktop is as pictured below, to help understand what type of wood I am working with (not my photograph, but same product) :

If the surface is edge grain and the previous finish was only wax, wiping down with mineral spirits and then sanding using progressively finer grits up to 220 or so should be pretty good preparation to refinish.  Skip the soap and water treatment as it won't dissolve any wax and only complicates finishing.  Before applying any finish the wood should be smooth and dry.  Any staining or blotching you can see is not going to be hidden too much by a clear finish - it's sometimes possible to bleach out stains but this is tricky to do well.

If you are still getting something soaking back up after sanding down to the raw wood, it could be a prior mineral oil treatment.  Mineral oil never hardens and is often used on wooden butcher blocks and countertops.  Simply reapplying more would be one refinishing option.  It's easy (you just apply until it is no longer absorbed) but you have to reapply it frequently.  Inexpensive pure mineral oil can be found in a pharmacy (it's sold as a laxative).

Another option would be a pure tung oil finish.  It would be slightly more expensive but a little more water resistant.  You can get it from a woodworking or finishing supplier.  Most "tung oil finishes" sold by hardware stores are not actually tung oil so check the labels carefully if you go this route.  It would be applied and reapplied similarly to mineral oil.

Some "Danish oil" finishes are a blend of varnish, oil, and thinner, and others contain only thinned varnish.  Generally one applies "Danish oil" in light coats such that a film is not really built up on the surface of the wood.  Often wax is then applied over it.  This feels nice on furniture but it is going to be less durable that a slightly thicker application of regular varnish applied with a brush or thinned and then wiped on in several coats.

The mineral oil or tung oil would be my choices for a counter that you are actually going to cut on.  On the other hand if you don't plan to cut with knives directly on the counter, and if you are able to prepare the counter down to a clean, dry, smooth surface, a wiping varnish is probably the most durable and best looking option.


Toilet with what looks like 11 inch rough-in. Do I buy 12 or 10? My current toilet is measuring at 11 inches even from the wall (not the molding) to the center of the bolts. Looking around I see a lot of people saying that they saw somewhere else that a 12 inch rough-in will fit, possibly with an offset flange, but I'd like a more authoritative answer if possible. My house was built in 1900, so a non-standard size wouldn't really shock me.


Can I glue instead of screw a 3/4” strip of cement backer board? I am building a shower. The entrance is framed by 2x4s. On the outside of the shower there is drywall butting up against the 2x4. So, there is only enough room for a 3/4” strip of hardibacker. I’ve tried predrilling and countersinking, but the hardibacker is still breaking at every screw hole. I’m thinking about gluing it down with construction adhesive instead. Thoughts?

The solution I came up with was to predrill, just through the cement board, and then using roofing nails. The predrilling and the flat head of the nails kept the cement board from splitting.


Max gap size for effective drywall joint compound I am getting ready to mesh tape and apply joint compound to my drywall patch but I am wondering if my replacement piece is not snug enough. After doing a bunch of adjustments and trying to cut for my replacement piece, I wound up taking just a bit too much....
I've read up to a gap inch is fine and at its widest point, my install is just over 1/2" but I would just like to make sure.

WARNING: NOVICE GORE

You'll be fine, though you might want to go buy a bag of setting type (dry powder, mix with water - sets, rather than drying out like the stuff in a bucket) joint compound, both because it's the right type for use with mesh tape, and becasue of this tid-bit from USG:

  Open spaces between panels of 6.4 mm (1/4) or more should be filled with compound at least 24 hours prior to embedding or first-coat work. Setting-type joint compounds, which are hardening types, are recommended for these large fills. With these setting-type compounds as a fill, joint treatment may begin as soon as the compound has hardened, eliminating the typical 24-hr. drying period.

From this document: http://www.usg.com/content/dam/USG_Marketing_Communications/canada/product_promotional_materials/finished_assets/cgc-construction-handbook-ch5-finishing-drywall-systems-can-en-pdf.pdf

As the real 'rockers say, mud covers a lot of sins...or gore.


My 20 amp circuit has some 14 gauge wire in it. Is that OK? I have a 20 amp breaker in my 1890’s home with 12 gauge wire attached to it.  Further down the line (Where I can not see) there is some old 1960’s 14 gauge Romex wire attached to it within the walls of the house. This old 14 gauge wire is attached to a plug I want to tap into with 14 gauge wire to add a ceiling fan in my bedroom. Is this ok?

