Is This Basement Window Frame Structural I'm renovating a bedroom in the basement, and I am trying to upgrade the window to meet the local egress requirements (Ontario, Canada). We have a standard bungalow with cinder block walls, built in 1958.

As you can see in the picture, there is a wooden frame in the opening of the cinder block wall (I have already taken out the actual vinyl window). If I take out the wooden frame, there would be more than enough room to get a window in that meets the local egress requirements, however with the wooden frame there isn't enough room. So I'm looking for some help in working out if the window frame is actually structural.

There doesn't seem to be any weight on the top of the window frame from the sill plate, as I can wedge a screw driver in there and wiggle it around a fair bit. However I'm concerned about the sill an having 2 floor joists sitting on it without having any support underneath. It seems odd that the window frame would be structural, but this is a 1958 house I guess.

Can anyone provide any pointers on how to know if it is structural or not, and if it is structural, is there a way I might be able to replace the frame with a metal lintel or something?

If I can't work out for sure if its structural or not, I'm thinking that I'll just leave the top and sides of it in place and cut a larger opening in the cinder blocks at the bottom, I'd really rather avoid that though.

*Note that I am not trying to meet USA egress requirements, this is for Ontario, where you only need a 3.8 sq ft opening (from what I've researched). I'm planning to put a hopper style egress window in, similar to this one https://bavarianwindows.com/product/egress-window-ontario/

No standard 50s wooden window frame is supposed to be structural. The rough frame of a window can be, but you don't have one.

It doesn't matter. You have a situation that requires a metal lintel. Brace the floor up just to be safe (I wouldn't work under those joists without something), install a lintel and then the window. Avoid lowering the bottom sill anywhere close to below grade if possible.

If I have to explain how to brace a floor up, install a lintel, or whether or not you need to do any of those things, it might be best left up to a professional.


How to clean my jetted tub when commercial cleaners fail? The previous owners of our house badly negelegted the jetted tub. We recently corrected a large number of pluming issues with the tub, and are in the process of trying to get the lines to run clean.

I've tried the traditional dish detergent as is suggested, and then I went to harsher chemicals. I've tried multiple bottles of "Oh Yuk" cleaner and some amount of grime comes out, but then, after its drained, black flecks still come out.

I tried "Oh Yuks" harsher treatment, with more chemicals and letting it soak for 24 hours. I even ran the jet on and off for probably a total run time of 2 hours during this time. Still, when I was done and ran the jets, black flecks came out.

Is there a product I can use that will clean this out?

I have seen some horrible garden or jetted tubs growing stuff and that was one of the reasons I got 1 place at 1/4 market value on a short sale. Drain the tub ether purchase several gallons of liquid chlorine or a couple gallons of bleach.

First fill the tub with plain water as full as practical) and run the pump you want to get rid of any cleaning chemical residue drain, you may want to do this 2x if your last treatment is not removed. Fill the tub with water and add 2 full gallons of bleach or chlorine, turn the pump on and the exhaust fan. Let run for 1 hour, let sit for an hour (this allows the strong chlorine to get in the air passages for the bubbles and kill anything in there. Run the pump for another hour or longer.
Drain the tub and fill with cold water, run the pump for a couple of minutes and drain. Fill again run then drain again.

If this does not clear it up get 1/2 gallon of 25% hydrogen peroxide. Fill the tub with hot water and add the peroxide, the peroxide will increase the heat in the water, run , let sit like before for a few cycles drain and rinse.

I used this method on a home that had a sewer back up into the tub and stuff was growing on the surface yuk. I replaced the broken drain line and over night the tub was like new after polishing the surface. Total cost was approximately 30$ and about 6 hours filling and draining.


Are both legs of a home's power supply equally used? This is basically just to satisfy my curiosity.  Please correct me if I'm wrong about any of this:

I believe power supply to a home's main panel usually consists of:

A neutral wire
A hot wire 120 volts AC above the neutral
A hot wire 120 volts AC below the neutral

It shouldn't matter which hot is used to supply 120 volt devices, but is the same one used for all 120 volt devices - so that the other one is only used to provide 240 volts?

Or do both get used, and one goes to each side of the panel?

EDIT: Adding diagram - 3-Wire Single Phase

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split-phase_electric_power

If you look at a service panel without any breakers in it, it will look something like this.

Notice the thick metal plates running vertically, those are your hot bus bars. One is L1 (A), and one is L2 (B). They are each at 120V potential to ground/neutral, and 240V potential to each other (So don't frigin' touch them!).
When you add breakers, they will make contact with the hot bus bars using the tabs that protrude between the bars.

You'll notice on the cover of the panel that each slot is numbered, with odd on one side and even on the other.  So for a 20 breaker panel you'll have.
1    A    2
3    B    4
5    A    6
7    B    8
9    A    10
11   B    12
13   A    14
15   B    16
17   A    18
19   B    20

So 1 & 2 will be on leg A, 3 & 4 on leg B, and so on down the panel.
What types of things are fed by each breaker will determine which leg is used more.  For example. If breaker 1 feeds the lights in your living room, and breaker 3 feeds your bedroom lights. If you turn on the living room lights and turn off the bedroom lights, leg A will be used more than leg B.
For 240V circuits, you'll use a double pole breaker that spans two slots on the same side (eg. 2 & 4). This means it will have a hot from each leg, and will use each leg equally.
So the short answer is... It depends.
More Information
While we're on the topic, lets tackle some misnomers about phase in this type of system. While this is sometimes incorrectly called Two-Phase, it is in fact a 3-wire, single-phase, mid-point neutral system (Sometimes called Split-Phase).
As you may or may not know, we are dealing with Alternating Current here. So viewed with an Oscilloscope, we'll see a Sine Wave like this.

However, since we can measure this system at multiple locations, the waves will look slightly different depending on where we measure. This is where the misconception that this is a two-phase system comes from. Lets slow things down, and look at what is happening in the system as the current alternates.

At this point current is flowing in a positive direction on L1, and a negative direction on L2. Because of this if we measure between different points, this is what we'll see.
L1 -> N = +120V
L2 -> N = -120V
L1 -> L2 = +240V
Now as the current swings back the other way, we'll start to see the sine wave appear.

If we take the same readings again, we'll find things have changed.
L1 -> N = -120V
L2 -> N = +120V
L1 -> L2 = -240V
As you can see, it really is a single phase. Things just get a little confused when measuring from Line to Neutral. A true Two-Phase system, would use 4 wires and the phases would be shifted 90°.
In this type of system the two lines are not referred to as "phases", instead they are called "Legs".


Where to place the vapor barrier in a sunroom floor I'm looking to insulate the floor of a sun room. The room is a converted screen porch (i.e. there is free airflow under the floor).
My plan was to crawl underneath, staple vapor barrier to the bottom of the joists, then nail exterior grade ply to the underside. Then after I tear up the deck boards I'd insert insulated batts before adding the plywood flood. I'm in Maryland.
My question is should the vapor barrier be on the inside or outside of the insulation?

The vapour barrier's task is to keep inside moisture away from the insulation and framing where it could condensate and create mold.
In your proposal your hot/cold interface induces condensation on the side of the vapour barrier where the insulation is.
However, you want the condensation and insulation on opposite sides of the barrier.
Your sunroom floor can be insulated as follows, with the following layers from top to bottom:

Flooring (finished flooring)
Vapour barrier
Sub-floor and framing
insulation between joists
Building wrap (optional)
Sheathing (PT plywood) with air gaps. Sheathing doubles as cladding and protects the entire assembly from rodents, abrasion etc...

(To be clear, this is the order of layers. Of course, this is not the order in which you'd build & assemble it)
The above has the plywood sheathing as the bottom layer since the aesthetics of the view from-under don't matter in your case.
If, however, if you wish to finish the bottom with something like a soffiting, you'd put the optional building wrap between the sheathing and the soffit:

Sheathing (plywood) with airgaps
Building wrap (optional)
Cladding/underside finishing, breathable

If you plan to cool the sunroom (e.g. with A/C, in the summer), then the moisture from the ground may become a problem if there is insufficient air flow underneath.
In this case you will need to add a vapour barrier / retarder to the ground with rocks over it, or pour a slab. A layer of rocks over landscape fabric could work too. A barrier keeps the ground moisture away and inhibits the growth of weeds. Weeds can reduce the free airflow and also draw-up moisture.
The rocks help prevent rodents from nesting under the sunroom. Don't dig a bed though, as this may cause water pooling.


My induction blower never stops My induction blower never stops. It was showing a code of pressure switch but if I turned off the main power and then back on it would reset and heat normally till it was up to temp then shut off and do it again. If I unhooked the vacuum hose while it was running the flame would go out and the furnace blower would stop (not the induction blower) then when I hooked it back up it would start normally so I know the switch is good there is no problem with that. Th induction blower was replaced 3 months ago and has worked normally till now. The control board is also new.

It's a Heil H8MPN100J20A1 furnace about 10 years old.

If it's an old York, that is your error code. Verify all limit switches, or find the reason they're tripping.


Why do some painters leave a gap between the wall and the ceiling? I've noticed that (at least here in Germany) some walls are painted so that a tiny fraction of the upper wall has the same color as the ceiling. Why do people do that? I find this not so pretty.

Surely this is down to personal preference, but here in the UK you might find that a room that has a picture rail painted in a similar manner.

The ceiling colour will be painted above the rail with a different colour painted below the rail.

One objective reason might be to hide imperfections in the join between the walls and ceiling. If the ceiling is uneven you'd get a wavy line around the room. Painting a stripe of the same colour around the wall could reduce the impact of this.

NOTE:

  Picture Rail Functional molding installed 7–9 feet above the floor from which framed pictures and paintings are hung using picture wire and picture rail hooks.


