How do I properly patch a 3/4" hole in a kitchen ceiling? We had a mishap this evening and a hole was drilled through my kitchen ceiling.  What is proper procedure/protocol to patch this hole?  We were drilling down from 2nd floor to 1st floor and the measurements were off, which led to this. It is ¾" in diameter.

How would I properly patch this hole?

I'd use a setting-type compound (like Easysand 45) for this. Premix compound will take a long time to dry and will shrink quite a bit. Mix to a consistency of thick peanut butter.

I'd also try to not disturb the surrounding area, filling only the hole itself as deeply as possible. Finish by dabbing compound on the patch with a small paintbrush or the corner of a rag to replicate the nearby texture. The smaller the patch, the less noticeable it will be.

If you don't have touchup paint on hand, flat white from a spray can may work. Test on a scrap of cardboard to check the match.


How to fix leak in ABS pipe going into cement I discovered a leak in the drain pipe from my kitchen sink (and dishwasher) as it joins with the main drain in my basement floor.

The leak is at a Y junction - the bottom of the Y is in the slab, one branch of the Y is terminated with a cap (I assume access for cleaning / plumbing problems?), and the other branch of the Y goes into the wall (and up to the kitchen).  The bottom is in the floor, the top is capped off, and the branch goes into the wall.  I don't know the exact angle or diameter.

I can see water bubbling from this 2nd branch (into the wall) when water is draining from the sink.  After some cleanup, it look as though the ABS glue has either cracked, and there is no longer a proper seal - or it's been like this for the last 10 years since the house was built.

In any other plumbing fun, I've outright replaced the parts in question (eg, for the sump pump, I cut the pipe going out of the house, replaced it with removable parts, and put in a new pump, etc.).  Doing so here is much harder because this part is in concrete.

What are the implications if I clean up the source of the leak really well (clean, sand, etc) and be liberal with some silicone glue?  What's the correct way of repairing such an issue?

Thanks!

The correct way to fix this is to cut some of the pipe out coming from the Y, and replace it with glued-in fixtures.  I don't think silicone would hold and it is certainly not up to code -- epoxy I would have no problem with myself but is also probably not code.  Sand the plastic and make sure it is really clean if you go this route!

If you are inclined to re-glue, you can cut a section out of the pipe -- one cut right at the Y's hub, and another about a foot away.  Then you need to remove the 3/4" that is in the hub, being careful not to damage the hub itself.  This is a huge pain as you can imagine, and I usually use a rotary tool with an aggressive grinding bit to simply carve it out.

Your third option is to replace the Y which might not be as hard as you imagine, depending on the access you have -- just chisel out the concrete surrounding it enough to get a coupling on the pipe.


Is my pool cracking due to sitting empty during freeze-thaw cycles? I have a rental property with an in-ground pool. Last year my tenants failed to let me know that water was leaking out of the pool.  They kept filling it up and once the pool was closed in the fall it all drained out.  It wasn't until the following spring I found out there was no water in the pool upon opening.

I have a pool company that opens and closes the pool each season. They were able to find the holes in the liner, patch, and slowly fill the pool back up.  Now I just found out that the foundation of the pool is shifting and I wonder if this problem is due to the pool sitting empty for so long.

Also want to mention we live in Canada where the ground freezes over the winter and the pool sat empty during the long cold winter.  I've attached photos of the pool. Can someone tell me if this could be the reason for this issue?

I used to install pools with Zonolite / Portland cement mixture, later years Gunnite. The shells were usually only ~2" thick. That area had a high water table and if someone drained the pool the bottom shell would break and water would enter between the liner and the Zonolite/ Gunnite mixtures. If there were leaks in the liners they usually found a crack and could also cause the problem your pool has. We would drain the pool in the late summer pull back the liner and fill the depressions and cracks with hydraulic cement. If water gets between the liner and bottom be very careful filling the pool because this can rip the bottom drain out.
I would suspect the leaks caused the problem. Even if this is a thicker bottom once the earth and sand are eroded the bottom has no strength.


Is there an average number of outlets that are wired off of one circuit breaker? I recently demolished my basement to start a reconstruction/improvement project. My first horror was the electrical layout. I've got hidden junctions, mismatched wire sizes, improper junctions and quite possibly mixed wire types (copper and aluminum). Needless to say it's all coming out and getting redone properly.

