Fridge started intermittently tripping GFCI after fan motor replacement Our fridge showed symptoms of evaporator fan motor dying. The bottom of the fridge was cold but the air was not circulating in the freezer and fridge. Then the water dispenser stopped working. I was about to give up but after an overnight shutdown, the water dispenser started working. I realized that the cold bottom of the freezer must have frozen the water lines. I had more confidence that the evaporator fan motor is faulty.

The fridge is side-by-side Fisher & Paykel that came with the house, never again! When I opened inside of the freezer, I realized that there has been a previous repair of the evaporator fan motor. It was one of those hermetically sealed ones with no ground connection. When I opened sealed plastic casing, the circuitry inside was burned with a terrible smell!

The replacement fan motor has three connections including a ground connection tab. Before putting in the new motor, I measured the resistance between the two terminals and then the ground vs two terminals. The ground connection was open as expected. Since the previous motor had no ground connection, I split the green ground wire going to the chassis of the freezer and connected that to the ground of the motor. The fridge is working now in terms of cooling but it has tripped the GFCI twice within the last 16 hours. We had no GFCI issues before. Some current must be leaking to the ground possibly from inductive loading from the fan. Any suggestions? How critical is to ground the fan motor? The fan motor chassis is practically isolated, it's not touching any metal parts. Thanks.

Update: It's been ~30 hours since the fridge last tripped the GFCI! It tripped the GFCI twice before after five and twelve hours after the fix. The fridge was at room temperature after the fix. So maybe there was something related to the fan motor while the fridge was working continually to get to the target temperature. Maybe condensation build up created a path for some charges find their way to the ground connection.

Most of the refer fan motors I have replaced have been shaded pole, the coil on 1 side, these are fairly safe because if the motor freezes up (pun intended) they do not overheat like some motors do. Without a ground if there is a problem the fan may have 120v on its metal parts but if it is isolated I don't see a problem, I have seen shaded pole motors produce enough EMF or kickback that would trip a GFCI in some cases changing brands solved the problem, I am lucky my state allows for fridges to Not have GFCI , so if changing brands did not work I put in a non GFCI outlet.


How to efficiently circulate air to keep room cool? I live in Indonesia and I have an apartment with a 6.7 x 5m room, which contains a dining table and a couch. In this room are two 1.5PK (13,000 BTU) AC units on the same side of room nearer to the couch. If I turn on both ACs I think it's cool enough when I'm sitting on the couch because it's quite near the AC, but not at the dining table. I can barely feel any breeze at the dining table and so it's unpleasant sitting there. This is when only I am in the room. I can't imagine what it's like when I'm having guests.. I was suggested to install stronger ACs, but I fear that's gonna be costly and also it'll be freezing cold near the couch but so-so cold at the dining table.

I think the two AC units are cool enough, but perhaps the cool air is not circulating to all corners of the room. What is your suggestion to keep the whole room evenly cool?

Thank you very much

A common method of equalizing the temperature across a room is to add a ceiling fan.

Cool air tends to stay near the floor, and a fan can be set to pull the air upwards.  As it hits the ceiling, the air is pushed outwards to the edges of the room. Because cool air is heavier than warm air, it then moves downward, better distributing the temperature.

A very low setting can be used to avoid noise and strong air currents.  This is easier with fans that have variable speeds, which is common with remote control types.

This technique is also used to circulate warm air for heating systems that need help with temperature distribution.

SUPPLEMENT

The ceiling fan should be placed near the center of the room. Most fans are reversible. The fan should be set to blow upward, if possible.

Floor fans can also be used.

Similarly, a pedestal fan.

If using a floor or pedestal fan, place near the air conditioning flow and direct the fan upward and toward the other end of the room.


How do I find someone to install a utility pole? I am in need of a fairly tall utility wooden pole installed on my property, which I'm sure requires special know how and equipment to do safely. I've been doing a lot of Googling and found a few companies around the country that SELL the poles, but not installers.

I'm not even sure what terms to search for exactly.

Does anyone have some guidance for how to find a contractor that does this kind of work?

BTW: I'm in Texas, USA.

Many utility arborists have digger trucks and install utility  poles.  You can also call your local power company and ask if they have any sub-contractors that install private poles. Good Luck


Unable to get the GFCI plug to reset why why won't my GFCI plug reset-button reset? It is flashing red and I am unable to get the reset button to pop back.

If you know the manufacturer of the GFCI you could probably look up to see what a flashing red light means, but I'm guessing it indicates a miswired GFCI or some other kind of internal failure.

If you just installed the GFCI, double-check that the wiring has been done properly (i.e. you did not swap the LINE and LOAD sides, swap hot & neutral, etc).

If it is an old GFCI, maybe it is just time to replace it. They can fail over time, especially older models were more prone to failure.


How often to replace thermostatic mixing valve To start off, I absolutely hate idea behind thermostatic mixing valve, but that's not a question.

The water in my house runs hot for about 10 minutes and then turns icy cold, and I have to turn it off and wait for an hour for the hot water to come back for ten minutes again. I assumed problem was with my boiler. So I called a repairman and he told me that boiler is functioning properly and that issue is with my thermostatic mixing valve. He explained to me that they have to be replaced once every 3 years or so and told me that it will cost 400$ to do so. His explanation was that government in Canada uses chemicals that break thermostatic mixing valve.

I am extremely broke, and can't dish out 400$, however I have kids that need to take a bath, and having hot water for only 10 minutes makes it really hard. Does my thermostatic mixing valve need replacing or is there any way I can fix this issue with water turning cold after ten minutes?

If it's an adjustable valve, some times fully opening and closing on a regular basis can help keep the guts free. After that attach a thermometer to the tempered water pipe, try running some Luke warm water at a sink while adjusting the valve, if temperature changes do not correspond with changing settings the valve is faulty. I would have a replacement on hand prior to disassembly, sometimes these things don't go back together nicely.


Toilet not flushing properly because flapper is closing too soon I installed a new flapper and it doesn't stay open long enough. The chain is short to the point not much left to shorten. It was the proper flapper, but just does not stay open long enough unless I hold the handle down. When held down, it flushes just fine. I replaced flapper because old one was leaking and causing run on.

Sounds like the chain is too short. The flapper has to come up past vertical, so that it's out of the way for the full flush. Once the tank starts to fill again, the flapper will slam shut.

If the chain is too long, it won't lift the flapper enough. If the chain is too short, it won't let the flapper fall into the full open position. The chain has to be just right, for everything to work.


Sister 2x10 joist with a 2x8 We are looking into continuing work on our story duplex basement. Our basement in most areas is anywhere from 6.1 to 6.5 feet. I am looking to gain an additional 2 inches of head room. Right now the cost of lowering the floor would not net a vailable return. However...

The basement is approx. 1200 sq/ft. The floor joists are 2x10, (16" OS) (true cut) and do not run longer than 11 feet. This is an older construction, at the moment there are no hangars attaching the joists to the 2 main cross beams. My idea is to sister 2x8 beams to the existing 2x10 and trim down the 2x10s to 8 inches and use a 4x8 or 4x6 joist hangers. Additionally all the beams are notched at either end, but the notch doesn't serve a purpose.

The tables indicate that a 2x8 with my current span is feasible. I have just not found many references to this type of job. We want to keep an open ceiling concept in the basement, so any head room gained is worth it and I would assume, in theory, be shoring up the floor with the sistering of the joists, addition of hangers and would add blocking (since there is none). Does this make sense?

The Code requires a minimum ceiling height of 7’-0” for habitable spaces, unless 1) it’s a slopped ceiling, 2) beams in ceilings 3) basement remodel, 4) bathroom or shower.

1) Slopped ceilings shall have at least 50% with at least 7’ height and slope down to no more than 5’.

2) Beams in ceilings spaces not less than 4’ on center, can drop down 6” below the 7’ ceiling.

3) Basements can have 6’-8” ceilings in non-habitable spaces.

4) Not more than 75% of a sloped ceiling in a bathroom can be less than 7’ if a space in front of toilet, sink, shower is 6’-4” high.

Yes your 2x8’s at 16” on center spanning your maximum length of 11’ will be strong enough and comply with the structural code requirement of providing a minimum of 40 lbs. per square foot. (Sistering a joist to the original joists may be overkill.)

However, you have other issues regarding ceiling heights, exits, etc.


Dishwasher not draining before and after pump replacement I have an 8 year old he dishwasher(GSD4060D35SS). It developed a problem where it wouldn’t drain at the end of the cycle. I replaced the pump and solenoid after discovering some physical damage to the impeller of the pump. The dishwasher drained without issue once. The next time there seemed to be water left over after the rinse cycle(clean water with no suds almost to heating element) and the next time it had standing water with soap in it leading me to think it didn’t completely drain from either the wash or rinse cycle. Is there anything else I should check? When it drains there is a steady stream of water into the disposal unit and no indication of a blockage in the hose.  When water is in the bottom of the dishwasher if I run a reset cycle the water will gradually drain.  Sometimes with one reset cycle and sometimes it takes several to evacuate the water.

There is a float/sensor in dishwashers that tells it when there is water in the unit.
You might have an object that is jamming it up or it's sticking.   It should be an easy fix (if that's it).


How do I ground a new outlet that only has the black/white wires? I am adding a new outlet but want to make sure it is correctly grounded.

I have outlet A that I am going to be creating a new outlet B. I tested A and it says it is grounded and want to ground outlet B the same way. How do I see how outlet A is grounded and do the same as B if there is no grounding wire?

I am assuming that it is grounded through the metal outlet box.

You can Install a GFCI outlet that has an 'equivalent' protection to be used in outlets where PE is not present.


Will the concrete slab in a partially heated shed conduct a lot of heat to the unconditioned area? I have a barn-garage type outbuilding (I believe it was a small barn originally; it has that kind of tall, roomy upper loft). It's about 40 by 20 feet. It's got a concrete foundation and the lower part is divided into two equal sized rooms.

I'm thinking about taking one of the lower rooms and making it a little more hospitable to hang out in and do projects. It would mean patching some wall, adding real doors, and insulating and sheetrocking it.