How can I switch a circulation pump between continuous power and thermostat control? I have a dedicated 20 amp circuit powering my boiler's control unit. The control unit is basically a relay operated by the thermostat that 1) fires the boiler and 2) turns a circulating pump on and off. While the boiler and pump are on separate feeds coming out of the control unit, they are switched simultaneously so the pump operates only when the boiler is fired.
Twice this winter, a branch of the water circulation route froze. Each incident resulted in a $480 service call to thaw the line. This is unprecedented in my home. After the second time it happened, I disconnected the circulating pump from the relay and wired it directly so it would run continuously. That prevented further freezing incidents despite even colder temperatures. Now that warmer weather has returned, I put the pump back under relay control.
This is current state:

I want to find a permanently-installed way to switch the pump between relay control and continuous power. My thoughts are that this could be accomplished like so:

Note the DPDT switch wired "backwards" to control which line powers the pump.
FYI, this is the pump:

My questions are:

Is this feasible and safe?
Can I do this with a SPDT switch just on the hot side (and wire all the common together)?
Is there a better way?
Are there products available which would let me accomplish this goal with WiFi control?

In response to questions in the comments, I have the following updates:

The control unit is a Honeywell. It says "Aquastat Relay Type L8148J". Below, I've included a photo of the actual uncovered unit and a diagram from the inside of the cover.

The whole house is on a single zone. A main artery in the basement distributes hot water. Each radiator is served by a pair of intersections. I'm not sure what they're called, but I've included a picture. They don't look like traditional valves to me.

The set of pipes that froze lead up an outside wall to a bedroom radiator.

Yes you can do what you want.  If you don't have zone valves and you don't at least temporarily have the ability to move or insulate the pipes or provide a better long term solution, you can do what you suggest to keep water circulating.  You don't need to switch the neutral.  Just put an ordinary light switch in a properly housed and wired box to connect L1 to the hot side of the circulator, probably C1.  For wifi control use a zwave switch or any similar device, there are all sorts.  Move the circulator cable to the new box so you can use its knockout to connect the two boxes.
There is nothing on the low voltage side of this controller that would allow you to switch on the circulator without also turning on the heat.  The manual switch just bypasses the thermostat to turn everything on.
Note that with your situation you will actually be chilling the house, circulating near freezing water from outside to all the radiators, and hopefully eventually triggering the thermostat to fire up the boiler rather than just freezing the entire system.  Good luck with that, you might be better off disconnecting the offending section of pipe and putting an electric space heater in that room until you can address this properly.
Another thought, if there is a spare wire in the thermostat cable you could do this with a fan relay instead of a light switch and use the thermostat's fan control to control it.  Most stats have a "fan always on" switch and some have a mode that will cycle the fan randomly when heat is not called for.


Can a subpanel's ground and neutral be served from another subpanel, while the circuits come from main panel? I am adding an addition to my house, and running a new 100A subpanel over to the main part of the house.

In the house I have the main 200A panel, plus an existing 100A subpanel, and the two are right next to each other and connected via a short conduit.

The situation is such that for the new subpanel I am planning on coming up through the wall (with a 2-2-2-4 cable protected in a conduit in the wall) INTO the existing subpanel, where I will then run the wires over through the large shared conduit to the main panel, and then to a 100A breaker.

My question - and this is NOT about the neutral and the ground bonding – is whether I can attach the new ground to the subpanel's ground bar, and the new neutral to the subpanel's neutral bar, while running my loads through to the main panel to their breaker.

The purpose of my question is because the main panel's neutral and ground bars have lugs that are used to connect to the first subpanel, and the main panel is otherwise really full, while the subpanel is not. I'm not actually sure if I can run a lug "sideways" off the main panel's bars to connect the #2 neutral and #4 ground (although I found a lug connector that does seem to allow for this, but it's not optimal).

EDIT: picture of main and subpanel:

I'd simply run the new neutral back to the "main" panel

While adding accessory ground bars to your "main" panel will be trickier than it looks, since you'd have to field-fabricate a replacement for the neutral tie strap that originally came with said panel in addition to unbonding the left-hand bar and moving all its ground wires onto a newly installed ground bar, you do have enough neutral space on the right-hand bar for an ECLK1-2 lug to fit there, and you can do the same with the left-hand bar for your new grounding wire.

From there, you can run the wires from the new cable through the subpanel and existing nipple to reach the "main" panel, as there's no shortage of space in that nipple for more wiring.  You will need to label on the subpanel's directory that there are feed-through conductors present and their disconnecting means is in the "main" panel next to said subpanel, as well, as this is required by NEC 312.8(A) point 3.

The alternative plan you propose of landing the neutral in the subpanel and continuing the hots off to the main panel is legal, under a little-used Code provision found in NEC 215.4:

  215.4 Feeders with Common Neutral Conductor.

  (A) Feeders with Common Neutral. Up to three sets of 3-wire
  feeders or two sets of 4-wire or 5-wire feeders shall be permitted
  to utilize a common neutral.

  (B) In Metal Raceway or Enclosure. Where installed in a
  metal raceway or other metal enclosure, all conductors of all
  feeders using a common neutral conductor shall be enclosed
  within the same raceway or other enclosure as required in
  300.20.

But, given the short distance of the shared run and the fact that there is space in the neutral bar for another add-a-lug, there's really not that much point in finessing things that tightly (and risking confusing an inspector who doesn't see that sort of thing on a regular basis at all).

HOWEVER: you'll need either a 90A breaker or 1-1-1-3 cable

There is a problem with your plan, though: namely, that 2-2-2-4 Al SER cable you are planning on using is only rated for 90A at 75°C (which you are allowed to use when running from panel to panel).  So, you'll either need to get a Q290 for your feeder breaker instead of a Q2100, or run 1-1-1-3 Al SER instead of the 2-2-2-4.

While you're in there, you'll want to swap the two breakers in the far bottom left of the "main" for the correct Siemens breakers, since the existing breakers there are foreign to your panel, and thus won't fit quite right.  In particular, the BR250 in the far bottom left position of that panel needs to be swapped out for a Q250, and the mystery 40A breaker above it needs to be swapped out for a Q240.

Other notes

It would be a good idea to replace the existing subpanel with something with more spaces; given the room available in that bay, using a 200A, main lug Siemens panel with 40, 42, or even 54 spaces for the replacement subpanel would not be at all out of place.  I would also use a larger subpanel than your existing 20-space panel for the new addition; a 30-space, 125A, main lug subpanel would not be out of place there, either.

Also, as with any panel work, you'll want to use an inch-pound torque wrench or torque screwdriver when tightening the lug setscrews on your connections.  Not only is this a NEC requirement as of 2017, found in 110.14(D), it's a very good idea anyway, lest your electrical system lose you the race!


Hardwood Floor Layout Question Background:

I am installing prefinished 3/4" solid oak hardwood floors throughout the main level of my house.  I have never installed hardwood before.

I have a 3/4" plywood subfloor nailed (and now screwed, during my subfloor prep stage) to the joists (2x10s on 16" centers).  The joists run along the length of the house (i.e. horizontally in the diagram).  Most sources I have seen indicate that with a 3/4" plywood subfloor on joists, you need to either run perpendicular to the joists OR install an additional 1/2" of plywood on top of the 3/4" subfloor.  I do not want to put 1/2" plywood everywhere, so I thus need to install the hardwood perpendicular, as shown by the yellowish lines in the diagram.

I am planning on blind nailing into the tongues (2" nails) for most of the floor.  I am planning on gluing (PL400) + nailing the transitions into kitchen and bathroom, and the nosed edge on the balconies (overlooking the two staircases to the entrances).

I am planning on using Aquabar-B for the underlayment.

Please ask if there is any other pertinent information I have neglected to supply and I can add it.

Questions:

I see two potential problem areas in my planned layout.  I would appreciate any comments on if they are going to be an issue or not.

Going down the hallway, there will be a run of about 45', from the front of the living room to the back of bedroom 1, which will be one continuous strip (installed parallel to the grain, which is the primary direction that wood moves)
In the dining room there are two balcony areas overlooking the stair cases; I am planning on installing nosings to go over the edge of the balcony, which means that I would not have an expansion gap here that can be covered by baseboards.

Possible Solutions:

For issue #1 I assume that adding a 'washer row' (using washers as spacers) every 10 rows or so may be sufficient?

For #2, the width of the dining room is only 9', so maybe that's small enough that it won't matter (and if I put a couple washer rows in there too, it will just be fine).

Additional information:

I live in Calgary, Canada, so things are reasonably dry most of the time, and in the winter (with forced air heating) it is quite dry.

I don't currently have a whole-house humidifier, but plan on getting one installed before winter this year.

Thanks for any suggestions / pointers!

Cheers

Since it appears that the flooring will be going down in the summer months when the humidity is at its highest levels, will be the best time to install since the floor will shrink from there when the heating season starts.

You will need no expansion gaps in the run of the floor. The only gap needed will be at the perimeter of all walls, about a 1/2" will suffice. If your base is a standard base that is close to  1/2", and you wish to eliminate the use of shoe mold, you can cut the drywall up enough for the floor to run under the drywall in case it needs to expand. This way you can create a 3/4" gap at the perimeter if you choose, and the base will still cover the remaining gap.

Since you will be installing floor over such a long run, I would suggest starting the floor along the wall that is at the kitchen, and go into the living room and that portion of the dining room from that starting point. Use a "joining strip" to start the flooring the other direction to finish the dining room and to proceed into the hallway, and the bedrooms beyond.The reason why is when installing a nail down floor, when striking the nailer, it will usually be struck harder on one side of the room than the other. This will cause the floor to "steer" either to the left or right depending which side you favor while nailing. This will really be exacerbated when gong down a narrow hallway, so starting the way I suggest will minimize the steering issue, at least for the living room/dining room. Let me clarify the steering term I use. When nailing, the wood compresses minutely when the nails or staples are driven into the flooring. That compression, albeit the least little bit, will allow one side of the flooring run you are laying down to be shorter on one side of the room compared to the other. It doesn't appear to be a big deal until you get to a wall you are finishing against, then you will be forced to rip tapered pieces of flooring to finish the room.