My question is as follows: Is there an "average" number out outlets that are wired off of one circuit breaker? I know the amperage of the appliances plugged in can't exceed the breaker capacity but I'm just curious if electricians only wire up X number of outlets per breaker. From the looks of things now I only see 2-3 per breaker but considering the other problems noted above ... I'm not going to trust the logic behind this number.

For residential, the National Electric Code (NEC) has no official min.  In Commercial and Industrial you can put 10 on a 15 amp breaker and 13 on a 20 amp breaker.  Local codes sometimes specify a max, so you might want to check if you are going high.

But yeah, thats really low!  Unless there were some dedicated appliances running there, you can definitely add more.  10-12 outlets per 20A breaker is what I normally do.  Now if I know I will be running heavier stuff like TV's, stereo equipt, or small bar refrigerators, I will use less.  Keep in mind some appliances need a dedicated line like full refrigerators, dishwashers, spa tubs, etc.


What glue would you use to glue wood (polyurethane finished) to pvc shower walls for shelving? The shower I have is made out of pvc/plastic. Soap holder is useless since I don’t use soap bars. Suction cup hooks inevitably fail. Totes that hang from the shower head are unsightly and isn’t secure.
I’m thinking of building some shelving out of solid maple, finishing them with polyurethane to waterproof, and then gluing the shelf to the shower walls.
Has anyone tried this? What glue did you use?
I’d imagine some type of glue that has decent holding strength (40 lb), non water soluble, but is removable (i.e., can pry out the wood and scrape out the excess) to be ideal.
Shelving is real simple: one 3/4” x 6” x 24” piece of maple (or maybe cedar) that’ll be glued to the walls and dado’d to receive 3 shelves. Don’t worry about the joinery, I’ll make that work.

Wood and water are a poor mix. There is a really good reason that you do not see show enclosures made out of wood. It is also the reason that you will not find much in the way of wood shelves for use in showers.
When wood is used in showers and steam rooms for benches and shelves the wood of choice is teak.
If you are bound and determined to put maple wood shelves in your shower then make sure that when you apply the polyurethane that you get it applied to all sides, edges, corners, tops and bottoms before you mount the unit.
You will have to experiment but there is a good likelihood that a silicone type adhesive may adhere well to the smooth polyurethane surface and to the smooth shower wall. Before committing it would be well to make a small test wood piece that you finish with polyurethane and then see of the chosen adhesive will stick to it. There are also a family of construction adhesives that will adhere to some types of plastics and finished wood surfaces but again try before committing.


How to turn the contact rings in an empty fluorescent bulb socket from closed to open? A fluorescent bulb was improperly removed from its sockets. I am unable to turn the contact rings from the closed to the open position. I would be thankful for any advice.

Those black pieces are meant to turn 360 degrees in any direction.  You already have a key to turn them, in the form of a fluorescent tube.  Keep the tube as close as possible to its proper position (i.e. don't try to do this at much of an angle).  Turn off fixture power.

Worse come to worst, if you break the lampholder (aka tombstone) or if that type just annoys you (they annoy me), new lampholders are fairly standard, common and cheap.  I typically pay 60 cents each for them and keep a bagful on hand. You can mix and match types though I prefer to keep "circular" types separate from "v" types.  Height is also a factor, they come in 3 heights.  Yours looks like a medium.  You don't want a short but a long will probably suffice.


Shaking electric furnace anyone have an idea about this ?

My furnace fan is running 24/7 and make no special sound.

But when the heat turn on the fan start vibrating and making noise in the house. If I remove the panel (allowing lots of air in) the fan stop shaking.

Yes the air filter was changed :)

The furnace is a Notron by Broan 21B25M.

Help would be very nice :)

Thank you

The blower fan should not be running continuously. You must get that repaired. Is the switch on the thermostat set to auto or to run? The thermostat can be incorrected wired in a way that keeps the blower fan on continuously.

The filter below the fan may be too restrictive or the ducting leading to the filter is constricted. Put in a new filter of the proper type. Some filters are too restrictive for a given furnace.