Since your 20A circuit has 14ga wire attached to it, it's already illegal -- adding more 14ga wire to it won't change that situation as far as the code is concerned.  But adding load to it may well start a fire inside your walls and burn your house down, since a 20A breaker or fuse can't properly protect 14ga wire.  You're lucky in that it hasn't overloaded so far, but your new ceiling fan may well be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
To correct this problem, and make both your existing installation and your proposed extension legal and safe, you should change the breaker on that circuit to 15A.


Plumbing drain and vent question I am in the middle of a bathroom remodel and discovered an assortment of drain and vent pipes behind the old shower. As I get ready to reframe the wall and make the plumbing ready for a tub, I find myself wondering if I should replace / optimize this mess of plumbing.

It may even be possible to reclaim a good bit of this wall space which would allow me to install a longer tub (right now my plan is a 4 ft tub for kid baths).

I'm by no means an expert on plumbing so I'm wondering what the collective mind has to say.

Thoughts?

The larger pipe looks to be your main vent. The other smaller pipes connecting to it are vents serving other fixtures. Codes limit the location on where vents can be connected, typically 6" above the flood level rim of the highest fixture being served and a minimum of 42 above the floor. That is why they are connecting as shown in the photo. The plastic vent which would have been part of a renovation/modification after the other work was completed looks to be connected a bit too low.

Just because it may look odd or look inefficient does not mean that it was done incorrectly. With the exception of the plastic pipe, this looks to have been done to meet the code requirements.


Should I remove and replace base trim or install quarter round when installing laminate flooring? I want to install laminate over my existing tile floor. The problem is that I have small 3¼" baseboards. If I don't remove the base moldings and install quarter rounds I think it will look ridiculous buried in the new flooring.

I've gotten several quotes from installers and they all want to charge a lot for removing and replacing the baseboards.

So my questions are: is there any solution for leaving the baseboards on the wall and maybe using a tiny shoe moulding to hide the gap? All shoe mouldings or quarter rounds seem to be too big. If I try to remove them myself do I have to have a miter saw to cut them down to reinstall them? How hard is that? I really am not a 'handy woman'. Any ideas?

Also, they want to charge a lot to install the laminate in the kitchen because they would need to move the appliances. Is there any way to install laminate everywhere else but something different (easier) in the kitchen and have the floors be the same level? Meaning laminate in my living room, dining room then transition into vinyl or tile or something else in the kitchen that doesn't require moving the appliances?

For my basement laminate floor install I did not remove the base moulding. Instead i used spacers to place the flooring 1/4 inch away from the moulding. Then I used 1/4 round to cover the gap. It looks great and what a time saver it was.

I would not install laminate floor in a kitchen or bathroom due to water concerns.


What is the difference between fire cement and fire concrete? I am trying to build a foundry. The Youtube video refers to 4:1 Perlite:Fire Cement. But the shop also offers Fire Concrete. I don't know what's the difference.

Could someone please explain the difference?

Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTPdybtO-a0

TLDR; - Concrete is poured into a form, for structural members.  Cement is spread as a glue.

Cement is a glue.  Concrete is a mix of aggregates, held together with cement.

If you're building something structural (to support a load -- such as itself), you'd buy the concrete.  If you're using it as a skim/finish coat, or to attach firebrick, buy the cement, and (possibly) mix it with some very fine aggregates - depending on the use.

See this answer for more detail on cement/concrete in general. What actually happens if I vary proportions of cement and sand in mortar?

EDIT: After seeing the video, I now understand.  What you are making is a light, weak concrete using the cement and perlite as an aggregate.  You need to buy the fire cement, not the concrete. (You could use concrete and omit the perlite, but I think it would be pretty heavy.)


Wiring hanging pool table light into outlet plug? I'm moving into a new apartment soon and getting a pool table. I will obviously need to hang a light fixture from the ceiling above the table. Normally these fixtures are supposed to be hard-wired in the ceiling but because I am renting the apartment I'm not going to mess with any of the existing wiring inside the ceiling for obvious reasons.