With all that said, to answer your 2 questions, no "washer row" will be needed if you let your flooring acclimate to the same MC (moisture content) as the subfloor. This is a critical step to adhere too. If the flooring is dry, say about 4-6% MC and the subfloor is higher, say about 11-12% and you lay it down, the subfloor will raise the MC of the flooring rapidly and force the floor start going into the expansion gap you created at the walls. Not terrible, but not good either. There is a potential for squeaky floors though. If it is the other way around, then the flooring will shrink and again squeaky floors possibly. I have seen floors that did not acclimate properly and had 1/16" to 1/8" gaps over most of the flooring which was 2 1/4" plain sawn white oak, not prefinished.

Most professional floor installers usually accept the MC to be with 2% of each other. For what it worth, most interiors are at about 8%+/- with out humidification during the summer. During the winter, it can be as low as 2%, a lot more difficult to get the flooring acclimated in a short time. If your floor is delivered at 6% MC, still let it set for a week, preferably out of the boxes so the air can go freely around it.


Electrical current leaking from light fixture when off I recently migrated from Incandescent to LED light bulbs. I changed my old dimmer switches to LED compatible dimmer switches (all 3-ways). When on, the lights work fine, but when turned off, I noticed a very faint and permanent glow being emitted by the light bulbs. I tried changing the light bulbs and/or the dimmer switches but with no luck. I'm thinking that the green light present on the switch and activated when the switch is turned off is causing this leakage. Does anyone have a clue on how to fix this issue?

thanks!

The answer to the below question is what you're looking for. You'll need a different switch or different bulb for your setup.

Why do my LED lights stay on, even when the switch is off?

Basically to keep that indication light running on your switch, there has to be a path back to the panel. Since you don't wire a neutral in with that switch model, that 'leaked' current has to feed through your load to get back around to the panel. LEDs are sensitive enough to show this occurring. Smart!


How do I wire this bathroom fan? I am replacing a bathroom fan.  The switch on the wall has three switches that were in use (one for the fan, one for the light, and one for the night light).  I already took out the old fan and now when I go to install the new one, I'm confused as to how the old one was wired.

My new fan has 3 wires, one black, one green and one white.  My home was built around 1970.  The old fan had two conduits mapping to it.  From one there is a red and a white wire.  From the other there is a set of 5 white wires and 1 red.  How do I wire this new fan?

Here's the non-contact test, this video is with only top switch on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VesH7Ium504

for just middle switch it's opposite, and just the bottom switch both those same wires have the slow beep.

I should note that on this particular non-contact tester the slow beep is 12-48 volts and the fast beep is 48-1000 volts.

here's the switch wiring (top is light, middle is night light bottom is fan):

You need to identify the line, the load, and each of the switched wires. When everything is disconnected and the power is turned on, the line is the wire that will be hot. Use a non-contact tester to locate this, and follow the appropriate safety precautions to avoid electrocuting yourself (if you don't know these, it may be time to hire an electrician). The line could be coming directly into the fan box, in which case it's likely the separate pair of two wires. Or it may be coming in at the switch.

Next, turn on each switch and see which wires become hot, again with a non-contact voltage tester. Note which wire belongs to which switch. If there's no current going to the switch, then the line isn't connected anymore and you can instead use a continuity test from the wires in the ceiling with each switch turned on individually. This can/should be done with the power turned off.

Finally, determine where your load is going, if you have any. This is going to be any remaining wires, and you'll know where they go by all the items that don't work when the power is switched on. If the pair of wires in the ceiling isn't the line, then it's the load.

My best guess, updated from your video's findings, but without being there to test anything or get a better look at how wires are tied together in the back of the switch is:

The line is connected at the switch.
From the switch, it is likely running a non-switched hot to the fan box to connect to the load inside the bundle of 6. There will also be a neutral running in that bundle of 6.
The other wires in the bundle of 6 are each individually switched hots. You'll need to test each one and label them. They should also be marked with a piece of black tape on each at the fan so there isn't any mistaking them for a neutral.
The 2 wires in the ceiling are likely the load to another location.

And to hook it up, if my guess is correct:

At the fan you'd wire the hot non-switched hot to the load. Pigtail the neutral from the bundle of 6, the neutral going to the load, and the neutral going to the fan. Then the switched wires are connected to the fan depending on each task.
If your new fan doesn't have the extra lights (and therefore doesn't use the extra switched wires), then you should disconnect them on each end, bind and cap all unused wires together, and label them as unused with an indication of where the other end of the wire is. I'd also replace the switch with one that only has the necessary number of switches (otherwise everyone will be trying to figure out what the unused switches do).
Since it sounds like your fan has a ground, and I don't see one in the picture, I'd strongly encourage you to add one. The conduit itself may be grounded (you'd detect continuity from neutral to the conduit in that case). But modern wiring practices, along with the fan you purchased, expect a dedicated ground wire.


Does painting over stylized wall tile in bathroom look good? We are preparing to list our house to sell and are nervous to paint over the tiles for fear it will look worse. There are spots that really need to be addressed, the image is of a spot that's in good condition.

Will painting over these types of tiles look ok?

Will they look OK?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
If a buyer likes how it looks you are golden.

Here is a portion of an article from Sherwin Williams on painting tile.

  Most ceramic tiles can be painted, as long as it's not frequently subjected to water or heavy wear. For instance, you can paint tiles on a bathroom wall, but avoid painting tiles that line a bathtub, shower, or that is on the floor or a countertop. Frequent exposure to moisture could cause the newly applied paint to blister and peel. Heavy abrasion from foot traffic or countertop use could cause the paint to wear prematurely.
  Many experts have doubts about painting tile because the results can vary, depending on the type of tile, the products used to refinish them and the process followed.


Can I put hard flooring over berber carpet? My sunroom has berber carpet glued to a concrete floor. It isn't coming off and I don't want to waste the time & money to get it ripped up. I want hard flooring out there.

Can I put a concrete layer on top of the carpet and start over?

Are there easier cheaper hard flooring options?

Thanks!

No, that's not a very good idea for a few reasons. One is that if water is spilled and leaks through the cracks in the hardwood floor then the carpet will soak it up and do lots of bad stuff do the hardwood floor above it.

And I'm not a concrete expert but I think concrete on top of carpet would not be a good idea either. And that would be way more work and money than just ripping up the old carpet.

There's plenty of ways to remove glued-down carpet. You can use boiling hot water and a big scraper. Or you can go to a big-box home improvement store and rent a power floor scraper. I know that Menard's has them.


Carriage bolt rotation I am putting to together a dip station (for the exercise) in my house that I bought online.

The damn carriage bolt is turning with the nut. I know how to use tools but not exactly "Mr D.I.Y".  What can I do to get the damn thing to stop rotating?!

If you have clamping pliers, commonly called Vise-Grips, and you can get some bite on the head of the bolt, a solid grip will enable you to accomplish your objective.

Alternatively, cutting a slot in the head to accept a straight-blade screwdriver will work. If you cannot get to the head side conveniently, cutting a slot in the opposite end may also work. These slotting actions will require a steady hand on a hacksaw or the use of a hobby tool commonly called a Dremel tool, aka rotary cutter or rotary grinder.

Yet another non-destructive option, if the bolt is of sufficient length is to add two nuts to the threaded portion, tighten each one against the other and use a wrench to hold the bolt while turning the other nut as appropriate.


How do I fix a hole in drywall? There is a hole in my drywall from a doorknob repeatedly hitting it, is there a straightforward way to fix it?

Depending on the size of the hole, there are different methods to fix.

Small holes - As @Oscilatingcretin says just some spackle, sand, and paint you are done.

Medium holes - A fist size hole or bigger is harder.  Cleanup the hole area.  Then take one or more more pieces of strapping and attach to existing wall to serve as foundation for the replacement piece of drywall.  Cut replacement piece of drywall and fit to opening, attach to strapping installed previously.  Then just fill in the gaps and screws with mud, sand, and paint.

Here's a diagram to help to visualize, let's say the hole is the wall is around 6" by 6":

Larger holes - Most likely you will have to find the nearest stud to the left and right and make the existing hole bigger so that the new piece of drywall can be attached directly to the stud.   For the top and bottom, you will have to cut some strapping or framing so the the replacement piece can be secured to the top and bottom as well, otherwise the seem will crack.  Once the framing is in place, cut the replacement piece and secure to studs and new framing.  Tape, mud and sand around the edges of your new piece.  Paint.  If done well and the mud is feathered out, one will not notice the replacement piece of drywall.

Here's a diagram to help to visualize, lets say the hole is 12" by 12":

For holes larger than that, probably best to replace the entire wall.


Holes for HD Screw Anchors I've ordered 5/8" x 4" Strong-Tie Titen HD Screw Anchors to secure a pull-up rig to a brick wall.  See photos.
The brick wall is actually a solid 1 foot thick!
What's the best way to drill holes for these kinds of anchors?
I want the roundest and closest possible to 5/8" hole.
I've considered:

SDS-plus

Rotary Percussion

Double Flute or

Standard rotary masonry bits.

Great if answers could also explain the differences and advantages of the various ways to do this.

You're free to use any method you desire to make holes in brick. Most construction folk will use a standard 2-cutter masonry bit. If they need to make a really big hole and don't care quite how precise it is, they'll use a jack hammer.
There are diamond tipped hole saws available for coring into masonry, but they're rather expensive and I'm not sure you'd find one at only 5/8" diameter.


Do you leave the heating cables for the roof/ gutter on 24 hours a day? Do you leave electric heating cables for the roof/gutter on 24 hours a day?

Probably not, but...

You'll need to read the literature that undoubtedly came with your heat cable (or, at a minimum, share with us what product you're using). Generally, they shouldn't be left on continuously, and they shouldn't be on when outdoor temperatures get above 30 degrees F, give or take. What cycle you need depends on the local climate, current weather, installation technique, and other factors.

Lots more good advice here.