But note that these fans must have a certain load on them supplied by suction on the back side and/or high pressure on the outlet side from the combined resistance of the heat exchanger, the evaporator coil, and the ducting. If they are run without sufficient load, the motor will over-speed and burn out.

The quieting when you open the access panel might be due to the fan speeding up and getting out of a resonance that is causing vibration. Also the bearings on the fan motor might be bad or need lubrication. Some of these fan motors used to  have bearings which required oiling through channels but most nowadays are permanently lubricated.


Suction pipe insulation I’m a new home owner. I noticed that insulation on my suction pipe was cracking. I wasn’t sure what insulation to use rubber or foam. I decided to use rubber, was I wrong?

I have always used rubber insulation when I can find it. It's a much better insulation and lasts much longer. Foam seems more readily available, maybe because it's cheaper.


French Doors - sealing and bug proofing We've got some french doors and I'd like to seal them as well as possible.  There is a gap where I can see light in the middle.  The left door has a sliding lock/post that goes down into the ground.  The door bottom has been cut to accommodate this, reducing the effectiveness of the left door seal.

Any suggestions for getting this sealed up to keep pests out?

I'm considering a screen door as a last resort - this solution would have benefits of letting us open the doors when weather is nice, keeping the cat in and the bugs out.

Thanks for your advice.

--- Here is what I ended up doing... ---

I didn't do anything very fancy, I just kept the sweep to the full length of the door and cut a whole for the bottom bolt to go through.  I then left the operable door's sweep a little long to make sure there was contact between both sweeps.  It's cut down on the scorpions.

additional picture from outside.

As already mentioned an astragal is the door molding used to cover a gap between two side by side doors. They usually are preinstalled on pre hung doors. If you need to span a space between a pair of doors any molding with the correct width will do, as long as it is attached to just one of the doors.


How can I cover the expansion gap for flooring near patio doors? I'm putting in a bamboo floor and have a 20mm expansion gap around the entire floor. Against walls I will cover the gap with baseboards but what is the best way to hide the gap otherwise? One side of the very long room is floor to ceiling windows and patio doors so there cannot be any baseboards there. Ideas?

I had a similar situation when I redid my basement - couldn't put baseboard in to hide the gap between the doorway and the laminate flooring at the entry door. The most common solution I've seen in images I found on the web and in my chosen home improvement store was to use color coordinated T-moulding along the doorway right up against the bottom sill. I'd add an image, but I don't have one handy, alas.


Electrical panel bus rating Sorry in advance, this is all brand new to me. I am debating solar, but it is my understanding that if our panel bus rating is 100A or lower, we'll be limited to the size of the system we can have installed. But if it's 125A or higher, then we have a lot more options.

Since there is no main breaker switch, and the labels on the inside of the panel have worn off, I have no way to tell what our panel's bus rating is. Please help!

That's a Square D panel and in their world, a 12 space - 24 circuit panel is rated 125A. The largest 100A panel they sold was 8 space - 16 circuit. This is what they offer CURRENTLY, but in reality not much has changed in the last 30 odd years with them.

But that doesn't mean your SERVICE is rated for 125A, that would be determined by the main breaker that is feeding this panel. You will need that information as well. Here is the rule they are referring to:

(Busbar Rating (A) x 1.2) - Main Breaker Rating (A) = Max PV (A)

Most likely the solar contract already knows the size of your main, but he doesn't want to take on responsibility for determining the size of your panel bus. So if your panel bus is 125A and your main Service breaker is 100A, then your PV system limit is (125 x 1.2) - 100A = 50A of PV solar. But if your panel bus is only 100A and your breaker is 100A, your PV limit is only 20A.


Can I replace upgrade main breaker without changing wiring? (within panel limit) I currently have a 30A main breaker in my panel for the workshop which is starting to give me grief, I've checked the panel and it's a 125A panel that says it's nominal output current is 63A (not sure why the input and out are different, anyway my question is can I replace the 30A breaker with a 63A breaker and not have to worry about any rewiring?

It it unlikely that you would be able to put in a 63A breaker. The available size would be more likely be a 60A breaker. You also need to consider what feeds this panel and what size wire brings power to this panel.

1) If the panel is feed from the utility company via a power meter then the MAIN breaker would want to be sized according to the wire gauge from the meter and within the ratings of your panel. This would require consultation with the utility to determine what the delivery capability is in Amps.