The fixture I bought is this one:
https://www.amazon.com/72-Pool-Table-Light-Billiard/dp/B00P3CBSPQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=lamps-light&ie=UTF8&qid=1468530116&sr=1-3&refinements=p_4%3AIszy+Billiards

It has a wire coming out of it with the standard black/hot, white/neutral, green/ground three wires inside. My plan is to splice this wire into a wire I would purchase and then splice that wire into a switch then male grounded plug and just plug it into an outlet. This way I can just keep it plugged in all the time and use a wall-mounted switch to turn it on and off.

Here is a basic diagram of what I am planning on doing (ignore the fact I don't show the neutral wire):

I would also like to know what kind of wire I should use to connect all of this? The fixture powers 4x 60watt light bulbs.

I'm assuming this would work fine / be safe but wanted to check with people who know what they're doing first... I'm savvy enough to put all of this together so I really just need to know it will be safe or not.

A couple schools of thought. First is the easiest and as far as pool tables go very appropriate and that is the old swag lamp kit. You can get one fairly cheap at your local big box store, connect a couple wires, screw in some hooks and plug it in. They already come with a switch.

If you do plan the harder route as you outlined above, think about running 14/2 Romex and concealing it in raceway. This is more attractive and safer than running a bare wire along your ceiling and wall. If you want that industrial look and want to be safer. You can run 14/2 Romex in metal conduit and mount to your walls and ceiling with conduit hangers.

All three scenarios simply need a quick dab of plaster in the holes you make for your fasteners when you move out.


Why is my thermostat reading falsely high temperatures? Thermostat is reading crazy high temps when it is really 67. Furnace won't deliver heat. Fan works. Is it the thermostat (batteries replaced already) or the furnace?

Yes thermostats do go bad. The old double mercury thermostats are great for simplicity and no batteries needed.
Yes digital thermostats do fail. Just like all electronics they have a life and if in an electrical noisy area the life will be shortened. I have only seen a few thermostats that were actually integrated as part of the heating / cooling system.
Depending on the features your system has you will need a common wire a call for heat and a call for cooling, fan only, different fan speeds / heating levels . You can install the old thermostat and although it won’t cost anything today loosing some of the features of a modern digital may be worth the expense.
Most only have cooling/ heat a fan only setting and off.


Grounding to the box and 3 Prong Receptacles Recently bought a flip house. The flippers replaced every two prong receptacle with a three prong and a bootleg ground. In the process of undoing that unsafe practice, I've discovered that almost all the boxes in my house have "Boston back wraps". The NM cable ground is wrapped around the sheathing of the cable and clamped under the box's cable clamps.

Similar to the connection on the right in this picture.

I have a sneaking suspicion that grounding the receptacles to the box (like you would with old BX cable installs) is insufficient in this case. It just doesn't seem like these back wraps can offer a good ground all the way back to the panel.

So what would be your preferred way to address this?

I see two options:

Treat it like a two-wire circuit and GFCI protect everything (potentially with gfci/afci breakers). Potentially a whole home surge protector as well.
Carefully unwrap the Boston back wraps connect the grounds like a modern install, bonding the boxes with a pigtail or self bonding receptacle.

I'm tempted to go with route 1, as it seems to offer a high degree of safety with minimal work. Route 2 seems like a lot a additional trouble for arguably no additional or even less safety benefit. The only part that doesn't thrill me about route 1 is the receptacle labels (no equipment ground) might not look great to home buyers in the future.

Thoughts?

Just fix them right, do a room a day and it will be done before you know it.

You could swap in GFCI breakers temporarily if you can't get to it for a bit.

Be prepared to discover other deficiencies.


Size and kind of wire required to go from main panel to garage 400 ft away What kind and size wire do I need to run underground, from the main panel in the house to a garage 400 ft away, to get 60 AMPS (usable) at the sub panel in the garage?

Here is a link to a voltage drop calculator. It came up with 1 conductors per phase utilizing a #1 Copper conductor will limit the voltage drop to 2.97% or less when supplying 60.0 amps for 400 feet on a 240 volt system.
The type depends on how you are going to install it. UF (underground feeder) type wire for direct burial, or if in conduit THWN. Also the minimum burial depth is 18" per NEC table 300.5.


train xl 80 unit fires up then shuts right off i have a train xl80 furnace. When it calls for heat the draft inducer fan turns on and then the burner fires up for a short time then shuts off then it starts all over again.I am thinking its the flame sensor. please help.