Hardwood Flush Door or Pinewood (softwood) flush door, which is better? We are renovating our home and replacing all old-broken doors.. We are too confused between getting hardwood or pinewood(softwood) for flush door.

Apart from Hardness\Softness and difference in their weight (hardwood is heavier), what else key differences are there for choosing them for Flush doors.

Cost wise, here in India, Pinewood is costlier than Hardwood due to its light weight property.

Are there more points to consider?

Warp is a very important point to consider. Though depending on the species and the cut, this answer could very a lot.

Pine may be lighter, but also has a much higher moisture content.  If the door is kiln dried and sealed quickly, you can keep it from absorbing the moisture from the humid air.  Also if it is air-dried, it may be more stable. I have seen pine warp significantly due to changes in humidity, and being in India -- especially if you are in the South or East -- I would wonder if this wouldn't be the case as well.  (especially if it was a knotty pine)

Hardwoods are denser, and generally have a lower moisture content allowing them to dry well and remain more stable lowering the chance for major warp.

My opinion: Go hardwood.


How large should a hole be for a bolt to go through? I am building a table and I have something like the following:

I want to know if I have a 3/8 inch bolt, how large should the hole on the diagonal piece be? I already secured it on the table leg.

It's important to remember the difference between a bolt and a screw (this is handy if you don't know the size of the bolt or screw)

Screws have the threads doing the work of holding. Your hole should be the size of the screw shaft. In other words, hold a drill bit above the screw. You should still see the threads, but not the shaft.
Bolts have a nut doing the work of holding. As such, the hole should be larger than the size of the outer threads. In other words, your bit should cover the shaft and threads.


Should I use 1-inch pipe for water main? My 2.5 bathroom home was built in 2016. The water main coming in from the city is 1-inch PEX pipe. City pressure is assumed to be very adequate. Before the pressure regulator, the pipe reduces to 3/4 inch. So all of the pipes in the house are 3/4 or 1/2 inch. The house has a basement, and the basement is unfinished. So access to the pipes is not at all an issue. Should I increase the pipe size by swapping out the current pipe with a 1 inch pipe to the utility room (a 50-60 ft run to where the hot water branches off from the cold)? I am going to add a water softener (the water softener was built for 1-inch pipe), and so now is a good time to address this if it's a good idea to address it.

Here is what I currently have:

3 toilets
1 washing machine
1 dishwasher
1 fridge with ice maker
5 bathroom sinks (2 of the bathrooms have 2 sinks each)
1 kitchen sink
2 hose bibs for gardening outside (rarely used since we have secondary water for watering the lawn with)
1 shower (without tub)
1 large tub (without shower) -- same bathroom as above shower
1 tub/shower combo (a normal United States tub)

and in the immediate future I'm adding a water softener.
In the long-term (when the basement is finished) I will definitely add these additional fixtures:

1 tub/shower combo
1 toilet
1 bathroom sink

and desire to put a basement kitchen in as well (not sure on whether I will add a dishwasher).

We have two adults and 6 children currently living here. They aren't teens yet but that's not too far away. My water needs will be greater in the future. We may have additional adults living in the basement when it has been completed.

I talked with a plumber over the phone about it, he said not to worry about it, if it was his house he wouldn't worry about it. However I'm unclear on whether he was considering the future bathroom and kitchen which will be in the basement. He also did not know how many children I have :).

I worry because others in my neighborhood (same floor plan as my house) have the 1-inch pipe into the utility room. But my house does not.

Comparing the pressure drop between 50' of 3/4" and 1" PEX...going up to 1" saves 1 psi at 5 GPM flow rate, and 5 psi at 9 GPM and 7 psi at 11 GPM (when you hit 10 feet per second in 3/4" PEX, a velocity which shouldn't be exceeded). In other words, you need to have pretty significant concurrent demands before the pressure drop in that pipe run becomes noticeable (or where pipe erosion from high velocity becomes a concern) - like filling two tubs or taking four showers at the exact same time, plus running a dishwasher or washing machine. It's possible that with so many kids that's actually a reasonable concern for you, but for the typical household there would be little benefit.


Moving electrical outlet 3 feet to the left this is my first post here. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

I recently bought a new home and basically I need to move an electrical outlet 3 feet to the left so that it is hidden by my entertainment center. Before explaining in depth, I'll mention that I am by no means an electrician, but I feel like I'm capable of following directions (and being careful). I just need to make sure I'm doing everything correctly.

I plan on drilling a hole through two studs that are in between my originating location and desired location, fishing a romex 12-2 cable through to the desired location, hooking the receptacle up to the fished-in wire in a new junction box, and of course adding a new junction box where the original outlet used to be and connecting the wires together via wire nuts. Does that all sound legal/legit/up-to-code so far? Am I correct in using 12-2 romex for an interior outlet?

The problem I'm running into is that the receptacle currently has 3 different romex cables hooked up to it. I haven't gone as far as turning off my breaker yet so I haven't removed the receptacle from the box, but from peeking in with my flashlight it looks like the receptacle has 1 ground connected, 3 neutral and 3 hot wires connected (using both the screw on the side and the push-in holes). Like I said before I don't know much about electricity but I'm guessing those other two romex cables have to do with the fireplace and the fireplace's on/off switch slightly above the receptacle. Maybe one romex controls the switch, and the other romex is providing power to the gas fireplace electrical portion of the system? (the gas to the fireplace is currently shut off, if that matters at all)

Question 1: I realize that a junction box can only have so many connections inside - would I be able to pull this off by buying a larger junction box, or is it even needed? If it is needed, do you have any recommendations?

Question 2: Would this even be do-able? I'm guessing I would end up having 4 neutral/white wires connected together in one wire nut, another 4 hot/black wires connected in one wire nut, and at least 2 ground wires connected in one wire nut (since the other 2 ground wires don't appear to be connected). I came up with 4 because the receptacle currently appears to have 3 neutrals and 3 hots connected with 1 ground, and adding my cable to extend the outlet would add the 4th cable to connect together.

Is 4 too many to connect? There is an outlet on the other side of the wall that just has 1 connection each to the receptacle so it would be a lot easier for a novice like myself, but of course that outlet is separated to my desired location by 4 studs that I would have to drill through without damaging anything else and then fish wire all the way through, and that doesn't seem like the best option to me if I can manage to wire the receptacle on the right correctly. I've added pictures below to help.

Thanks again for any advice and/or tips!

First, anytime you delete a receptacle or switch, you must review the minimum requirements for receptacles and switches.  You must not kill the only light switch in  the room, for instance, and you can't fall below the minimum spec for receptacle positions -- notably, any point along a wall must be (along-the-wall) within 6' of a receptacle.

12 AWG cable is the universal donor if you don't know what you're working with. 12 AWG is acceptable on both 15A and 20A circuits, the same places common NEMA 5-15 receps are allowed.  You must use the side screws or a screw-to-clamp feature; backstabs are never allowed with 12 AWG.

Box fill

You won't make the cubic-inch problem any worse.  Officially you need 2.0 cubic inches per #14, 2.25 cubic inches per #12,  1 wire count's worth for all grounds, and if cable clamps stick into the box, 1 wire count's worth for all of them.  Then 2 wire count's worth for any receptacle or other type of yoke.  Pigtails are free.

So that sounds like 9 x #12 == 20.25 cubic inches, or 6 x #14 + 3 x #12 = 18.75 cubic inches.  Most plastic boxes have that; but it will be molded into the back of the box normally, so go look.

Besides, while you are adding two #12s, you're removing a yoke, which subtracts 2 wire counts.

If you find yourself short on cubic inches, add a Legrand Wiremold "Surface conduit starter kit" which sticks out of the wall 1".  Stick an outlet there if you don't want it looking dorky.

Nutting 4+

4 solid wires on a nut is not a problem; use the red nuts, square them up even, don't pre-twist, and twist like you mean it.  Then, give them a pull test - hold the nut and yank each wire in turn.  Fail the pull test = start over (don't cut) and refine your technique (line up better, twist harder).  Never use tape to solve a "failing the pull test" problem; failing means you have a bad connection which will arc and start a fire under load; tape helps you ignore it and adds kindling.

You can even do 5 on a red nut if you need to put a receptacle back here.  They also make "screw-to-clamp" receps which allow 2 wires under each screw (so 4 per side). While backstabs are unreliable and #12 forbidden, these are reliable and #12-ok, if you torque them properly.


Replacing recessed medicine cabinet, uneven frame? I'm replacing a recessed medicine cabinet, which is slightly taller than the previous one and does not fit into the existing hole. I need to reduce the height of the existing frame by a quarter inch (at its largest, hole isn't perfectly even).

What tool(s) should I use to do this? Is the safest thing to just sand the bottom?

Use a reciprocating saw to cut the fasteners holding one of the sill/fire-block boards in place. Run the blade right through the drywall; making a slot, right where the two boards meet. The top board would be the ideal choice, as it can't fall inside the wall, when the fasteners are cut, that hold it in place.

If a cripple stud is in the center, trim one of them 1/4" shorter.

Trim the drywall to match the new opening.

Toenail the sill/fire-block into its new location.

Patch any damaged drywall from cutting the old nails/screws.

A circular saw will more easily make a straight cut, but will also remove more wood. If using a reciprocating saw, just take your time and don't get in a hurry.


How can I know if my HVAC is taking air from outside? I am currently affected by the US West smoke, so I bought some good filters for my furnace. I also bought extra filters and taped them in my ceilings where the air from the HVAC comes, for some extra filtering. I heard that I'm supposed to put my HVAC system to "fan on" (not heating nor cooling) so the air keeps passing through the filter and its quality improves. On the other hand, I also heard that if my system has "external air intake" I should turn it off completely.
The problem is that I don't know how to verify if I have external air intake. I watched some youtube videos and couldn't find anything similar to what I saw there. I looked for on/off switches everywhere and couldn't find any, except for one described below.
I took a picture of my furnace. I am not sure, but it seems to me the air flows in the direction of the arrow I painted in the picture, because the filters are right below the arrow and dust is on the up side. I also drew a black circle on the right side of the picture. There is a hole in the cover and it says "open" and "close", but given the size of that tube and where it is attached, I am not sure whether it is for external air intake or whether it is to fully close the heating system.
I should also note that all this is inside the garage, and the garage now has a much stronger smoke smell than the rest of my house, so I'm not sure if it my system is also taking air from my garage (instead of air from outside).
And a last detail, the filters don't really rightly fit my system, so air definitely goes through the side forming a path of least resistance. That is why I also taped some filters inside my house where the air comes.
What would be your guesses? Where should I be looking for things?
Thanks in advance.