I want to keep the floor as bare concrete so I can anchor machine tools etc to it for ultimate rigidity. But if it's sharing a concrete foundation with the other room, is heating it in the winter going to be practical? (This house is in the US Pacific Northwest; it gets fairly cold.) Is the floor going to be a giant heat sink?

Are there are any other things I'm not thinking about here, where moisture or heat concerns might bite me if I'm just insulating and heating one room in this larger structure?

I'd have no concerns about doing what you describe. I've seen it done many times here in frigid Minnesota. Build your walls (using treated lumber and suitable nails where it contacts the slab), insulate the walls and ceiling, and line the entire thing with 4 mil poly sheeting.

Yes, you'll lose a bit of heat through the floor, but since your heat source is above the floor it won't absorb much anyway. The cost inefficiency is negligible unless you're extrapolating out a few decades. The primary sink isn't the connection to the unheated slab area anyway--it's the ground. The old barn slab almost certainly doesn't have insulation under it.

You could always overlay the floor between the walls with foam and plywood or one of the ready-made subfloor products if you wanted maximum energy savings.

Have fun with your project space. I'm envious. Just don't asphyxiate yourself with homebrew heating equipment.


Options for insulating glass sliding patio door in master bedroom other than replacing it? Our master bedroom is a lot colder than any other room in the house. From what I can see, the patio door is leaking in a lot of cold. We don't want to replace the entire patio door right now. Looking for something quick/inexpensive to last us through the winter.
I have uploaded some pictures of the door and what the temperature looks like around the room and near the door: https://imgur.com/a/2D87YR4.
The edges of the windows in other rooms have similar numbers but they just have one window so its less of an issue. Maybe whatever solution I can find for the patio I can use for the other rooms too.

The sliding door that is installed may be a cheaper door and does not have a "thermal break" in it's construction. If you are the purchaser of one of these doors you should insure that the door has this thermal break. That said, one way to help correct this cold problem would be to make sure that the perimeter of the frame is sealed  (caulked) to lessen air infiltration. It can be carefully caulked on both the outside and the inside. Another "fix" would be to install a storm door for that sliding door. I know that these do work because I installed one in my last house where I had the same problem as yours. To find a storm door you could search for "patio storm doors. I searched and came up with Larson and Columbia. You could also shop for these at Lowes or Home Depot and they can have it installed for you if you want. Hpoe this helps.


Storing items in washroom (protection from moisture) I've moved into a flat which has a washroom (shower, washing machine and sink) which is relatively huge in comparison to the rest of the flat; How might I be able to store items in this room without them being damaged due to the humidity caused by usage of the shower and washing machine/drying racks?

There is a small fan in the wall which is somewhat effective at cycling air through the room (it turns on automatically once the humidity passes a given threshold) but it is still noticeably "steamy" in the room for a while after showering.

If I simply put some large cabinets in the room, I fear that e.g. textile and paper items in the room will slowly be ruined by the moisture; Are there no furniture(-like) solutions which can allow me to easily store these items in the room while keeping them dry?

You can run a test with some scrap paper or something, but I suspect this won't be a problem. Towels, toilet paper, and tissues are all commonly stored in bathrooms with no ill effects, and many vanity cabinets are made of particleboard - notoriously susceptible to moisture.

Just make sure to run the fan every time the bath or shower is used (don't wait for it to turn on automatically) and for 20-30 minutes after.


Is there something like a P-clip but with symmetric flanges? This is a P-clip:

It has a round bit which goes round a pipe, and two flanges which come off and present a pair of aligned holes through which you can thread a bolt. Ideal.

One of the flanges comes off the round bit at a tangent, and the other doubles back on itself to come off at a sharp angle. When bolted together, they form a projection which is tangential to the pipe - if you bolted through the flanges to a surface, that the pipe would lie pretty much flat on that surface. Since P-clips are mostly used for mounting pipes to walls, this is, again, ideal.

I have a situation where i want to bolt something to a pipe, but it's not a wall. I actually want to hang something off a pipe. To do this, i need some sort of clip where i can put a bolt through a projection which sticks straight out from the pipe, rather than sticking out at a tangent. Not a P-clip - more of a Q-clip.

(Would a diagram help here?)

Is there such a thing? I have searched for Q-clips, in case that's what they're called, but haven't come up with much.

There are 'universal' pipe hangers that you could shape as needed. These are just a strip of malleable metal with a series of holes in it. I'm sure the big box stores have something equivalent.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#perforated-steel-straps/=nrz5k8

Adding some more options:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#pipe-routing-clamps/=nrzgqn


How can I tell which wire to connect to a bayonett lamp connector? I have a white bayonet lamp connector that has no markings to show where to connect the brown and blue wires.
Any suggestions? thanks.

Wouldn't  matter. Either wire to either side will complete the circuit once the bulb is in place.


Window unit question btu/sqft We live in a 260sf tiny house. Currently we are running a 5k btu and an 8k btu and they are not cooling well enough. Both A/C's are about 3 years old. This is only 1 room + a bathroom so only a single wall dividing. I clean the filters every week with soap to make sure nothing is blocking. That's about how often the filter light comes on.
Is this really not enough strength? Or do I just need to replace the units with a new 10k? From everything I've looked at the 8k alone should cool for this sq ft

Yes, very small. When I say tiny home, I mean literally the definition of tiny home (1 room plus a bathroom). I know there is a humidity issue as we are just outside Houston. I've noticed the smaller one, which is a 5050 btu, even though it is blowing cold it isn't putting out much force. The larger one never cycles off even during the  mornings. The Windows are double paned. Door is sealed.
In the morning it is cold as it should be inside, but by noon it's pushing 80°. By 5pm, it can be close to 90° and God forbid I'm cooking anything.
In the winter it stays perfectly warm with an oil heater even during freezing temps. I'm not trying to make it walk in cooler temperature. I'm wanting it to be a decent 73°-75°. I'll see about the temp output on the larger one. Seems pointless on the smaller if it doesn't seem to put out much air flow

260 Sq Ft?  Are you sure, lol.  Many variables are missing here.  I have cooled 500 sq ft with an 8k window shaker in northern calif.  So maybe you can tell where you live.  Phoenix? lol.  So let's check the units.  If you can measure the air coming out of the unit with a thermometer that would be the first clue.  It should be in the low 40s or high 30s.  Three yrs old is not very ole.  Second is insulation and air gaps.  Get those two out of the equation and you should be cool as a cucumber.


How high can I pour cement against my house How high can I pour cement patio against my brick house? I want to go as high as I can without causing other problems.

It depends on how the exterior foundation wall is constructed.

If it’s solid wythe brick and the brick extends down to the footing, I’d keep the top of the slab about one brick course below the interior floor surface.

If it’s solid wythe brick and extends down to a concrete stem wall, I’d keep the top of the slab about 1” below the top of the stem wall. The brick will be mortared to the top of the stem wall and it will crack and separate from the stem wall. This will allow moisture to enter your crawl space. The reason it’s not a problem now is because it’s a vertical joint and the ground is probably sloping away from the joint. As soon as you pour a slab against the wall, you’ll be “holding” water against the house and the crack, which will allow it to leak.

If it’s brick veneer, it should have weep holes and I’d keep the slab about 1” below the weep holes or about 1” below the concrete ledge on the stem wall that the veneer is sitting on...whichever is lower.

Remember, concrete is largest the day it’s poured. It will continue to shrink as it dries. (It may expand during freezing weather, but it’s minor compared to the drying process.) So, it will not put pressure (stress) on your exterior wall, unless you have a basement.


Do LED lamps need a bulb? I bought an LED light bulb on eBay, which unfortunately is too big for the lamp i want to put it in. If I would remove the glass bulb however, it would fit. My question is, does the lamp actually need the glass bulb, like a normal lightbulb does? Or is it there just for asthetic or maybe safety reasons?

The product in question is this one:

http://m.ebay.de/itm/3W-4W-5W-E14-E27-LED-Birne-Gluehbirne-Lampe-Leuchtmittel-Milch-Klar-Kerzen-Kugel-/331509865665?varId=540677165602&txnId=1163527699014

Both safety and aesthetic.

It keeps fingers from touching the circuit which is most likely directly connected to the mains (no isolation). Removing it would create a serious safety hazard.


Marbles in marble dispenser get stuck trying to fit through hole I've been working on a marble dispenser for the little ones. The box in the center is meant to be pushed. When pushed, it aligns three slots and allows the marbles to drop. (See figures). The problem that I'm having is the marbles aren't even making it through the first slot--if two or more try to enter at once, there's not enough room and they get stuck.

I tried using a funnel to feed marbles into the hole, but they still get stuck. Any ideas on how to prevent that?

It occurred to me that this problem has already been solved...  Gumball machines and/or coin-op toy dispensers at the grocery store are capable of selecting just one of something.  A quick search reveals a solution like this:

Seem to me you may be able to adapt your design to work something like that.  Even if not, I'd look at gumball machine designs...


Making sure old Honeywell Thermostat (round dial) doesn't turn on I've had to cover my baseboard heater with painter's tape and duct tape because I keep getting click beetles strolling into my apartment after 6pm (I live in Michigan, and the temps are dropping).

I want to make sure that when I am sleeping, the heat doesn't kick on and melt the tape.

When I set the dial all the way to the left, does it act like a switch (ie, turn off the heat)? Or, will it kick on anyway once the temp falls under a certain temp, even though I set the dial as far to the left as possible?

I am waiting for the landlord to come up resolve the issue but it won't be till the weekend, and am just bundling up nice and warm.

Any help would be astronomically appreciated!

Look for an on/off switch or a heat/cool switch on the thermostat.  If you can't turn it off, turn it to cool.  If your thermostat doesn't have a switch like that, turn off the circuit breaker for the heater.


ground wire to panel box I have two wires from the power supply to my main panel and no ground electrode wire; how do I connect the ground wire from the main panel to the ground rod? The circuits? the receptacles? Also, how do I wire the panel box? now this what I did, I connected the neutral to the bus bar then connected the ground wire to its bus bar and linked a wire from the neutral bus to the ground bus. I took a wire from the bus bar of ground to the ground rod. what is your advice to these connections.

