Leveling options for bumpy basement floor I have a 125 year old townhouse with a large (700 sq ft) basement. We had waterproofing done (vapor barrier, perimeter drains, sump pumps) last year that dried everything out and made the space usable. We would like to finish the basement by adding walls and a floor. The problem is the relatively thin concrete slab that has a few spots where it swelled up, and other spots that go down, mostly in the range of 1-2 inches. I was able to knock down the highest spots with a sledge hammer, and can patch those as necessary. But I’d like to put down a vinyl plank floor and don’t know what the best way is to level everything. Self leveling concrete seems like it would work, but it would be expensive. A full subfloor with shims is an option, but that seems excessive too. I don't really care about it being actually level - I just need it flat enough for a vapor barrier of some sort, thin underlayment and vinyl plank. What’s the best option for topping old concrete in as needed between 1/2 to 2 inches? The floor right now seems stable - most of the issues were moisture related.

Leveling compound really is the way to go with this job, are there any tricks to save money on doing it - I am sure there might be. But it is always cheaper to do it right the first time than to do it right the second time.

This is the area where most people make the mistakes : COSTS.
To do something right costs this much and they don't want to spend the money, so they do it wrong, later they have issues and wish they had done it right - some then ask a pro to come in and do it right (More money) others tear up what they have and do it right the second time (More money). Then you have the others who simply sell the house to an unsuspecting soul and go their way, possibly to make the same mistake in their new home and never learning this simple rule..

Cheaper to do it right the first time than to do it right the second time.

I know it will cost you up front, but in the long run it will be cheaper both in terms of laying your flooring and having it right. You could even put heating elements under the plank if you were so inclined.


What's the minimum reasonable thickness for subfloor in my attic? I want to install 4x8 sheets of T&G plywood in my attic for extra storage room, but there are so many different thicknesses.  There will be extremely minimal traffic on this floor as I will only be up there once or twice a year and for no more than 30 minutes to an hour at a time.

It depends on the distance between joists or trusses, and the weight of the boxes/items you intend to store there. I personally would not use less than 1/2", and probably at least 5/8".


Electric oven trips RCD immediately Daughter left the oven on full heat and our house's RCD tripped.
Strangely, after removing the oven light bulb, we are now able to use the hot plates!
However, switching the oven/grill selector switch still trips the RCD. I've tried the switch in all its positions - full grill, half grill, bottom element only, both grill and bottom element.
I even changed the lower oven element, but this has made no difference.
What should I try next?
Adding picture of incoming 3-phase supply - the oven/grill circuit is formed by the brown wire from phase 2 and the blue wire from phase 3.

It sounds like the high heat damaged the wiring in the oven.
The light bulb being removed would indicate that damaged wire is on the neutral side with it out if you try to turn it on and the rcd holds. The elements probably have a similar issue with damaged insulation.
If I was trying to find this wire damage I would look where the lamp and elements might be close to each other coming through a fitting.
I would look for wire that was overheated and you can probably repair it with high temp fixture wire most ovens use 12 gauge wire for each element but it needs to be high temp fixture wire or it will fail when the oven is heated for any length of time.
I have seen some commercial ovens that used 10 awg 1 time I use high temp “spade” style quick disconnects when the elements have those type of connectors if they use bolt connections I still use high temp crimp rings , standard crimp fittings will not hold up to the heat and current and fail in a short amount of time.  But luckily your RCD has prevented massive arcing and possibly a fire.


installing a laminate countertop on uneven cabinets I will be installing a laminate countertop on some base cabinets that I've installed.  I leveled the cabinets the best I could with a 4-foot level, but the problem is they are cheap, big-box, stock cabinets, and the tops of the frames and cabinet walls are not all even and flush.  Obviously I want the final countertop surface to be level.  What is the proper way to account for the uneven tops of the base cabinets beneath the countertop?  I was thinking of using L-brackets, starting from the highest point I can find and installing them at the same level on each cabinet.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Rather than using "L" brackets why not set the counter top in place and get a few bundles of shims and shim up the difference? The brackets will be difficult to install exactly at the height you need whereas the shims are easy to adjust very small differences. Once everything is level, you can secure the counter top in place. Enjoy it and Good luck.


How to connect thermostat to newly-installed condenser/evaporator unit I installed a furnace evaporator and condenser brand goodman 4 ton unit but need to know how to connect thermostat from condenser to the furnace to the thermostat if any suggestion.

In the condensing unit, locate the contactor. There should be at least two low voltage terminals on the contactor (commonly on the side). Run a two wire cable between the condensing unit, and the furnace. Connect the wires from the cable, to the low voltage terminals on the contactor. In the furnace, connect one of the wires from this cable to the Y terminal, and the other to the C terminal.

At the thermostat, connect the yellow wire (or any additional wire in the thermostat cable), to the Y terminal. Connect the other end of the yellow wire (the wire you connected to the Y terminal of the thermostat), to the Y terminal of the furnace.

Notes:

These are general instructions, as you have not listed the make and model of the equipment you're using.
You may have to adjust the blower fan speed when in cooling mode.


Is my plan for fixing my water heater leak bad? Here is the situation (with pics):

See that pan on the bottom? The hole in it is covered by tape.

So here is what I was gonna do. Is this a good idea? First. I've gone out and purchased a new pan for the bottom.  I also purchased a round piece of wood exactly the same size as the pan and 6 bricks and the hose you see connected to the drain.

My plan was to turn off the water and gas lines.  Drain the thing using the hose.  Then hopefully, If I loosen up the restraining straps I should be able to lift the whole contraption up about 4 inches.  That will be just enough space to slide the bricks underneath and also the wood on top of the bricks and the new pan on that.

Doing this will raise the pan so that it is slightly higher than the hole in the wall where I plan to add a pipe connected to the pan for drainage.

Speaking of the hole in the wall... You see how there is currently a pipe in that hole? Someone went through the trouble of connecting all of that pipe to the pressure release valve.  As far as I can tell those pipes are welded on so that's going to be a problem.  My thought's there are that I will take a hacksaw and simply cut the pressure release valve pipe at the bottom right before it would have gone through the wall.

Is this a reasonable approach?

If the water on the floor is from the water heater I would fix that problem before I do anything else. If it is coming from the tank then it probably needs replaced. You can raise the tank as high as you want but if you do I would also replace the copper flex water lines and the flexible gas line. Once those lines get older, the flex gets hard and rigid and may break when you re-bend them to the new height. A broken water line or gas leak could be a disaster. And, by the way, the piping off that T&P relief valve is soldered and is not welded indicating to me that you should seek help from someone more knowledgeable than yourself in what you want to accomplish.


Pergo over existing Pergo? Does anyone know if you can install new Pergo over existing Pergo?  I have installed Pergo or similar type products, in many rooms of my home.  Some have been directly on a new wood subfloor, some over existing ceramic tile.  Have never had any issues--this would be my first attempt at putting it over an existing Pergo floor.

Thanks for  any insights.

I was always told not to install a floating floor over a floating floor.However I have done this several times in my house without any problems.One concern would be if both floorings have a sponge backing,the floor might feel excessively spongy.In hindsight I wouldn't have done this because I had to re-undercut the doorways and raise all of the base.


EMT or PVC Conduit For Exterior Above Ground Electrical Run I'm installing a garage on the side of my house furthest from the electrical box. I don't want to trench the entire distance (60 ft), so I am planning on running conduit along the exterior of my home to the wall nearest the garage. From there I would dig my trench to run to the garage (~ 10 ft), and transition from an above ground to a below ground installation. I'm planning on a 60 Amp circuit to power the garage. EMT can be placed underground according to 358.10.A.1. If I read correctly it only needs to be buried 6 inches, where I need to go 18 with PVC. Am I understanding this correctly or off base in my analysis? What would be the recommended choice in this instance.

There are a few things you need to consider before running a long feeder and it seems you have at least given it some thought about method and materials.

First you say:

  I am planning on running conduit along the exterior of my home to the
  wall nearest the garage.

The word "to" bothers me. Shouldn't it be "on". In other words you can't just run conduit on the ground. Conduit has to meet code requirements on securing conduit to something that doesn't move. So it needs to be strapped onto something so it doesn't move freely. There are different strapping requirements for each type of conduit and these can be found in individual articles in Chapter 3 of the NEC.

Also NEC code only allows 360 degrees of bends before adding a pull box this can be a variety of different types of boxes, condulets, etc. You will find you will need to follow these rules when you are trying to pull conductors as a 90 requires around 10 time more resistance than a straight pull.

You can bury EMT but most contractors I know won't do it. Depending on the PH of your soil could cause the conduit to erode, sometime in less than a year. PVC is you best bet. Also most good contractors will always bury conduit at least 18" in the ground if possible. The reasoning being that anyone accidentally cutting a 60A underground circuit is not an experience anyone enjoys.

Good luck on your project and stay safe.


House warm thermostat off I have an old house that has baseboard heating. Ranch house. It has a full basement the length of the house. New Lochinvar boiler. Thermostat is off and yet our side of the house is warm. 62-66 degrees even in winter with thermostat off. Is it possible, pipes under the floor are heating my side of the house because of 1"-1 1/2 carrier pipes?

Yes! It sounds as if you probably have the answer to your question. The boiler is on your side of the house. The heat supply lines run under the floor on your side. Depending on how well insulated the lines and your floors are you're probably benefiting or sweltering in the heat your tenant is calling for when they crank up the thermostat.
If the basement isn't finished it should be fairly easy to determine - but I'm guessing it is.


Heat and water safe material for internal dishwasher repair On the inside of my dishwasher is a plastic tube that transports water to a spinning piece in order to clean the upper rack.
Part of the plastic tube has melted through and the top rack is no longer getting properly clean
Edit: The dishwasher was obtained used and already had the damage when I got it. Based on the way it's melted, something hot came from above, so it's  probably not a fault in the appliance itself. It is a Kenmore of some sort, but I currently have a lot more time than money, so I would really prefer to find a DIY solution instead of shopping for OEM parts.

