What should inside of a brick chimney look like? I want to clean my own chimney and I have never owned a house with one. Now I do and winter is coming. I want to know that it is done right and will be safe. I took a short video using my phone. I can see daylight about 20-25 feet I am guessing. The inside appears to be round and without obstructions. I just want some opinions on this subject. I called a chimney sweep and he is booking out to Oct. 2017. I don't want to wait that long to pay who knows how much if I can do it myself. Any ideas home improvers???

The chimney should be uniform no chunks missing. Cleaning with a brush is not difficult but if it has not been inspected by someone that knows what to look for you can be taking risks.  My current home passed inspection when I purchased it and the chimney was not lined with fire brick just flat field rock cemented together. Needless to say it was a huge fire risk and I have removed it. If you need to use it prior to a proper inspection get a chimney brush and extension poles open the damper and close off the opening with a tight fitting card board or something to prevent the falling debris to cover the inside of your home. scrub the soot and cresode use a high quality flashlight and look for missing chunks. Now the fun part cleaning the debris off the top of the damper. We used industrial vacuums with hepa filters to suck up the soot and cresode if you just have a shop vac you might try to find some better filters for it or have it outside the home because the fine soot will make a huge mess with a standard filter. Once the soot and chunks of cresode are cleaned up make sure the damper will close and open with several cycles (occasionally chunks will get stuck and prevent the damper from operating correctly). Same process for a wood burning stove inserts but there should be a pipe (much easier to clean and inspect) make sure to get the correct size brush for a stove and the job can be done in a few minutes once the cap is pulled.


Can air in pipes cause a faucet to catastrophically fail? For about two weeks, I have been hearing a vibration and loud noise very time I turn on the kitchen faucet, mostly on the hot water side. If I turn to cold water it stops but periodicly when running between hot and cold, the noise returns. I reported it to my building mainenance and when that person came up to check, at that time that he turned the water on it did not make that sound and he said its probably a washer, which I said it can't be, there is air in the pipes. Several days later I was washing dishes and the faucet just blew up and erupted in my hands, completely coming apart and shooting water out like a geyser.  I would like to know if this is a common problems in a kitchen faucets.  I feel like the cause could be by some pressure build up inside the wall pipes.

Air in pipes causes what is called water hammer. With air placed in a controlled position, it can be beneficial, acting like a shock absorber. In random places, it can be bad, rapidly accelerating water mass in an uncontrolled direction until it hits a closure, causing the 'hammer'. It is possible for water hammer to damage plumbing systems, especially if allowed to persist over a period of time. The risk is greater in larger pipes because of the greater mass of water involved. The problem isn't so much increased pressure (which can be briefly much greater than normal), it is fast moving water mass impacting on fixed portions of the plumbing.

In your case, I suspect the faucet was close to failure in any case. Any involvement of water hammer would only be the straw that broke the camel's back, not the root cause of the failure. A healthy faucet should be able to resist water hammer at the levels normally seen in residential plumbing. Your faucet was probably greatly weakened by any combination of age, corrosion, inferior materials, improper service or assembly techniques, etc. I wouldn't say it's a common problem, but I've seen it happen a few times on old, cheap faucets. Commonly, faucets develop unrepairable leaks more than actually blowing apart. Then on investigation of the leak, some major faucet part breaks and it becomes obvious it needs to be replaced.

I'm glad my kitchen faucet fell apart. It was an annoying cheap thing. It's replacement is much nicer :)


Jigsaw cuts crooked when trying to rip enginered wood Cack handed DIY amateur here.. I need to cut engineered wood planks lengthwise - they're 4mm oak on a 10mm MDF base. I'm having trouble getting a jigsaw to cut straight. With a "clean wood" blade the jigsaw almost immediately starts bouncing up and down vertically, even with a tight hold on the saw it feels like it's about to fly off. With a standard wood blade the saw stays down, but the cut veers off to the right in a banana shape. I've tried clamping another piece of wood to the top to steer the runner against and clamping the whole thing to a table, but it doesn't seem to help. I'd be grateful for any advice. Am I using the wrong tool maybe?

You are, IME, IMHO, using the wrong tool, definitely.

A (sharp) hand ripsaw would be preferable.
A circular saw would be preferable.
A bandsaw would be preferable.
A tablesaw would be ideal

...but a circular saw is far less expensive than a tablesaw and still pretty capable with a rip guide.


Do unswitched neutral and ground wires need to pass through a transfer switch? I'm installing a manual transfer switch to feed a 240V subpanel from either generator or the main panel.  No devices other than the main panel are bonded.  Since the neutral is not switched, can I bypass the transfer switch with the neutral and ground wires and connect the neutrals from the main panel and the generator directly to the subpanel?
Does the pictured wiring meet code?

The neutral does not have to pass through the switch housing. Many wiring diagrams will show it passing through because a common conduit is the norm. The switch housing must be bonded to the system ground, your diagram does not show that.


Are paving bricks differently sized for sand bedding vs mortar bedding? I had been planning to lay standard clay pavers over a sand bed in my front walk. I had planned for a standard size of 4 x 8 and maybe 2 3/4 inches tall. However, the brick that I like comes in this size: 2-1/4 x 3-5/8 x 7-5/8. I  first thought that this was a smaller size specifically meant to be installed with a concrete foundation and mortar base. I would think that a shorter height makes it more susceptible to rotating if laid in sand, but this is not a problem when embedded in mortar.  And they are skinnier to fit into a standard brick size when surrounded by mortar.

Or, it doesn't matter.  The brick manufacturers picked one particular size to sell, and its up to the installer to decide sand or mortar bedding.

Can I still use the smaller bricks with a sand bed?

You can use the smaller brick with no stability problems.
The only issue you will have is if you chose a "basket weave" pattern when the brick are laid tight. The width of 2 bricks will not add up to the length of a brick side since these are sized with a mortar joint in mind.

If you use a stack bond, running bond or even herringbone, you can lay them tight with no issues at all.


What is this electrical device? At 3:30 am a couple days ago, the smoke detectors went off. Not the 'low battery' noise, but full alarm triggering the others to sound off as well. I checked around, and with no actual issue, pulled them all off. 6:00 visit to Home Depot. Turned off the breaker, took my meter to verify dead wires, and started replacing them, 6 total. The alarms came with wiring adaptors which were mostly fine. In 2 cases, there was already such a rat nest of wiring that I had to just use the actual wire and skip the adaptor to save space.

In this box, there was more than just connectors. And my question. Can anyone identify this? I have 3 floors, basement/first/second, and this was in the box on the first floor with a 4th connector. Other boxes had a lot of wire, but it looked pretty standard, in/out, and alarm. (And yes, crappy installation, that box is loose, but tight after putting mounting plate on.)

I'm going to go with... It's a smoke/heat/CO alarm relay. There are many different types and they all look different. This is quote from the Kiddie website "This module is only activated by a smoke alarm interconnect signal. The relay portion of this module can be used to activate auxiliary warning devices such as external bells and sirens, hallway or stairwell lighting. It provides isolated, (no internal connection to 120 volts AC) normally open, and normally closed contacts"


Water barely comes out of my kitchen tap, then stops When I turn on the water faucet in the kitchen sink, the water barely comes out then stops. If I wait about an hour, it does same thing again. If I turn the faucet on in the upstairs bathroom, no water comes out. I have city water. It does sound like there is air in the lines. You can hear it like when the water is turned off then comes back on.

Did you have any recent work performed on either the pipes, a hot water heater added, an Aqua therm unit installed  ?
Where are you located in the world ?

If so you might just have a piece of garbage in the aerators - at each faucet remove the aerators (thing at bottom of faucet outlet where water comes out you can unscrew it by hand usually) and then turn the water on. Then reinstall the aerators onto the faucets and test.
If you have copper pipes and sweating of copper joints was done - this is a very likely possibility.

Also as one commenter pointed out - frozen pipes ? - Both Hot and Cold ?


How do I seal overlapping sections of flashing around the perimeter of my house? I have a wall profile that looks similar to this:

but where the flashing is shown, the horizontal distance is much larger. The structural engineer I contacted said that my house should have been given a brick facade, so the horizontal section there is wide enough for the sheathing and a course of brick.

Long story short, I've got some pretty dramatic water damage from some incorrectly installed siding/flashing, and I'd like to not make the same mistakes the previous owners made.

I found a video on getting the flashing bent to the correct profile for very long pieces, but I still wouldn't be able to get the flashing to surround the house in one continuous piece of metal. Somewhere, it has to overlap. How do you seal a basically horizontally-mounted piece of flashing? Should I look at brazing or welding (drawings call for aluminum flashing), or is there something else?

I think I would prefer to not rely on caulk, but of course if that's the only answer then I guess it's the only answer.

The Z flashing is there to prevent water from creating water damage as you have noticed. The flashing is usually overlapped and that is sufficient unless in a windy area then a very small bead of calk between the overlapped flashing can be used but is not needed when properly installed. When I used to build homes on the west coast we would lap the flashing with the west most flashing on top so that driving rain would not be pushed under the overlap even if lapped in the opposite the metal to metal contact should be enough with good siding. There were some siding products "LP composite" that even with proper flashing failed (big class action lawsuits). I don't think brazing will do much more than proper lapping.


Washing Machine Hookups Not Shutting Off My neighbor is trying to hook up a new washing machine.  We have turned the valves on the wall both ways, specifically to the direction that says off though and when we unhook the pipe from the washing machine, water still shoots out.  Is there something we are missing?  I put a bucket underneath and slightly turned the connector going into the washer and water started shooting out, so I turned the knob both ways and there didn't seem to be a change in the pressure.

If the faucets that are in the lines to the washing machine hookup have been in the ON state for years the internal seals are likely deteriorated so that they no longer will function. If you have a water supply with a lot of minerals the water they may have deposited on the inside of the faucets to the point that it is not possible to turn them off.

To get past the immediate connection problem you can turn off the main supply valve where water pipes come into the property. However it would be strongly recommended to replace these faulty faucets as soon as possible. Last thing you need is to be standing there by your washer when a hose bursts and you cannot quickly shut off the faucets behind the washer.