2) If this is actually a sub-panel that is fed from a main breaker panel elsewhere on the property then there should be a source circuit breaker in that panel that protects the feed wires to the sub-panel. There would be no point to install a larger ampacity breaker in the sub-panel than what is in the main panel. If that main panel breaker is 30A for example and the connecting wiring is 10AWG then it would not be safe to update any part of the sub-panel power delivery to higher capacity without upgrading the wiring to a proper increased size and possibly changing the feed breaker in the main panel to a size that is compatible with the wiring installed.


Weird breaker panel splice 200amp service to 125amp? Located in the PNW.

So something weird is going on with the panel on my house. I pulled the permit records and they had a permit for 200A service installed to the house

but it appears to be spliced into a 125amp panel and the wire guage is reduced with electrical tape covering the splice.

Is this a safe install or is that a warning sign? Also could I rectify the situation by having the panel replaced with a 200amp panel or just have the breaker replaced with a 200amp breaker? Thanks!

I can’t see the gauge or type of wire in the wire coming in or to the breaker.

If the splice is a compression listed for copper / aluminum this may be what they did to extend the wiring with the feeder being aluminum (possibly).

I do not like panels being put in with the main at the bottom , there was no reason for it in this case.  If the wire is sized correctly this could be totally legit because the main breaker is the protection for the system.

If the feed is copper and just downsized for the 125 a standard crimp would be ok but if aluminum to copper I would want to verify a listed crimp or bolt and deox or anti oxide compound was used If my home.  Oregon and Washington have slightly different codes but use the NEC for services so without some other issue  the 200 amp permit means whoever did this was Penny wise pound foolish as a 200 amp panel would have only costed a few dollars more.


Ceiling drywall - options for dealing with joists slightly higher than beam? I'm planning to drywall a garage in my house.  The garage has floor joists above that are 12" OC.  The joists connect to beams but are not even with the bottom of the beam (the offset varies between about 1/4" to 1/2") - see picture.
This will be my first time doing drywall.  What's the best way to get an even ceiling?  should I put furring strips perpendicular to the joists?  Along the joists?
Alternatively, what are other (maybe easier) options for dealing with the beams?  Wrap them in drywall?  Leave them exposed somehow?
Thanks in advance for any tips!

Easiest is to pack down each joist as you say with a furring strip.
It's slightly complicated if you say the gap varies, especially if it's from one end of the joist to the other, i.e. tapers. Then it's tight string line time between the beams and measure each furring strip and cut each to size.
But since it's a garage, you might get away with a 1/2" strip everywhere if a slightly lower standard of absolute flatness is acceptable.


How can I extend this concrete pad? So the wedge shaped concrete pad thats right up against the house; April 17th, we're having air conditioning installed before it gets to hot out. According to the installer, the unit will fit on the pad, about 1 foot away from the water supply and electrical box.

He's ok with that (a professional Lennox dealer) and I want it on this side of the house as well because we have plans for a patio off of the back of the house. But, to give myself some peace of mind, can I square off the wedge shaped concrete with more concrete?

I'd like to build a form (make the wedge into a rectangle), go and score some quikcrete from Home Depot and pour it myself. 5-10 bags? Then they can put the unit closer to the left side of the window (and farther from the water / electric meter)

Do I need to tie it into the existing driveway / wedge? Wire mesh re-bar inside of the concrete or no?

The only load it'll have is the AC unit. Maybe I build a shed type enclosure over it and keep recycling inside of it (we keep our recycling outside)

Any suggestions? I have 2 weekends to accomplish this; and its hovering around 45 - 55 degrees right now. Not the optimal temperature to pour concrete, but its so little.

Assuming both existing concrete pads are stable, I see no problem adding whatever bit of a pad you need for an AC unit. Do you ever see them move independently during the spring thaw? Just leave an 1/8 to 1/4 inch expansion joint between the new concrete and the pad you are trying to match level with. Simply frame up a form with plywood cut to proper height, support the sides with a few blocks so they will stay straight, pour some sacrete and screed it smooth.  Float it after it starts to set up if you want a smoother finish.  I'm quite sure you will be fine.