The recommended, long term method
There are quite a number of places on line that sell repair parts for all types of home appliances.
It will likely be easier to purchase and install the proper replacement part than to attempt to repair a part.
Using your favorite internet search engine, look for

replacement parts <make> <model>

Where <make> = Whirlpool, or GE, or Bosch (as appropriate), and <model> = xyz, or pdq, or alpha123soup-b as listed on your machine.
and you'll probably come up with 4* options right off the bat!
*number guaranteed to be correct for as long as it took me to type it.

The short-term quick fix methods
Since the OP has indicated that he's looking for a short-term repair before replacing the appliance...
All the big-box home improvement stores stock all sorts of miracle leak stopping tapes and wraps that will work on anything from glass to plastic to metal to cement and more!!! (As seen on TV!™) You could probably even pick some up at your local 24-hour superstore while you're getting groceries.
It seems like this would be a good time to try one out and see how close it comes to the claims on its package. If one doesn't work very well, try a different brand. I've never had need to use any, so couldn't make a recommendation.
If you wanted to be really solid, but spend a bit more money (or maybe not), and can get that pipe out of there, a rubber coupling (sometimes known as Fernco connector) should be more than sturdy enough to hold in the pressure and, for only a couple of years the rubber should take the heat, as well. It might not last much beyond 2 years, but that's all your looking for.


Refrigerator Side Wall Hole Closure - Need suggestions In my side by side door refrigerator, there is a hole in the side wall on the right compartment that is intended for letting controllable amount of air from the lleft / freezer side of the refrigerator.. But we feel that the freezer air is doing more bad than good and want to close off that hole. The sliding control provided as can be seen from the pictures is not providing a good amount of insulation from cold. Can any one please suggest a good insulation component that can be used for closing off the hole in the side wall? I was not sure putty would be a right tool for the job or thermacol or something else. Please advise.

Refrigerator Side Wall Hole Pictures

The fridge side cools from the freezer side. If you cover holes, then your fridge side won't cool anymore. The fridge side doesn't have cooling coils. If you have issues where it is to cold, then you need to close it down and adjust the freezer side as well. If it is cold right there, and items directly next to it freeze, either move the items and leave that area clear, or create a funnel of sorts, to force the air up into the fridge compartment as cold air falls.


Water meter still spinning even after shutting off water to house? Our water meter is continuously spinning even after shutting off all the water to the house. We do have 2 different toilets that run about 4 times an hour on their own. I was wondering if the spinning meter could be that, or if it's definitely something else after shutting off house water? I would GREATLY appreciate any advice you may have as we are currently trying to sell and have absolutely no money for major repairs, thank you so much!

I had a rental house a number of years ago that I bought and when I bought it there was a leak in the pipe between the meter and the house and it wasn't disclosed.
You should have a shutoff valve on the house, if it's functional, turn it off and see if the meter stops. If it doesn't stop you've got a leak between the meter and the house.
I also agree with Harper, fixing toilets is cheap and easy and will save on your water bill.


How far down should sheetrock come in a shower tub installation? How far down should sheetrock come in a shower/ tub installation?

Ideally, drywall should be in the next room, or at least around the corner. Tile backer board (not green drywall - cement-based products in 3x5 sheets) is much better for the job. If you think you simply can't do that, stop the drywall at the top of the tub surround or shower enclosure and switch to backer board from there down. And use moisture-resistant drywall, at least.


building house aprox 150000 pounds using 6x6 posts--what is recomended spacing from 3ft high to 12 ft high new home construction for home 36ft x 36ft with 8ft deck at high end. what should spacing 6x6 concreted in at 4ft deep with one end of house 3ft high and 12ft at high end with deck

You need an engineer to know definitively what your requirements are for your location and design. I am assuming you did not consult an engineer since they would have the spacing specified in the plans. ( it is unlikely they would they have specified 4 feet deep )

We can not answer your question because we do not know the required info nor would it be wise for you to take advise from the internet instead of hiring a professional engineer.

A friend of mine bought a house in foreclosure on the hillside of Anchorage many years ago.  It was built on 6"x6" timber piers some of which were only 4 to 5 feet deep as you plan to do. The house was listing badly at one corner as the piers at that end of the house had not been of sufficient depth.  He had to pay to have the house jack up and moved to a proper foundation we built. He then built another structure nearly on the same site as the older one. We hired a pile driver to drive 8" well casing pipe down to bedrock with steel I beams on top. It is not listing or sinking.


Is my furnace leaking water? I have water accumulated in my basement, that I squeezed out using towel. It was about 8 gallons of water in all. The only source I can see is the furnace whose surrounding is wet but I have never seen a running water from there other than being wet.

Previously (last year) I have seen water accumulated once due to what I thought was excessive rains but this time, it has been very dry outside.

Does this picture tells anything if this is the furnace indeed? Is the fix easy?

Update

I followed up with the answer and filled condensation pump with water. The motor does start and the tank gets emptied but what I noticed is the water starts to seeps through the furnace. I have provided pictures with red circles where water seeps.

It was difficult to determine if the water really gets out through the transparent hose which is very yellowish at this point. I watched several videos on youtube and typical issues seems to blockage of valve. Now I am not sure if that's the case given the water seeps through the furnace after pump action? Could the pump be pushing it in backward direction due to blockage?

Do you think there is still good chance I check for blockage and that could fix the issue or get new pump?

Update 2

I troubleshooted further and opened the condensation pump. The tank was extremely dirty dust collected over time over time and stuff hanging to walls and floaters. I guess that could block the valve if this stuff is getting pushed out.

I clean it, cleaned the valve and tested the condensation pump by itself and it's working great. When I fill it, the springs up the water with nice power as i have seen in youtube videos.

I put it back but unfortunately, this still didn't fix the issue! The water oozed out from furnace parts higher up after pump action.

In a comment you said,

  AC unit is outside.

Assuming you're talking about a whole-house AC unit, what's outside is the condenser. There's another half to the system - the evaporator. it sits inside your "furnace" and cools the air forced over it by the circulation fan in your furnace, which in turn circulates through your ducts and cools your house.

AC evaporators tend to collect significant condensation, to the point that furnaces with AC fitted will always have a condensate pump to collect and dispose of the condensation. You said you mopped up about 8 gallons of water - where I live, that would be a fairly typical volume for a few days of cooling in a typical home. In other words, it's not really that much.

As mentioned by comments, the white box on the side of your furnace is the condensate pump. The hard white plastic plumbing going into the top of the pump is the drain line, which drains the condensate from the evaporator coils into the pump. The pump has a switch inside it that turns on as it fills with water, and the water is pumped out through the smaller-diameter translucent hose coming out the top of the pump. A good place to start troubleshooting this problem is to pour water in one of the empty holes on the top of the unit, and see if it runs and empties itself out.

If it does not run, make sure it's plugged in and has power. If it is, the pump or the switch inside it may be dead. It's not expensive to replace a condensate pump.

Condensate pumps have a check valve on the fitting for the output line, it's possible the check valve is full of debris or clogged and causing the pump to overflow even if it's running. So check that as well, if you can't troubleshoot otherwise.

If the pump is clean and functional, you may have a problem inside your furnace - the tray that collects condensate from the evaporator coil may be damaged (rusted, or there may be debris collected on it that's causing it to overflow instead of properly drain. If you're not comfortable opening the furnace up to check for these problems, it may be time to call a professional.


What happens if I have two water heaters and one's over-pressure relief valve fails? If I have two water heaters with pressure relief valves and one heater miserably fails (ie over-pressure relief valve becomes "stuck close" and boiler also works at 100% duty cycle due to, for example, failed thermostat), then - would the other water heater with functioning over-pressure relief valve help with over-pressure condition created by the other boiler?

An over-pressure in one water heater tank should be relieved by a pressure relief valve on the other tank, IF both tanks are fed by the same cold water supply and there is no check valve between them.

However, this would not be a acceptable situation because the valve on a tank is a temperature or pressure relief valve. If there was a runaway on one tank and the relief valve had failed closed, this would lead to water at a temperature at or above the normal boiling point, then this scalding water would enter the hot water supply system. It would be injurious to users and could damage PEX hot water supply lines which are not intended to be in contact with pressurized water at 212 F (100 C).


Laminate Hardwood floor installation I am installing a laminate hardwood floor.  When I hung my drywall I left a half inch gap off the concrete to allow my flooring room to go under the drywall to cover.  My question is, how do I allow for the appropriate gap between my laminate and the wall when it will be under the drywall.  I won't be able to get a spacer in the crack?  Do I need to leave a gap?  Can I try to just let the flooring slide under the drywall with no spacer and try to keep it slightly off the wall?  I'm just not sure how to get the appropriate space.

It is typical that the flooring gap needs to be about 3/8 inch from the wall. Drywall on walls is very often 1/2 inch thick. You could this simply elect to just run the flooring right up to the edge of the drywall without sticking it underneath there.


Why does hot water only last a couple minutes? She has an electric water heather. There IS hot water in the tank. When we open a faucet it acts normal, gradually getting hot, but that only lasts for a couple of minutes, then it gets cold. A friend thinks there is a crossed pipe, but I can't get my head around that. Any ideas?

The tank is new, and she had the same problem with the old tank. I replaced the elements and thermostats on the old one before I replaced it, same result.