Why does my LED light flicker when turning it on using a dimmer switch? I replaced a flushmont light fixure with a new dimmable LED Flushmount.  I also replaced the old switch (see images below) with a dimmer switch.  When I turn the LED on there is a flicker while it is turning on.  After that initial dimmer it seems to work fine and the dimming feature works well.

Here's a video of the light turning on.

The dimmer switch that I installed is a toggle dimmer (this one)
with 2 brass screws, one copper screw, and a ground wire.  There was no ground on the old switch, so I connected one black wire to one brass screw, the other black wire to the other brass screw, and the blue wire to the copper screw.  Since I am using this as a single pole switch, my understanding is that it shouldn't matter much.

My questions:
1) Is this simply due to having a single LED light on a dimmer?
2) Should I be concerned about my connections in the flushmount fixture or switch?
3) The old switch had the two black wires under one screw.  Should I do the same on one brass screw in the new switch?

Thank you for any help!

Connect it electrically the same as before
Based on the pictures, the original connection was:

TWO black wires to one screw
A blue wire to another screw

In that case, the blacks are both hot. One is the incoming hot, the other is an outgoing hot to another location. That is a little odd because there is already a wire nut, so instead all those wires should have been connected using the wire nut with just one short wire (pigtail) to the screw. Under most circumstances, you should only have one wire per screw.
The blue wire is switched hot.
The new dimmer only needs two wires, unless it is used as part of a 3-way switch (i.e., 2nd switch elsewhere).
The instructions are not terribly clear in certain respects. However, it is pretty clear that for a single (not 3-way) switch, it does not matter which wire goes in which screw, as long as you put one wire on one color screw and another wire on a different color screw. Therefore, you put a black wire (just one, more below on that) on the screw that is a different color from the other two screws and the blue wire onto the screw opposite that screw (i.e., other side of switch rather than above it on the same side of the switch). That gets you hot and switched hot connected properly.
Now to the second black wire. The instructions actually say "Your wall switch may have two
wires attached to the same screw. Tape these two wires together before disconnecting." but then never (as far as I can tell) actually says what to do with the taped wires. Taping is not a valid way to permanently connect wires, and I don't think they actually meant "tape together electrically", but rather "tape together so you know where each of these wires that all look the same should go". In this particular situation, what you need to do is wire nut the two wires together and attach a pigtail (short piece of same colored wire) to the screw. Since your picture already shows a wire nut & pigtail, all you actually need to do is move the "extra" wire (the one that was originally on the screw and is not a pigtail) to the wire nut with everything else.
By connecting one black to one brass screw and the other black to the other brass screw, you effectively treated your hots (plural) as if they were travelers (used between 3-way switches). What that actually did (I think) is something like:

switched hot became "common"
hot (incoming) became "traveler 1"
hot (outgoing) became "traveler 2"

When switch is in "traveler 1 ON" mode:

common connects to traveler 1 == Light on
traveler 2 OFF == something elsewhere in the house isn't going to work

When switch is in "traveler 2 ON" mode (which is the same as "traveler 1 OFF" == "just flip the switch":

traveler 1 OFF == Light off
common connects to traveler 2 == everything else in the house works normally

As far as the blinking when turning on the light, I suspect that is simply the way the bulb is handling the initial signal form the dimmer. It is possible that other bulbs will work better, but hard to say. Dimming LEDs is a tricky business - almost amazing that any of them can dim at all when run on AC.


Replacing a gas boiler fan - UK gas safe regulations Is it legal (UK law) to replace the fan on a domestic gas boiler yourself?
The replacement (according to the manual) involves three screws and two blade connectors. The price of a new fan from the manufacturer is quite reasonable, the price quoted for fitting it is six times the cost of the fan!
My research so far indicates that I can do my own 'wet work' on the water pipes, radiators and pump etc. Plus I'm pretty sure I can work on the room thermostat and the external controller myself.
The regulations make it clear that I can't work on 'gas carrying components' - which I guess means the gas pipes, gas valves and burner etc.
I haven't been able to find any authoritative reference to other non-gas components in the boiler. Some sources suggest that you can't even remove the cover of your own boiler, others suggest that it's fine to remove the cover and replace switches, controllers, knobs and fans etc etc.
Anyone here able to offer any definitive advice (preferable with link to an authoritative source)
(For what it's worth, I'm a professional engineer, and probably qualify as a 'competent person')
UPDATE - the question is about which parts of a boiler can/can't be self-maintained. I know wet-work is ok, I know gas-work is not ok. What about electrical work?

You can work on the boiler if you are Gas Safe (oka Corgi) registered.
Sadly, even as a professional engineer who may well understand gasses, reactions etc much better than a registered installer, you don't qualify as a competent person...
Some registered people may be prepared to allow you to do bits and sign off on them after they have inspected - but they are about as rare as hen's teeth... (and yes my neighbour was registered and did that for me...)


Why the Neutral wire is hot One of the outlet has no power in my house. I found the neutral wire is also hot like the black wire. There are only two wires, no ground wire involved. The wiring in the house is very new (~ 1 year). What would be the problem?

Any plugged in and turned on device, for example a light bulb, makes a connection between the hot and the neutral. This enables current to flow through the light bulb and power it. If the neutral is disconnected anywhere between the light bulb and the panel, then the neutral from the light to the point of the break in the neutral will become hot (and the device will be unpowered, because no current will be flowing through it). Look for a disconnected neutral.

To test whether you have a broken neutral, turn off everything in the circuit which has the hot neutral. If the neutral is then no longer hot, this confirms that a neutral is disconnected in the circuit.

For the purposes of this test, if you have any lights with 3-way switches in the circuit, you will not know if the light is switched on (and the neutral path broken so the light is not lighting) or if the light is switched off. It might be best to temporarily unscrew any such bulbs. Also, unplug any floor or table lamps because you can't tell it they are switched on or not.

There could be a loose neutral at any connection of the neutrals in wall boxes or at the neutral connection block in the electrical panel. Check the wall receptacle boxes first. Look for evidence of heating of a neutral wire or a loose neutral wire. Are your wires connected to the receptacles by "back stabs" into the receptacles or are they looped around the screws? Do you have copper or aluminum conductors in this circuit?


Electric breaker box not producing 220 Electrical box not producing 220. All 220 appliances are only pulling 110 happened last night still going on today never happened before.

It sounds like you lost a phase from your utility.  If you have overhead supply, that is the likeliest possibility.  You could open up the panel and check the breakers, but if you call the power company, the visit will be free and fast (assuming you didn't just have a windstorm, ice storm or other mass-outage event).

Ideally you would get all dead 240V appliances and all dead 120V appliances on one pole.  What actually happens is (from the 240V appliance's perspective) one leg is connected to neutral via your 120V appliances, and (from the 120V appliance's perspective) their hot wire is connected to the other hot wire via the 240V appliances.


Installing Touch Light Switch I'm looking to replace a light switch but the terminals are labeled differently to my existing one and i'm wondering if anyone can offer advice.

My current switch looks as follows with two wires going into a COM terminal and one into an L1 terminal:

and the switch i'm looking to install has the following terminals:

Thanks in advance!

Well, your wiring colors (or should I say colours), suggest you are not in the US, so I'll preface my answer with this: I have very little knowledge of non-US wiring standards. It looks like the current UK wire color scheme, though, with brown as a single-phase live (240V), blue as a neutral, and the yellow/green as a ground.

That aside, you shouldn't have too much trouble with this wiring. I am not entirely sure what the terminal marked "N" and "LOOP" is for since I wouldn't expect a 3-way traveler to go to a terminal marked as a neutral. Anyway, it doesn't appear relevant anyway. I might just be for an illuminated switch.

To simply replace the current switch, you would connect the wires currently on "COM" to "L" on the new switch and the wires currently on "L1" to the new "L1."


PVC conduit crossing a wire run I have a garage which was wired up by an electrician to be my workshop. There are several runs of electrical cable (including one 60A, 220V circuit) running along the ceiling of the garage. They are not in conduit.

Now, I'd like to add some fluorescent lights to the ceiling. I'm planning on using conduit lighting/fixtures to use an existing 15A circuit and convert an outlet to a conduit box for this. This circuit will not be used for anything other than the lighting. In total, we're talking about 4x fluorescent lighting fixtures which would hold 2x 40W bulbs each.

My question is, can I run conduit at perpendicular angles to the cable already in place? Or, will I need to figure out a path so that the conduit does not cross the cables in place?

Futher, since I already have cable running in the garage not in conduits, and this seemed to be fine, can I just run the lighting without the need for conduits?

If it makes any difference, I am located in Colorado.

To answer your main question, having the wiring cross is not in itself a problem.  However it sounds like you may just have romex / NM strapped to the underside of the ceiling, that isn't likely up to code.  In a workshop, I might err towards caution and pipe it all up.  This is not as much trouble or expense as you might think in a single open room.  In a workshop I can picture a long piece of material getting away from you and hitting the ceiling, much better to have the wiring protected if that happens.


Is there a functional difference between a $200 freestanding grill and a $2000 built-in grill? We are planning on potentially building a budget outdoor kitchen in our pool area.  As part of that process we'd like to add a nice-looking built-in grill.  However, upon starting to price-shop online I'm finding that built-ins seem to come with a pricetag approximately 5x - 10x that of a similarly-featured free-standing grills from a big box store.  I now find myself wondering if it makes more sense to build an alcove for a freestanding grill (our $200 freestanding grill is finally giving out on us after 12 years).

Is there an actual functional or reliability difference to these extremely expensive grills that will make up for the cost difference (other than the built-in appearance)?  Or is this much like wedding cakes or wedding photography, where the word "wedding" (or "built-in") quintuples the price for an otherwise similar product?  My experience has been that such large price premiums are usually justified by something, but without knowing what that 'something' is it's difficult to determine if it's worth the cost for us.