If you don't have one, you need a grounding terminal.

Wiring a panel is not difficult, but definitely check your local code to make sure that panel wiring isn't required to be done by a licensed electrician.

All of your other questions can be answered with simple Google searches. You should really do research on your own before asking very broad questions.


New dryer, old outlet We just moved into a rental and will only be there 4 months. The dryer plug is three prong and our dryer is 4. Our landlord is kind of useless so we're not sure if he'll make an effort to do anything for us because it's such a short stay.
Is there an adapter or plug we can use temporarily instead doing electrical work?

The manufacturer's installation instructions should contain a section on how to properly install a three prong cord on the dryer.  Buy a three prong cord, and follow the instructions to install it.  Keep the 4 prong cord, in case the next place has a 4 prong receptacle.

If you don't have the manufacturer's installation instructions for the dryer, you can usually download a copy from the manufacturer's website. You'll just need to know the model number to look it up.

  WARNING
  Using unlisted adapters found on the internet, or building ones yourself, is a good way to injure/kill someone.


Is it possible to only use one color of an RGB LED strip? I have been given some RGB rolls of led lighting. I only want to use the red or blue on a boat... can I cut it and only solder only 2 wires say to ground and R and get red, ground and B and get blue?

Doxylover is right.  most inexpensive RGB LED strips have four conductors; the three colors and ground.   The ones I've used can take variable voltage on each circuit to allow color mixing and dimming.

Are you looking to have variety in color?  or just a stripe of a color to accent?

I think your boat is going to look fantastic.   Nice lighting.


How do I fill holes around a light switch? I have a light switch where the plaster board around the edges of the face plate have broken away.

I was thinking of using some kind of filler like Polycell to fill the holes but I'm not really sure how I would go about it.  Is it simply a case of mixing the filler quite thick and applying to the holes?

I don't know if this is relevant but the back plate behind the light switch isn't attached to the wall in anyway. The back plate seems to be stay in place by screwing in the light switch.

Pick up a small bucket of an all purpose patch likeDap Flexall All Purpose Filler. The all purpose stuff is a little thicker than typical joint compound, so it makes filling a bit easier.
Remove the switch cover.
Using a taping knife, fill in the holes by pushing the compound into the hole and drawing the knife away from the hole.

Like so...

Repeat for each hole.
Wait for patch to dry.
Sand, Prime, Paint, Reattach the face plate.

If you find the holes are too big, and the compound is just falling through the hole.  You'll have to get a wall repair patch kit, to fill the holes before covering them with compound/plaster.  Follow the directions on the patch kit.


By manually impacting and cooling drill bit in water may one slowly drill concrete and bricks without impact function? In theory, drilling a hole through concrete, bricks, and ceramic tiles needs a large power impact drill with concrete or ceramic tile bit. I googled, impact prevents drill bits head from wearing out due to high temperature. Since the problem is wearing out due to high temperature, can I use a brick or ceramic tile bit at a regular hand driller without impact function, to drill slowly and manually and repeatedly cool it by like putting it in water?
Further more, can I manually impact? Like knock a hole with bit while drilling? Will this damage motor or bearing?

Impact drills are used in concrete and stone, with the appropriate drill bits, because they drill faster by causing micro fractures of the material surface and thus easier removal. The drill bits can get rather hot in the process.
It is still possible to drill holes in concrete with a regular plain rotary drill with the proper carbide tipped drill bits. It takes a lot longer to drill this way and the hole often ends up larger than intended because of the tendency of drill bit tip to wander around when pressure is applied it. The drill bit can indeed get hot but I've never actually seen the drill bit get so hot as to melt. Far more likely the end of the drill bit is going to wear away due to abrasion.
There would be nothing to stop you from repeatedly removing the drill bit from the in process hole drilling operation and cooling it with water when using either the impact driver or the regular electric drill. In fact you could even have a small stream of water running at the hole being drilled to help cool the bit.


Smart Switch Connection Issues I am trying to wire a smart switch and wired it successfully for the other rooms but as having trouble in one of the rooms.
Can someone help me identify which wires are which as it seems to me by looking that white is being used as a hot wire maybe?
I know the red is the load  and  the bare one is the ground but I’m confused about the negative and/or neutral wires.
Any help would be appreciated.

This looks like a switch loop where the hot is the white wire the switched hot going back on the red and black. Very common to do this at the initial wire pull for a fan and a light. You can get a neutral to this location but it will require moving wires around and eliminating 1 switch (you loose the fan option to gain smart switch).
The white should have been reidentified as a hot usually with a black permanent marker or tape. This step is regularly overlooked and homeowners not knowing this causing miswires, it will again be a neutral so don’t fix it now.
With the breaker off.
The wiring would need to be changed in the ceiling from this cable.
the white wire now connected to black would be moved to the other group of white wires now the white down in the switch box is neutral.
The black going to the light or not used goes to the black where the white was usually a black this goes Down in the switch box this is your hot or line now.
Place the red on the other side of the same switch the black wire is on, this is now the switched hot going back on the red to the black of the light  (red wire to black of light).
Turn the power back on and it should work, just the 1 switch now convert it to your smart switch.
Get a double gang cover plate with one side blanked off or put the switch in knowing it is not connected to anything.


How can I make swinging barn doors weather tight? Looking to turn a small barn-type structure into a climate controlled woodshop. The building itself is block and the doors are about 4x10' (w/h) oak pivoting double doors like a shed would have.
I want to keep these doors (instead of investing in an expensive rollup, etc.) but is there a good way to make them more airtight? I plan to try to keep the shop temp/humidity on a thermostat.

Without pictures or a description of what you've currently got to make them "airtight", it's hard to make a specific recommendation, but in general, do the same things you do for French doors on your house:

Weather stripping all around the openings
Weather stripping between the doors
Rubber sweeps at the bottom of the doors

If the doors weren't originally designed for weatherstripping, adding it may make it very difficult to close them, so you may have to either get some very thin rubber or foam gaskets, or, using some of those woodworking tools in your woodworking shop, adapt the doors and/or openings to make room for thicker weatherstripping.
Whatever you do, just make sure that the doors close tightly and that your updates don't prevent the latches from working.


Improving awkward wiring I just had FIOS installed today to replace Comcast. Everything went great but I didn't pay attention to how they installed the connector to my router. I thought they would add a port for the Ethernet right next to the cable, but instead the Ethernet cable is routed out from behind the faceplate awkwardly.

Is this what I need? Amazon back-plate product with coax and cat-6

I am not sure if that back-plate would connect to the left-side of that Ethernet connection. What is that called?

Result:

Much better than before. It was really jammed up behind the faceplate, so I couldn't keep the coax connected. I think I need to cut out a bigger hole and get a bigger faceplate for that. At least for now the look is improved. Thank you everyone for your help!

The left-hand part of the Ethernet connection is commonly called a keystone jack or a keystone module. All brands look more-or-less the same, but (to my knowledge) there isn't any formal industry standardization on the dimensions. One can rest assured that Leviton jacks will fit nicely into Leviton brand wall plates, but a Leviton brand jack might not fit so well into an unbranded wall plate from Amazon (purely as an example -- I can't tell from the photo what brand of jack it is).

You can try a wall plate such as the one linked. There's a fair chance the existing jack will fit well enough. If it doesn't, you can try again with another brand of wall plate or buy a jack and plate that are known to work together and replace the existing jack.


Warp resistance of joined 1x lumber Let's say I had a choice between 1x12 for shelves and actually joining two ripped pieces of 1x8. Contrary to the initially appealing, I'm inclined to think that wider lumber tends to warp more than, say 1x6 or 8. So I'm inclined to actually go through the biscuit joining process to prevent warping.

Are my assumptions correct and the resulting approach? Basically, is it better against warping, to have two narrower plates biscuit joined or one wide plate?

You are always smart to join two narrower boards to achiever a shelf width rather than purchase the full width in one piece.  The joined boards are far less inclined to warp.  It is necessary to joint the matching edges to get a tight joint.  Clamp from both sides. This helps eliminate a bow in the final piece. I personally like dowels.  And if you use clamping dogs to keep the joints even biscuits are not actually necessary.  Our modern glues are more than strong enough alone.


Running wires through conduit on outside of house to feed garage sub panel My electrical panel is in the basement on the west end of the house and my garage is on the east end.  I had planned to run a 6/3NM-B cable along the joists and through the rim joist to get into my garage to feed a 60 amp subpanel.  That has proven to be a much bigger challenge than I expected, so now I'm thinking about running THHN from the main panel to the outside of the house and run it through PVC conduit along the north wall and then run it back into the garage wall to feed the subpanel.  I would use #6 (red, black, and white) and a #10 green for ground.  Does this sound like a reasonable approach?  It feels a bit hacky to go outside and then back in, but it's going to be much easier than the other approach.

I learned here on the stackexchange that running wire outside is considered a wet location and THWN wire is needed, even if its in conduit.. The W is for wet locations.


Installing Nest From HoneyWell T8575D Condo 8-Wire thermostats My condo apartment current has the HoneyWell T8575D installed and I want to switch to Nest. But I couldn't find which Nest port should the "Fan Common" line go into.
The wiring from the wall is as follows. I did some research on my own, and mapped each wire to the nest configuration. My mappings are labelled red in the picture. It has 4 wires to control 3 fan speeds. By reading online, the nest thermostats 3rd gen can handle it by reconfigure the port * and port Y2 through software.

The current thermostat is Honeywell T8575D. Its circuit diagram is as follows. It appears that wire 6 is connected to the "common" of "Vavle Motor/End switch". My guess is used for turning on the fan automatically when the valve is on.

I took reference from the manual about another HoneyWell Thermostats Model that has the fan "Always ON". It connects "5" and "6" internally in the thermostat, meaning it supplies 24V to line 6 (Fan Common) when the thermostats is turned on.