They're not very common in residential, but an outside air duct would connect to the return air duct. Trace out the return air duct and see if there are any smaller ducts attached to it. Or walk around your house and look for the opening the duct would connect to. It would most likely be near the furnace. As for your filter, you can get some foil tape from the hardware store to tape over the filter opening so no air is bypassing the filter.


connecting to a transfer switch I have a 35KW Wacker diesel generator. It has 3 x 240V 3 prong - 10, 20 and 30 amp service. it also has a 4 wire 3 prong 125/250 locking (center ground) outlets of 50 amp.

My question is how do I connect that to my 20K transfer switch (240V 4 prong) inlet. At 50 amps, the most I can get out of 240V is 12KW, right? I'm thinking to rewire the generator with 100 amp service - is that feasible.  I need the whole 20KW to drive our electrical needs.  Peak is actually a bit more than that...

For a generator of that size, the primary connection would not be through those convenience outlets, but rather directly to lugs sized for the cables required. If this wasn't the primary use of the generator, and you wanted an easily detachable connection, and 50 amps was sufficient, then you could use the 4-conductor receptacle with a cable.

Your model sounds like the G50. See page 34 of that manual:

  3.13
  Connection Lugs

  See Graphic: wc_gr002611

  The customer connection lugs (r) are located on left at the bottom of the panel behind a hinged door. The lugs provide connection points for attachment of outside loads.
  A large label like the one shown in section Terminal Connections is attached to the inside of the terminal door. It shows the correct terminal connections for selected voltages.
  Connections to the lugs should be made by running the power cables up under the lug door in the bottom of the panel and into the lug. Use a 3/8 in. Allen wrench to tighten cable connections in place.


Wood treatment for summer house How to treat wood on a new summer house, for which a natural look is desired?

Oil/solvent or water based treatment? The manufacturer of the summer house recommends the former, but various online sources claim modern water based treatments are equally good and better for health/environment - I am not sure, though, to what extent these claims are unbiased.
I presume treatment is only needed for the exterior? (Any interior treatment would definitely have to be low VOC as children will play inside).
Must treatment be applied in two layers, some sort of rot prevention followed by a barrier layer, or can a suitable product can do both together?

IMHO, the water based stuff should be fine. The walls of a summer house should be protected by the roof and eaves, and shouldn't touch the ground, so they have a relatively easy life (compared to a fence/gate/bench). Oil based products like creosote will smell strongly for months, can leave oily marks if you brush against it, and only comes in one colour. Sometimes that doesn't matter, sometimes it does. Look around your neighbourhood to see what works and what doesn't, as everyone's climate is different.
Interior wood is worth protecting, but you can use something with a nicer finish. The goal here is to fill the pores in the wood so they don't fill with dirt. Modern water-based stains and varnishes are pretty good indoors, or you could use some sort of teak-oil or wax, even a smear of cooking oil will keep it looking nice much longer than untreated wood.
If the preservative says to use two coats, follow the directions. OTOH you do not need to apply a preservative and then a layer waterproof paint. Rot is caused by bugs that need moisture, so applying a poisonous preservative will prevent rot, as would a waterproof paint. The problem with waterproof paint is that cracks and pin holes inevitably allow water through, and once behind the paint, it never dries. Good preservatives shed water but still allow the wood to dry out, much like Goretex fabric.

Probably the most important thing for long life is to keep the walls dry. Maintain the roof and gutters, to keep rain off the walls. Ensure the ground level doesn't get built up, and regularly check that nothing (like bushes, piles of leaves, or other junk) can trap moisture against the walls.


Do i need to mud the top of horizontally mounted drywall if i am hiding the seam with quarterround? I am doing a bedroom with horizontally hung drywall. The ceiling in the bedroom is already drywall with popcorn on it. The existing wall is just wood panel with nothing behind it.
Am hoping to hide ceiling and floor lines with trim. If I hide the top edge with quarter round trim, do i need to mud the top or bottom due to the bevel edge?

If you don't mud the top and bottom, the bevelled edge will show up. At the bottom the baseboard would be at a slight angle and could screw up your mitered angles. The bevelled edge will definitely show up at the top with only quarter round mounted up there. Mounting the quarter round up there might be harder than you think.


Adding subpanel to a shed Thanks in advance for anyone providing insight for me. I apologize if answers for my situation can be found in another post that I've missed.

I have a shed outside my home that currently has no power. I'd like to run power to it and install a 60A subpanel to support a couple of circuits. Currently, I have 200A service coming to the house. The panel inside the home is about 50 feet away so there's a 200A service disconnect with room for 4 breakers at the meter. The shed is about 5 feet from the service entrance.

What I'm planning is to install a 60A breaker in the panel at the service entrance and run 6 AWG copper underground to the subpanel in the shed. I plan to use metal conduit because no one wants to be digging a couple of feet down. I'm comfortable with the requirements for the circuits inside the shed.

Pennsylvania uses the 2014 NFC. Do I have the correct wire for the circuit? Is my approach with the breaker in the service entrance valid? Lastly, do I need a separate grounding rod for the shed? It seems silly to add another grounding rod a couple of feet from an existing one.

Lastly, a (really) crude drawing of it all. Black is existing. Red is proposed.

You have the right general idea

The rigid conduit is fine -- you will only need to dig 9-12" down for this, and a 2" RMC or EMT provides plenty of space to make for an easy pull and future expansion.  Furthermore, the metal conduit provides the equipment grounding conductor to the shed, which saves you a wire in the pull (two black hots and one white neutral is fine).  Also, finding a 60A breaker for your meter-main isn't an issue -- a THQL2160 will do the job, and should be available anywhere circuit breakers are sold.

You still will need ground rods at the shed though

You will need two ground rods (minimum 8' long and 6' apart) at the shed, with a 6AWG copper wire from there to the shed subpanel ground bar, though.  This provides a path to ground for lightning induced transients, while the metal conduit returns fault current back to the service entrance (aka its source).  As a result of this splitting of return paths, you will also need to ensure that the bonding screw or strap has been removed (or was never fitted to begin with) to the subpanel, and will also need separate neutral and ground bars there.

Other notes

You should use an inch-pound torque wrench or torque screwdriver (depending on the torque setting called for) on all breaker and panel lugs to torque them to manufacturer specifications -- this improves system reliability vastly, and is also a new requirement in the 2017 NEC (110.14(D)).

Also, the shed subpanel will need to have a main breaker in it to serve as a disconnecting means for the shed.  It is OK to use a big main breaker here, though, since the upstream 60A breaker in the service-entrance device will protect the feeder wires from overcurrent.  As a result, the simplest way to go here is to get a 100A or 125A, 24- or 30-space, main breaker panel and fit it with ground bars if it doesn't already come with such.  That way, you will have plenty of space for expansion -- if you want more current to the shed, you can swap the feeder breaker and wires for larger ones, and you can also add circuits fairly freely there without worrying about running out of breaker spaces.


Why is my wiring a fire hazard when we have circuit breakers? A neighbor in my (US) building just found out that his laundry room (and others in the building including mine) are wired incorrectly. When the original washer and dryer were replaced, the dryer stayed on the existing 240 V circuit while the washer (needs only 120 V) was wired...elsewhere. In his case it was "bridged to some kitchen outlets" (mine is on the same circuit as outlets in the living room, I had to flip the breakers to figure it out).

He has since been told that this is not up to code and is a dangerous fire hazard. I believe it but I don't understand why. I'm an asic designer, with no experience in residential or power electronics. If my washer draws too much current while my TV, cable box, and video games are all drawing from the same path, wouldn't the breaker flip long before a fire? Isn't that the point of a breaker?

The breaker for the laundry room is a double-wide 30 A breaker. The washer is now on a standard width 15 A breaker. What's the problem?

It's a lot like aviation.  "Little" code violations can stack up and interact to become big ones.   The electrical code is written in blood and ash, which is to say it's less about theory and more about actuarial analysis of accident patterns - pro and con.  For instance blown insulation around knob-and-tube wiring was banned, and is now being un-banned because better data showed it wasn't actually causing fires.

The dryer circuit sounds like the bog-standard typical 120/240V 30A dedicated circuit: both poles of hot, neutral and (we hope) safety ground.  Safety ground can be retrofitted using any viable path back to a grounded location (not a water pipe).  All 3 (non-ground) conductors appropriate to 30A, that means 10 AWG (rules don't allow you to run the wire at 90C thermal rating, so #12 is right out).

The washing machine circuit must necessarily be a different circuit from the dryer (since the dryer uses almost 80% of circuit capacity, and also, it's a different voltage). A few washers are designed to plug into partner dryers; these are popular in large complexes because it means one less circuit to the washer/dryer area.

You're correct that a 15A breaker "should" protect you, because it's small enough to protect wire as small as #14, the smallest permitted in US mains wiring.  However, that assumes everyone behaves properly, and that frequent trips don't bait someone into doing something stupid.   Sort of like the way you can cause accidents by getting on a section with 20 miles of no-passing zone and driving 5 under the speed limit -- it incites stupid people to do stupid things to get around you.  There's no accounting for stupidity in accident statistics.

For instance, plain overloads cause breakers to trip in thermal mode.  The breaker heats up in theory about as fast as the wall wiring does.  In practice, they cool off a lot faster than in-wall wires - especially if you hit them with canned air.  So if a person  resets the breaker over and over; the breaker cools off during off times, but the wires just keep getting hotter and hotter.