There MAY be some real differences. Using the microwave oven as an example, which I actually have some experience with. A typical countertop (i.e., not built-in) microwave oven is typically designed NOT to be fixed in pretty much any way. If a switch, fuse, motor, etc. fails then generally it is both hard to fix, if it is at all possible to safely do so. A built-in microwave oven is designed like a conventional oven - serviceable, wiring diagram usually included, parts available from traditional supply houses or online. Fire (don't ask...) in a built-in microwave oven - find the thermal fuses and replace them. Fire in a countertop microwave oven - throw it away and get another one. Bad heating element in a conventional built-in oven - replace the element. Bad heating element in a countertop toaster oven - replace the appliance. There are also sometimes other differences as well.

I can't say for sure what the differences are with BBQ grills. I suspect there are some differences in terms of serviceability, quality of construction, durability, etc. Whether they are worth 5x the price is another story. Part of the difference in price is of course due to mass production - if you can produce 100,000 grills instead of 10,000, you can definitely amortize the design, tooling and other production costs and get the grills out the door for a lot less.


Thermostat jumper wire missing I am missing my jumper wire on my thermostat. What do I replace it with?

I have been researching how to fix it.

Small wire. It's not critical. Thermostat wire is often #18 solid. You could use a paperclip or a twist-tie, although copper would be better in terms of bend tolerance and connection integrity.

You could clip an unused conductor in your thermostat wire bundle and use that, or you could shorten a wire that's in use.


Ceiling fan with light, 3 way wall switch and remote I am installing a new fan in my bedroom.  I would like to control the light on the fan with a wall switch.  I would also like to control the fan by using the included remote.  My fan comes with just a remote.

I was following this thread: How do I wire a hard-wired wall switch and a remote for my ceiling fan/light?

And I was reading the response from ThreePhasEel.  His option three is exactly what I am trying to accomplish.  The only difference is my power is coming from the swich.

I have Black, White, Ground coming into the box.  I then plan on running 12/4 romex up to the fan box.  This is where I am hoping to hook up the fan and the relay mentioned in the above referenced post.

I was hoping someone could help tell me how to wire it properly with the power being in the wall switch versus the fan itself.

I am pasting from the other thread here for reference.

  Blockquote

... and here's how you do that thing.

Travelers marked with purple tape, since every other color seems to be used :)

Note the power entering at the switch means the 3-way complex (3-way+relay) is reversed: Power comes from the 3-way, via one of the 2 travelers, to the relay then onward to the fan/light.
The /4 is used to carry 2 travelers, always-hot (black) and neutral (white) onward to the rest of the circuit, including to the receiver.
Since we have 2 groups of neutrals in close proximity, neutrals on the receiver side are now marked with gray tape
Dimmer 3-way changed out to plain 3-way.  It doesn't really matter though; it could be left a dimmer 3-way.


How much electricity does a thermostat consume? I live in a condo and the heat is supplied by a gas furnace located in the building. Heat is included in my condo fee but I'm wondering if turning on the thermostat uses any electricity and how much?

Most thermostats use very little power, if any. Many of the Honeywell programmable thermostats you can buy from retail places, for instance, take 2 AA batteries for their power source and do NOT pull power from the fan unit. If your unit is a WiFi one, that may not be as true.

Either way, I'd be surprised to see one consume more than a dollar a month at most.


How is "continuous wiring" defined in context of the 2017 NEC code? First, some context: About AFCI protection in Dwelling Units, NEC 2017:

210.12(A) All 120-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere branch circuits supplying outlets or devices installed [...] shall be protected by [...]
... (4) A listed outlet branch-circuit type arc-fault circuit interrupter installed at the first outlet on the branch circuit in combination with a listed branch-circuit overcurrent protective device where all of the following conditions are met:

a. The branch-circuit wiring shall be continuous from the branch-circuit overcurrent device to the outlet branch-circuit arc-fault circuit  interrupter.
b. The maximum length of the branch-circuit wiring from the branch-circuit overcurrent device to the first outlet shall not exceed 15.2 m (50 ft) for a 14 AWG conductor or 21.3 m (70 ft) for a 12 AWG conductor.
c. The first outlet box in the branch circuit shall be marked to indicate that it is the first outlet of the circuit.
d. The combination of the branch-circuit overcurrent device and outlet branch-circuit AFCI shall be identified as meeting the requirements for a system combination-type AFCI and shall be listed as such.

So how is "continuous wiring" defined in context of the 2017 NEC code? It is not listed in its Definitions chapter. Is it the same as electrical continuity? Mechanical continuity? Not-interrupted-by-switches-that-are-potentially-open-continuity? or something else? In a different context, Mike Holt states [1]:

Conductors in raceways must be continuous between all points of the system. This means you can't place splices in the raceway[...]

Is this correct? If so / if not: Can you provide a reference?
[1] https://www.mikeholt.com/mojonewsarchive/NEC-HTML/HTML/Article-300-Wiring-Methods~20031029.htm

Nope.  Nope nope nope.

You cannot use 210.12(A)(4) to put AFCI at an outlet.

There are certain fairly rare cases where you can put AFCI at the first outlet.

However, there is a misconception that has turned into a regular "old wives' tale", that one can skip the expensive AFCI breaker and just slap an ACFI recep at the first outlet.  Oh no you can't!

Of course, now that it's turned into a wives' tale, everybody is running for the Codebook hellbound to find the supporting language.  The closest thing they find to support their preconceived notion is 210.12(A)(4). "That must be it!" they say.  And they stick a Post-It there ready to throw it in the inspector's face.

That wishful reading is possible if you totally ignore (4)(d): "blah blah system combination-type AFCI blah blah".  Go ogle that. That is a "married pair" of receptacle head-unit and trick breaker, both designed and UL-listed to work with each other.  The section was added to Code at Cutler Hammer's request, to support exactly one product, their SCAF20.

Its killer feature is it uses Cutler Hammer's remote control breaker tech to allow resetting the breaker from the outlet. The outlet is just a "head unit" that controls the breaker.  So the guest can do it from the hotel room without calling the front desk.  Get it?

Now go back and re-read 210.12(A)(4). See how it was written for the SCAF20?  Bingo.  It is not applicable to general AFCI outlets at all.

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how about your original question?

Continuous means no splices.

A solid run of NM-B or whatever you're rolling.  No Tyco in-wall splices. No stopping at an intermediate junction box.  No feeding some lighting circuits. Note that options (1) through (4) require a breaker which actually is an AFCI breaker.  (5) through (6) don't, but they require conduit, and there's already a rule against splices in conduit.

Keep in mind that despite the name, AFCI is not anything like GFCI.  AFCI is mainly there to protect wires in the walls.  You can't put it at the first receptacle because that would leave the home-run totally unprotected.  That's only allowed in metal or concrete shelled conduit.


Hot tub wiring extending existing wire I recently got a new hot tub and unfortunately the new hookup is about 2 feet further from where the old hot tub was. For various reasons it would be difficult to run new wire from the gfci breaker.

I know it would likely be against code, but would putting a waterproof junction box inside the hot tub cabinet be ok? Again, I understand it's probably against code, but is there really any reason not to do it assuming it is all waterproof and done correctly?

Thanks

Adding a weather proof box at the tub is legal.


Limit switch doesn't function on oil furnace my limit switch on my oil furnace does not shut off the burner when it hits the limit.I replaced the limit twice maybe I had a bad one still no luck . While furnace was running I took the thermostat off the wall and the burner keep running still . Can you tell me what to look for next. does the fossil fuel system have anything to do with this?

The high limit being taken off the wall of the fire box it will never over heat.
Try removing 1 of the leads to the switch if the furnace keeps running it is not the limit switch.
Most of these limits have a manual reset button you need to press if they do overheat.
If the furnace keeps going with the limit wire removed you need to have the controls fully checked out as this is a safety hazard.


What's the difference between Interior and Exterior scaffolding? I've been looking into getting some scaffolding for some jobs around the house. Honestly, I may need it for both inside and outside.

I see various products where they specifically list scaffolding as being "interior" or "exterior". I cannot find an explanation anywhere.

Can I use exterior scaffolding indoors? Can I use interior scaffolding outside? Is there a difference? Do I need to get both?

FYI: Since I have no idea how to tag this (I used ladder because places like to group scaffolding and ladders), I fear it may be off topic. If so, please advise where I can ask this question.

You're really going to have to look at them up close & personal if a simple 2x12 across 2 or more supports isn't to your liking. Interiors are either a fancy version of the 2x12 on empty 5-gallon buckets or self-standing & rolling cages of quite short lengths.

Exterior usually is not self-standing & must be anchored to the building, negating its use inside altogether, but they are made to receive additional sections & levels.

If you haven't used ladders & ladder jacks for exterior scaffolding you may want to try that out first & they can be used indoors with the Werner type of adjustable ladders that can be used as step or straight ladders.


Can I remove excess damp proof membrane under garage concrete floor? I recently moved into a house with a garage at the bottom of the garden which has a damp proof membrane (DPM) that protrudes out at the base of every wall by approx 4 to 5 inches.

Can I safely trim this off without affecting the damp proofing?

I want to fit some interlocking garage floor tiles to make the space less dusty and cleaner but currently can't do this as the DPM will stop me getting the tiles tight to the walls.

Photo of the DPM protruding from base of wall:

Around the single door frame and garage roller door entrance the DPM is already trimmed down to be flush with the ground, so I believe I should be able to trim this off but this is my first time ever having to look into doing this so I want to be sure.

Link to the floor tiles: Rolson garage floor tiles

If the garage isn't below grade, doesn't have a sump pump on its level, there's no drain pipe open to daylight out in the yard and you don't have holes drilled at the base of the walls. Then yes, you can cut it down, as it's just newer concrete of this century that normally requires a water and vapor barrier...typically it's clear or black 6-mil polyvinyl sheeting required by code.

If yours were a very minor part of a proper drying or water handling system it would be hard and stiff plastic that's bubbled or ridged, like the picture below.


Gas fireplace to wood burning I would like to know if my current gas fireplace can be converted to a wood burning fireplace. The house has a masonry chimney but I have not done any inspections yet. If it can be converted how would I go about doing this?

There's two factors here: 1) Can he fireplace physically handle a wood fire and 2) Does local code allow for it.