Hot Water Tank limit switch tripping, but not over heating? My just over 2 year old, professionally installed gas hot water tank frequently loses the pilot light. I've had the installer come out 4 different occasions to look, and every time, he's stumped at what the problem could be. He blames it on the pilot light blowing out because of wind gusts, or dust, or starvation or any number of things that are not tank related, and therefore not his responsibility.

As this was my childhood home that I just bought from my parents, I know the previous two hot water tanks lasted a total of 36 years, in the exact location, under the exact same conditions. The pilot light on those two went out exactly once, and that was when gas to the whole neighbourhood was shut off after someone was digging where they shouldn't have been.

Yet, this tank has shut off at least 8 times in under 30 months.

I've recently discovered that it is a limit switch that is causing the pilot light to go out. I can't prove it, but I don't think the tank is getting too hot; the water temp is kept quite low (slightly under 120 degrees), it seems very consistent temp when you use the hot water (aka it not's violently hot from time to time), there is excellent fresh air intake, a smoke test shows the flue is clear, etc.

It's just this little switch that pops:

http://www.johnwoodwaterheaters.com/en/parts_catalogue?part=315358-001&lookup=view

Once I press the the little tab on the top right side of the switch, there's a physical 'click' and then then the pilot light can be lit once more.

I've told the plumber about the switch, and he says that it's impossible that it could be the "high limit" because I'd have to replace the whole gas valve. When I show him that is this little switch, and I can reset it it, he tells me that the switch is not resettable.

So, my question is—besides needing a new plumber—do these little switches ever go faulty? Can this switch, which is 100% resettable just be a lemon? Is it as simple as ordering the part and replacing it by re and re-ing the two screws that hold it in?

The pilot light has gone out 3 times in the the last 3 days, including twice today (once over night when no one was using any hot water!) and each time I have done the following little routine:

Attempt to relight the pilot, with no success. (The light never blinks, and the pilot will not stay lit)
Remove the cover, reset that little switch.
Light the pilot light, and it flashes the light after just a few seconds.

I figure that if I can easily replace the limit switch, I can eliminate it as the source of the issue. If the tank is actually overheating, the new limit switch will pop too, right?

If it helps, the exact model of hot water tank is here:

http://www.johnwoodwaterheaters.com/en/parts_catalogue?part=B4320&lookup=part_list

By the way, sorry for the novel. I've just been so frustrated about this tank, I wanted to make sure I got all the details out. :)

That limit is part of the Flammable Vapor Ignition-Resistant (FVIR) feature, which is required on all modern water heaters (since July 2003).  This particular limit, is designed to detect when there's a problem with inadequate combustion air.

Causes of inadequate combination air include, but are not limited to:

Explosion of combustible vapors that have seeped into the combustion chamber.
Inadequate venting.
Inadequate makeup air.
Buildup of lint, dust, dirt, or oil on the screen.

Make sure you're not storing anything that could cause flammable vapors to be near the heater (gasoline, etc.).

Make sure the exhaust vent is sized properly, and is not blocked or obstructed.

Make sure there's an adequate source of makeup air.

Make sure the lint, dust, and oil screens clean.

This is a fairly modern safety system, so it's no surprise that the old heaters didn't have the same problem.


Removing recessed lights for painting We've just had a new kitchen, and the ceiling has been re-skimmed.  I need to paint this, but we now have spotlights in the ceiling; see the picture below:

In order to get this off, I can see a small ring, which I can remove, and the bulb pops out, but the trim remains in place.  What's the technique for removing the trim (or is the best way to try and paint around these somehow)?

Ironically, the one bulb that I started with does seem to be stuck, but for the rest, there's a spring loaded lever above the plaster; for future travellers, this is how I took it out for painting:


Why is cold water coming from the hot part of the faucet? The last plumber I called made a test.  He closed the cold water intake to the 40 gallon gas water heater.  The he opened all the hot water faucets in my house. After a minute passed,
the faucets, instead of hot water were pouring abundantly cold water.  He said this was weird, and he said it may be the washing machine. I did not understand.

Please explain why cold water was coming out of the hot water faucets.

When he closed the valve on the heater cold water inlet, the pressure should have dropped off and the water ceased to flow. The hot water circuit is supposed to be fed from the cold water circuit only through the shutoff valve on the water heater.