Both washing machine and kitchen countertop circuits are required to be 20A and dedicated.   You have a 15A circuit serving both loads, so you're bound to have overloads -- most kitchen appliances having anything to do with heat are 1500W (12.5 amps) because UL imposes a 1500W limit on such appliances.  That means so much as making toast with the washing machine running makes a trip likely.  Two kitchen appliances also overloads a 20A circuit, but with only a 25% overload (25A vs 20A) you may have enough time to make toast.


Can I put a clothesline between two rafters? If I attach a rope to two distant rafters and use it as clothesline, would this put excess pressure on the rafters?
This is a roof over a deck. I thought it could be handy on a rainy day, but not sure if there is anything I need to consider first.

That sounds safe to me. clothes-line rope is unlikely to be strong enough to damage the rafters.


How can I drill a hole 8 ft deep through hard sandstone with a rotary hammer? At my property I would like to get a 1-2" hole 8 ft deep. The only problem is, I start hitting rock (hard sandstone) about a foot deep.

Is there some kind of shank extension for a rotary hammer that I can use to get down there? I have ground rods in a trench, and they're okay, but I really would like to see if I can get one to 8 ft.

The roto hammer is not designed to drill any where near that deep.  You can try to drive the ground rod with the roto hammer. They rent an attachment.  If it is indeed sand stone and not too hard it may drive it through.  Other wise be content with the trenched ground rods.  This method is widely and successfully used. You could contact a highway construction company and find out the going rate for a rock boring drill.


How can I tell if a faucet valve seat is removable or not? I have two faucet valve seats that I've been roadblocked with. It looks perfectly round in appearance:

Left Side:

Right Side:

Hot/Cold Stem:

Things I've tried:

Penetration Oil
Hammer + Screwdriver
Seat Wrench

After watching a couple hours worth of youtube tutorials, it seems most valves have faucet seats. However I did come across an article and a forum post that made me double-think my scenario.

https://www.hunker.com/13417444/how-to-remove-a-faucet-seat-that-is-stripped

  Look carefully at the seat with a flashlight before you decide that the wrench hole is stripped. If the hole is perfectly round, the seat isn't removable.

http://www.plumbingzone.com/f2/resurfacing-valve-seats-11567/

  In my early days in this trade most faucets had non-removable seats. A proper repair meant reseating with a tool designed for the job.

This brings the question: Is my faucet valve seat removable?

You have to look for notches in the seat wall to see if it is removable:

The seat in the picture has 4 notches and would be removed/installed with a common tapered square seat wrench.  Some newer seats will have a hexagonal hole in the middle and can be removed with an Allen wrench.

Look closer at your seats for even the hint of the square notches.  They can corrode over and be less visible, but from what I see in your pics, those are not removable.

For non-removable seats (and even removable ones), there is a "reseating" tool for faucets that is basically a round grinding disk on a T handle that can be used to grind down the seat a bit giving you a new smooth surface.  It is possible to grind too much, so you'd do a little at a time.


What is the best way to clean a dryer vent? I posted this questions 6 months ago..

Why does it take my dryer 3 hours to dry a load of clothes?

I checked the cycling thermostat and thermal fuse. They are operational. I have seen different ways professionals clean dryer vent ductwork. Coit services used a portable compressor to blow air into the vent the push out lint. There was a good amount that came out.
But I have seen another method where they used a rod with rotating brush that push out lint. I am thinking of hiring someone to do it this way. Is this a better way than what Coit did?

My tenant last said the timning of drying has improved form 3 hours down to 2 hours. I'm not sure how long of dryer vent ductwork she had at her previous residence. I can understand if she had a dryer close to an exterior wall with a 1 foot of dryer vent. I may have to ask her that. Everything is relative. If there is a longer run of duct it should take longer to dry no? Any feedback would be appreciated. We really want to take care of this tenant because they are nice people.

I use a dryer vent brush like this one at Wal Mart:


Out Building Circuit and Hot Tub Wire Run? I have separate garage building that is fed by a 240v 50A circuit run through 1" schedule 40 to a sub panel in the garage. We are installing a hot tub off the main house but it will be located near where the garage feed exits the basement. The hot tub will be fed by 240v 60A circuits that run to the GFCI disconnect near the tub. Am I correct that I can run 6, #6 conductors (THHN) through 1" sch 40? Is it permitted to run both circuits to a junction box outside the main house through one conduit, then separate them to their respective destinations? Or should I run each completely separately of the other from the main panel?

Thanks

Yes, you can fit six #6 stranded THWN-2 copper conductors into a 1" Sched 40 PVC conduit, along with up to two #10 ground wires.

Technically, if you use two stranded/insulated #10 THWN-2 ground wires, your conduit fill will be 40.03%.  However I would disregard the 0.03%.

Yes, you are allowed to have all these wires stop at a junction box and get spliced to continue onward.  If you split the ground wire to both the garage and hot tub, you only need one ground wire.

However, it will be a big box.  Each #6 wire needs 5 cubic inches.  You will have 6 from the house, 3 from the hot tub and 3 from the garage = 12.  Plus 3 cubic inches for all the #10 grounds.  So the box must be 63 cubic inches.  Now you'd think you could get that beast at a big-box store, right?  Nope. You'll need to go to an electrical supply for big boxes, and while you're there, check their prices on other stuff.  I find big-box stores are only cheaper on the most popular commodities; on everything else they are a blatant ripoff.

You must use actual white or gray wires for neutrals. The upside of that is that black/colored tape markings on white wires have no meaning whatsoever.  This means you can use colored tape to distinguish the two circuits.  For instance I might use all black and white, and mark 2 hot tub hots and 1 hot tub neutral all with blue tape, and the garage circuit with red etc.


i have cut my cement board too short for my shower walls I have cut my cement board too short for my shower walls; I need another 2 inches so it lines up right. Should I cut a 2 inch piece of cement board or go ahead and tie in the drywall for the remaining 2 inches?

I'm going to speculate that you've set your cement board tight to the floor, and that it reaches two inches short of the height you'd like your tile to reach. I'm also going to guess that you haven't installed the drywall above the cement board.

Yes, you can bring your drywall down to the height of the cement board and lap the tile onto it. In fact, this is a more ideal scenario since it leaves you with a clean surface on which to terminate the tile. You'll probably want to finish the drywall and paint before setting the tile so that the grout or trim can lap over the paint for the cleanest lines.


Patch Hole In HardiPlank Fiber Cement Siding I have a hole in the siding of my home. The siding is HardiPlank fiber cement. The hole size (diameter) is that of a cable line. A cable line was run through the siding when the previous home owners lived there but the cable line is no longer there. I want to patch the hole if possible. I really do not want to replace the board. However, I have not found a product specifically made for patching fiber cement siding. I did come across an all-purpose putty Bondo but I am not sure if this will do the trick or not.

Any suggestions on what material to use would be greatly appreciated!

Since the hole relatively small i would use Quad window and door sealant. Not affiliated but i use it. It will stay flexible,  cement siding can expand and contract with high and low temps. It comes in many colors.


Does this ceiling joist layout look structurally sound? I plan on talking with an architect soon, but wanted feedback from this community too. Please see the attached photo. I'm in Raleigh, NC and am using information from this site (http://www.totalconstructionhelp.com/joists.html) to make the assumptions that the beams used below would work.

My goal would be to have only the center wall being a load bearing interior wall. The biggest question mark I have is the beams which are 3 2x12's with 1/2" play between them to hang the 2x8x16s from. I think the others according to the table should have no problem supporting the ceiling.

So I think I might update it to the following structure. I've not really researched a whole lot, but it seems logical. Here is the new plan. The change is on the left using a similar beam structure as on the right with 12' 2x8's spaced 16"o.c. This takes the middle joists to be a little closer than 24"o.c. I also have the framing for the attic stairs and a vaulted ceiling in the bathroom. What do you think?

And finally here is the roof structure. It is a hip roof with a gable on the front. I had two contractors say that the roof is supporting itself and other than ceiling joists tying the walls together the roof has no other supports to the ceiling or walls in the house.

The roof framing really helped. Since according to the code book, you can have limited storage in the attic with the framing you specified, I would still tie all the framing with a layer of subfloor, which in turn can be used as storage. This is because the hips will exert an outward force to the outside bearing walls. There may not be a real issue with this since everything is tied back to a triple beam and tied to an interior wall as well. I would still run plywood in the attic anyway. It will make a great work surface while framing the roof too. This will mean the beams will need to be made of 2X8s or LVL's, this is engineered lumber that measures 1 3/4"X7 1/4"X any length you need.
IMHO, the 2X12 beams are way much bigger than they need to be. There simply is not that much live load for them to carry. The wall that is under the ends of the joists that are near this beam can have a beam under it, to help carry what little load (stored items) it may need to support.

You may want to consider adding a beam at the other areas where the rafters will cross over the ceiling joists, so that short joists can be tied to the rafters like the rest of the house. Another alternative is running the beam at the ceiling level the same as the hip rafters. LVLs will help here too. This would eliminate the long one that goes all the way across.

The only 2 issues that I see is where the vaulted ceiling will be and the access. The possible plywood floor may eliminate the need for the joists to tie through. The other is the lack of collar ties. they in essence  help break the span of the rafters, since one rafter when loaded will try to push against the other, but the other is trying to do the same. Purlins with knee braces may do the same also, but they will bear on the ceiling joists, may not be a good idea.

That I know of bridging is not required in ceiling framing, although it could be added.
A final note on the access and vaulted ceiling, the code used to require ceiling joists at 32" OC (joists on every other rafter) for conventional framed roof as a minimum. With the engineers blessing he may allow the openings with the plywood deck around it to pass.

A little over sight on my part. There will be room needed for the insulation, so the plywood deck will need to be high enough, depending on your climate zone to get anywhere from R-30 to R-49 to be run under it without compressing it. So, 2X12 beams will work with an overbuild the get the 2X8s to the same height with 2X4s that won't work nowhere else, crooked, twisted, cut too short, what have you.