Regarding #1, if it's a gas insert...meaning it used to be a wood fireplace and then a gas fireplace was inserted into it, it may physically be able to convert back. If you have a proper masonry chimney and firebox, then it may very well have been originally a wood fireplace. To find out for sure, you need to contact your local fireplace contractor.

Regarding #2, that might be the bigger hurdle--especially if you are in a metropolitan area. Lots of metro areas no longer allow you to 'revert' back to wood for air quality reasons. You may be able to use a high efficiency wood insert, thought. To find out for sure, you need to contact your local building department.


How to finish pine woodwork/trim we are renovating a 1905 Victorian. I stripped and stained the downstairs woodwork/trim (oak) and headed up stairs to work on the trim/woodwork (baseboards, window/door trim/doors) only to find that it is pine (was told possibly southern yellow pine). Well my husband hoped for a medium/dark brown stain but it looks uneven/not uniform in color. I have tried wiping stain, wiping stain with wood conditioner first, and gel stain) I don’t like it. The woodwork had shellac on it (I stripped the baseboards and three windows already). I am thinking maybe I should have just cleaned up the shellac and made it nice again. What are my options to remedy this? Can I shellac what I have stripped and clean up/add shellac to the remaining trim/doors?

Pine and spruce don't take stain evenly, due to the pitch in the wood.  The usual way to deal with it is to start with a coat of shellac, although thinned varnish will also work.

When I did a set of pantry shelves out of pine I had the same problem.  What I did was to start with a coat of clear water based varnish.  Then I mixed clear varnish with a water based dye stain (non-pigment)  stain, at about 3 parts varnish to 1 part stain.  Applied enough coats of this to get to the tone I wanted.

It took a lot of coats.  If I were doing it again, I might go to 2/3 stain 1/3 varnish.  Fortunately the coats go on really fast.


Door knob lock not moving when turned to lock I have a bathroom doorknob that when I lock, nothing happens to the lock
(by lock I mean the thing that moves and stops the door from moving I don't know if there is a technical term)
I can pull the lock out which seems to be the current position it SHOULD be in when I lock it but it never seems to go in that position. The doorknob can still move when I twist it but it never seems to fully extend when I lock it. The problem doesn't seem to be the strike plate being misaligned, at this point I don't know

I've encountered this issue before and the repair is easy.
The problem is with the lock (latch) being misaligned. This is the part of the door knob that moves back and forth and holds the door closed.
With a screwdriver loosen the 2 screws holding it in place. 1-2 turns should be enough. Twist the door knob to check if the latch moves freely.
If it doesn't verify that the latch is lined up correctly with (and not rubbing against) the latch plate (the plate guiding the latch).
If still not working correctly loosen the 2 screws that hold the door knobs together. Move them until the retracted and stuck latch springs out and then re-tighten the screws.
It's tempting to use an aerosol lubricant to free the latch (i'm guilty of this too), but it doesn't help in the long term. It will attract dust and build up grime that hinders the door lock mechanism.
Sometimes it's less hassle to install a new door knob.


What are my options when replacing all house trim / molding / baseboards? When we bought our house in 2008, we opted for the cheapest oak trim. Around doors, windows, baseboards, cabinets, behind the clothes dryer, fireplace surround and mantel, absolutely everywhere.

We're slowly tiring of the stained oak look, and are interested in something a little higher-end, like maple or cherry. I do realize that replacing a couple thousand linear feet of trim is possible with a lot of work. Painting is doable, but we prefer being able to see wood grain.

Are there  any other options to cover oak trim and cabinets with a different type of wood?

For the mill work outside of the cabinetry, you have two practical options:

Paint the trim. But note that oak has large pores, so you will see grain texture through the paint unless is was previously filled (which is unlikely).  This is probably your least expensive option.
Replace the trim. This won't be cheap. Trim is among the most expensive finishing steps, especially when you get into premium quality hardwoods.

This one isn't practical to do for an entire house, but it could be done

Strip, fill, apply lighter dye or stain. Again, oak has a very pronounced grain which can't be fully hidden easily. You can use a wood filler to level the surface but the texture will still have an 'oak' feel to it. This option is a ton of work even for a small project, but you can create a reasonable illusion of a different wood species in color, if not in texture.

As for the cabinetry:

You could paint them, but I don't recommend it except as a temporary measure. Instead, apply adhesive-backed wood veneer to the cabinet boxes and have new doors made up in your preferred wood species. You'll have to be careful cutting and installing the veneer or it will look decidedly sloppy. Best to have an experienced professional do it. Here is a site that sells self-adhesive wood veneers. Here is a company that manufactures replacement cabinet doors. A quick web search will turn up many other companies that provide this service.


High or low speed for Dremel cut-off wheels? When using a cut-off wheel for a Dremel or similar tool, should I be running the Dremel at high speed (high RPMs) or low?

I don't know that the application matters, but I'm cutting a bunch of bolts.  I want a decent job, but I'm not worried about aesthetics.  I guess I'm mainly interested in the long-term health of the cut-off wheels (though, of course, long-term for an abrasive wheel is pretty short).


Thermostat wiring question Got a free smart tstat from the electric company. Took off old tstat took picture, went to basement to check colors on the unit and r, w, and g matches up but the blue wire is connected to c on hvac board and y on tstat. Y is unused on hvac board.
Installed a c wire kit that came with tstat, which connected y and g at tstat to a diode that returned to hvac on blue to connect to a box with other wires. Hooked everything up per instructions got beat working but for ac, the compressor doesn't come on, the fan does.
Could I remove the c wire kit revert all wires back to normal and jump y to c on tstat since y on tstat is going to common on hvac and all works that way.?

Could I just g for common instead? I work with industrial hvac units but this small thing is baffling the hell out of me.
*** EDIT ***
@ThreePhaseEel
@jwh20
@Harper - Reinstate Monica

2 wires - red and white exiting to the right on lower wire are going to the condenser outside.
4 wires - red, white, green, blue exiting to the right on top wire are going to tstat.
4 wires - red, white, green, blue exiting bottom conduit go to air handler board
So, blue wire from c terminal on handler goes to white wire on condenser, blue wire from y terminal on tstat goes to red wire going to condenser.
red, green, white from tstat go to red green white on handler.
Only 4 wires to and from tstat
2 wires to condenser
5 wires going to air handler (Hey, theres that yellow wire)
How can I hook up my emerson sensi smart tstat?
Right now I am using green as common to get power to tstat, heat and fan work, condenser works but no fan.
How to I wire tstat as is or use the included c wire kit?

Ran new 5 wire from tstat to junction box, replaced the spice going to condensor with with yellow then new 5 wire down to air handler. If course using blue for common.


Concrete Mix for making small objects I want to build desk objets out of concrete, such as the ones in the images below ( i don't own any of them, they have been taken from around the internet).

http://www.designboom.com/design/concrete-rollerball-pen-by-22-design-studio-at-designboom-shop/

and

http://fancycrave.com/concrete-desk-accessories/

The walls of these objects are not more than 4mm thick, what kind of mix would i need to make such objects so that they are durable ?

I have tried the normal sand, cement mixes but they don't seem to good enough at the thickness I am using. I have heard about GFRC and admixtures but i don't get to buy them where i live. So i am trying for a DIY solution from scratch.

Has anyone tried to build such objects ? If so what do you recommend. I am new to using  concrete, so please help me out...

Thanks in advance...

Two elements will help in casting small concrete parts..  A plasticizer, such as a latex admix and vibration of your mold, to cause bubbles to rise.

If you really can't get a latex admix, you might try latex paint, as a guess (keep the percentage low, <10% of your water)


How do I paint old brass fireplace doors? Have old brass fireplace doors.  Would like them black or some other color.  Can I paint these?  If so do I need to take the glass out?  And with what paint?

Yes you can paint them. You will need to use a heat resistant paint. Your options for paint will be limited at the Big Box Stores. I would look at either automotive engine paint at the local autoparts store or paint specifically for stoves from a wood/pellet stove dealer. My guess is that color choice will be limited. The glass need not be removed. You can mask it off with tape and remove the tape later. The results may be better if you remove the tape prior to the paint curing as the edges will be less likely to chip. You will get a better finish with the glass out but it may be difficult to remove. Some models hold the glass in with trim pieces held with screws. Other models crimp a metal lip to retain the glass. Recrimping the lip tight enough to get a good seal might be difficult to do at home.


Connecting dishwasher to the waste disposal Can I connect my dishwasher drain directly to the waste disposal or do I have to connect the dishwasher drain to an air gap first?

If you connect above the U bend or P trap this will work. If the connection is below the U bend or P trap sewer gasses can enter the home these can be both unhealthy and explosive.


Difference in protection between GFCI breaker vs receptacle? I am selling my house in Illinois, and the buyer's home inspector complained that the house needed to have GFCI receptacles instead of GFCI breakers for the bathroom and kitchen.  I am under the belief that they provide the same protection.  Am I mistaken?  Is there a safety issue, or is this just busy work?

GFCI breakers provide better protection.  GFCI outlets have unprotected exposed conductors behind the faceplate, they are going into the terminals called "line".

The inspector may be concerned with ease of inspection, i.e. quickly determining that the kitchen has the required equipment.  GFCI outlets make that easy.

Speaking or that, there are labeling requirements which also make that easy.  If it isn't perfectly obvious by the "test" and "reset" buttons, any GFCI protected outlet must have a label saying "GFCI protected". He would be correct to flunk you on that.


Water heater wont work My gas water heater wont heat until I turn it up to nearly all the way to the maximum temperature, indicated with letter "C" in the image. If I turn it down lower than "C" the gas flames stop and the water never heats up. I also noticed some rust on the top of the heater. What are my solutions to make the heater work at "A" level of temperature or is there any best practices out there to maintain this gas heater which has serial number "..1998" probably the year it was manufactured.

The rust on your water heater and the cracking of the top surface is indicative of another problem.

Your thermostat might be broken, the heating element (where the gas is actually ignited to heat the pan) might be broken.

Just looking at the unit and the rust and given you have this other issue I will suggest you replace the unit, because if you are not a professional in the industry that can be very dangerous for you. Working with Gas is highly dangerous even for professionals.

That said the cost of a service person to come look at the issue and the cost of any part to repair the unit you might be looking at $200-$400. For that kind of money you can buy a unit have it installed.