Continued flow of water in the system indicates there is a cross-connect somewhere in the system between the hot water circuit and the cold water circuit.

Usually this happens where you have one of those instant hot water circulator pumps. They monitor the temperature in the hot circuit at the remote location where you want quicker delivery of hot water and push the cool water from the hot circuit into the cold circuit till the hot water circuit reaches a set temperature. If the pressure in the hot water circuit drops, there should be a check valve that prevents cold water from pushing back through the hot water circuit.

Another potential cross-connect is where you have a shower with a balance valve. It works by first turning the cold water on full and then slowly turning on the hot water. If the plumber had the shower turned on as one of the hot water faucets, it could backfeed cold water into the hot water system as there's no pressure in the hot water system to prevent it.

The solenoid valves on the washing machine could also do this under rather odd circumstances, the easiest way of eliminating that is to just operate the water cutoff valve. In modern installations it's a dual ball, single lever valve that shuts both hot and cold off to the washing machine.

All other cross connect type water flow would require faucets to have both hot and cold water on simultaneously, feeding back some cold water into the unpressurized hot circuit, which if he only ran hot water through them, wouldn't occur.

The final issue is a plumbing misconfiguration somewhere, you probably would have already noticed that.


Can you identify this seal? I have a slow-filling cistern and, having disassembled all the pipes inside I've identified a ripped seal. Assuming that I didn't cause that myself just a moment ago, I'm hopeful that replacing it will solve the problem.

Can you identify it?

It's a Torbeck Cistern Ball Valve Diaphragm Washer

FYI, I used google image search. I cropped the image and searched by image. I don't have an encyclopedic memory of seals.


Why is my 1997 Hot Springs Sovereign hot tub not heating? I am currently having some issues with my Hot Springs Sovereign hot tub. Well, actually just one issue, it is cold.

Some more information on the tub. I am sorry to say, it has not been maintained too well. The tub belongs to my roommate and he got it used about 1.5 years ago and we have been learning proper maintenance as we go. The filters were old and hadn't been replaced or cleaned in some time. I am worried that this might be an issue.

This has been going on for some time now. I first noticed that there were no more bubbles (ozone) coming out of the central drain, and the tub was warm, not hot. The first thing I did was replace the thermistors. Upon replacing both thermistors, I didn't notice anything. I then suspected an airlock so I ran a hose down the central filter and that pushed a lot of air out of the central drain and appeared to restart the tub. Unfortunately, I had installed one of the thermistors without a silicon o-ring and it was leaking a little. When I tried to tighten the thermistor in order to stop the leak, I ended up stripping the damn thing and had to drain the tub and order another one.

After I installed a replacement thermistor and refilled the tub (by running a hose into the main area and not through the central filter intake.. oops) the tub was not still not heating. I then tried to flush out any air lock with a hose again, but no bubbles came out this time. I then suspected that the circulation pump was not working optimally, although it hummed to the touch. I just replaced the circ pump a few days ago with no change.

The heating element was replaced within last year and the light is lit up on the circuit board.

I suspect that the issue is somehow tied to the water not circulating properly but I am not sure what to do next to further diagnose or fix it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I will probably try some of that spa cleanse stuff next to see if I can clean out the pipes.

UPDATE: I tested the power to the heater with a volt meter and it read 122V (the tub is running off 110V so within normal range). It is a no fault heating element.

UPDATE #2: A repairman came out and "fixed" the tub by hitting the reset button on the outlet... This was something I had done quite a few times, so I don't think it really addressed the initial issue. Sure enough, the tub stopped heating about a week ago. Both the heater and circ pump hum to the touch, but I dont feel any water coming out of the central drain.

Not sure if this helps but I ran in to something similar. If your tub gets too hot, it might go past its heat limit and stop heating all together. There should be a high limit reset switch that you'll need to hit to get it heating again. Just adjust the temperature setting so it doesn't hit the limit. Mine was showing that it was heating on the top panel, but wouldn't start heating until I reset the limit switch. I had prior work done to it and the tech cranked the heat all the way up to test something and I overlooked it once we got it going again.


Extension Cords - Electrical Hazards & Safety We are looking at purchasing a Residence that has a Home Office Area attached to it. It is Commercially zoned in a Canadian Province.