I just yesterday dealt with one like that. It had electric ignition (glowing ignitor) and a single yelloow "flame sense" wire. This is only the second one of these I've found in a decade, but the problem and the solution is the same. IF your unit uses ion flame detection, the burner ground has become oxidized. It may look like metal against metal, but a fine coat of invisible oxidation had formed between the metal parts. It needs a good "ground reference" before it can detect the ions.

To fix this, I removed the burner. While I had it out, I scraped the flame rod tip some but it wasn't really dirty. When I put it back in, I intentionally made one of the self-tapping sheet metal screws dig a new groove instead of putting it back in the first grooves. I also got it good and tight.

Just as in the first case, the mere act of disturbing the mechanical assembly caused a better ground to be formed. It must be working, because I didn't have to get up last night and go fix it.


bathroom pipe joint leakage behind the ceiling tiles There is a water leakage in the pipe joint behind the ceiling titles in my bathroom, as shown below(I glued some putty around the joint but it didn't work, the joint looks like the one  on the left), you can still clearly see the water drop. I was looking into an Oatey brand PVC cement, but the Lowes' guy said it won't work (he didn't tell me how I can fix it though). Does anyone can help me out here?

PVC pipe like that is relatively easy to repair. The general concept is that you cut out the bad section including any fittings and then install new pipe and the necessary fittings to join back to the part where you cut it out.

If these lines carry water under pressure then you will need to make sure to shut off the water supply and ensure that the area where you cement in new PVC fittings is completely dry. Wet pipes and fittings do not join correctly.

I have to comment that I question this strange slopped on yellow looking cement for the existing PVC joints. I have never seen that before and it makes me wonder if the original installer used the completely wrong type of cement for the fittings. By honest evaluation it looks a lot like contact cement which would have been less than marginally effective at joining PVC fittings that would be under pressure. I would investigate to determine if this yellow stuff is legitimate. If it is not you may want to consider replacing more than just the currently leaking part.

When repairing make sure to use the correct type of PVC materials for pressurized water service. There are various grades of PVC pipes and some are called CPVC.


Soft touch for trim nailer I have a cheap Harbor Freight brad nailer and it does a great job of fastening my window trim and baseboard molding/etc. The only thing I don't like about it is that the point of contact is metal.

On multiple home improvement shows I see them attaching baseboard with a nailer that has a nice rubber boot (not just one of those crappy cover things that fall off). Awesome. However, these nailers are also mysteriously gigantic - I have no idea what they are - they appear to be larger than a framing nailer. I have also never seen one at HD/Lowes. What are these things?

And, regardless of whether or not the mystery humongous nailer is the answer - what's the best way to obtain a nicely-protected contact surface for trim work?

The "mysteriously gigantic" nailers are probably 15 gauge trim nailers similar to this one:

Sounds like the one that you have is a finish nailer, and is likely a smaller gauge and uses nails with smaller heads. Thus less driving power required and a smaller gun. A trim nailer will generally give you better holding power, but also higher possibility of splitting wood, especially thinner stock.
Assuming the nailer you have is working for what you're using it for and can use long enough nails, I don't see any reason to stop using it - I've trimmed with a finish nailer before without issues.
As far as your metal tip goes, I would doubt you'll be able to find one from the manufacturer for a cheap Harbor Freight gun.  One thing I've done in the past when I've lost mine or broken it is to lightly dip the tip in Plasti-Dip (the rubberized tool handle coating stuff). Just make sure that it doesn't interfere with the action of the gun at all 1/16 - 1/8 inch is plenty.


Water seeping through where pipe exits slab foundation OK, the backstory can be found in this previous questions: Repairing leaking DWV vertical 3" thin wall PVC. Basically, found mold growth behind baseboards of a powder bathroom adjoining the kitchen. Discovered it was due to a slow condensation leak from the joint of a vertical radon vent pipe in the wall. With help from Stack Exchange, I figured out the pipe size, cut out the leaky joint, made the repair with two slip couplers, and everything was great. The area stayed dry for a good (dry) month.

However, we recently had a sizeable snowstorm, and when I checked the pipe today, the new joints were great, but there was water on the base studs next to the pipe. Looking closer, there is water coming up from the slab where the vent pipe exits the slab. From my pictures previous to the repair, I see there was some sort of sealant around the pipe at the base, which looked old and worn so I removed it.