You did not say where in the World you are located so if you are in the United States...

Many states have rebate and credit programs, some local municipalities have rebate and credit programs and lastly even your gas company might even rebate and credit programs, the gas company might even install the unit for free (after all they would not want you to use an electric Water heater for the next 20 years would they ?)

You might be able to end up with a brand new , highly efficient unit for the price of the servicing to fix your unit.


What is an aesthetically pleasing way to add lateral support to a loft bed? I'm building a loft bed, and while I have a pretty good handle on the surface, I'm still trying to figure out the posts. Two adjacent sides are against walls, so I could put in diagonal beams, or maybe I'll build in book cases including diagonal members.

But I'm having trouble figuring out what to do with the two other sides. One of the sides is supposed to be open (for access) and the other for hanging clothes, so the traditional crossed wood or crossed cables is out.

Is there a standard (or even non-standard) approach to this? Is leaving the two remaining sides open an option?

Since you are doing sturdy x-bracing under the bed itself, and two adjacent sides are cross braced as well, you have three braced frames in three planes, and none of the frames are overly long and skinny, there is adequate bracing for the entire structure. If you can in any way anchor the structure to the walls as well for additional rigidity, you will be better off.

Even if you can't, as long as the frames are truly rigid and do not rack in the least, you will be fine. The one unbraced post is a bit of a problem unless anchored at the base because it can move if bumped against. If bumped hard enough, you could lose the vertical support at that corner. Thus the connection of this post must be as rigid as possible at the top connection to the bed frame. It's essentially like a table leg, a loose one is nearly useless.


Cheap alternatives to translucent polycarbonate sheet? I'm looking for a material to cover an uninsulated wall that is both durable and translucent enough to diffuse sunlight inside.

Polycarbonate sheeting looks like the best material for the job but is expensive and not easy to find. Plexiglass, acrylic etc. also seem expensive for how long it seems to last given some reviews. What should I be looking for?

I'm rather fond of polycarb corrugated roofing panels. They price out at about $1/sf and are available in transparent-but-distorted charcoal or clear, and translucent white that diffuses as you wish.


Removing counter tiles to reveal concrete base I am looking to revamp my kitchen. I have very dated tiles on my counters at the moment. From what I can see the tiles are on a very solid concrete counter top. I would like to remove the tiles then smooth (and treat?) the concrete leaving 'raw' concrete counter tops.

Think this is doable?

I am not looking to keep the tiles.

As Isherwood suggested, elbow grease by the drum will be required.  You can likely get the tiles off with a hammer & masonry chisel.  From there, you can knock off alot of the thinset (assuming that's what they used) with the masonry chisel, but to get a presentable surface will likely require you to grind the whole thing to remove the remaining thinset.

This will be a tricky business.  If you use an aggressive tool & abrasive, you risk gouges and exposing voids or aggregate in the substrate.  If you go with a milder abrasive, it will take forever.  In either case it will create alot of hazardous dust, and there's a good chance that whatever you find under there won't make a decent looking countertop anyway.

Are you sure this is a solid concrete countertop underneath?  It's usually some kind of concrete backerboard (if you're lucky) or particle board.

If it were me and it is solid concrete underneath, I'd knock the old tile off with a chisel, grind the thinset down reasonably smooth, and set new tile on it.  Maybe some of those bullnose counter-depth granite tiles.

If it's not a solid concrete substrate, tear the whole business off - tiles and all - and start from scratch.


Running 240v power to detached garage for electric vehicle We have a detached garage approx 95ft away from the main house and we are looking to run a 240v circuit there.

Currently we have Romex wire running straight into the ground. (This is how it was when we moved into the house. I have attached a picture below.) This feeds basic outlets and the garage door. We would like to run either straight to a circuit, or a small sub-panel to provide for the 110v (outlets and garage door, and 240v - EV)

My plan is the following:

Trench down 18" and run 1" PVC 40 Conduit to the garage
Insert a 70amp Breaker to feed the 60amp sub panel in the garage
Run 6/3 gauge wire from main panel in the PVC to the sub-panel in the garage
From the subpanel - just run the 12/2 wiring into the main circuit that is fitted up now (From the wiring that comes through the ground), Also run off the 50amp breaker from SP, the 6/3 wirirng to the Nema 14-50 outlet to plug in the EV.

The other option could be to avoid the subpanel and just run wiring to a an outlet.

Run a 50amp breaker & 6/3 wire + new 12/2 wiring through the garage
Connect the 6/3 to a 14-50 outlet and the 12/2 to the existing 110v setup.

Any tips, corrections or redirection would be appreciated.

First, using any sort of NM cable outside is right out of the question.  Cannot do it; it's not wet-rated.  If you want to direct-bury cable, use UF or other types; however you want to run in conduit.  Running cable in conduit isn't even crazy, for reasons let's leave to another Q/A. So let's armwave that you will be using individual wires.  Fortunately those are almost all dual-rated dry/wet (THHN/THWN-2, the W being Wet).

Conduit

For this reason, it's important that the conduit is either a) continuous from the panel to the destination; or b) stops at a large junction box to make a splice from THWN-2 to cable.

When laying conduit, keep your bends to an absolute minimum between access points; use conduit bodies at corners to give easy access. You see a conduit body in your picture, but you can't use that one because service wires are in it.

If you are willing to trade "being able to trench with a garden trowel" for "murderous price per foot", consider Rigid or IMC conduit, which only needs 6" of cover over top of it (12" cover for vehicle pathways).  But figure like $4/foot for the stuff, and a trip or two to the hardware store to have pipe threaded.  Upside: it's a viable ground path, so one less wire.

For PVC conduit, you need ot use Schedule 80 and you must have 18" of cover over top of it, so trench to 20".

Wires

I'm going to list the wires by price per 100ft, since your distance is about that.  I'm getting these prices from wiresandcablesyourway.com.  All or THWN-2 or XHHW.

 1 x #8 bare copper ground $37
 3 x #6 copper conductor   $57 x 3, 60A max  OR...
 3 x #4 aluminum conductor $26 x 3, 60A max  OR...
 3 x #2 aluminum conductor $35 x 3, 80A max  OR...
 3 x #1 aluminum conductor $52 x 3, 100A max.
 2 x #10 copper conductor, $30 x 2, 20A

Aside from aluminum being less than half the price, one reason to use it is that puts your wire size larger than #6.  On #6 or smaller wires, you must use an actually-white wire for neutral, which can make buying wires more expensive.  #4 and up, you can mark it with tape.  Grab a 5-pack of red/white/green/blue/yellow electrical tape for $4.

The 20A/120V circuit is a real problem. Because of the distance, you need to upsize the wires to #10 or you'll have alarming voltage drop.  Now let's do the math on this.  The two conductors are $60.  You won't need it if you get a subpanel.  A perfectly respectable 16 space subpanel can be had for $70.  That's a no-brainer if you ask me.

With #6 feeder, you can comfortably use 1" conduit.
With #4 feeder you can only use 1" conduit if you omit the 20A circit, and it'll be a hard pull.
With #1 feeder you can only use 1-1/4" conduit if you omit the 20A circuit, and it'll be a hard pull.

The ground wire, presumably #8 copper, can be shared between the feeder and the 20A circuit.

The subpanel

Here we are huge proponents of huge subpanels.  When buying the panel, the cost of extra spaces is super cheap.  After you've fit it, and regret getting too small a panel, it's super hard and expensive.  Better to skip a pizza and get a bigger panel: 16 space, even 24 space.   You'll thank us later.

"Circuits" are not "spaces".  A panel that claims "16 circuits" means an 8-space panel using duplex/"double-stuff" breakers.  That's deceptive advertising because most circuits these days needs AFCI/GFCI breakers, and those are not available in double-stuff.

Other stuff e.g.  Your diagram

The weird cable with male ends on both ends is probably a "suicide cord" for running a generator. Or should I say a "murder cord" because his plan was to plug one end into a generator and the other end into the garage feed, to backfeed the garage then backfeed the house. And maybe he turns off his main breaker first and doesn't kill a lineman.  (Because when a 120V generator backfeeds a 120/240-9600V poletop transformer, the voltage on the backside of the transformer is, guess what! 9600 volts.  That's how transformers work.)

Even worse, it sounds like rather than running a 120/240V /3 cable, he was using two separate cables to backfeed each leg separately.  What a hokey-dokey rig.  This is what fools like that do.  Just remove the plug ends at one end so nobody can plug it in.

On the remaining buried cables, you might dig 'em up for a closer look.  If they are NM, tear 'em out - they are ruined.  NM is not wet-rated. If they are UF, see how deep they're buried.  If it's <24" it's too shallow, tear it out.  Otherwise you can disconnect it, pull it through the building, slip a Sched. 80 PVC conduit over it and rebury it (at the bottom, an elbow of course), and then provide physical protection up to a proper Code building entrance.  And then put them back in service.  Free wire :)


How should I fasten window trim molding when I reinstall it? I posted previously in regards to an exterior window trim issue I discovered, where the previous home owner did not put any waterproofing around the window.

I have since waterproofed around the windows using foam and silicone. However, the silicone is exposed and I would like to cover it with trim again (now that it is properly? sealed).

Is there anything I should keep in mind prior to putting on trim again? I was just going to brad nail it on, and maybe silicone between the trim and window.

--- UPDATE ---

So I decided to just not use trim. I stuffed backing rod in the gaps around the window, and siliconed the heck out of everything. These windows are now completely water tight. I am now going to put the highest quality paintable caulk I can find on the silicone then paint. As mentioned, the trim really only makes the problem worse by catching water and such. Thanks everyone for all the helpful comments and critiques!

First off, don't use wood trim. Vinyl trim is easy to find and it won't rot.

Second, you can use an air nailer if you can avoid the window. Caulk will cover the holes. I would suggest using galvanized nails. If you don't feel comfortable, or you don't own an air nailer, the next best option is construction adhesive. If you went vinyl trim MAKE SURE THE ADHESIVE SUPPORTS VINYL. If you don't, it may eat the trim instead. Make sure it's outdoor as well. The catch with adhesive is it will make future repairs harder.