Upon doing a walk through, we noticed an extension cord layout like the attached photo which is used to power a computer. While I am not an Expert, I would venture to say that this is both an electrical and safety hazard and should be remedied.

Is the best solution to have a hard-wired electrical outlet installed so that the computer plugs directly into this source and not through a "daisy chaining" extension cord arrangement like this in order to comply with any District Electrical or Building Codes?

This is really a subjective question, and there's a lot of slop in the definition of "temporary".

If you know you'll use this space for the long term as it is, I'd work on getting some hard outlets installed. If not, I'd get a 2" hole saw and cut some pass-through ports at strategic places out of sight between cabinet sections and through the floor, as needed.


What to use to fill a gap where the metal face of the wood burning fireplace meets? What should I use to fill a gap where the metal face of the wood burning fireplace meets the other metal below the brick? There is a 3/8" gap. It's too big to just use fire safe caulk. I would like to use something like backer rod, but i know it needs to be fire safe. There is a very cold draft coming through. Thanks!

I have used rock wool around stove and fireplace inserts to close up air leaks, it is about the best in my opinion for this some stoves use it in the fire box above heat pipes to channel the heat and it lasts quite a while in there.


How can I remove rust stains from clothes? While I was cleaning all my rusty devices and equipments, I got some nasty rust stains on my cloth. Then I remember that I had some old clothes that I can use to clean these rusty devices and equipments (else I will dirty all my new favorite clothes). However, I notice that some old clothes also have these "unknown" brown stains.

So, my question is - are there any DIY solution that I can get from my daily products (be it lemon juice or whatever) that can help to remove these rusty stains and brown stains? (By the way, I searched and notice that lemon juice is most preferable in cleaning the rusty stains but it does not mention about cleaning the "unknown brown" stains from old clothes)

Ouch. Rust (and metal filings in general) is one of the hardest stains to get out of clothing. The particles are very rough if you were to look at them under a microscope, and they "tangle" themselves into most natural fibers so tightly you can't get them back out just by washing. Metals, unlike most other solids, also don't dissolve readily in water; the metal atoms are more attracted to their buddies in the particle than to the weak hydrogen bonds water offers to potential solutes.

The home remedy for rust stains is to lay the garment on a flat surface, pile a bunch of salt on the stain, then pour lemon juice over the salt. This will cause a chemical reaction that produces hydrous citric acid to dissolve and capture the metal particles, which should then wash away in a soluble form. Don't leave it too long as the citric acid can also bleach the fabric.

If it is a white shirt, you can also try a similar but more powerful method using hydrogen peroxide and cream of tartar. This combination of a weak acid and an oxidizer will supercharge the acid and also oxidize the stain particles, breaking down the rust allowing it to be rinsed away more easily; however, the peroxide WILL bleach the fabric, so you cannot use this trick on colored clothing.

There are more don'ts than dos:

DON'T use chlorine bleach; it will set the rust stain and you will never get it out (bleach doesn't work well on blood for the same reason).
DON'T put clothing with a rust stain in the dryer; that can also set the stain.
DON'T wash the stain in hot water; you'll set it, yadda yadda yadda.
DON'T try to use a lot of friction (scrubbing) to get the stain out; you'll just grind it deeper into the fibers.


Will a spike protector work in reverse? Will a spike protector work in reverse?  Protect the circuit from an appliance?

My attic lights' blubs blow 10x faster than any other bulbs in the house.  I think it's because everything in the attic is on the same circuit, including these lights and an old crappy refrigerator, which turns itself on and off again every 15 minutes or so.  I figure it is spiking the line every time it turns off.

I can't spike protect the lights (without knocking holes in the walls) but I can easily insert a spike protector between the circuit and the fridge.  Would that do the trick?  Since it's just a glorified capacitor in series?

Well, it's not really a glorified capacitor, but yes, it will work both ways. Of course, so would recycling the crappy fridge and getting one that isn't turning on every 15 minutes and doesn't make a huge spike when it does turn on. That can't be helping your power bill much.


How to locate the source of an outward wind-draft, that's going outwards from my room's window? I have hung up a wet cloth over my window's curtain rod. The idea is that it's going to naturally cool the incoming wind. I ran into some issues during this setup, but after some effort I solved it all, thanks to DIY stackexchange!