Fixing a Botched Exposed Aggregate Patio After pouring a new 12'x6' patio (50 60lb bags of Quickcrete 1101) I ran out of time, and the mix had begun setting up before I could get the 3/8" gravel down and floated. Only half the gravel stuck and lots of it came loose when I tried to brush away the butter because I had sprayed periodically with water in a panic effort to delay setting. The result is a lumpy, ugly surface on a solid 4" concrete pad.

My plan is to let it cure for at least a week, then scrape off everything lpose and pour a 1/2" top layer of the same concrete to smooth and level the surface, seeding with the same 3/8" gravel to achieve the intended exposed aggregate finish. My calcs say it will take 3.7 bags of mix.

Questions: Do I use a bonding additive, such as DAP? Do I mix all the mud at once (rented wheelbarrow) or do it one bag at a time? Also, do it now or wait until it's completely cured and dry? (It's been two days.)

Solution 1:
After a week of curing the base layer, add a second layer 3/4-inch thick of the same concrete mix. Start by setting 1 x 4 forms level with the intended grade. Prepare the surface by cleaning and wetting it, then brushing on a slurry of the mix material laced with DAP bonding additive. Then mix one bag at a time using a 9-gallon mixing tub and a paddle drill. Pour from the lowest point on the plane and continue upward toward the wall in a sequence of five overlapping contiguous rows. Working low to high should facilitate curing because water from later pours will leach toward material laid earlier, partially offsetting water lost through evaporation. Must work fast and continuous for the results to be seamless and strong.

This dirt-dauber wasp approach should facilitate a good bond and allow all 12-14 bags be done by a lone individual over a 2-3 hour time frame. Will integrate mixing/pouring with finishing/edging as indicated by the state of the material. I have to be very organized and vigilant, because no breaks are possible once the first bag has been mixed. Work is continuous until all 12-14 bags are finished and edged.

Using the same concrete mix, with a little bonding additive, for this second pour ensures a good bond, but it is essential that the base be clean, free of loose material and wet but free of puddles. (A dry base will absorb moisture, impeding the curing of the new material, weakening the bond.)

As always, I will cover the new layer with plastic and keep it damp for 7 days to facilitate curing.

I rejected using Ardex due to cost and a virtual absence of encouraging product reviews. I am familiar with concrete, a reliable time-tested construction material when used according to basic principles. In fact, after an extensive Internet search, I found not one good video illustrating a cost-effective solution to my problem of concrete-to-concrete bonding. Nor did I find one showing the results of Ardex a year or two after application. (I want to see long term results before trying something radically different or a project of this magnitude and visibility.)

In summary, the dirt dauber approach has three advantages: a) it should result in a stronger bond because it involves rehydration to offset water loss to evaporation while curing; b) it should be stronger also because of overlapping applications of a fortified bonding slurry (crisscross overlapping layers instead of a single layer on a flat plane that would invite cracking and separating); and c) it allows all the work to be done by a lone individual, thus assuring consistent high quality and lower cost.

The above solution is based on research from a host of authoritative web posts, including an impressive one from WikiHow: http://www.wikihow.com/Add-Concrete-to-Existing-Concrete

Post-completion Results:

Here's a shot after pouring and a thoroughly exhausting 7 continuous hours  (11 bags mixed, poured and finished by hand.) Barely visible upper left is a 14-inch gouge caused by forcing a tightly wedged support when pulling forms. (Bad decisions happen when you're overtired.) Patching this will be tricky because I used a concrete dye, but overall I am delighted at the results.


light fixture wattage question I purchased a light kit that requires 3 light bulbs and says 100 Watt max.  Does this mean that the wattage of the 3 bulbs can only add up to 100 watts or does that mean that each lightbulb can be no more than 100 watts.  For example, can I use 3 60 watt bulbs?

The wattage ratings are typically listed to reduce possibility of excess /heat/ buildup in the fixture.  If you want to use 3x 60 watt bulbs, consider replacing traditional incandescent bulbs with newer CFL (spiral) or LED bulbs.  Either choice will use much less electricity and also emit much less heat, staying within the safety rating for the fixture.


How much does weight affect a house? I just demo'ed a bathroom.  At 50 trashbags at 50 pounds a piece I am guesstimating that I took out 2500 pounds.  The materials I am using to replace everything in the bathroom are about 800 pounds total.  What are the "slight" structural changes I could expect if any?  How much weight would make a difference to a house?

The total weight of materials in a room is not really the question. The concern, if any is how many pounds per square foot. This will vary depending on what size joists are supporting the floor. Common residential construction is build to handle a dead load (materials/fixtures) of 40 to 60 psf averaged over the entire floor not counting load bearing wall materials. Live load is people.  Lets say you have a 10ft X 10ft room @40psf, the total load rating would be 4,000 pounds averaged. This link has some charts if you want to read more. http://www.assakkaf.com/Courses/ENCE355/Lectures/Part2/Chapter2a.pdf

In your case, there should be no structural changes or issues at all.


What type of door can I install in a wide cased opening without damaging the flooring? We rent a house and we’d like to install doors in the 50” open doorframe between the master bedroom and the sunroom. We thought of French Doors, but the owner doesn’t want us to drill in the wood floors. What kind of doors could we install to accommodate that?

Bi parting barn doors would not involve the floor but you need 25” clearance on either side of the opening. Also they are about 500 dollars at Home Depot

if you have good carpentry skills you could narrow the width with  a board on each side and hang 2 24” interior doors. Mortising  for hinges


How do I insulate around conduits and into difficult edges in my attic? I am thinking about adding a little over a foot of insulation to my attics.

I understand that there shouldn't be gaps between fiberglass batts (I read that this can reduce efficiency by 25%, whatever that means).

However, my attics have some areas that look very tough to do:

1) It's very difficult to get to the far edges in my attics.  Can I get away with NOT going all the way to the edges?  (I understand that I shouldn't block my soffits / baffles.)

2) There are all sorts of conduits and junction boxes sticking up out of the floor.  Can I just lay the insulation over it?

3) There is a 3' x 3' area that is densely packed with pipes.  Can I skip this area or do I need to squeeze insulation around them?

Insulation is helpful even if it's not perfect. Ideally, you should cover the attic floor completely, without reducing airflow between any vents (soffit, ridge, gable, roof, whatever). Whether a specific area is important to insulate depends on your house, but as a rule, you should aim to insulate any walls/ceilings between living space and unconditioned space. You should also use some sort of vapor barrier at the edges, to prevent air and moisture from moving into your insulation.

Based on your question, I'm assuming you're looking at using rolled insulation such as fiberglass. You might also consider blown-in cellulose insulation, which is installed using a blower machine that can force loose insulation into cavities. If you buy cellulose insulation at a home center, they will often rent you the machine for free. Two reasonably handy people can do this installation -- you need one to feed the machine and one to operate the hose.

For insulating around wall/ceiling penetrations, you can also use a canned spray foam product (such as "Great Stuff" or "DapTex"). These will allow you to insulate tricky areas, and the foam will fill whatever voids you have -- perfect for pipes, around wiring, and around electrical boxes. Make sure you do not use these products in electrical boxes or around chimneys or other hot areas, as they are flammable.

I believe it's OK to place insulation on top of junction boxes. If you have recessed lighting in your ceiling, a special housing is required -- placing insulation over a regular recessed light housing can cause overheating and is a fire hazard.

One thing I'm not sure of is whether it's code-compliant to hide a junction box under insulation. Code disallows putting a junction in a hidden location, like inside a wall without an access plate. I don't think this would apply to insulation laid in an attic, but you may want to contact your town's inspection services department and ask.


How to use alternate flush mode on toilet I have a Gerber toilet, and the toilet lists two flush modes. Do I need to install something to use that alternate flush mode? The toilet handle seems to have only one action.

It's not an alternate mode, per se. Those values are the minimum and maximum tank volumes based on float setting. [Correction: These values seem to apply to High Efficiency (HE) and Ultra-high Efficiency (UHE) bowl/valve options. Since the values are printed on the bowl, they don't tell you much about the particular tank installed. However, the stamp in your bowl does indicate which you have (1.6 gpf).]
Your toilet is no different from all those that came before in the sense that when you lift the flappy-doodle with the levery-bit all the water falls out. They're rather unintelligent devices.
To reduce flush volume, adjust the float to a lower level. There's probably an adjustment screw on it where you can move it down. This shuts off the water sooner on fill.


Disable the timer on an exhaust ventilator I have a bathroom exhaust ventilator installed that turns on when I flip the wall switch and that continues working on a timer when I cut the power in the switch.

In terms of wiring, I see 3 cables going in (L, T, N) on one side, and two other cables going in on another side. The two cables have electricity at all times, independently of the wall switch.

Is there a way to bypass the timer? I would like to have the ventilator off when the wall switch is turned off.

Thank you in advance

If the timer is in the fan, it may not be possible to disable the timer without disabling the fan itself.  Based on the labels (L,T,N), I would guess that L is the switched input for the light and T is a switched input that starts the timer for the fan.  You can test this by disconnecting the T terminal (make sure you cap the bare wire before turning the breaker back on) and see if the fan still functions with the switch.

If it doesn't, you're probably looking at altering the internal wiring of the fan to bypass the timer (not something I would recommend or consider safe).  If this does turn out to be the case, I would take the covers off of the fan if possible to see if there is a timer duration adjustment in the fan someplace.  You may just be able to turn it down to zero (or a considerably shorter duration).

That said, it sounds like you are trying to disable a feature of the fan that is there to ensure that the fan is on long enough to remove moisture from the bathroom. The reason fans are equipped with timers is so you can leave them running long enough to work without having to go back later and turn them off (and/or having to leave the lights on while they are running). I would ask myself if the reason you are trying to disable it is worth running a risk of issues with mildew and the host of other problems that can stem from inadequate ventilation.  If it's a noise issue you might think about just replacing the fan with one that is quieter.