Third, get a good outdoor grade caulk. It will prevent water intrusion


Wiring 240v to 120v outlet? Is there an issue wiring a traditionally single-pole receptacle as a double-pole? (i.e. Instead of L-N-G, it would be L1-G-L2)

Hmmm. When I started typing this I could not find an IEC-320-C13 to NEMA 6-20P power cable to save my life. I have... so the question is more of a curiosity at this point. But such a cable is difficult to resell as opposed to one with a NEMA 5-15P termination....

Would such a wiring decrease the ampacity of the outlet? This is fine to me. Just means I need a bunch more. Equipment will be pulling max of 6A at 240v.

Thanks! If you're further curious about this read on but that pretty much sums up my question.

I'm searching for cost effective means of wiring my equipment. I've purchased five Tripp Lite PDU1230 for a cost of ~$800. This can wire up probably all the equipment I have. But I have space for about 5x the equipment. I can wire up everything for less than $1600 (subpanels, wire, connectors, outlets, etc.) versus $4000 in PDUs. But it's contingent on wiring a 5-15 receptacle as L1-G-L2 vs. L-N-G.

Using NEMA 6-20R/P will be significantly more expensive (~$2,000) than the 5-15 but cheaper than the PDUs.

Clarifications / Update

This is for 240v devices only; in an area with only 240v devices (racks of them); accessed, operated, and maintained by myself only.

Other precautions such labeling area as "240v only"; placing plug covers over the unused receptacle; limiting one device per outlet, etc. can all be done. (Again, I'm the only person with access though.)

I'm not looking to increase ampacity as someone commented below. I'm assuming the doubling in voltage, if anything would halve the ampacity. In this case 6A is 80% of the 7.5A capacity and therefore save to use.

This question is, as I mentioned above, "more of a curiosity at this point."

Just NO
NEMA 5-15 is, by definition, designed for 120 V operation.

If you put 240 V on it, you are not using it as designed, therefore violating code.

Plus risking serious hazards because the parts may not be over-engineered enough to operate safely at 240 V.

Plus risking serious hazards if anyone ever forgot that this particular ordinary looking outlet was actually 240 V - e.g., what if you are doing some troubleshooting and need to plug in some other piece of equipment and unplug one of your servers to plug in a piece of expensive test equipment that gets destroyed - or a piece of cheap test equipment that starts a fire.

FYI (but not relevant, because you just can't do this!), such a change would not increase the ampacity (that would still be 15A) but would double the power because power = voltage * current.
But just don't do it. Not legal. Not safe.


Gas Fireplace: How do I arrange rockwool and logs for maximum heat? We have a 10 year old gas fireplace that has been operating flawlessly.  There is no blower/fan unit. After annual cleaning, I've always replaced the rockwool and situated the logs as before using a before-photo.

Last fall, I didn't have any new rockwool, so omitted that. And I forgot to reapply the 2 bottom spring loaded clamps of the glass panel.

Over the winter, it hasn't seemed to put out as much heat.  Finally got a hold of some more rock wool. Took off the front screen and discovered the unapplied bottom clamps.  This time, I placed the rock wool over the only the front row of orifices, and moved the front log to on top of back log, leaving the rockwool exposed to view. And have left off the front screen.

Sure looks gorgeous with all the rockwool embers glowing.  It is definitely putting more heat into the room, and might be more heat than it ever has.  But it could be due to any of the three: 1) no screen mesh, 2) properly clamped glass front, 3) rearrangment of logs.

What do you think, and for maximum heat, is there an optimal strategy for placing rockwool and/or logs?  Does rockwool aid heating?

The "optimal" placement of the logs is that shown in the manual for the unit.

Rearranging the logs doesn't change the amount of gas being let through the gas valve, which is the only variable that will change how much heat the fireplace produces.

It can however cause the unit to burn dirtier and create soot, if you place the logs in a way that causes impingement (flame touches them, essentially).

Chances are it feels warmer now because you've moved the front log which is allowing more "radiant" heat to come straight into the room, but the unit would not be creating any more heat than normal.


Ecobee 4 installation - No C constant 24V option on Furnace Ecobee 4 installation help? Any handy people available?

I am looking to install an Ecobee 4 in my condo. There is an older HVAC system, Unilux LE600. The furnace itself does not have a C connector, only the standard G, R, W and Y. The same four wires go to the thermostat.

The Ecobee 4 requires a constant 24V at all time, which is the C. I need to find a way to create a constant 24V to the termostat.

Ecobee 4 includes the Optional Power Extender Kit. That would totally solve my problem however there is no C at the Furnace.

The Power Extender Kit essentially connects to the G, R, W and Y wires and creates a 5th wire to connect to a C, the constant 24V line.

I could buy a power adapter, but isn't there already 24V somewhere on the Transformer already? I would hate using any more hydro than necessary if I already have a source. R wire goes to the right hand side of the Transformer in this picture (Brown wire). There are the wires on the left hand side (2 dark blue), these go to two relays that are at the bottom of the picture.

Anyone handy here? I have a potential solution, but would prefer someone giving me a hand before I state what I think I want to do. (That way is probably better).

https://imgur.com/a/CCyQm

Others have tried in the building with no success... I'm thinking this can be done without the loss of fan control when not heating/cooling.  I'm thinking that some people in the building have had success just that they didn't tell the property manager (only when things didn't work).

Tap the other transformer terminal

The transformer terminal on the right seems to be connected by a brown wire to R as you describe, so clearly the other transformer terminal on the front of the transformer (the left-hand one, with the purple wires hooked to it) is the C terminal.  This is consistent with the wiring diagram you posted, which has wires from the transformer common to the common side of both relay coils.


Is this stuff in my furnace toxic? I am in the process of removing an old coal furnace.  after removing the natural gas conversion kit I now see some type of loose filler or insulation which was present around the conversion kit pipe.  There is also a substance that looks like joint compound which was used to adhere the sheet metal plate to the furnace opening.

How likely is it that either of these substances contain asbestos?  Is it possible to tell from a visual examination?  The kit says 1979 on it, so I assume the conversion happened in the 80s.  I'm pretty well past my prime, and I am the only person living in the house.  How risky would it really be for me just to put on a dust mask and sweep this stuff out of there?  Thanks in advance for any knowledge or advice that you are willing to share.

That is vermiculite.

You can buy that stuff at Walmart in the garden department.

There is a small possibility that it contains asbestos.

It is possible that there was an asbestos vein in the ground where the vermiculite was mined.


Is this gas range ventilation setup dangerous? I recently moved in to a new apartment that has a gas range and oven. I have never had a gas stove before, and so I am not sure how it should work.

While cooking the other night, our Carbon Monoxide detector went off. I was using the fan on the hood, and could "see" the gas/exhaust being sucked up into the hood. I opened the windows, and turned off the oven, and we were fine.

After inspecting the hood, I am curious to know if this is how it should be set up.

Here is the hood above the stove.

Here is the opening that empties into the cabinet above the hood.

The hood doesn't vent outside of the kitchen, just flows up into the cabinet and out the hole cut into the top into the room.

Do I need to be concerned about this setup? Is this dangerous? We use the stove an awful lot, the oven less frequently. Are we at risk for CO poisoning?
Should my landlord have mentioned this to me, and maybe said "hey, open the windows when you use the stove"?

Update:

Can anyone direct me to where I can get a definitive answer on whether this is a real issue? My landlord disagrees and says "modern gas ranges do not emit carbon monoxide"

However, the CDC Carbon Monoxide FAQ website says:

  All gas appliances must be vented so that CO will not build up in your home, cabin, or camper.
  Never burn anything in a stove or fireplace that isn't vented.

I would like to know if I need to get out of this apartment, since the landlord refuses to acknowledge this as an issue, or whether he actually is right, and there is nothing to worry about.

EDIT: This is in Chicago, IL if that helps anyone.

I would say that this is highly dangerous. It is against US and Canadian code to not have outside ventilation for any fuel-burning appliance in your home; that's your furnace, HWH and stove/oven, assuming all are NG or propane. It is only acceptable to have a "filter-only" vent hood for your stove if it's all-electric (which BTW is the case for every single apartment I've ever rented; gas appliances may be cheaper on utility bills in the US, but a gas stove is a huge fire hazard and general liability for any landlord).

The code is in place for a very good reason; not only can inefficient burning of fossil fuels produce carbon monoxide and smoke (both of which continue to cause damage long after you've reached fresh air), but even when these fuels burn ideally, they remove oxygen from the air and replace it with CO2. CO2 in itself is not toxic in the same way CO and soot smoke are; as soon as you reach fresh air the symptoms of CO2 asphyxia begin to dissipate, while soot and CO poisoning ("smoke inhalation") can kill you hours after you reach fresh air. However, the consumption of oxygen and production of CO2 in a space with inadequate ventilation is a double-whammy for anyone in the same space; the oxygen is being consumed so there's less of it even in upper strata of the room's air, and as the CO2 builds it settles downward in a "blanket", pushing oxygen up towards the ceiling and away from you.

As the CO2 level builds, your body's natural "inhale/exhale" reflexes go haywire in a Catch-22 condition called hypercapnia; your natural breathing while in a high-CO2 atmosphere actually increases the CO2 levels in your blood, but the only thing your body can do to reduce CO2 levels is breathe. So, you start hyperventilating, which only exacerbates the problem. Should you pass out from lack of oxygen, you will not wake up if someone else doesn't get you out of the room or get some ventilation of fresh air through it.

Your landlord is running illegal housing. However, he may not know it, so be nice at first. Follow standard procedure for maintenance requests, and ask the landlord to install a proper outside vent line for this fume hood. If he refuses or drags his feet, you can call in the city's Code Compliance officials, or federal HUD (Housing and Urban Development) representative, and they will MAKE the landlord comply. Depending on the terms of your contract, the landlord may be giving you a free out by not living up to his end, meaning you may be able to break the lease at no cost if this has gone on for some time with the landlord's knowledge and inaction.