I'm particularly concerned about a source of water underneath our foundation, as awhile ago I discovered in our kitchen a few tiles that cracked (all in a semi-straight line, covering the kitchen, and pointing towards this powder bathroom). I haven't pulled these tiles yet, but I can see the foundation under the kitchen island, and there is a smallish crack (<0.125") in line with the cracks in these tiles.

Questions:

Should I seal around the radon vent pipe at the slab foundation, to prevent the water seeping up? If so, what should I use?
Should I be worried about water underneath our foundation?
If I should investigate further before sealing the pipe base, what should I look for? Or who would you call to investigate a source of water under the slab foundation, a plumber?

One last thing, that may be important, the hot water to the kitchen sink has always been slow (about half flow speed of cold; faucet has a continual lever). Previous owner said it was a safety feature of the faucet, but I've never had a plumber check it out.

I prefer all slab penetrations to be sealed, especially if you are in an area where radon is such of concern to require a vent. Your local building code should spell out what is a locally acceptable material to seal the penetration but any sealant with draft stopping capabilities and made for wet areas should do the trick.

As to the water under the slab, nearly all of us have water under our slab, just some deeper than others but enough water for intrusion through the slab, crack, or otherwise in to your home is very concerning. The fix depends on a novel of conditions that could be causing or allowing this to occur.


Lights will not come on after taking out wall outlet OK.. I noticed smoke coming from my bedroom wall  outlet.... I went outside turned off what I thought was the breaker to that room.... Come to find out that breaker had already switched itself off... Anyway I go and take the electrical outlet out and notice that the (white wires) had almost completely burned the side that it was on... I put electrical tape on all four wires then went to the breaker box to put all the switches to (on)...not only didn't the lights come on in the bedroom I was working on...that side of the house has no power!!!!..... Please help!!!

Call a licensed electrician, and leave the breaker off until they get there.

Smoke from the outlet means something got too hot, which means there was an overcurrent situation (e.g., a short). Your breaker did its job by tripping, but you should not turn the breaker back on until you have corrected the cause of the overcurrent. If you don't, the breaker will just trip again (best case), or the wires will heat up again and cause a fire, burning the house down (worst case).

Given your lack of experience with the electrical system in your house, your best course of action is to call in the pros.


How to choose hole sizes when building a sorting sieve? I'm planning to build a sorting sieve out of a set of plastic containers with holes drilled in the bottom.   The container with the largest holes will be on top and the one with the smallest holes will be on the bottom.    This will allow items to filter down until they can't fall through the holes anymore.  It should effectively sort items by size when I pour the items in the top and shake the entire stack.

Since I haven't found a reasonably priced set of sorting sieves, I'm planning to build my own. I'm planning to use Snapware containers that lock together and drill the holes with spade bits.

In general how should I choose the hole size?   Obviously I want it to be between the sizes of objects I'm sorting.   I fear:

That if the holes are almost as large as the large objects, the larger objects will get stuck in the holes and block them
If the holes are too close to the size of the smaller objects, it will take too much shaking for them to fall through.

I think my choices are:

Split the difference and use a hole size as close to halfway inbetween the object sizes
Use a hole size closer to the size of the larger object, but small enough that they won't get stuck in the hole.    How much smaller (percentage wise) would that need to be?

I have several application of this in mind. I want to try sorting screws, bolts, washers, Lego bricks, and US coins. Let me illustrate with the sizes of US coins.   Here are the coin sizes and possible drill bit sizes listed inbetween:

0.955" Quarter

24mm (0.945")
15/16" (0.938")
23mm (0.906")
7/8" (0.875")
22mm (0.866")

0.835" Nickel

22mm (0.866")
21mm (0.827")
13/16" (0.813")
20mm (0.717")

0.750" Penny

18mm (0.748")
17mm (0.709")

0.705" Dime

I'm leaning towards 15/16" for sorting nickels from quarters and for 13/16" for sorting pennies from nickels.  However between pennies and dimes I have a lot less choice.   Is the 18mm too large a hole and the pennies would get stuck?  Is the 17mm too small a hole and the dimes wouldn't fall through easily?  They also sell 18.5mm drill bits, but they are comparatively expensive items compared to less specialty sizes.

I have no idea how to choose your hole sizes, it sounds like you have thought it through, and I am sure some trial and error will be involved.  I can only suggest tools to make the holes.