Regarding the crossed pipe, I think that your friend meant the hot pipe is connected to the cold port (and cold to hot) on the water heater. As Madura commented above, this question sounds similar to, "Why is my hot water running out quickly regardless of other household water usage?"
Essentially, if the cold and hot are reversed at the tank, or if the dip tube has been lost, that could explain things. I'm not actually suggesting that this is your problem (it sounds like you know better than to connect the pipes backward); I just think that this could be what your friend meant.


alternatives to >$120 replacement clock for old Magic Chef gas range I'm looking for ideas to avoid paying over $120 to replace the clock on my old gas range where the electronics are working but the plastic attachments are broken.

My Magic Chef Model #31211WAW has a simple digital clock/timer panel that just broke. The electronics work fine, but the panel is attached with screws to the oven with 4 small plastic pieces that have broken under repeated finger-pressing pressure over decades.

The part #74004946 that's been replaced by #74006099 costs over $120. Ouch!  I'm loath to replace it if I can just fix the attachment problem.

Is there a good way to reinforce what's left of the plastic attachment points so that the clock will stay attached to the metal ribs that in turn attach to the oven?  It can be ugly since none of this is visible-- but needs to be strong enough to withstand hundreds of pokes per month from harried cooks in our house and the nearby radiant heat of hot pots on the stove.

One way I have fixed things like this is to form new tabs out of metal parts. Have the new tabs bend down inside the back side of the plastic bezel piece where you use a good two part epoxy to glue the metal part in place.

For where the plastic tab may still be intact you can add a thinner metal piece and glue into place in the same manner to strengthen the remaining part.

I've had really the best luck using copper plate material for this because it is easy to work with and bends nice without cracking like aluminum does. Soft brass plate works too but is harder to work with. Use steel wool to clean away tarnish to allow the epoxy to stick better.


Is there a low cost way of reducing humidity? I'm currently living in a very humid room and so am looking for a cheap way of getting rid of some of that humidity, without having to purchase an expensive dehumidifier. Are there any plants, objects, salts or whatever materials that can help achieving a more comfortable, less humid environment?

I think the comment about finding the source is very important - there is a reason it is humid, and unless this is solved, you will never solve the problem only band-aid it, which will cost more in the long run going against the "low-cost" part of this question.

The definition of low cost varies person-to-person.  Under $100 is low cost to me, but maybe not to you.  In any event, your best bet is a dehumidifier.  A quick search on Amazon found some small used ones for under $50.  You don't mention how large the area is so it's difficult to say if this will suffice, however it will most likely pull more water out faster than any plant or of silica packets will (I imagine you'd need thousands of these for even a small room).

You will likely require a humidifer that can be hooked up to a drain so you don't have to constantly empty it manually (hidden opportunity cost), which probably means a larger more expensive unit (still only a couple hundred dollars).

Of course you also need to consider electrical costs in this - at some point, it will be cheaper to properly solve the problem then to run the dehumidifier indefinitely.


How to connect a 14-30r outlet with only three wires? I am trying to wire a 14-30r receptacle.  I only have 3 wires (black, red, and ground).  There is a system ground and equipment ground on the wiring diagram.  Do these both attach to the ground?

A NEMA 14-30R requires four conductors.  Two ungrounded (hot) conductors, one grounded (neutral) conductor, and one equipment grounding conductor.

Both the grounded (neutral), and equipment grounding conductors are connected to ground. But only at the service equipment.  Outside of the service equipment they are separate conductors, and cannot be interchanged or interconnected.


How can I Run a 230V 50hz tool on 100V 60hz I have a drilling machine bought in England which I want to use in Japan. I believe I will need some kind of inverter. Suggestions for the cheapest way to do this?

Most motors will run on 50 & 60 Hz so you need a step up transformer to run a 230v tool on 100.
Here is step up/down. You will need one large enough to handle the wattage of your drilling machine. When I searched step up transformer there were some as high as 2000W. These get more expensive as the wattage increases. If you go with a step up transformer make sure to get a larger one than you need by at least 10% and 20-30% if you will be using it for long periods of time as they get hot when over loaded.


How to add electrical fixtures to (custom) furniture? Having electrical outlets, USB charging ports, night lights, etc would be nice to have on some pieces of furniture, like side tables. Several receptacle manufacturers make combination fixtures with USB and power, for instance, or power plus a night light.

I've thought about nailing an electrical box to a (hidden) portion of the table and putting one of those receptacles in it, but what things do I need to consider doing this? Is it as simple as it sounds,  and then just fashioning some kind of plug out of 12/2 or 14/2 wire? Does the answer change if the box is concealed (though still accessible) vs it being completely visible?

Assuming your furniture has Locations X and Y where you'd like to mount the receptacles, and location Z that would be a suitable, safe place for a power cord to exit the furniture without being underfoot or hazardous:

To connect X, Y and Z, I'd use steel or plastic junction boxes with steel or plastic conduit between them. Preferably steel (though it's harder to work with). Route between boxes doesn't matter.  You can go with plain old ugly stamped boxes or they make some fancy cast ones with threaded ports.  Whatever works.

At location Z, I'd have a flexible cord with proper grommets and strain reliefs.  This is "cordage", or cable specifically made to be flexible equipment cords.  (obviously cordage is common since every appliance has it; but you must use cordage, not random Romex or whatever.)  I would use a minimum of 14 AWG, preferably 12 since it will assure a breaker will trip before it overloads.

Inside the conduit, I'd see what makes sense.  If I can spare the length, I might pull the cordage through whole. Otherwise I'd splice it to THHN single-conductor wire run in the conduit between the boxes.  Either go Z then Y then X, or branch Z-Y and then Z-X.  Either way is fine.

I would NOT staple Romex between the junction boxes, because Romex is vulnerable to physical damage, that being the point of the conduit.


Reducing traffic noise in front and back yard Our rural house is located 200 yards from an interstate highway overpass.  House is parralel to interstate, and overpass is located near a corner of property.  How can we reduce the noise entering the yard?

Specifics:

Most of the noise comes from the beneath overpass
Eucalyptus and oak trees block about 40% visibility of the interstate
No fencing exists between interstate and house
Exterior wall facing the interstate reflects noise back into the yard
Nearest neighbor is 300 yards away
House is very quiet inside, but yard is very loud

My own ideas:

Build up 6' berm of dirt on edge of property, close to interstate, and erect an 8' a 7' wooden fence on top of that
Plant a row of oleander close to interstate
Build a fence that completely blocks visibility of overpass

Another concern:

If a fence is recommended, should it be located closer to interstate, or closer to house?

If you go with trees, go with spruce:  This gives you high density twig/leaf structure.  Evergreen leaf trees are also possibles.

Trees don't reduce sound by a lot, factor of 2 to 4.  That sounds like a lot, but it's only 3 to 6 db.  3 db is just detectable.  An earth berm is the best system.  Make it fairly steep on the side facing the noise so that sound is reflected up.  However, trees generate their own noise -- closer to white noise without the swoosh of traffic.  This will help mask the freeway noise.

Material for a berm can come from creating a pond.  A track hoe here in Canada runs about 1500 bucks a day, and a day's work moves a LOT of earth.

If you are going to build a wall, it needs to be massive.  Stone, concrete, brick, block.  Ideally such a wall has a hollow core, with the area density different on either side of the core. This reduces coupling between the front wall and the back wall.


What is required to recharge refrigerant in a built in ICE CAP Air conditioner that cannot be moved? My apartment has a built in air conditioner unit. The brand is ICE CAP and it doesn't look like there is any way to remove it as its built into the cabinet frame that has an external exhaust outside. Lately the AC cooling is not cool enough and I'm thinking it just needs a refrigerant recharge. I hear a lot of horror stories when hiring an HVAC company to do recharges as they charge you extra for unrelated services.

Below is the picture of the unit. I was able to manage to get the casing off and see a piping that looks like I can unscrew. I'd imagine it is where I would recharge freon, but not exactly sure as I have never done this before. I have a zoom in view of it also.

Judging from the pics, can I recharge Freon without removing the entire unit?
Is the valve there for recharging Freon?

Air conditioners do not magically lose refrigerant.

If refrigerant is missing, the air-conditioner leaks; if the leak is not fixed, it will continue to leak. Fixing the leak is a related service that you absolutely require before you even think of adding refrigerant or having anyone else do so. Since you quite obviously are not equipped to find and fix the leak, you need someone who is both trained, equipped, and in the USA (at least), properly licensed.

It is HIGHLY unlikely that the air conditioner cannot be removed. The HVAC tech you are afraid to hire probably will know how, or be able to figure it out. That might let you replace your old, leaking, likely inefficient and requiting expensive old refrigerants A/C with a new, efficient, non-leaky and using far less expensive refrigerants unit, if you chose to.


TV antenna installation: How to ground I'm going to be installing a TV antenna with a mast.

I want to make sure I ground everything properly. As far as I can tell, I need to ground the antenna via the coax and a grounding block, and then ground the mast separately.

My house was built in 1969 and has no ground rod. The breaker box is in the center of the house and has a ground wire wound round a cold water pipe in a crawl space. This is nowhere near my antenna installation.

I have cable internet. The coax from this is attached to a grounding block, which is in turn attached to the thermal expansion outlet pipe from my tankless water heater.

It seems I have two options. The first is to follow Comcast's lead and use the thermal expansion outlet pipe for everything. The second is to buy one (or two?) ground rods and use them instead.

Which one is correct? Or are neither correct?

Edit: here's a plan view of the current situation:

The main grounding electrode conductor (the wire running to the cold water pipe) is required to be terminated with a ground clamp. Wrapping it around the pipe is not a good connection.

After fixing the ground clamp add an inter-system bonding block to the main ground wire (they sell these and the ground clamps at any big box store). It clamps onto the ground wire without cutting it. It will have a terminal strip for attaching the ground wires from your cable TV and the TV antenna. Attach those there. The cable TV isn't properly grounded either from what you said.

The TV antenna ground wire can't be smaller than #14 AWG copper wire.

This all in addition to the ADU that Tester mentioned.