For the Fan Control Circuit, the manual says it used W6380B. But it has been replaced by ICM6200 recently. (https://www.icmcontrols.com/documents/ss_LIS216.pdf link to the manual). The following is the internals circuit diagram of the fan relay, it corresponds to the W6380B box in the T8575D circuit. It is basically a relay to control "on/off" state of the high voltage (120V) fan via low voltage source (24V)

So my question is about the "Fan Common", which is the #6 Green Wire from the wall. I don't seem to find a corresponding Nest port for it. Is it Ok that I leave it not connected? I think Nest would turn on the fan by supplying 24 Vac to Port "C", which drives the Fan 1 low speed through the relay.

After a series of testing, I am sure the Fan Common (Green #6) line is hooked to high voltage line of heater/cooler valve motor end switch, when the fan is switched to AUTO mode. Subsequently, Fan Common is connected to the Fan Low/Med/Hi input, depending on  which fan level the user sets the Honeywell thermostat. In this arrangement, the fan can start and stop in sync with the heater/cooler.
When the Fan Always On is set, the Fan Common (Green #6) is no longer connected to fan low(Red #7)/Med(Blue #8)/Hi(Brown #9). Instead one of the #7 #8 #9 is connected to the 24V power line and driven continuously regardless the state of heater/cooler.
As for the Nest Thermostat, it is able to sync turning on heater/cooler with driving one of the fan inputs (#7~#9 on my question diagram). There is no need to depend on the Fan Common Line (Green #6) to signal when to turn on a fan.
As such, the Fan Common Line can be left out in the connection to the Nest Thermostat.

This is how I test out functionality of the thermostats without the Fan Common Line

With the above arrangement, my thermostat works with heating, 3 levels of fan speed.


Two Switches to Separate Lights and One Constant Hot Outlet I ran into an issue while trying to rewire my bathroom's electrical system. I have a small diagram below to illustrate my intentions:

Basically I have two switches, Switch A) is for the hall light, and Switch B)for the bathroom. Alongside the bathroom switch is GFCI outlet that I'd like to keep constant hot. There are two Sheaths of wire cover that come from the ceiling in between the sheetrock. One of them has three wires (white,black,red), and the other is just two wires (white,black). My question is how do I wire this up to work as mentioned? I have spent several hours on it and no luck.

I ended up playing with the wiring for a couple more hours and this is what I needed:

To be clear, I just wanted two switches that controlled two separate lights, and off of those wires I wanted to create an outlet/receptacle that was always on, regardless of switches. The diagram above accomplishes this.


How can I locate an inground pool leak? I have a 16,000 gallon inground pool with a fiberglass finish over a gunnite shell. It has a 8-pop up infloor system which has been disabled, so the popups are the only returns. I have a leak somewhere, without the pump running, but I can't seem to find out where.
I plugged both holes (cleaner and main drain) in the poolside skimmer, and the pool is still leaking at a rate of about an 2 inches a day or more. I patched the hole at the pool light conduit, where the power cord enters the pool (in the niche behind the metal pool light assembly, and replaced the gasket on the pool light assembly. Still leaking.
So, I guess that leaves either a main drain leak, Pressure-side pipe leak, or one or more of the infloor pop ups? Squirted some dye around 3 of the pop ups and saw no movement.  Any help would be most appreciated. Thanks.
A Quick Update
I drained the pool and inspected the bottom/main 'drain'... which is NOT leaking. I dug up the suction-side PVC from the pool to the pump, and noticed a small drip on the bottom of the PVC at a previous repair connection. But it doesn't trip when the pump is running, and it seems too small a leak to be dropping the pool level by an inch (or two) per day. I continue to suspect the leak is coming from one, or more, of the 8 (disabled) pop-up/return ports on the bottom of the pool. Or, at the T connector under the concrete at the pool edge where it hooks up to the suction line that goes to the pump. The pool is an old Master Pool, and I can't find anything online about the pop-up caps or how to remove them. One photo shows the pool level when the leak appears to slow a bit.

Your leak rate seems to be too slow for the dye tracing method you describe.
You should place temporary patches over any suspect locations and observe which patch gets tightened by water pressure.
Almost any watertight flexible membrane and temporary watertight attachment will do. I would use cut-up garbage bags and duct tape. It only has to last for 24 hours or so.
Be sure to trap a lot of water under each patch when you apply it. The next day, you will find the patch covering the leak has been flattened like a vacuum pack while all the other patches are still blobbing about like happy octopi.


What type of grout and mortar should I use for the compartment around my wood stove? I would like to tile around the inside of my fireplace but I am unsure what type of grout I should use. My only problem is the stove can produce an extreme amount of heat, therefore, causing the tiles to fall off if I use the wrong type of grout.

Is there a type of grout, cement or adhesive that is resistant to extreme heat?

Note: the tiles of which I will be using are fire and heat resistant.

Below is an image of the area within my fireplace of which I am tiling: (note: at the time of tiling the wallpaper will be removed)

Thanks.

Yes, they have special epoxy mortar for heat sensitive locations.

To me, mortar is what is installed on the back of each tile that fastens the tile to the wall. Grout is what is used to “fill” the joint between each tile. (BTW, this is exactly opposite of terms used for laying concrete block walls...grout is what fills the cells and mortar is what goes in the joint.)

Each “stove” manufacturer have requirements for “non-combustible” clearances between the stove and combustible materials. You’ll need to get the manufacturer’s installation instructions (possibly from the internet).

BTW, you asked about the wall, but you’ll need a non-combustible hearth too. Verify if your current wood floor can remain.

Also, verify the size of your existing flue is acceptable, depending on fuel type, (i.e.: wood, gas, etc.)


How should I connect the ground wire for my light fixture? I am replacing a light fixture in my bathroom and have the following setup:

The electrical box is plastic
The wire coming from supply has black (hot), white (neutral) and copper (ground).
The light fixture comes with a metal bracket for attaching to the electrical box that has a green screw
The light fixture has black, white and copper wires.

The instructions supplied with the fixture dont give me an example of how to wire it up if there is an existing ground wire coming from supply.  It only tells me to attach the copper wire of the light fixture to the green screw.  So I'm curious what I should do with the ground from the supply.  Looking online, my options appear to be this:

So I think since the electrical box is plastic, I should just connect the ground of the supply with the ground of the light fixture with the wire nut.  Do I need to connect both of them together with the green grounding screw on the light fixture as well, or would that only be if the electrical box was metal?

The instructions for the fixture are only correct for a metal box.  If a metal box was used, the box itself would (should) be grounded.  The bracket that holds the light would then be connected to the box, which would make the bracket grounded.  Finally the ground wire from the fixture would attach to the bracket, grounding the fixture.

In the case of a plastic box, the box is not grounded.  All ground connections must be made by connecting the ground wires together. So in your situation you are correct, you'll connect the ground from the supply to the ground from the fixture using a twist-on connector (or other approved connection).


Can a conical form for pouring shorter concrete footers be used for fence posts? The frost line is 1.2m deep in my area. That seems like a lot of concrete to pour for a fence post.

I'm wondering if a better way is to make a shorter footer following the suggestion that's used in wooden posts shown below, but with concrete footers:

Digging a hole like this seems tricky, so a concrete form seems like a better way. I found a patent for this kind of forms, but don't know where they can be purchased.

So, my questions:

Would a shallower conical post resolve the issue of frost heaving?
If so, how shallow? Wind load is a factor, so assuming a 2m high privacy fence, perhaps all of this is moot.
Where can one buy conical forms?

You can't escape physics and violate code, which places footing depths below frost depths.  Just be glad you're not in Alberta, I hear they must go to 12ft.

    Where restraint in the form of a building load is present, heaving pressures may or may not overcome the restraint, but they can be very high: 19 tons/sq ft has been measured, and a seven-story reinforced concrete frame building on a raft foundation was observed to heave more than 2 in

Concrete Network article on shallow footings and frost


How can I install a drain pan under my existing water heater? I want to install a water heater pan under my 12 year old water heater.  It is located in the basement and is on bricks.  I can't figure how I can physically get a pan under the water heater.
Thanks.

The only slightly easy way is to drain the water heater of all water. Hopefully the tank is connected to the water supply pipes with flexible hoses and not soldered copper. The tank is now ready to be raised so the new "Smitty" pan can be slid underneath.   Depending on the size of the tank you may want to enlist some helpers. I've managed to wrestle a 30 gallon tank onto a catch pan, but a single family dwelling is more likely to use a 40 or 50 gallon tank. Even empty it will be awkward for 2 people to lift while a third person slides the pan underneath.   I've found it helpful to have some 2 x 4 or 4 x 4 blocking on hand so if needed can support the tank and slowly removed as the pan is inserted.


Will a few weeks of exposure to the weather damage cementboard? I am getting ready to put Durock on my outdoor grill area. I am wrapping it with stone but it will be a few weeks before the stone comes in. Will the rain damage the cement board in any way or should I wait until the stone comes in? Was wanting to start using the grill if the weather will not hurt anything.

I would wrap it in plastic.  The rain won't intrinsically hurt it but mud and other particles could ruin some of the ability for the thinset to adhere.


Is it code to nut off a ground wire instead of connecting it? I was replacing a standard light switch and noticed that the current light switch’s ground wire (green) was not being connected to anything.  It was connected to the switch on one end and to a wirenut on the opposite end, however no other wires were included in the wirenut.  The wirenut was simply terminating the single grounding wire.

This goes against my understanding of how a grounding wire should be wired, but this building is brand new construction and so must have passed inspection recently.  Is this a valid way to ground a light switch and if so, why?

The ground wire should be properly connected back to the box ground connection, or back to the line ground if there is no ground connection in the box.

Some will argue that the metal screws provide the grounding to the plate and so the ground wire is superfluous.

However, there are two issues with that.

The screws and the screw holes are very loose tolerance. The screws wobble around in them. The plate itself gets painted over, OFTEN. Any paint or other contaminant, eg. drywall dust, can get into the screw threads and break that electrical contact quite easily. That leaves your plate ungrounded.
When working on the switches, it is not uncommon to have them hanging out of the box while the electrician, or would be electrician / E.R. bait, works on the circuit as a whole. If you do not connect the ground wire, the plate again is, obviously, ungrounded.