Understand that the cheapest way for your landlord to fix the problem with tenants still occupying the units may well be to cap off the gas feed and replace all the gas cooktops with the cheapest electric setups he can find. If this was the reason you moved in, and you don't get a "free out" from this debacle, you may find yourself stuck with a spiral-coil POS.


moving a used refrigerator I bought a used refrigerator from a used appliance store.  It was running when purchased, unplugged, and loaded upright onto the truck and has been that way since Friday.  Once it is brought inside the house, does it need to sit for a time before plugging in?

As it was never on its side, you should be able to use it without waiting.

If it was laid on its side, the manuals tend to say leave it upright for 24 hours before plugging it in.


PVC drain pipe that the washer empties into is echoing all plumbing sounds My father said that we could put tape around the washer hose to lessen the gap between the hose and the pipe. I've found some adapters that go from the ~1" washer hose to our 2" pipe. My father said though to leave a little bit of a gap between each hose, while the adapters I've found online seem to completely seal the connection. Which is correct? Should I leave an air gap or completely seal it?

EDIT: The house was built in 1952. Based on my understanding, the plumbing should look like this:

NOTE: Periodic gurgling occurs in the bath drain if the bath hasn't been used in a couple of days. We believe this is because the vents are blocked to some extent, and get flushed out after showers, but then settles after a while.

EDIT 2: This home is a rental, we do not own it; not sure if that matters in your comments.

If you didn't, you should have installed a trap in that drain line to keep noise and smells from coming up the line. Make sure it is low enough to have a good amount of drain pipe above the trap so when the washer drains the water does not overflow from the pipe. If the drain will be inside the wall make sure you use a glued trap so no joint will come loose at a later time.


Starting to build up my tools collection, is 110v preferable over 240v? I am just starting out on my first major project this weekend and I am looking at getting some new tools. I've had experience using plenty of 240v power tools, but now that I am looking at getting my own I don't know if to go for 110v or 240v.

The tools I am planning on getting to start with are

Mitre Saw
Plunge Router

Both of these 110 and 240v variations (I'll likely get Makita) are priced the same from Screwfix (UK hardware store), so price is irrelevant.

I've seen some articles and forums talk about the supposed positives (safer or more powerful) and negatives (less powerful, carrying around a transformer) of both power levels, but nowhere that offers any conclusive advice.

I am purely a DIY person at the moment (i.e. this isn't my job) but I might consider this as an option in the future. That said, if there are any legitimate reasons for a job to get one over the other I still think these apply (if it is to reduce risk on site I think that applies just as much to DIYers)

For me carrying round a transformer for 110v is a non-issue - it's just part of what you have to do (and the price for a single transformer is also not an issue).

So

Does 240V offer better performance over 110V
Is 110V considerably safer in worst case?
If One is "no" and Two is "yes" then why would anyone get 240v?

Does 240V offer better performance over 110V

240V means less losses in wiring which may lead to better performance at the end of long extension leads. Other than that I wouldn't expect much difference assuming the tools are otherwise equivilent (e.g. you aren't comparing "DIY grade" 240V gear to "professional grade" 110V gear).

  Is 110V considerably safer in worst case?

Debatable. 110V, especially the centre tapped 110V system used on UK construction sites is less likely to give you a fatal shock if you come into contact with exposed wiring.

On the other hand the lower voltage combined with the use of small transformers significantly increases the risk of a fault drawing a current which is high enough to cause a fire risk but low enough not to blow a fuse/trip a breaker. The use of an isolation transformer also defeats RCD protection unless an additional RCD is installed after the transformer (which is not the case with typical portable "yellow bricks").

So it really depends on the environment. In an indoor workshop I would be more concerned about fire than electrocution (though I wouldn't be massively concerned about either) and would prefer the 240V tool.

If I was going to be frequently using the tools outdoors in the rain I might make a different judgement.

  If One is "no" and Two is "yes" then why would anyone get 240v?

Transformers cost money, take up space, are a pain to lug around and waste power.


how can I know whether my hardwood floor is glued down or nailed down? I am not sure whether the floor is glued down. If yes, it will be a big challenge for me to replace it in the future...

Is there anyway to identify whether it's glued down or nailed down?

Judging by your picture, this appears to be a site-finished hardwood floor. That means it would be installed and then sanded and varnished on-site, and the clearest signal of this is that the floor is one smooth surface, with no bevels or texture changes you can feel by hand at the edges of each floorboard.

Assuming that's true, then it's almost certainly tongue-and-groove slats, nailed or stapled through the tongues. Some boards around the edges may be face-nailed. That's the most common way these floors have been installed for decades, though it's not impossible to imagine it was glued.

In any case it seems like a beautiful floor, and you can change the look by sanding, staining, and refinishing without pulling up the existing floor.


Stacked dryer washer grounding I got a 10/3 wire for my Dryer/Washer stacked.
There is a Ground attached to the Dryer/Washer.
Can I attache the ground wire from my 10/3 directly to the ground on my Dryer/Washer?

A Ground is just that a Ground and should always be used. However, please be more specific: is there just one plug with the stacked units or separate individual plugs for each? Typically a 30 amp 220 volt double pole breaker needs to be installed, 30 amp plug and receptacle. Also, check the manufacturer's wiring diagram.


Are there any special steps when installing drywall over vapour barrier? I have a simple (I think) question about installing drywall overtop vapour barrier.

Obviously the drywall screw will puncture the vapour barrier.  What is typically done to prevent that puncture from rendering the vapour barrier useless?

I'm sure there must be a way, I just can't figure the right Google keywords to use to find the answer.

Edit: I ended using acoustic sealant along the stud where the screw goes in.  It's viscous but tacky, so it can create a bit of an additional seal.

Typically, nothing is done. That puncture should be at a tight connection of drywall to stud, where airflow is impeded by the pressure of the screw holding the drywall and vapor barrier to the stud.

The vapor barrier isn't an impermeable seal, it just dramatically reduces movement of air and vapor between interior space and exterior walls.


How to make wall anchors hold I am putting up some shelving today. Unfortunately, the wall anchors don't seem to be taking. I used some plastic ones which didn't work as I was able to pull them out of the wall about half an inch. I purchased some larger (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cobra-Anchors-1-4-in-x-3-in-Zinc-Plated-Driller-Toggles-4-Pack-367R/202531181) toggle bolts and those aren't working either. Short of replacing the drywall at this point, I'm not sure what I can do to make this work. Any suggestions?

It sounds like you want to keep using the existing holes, which by now are quite stripped and loose.

As mentioned in the comments, for a shelf you almost certainly want to fasten it to studs.  However it is possible (though not advisable) to have a shallow, light shelf supported by drywall.

So if you are unwilling to mount to studs, consider using heavier-duty Toggle bolts as they stronger are not affected by a warn-out drywall hole.  The bolts you linked are one of the weaker kinds and seem to rely on a snug fit.  There are even more advanced versions, like the Snaptoggle that boast impressive strength, but most people remain skeptical about those claims.

No matter what fastener you are using, you are ultimately limited by the strength of your drywall.  Thicker drywall is stronger, but all drywall will age and weaken over time.  A shelf that feels sturdy to begin with may weigh on the drywall and cause it to sag over 10 - 20 years.  Environmental factors such as the amount of vibration (from minor Earthquakes or from heavy truck or train traffic near by) will affect the rate of deterioration.


Why is an outlet box outside of the wall? I'm considering putting an offer in on a house and am questioning this outlet prior to being able to do a home inspection.  Is there any reason to be alarmed that this outlet is boxed outside of the wall?  What are the reasons that the electric would be ran like this?  I don't see any obvious signs to answer my question in the basement below the outlet.

From what I can see in the fuzzy pic, someone wanted a double-gang outlet where there was a single-gang box. They apparently didn't want to cut the wall at all.

There's probably no concern as far as safety, but pop an outlet tester into it to be sure.


Is it worth using non-VOC or low-VOC interior paint? I’m remodeling a condo and painting the walls and ceiling. For context, I've heard that Valspar paint has no VOCs and may be preferable to Sherwin-Williams for health reasons. However, my general contractor wants to use Sherwin-Williams paint (with VOCs) because he “has an account” with them.

Just as an FYI, if you're going to heavily color the paint, be aware that a lot of tints are not low-VOC. From this site

Low or no Voc (Volatile Organic Compound) house paints are great, since they have little odor and limit harmful chemicals in the air. But tinting the paint often defeat the purpose by adding unwanted VOCs back into the paint.
To make sure the air in your home is VOC-free, use factory tinted no VOC paint, or paints that use a VOC-free colorant


Ideas to install stand-alone light on ceiling without nails or screws In the ceiling there is no light box and I can't insert nails or screws.
I need to install a square LED light fixture, weighting 1.4 lbs, that is fed by the outlet. Maximum I can do is to damage the painting when I decide to remove this light fixture, because I can paint again later.
The wire is very light in weight and is already in place using a double sided tape.

All that is left is to be able to "glue" this square LED fixture on the ceiling.

What ideas to you have to keep this square LED light fixture in place?
I thought about these Command Strips, however I think they will fell in a couple of days, they are not meant to have force pushing horizontally, only downwards. They are not meant to be used in ceilings.

I also thought about these strong, permanent mounting strips (the red ones)?

I also thought about using a little of silicone, do you guys think it would work? Silicone has helped me in many ways before, not sure if it is effective in painted wall/ceiling.

The main question here is how to attach, in a secure way, this flat square LED light on the ceiling, without damaging the ceiling when installing or removing (damaging the paint is fine), probably using some kind of adhesive.

Any ideas are welcome!

Thank you!

You can use Pattex Double Sided Sticky Pads, it is strong enough to hold up to 4 lbs.
I used it also in bathroom, it works great.


Is a mix of copper and galvanized pipe a problem if dielectric unions are used where they meet? Over decades, my house has accrued a mix of galvanized, copper, and pex pipe.  I've been told that one "should stick to one type of metal in your pipes or use pex." (here)

As long as dielectric unions are used where they meet, is there a problem with having both galvanized and copper in the same system?

If there is a problem with using both metals, what is the correct use case for dielectric unions?