How do I replace a broken halogen bulb in the recessed light in my bathroom? First, some pictures:

.

I can replace the bulbs in the rest of my apartment just fine but the ones in the bathroom have a special enclosure around them that I don't know how to open. The only logical place to open the enclosure seems to be the chrome ring at the bottom but I've had no success trying to pull and/or twist it.

I think you will find that the bezel (the outer chrome trim ring) is attached to the locking mounting rods.(the coiled wire on outside of fixture)  You may need to open those rods, pull them up to 90degrees or more to the fixture and push them into the fixture body and the bezel will drop as the rods go in. It may also be connected to the bulb socket as well.


Attaching closet door divider to laminate Installers of our laminate floors (over concrete) told us the could not screw into the laminate to anchor the divider without splitting it.  The glue they used has already come loose as well as the wood glue we tried. Any suggestions?

Drill oversize holes (3/8" to 1/2" or so) just through the flooring that are still concealed by the divider's base plate, and mount the divider directly to the subfloor. You may want to use nylon or metal bushings to hold the divider at the same level as the floor (to avoid pinching the flooring), and you may need to purchase longer screws.

Use a sharp bit, ideally a "pilot point", and a high bit speed with low force. If you don't have a pilot point bit, start with about a 1/8" bit and progress up in size.


Is tape an effective way to hold on a foam elbow? So, one of the things I want to do around these parts is insulate (lag) the hot water piping in this house's basement to the best of my ability (especially since part of it is in a crawlspace that's opened up now, but not normally accessible).  It's all 1/2" rigid copper, and I can get pipe insulation (straights and elbows) that fits that rather readily. However, while the straight sections I can get are of the self-adhesive seamed type, the elbows I can find are solid types that must be slit in the field and then attached somehow.

Normally, this is done with a contact cement; however, I can't use solvent-based cements for this due to the safety hazard they pose working around live gas appliances (water heater, gas furnace), and I cannot find water-based cements in small enough quantities for it to matter.  (There are also methylene chloride based contact cements, but I want no part of MeCl2, given it's reputation for doing unkind things to people.)  So, I am considering using a vinyl pipe-insulation tape to attach the elbow instead.  Is this a reasonable thing to do, or will using tape wraps instead of the normal seam-cementing process compromise the insulation performance significantly?

Try tape and do not wrap tight. And a couple of hose clamps to hold shape.On the elbows. And cable ties on the straight runs. Snug not pulled tight. Seam facing down.


How do I get rid of mold from the bottom of a bath mat (where the suction cups are)? We have a bathmat that we use to line the tub when we bathe our daughter. After the bath, we remove the mat and suction it to the shower wall (which is some sort of frosted glass)

I've noticed black mold growing on the suction cups.

I tried to use vinegar...sprayed it and tried to wipe off the mold. I tried a little bleach too.

Nothing seems to remove it.

Is there something else I should try?

My experience is that the black growth actually gets right into the bath mat material and cannot be easily removed. I suggest that you replace the mat and then use an alternate procedure when stowing the mat after use.

After use always rinse it off well so no bath scum and other things are left on it. Then hang it up over a towel bar, suction cut side up, so that it can fully dry after each use. When you suction cup the wet mat to the wall you are leaving it there as a perfect breeding ground for mold and mildew growth to occur.


How can I cap off an old, partially-exposed cast iron pipe when a qwik cap won't do? I'm trying to cap off an old cast iron pipe that's leaking in our basement.

The pipe used to be connected to a downspout on the outside and to the sewer on the inside, but it's now disconnected on both sides.  The downspout was removed, the outdoor side was capped off with some sort of sticky material, and the basement side was left open into the basement.

Here's a picture of the outdoor side:

I'd normally use a worm-drive rubber cap, as shown below, but only half of the pipe is accessible (the rest is hidden beneath the siding, as you can see on the first picture):

What options do I have to seal off a partly-exposed 4.7in-wide pipe? I'd rather not use concrete, as the outdoor side opens into my neighbors' garden, and I don't want to make a mess there.

Use a two pound maul and break it up. Residential cast iron pipe is rather thin and easily broken.  Then repair the siding.


Can I square off a uPVC door sill which is inside a conservatory? I have a uPVC door between a dining room and a conservatory. On the conservatory side there is the uPVC sill, this sill is inside the conservatory and the existing tiles match up to the edge of the sill nicely.
I am laying laminate down on top of the tiles in the conservatory, the combined height of the tiles, underlay, and laminate would mean the laminate would come slightly over the lip of the uPVC sill and create a messy edge to finish.
I am planning to cut the uPVC sill out with a multi-tool at the base of the door frame and square off the sill so the laminate would be able to finish neatly at the base of the door frame where I can then apply a wood bead between the laminate and frame.
Would taking out a portion of the sill affect the integrity of the uPVC frame?

Looking at the exposed end of the sill, that looks like a terrible idea.
It appears to be an extrusion with a few ribs and void spaces between ribs, not a solid block. If you cut off the edge, you'll have an unsupported "flap" sticking out from the next rib. That seems unlikely to wear well.


Installing a strong-tie post anchor on unlevel concrete I'm building a short (3.5 ft) fence in my front yard. I have most of the posts sunk in dirt holes, but two of them will need to be mounted on a concrete slab.
The problem is that the slab has a slight slope to it and the post brackets I have will cause the posts to not be completely vertical.
These are the brackets I bought.
Is there something I can put under this bracket/anchor to make it sit level?

One or two galvanized or stainless-steel washers between the post base and the concrete should do. The latter are thinner and would allow finer angle adjustment. If you don't like the look of the gap underneath, fill it with a fine bead of gray caulk.

That said, there's probably plenty of slop against the post that you can plumb it and add the side screws to keep it plumb even if the base is slightly out of level.

To really make it solid with either approach, use heavy-duty construction adhesive between the base and the post.


How do I add a "c" wire to the boiler for a Nest thermostat? I have a Lennox wall mounted boiler (gwm 075ie), I am trying to connect a "c" wire so I can install nest thermostats. I have 3 zones, currently running 2 wires (r&w). There is an extra wire behind each thermostat, that runs down close to the boiler, none of those wires are connected to anything. My current transformer is rated at 40va.
Unsure of the best way to do this. I have taco valves (z075c2-1) each valve has a "c" connector. Could I just run a wire to each of those connectors to the thermostat? Is the transformer able to handle 3 zones and 3 smart thermostats? Taco says a 40va transformer can run 12 valves.

Yes, that C connector on the valves is what you want.  The nest thermostats use very little power, so that shouldn't be an issue for your transformer.

There are two wires coming from the transformer.  On a typical HVAC system, the red wire is used for control, and the other wire is what gets used as the "common" or C-wire.  In your diagram it looks like white is being used for control and red is going to the C terminal of the valves.


How to properly insulate a room I am converting a small room in my house with 2 interior walls and 2 exterior walls into a sauna.

It is of paramount importance that no heat leaks through the interior walls into the adjoining rooms.  I am willing to go space-age on this one.  What is the foolproof, no-mistakes way of making sure 100% of the heat in one room stays in that one room?  For bonus points what is the proper way to control for humidity issues here?

There is absolutely, positively, no practical way to ensure that:

  "no heat leaks through the interior walls into the adjoining rooms"

Even with "space-age" technology. If spacecraft did not have thermal control/management systems, the astronauts (and equipment) would suffer wild unsurvivable temperature swings due to radiated heat from the sun being conducted through the walls/body of the craft.


Combined wood and aluminium windows We would like to have wooden windows in our newly bought apartment which we are renovating at the moment. The apartment is old and we feel that alu-windows does not fit the "soul" of the apartment.

The constructor (and every local we ask) tells us that it is a bad idea with wooden framed windows as the temperature variation during a day vary a lot (this winter we've seen it vary from -4C to +18C within 24 hour, in summer we reach 42C degree some days).

Now, the constructor says that wooden-alu windows neither does not fit in this area because of the climate - what could the reason be behind his statement?

I live in Colorado, where it can go from 70F and sunny to 20F and snowing in a day. I have metal-clad wood windows in my house--not a problem.
Wood window manufacturers try to use wood that minimizes movement. Aluminum has a larger linear coefficient of thermal expansion than wood (12.3 versus 3.0), so I don't believe aluminum would handle temperature variation any better than wood. Perhaps the contractor is worried about other climate effects. I wouldn't do wood that isn't clad in Colorado, for instance, because you would have to refinish it every year--our sun is brutal to wood products.
Good windows are built in a manner to handle temperature fluctuations. Perhaps your climate is very extreme and I just don't know your local building requirements, but the contractor's reasoning sounds a little strange to me.


Furnace: pipe is leaking when switched to air-conditioning I observed that when I enable air-conditioner, after awhile the valve (red one on the photo attached; correct me if it's called differently) starts leaking, the water drips from under the red "valve". The pipe which is next to "red valve" is fine, no leaks, it withdraws the water in to drain hole in the floor.

I wiggled it, but it looks it fits in quite tightly. I'm not sure if it is possible to replace it or put some rubber ring under it.

Is it common problem? What would you recommend to do?
Thanks.

That plug is where I add biocides to prevent mold buildup in the pan, mold is the main cause of obstructions , if the pan is starting to drip you probably have some cleaning to do as the water should not build up in the pan and a small layer has probably raised the water level because it is acting like a dam.

I have had customers ask how can mold grow in there it’s only water and metal, well this is almost true but dust and fine organics get trapped in the coils and drip down to the pan, when the conditions are right a mold colony starts growing,
For this reason pros recommend having your unit serviced, adding this biocide treatment is a requirement for large commercial systems to prevent legionnaires disease, I have not heard of it in home systems but it is possible.
So you may need to clean and treat your pan or eventually the drain line will be totally blocked and the water may come out in other areas less noticed and cause problems.