The code in your area may indicate it is not necessary, so not doing so may be legally "valid", but for complete safety, you should wire it up anyway.

BTW: Inspectors do not inspect every outlet, that would take too long. Instead they normally sample test a few and trust that the electrician followed the same standards everywhere. The electrician, not knowing which outlets the inspector is going to test, is therefore "enticed" to do them all the same way.


Running NM-B in PVC SCH 40 Conduit from Outdoor Breaker Panel For space-saving reasons, I have outdoor breaker panels, and most of my branch circuits are wired through the attic down to individual outlets. Currently, the wires run through the wall from the breaker panel into the attic, but it is getting difficult to pull any more wires through.

My service wires actually enter from under the panel, and there is a ~2" entry at the top of the panel. What I would like to do is run my branch circuits through 2" SCH 40 PVC conduit up from the breaker panel on the outside of the building, and have one 90° bend to go through the wall and into the attic. The total length of the conduit run would be less than 10' and none of it is underground.

I would like to know if I can run NM-B (Romex) through this conduit from the breaker box legally. For one of the panels, this will consist of a maximum 12 individual 12/2 cables. For the other panel, this will consist of a maximum 4 10/3 and 2 12/3 cables.

I believe the conduit is appropriately large enough for the number of conductors, but I've seen other answers regarding running NM-B through conduit where conduit length is a concern.

TLDR: Putting many wires in a conduit requires you vastly oversize the wire.  Better to use many conduits, limiting each to four 14-12 AWG circuits or three 10AWG circuits.

Wire count de-rate

In one box, you propose twelve 12/2 cables in a single conduit.  That is 24 conductors (grounds don't count).  Because you have so many, NEC rule 310.15(B)3 requires you de-rate the conductors at 45% (per table 310.15B3A)

and per whatever type of cable you are in fact using on table 310.15B16:

For instance if  you aim to run 20A, and use THWN-2 or USE-2, 10 AWG wire is 40A x 45% = 18A -- not enough, you must go to 8 AWG wire.

If you're asking "why haven't I heard of this before", it's because the way the numbers work out on 310.15B, the de-rate rules generally don't bother 15-20A circuits with 9 or fewer conductors.  It may be a factor for 30A circuits or larger.  Grounds are not conductors, and neutrals are not counted in 120/240V or MWBC circuits, since they only carry imbalance current.  So any circuit in single-phase or split-phase tends to count as 2 conductors, allowing 4 circuits.

Conduit fill

Now that these wires are getting burly, you'll need to re-visit the normal conduit fill calculations appropriate to the type of cable you use (jacketed cable like USE-2 takes a lot more space than single wire THWN-2).

Wet location

Since your boxes are outdoors, everything needs to be listed for wet locations.  You cannot use NM cable. You would need cable listed for outdoor use, e.g. USE-2.  If you use UF or USE cable, go back to 310.15B16 because there's an additional derate, for instance necessitating 6 AWG if using UF.

Transition to smaller wire

Since you can't stick 8 AWG cable on a receptacle terminal, you will need to transition to 12 AWG wire somewhere.  It could happen in the receptacle box, but it'll take a lot less overall wire wrestling if you do it before that.  However this must be a place where you've split to less than 4 circuits per conduit, bundle, or hole.  Also, it must be inside an electrical box which remains accessible.  You can't put an electrical box anywhere that disassembly of the building is required to access it.  Behind a little door is fine; a panel screwed down is not.

Better way to do it

The best way to avoid that derating is numerous conduits, so you are not exceeding the nine practical limit for #12 and #14, and the six practical limit for #10.  For instance, five conduits will barely get you by: Two conduits for the four 10/3 and two 12/3 - and three more for the twelve 12/2. You will be full-up at that point, and would need to run more conduit to add anything.  I would consider 8 conduits.  Since you're already doing six, doing two more is no trouble.  You're already there, have all the right tools and supplies, and by #5 you're getting pretty good at it.

Keep in mind conduits must have a certain spacing in order to count as separate conduits. That is for air circulation, as the name of the game is to cool the wires and conduit.


How to make the doorframe not hideous The frame of my front door looks, for lack of a better word, hideous:

The holes in the frame itself aren't what concerns me--there was a security screen door there before, and I will probably just fill the holes and sand them down until flush with the rest of the frame, problem solved.

But what is going on between the frame and the stucco? It looks like the doorframe was maybe set in the wall with... some foam/caulking? and then left like that?

I have been thinking that maybe I need to buy some wider molding and cover up the foam/caulking, but I'm not sure whether that's what's normally done--most of the doors I've seen don't have wide molding on the frame. Is the solution here to retexture the wall instead? Any suggestions?

With your existing condition I would add another trim profile over the original flat trim that has the nasty beside it. The projection of the new trim profile will help conceal the rough caulk job somebody left. Here is a sketch to help illustrate

It can be any size you choose, I would not make it too big, but if you prefer a larger width, there nothing holding you back.


How do I wire my furnace humidifier so it comes on any time the fan is on? I have an Aprilaire 600a humidifier from a few years ago and currently it's wired into my furnace with two control wires labeled "W/G" and "Cf".  The "W/G" is connected to the W terminal on the furnace (call for heat).  The "Cf" is connected to "C".  My understanding is that any time call for heat occurs, W is shorted to C, which is detected by my humidifier and it enables the flow of water.

I would like the humidifier to run any time the fan is on, not just when there's a call for heat.  The fan control is determined by the "G" terminal.  Is there a way to change my wiring to do this?

Edit:  Furnace model is Bryant 925t.  Per the manual:

  The HUM terminal is a 24 VAC output, energized when the gas valve
  relay is operating during a call for heat.

This seems like it wouldn't help since it's only available during the call for heat.

Edit 2: There is also a "EAC-1" terminal that is energized "whenever the blower operates". However, this operates at 115 VAC, not 24VAC.  Is there a way I could use this?

You could use the EAC-1 terminal to power a step-down transformer. This is common with furnaces that energize the HUM terminal to line voltage.

Check the humidifier manufacturer, they should have a properly sized  transformer to fit this exact need. They should also have a wiring diagram for this type of setup, in the installation instructions.

Basically, the primary side of the transformer will connect to the EAC-1 terminal, and a neutral terminal on the furnace control board. Then the secondary side will power the humidifier.

Whenever EAC-1 is energized, it will power the transformer, and the humidifier will turn on.

As noted in the comments on the question, you may not get the expected results.


Mounting a bike repair stand to a workbench I am trying to mount this bike repair stand to a workbench. I am not very handy, but I love to learn and hope to get handier starting now....

It came with no instructions. Guy at Home Depot suggested that I use #12 7/8" round head woodscrews with #12 1/4" washers. (Sitting in white tray in my pictures.). He also told me to use 1/8" drill bit to drill pilot hole and to fill the hole with gorilla glue before I screwed in the screws.

So I drilled my pilot holes (all the way through the table).  Dropped some glue in, stuck bike stand on, then washers, then screws. Then used drill with Phillips head to drill in screws. Screws would never really go down all the way. Once they made contact with the washer, they would just keep spinning but never tighten up. I tried one without the washer, and I got the same result. I tried putting the top of the stand on and then loading up my bike, but the mounting plate immediately came up, bringing screws out with it.

I'm sure I screwed up about every step.  Can you tell me where I went wrong?

Is the table I'm using even thick enough for me to mount this thing? The workbench came with my house and is constructed with 2x4s

It’s hard to tell from the pictures how thick the bench is. If it is 7/8” thick or 1-1/2” thick. It may be just the perspective of the picture but those screws look smaller than you described and the drill bit looks bigger than 1/8”. It seems you did everything right although the glue was probably unnecessary. The screws really shouldn’t have stripped out like that although the screws may have been a little short. I would use as long a screw as will almost go through to the other side. I would also use as thick a screw as will fit through the holes in the metal plate. Alternatively even better, I would drill all the way through the wood with a bit the same size as the holes in the metal and use bolts and nuts. Again as large as will fit through the holes in the metal plate. On the under side use washers and lock washers.


What gauge wire do I need for my dryer? I want to add a washer & dryer to my garage, but breaker box is on the wrong side of house. No matter which way I run the wire, its 110 feet of wire required.

Will 8-3 with ground work?

Or is the run too long and I need to have 6-3 with ground?

10/3 is FINE for the dryer. 12/2 for the washer.


How should I prepare a sub-floor for porcelain tile? I am removing a laminate tile floor. There looks to be 2 layers of 3/4" Plywood as the sub-floor. Do I remove 1 layer of Plywood and install 1/2" concrete board or leave the plywood and install 1/4" concrete board on top of the plywood before installing the porcelain tile floor? My concern is that if I leave the existing sub-floor material I am going to have a ½” rise in the floor from one room to another.

wirelath nailed over the plywood(overlapping the lath 2",use paper backed lath to avoid moisture of setting/grout materials)nail or staple(pneumatic,not a hand staple)in a 8"x8" grid.wire acts as a trampoline,the thinset gets into the mesh but won't twist when the plywood deflects.normal thin-set is fine in the application(unless a modified is needed for the tile).


Does code allow daisy-chaining these surface outdoor lights? The two lights shown in the photo were fed from a junction box that was destroyed when a truck backed into it.  I'm thinking of running new conduit above vehicle level, and the most straightforward way would be if I could daisy-chain the lights, i.e. have power enter from a conduit to the right of the right-hand light, use that light as a junction box, with another conduit coming out the left side to feed the other light.  My question is: is there any restriction in code against using the light fixture as a junction box this way?  Thanks!

Since this is all on the same circuit, you can do this as it falls under 410.64(C):

  (C) Luminaires Connected Together. Luminaires designed for end-to-end connection to form a continuous assembly, or luminaires connected together by recognized
  wiring methods, shall be permitted to contain the conductors of a 2-wire branch circuit, or one multiwire branch
  circuit, supplying the connected luminaires and shall not be
  required to be listed as a raceway. One additional 2-wire
  branch circuit separately supplying one or more of the connected luminaires shall also be permitted.