Dielectric unions reduce the rate of galvanic corrosion that occurs when dissimilar metals are in electrical contact.  They don't eliminate it but they slow it down.  How much does occur also depends on the mineral content of your water.
You should always use a dielectric union when there is a transition between one metal and other.
Dielectric unions are not needed between metal and any type of plastic pipe.


HVAC not quite reaching the loft/attic floor of my apartment in an old home Hoping someone might have a solution for this problem. I've got an HVAC guy coming in a few days, but it's always good to have some other opinions, and to have some people who can help me come up with some questions I can ask the guy when he comes out :)
I've just moved into the upper floors of an older home. The "main" floor of my apartment (technically the 2nd floor) is mostly open concept, save for the bathroom and bedroom. There's a staircase to the loft area that's also open (no doors), but is small (low, vaulted ceiling, have to duck or lean to the side while climbing the stairs).
At some point, my landlord had redone the majority of the inside of the house, opening things up, etc. I BELIEVE she also added HVAC at this point,  though there IS an old iron vent or two in the floor on the main floor, so I'm not sure what those would've been used for. She did, however, run a vent duct up to the loft area.
The problem:
It doesn't seem to be doing much, as there's not as much cold air coming out of it as some of the other vents, and the room is still unusably hot (27-30C / 81-86F).
From crawling through the crawlspace, I can see that the vent up there uses flexible (and insulated) ductwork, goes to where the roof meets the floor of the attic at the back of the house, then travels down the wall of the main floor and connects with the vent in the bathroom. This bathroom vent provides adequate cooling though - it's just not reaching the top floor.
I'm fortunate enough that the landlord is extremely great and understanding regarding this issue, and for previous tenants, she had bought a portable air conditioner for that loft area. UNfortunately, the unit is very very loud (Too annoying to keep in what I want to be either a bedroom or office, especially with the echoey nature of the room), needs to be vented through a window (meaning running a vent tube up the only usable wall in the space), and just generally doesn't work that well. All 3 of these make using it pretty pointless.
She's open to suggestions, and seems willing to put some money into fixing it, though I'm not sure how much. Here's the space:

Wherein grey floors and yellow walls represent the space I'm cooling, blue floors represent the crawlspace, and the red line represents the duct tube / vent in the bathroom on the main floor. The darker yellow wall is the one the vent is connected to in the loft.
Here's a photo of the space / vent in question, and of the outside:

What are my options here?

Possibly some sort of duct booster / fan to help draw up some of the air that's reaching the bathroom?
Possibly adding a return vent? I'm not sure how complicated that is, but having access to the crawlspace might make it easier. But come to think of it, I don't remember seeing any return vents (as I know them, at least)... is a return-less HVAC system something that exists?
Adding a ceiling fan. Though I'm not sure if there's enough head room to do that, nor is there wiring for a ceiling light. Though maybe that could be installed? Thoughts?
Getting a split A/C system. Though there'd still be the problem with noise, and there's no good place to install the outside portion.
Is there an A/C system I could keep in the crawlspace (reduced noise) that would be able to vent air through the roof with one hose, and vent cold air into the room through the existing hole with another?

I'm not sure what else. Any suggestions? You can see in the photos of the back of the house, there are some pipes / vents in the roof, but I can't seem to figure out what they're connected to.

You're asking a lot of questions here, but I think the core ones are why is the current system unable to keep the loft cool and what can we do about it?

Why is the current system unable to keep the loft cool?

The loft is getting hotter faster than your central air is cooling it. Because the loft is at the top of the house, heat rises to it from your lower floors. It also has a lot of exterior wall and roof surface, so it's being heated up faster than other areas. Cool air from the loft is able to rapidly flow down your open stairwell. Your thermostat and most of your air vents are downstairs, so your system runs until that area is cool but leaves your loft too warm.

For all these reasons, it's best to design a cooling system with the returns positioned at the top of the conditioned space. A well-designed system for your home would have a return near the ceiling of the loft. The return and any supply vents would need to be properly sized to the required cooling load. This could be done as its own zone, with a dedicated thermostat in the loft, or by properly balancing a single system such that cool air is distributed in a way that matches where your home is getting hotter, maintaining an even temperature.

What can we do about it?

You have a number of options, from full system replacement to minor improvements around your portable AC.

You could redesign the central air system with proper returns and supplies to the loft. Depending on how close your current system is to the ideal, you could spend between $2000 and $20,000 on this. On the lower end we'd be talking about adjusting some dampers and adding a return; on the higher end we're getting into significant rework of ducting, possibly adding zoning controls, and possibly replacing the air handler and/or condenser with something more powerful.
Tweaks to the current system. The biggest opportunity is probably around adding a return in the loft, but you may be able to do targeted changes to various ducts to improve balance.
If you have dampers you may be able to rebalance enough; you can also do some basic balancing by closing various vents throughout the home. Try to direct as much air upstairs; if you get to the point that the upstairs is colder than downstairs, you've won! Just undo gradually until balanced.
Add aftermarket booster fans to direct more air upstairs. These can help a little, but reviews are mixed. The kind that are installed into your ducts are probably better than the kind that sit in your vent registers, but are of course harder to install.
Add a ductless mini-split air conditioning system for the loft. This would be a new system with its own thermostat just for the loft. This is a fairly quick install, as only power, refrigerant, and condensate lines would need to reach the loft (no ducts). You would need to add an outdoor condenser unit. Although the indoor unit does take some space, these units are very quiet and give you a lot of control - you can turn it on only when you are using the loft, and some units even offer heating.
Upgrade your portable AC unit. A good portable AC should do fine in your room. The better units have a two-part vent line that you'd run outside through a window, which provides intake and exhaust for outside air to cool the condenser. This air doesn't get blown into your house, nor does cool home air get pushed outside -- the AC takes air from your room, cools it, then blows it around. Some units only have a single duct and are constantly blowing some room air outside for exhaust - these are less efficient. (Note that the two ducts are sometimes bundled as one hose - but you want a system where there are two separate streams.)
Reduce heat gain upstairs. Insulation and air sealing can make a big difference, but so can simple things like curtains and window films (if you're getting a lot of sun).

Based on what you've said, I'd probably start with trying to close off the bathroom vent from which your loft vent runs. Then try closing some other supply vents to direct more air upstairs. Getting a HVAC expert to take a first-hand look should also be helpful, and I'd suggest getting a few opinions/quotes because there are likely many ways to address this.

Good luck!


Moen two handle bathroom faucet - new cartridges but still drip Ugh! So this is an older model Moen 91111 two-handle faucet. The hot water tap had been dripping, so I swapped out the cartridges. Basic 1224 models with the little tab that fits into the notch in the collar...easy. Both collars and stems were pretty corroded from hard water. The cold went in easily but the hot was a bit of a problem. Used WD40 to clean it all up and cartridges and collars are seated and handles all in correct positions.
The hot water side is still dripping same as before though. A drop every hour or so...not terrible just want zero drips.
The hot water shut off valve isn’t working right, fyi. Even fully engaged it’s shutting the water off to a just a few drops...the cold shut off is fully engaging. I tightened the sealing nut on the shut off but nothing...maybe I’m not strong enough to tighten it?(im a woman btw)
So I’m having the plumber come fix the shut off, but wanted any advice on the hot water drip. Is there some other seal somewhere that could be bad? All I can think is the aerator sealing washer but I’m stumped for sure. Any advice besides leave that for the plumber too?

There is probably some hard water deposits inside the valve where the cartridge O rings and seal make contact. The slightest deposit will break the seal and you'll have a drip. Get some fine emery paper and gently clean out the valve making sure it's totally smooth inside. Then get some plumber's grease, coat the cartridge and reinstall. Hopefully you didn't damage the O rings inserting the cartridge the first time.


Why is my Water Heater Leaking only when I open the Pressure valve? I woke up today to a full drip pan under the gas water heater and my utility room slowly flooding with water. Of course the drip pan was never connected to a drain and overflowing.

After shutting off the water to the water heater the flooding stopped completely. I did some investigation and noticed whenever I manually open the top mounted pressure valve I can tell that some water is discharged through the connected pipe, but I can also hear an amount of water flowing down somewhere inside the water heater. I cannot see any water or wetness when looking closely at the valve connection at the top. I am not sure where the water could be leaking inside the unit. The relief valve is connected to pipe that does not drain into the pan btw. It leaves the room through the wall behind the water heater and does not show any signs of leakage.

Could it help to replace the pressure valve? Is it likely there is a hole in the tank somewhere, but if so why doesn't it leak all the time but only when I open the pressure valve?

I am planning to buy a pressure meter today and check the house water pressure as well as test the pressure on the heater when I reopen the water supply. Will update later with readings.

*Update: I did test the pressure and the house pressure was a little high (75psi, which I now lowered to 65). I also found where the water comes into the drip pan. It is right from the burning chamber, but again, it only flows when I open the pressure relief valve on top of the unit. I can also hear air bubbles moving up while having the relief valve open, so the outflow is replaced by air. (See new photo with markings)

Added photos:

Original Photos:

Check the age of the tank.  The lining is most likely leaking.  The pressure vent doing what it is suppose to do,  When you manual release the pressure through that valve, water is allowed to escape.  The real leak is in the lining, and dripping down to the bottom of the tank.  If the bottom is above your drain pan, you should be able to water dripping from the bottom of the tank.
Replacing the relief valve is not going to fix the leak.  It was leaking before you touch the relief valve.


Do I need to treat the ends of PT lumber? I'm going to be building a retaining box for a gravel pad using 6x6's - 0.16 lb./cu. ft. MCA pressure treated lumber. The dimensions of the box matched up with available lengths at the lumber yard, so I'm not going to have to cut any of the pieces that I've ordered. Any ends that will be below grade are going to be up against clay soil.

Do I still need to dip/paint the ends with wood preservative, or will the PT chemicals alone be sufficient to prevent rot?

The pressure treating commonly used today does not penetrate the lumber 100%. I'm assuming mostly financial reasons at play here (time, cost of materials, etc). I highly suggest any cut ends that you see untreated wood at the center, be treated with off the shelf, brush on preservative. You will be well served here. Why take that chance over a few extra minutes, and a relatively small amount of dollars on a presumably several hundred, to several thousand dollar investment?