How Can I install a 4inch ceiling fan in a 3 inch hole? I’ve circled the ceiling mount holes in blue and the fan mount holes in yellow.
As you can see, the fan mount holes are wider apart than the ceiling’s holes.

Also I’ve tried drilling into the ceiling. Drilling into the ceiling just leaves a hole and the screws fall right out.

The fan is a “fanimation” fan. My house was built in the 80s

Note: in this photo I had the “adjustable flaps” of my universal cross bar on backwards. I needed to turn them around so they were “slidable”

I measured the “universal cross bar” so the flaps were at the right distance for my fan mount.
I then realized I could screw the universal cross bar into the smaller ceiling mount.

I then screwed the fan mount into the “flaps” of the crossbar (which is pretty flush with the ceiling) and into the ceiling.

Even though there is “nothing on the other side” of the flaps, when I screwed the fan mount into the “flaps” of the “universal cross bar” - it does not appear that the fan will rip out of the ceiling.

I think the reason the fan doesn’t rip out of the ceiling is because the screw that went into the flap is a pretty tight fit


What parts should I replace for a rusty facuet head? I have a faucet with two levers on both sides in my bathroom. The tip of the faucet where the water comes out is brown and discolored, but the water that comes out is clear.

Do I have to replace the entire sink? Or is there just one part I need to replace?

The discoloration is either caused by rust or hard water stains. If you are seeing the same kind of discoloration on your other plumbing fixtures such as rings in the toilet, water stains in the tub, etc. then you have hard water.

Hard water stains are very tough to remove and won't come off with bathroom cleaner. There are products on the market which are specifically made to dissolve the built up minerals such as lime, calcium, sulfur, etc.

If you are seeing rust in your fixture, than that would indicate that it is near the end of its life. The internal components are probably worn too, which will eventually lead to a failure (leak). If I was in that situation, I would just replace the entire fixture. You may be able to buy a new aerator, and a rebuild kit from your local hardware store.

In either case you shouldn't have to replace the whole sink unless it is in bad shape.


Gluing PVC junction box for custom size I have a wall that's 2" deep. I'm using 4" square boxes for the outlets, as normal x-gang boxes are too deep. I'm need a 4-gang switch bank in one place. Would it be acceptable/wise to cut the ends off of 2 4" boxes, then glue them together (likely with a couple extra scraps on the top/bottom to strengthen it? Alternatively, could I cut a 4 gang box to the right depth and glue on some cover plats to form the back of it?

And if that's absolutely not an option for some reason, anyone have a source for 4-gang boxes that are 2" deep? I've found 1-gang boxes at Allied Moulded, but their larger boxes are still too deep.

Thanks!

If you can use metal boxes, there is an option that is exactly 2" deep.

They went and verbed the word gang, so you're search term is "Gangable Metal Box".  They are sold at most electrical supply places including many Home Depot stores.  They have various models with different types of wings for mounting.

At the bottom of the box in the picture, you can see a small screw.  Removing the screw allows you to take of the side wall and link it up to another box.  You could make a 12-gang box if you wanted to...

Gangable Box

Because it's a metal box, pay attention to grounding.  I believe the box must be grounded, so use grounding screws (there's a hole in the back for one) or ground your switch/outlet and use the type that have the self-grounding straps to ground the box.


I am installing laminate flooring over the course of several days. Do I need to use the standard 48 hour acclimitization period? I am installing laminate flooring. Due to work and household schedules a relatively small installation job is likely to stretch out over 3 to 4 days. Given this slow installation pace do I need to let the flooring acclimate for the typical 48 hours or can I start installing early and let it acclimate in place?

My thinking is that any expansion or contraction which occurs will happen on the pieces which are installed first when they have no weight and lots of open edges. The remaining pieces will acclimate normally over the duration of the project sitting in their boxes.

The "48 hour" timeline assumes the flooring cartons are laid out to "acclimate", with air only getting above the cartons.

Get air underneath them. Take your first day or two's worth of packages and lean them against a wall so air can access them on both sides.   If you want even faster adjustment, bust them out of packages and fan them out individually for a few hours.


How do I install a wall mount lighting fixture when there are 2 black 2 white and 2 ground wires from the wall I'm installing 2 wall mount light fixtures, the first one was easy it was just one for one with black,white, and ground.  The second box in the wall though is pre-wired with 2 black, 2 white, and 2 ground.  My question is, do I connect all 3 of each together.  Attached is a picture of the wiring coming out of the box.

It appears likely that one cable, with a black, white and ground, is the feed (source of power), and the other is a pass through to the next fixture or outlet.

In that case, you would simply join your fixtures wires to the existing bundles, matching colors.

This assumes that switching is already in place, or the fixture has internal switches.


Convert 2 switch to 1 How do I convert 2 independent switch to one single switch? Plan is to remove 2 switches in bathroom ( light and fan) with one lutron occupancy switch. Can someone help?

I have attached little simpler version of switches. There is no jumper wire when I took the black wire off of second switch. While it's loop around and going to wire nut. Same is case with first switch. From top it looks like there are 2 black wire attached to each switch but that's not the case. They are looped around and going to wire nut.

Is single red wire on top of first switch and single black wire on top of second switch, represents load? Are you suggesting to jump those two together and connect it to switch one with help of jump wire and write nut?
Can you draw little pic for dummies?

This is an easy one.
With the power off, take the black wire off the 2nd switch that connects the 2 switches and remove the jumper and wire nut.  These will be used to make a pig tail.
Connect the single red with the single black and the short wire removed from the 2nd switch using the wire nut.
Connect the pig tail to the first switch. Now you have 2 wires connected to the switch going to the loads and the hot supply from the outlet on the other side.
That's it.


Dimmer switch doesn't turn light on unless other 3-way switch is also on I purchased the three way Lutron dimmer switch at a big box store as well (I just read the question about the upside down switch problem); mine dims the light well. IF the other switch to the light is turned on, I can turn the power on/off from the dimmer switch; but if the other switch is not in the ON position, the light does not turn on using the dimmer switch.  Please help.

Re-check that the correct wire is connected to the single-side of each switch.  For one switch, that's the hot lead from main power.  For the other switch, test the voltage levels on all three leads when the switch is removed.  Two of the leads will alternate between 120V and nothng when you flip the other switch; the third lead is the output line and that's the one you connect to the single-side of the second switch.

There are lots of diagrams online, and most likely you can get a copy of the one that came with your Lutron switch at their website.


Replaced my water heater and now I have very low water pressure both hot and cold I replaced my water heater and now there hardly any water pressure in both hot and cold. Any ideas?


Is it safe to drill into the metal spacer between drywall and joist? I am trying to install a bike hoist in the ceiling of my garage.  I found the ceiling joist using the stud finder and when I tried making a pilot hole, I noticed that I am hitting metal.  I don't have full access of the garage crawl space but the location I went to has a metal spacer between the 2x4 and the drywall.  Is it safe to drill through the metal spacer and into the 2x4 to install my bike hoist?

Update: From the photo provided, it doesn't appear to be a safety plate. I'm leaving this answer in case someone else comes here searching on metal behind their drywall.

If that's a steel safety plate you're hitting, then the answer is "no" you don't want to drill through it. It's installed to prevent accidentally nailing through the drywall, into the joists, and into some electrical or plumbing that's very close on the other side. Go 6" along the joist and try again, and if you hit wood instead of metal, thank the last person that was kind enough to install this plate.


How to shorten or replace this cabinet door? I disassembled the cabinet over my fridge and shortened it to fit a taller fridge. It turned out well, about 4 inches shorter than before. But I'm at a loss about what to do with the two doors. I figured it would be easy to get them shortened, but it hasn't been.

Cabinet contractors I've contacted around me mostly only work with one brand and only want to do big jobs. I'm not ready to replace all of the doors right now.

One handyman said he could get it done but eventually gave up and returned them to me.

I've searched the other cabinets and can't find the manufacturer sticker, so I don't know who makes them. The sticker is probably painted over. Otherwise I'd just order a replacement.

I might be able to do it myself if I go to a shared woodshop with a router, but I'm afraid of messing them up, so I'd prefer to have them shortened professionally.

How would you go about shortening or replacing these two doors?

Are there vendors online who could do this kind of custom job and I could ship them the doors?

How would you go about shortening or replacing these two doors?

I'd only attempt this if

The door was to be shortened by more then the maximum width of the top rail.
I could find router bits that give a reasonable match to existing profiles.
I had a plan B in case I wreck the door.

I would cut the top off at the new height and see if the panel is loose or glued. In my kitchen the panels are loose and retained by slots in the rails and stiles. If loose I would remove the panel to cut the new arch in it. I would hope to use the cut-off top as a template.

I would then try to salvage the rail from the cut-off top. You only need to preserve the visible front edges, so you can be reasonably creative about how you remove the tops of the stiles. Ideally you'd find a router bit of the required profile but lacking that, some careful work with chisel or rotary tool might succeed.

Then its a matter of working out some new way to rejoin the rail to the stiles. You could probably use through-dowels or screws from the sides

Then I'd use a router bit to re-cut the top profile. Worst case is to grind an old chisel to match the profile and insert that into a block of pine to make a moulding plane for the job.

Finally I'd use filler where needed at the back, sand smooth and repaint.

You have to ask yourself if it is worth the effort.


Pig-tailing 1970 aluminum wiring, choices of type of copper pig-tail I intend to use 14 AWG copper pigtails for the receptacles in the 15-A circuits because #14 folds into the boxes so much easier than #12. The AlumiConn connectors take up more room than the Scotchlok red wire nuts, and the boxes are not generously sized.

I have on hand some solid copper wire (not romex but separate wires in white and black insulation) labeled "GCC P 14 AWG TYPE THHN OR THWN 600 VOLTS GAS AND OIL RESISTANT VW-1 OR AWM" which I used to pigtail switches and light fixtures on #12 AL. Is it OK to use that to pigtail receptacles in 15-A circuits in #12 AL? Or would it be better for some reason unknown to me to buy new Romex, cut the sheath off, and use the wires for pigtails?