See also 410.21 and the note thereto:

  410.21 Temperature Limit of Conductors in Outlet
  Boxes. Luminaires shall be of such construction or installed
  so that the conductors in outlet boxes shall not be subjected
  to temperatures greater than that for which the conductors
  are rated.

  Branch-circuit wiring, other than 2-wire or multiwire
  branch circuits supplying power to luminaires connected
  together, shall not be passed through an outlet box that is an
  integral part of a luminaire unless the luminaire is identified
  for through-wiring.

  Informational Note: See 410.64(C) for wiring supplying
  power to luminaires connected together.


replacing flooring with no subfloor - walls sit on top of finish floor I need to replace the hardwood floors on the second floor of an old home. A challenge is that the existing floors are nailed directly to the floor joists, with the walls resting on top of the finish floor. There is no subfloor. I know this is a relatively common situation in older homes, but I am wondering how much of a problem this is going to cause me if I try to replace the floors. For walls running perpendicular to the floor joists, it seems like removing the hardwood up to the baseboards will be fine, since the flooring underneath the walls will be left intact and continue holding up the walls. I already know that each 3/4 inch T/G hardwood slat is nailed to every joist with 2.5 inch common nails, so the flooring is very secure.
For walls running parallel to the floor joists, however, I am going to run into issues, especially if the wall lands in between the joists. Once I cut the flooring, there will be nothing holding up the wall anymore. My thought was to cut the floor out in small sections and install cross-blocking as I go to keep the walls supported. I am wondering if this seems reasonable or if I will end up getting into trouble here. The existing floors are in really bad shape, so leaving them be is not a good option.

if the wall parallel to the joists is not over a joist it is not a structural wall, and so your blocking plan would work to support the wall you will probably need further blocking between the blocking to support the edges of your new floor, unless you plan to remove the remnants and install your new flooring under the walls.


Is it safe to install a sconce light box inside a return air space? In my finished basement, the space between one section of studs is being used as a return air duct for my furnace and central air.

Here is a picture, looking up from the vent at the floor level:

On the left is a standard outlet box.

I would like to install a sconce light on the wall in this section.  I will use a remodel electrical box and the sconce light is of metal construction.  I know that wiring that passes through air ducts must be non-metallic, but beyond that I don't know if this is a safe idea.  I think it should be, since there is already an electrical box in this space, but I'm not sure how to know for sure.  Any advice?

The second question is the hole for the wire that will be drilled in the stud on the right.  Will that hole need to be sealed once the wire is through?

This is what 2008 NEC has to say...

  300.22 Wiring in Ducts, Plenums, and Other Air Handling Spaces. The provisions of this section apply to the installation and uses of
  electrical wiring and equipment in ducts, plenums, and other
  air-handling spaces

  (A) Ducts for Dust, Loose Stock, or Vapor Removal. No wiring systems of any type shall be installed in ducts used to transport
  dust, loose stock, or ﬂammable vapors. No wiring system of any type
  shall be installed in any duct, or shaft containing only such ducts,
  used for vapor removal or for ventilation of commercial-type cooking
  equipment.

  (B) Ducts or Plenums Used for Environmental Air. Only wiring methods consisting of Type MI cable, Type MC cable employing a smooth
  or corrugated impervious metal sheath without an overall nonmetallic
  covering, electrical metallic tubing, ﬂexible metallic tubing,
  intermediate metal conduit, or rigid metal conduit without an overall
  nonmetallic covering shall be installed in ducts or plenums
  speciﬁcally fabricated to transport environmental air. Flexible metal
  conduit shall be permitted, in lengths not to exceed 1.2 m (4 ft), to
  connect physically adjustable equipment and devices permitted to be in
  these ducts and plenum chambers. The connectors used with ﬂexible
  metal conduit shall effectively close any openings in the connection.
  Equipment and devices shall be permitted within such ducts or plenum
  chambers only if necessary for their direct action upon, or sensing
  of, the contained air. Where equipment or devices are installed and
  illumination is necessary to facilitate maintenance and repair,
  enclosed gasketed-type luminaires shall be permitted.

  (C) Other Space Used for Environmental Air. This section applies to space used for environmental air-handling purposes other than ducts
  and plenums as speciﬁed in 300.22(A) and (B). It does not include
  habitable rooms or areas of buildings, the prime purpose of which is
  not air handling.

  FPN: The space over a hung ceiling used for environmental air-handling purposes is an example of the type of other space to
  which this section applies.

  Exception: This section shall not apply to the joist or stud spaces of dwelling units where the wiring passes through such spaces
  perpendicular to the long dimension of such spaces.

  (1) Wiring Methods. The wiring methods for such other space shall be limited to totally enclosed, nonventilated, insulated busway having
  no provisions for plug-in connections, Type MI cable, Type MC cable
  without an overall nonmetallic covering, Type AC cable, or other
  factory assembled multiconductor control or power cable that is
  speciﬁcally listed for the use, or listed prefabricated cable
  assemblies of metallic manufactured wiring systems without nonmetallic
  sheath. Other types of cables, conductors, and raceways shall be
  permitted to be installed in electrical metallic tubing, ﬂexible
  metallic tubing, intermediate metal conduit, rigid metal conduit
  without an overall nonmetallic covering, ﬂexible metal conduit, or,
  where accessible, surface metal raceway or metal wireway with metal
  covers or solid bottom metal cable tray with solid metal covers.

  (2) Equipment. Electrical equipment with a metal enclosure, or with a nonmetallic enclosure listed for the use and having adequate
  ﬁre-resistant and low-smoke-producing characteristics, and associated
  wiring material suitable for the ambient temperature shall be
  permitted to be installed in such other space unless prohibited
  elsewhere in this Code.

  Exception: Integral fan systems shall be permitted where speciﬁcally identiﬁed for such use.

After reading subsection (C), it looks like nonmetallic cable is not allowed in ducts unless it's in conduit.

Equipment and devices shall be permitted within such ducts or plenum chambers only if necessary for their direct action upon, or sensing of, the contained air.

Which means you can't have equipment in the ducts that is not part of the HVAC system itself. So a junction box for a light, would not be allowed (unless the light is inside the duct for maintenance purposes).

If your local government follows National Electrical Code (NEC), then you should not install a junction box for the light in the duct. If you don't follow NEC, it's still probably a bad idea. The boxes and cable are a good place for dust, dirt, and debris to collect. And the cables and equipment could be damaged during duct cleaning.


Can I repair a chip in my cast iron tub's enamel finish on the sidewall? I don't know if it's acrylic or porcelain or ? You can see it's painted over, chipped, and down to the metal base. It's actually on the corner. The only thing I've found is a self-leveling liquid for horizontal flat chips, which won't work here. Can it be repaired, how can it be repaired, or am I better off buying a new tub?

Thanks for your help!

I have seen many diy fails even with products pros use to make beautiful repairs.
I would suggest a bathtub chip and repair company.
They can repair the chip and buff out the tub so it is invisible.
There are porcelain repair products out there that can be done on the side wall but these require additional tools a dual action sander is one of those tools I prefer the 2 part kits and if you can get under the tub and find the color Code you can order the right pigment This is where the pros shine they have a color chart mix and adjust the color apply with a putty knife cure with UV light then buff it out , the home kits take much more time and since we don’t do it often it usually is obvious where the repair is.
It can be done if not an epoxy 2 part it will take multiple coats and still have to sand the advantage to that method is you can tell on the first coat if the product matches and make adjustments but that method usually leaves a shadow
So it can be done but more looking online and don’t think 10$ kit will do it look in the 30-50$ range for a kit that will do they job Match color and last.


When do I need a neutral on a 240V branch circuit? I'm installing a 240V outlet in my shop to run a welder and I'm trying to understand when a neutral is needed and when it's not.  The welder has a NEMA 6-50P plug, so I don't need to run a neutral line, right?  That said, there are plenty of 240V receptacles/plugs that have 4 holes/prongs.  I presume these are for L1-L2-N-Gnd.  Is this because whatever is being plugged in here has some 120V components?
Here is part of my confusion: my dryer can be wired in either a 3-wire and 4-wire configuration.  If the dryer has 120V components (I suspect all of the control hardware runs on 120V and the only things powered by 240V is the heating elements) then what is the return path since there is no neutral?  Does current return through the ground in this configuration (seems bad)?
Regardless of whether a neutral is needed or not, I plan on running the neutral to my new outlet just in case I ever need it (bad idea?).  FWIW I'm in the US.

A nema 6 outlet has two hots and a ground, it is used for pure 240V equipment.
A nema 14 outlet has two hots, a ground and a neutral. It is used for equipment that has both 120V and 240V components.
A nema 10 outlet nominally has two hots and a neutral but no ground. However in practice the neutral pin is used as a combined neutral and ground conductor. Nema 10 outlets are forbidden in new work, but existing range and drier installations that were correctly installed to the code of the time are grandfathered and new appliances can be fitted with 3 wire cords and nema 10 plugs for connection to existing installations.
Combining the neutral and ground functions is problematic because if the combined neutral and ground wire breaks, the appliance case will become live. The system is therefore not "single fault safe".


Should I isolate the ground and neutral in the 30A safety switch box or keep them bonded until the sub panel it is feeding (as service disconnect)? I am in Michigan if that makes a difference to you.

I am wiring a subpanel (QO 100-Amp Rainproof Main Lug Load Center) to my detached barn.  I am feeding the subpanel from a 30A double breaker in my house's main panel.  The feeder is 10/3 with ground, buried in conduit, 2 conductors, 1 neutral, 1 ground, supplying 240V at the subpanel.

In order to make working in the subpanel more safe, I have elected to install a 30A fused safety switch (GE TG3221) inline before the subpanel inside my barn, feeding the subpanel from the safety switch. All the wires will be the same 10/3 w ground.

Inside the safety switch box, there is a 3-lug isolated neutral bar, with an optional green screw to bond that neutral bar to the box.  There is no equipment grounding bar in the safety switch box.