In the smaller sizes, drill bits graduated in 1/32" or even 1/64" increments are readily available.  No need for super quality drill bits if you're just drilling plastic.

For larger sizes, there are adjustable drill bits

These have been around a long long time, and they work very well.  Just look carefully when you're shopping for the right shank.  A lot will have the shank made for old fashioned bit and brace, which won't work well in a regular modern three jaw chuck.

There are step bits that will drill holes of many sizes, you just have to pay close attention to stop at the right step:

There are also bits I have seen sold as "stepless bits" which will cut holes of any size, but to drill many holes of the same size quickly you'd need a drill press set to stop at the same depth on each hole.  They also make a slightly tapered hole, which you may find is a problem, or who knows, may turn out tobe an advantage.  It might be better drilling from the bottom rather than the top with stepless bits.


Leaking whirlpool tub; in alcove, but no tile flange at bottom of walls In brief: my alcove whirlpool tub has always leaked at the seam between the tub and tile wall, and it needs to be fixed. I just discovered that this tub has no tile flanges where it meets the walls; does this mean that leaks are inevitable?

In detail: when we bought our house 20 years ago a previous owner had joined two bedrooms to make a master bedroom and en-suite bath with a whirlpool tub set into an alcove. I've never been impressed with the construction (e.g. no apparent floor reinforcement). Specifically, we've always had leak problems along the edges of the tub, although recaulking has seemed to fix it.

Now, after a carpenter ant infestation and opening up the wall behind the tub, I've found that the leaks were far worse than I thought, and there's significant water damage to the underlying floor. I'd consider recaulking yet again, but only if I knew it could be "done right"; if not, then I'm thinking to rip it all out and start from scratch (we plan to be here for a while).

The leak is in the center of the long side of the tub where it meets the tile wall. I've removed the drywall on the opposite side of the wall, exposing the back of that joint, and I just noticed that the tub (an American Standard model 00-2720, if anyone has a pre-Internet catalog they could dig out) has no tile flange along that wall (I assume there's none along the two short walls as well). In fact, this tub may have been designed to be set into a platform, not into an alcove.

The lack of tile flanges would be an obvious cause for the problem: when we fill the tub with water, the sides sag, and tear open the caulking; after that, there's no gravity barrier to keep the water from just heading out and down.

Is it a lost cause to try and patch this? Now that I have the back exposed I could try caulking it to within an inch of its life. However, I suspect that I'll just get leaking (and ants) again, and I don't want to have to keep checking for water damage.

Edit: for clarity, here is a diagram of the edge of an alcove tub with a flange:

Again, my tub does NOT have such a flange. so the cement backer board just rests on the edge of the tub, with a bead of caulk (attempting) to keep water coming through.

Edit 2: this is indeed a drop-in tub, which is meant to drop into a horizontal platform. It is not meant for an alcove installation.

If you clean the old caulk off, properly prepare the joint, use 100% silicone caulk ,and your tub or walls do not move more than they are suppose to (natural flexing is ok), then you should have no problems with water at the caulked joint.

For best results, fill the tub with water before caulking, and keep the tub filled until the caulk is completely dry. This will open the joint as much as possible and then leave it under compression.

If it is flexing too much and that is breaking the caulk (you mentioned it but 100% silicone should be able to flex a lot), then maybe remove the tub and reinstall with a proper mortar base.  If it still moves too much is the floor structurally deficient?


Bathroom Light Going out So I have a Recessed Retrofit Downlight in the shower that began flickering and now is mostly dark, although sometimes it will go on. I removed it and here are the parts:

Recessed Retrofit Downlight Model DLS02-06A27D1E-WH-F1

This is the part that seems to hold the bulb and is flush against the ceiling when installed. It's held in by two springs.

The other part I can see is:

Dimmable Constant Current LED Driver Model JW03-013-D-047-I-N

This has a black and white wire attached to an orange female plastic thing that clips into a male plastic thing in the ceiling, and another set of wires that looks like it must run into the bulb itself.

My question is what part of this do I need to replace? Can I just go to Lowe's and pick out the part?

Thanks in advance.

UPDATE: I got impatient and went to Lowe's with the fixture. The lighting guy there said the problem was the ballast (I didn't even know there was such a thing for LED) and that replacing the fixture was the right play. It cost about $13, and I reinstalled it and everything is fine now.