Remove shower enclosure for tiling but keep shower base only I am remodeling my bathroom and want to change it to tile shower.

I am OK with the shower base here and I don't like the shower enclosure / doors:

Is it possible to just remove the door and the enclosure at the wall BUT keep the base? I plan to do tiling behind at the wall and put a frameless glass door.

Or I may getting myself into more complex scenario with leak, new door not fitting properly or worst things look uglier...?

Any opinion.

Thanks.

UPDATE 1

Basically I want to do tiling like this and keep the base (picture from Internet):

But I am not sure if my shower has the base and the wall plastic liner enclosure thing coming together as one piece, meaning it's not possible to separate them.

Any idea how such shower kit is designed?

UPDATE 1

OK, I committed a crime. I accidentally damage the base:

I really wanted to save the base as it does have enough lip space:

Is it possible to patch the hole with some fiberglass and sand to make it smooth? Since the glass door will be on top of it later.

UPDATE 2

I am working hard to save this shower base (look like a $200 cost if I have to replace). After removing the shower walls, I found out the walls mounted to the base via screw (in the back of the wall). So there are about 4 screw holes of 1/4" diameter:

Here is one small one that is hard to see:

How do I easily plug these holes from the shower base? Is there some plastic plug and I just caulk around it?

The holes are quite far from the wall so my wall tiling won't reach it to overlap the holes.

Your picture from the internet is nice large shower with a square inside corner. Your existing shower is much smaller with a round inside corner, a real trick to set backer and tile for a novice tile setter. To minimize the round corner, you could go to "seat height" then set backer into the corner, but you will not be getting any larger shower, it will still be the same size as before, no way to enlarge it, the pan sets the size for the shower.

If you do wish to proceed, the base is typically a separate piece from the sides. It might come loose easily if the sealant does not grip too tightly.


Change plastic bands in chair? How can I change these plastic backing strips in this chair?

I have another chair exactly like this one, but the white plastic strips are broken.

You've got to pull the band toward you when you're at the edge of the chair and get some slack where the band goes around the frame. Then use a screwdriver to gently pry the band out of the slot on the frame. If it's an old band there's a chance it will break when you try to pry it out. If you're successful then do the other side. Installing them is just the reverse. Good luck/


Can I safely disable a three way fan switch to use for providing ground to remote three way box? I have a bit of a unique electrical situation that I am dealing with.  My house was wired with several three way lighting boxes that included a switch for a fan which is not used.  I am working on transitioning to zwave controlled dimmers for LEDs and these switches require a neutral conductor to function properly.  Since the end of line switch does not have a neutral present, I need to get a neutral to it somehow.

My thought is that I can disable the unused fan circuit and instead use the wiring that was going to that switch to carry a neutral to the box.  I believe that this only requires removing and capping the common line (three way switch common line, not common ground) on both ends of the switch as this would isolate the switches from both line and load.  I should then be able to use either traveler (preferably the no longer black coded white one) as a neutral by adding it to the neutral nut.

Are there any problems with this setup that anyone can see?  Alternately, are there any alternatives that anyone knows of such as wiring a battery powered remote switch in place of cannibalizing the unused circuit that would make this unnecessary?

More technical details in response to comments:
It is actually two parallel 3 way switches that are for both a fan and a light.  They are all on the same breaker using a shared common neutral and shared common ground at the main light switches.

The 4 conductor to the ceiling fixture from the main switches is a 4 conductor with black for light load and red for fan load (capped at fixture since there is no fan).

There are two switches in the main box, both wired to interrupt between line and load in a 3 way configuration with both lines to the remote switches being 4 conductor lines with white coded to black and red as the two travelers and black as the common line/common load.

It is basically two of these, one interrupting black load (light) one interrupting red load (fan/unused), but with fused grounds and neutrals across both loops.

What I am planning for the fan circuit is this:

I'm not sure if I also need to remove the common ground or do anything with the isolated traveler that isn't attached to anything anymore.  I'm not sure at what point (if ever) it is considered just a 14 gauge wire in my wall rather than part of the electrical system.  It is also worth noting that on my diagram, the load is not actually attached to line at the fixture, but rather is capped with the neutral line only actually used at the fixture for the light circuit.

Since you posted the model numbers of the switches, now I can be specific.

Remote switch:

Unwrap the tape from the white.
Connect black terminal to black wire, white terminal to white wire, and the red wire to the yellow/red terminal of the remote switch.

Main dimmer:

Unwrap the tape from the white.
Connect all whites together, including the white wire on the dimmer.
Connect the red wire on the dimmer to the black wire going to the light.
Connect all remaining black wires together including the black wire on the dimmer. (Do not connect the black wire going to the light).
Connect the yellow/red wire on the dimmer to the red "traveler" going to the remote switch.
Cut and cap both ends of the red wire going to the light.


What information do I need to give a general contractor to get a good quote? I'm looking to do some major renovations:

removing an interior wall
removing popcorn ceilings
new kitchen (layout, appliances, counters, cabinets, etc)
new master bath
new flooring throughout
new trim throughout
recessed lighting in kichen and living room

I have a vision, but nothing on paper. Do I need to hire an architect to draw up plans to get decent quotes from general contractors? Is this possible without knowing the exact materials (cabinets, counter tops, etc) I intend to use?

Heading into a major renovation without a detailed plan, materials schedule and a clear budget can turn what should be a gratifying experience into a nightmare.  Preplanning is the key to success. Take your time, if you don't have the ability to create detailed drawings of the new layout, then it may be wise to have an architect create some plans for you. There are lots of items to be considered, plumbing, electrical, structural changes etc.

You should spend  time at home centers or specialty showrooms so you can determine what kind of fixtures, cabinets, counter tops, flooring etc, that meet your needs, style and budget. Remember, quality of these items varies tremendously, so do the costs, so get a handle on those items early in the process.

Create a "schedule" or list of the exact items you want in your renovation. The more detail, model numbers, colors, accessories,  the better. Even have samples of the flooring, trim, finishes etc. Many places will loan you a sample cabinet door and small samples of counter tops.

The advantage of having an architect is that he/she can take your selections and work them along with the unseen requirements into a complete "Scope of Work" that can be used to solicit quotes from contractors. The architect may also help you in constructing a request for bid that will include items such as time schedules, schedule of payments, and final hold-back (10% is common) until a final acceptance inspection is completed. The business aspect of a project like yours is very important since you are probably talking $30,000 to $40,000 or more.

When selecting the contractor, vet them thoroughly, check references, go look at some of their recent work and talk to their customers. Don't be shy about it, I have seen and cleaned up after too many botched and unfinished jobs because the customer fell for a smooth talker and never checked them out professionally. Be very cautious.

I could probably write a book based on your question, but I hope I have covered a few of the bases.  Feel free to ask follow up questions or more specific questions.  Good luck.


Window A/C Dimensions I measured my window width: 19.5"
I measured my old A/C (5,000 BTU): 18"

I used that A/C for a few years and it was great. But I figured I'll get a new one. Maybe more powerful.

But suddenly, every A/C I look at... I can't tell if it would fit or not because of phrasing possibly.

Look at this Haier Esa406n-T 6000 Btu Window Air Conditioner

Dimensions: 18.5" W x 14" D x 12.4375" H.
Depth Including Front: 15.34375"
Window Width: Min. - 24.5" ; Max. - 36"
Window Height Min.: 13.375"

Based on that, I can't tell whether it will fit in my window, because the unit width is 18.5" (And the box visually looks like it should fit. And there is probably Styrofoam padding inside too.
Or will it not fit? What does it mean by minimum window width being 24.5" ??

Any help is appreciated!

The extra 4" on the window width requirement is from the expanding side panels, which, while expandable/collapsible, are likely a minimum of 2" wide each. If you're creative, you could use other means to close off the gap on either side of the unit (though with just a half inch on each side, you may not need to). I would check the return policy of wherever you choose to buy, though, in case it doesn't quite fit.


How can I be sure there are no gas leaks around Gas Oven/Range Combo? My wife was smelling gas around our gas oven/range combo, so I purchased some leak detection bubbles and a cheap gas sniffer. I soap tested everything visible around the flex line and this is what I found at the fitting between the gas line and regulator:

Turns out the person who installed the range didn't teflon tape between the regulator and the fitting, so I taped the joint and tightened everything back up. I did a second soap test and everything checked out.

But! The gas sniffer still detects gas around the oven, only when the gas is turned on. It doesn't detect gas anywhere else, even around other gas appliances in the house. I spoke with an appliance repair tech., who indicated there wasn't much he would do other than what I had already done. He suggested using a lighter to see if gas was getting to any of the burners and that he didn't think it was very likely that the regulator could be malfunctioning. He said if me or my wife keeps smelling gas, or if I detect gas at the burners when the oven is off, that he could make a service call but that he's very busy.

At this point I am wondering if the gas sniffer is just too unreliable and/or sensitive, and that the gas to the appliance is now safe. Every professional I've spoken with says they've found gas detectors to be unreliable, even with the more expensive devices.

The sniffer is an instrument that is used to detect gas in the area.  Once that is determined it is always recommended to use the search bubbles for searching on the individual joints, and fittings. If you are looking for leaks around an appliance like an open cook stove, it is understood that you must calibrate the instrument to eliminate the background 'odors'. Background 'odors' surrounding this type of appliance are to be expected especially when cooking and working on the unit. If you have been away from the house for several hours and upon returning, you smell gas in the area, you know you have a problem.
You already knew you had a leak around the stove.  The protocol would be to now use the bubbles on every field connected joint to the stove. You are on the right track.  After making the repairs to the joints that made bubbles do a retest.  If all joints pass with no bubbles you can expect safe operation.  The sniffer at this point is out of its class.  Additionally, should you see any additional joints that at not generously taped or doped, take them apart and tape or dope them. (flare joints excepted) (All the joints inside the range will have been factory tested and can be expected to be tight.)