Now, I am well read on the fact that the neutral and ground in the subpanel MUST be ISOLATED. but in the safety switch box, I'm not sure.  Since I'm feeding from my main panel (where the neutral and ground are bonded) I'm thinking that they should stay bonded inside the safety switch and only get isolated in the subpanel.

I have driven an 8' grounding rod, which I plan to connect (with #8 bare Cu) to the ground inside the subpanel, which will, once again, be isolated from neutral inside the subpanel.

Can anyone advise me on the question of whether or not the ground and neutral should stay bonded inside the safety switch?  I am thinking that the options are:

Bond ground and neutral simply by using the neutral bar lugs to connect all the neutrals and grounds (not sure if using the bonding screw would be needed here)
Bond ground and neutral by connecting neutrals to neutral bar, installing bonding screw.  Next installing an equipment grounding bar (to the box) and connecting the grounds to that (bonded) ground bar.
Isolate by connecting the neutrals to the neutral bar (NO BONDING SCREW).  Installing an equipment grounding bar (to the box) and connecting the grounds to that bar (which will be isolated from the neutral bar w/o the bonding screw).

I've tried to include all the relevant details, but let me know if I missed anything.

Ground and neutral only meet at one place, and that place is the main panel

You must keep ground and neutral separate everywhere but the main panel -- this is the cardinal rule of how grounding works.  As a result:

Land the feeder grounds on the terminal block/bar in the safety switch, bonding it to the case with the green screw
And wirenut the neutrals to each other, but do not connect them to anything else in the switch

That way, the safety switch case is grounded, and the grounds and neutrals run through to the subpanel, but ground and neutral do not meet here.

You don't really need the safety switch -- there are cheaper ways to make this as safe as you desire

While the safety switch does provide a disconnecting means for the structure, it may be less costly to put a QOM2100 in the subpanel (all but the smallest QOs are convertible from main lugs to main breaker or vice versa) and use that as a disconnect instead.

In order to keep some dunderhead from turning the subpanel back on while you're working on it, what you can do is get a lockout device for your main panel and then use a thin-shackled padlock to lock out the breaker for the subpanel while you're working on it, keeping the key in your pocket while the work is taking place.  That way, any miscreant who wants to zap you will have to bust the lock first, which should be enough of a clue to someone who's not truly malign in intent that they shouldn't be doing that!


How to remove old plastic pool deck sleeves How to remove old plastic pool deck sleeves. 1 1/4" hole in concrete. Sleeve is 4" deep. Broken at the top, no flange left on top.

Select (or go buy) a cheap chisel - you don't want to do this with a nice one.

Wear safety glasses, the plastic is probably brittle with age and sun exposure.

You might want ot experiment with pouring boiling water into the hole first, to see if it makes this process easier - depending on plastic type, it may.

Set the chisel on the plastic, next to the concrete, and hammer it. Repeat as needed until the plastic sleeve is reduced to either plastic slices/shards you can remove, or possibly you may be able to remove the whole thing once you get one cut through it and can lever one of the sides inward from the hole in the concrete.


Shower head not working with hot water I have a 3 knob tub, hot, cold, and in the middle the diverter. When I turn the diverter knob the cold water comes out of the shower head but the hot water continues to come out the tub as if I never turned the diverter. What is the problem and how can I fix it?

This sounds like your diverter is the issue. It may not be turning completely. To test, turn o,my hot on then switch the diverter back and forth. Still no shower, then the diverter is not turning completely. Or it could be blocked. Either way, pull the diverter out and take a look.


Air trapped behind check valve? I recently installed a thermostatic mixing valve on the hot water feed to my shower pump which has a max water temp. (One of these https://www.commercialwashroomsltd.co.uk/assets/docs/products/TMV3_Spec_sheet.pdf ) This has an integral check valve.

However I seem to have an air lock in the system. I can clearly hear the water trickling down the mixed outlet. Is it possible that this is cause by air trapped behind the check valves? Is this even physically possible? I have tried draining and refilling the system to try and remove the air.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

About the system: Gravity fed. Dedicated supply to the mixer valve from both the hot water cyclinder and cold water tank which feeds into the shower pump that feeds just one shower.

Solution was to remove the cold water feed downstream of the check valve and remove the air from the mixed pipe using the hot water feed. I then reattached the cold feed. There is probably still a small amount of air in there but it doesn't noticeable impact the flow.


Light Switch Neutrals: Bundle all together? I am in the process of hooking up 2 GE Z-wave light switches. I've hooked up multiple smart switches but ironically only one has needed neutrals (these 2). They are both going in a double gang box side by side. I had a few concerns: (BTW they both went to the same breaker switch)

One of the wires was red going to the previous switch, I hooked it up like I would any normal hot wire and it worked...is it just another color for a hot wire? (They've always been black or grey in this house)
Each switch required a neutral. I took both GE neutrals and tied it into the bundle of other neutrals (Which was like 2-3 wires in a wire nut). Sidenote: This made 4-5 wires in a wire nut...it fit fine but was a little tight. Is this ok? Is there a "max limit" or just whatever you can fit
This is more of just me being paranoid but man with all the wires and how tight it gets in those gangboxes...it makes me feel like something is going to snap or come unhooked (even though I make sure everything is super tight). I guess if that was a problem though more houses would be burning down ha...just always makes me uneasy.

Wire nuts are color coded by size.  A yellow nut would be fine for 3 wires, but at 5, you'll want to go to a red nut.  If it won't stay together without tape, that is bad technique that will cause arcing and fire - fix the technique, don't tape it.

That "gray" wire you are seeing is actually black that is poorly tinted or faded.   Actual Gray is a middle 50%-ish gray, and is legally reserved for neutral.

Hots can be any color but white, gray or green.  However, in practice, using cable black is preferred for always-hot, and red is preferred for switched-hot.   In practical practice, we are stuck with the standard colors that come in cable, but "red" for "switched-hot" often works out.   Of course in a 3-way circuit, all bets are off...

As for box fill, there are rules on that. Count all grounds as 1 wire, all cable clamps as 1 wire, each "yoke" (switch, receptacle) as 2 wires, then count each non-ground wire entering the box.  Do not count pigtails.   Take that sum, multiply by 2.00 for 14 AWG ... or 2.25 for 12AWG ... And that is the number of cubic inches you need in the box.  If the box is overfull, you need to fit a box extension of some kind.


Can dehumidification be achieved in a typical US residential forced-air system without dedicated components? We have a very typical forced-air HVAC system with a medium-efficiency gas furnace and split-system central air conditioner in our house; however, latent load buildup (i.e. stickiness) is a problem during the spring when mild conditions prevail, too mild to make the sensible cooling from A/C alone an option.  Would running the furnace and air conditioner simultaneously be an effective way to dehumidify the air while leaving it at a comfortable temperature, or would that risk damaging some part of the HVAC system, or would it simply not have the desired effect?

(Obviously, we'd need a humidistat for this, but that's a different issue.)

I will give you an off-label hypothetical answer for your hypothetical question TPE.  Do with it what you will.

Many medium efficiency systems have the evaporator coil placed downstream in the airflow after the gas furnace heat exchanger to insure that condensation from the AC does not form on the furnace heat exchanger, rusting it out.  If you have a system that has the evaporator downstream of the furnace then as Tester101 said, “nothing good” would come of running the AC and the heater simultaneously.  The furnace would overpower the evaporator and no moisture would be removed from the air, and you would have very big utility bill and your compressor might keep tripping on its overload protection.

If you happen to have a system where the evaporator coil is upstream in the airflow from the heat exchanger for the furnace and you are an ace at wiring your own control systems, then what you ask might be possible provided the following conditions are met:

The AC system should have a “low ambient” control installed.   This usually includes two components (i) a head pressure control that slows the outdoor condenser fan to keep head pressure above the minimum acceptable level when the outdoor ambient is below mid 70s and, (ii) a freeze-stat that senses the temperature of the suction line leaving the evaporator coil which shuts the compressor off for a few minutes when the temperature falls to freezing, insuring that the evaporator coil never  accumulates ice when it is being asked to cool already cool 68 degree air from the house.
The airflow for your furnace blower should be set so that the air temperature leaving your evaporator coil is in the mid to upper 40F degree range.  (You want to remove latent heat from humid 70F air, so you must get the evaporator coil well below the dew point).  To do this without risking early destruction of your compressor, your AC system preferably needs to have a thermal expansion valve (TEV) to regulate evaporator coil and not a fixed expansion orifice.  If it has a fixed expansion orifice and no accumulator to protect the compressor, then a skilled refrigeration technician will need to carefully set the system refrigerant charge so you do not get liquid flood back going into your compressor during cold operating temperatures.  Of course, you could have that tech retrofit your system with a TEV instead.
During dehumidification operation, your furnace would need to cycle to maintain the desired discharge temperature around 72 degrees F while the system is running.   The furnace is typically about twice as powerful as the AC in terms of BTU/hr, so it could not run continuously during the dehumidifying cycle unless you want to heat your house.
You would need to build or find a suitable mode switch for your system that would allow you to select between “HEAT, COOL, FAN, and DEHUMIDIFY.”
You would need to periodically inspect your furnace heat exchanger to make certain that if it forms an excessive amount of corrosion, you would know to replace it.


Small hinges for reusable domino rally I am building a reusable domino rally.  Each domino will be attached to a large board with a small hinge.  Tilting the board to the side will then reset all the dominoes at once.

The hinges need to have low friction so that each domino can fall without resistance.  Since there will about 1000 dominoes, it would be nice if the hinges were cheap as well.  Does anyone know where to buy these hinges in bulk?

I think it's going to be tough to find 1000 hinges of any usable quality for a price that you will like. Even if you find hinges for $0.25 each, that's still pretty expensive.

I would look at using a piece of fabric or webbing as the hinge. A couple dozen feet would be good for the whole project. If you glued the webbing tight to the board and tight to the domino in a sharp 90 deg angle, the width of the game piece should keep it from falling away from the webbing and will keep it in a upright position. It should be able to fall towards the webbing with no problem.

I would set up a small test of a dozen pieces though before committing to any method.