The original 20-A circuits are in #10 AL and I will have to use #12 CU to pigtail those, but half of the 20-A circuits are dedicated and so have only one receptacle on them and so one cable in the box. Some receptacles I changed to CO/ALR and I won't pigtail those, at least not now.

When I pig-tailed the aluminum wiring in my house 35 years ago I used #14 pigtails on the light switches and the ceramic light fixtures and #12 pigtails on all receptacles, even in the 15-A circuits, because I thought three equal diameter wires (2 AL and 1 CU) would make a better connection in the Scotchlok 20058 red twist-on spring connectors I was using. The AlumiConn connectors have each wire in a separate hole.

THHN should be more than fine for a pigtail job; in fact, the wires in Romex aren't intended to be used by themselves i.e. outside of the cable jacket as they have no UL listing for that use -- the cable as a whole is the only thing that carries the listing.

(THHN/THWN is what's used inside metal-clad cables and when wiring conduits -- it's the "standard" wire as far as individual wires go for building-wiring use.)


Paint a rusty hinge without sanding? If I use primer on a rusty hinge, can I paint it and get away without sanding it first?

Photo:

Depends on if you want it to look good or not.  If you don't care just go to local big box and grab a can of spray paint - I use the rustoleum auto body primer for any metals.  Then I go over it will whatever type of spray paint - usually a bronze or satin finish.  If you don't sand it you will have rust bubbles in your paint and unless you use an obnoxious amount of paint, you will have pitting and bursted bubbles, given that these plates are hitting each other constantly.

It is really all about the look you want.  I have seen people keep rust for an antique look and just a light spray of metal paint.  And then I have seen people make them look like new which involves sanding and painting as I prescribed above.


Best way to repair the crawl space vent So I had a few questions as far as stucco vents go. Here is an image of what we are talking about:

What would be the best way to repair this hole? Just some wire mesh over it?
Some follow on questions

How did they mount this wire mesh to the stucco? My best guess is that they stapled it before the applied the 3 coats of stucco and it is semi embedded.
Is it recommended to paint over the mesh? Why was this done?

From this second picture on the bottom the mesh has started to come up. I'm semi confused at how this can be. Is the mesh attached to some type of aluminum frame that was originally embedded into the stucco and then the mesh started to come out from the frame?

What would be the best way to repair this hole?

The best fix applies to both of these vents, they should be replaced.

How did they mount this wire mesh to the stucco?

It's likely stapled to the back of the stucco face, and there may be thin wood applied behind the mesh to help reinforce it and make it look embedded and not just tacked-on.

My best guess is that they stapled it before the applied the 3 coats of stucco and it is semi embedded.

Exactly.

Is it recommended to paint over the mesh? Why was this done?

Either the stucco or paint was probably applied by sprayer. It's extremely time-consuming to evenly paint a house exterior, and sprayers are much faster.
For your fix, replace the mesh the same way it was originally installed (you can check from inside the crawlspace, you'll have to get in there anyway to staple your new mesh) and then paint over it if you want it to match, or just the stucco frame around the new mesh.


Why would a sprinkler Air Valve leak after winterization? I had someone come over my house and winterize the sprinklers. He explained to me what he did: He said he closed the main valve to the sprinkler system, hooked up a compressor and blew out all the water from sprinkler pipes. He also, opened up the air valve so air can go in but water can not. After that I noticed the water is leaking slowly from the air valve. I called the same guy again and he told me the water is leaking because the main valve to sprinkler system is bad and I need to replace the same.

Can someone please point out if water is leaking from the air valve while the main sprinkler valve is closed, does it need to be replaced. Please note that while the air valve was in the closed position and main sprinkler valve open, no water leaked. Also, while keeping the main sprinkler valve closed, if I close the air valve too, water starts coming out of something connected above the air valve.

Without a picture I am guessing, but it sounds like the "something connected above the air valve" is your pressure vacuum breaker.  A pressure vacuum breaker prevents water from flowing from the outside back into your main water line (and then into your drinking water).  It will allow water from inside your water main to travel through it with the water pressure from your house forcing open the pressure vacuum breaker (while water traveling in the reverse direction closes the valve and prevents contamination of your drinking water).

It does sound like the sprinkler water main has a very slow leak.  And I imagine a slow leak from your sprinkler water main is not enough to completely open the pressure vacuum breaker and it is just exiting at this point (when the air valve is closed).


Five outlets not working My home was built in the late 60’s. An outside porch light was on a timer that recently broke. I replaced it and it works fine, however, now I have no power to five outlets.  One is outdoors and the other four are inside. All are along the same wall or vicinity. These do not have gfci resets. Do I need to start replacing one outlet at a time to find the culprit?

This is a common problem with daisy chained outlets. I have learned over the years to find the first non working fixture closest to the breaker panel or last working one and usually find a bad back stab. Or wire nut. Since you just did some work you may not have connected all the hots or neutrals solidly where you did the work. So there 2 paths forward depending where the chain originates from. If the power to these outlets comes from the timer box 1 of the wires may not be making a connection in a wire nut. If the source is from the other direction find the first failed or last working outlet.


Electrical Circuit for Detached Shed 200 ft Would it be acceptable to run a branch circuit from a panel to a detached storage shed that will be approximately 200 feet away, instead of a feeder with sub-panel and grounding rods?

The circuit will power 4 low current draw LED wall packs (<1A each), and possibly one wall receptacle that would be used for a battery tender.

Planning direct burial 10/2 with ground.

Yes, you can run a single branch circuit to a structure

Considering you only need a single branch circuit there, you can run a single branch circuit out to your shed with say 10AWG for hot/neutral/ground, or hot/hot/neutral/ground if you want to run a multi-wire branch circuit.  The exception to 250.32(A) means you won't need a ground rod at the shed as the equipment grounding conductor to the main structure is a sufficient grounding means for a single branch circuit.

You'll need a disconnecting means at the shed to satisfy 225.31; however, this can be a simple light switch in a weatherproof box or just inside the shed, nothing fancier is needed for a single branch circuit.  You'll want the receptacle to be GFCI-protected, by the way, due to the fact this is an unfinished space.

However, I'd trench in a fat conduit anyway

Renting a trencher for the day isn't cheap.  Schedule 80 PVC is, even in say 2 or 3" diameter.  This means that while you're digging, you might as well put in a fat PVC conduit to the shed even if you're only running a few 10AWG THHNs in it, instead of using a direct bury cable, as the conduit will make expansion way easier.  Besides, Schedule 80 is going to hold up to an inadvertent excavator encounter better than a UF cable anyhow.


Why the huge difference in cost for Tankless vs Traditional Tank water heater installation? I recently had my 50 gallon traditional tank natural gas water heater fail on me. It cracked and flooded my garage. After the cleanup I called out my go to plumbing company to come give me an estimate for a replacement. I had heard about tankless water heaters and thought since the equipment was around the same price (within a few hundred dollars) that I should consider it so I don't have this happen again.

After he arrived I was given a quote of 1036 for a 50 gallon traditional tank natural gas water heater. I asked for the price of a tankless and it was ballpark 3k to 4500 for the equivalent tankless water heater. He didn't really explain why the price was so much more other than large amounts of work regarding an exhaust? Can anyone explain why the price was so much higher?

It's mostly the gas pipe. A tankless water heater is going to need a 1" or even 1.5" pipe to feed it. Your current water heater probably uses a 1/2" pipe. The new pipe probably needs to come off the main trunk, and replacing it requires a precise gas volume calculation and gas plumbing work that is very skilled labor and not cheap. If your plumber can't do this work himself, he's probably subbing it out and you're eating the cost.

Secondarily, there's also the re-plumbing of the water lines to feed the new heater. The inlet and outlet ports are probably in different places compared to where they are on your tank water heater. By contrast, if you replace it with another tank water heater, the water lines are already in the right place, and all you need to do is connect the tank with flex lines.

Finally, the exhaust may be different, too. Particularly if you go with a high-efficiency model, it can't be exhausted through the current pipe that's likely going through the roof.


dimmer switch replacement witing I want to replace a faulty dimmer switch with a new one, but the new switch has 3 wires and the old switch was connected by a yellow wire and a black wire.  How do I connect the red, black and green wires from the new switch to them?

connect the black to black,  connect yellow to red,  green goes to the bare copper that should be in the box if you dont have a ground (bare copper)in the back of your box put a wirenut on the green so it cant find your hot by accident


Azek PVC deck boards with Joist Tape? I bought the Azek PVC boards from a local store and I am starting to install the boards soon. I am using pressure treated for the frame, the store I bought the board suggested to use "Joist Tape" to protect the wooden joists. But when I read further details on the production information on the Joist tape (Resisto Joist Guard). They said the membrane composed of "Elastomeric Bitumen" and they said "It is not recommended to use a product containing bitumen directly on softwood boards or flexible polyvinyl chloride".

From the joist tape product, the technology is "SBS modified bitumen", the surface that making contact with the Azek PVC is actually "High density polyethylene" not bitumen. That is confusing.  The underface is "self-adhesive Silicone release film".  Just wondering if it is safe to use these joist tapes? Or is there any other brand that is compatible with Azek PVC that will not void the warranty? Thanks a lot.

TimberTech (i.e. AZEK Building Products itself) now offers a joist tape product PRO-Tac which is made with butyl with a PET liner and TPO backing. In addition to PRO-Tac there are other butyl products such as Trex Protect and Imus Seal, the latter claims to be compatible with a wide variety of deck boards from real wood to composites and PVC. Pricing through my local lumber yard for PRO-Tac was similar to Amazon pricing of Imus Seal.