You might even want to cheat a little and bevel the bottom of the domino just a touch so that it leans away from the direction it needs to fall. This will help with resetting the game board.


Hot to Neutral Short? My wife called me home from work because the lights in several rooms stopped working.

I came home expecting a tripped circuit breaker or GFCI, but I found no such thing.  Instead, after pulling out my non-contact voltage detector, I discovered that there was indeed voltage on the lines, both in the hot and neutral portions of my wall receptacles.  I checked the lights and they were hot, even with the switch off, which led me to believe again that the neutral and hot were shorted.

I poked around and the only thing plugged in was a surge protector for my TV and various entertainment system devices.  I unplugged all of the devices, leaving the surge protector plugged in, and nothing changed.

I unplugged the surge protector to check that receptacle, and everything seemed fine, so I plugged it back in.  The TV standby light came on, and after checking all of my plugs and lights were working again and the short seemed to be gone.

So, should I be worried?  Was the surge protector just doing its job, or is it bad?  Should I be concerned that the breaker did not trip?

Definitely sounds like an open neutral.  By the sounds of it, the bad/loose connection is in the box where the power strip was plugged in.


Garage door torsion bar support bracket not attached The third-car garage door on my recently-built house seems to have a bracket loose.  The bracket in question is one that seems to go around the torsion spring and screws to the door frame header - it looks as though the builders just missed the bracket's position when they added 2x4s to attach the bracket.

Picture for reference:

My question is whether or not this is something I can address myself.  It is as straightforward as putting another 2x4 in there and screwing the bracket to it?  Does the bracket have some influence on the torsion spring, such that I need to have it professionally taken care of?  I know that garage door springs are dangerous if not treated with care, and I don't want to get into something I'm not qualified to tackle.

Perhaps they left it unattached because there is no automatic door opener installed and they they assumed that it would be taken care of when one is installed.

It should be secured to keep the bar from flexing in the middle due to the high amount of torque in the springs.

You can attach a piece of wood of the appropriate thickness to the header with 3" screws and secure the bracket to it with 3/8 x 2 1/2" lag bolts.

If you are going to get a door opener in near future you could wait and see if the opener hardware will dictate the placement of it.


Can I drill a hole for a faucet in a porcelain sink? Looking at this bathroom sink from below a round area is visible in the middle where the material is thinner. Is there a safe way to drill a middle hole there (to install the faucet recommended at https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/18330/7480)?

I would not recommend treating the area in the center rear of the sink as a "knock out". Trying to remove that portion of the sink with a hammer is foolhardy at best and could lead to splintered and cracked procelain on the top side of your sink.

You would be far better off to apply a hole saw made for this type application. Here is an example of a diamond grit hole saw that may be suitable:

Link to tool on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-HDG112-38mm-Diamond-Grit/dp/B003K2Q60S/ref=sr_1_16?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1348794381&sr=1-16&keywords=diamond+holesaw

Hole saws of this type are often used with a 0.25 inch diameter drill bit acting as a centering agent to keep the hole saw in its cutting track. It is often a good idea to pre-drill the guide hole for this before deploying the hole saw. Look for a diamond dust drill bit for drilling this hole.

Use of the hole saw will likely require the adding of water into the cut area during the cut process to keep down the heat buildup on the hole saw.

If it was my project - I would drill the guide hole from under the sink first in order to get it centered properly and then come back and drill out the necessary larger diameter hole with the hole saw from the top side.

Last Comment - Before investing a whole lot of money in tools for a one-shot project you owe it to yourself to investigate the cost of a complete sink replacement that has the appropriate hole configuration to meet your needs. You may find that a retailer may offer a good deal on pricing if you purchase a sink and faucet at the same time.


How can I replace my light fixture with a ceiling fan? I have a new ceiling fan. I removed the old light fixture. The ceiling fan suggests connecting black wire to black, blue to blue, white to white, green to green. Makes sense.  When I removed my ceiling light, there are two black wires and two white (The light had a thin copper wire attached to a screw - I assume that was the ground).   Can you please help me figure out which wire is which?

Two part answer:

The North American wiring coloring standard is black for hot and white for neutral. But unless you've performed the wiring installation yourself, you can never assume black is hot. You should obtain a house wiring tester and test which wire is hot and which is neutral. Consult your fan instructions and connect the hot wire to the hot wire and neutral wire to neutral wire (assuming end or parallel installation).

For the weight of the fan itself, it is best to determine if the ceiling box (if you have one) is attached to a structural member of the ceiling with a lag bolt. If it isn't, consider adding a new ceiling fan box that would attached to a structural member. You would have to patch some drywall but it's safer than having the fan fall down at an unexpected time.


How can I repair this punctured pipe in my garden? So I did a silly thing this weekend while digging out a tree root/stump... I managed to partially (1/3) cut through the buried pipe that runs down our garden to feed an outside tap. (Fortunately it is easy to isolate just this pipe!

How can I fix the pipe?

Is there something I can put over it or do I need to cut it completely and put some sort of joint in? If I need to put a joint in, what should I use? Is there any special considerations given its buried?

Thanks to Tyson's comments above and some reading online I figured out how to repair the pipe and even better...no leaks!

Turns out the pipe is a 20 mm MDPE pipe so it could be repaired by putting a joint in the pipe. This was done by cutting the pipe and trimming off the pierced section, then putting pipe inserts into either end of the pipe. It could then be joined using a straight pipe coupling.

The pipe inserts are required to stop the pipe getting squeezed/crushed when pushing into and tightening the coupling.

Photos of the inserts and finished fix:


Ceiling wet at corner of chimney Whenever it rains, the ceiling becomes wet at the corner of the chimney.

I ASSUME it's just a small leak, but obviously I don't want it to become any worse. I have a flat roof, so getting up there and doing some work is pretty easy for me. Any suggestions on what I need to do? My Googlefu has come up with this plan of attack:

Repair and cracks I find in the morter with masonry sealant.
Spray the chimney with water repellent.
Caulk where flashing meets the chimney with flashing sealant.

98% of small leaks are water getting into the flashing area between the chimney and the flashing or the flashing and the shingles.

The flashing sealant you have should work fine - although you need to make sure for a caulking type sealant that this is applied liberally and squeezed into the gaps.  I often use FlexSeal for smaller leaks because of its expanding properties.

If you post a picture of your chimney I can highlight where you need to seal.


How do I prepare my home for a power outage? With several storms in the Northeast United States and more storms predicted this week, there have been lots of extended power outages.  What are things to do to prepare your house for a power outage especially in the winter.

What are things you should do once you have lost power and once it comes back on?

There's a few considerations based on the time of year -- when it's cold enough outside, saving the stuff in your fridge isn't as big a deal, as you can just put it outside (although, you might need to pack it in some critter-proof containers).

Good insulation can help in the colder months; Good tree planting and possibly some awnings on the windows or a good porch can help in the warmer months.

For general preparedness -- I like to keep at least one spare bottle of propane for my grill; one of these years, I'll get a heat proof thermal blanket, as I managed to cook a leather welding apron I tried using last year when cooking in a power outage.  (and don't think you can just go and swap out a tank ... when your car's been crushed under a fallen tree branch, and you've got no power for 2 days, it kinda sucks to run out of fuel.

Oh ... and pack your freezer and frige with water bottles.  It's thermal mass, and if you have to open a fridge, there's less air in the fridge that gets exchanged with the room temp air.  (again, not as bad a problem whem the house is 50 degrees, but it helps during huricane season).

If the power goes off in the winter, and you're going to abandon your house (go to a hotel, or a friend or relative), and it might be days before you come back to check on things,  before you leave, you may wish to drain the water in your pipes, so if the house does freeze you won't burst a pipe; then, when the house starts warming back up after the power comes back on, you don't come home to a huge mess.

Oh ... and trim the dead branches from trees, especially those above where you park your car.  (I'm not kidding about the crushed car thing when you're iced in with no power for 2 days ... it really sucks ... and looking out and seeing the office park across the street from you with their lights on)

update :

A few more considerations -- look over what sort of systems fail when you loose power, and find suitable alternatives that don't require electricity, and would be useable in storm conditions.

For instances, people with sump pumps might want to consider a backup "water powered" sump pump

For heating, if you have a fireplace you rarely use, it'd be good to clean your chimney over the spring or summer and not in a panic when you're trying to prep for everything else; a chimney cap to keep out birds and leaves will significantly reduce the risk of a fire.

If you've got a generator, you might consider building a suitable location to run it from, away from your house, so you don't risk exhaust coming into the house and CO poisioning.

You might also want to test your emergency systems -- make sure generators start, make sure a squirril hasn't chewn through the gas line to your grill (yep, had that one happen, too), or set up a nest inside your grill (happened to a friend), etc.

Also, you may want to consider re-adjusting the circuits in your house;  yes, there are laws against 'suicide cables' to connect a generator to the grid, but if you shut off the mains from your house, you can connect up the generator, and then just turn on the circuits you need on; unfortunately, in my house, the pumps for my radiators are on a different phase than my oil burner; if I had the fridge and heating all on one phase, I could keep it all going with out needing a 220V generator.


Where should I connect the C wire in a Janitrol furnace? I currently have a Honeywell Thermostat with 4 wires going to a Janitrol Furnace.

I am trying to install a Honeywell WiFi Thermostat RTH6580WF and I'm missing my C wire. My bundle has 8 possible wires, 4 of which are currently being used by the old thermostat (see attached OLD Pic). I went to the terminal block and saw a black screw above the W, G, R terminals.

My question is: can I use the black screw above them as my C Wire? It has 24VAC burned into the board above it, so if my assumptions are correct, I would be fine with it; is this correct?

It does look like it might be a common, but only way to know for sure is to either look at a schematic of the board, or test it with a multi-meter.

Using a multimeter, set to VAC (Volts AC) mode, you should read 24V between the R and C (or in your case, "24V") terminals. You'll probably have to at least partially pull out the connector currently on the R to get the multimeter probe on it.

For reference:

R = Constant 24V ac
W = Heating contact (the thermostat connects this to R to turn on heat)
G = Fan contact (the thermostat connects this to R to turn on fan)