How do I build floating shelves in a nook with a mirror behind it? I have a bar nook area that I want to do something similar to the image below, but on the back of the shelves I want to put a large mirror. I was planning on ordering a custom cut mirror for the wall and then I want to install these floating shelves.

How do I get shelves without brackets showing on the sides? I also assume I can't put brackets that drill into the back of the wall because there will be a mirror there and it will crack.

You could mount support bars on the walls that touch the ends of the shelves. The bars should be screwed into studs that form the framing of the inset walls. Square tubing, either aluminum or steel would do well.

The shelves would need to be fairly thick.  They would have a slot (dado) cut into in the middle of the end edges, slightly wider that the thickness of the support bars. The front edge of the shelf could have a strip of matching wood glued to its face, hiding the slot. The remaining edge of the shelf, especially the top edge, should be substantial, preferably at least 1/2"

An alternative would be to use an angle iron instead of a bar. This would allow a thinner slot.

A blind mounting system on the sides only would allow you to mirror the whole wall. This assumes that the span of the shelf is not too long and there is not too much weight on it.  If the support bars (or angle irons) and shelves are solid, you probably could go up to 30" without too much problem


How do I remove/replace these window screens? Description of window set, in case someone knows them by make: the lower pane is counterbalanced (weight? spring? I don't know) and the upper pane is fixed in place with a screen window underneath it. Each window frame also has a pair of lightweight, removable inner windows that can slide past each other. So that's three sets of rails for sliding windows, plus the upper window & screen on the exterior. The screens have one knife latch on each side, towards the top.

I took some pictures, with annotations.

When unlatched, the screens are free to slide around by about 1/4", but are completely trapped between a metal frame on the outside, and between the lower pane & a metal rim on the inside.

interior: the screen is trapped by a metal rim at the bottom (about 1/2") and the raisable window at the top. When the window is opened to its highest extent (touching the top of the frame) the pane blocks the screen by several inches.
exterior: the screen is trapped by metal rims on all four sides, by about 1/4" to 1/2".

Upon further inspection, I think the screens are supposed to pop outward, but I don't see any removable parts in the frame, except a few screws on the outside. Removing them might be the answer (or a red herring), but they're thoroughly seized in the aluminum frame.

The third picture tells the story. Working from the outside, disengage the knife latches on the right side (the picture shows one near the top but there are usually two), then slide the screen to the left to clear the the frame from the right-side channel. Then pull down, out of the upper channel. The frames are aluminum and sometimes get stuck due to oxidation, so spraying the channels liberally with WD-40 or similar penetrant may ease removal. Be careful not to bend the frame, but be prepared to replace the unit. A good mom-and-pop local hardware store should be able to custom fabricate a replacement. They make plastic clips that snap over the frame that will serve the same function as the knife latches, as not all shops know how to install them.


Do I have drainage issues? I am looking at buying a home and the yard is a down slope to the road in the front and flat on the sides and in the back. The house was built in 1999 and had to have the driveway replaced in 2014. There are lines running towards the road on one side of the home and very soggy spots to the left of the house and driveway and towards the road in the front. The back seems fine. It hasn't really rained hard in a few days , just light sprinkles, but water seems to be seeping into the road with a red clay color that has stained the curb. I'm including a link to some photos and I am curious if there are serious problems here or just something that can be fixed with proper drainage installed.

More pictures of yard and house

You should check a number of things.

First off have the water in the house checked for high iron content and confer with the neighbors on the same. Red coloring of the curb is likely from high iron content water evaporating and then oxidizing.
The persistent wet spots in the front like this seem to point to the possibility that there is a water main break under the front yard. If this has been going on for some time and was partially under the former driveway it could have led to driveway damage. Best bet is to monitor the water meter at the street hookup and see if there is high water usage going on.
There is always a possibility that there was an underground spring in this area that was covered over when the housing tract was built. Often times there is a possibility as ground preparation for the tract was done there may have been higher level ground scraped away from this area and exposed an latent spring. In either case a year cycle period where there may have been more rain than usual the water table can rise and cause a latent spring to start letting out water. Fixes for this could be complex and expensive in a developed neighborhood.

You may want to steer clear of this property unless the water source problem is root caused and you understand the potential financial burden of the problem.


Hairline cracking in section of painted interior wall I have just rolled a second coat of emulsion (Farrow & Ball, brand new tin) onto a bedroom wall and an hour later noticed that a sweep of the wall (a few inches wide) has hairline cracks. I’ve not been aware of this ‘sweep’ before so am almost certain that it appeared today. The first coat was applied a week ago, so the surface was dry; and I’ve no reason to believe the wall was dirty when I painted.

Can anyone suggest what might be causing this and what I should do?

There was no wallpaper paste residue on the wall before I started this job, but before the paint went on last week I did have to fill some hairline cracks in this (and other) areas with Polyfilla. The odd thing is that I didn’t notice the cracked paint after the first coat was rolled on; it seems to have appeared only today (after the second coat was applied).

Following the suggestions given below, I sanded down the offending areas, cleaned the wall, cut out the top and sides, then next day rolled a fresh coat (carefully not using too much paint). While the original area looks somewhat better, the hairline cracking is now along the top of the wall and in other patches. I’ve not had this happen before. The only thing I can think of doing is to start again on this wall - this time using a primer first. Does anyone know what is going on to cause this?

That's exactly what happens when painting over remnant wallpaper paste. Or, if a white glue was used on a wall repair.

The only remedy is to scrape the offensive stuff off, wipe several times with a wet sponge...until no longer slippery and re-prime/paint.

A skin-thin application of Spackle/plasterboard compound can restore the scraped areas to paint elevation beautifully before re-priming/painting.


electrical current detected in the stud I have an electrical current detector that is beeping positive on the 2/6 studs that the 12/3 romex three way wire runs through.   The door header that the wires run over at one point also continuously beep positive if I touch the southward current/voltage detector to it.  If I turn off the breaker for the light switch, cutting power to the wire, the studs are no longer beeping positive for current.  I pulled the wire myself. I also installed the breaker box in this new construction shop.  1/2 I have spray foam insulation in the wall some of which is on the wires.  My studs are open so I can see most of the wire and don't detect any breaks.  Could this be a ground issue?  or perhaps the spray foam is conducting the field? Of do I need to pull the wire and rerun it because this means my have a leak into the stud. And most importantly, is this a fire issue.   Any suggestions.

It sounds to me like you're using a (Southwire?) non contact voltage detector (NCVD), and it's sounding off when the switch has the wire energized, but it's not when it's not.  That would be normal - some of the NCVDs that will pick up low voltages will pick up 120VAC through the wall.


Mount cement counter top I made an outdoor cabinet out entirely out of cedar. The counter top was made of  cedar 1x4s originally but that proved to be a bad idea at preventing water ingress. Since then I've made a custom counter top out of cement.

How can I attach my cement counter top to my wooden cabinet? given that:

my cabinet is movable (on wheels)
I sometimes grab the counter top to move the cabinet

I have Lexel caulk on hand which would serve a double purpose of sealing the bottom of the counter top to the frame to prevent water ingress, however I don't know if that alone is enough to hold it in place given the movable nature of the cabinet.

I'm also afraid to drill in to it to put anchors as it is only 1.5in thick (rebar re-enforced).

One way to secure the concrete top to your cabinet is to use construction adhesive that is rated for bonding with both wood and concrete. The concrete and wood should be clean and dry before attempting to do the bonding.

After the adhesive has dried the top will be pretty much permanently bonded to the wood of the cabinet. If you want to have the top be removable you could consider gluing some wood blocks or strips to the concrete that are positioned in such manner that you can add screws through the side of the strip into the cabinet structure. Removing the top would then be a process of taking out these screws and then lifting off the top with its strips/blocks still attached.


How can I seal between a concrete patio and a brick wall? I have patio that's connected with brick from my house. Where the brick and the patio meet there is a crack along the entire perimeter. Its a fairly small no larger than a hairline crack. I'd like to seal that but i'm not sure what I would use to seal? I can attach photos for better understanding if need be. Thank you.

Urethane or silicone caulk are the usual, but there are others that remain flexible. Read some labels at your hardware store. Flexibility is crucial, so don't use latex. If you have a lot of seasonal movement (frost heave), caulk might not be a good idea anyway.
Either match color or go with clear. Use as small a bead as possible and avoid smearing it out onto either surface by cutting a fine, angled point on the tube and pressing firmly.


Can I have a separate thermostat for a wood boiler? I want to wire a separate thermostat for my outdoor wood boiler so that just the furnace fan will come on without the propane kicking on. This is a Coleman furnace.

Is this possible and if so, how would I go about doing it?

You don't offer much detail in your question, so it's difficult to determine exactly what you want to do.  If you're just looking for manual control you could just energize the G terminal on the furnace, which will run the fan in high speed mode (if the furnace has a variable speed motor). Most thermostats have a switch labeled AUTO and FAN. If you put the switch in the FAN position, the G terminal of the thermostat will be connected to the R terminal (meaning the G terminal is energized).

If you want automatic control, you might be able to use a thermostat that has multiple heating controls.  Then  you might be able to use the W2 terminal of the thermostat to turn on the furnace fan, and the outdoor boiler.

Again, without more information it's difficult to tell you exactly what you can/should do.


How to store my pliers and wire cutters on my desk? I have a set of tools I use on my desk that are bulky and never seem to store well. These include my wirecutters, pliers, ruler, and snips.

At the moment, the best way I've found to store them is in this pencil holder with half the leg inside and the other hanging outside. This is unstable and ugly but allows me to see and grab the one I need.

Due to the nature of the way they balance on the rim, placing them is awkward and requires a lot of empty space around it for the handle to flare out.

I don't like it. But I'm not sure how else to store these.

I could put them into a toolbox but I want them to be easily accessible while I'm at my desk; I would have to dig to find them inside a toolbox. And I don't want the edge on my good wire snips getting damaged.

For those wondering why I have three sets of wire snips, one is a nice snip and the other two are junky ones I got for a $1 when I want to cut into something hard.

What solutions are available to organize these on my desk or in a wall?

Here is my invention for you.

It is a board.  The pliers and snips that volunteered for this project straddled it nicely.  If you cut off the ends of the board and reattached them at right angles (with glue or a screw) so it looks like a letter I it would be steadier than this one, which was propped on the 2x4 back there.

The little red pliers did not have legs as heavy as the others and so wobbled a bit.  You could cut a notch in the top for any like that.


How to remove harden screws and try preserve the two metals that the screw bind together The situation

There is a screw that is binding two metals together. The screw were being fast drill in order to remove the binding. Due to the fast drill, the screw is now harden. So, how to satisfy the following requirements

Remove the harden screws or destroy it completely or destroy the binding.
Preserve the two metals as much as possible

Illustration

There is a product called an 'Ezy-out' (or some variation) and other brands of similar products which are basically a reverse thread, tapered, coarse pitch tap or drill-bit. You can use these by hand or in a drill - in reverse-, once it bites into the screw it will begin driving itself in further or unscrewing the stuck screw.

What size and material is the stuck screw?

Liverally coating the screw in a penetrating lubricant like WD-40, applying heat to the screw to make it expand or tapping it with a hammer while trying to remove it will all help to some dregree.


Replacing a bedroom light My bedroom light has burned out and I do not know how to replace it, because I do not know how to get this screw thingy off.

The decorative nut has been removed but there is still a small little nut that is holding the little escutcheon up against the glass. Use one hand to hold the glass and try to loosen the nut with your fingers, if you can not get it to move with your fingers try a pair of pliers gently.


How can I secure / fasten a half installed floating engineered hardwood floor? I've got my floor "half" installed already.  No glue, or nailing, purely floating.  We've got a foam underlayment and are using spacers.  I'm noticing some trouble with the boards coming loose, gaps appearing between some of the boards.  I'm wondering if the first row needs to be secured to the sub-floor (plywood over 6" planks) somehow.  I'm really hoping that I don't have to pull up that first row, as that "row" is a bit not row-like, we have a great-room: living, dining and kitchen.

What can I do to tighten this up, without compromising the "breathing" of the floor, so as to avoid buckling etc?

I've seen this opening of seams and it regularly happens with a "snap together"-type floor. Unless the manufacturer states the flooring can be secured it would be wise not to chance any repercussions that may occur. The working mechanics for a floating floor system is to allow the planks to expand and contract freely (that's the reason for the 3/8 inch spacing along the wall). If  no allowance is made for movement the boards will move in the plane of least resistance, usually upwards. I found that it's easiest to close the gap by kicking the board tight with a rubber soled sneaker. Nice looking floor BTW.


Can I add another conductor to a 30-amp dryer circuit breaker? I have a 30 amp breaker that runs my dryer I want to know am I able to run another wire to that breaker to run a window unit

No. The 30A breaker is there because dryers draw that amount of current, so adding additional loads to the circuit may cause the breaker to trip.


Why does an LED light turn on and off irregularly while the switch is in the on position? We have had a LED light in the family room for several months now. In the past week it has started to act funny. We turn on the LED light and after a while it turns off and then goes back on and then a little while later off and on again.  The time between turning off and on varies. Is this normal after several months of use? Is this an indicator the light is starting to burn out?  A malfunction? Or a short in the wiring?

The light is not loose in the socket as we checked that.

What should we do? I do not want to have fire result from this.

The LED light bulb is malfunctioning and needs to be replaced.

There are several possible causes of the malfunction, but the bottom line is that it is no longer functioning according to specification.

Some stores have good return policies to handle this sort of issue.  In addition, some bulb manufacturers provide a replacement warranty.  One of those options may help you get a replacement.


Code: How can a transfer switch not switch neutrals? I'm looking at this Reliance Controls transfer switch.  I certainly won't buy it and don't recommend one, but the huge hank of wires going from switch to panel only has one neutral wire in it.

How is this legal under NEC?

Now first I see where the conduit is less than 2 feet, so they don't have a conduit-fill derate on those wires.  OK, I buy that.

The generator power comes into this box.  There are 10 blacks and 10 reds, 2 wires per circuit switched, so obviously for each circuit, "line" goes to the utility-side breaker and "load" goes to the branch circuit "hot".  In utility mode power is taken from "line" and sent to the circuit on "load".  In generator mode, power is taken off the generator, sent to the circuit on "load" and returned via that one single neutral.

But it's obvious neutral is not being switched at all. All generator imbalance load for all circuits gets carried on that single white wire.

How can that be NEC legal?  Is there a section of NEC that authorizes this style of use?

How well will this work with AFCI and GFCI breakers?

TL;DR: The lack of a switched neutral here has effects on other parts of the system

The presence of a single neutral wire here (which is carrying generator imbalance and providing a 0V point for the wattmeters) means that the generator is relying on the neutral bond in the panel, instead of providing its own. This is important because many portable generators actually come with a neutral bond installed by default (and would need their bond removed to work properly with this transfer switch).  Read on for details.

It means your generator is not a separately derived system

There are two basic configurations for wiring a standby generator.  Either your generator is a separately derived system, which means it provides its own neutral-to-ground bonding point, or it is not a separately derived system, which means it relies on the house it is plugged/wired into to provide the neutral-to-ground bonding point.  This is codified in NEC 702.11, by the way.

Most hardwired generators can be set up either way and left that way without too much difficulty; however, portable generators are pretty much always shipped with their own neutral-to-ground bonding point installed, so they can be safely used as a standalone source of power.  Some generator manufacturers provide instructions for pulling that bond for use  as a standby generator in a non-separately-derived system, but that means that the bond has to be reinstalled if you ever wish to use that generator   for portable power.

But, this fact has ramifications downstream

However, this is not without consequences elsewhere as well.  Many interlocked-breaker feeder-type and all select circuit manual transfer switches, as well as panelboard-type breaker interlock setups, do not provide the extra pole needed to switch the neutral between the two bonding points present in a separately derived standby system, limiting their use to non-separately-derived standby systems.  On the other hand, double throw safety switches can be readily obtained with the extra pole necessary to switch the neutral; there are interlocked-breaker manual transfer switches with a switched neutral as well, such as the Reliance Panel/Link X series and the Eaton CHGEN series.  If you have an automatic transfer switch, note that residential-grade ATSes almost never have a neutral pole of any sort; commercial-grade units are available with a switched neutral pole, but are generally not seen in anything on-topic for this site.

Furthermore, in a non-separately-derived system, all ground and arc fault protection must be downstream of the transfer switch.  This is problematic both at small scales, as some portable generators provide ground-fault protection on both their branch-circuit and their power receptacles and also because it means that ground and arc fault breakers have to be shuffled to a standby subpanel from the panel supplying the utility feeders (or can't be used at all in the case of a select circuit transfer switch), and at large scales, where it interferes with feeder/service equipment ground fault protection on high-current, three-phase, wye-connected feeders and services.

On the flip side, the fact the neutral is broken during the switching process can lead to concerns about voltage spikes with separately derived standby systems; as a result, some switching neutral transfer switches have features to overcome this -- either an overlapped neutral (commonly seen on higher end automatic transfer switches), or a sequentially switched neutral (typically seen on manual transfer switches designed with a dedicated switched neutral pole, such as the Panel/Link X series).


Is it safe to have a wall wart plugged in to a receptacle in an attic? I'm trying to move my router to get better reception through my house. There is a perfect spot just below the ceiling in the middle of my house.

I can run the CAT5 no problem, however, I'm worried about connecting the "wall wart" of the router to an outlet inside the attic.

Is it safe to keep an AC-DC plug in the attic?  What would be the safest way to get power to this router (hopefully not piggy-backing off the attic outlet 5' and cutting a hole in the ceilings for a  recessed outlet haha )?

Use POE (Power over Ethernet), check to see if the router supports it directly, otherwise get a power injector and pickup (Cisco Linksys for example, has them available to power their wireless/router or WAP products).

This was the easiest to use a wireless bridge between two buildings where the antenna would be located 50' from the computers that needed the link and the inside Ethernet switch respectively.

This keeps the 120VAC wallwart out of the attic and exposure to excess heat and converts the power transmission requirements to low voltage over the CAT-X Ethernet cable.


Ideas for plugging a hole in granite vanity I got a nice piece of granite for cheap, and I am almost ready to mount it on the new vessel is actually smaller than the dimensions!

See below:

Any suggestions? Ideally I want to find a sink that will fully cover the hole, but so far my searches on Amazon.ca (I am in Canada) don't look promising - they are mostly curved and apparently just like the one in  pictures, the dimensions mentioned are of the top part, not of the base! I am not sure if the largest one I found so far would cover it fully in the base...

Edit:To explain why top mount and undermount is not suitable: the vanity its supposed to mount on(unfinished, unpainted yet):

Find a sink that you like with a slightly larger dimension and cut the granite to fit. With the right tools it's very easy and obviously you need to be careful. The only expensive item you need is a grinder. The others are a big sponge, bucket, diamond grinder wheel and water. It's a bit messy so I'd do it outside.

1 get your sink.

2 confirm that it is suitable.

3 measure and mark by scratching in the surface of the granite

4 on a flat surface shimed up for blade clearance, grinder in hand and sponge in the other. Wet soak the sponge and use it to keep the blade wet as you grind. (if you get help a hose will work)

Cut in from the opening to the line all around then cut on the line to knock off the pieces.

5 check for fit, trim if necessary and clean up.

I've done this before and it took about 20 minutes to do the actual cutting. I'm sure you can find videos online.