After that I've been constantly seeing the wind going outwards from my room. The curtains, and my wet cloth just stick to the window because there's a slight breeze going outwards.

I cannot pin-point the location for it. I've closed every window, every door throughout my house to try and block it. And yet I see the wind somehow going outwards from my room.

How can I locate where this wind-draft is originating from?

Additional info:

Locating this has been one hell of a frustrating experience. I tried with the  "hold a strip of paper up" technique and it moves around in all directions. The only time it's consistent is near the window where we know that the wind is going outwards.

Use a smoke pencil

This is what pro hvac guys  use to find drafts. it produces a thin stream of smoke that you can direct at the perimeter of the window. When you observe the smoke being drawn into a gap you will have isolated a leak.


How do I change the bulb on my kichler ceiling fan? The light burned out in my Kichler ceiling fan, which came with my new house, so I have no idea how old it is or any other information about it.
I can't figure out how to get at the bulb to change it. I've tried gently turning the glass counter clockwise, as recommended in another post, but no luck.
Does anyone know how to do this?
thanks

http://pdf.lowes.com/installationguides/999903421_install.pdf
Page 9/10
Looks like it twists off. Like others said try a bit more force or slightly push up to get it started.


What is an efficient way of moving home? I have been moving so many times in the past few years, usually on my own without any help. It’s exhausting and painful. I’ve probably become more efficient over time but I’m still trying to figure things out and the fear of next move scared me to death while I’m unpacking in the new place for a couple of months now!

I usually keep all the boxes for appliances from the grater and teapot to that exercise thing, etc. I have been wondering if it would be more efficient and less time consuming if I get rid of all these boxes and pack/move them only by wrapping clothes around them? The concern about that approach is that then clothes would be mixed up with kitchen items and separating them would also be time consuming.

Should I keep the boxes or not?
How do you move and what tips do you have to ease of the pain of this process?

The #1 asset of any frequent mover is a private mail box or PMB such as the UPS Store.  It means you always get your mail.  I know many people who don't use PMBs and have nasty tax bills, credit burns and even arrest warrants (on failure to appear)  because a trivial problem festered into a bad one.  The DMV, the IRS, banks, creditors, all exclusively use postal mail for anything timely or urgent.

It is simply impossible to contact everyone every time you move - seriously, who remembers the IRS or the SSA?

PMBs are pricey but they work. Everyone accepts PMBs.  The PMB can receive UPS or FedEx and even sign for you.  You can reach a human, give credit card # and they'll forward your mail anywhere in the world. Sometimes I just have them mail mine if I don't have time to go over there. They'll call you if you get a certified letter.

Even at-the-house utilities like the gas company, always tell them to send your mail to the PMB, which they will cheerfully do. That means you get your last statement.

Life just works so much better with a PMB.

Granted, I just spent a lot of time on your second question.

On your first question, it's real simple: hoard quality knockdown boxes, like Bankers Boxes or better.  Those are for your stuff.  If it's easy and you have the space, sure, why not save original boxes.  I don't work that hard at it, unless the appliance is delicate and likely to take damage in shipping (NOT a microwave).

That said, the custom shipping foam blocks are the only thing that makes the box worth saving. I often see people with a coffeemaker set in the bottom of its original box, with the foams missing or thrown away. That defeats the purpose of saving the box; the coffeemaker won't be protected from damage anymore than in any other box.  So why keep a weird box around?

Moving is just a lot of packing and 1000 trips to the car.  That's just what it is.  If you are sick of it, hire out the "1000 trips to the car" job to some "two guys and a truck" type operation, that's not so expensive, you don't have to go full Mayflower.


Troubleshooting arc fault breaker My arc fault has tripped the circuit affects two bed rooms I unplugged everything in both bed rooms the arc fault will not reset. I pulled all receptical and switches in both rooms checking for loose wires and any bare wires. Breakers still does not reset I replace with a new arc fault breaker the problem still exists I also Putin a standard breaker and both the bedrooms are powered I,m still trying find out what and where the problem is any recommendations

Since you have removed the loads and replaced the breaker there could be a pinched or skined wire in this circuit causing the fault. A megger to verify the insulation is good is the quickest way I know. The wires are removed from the breaker and all switches off. If there is a low resistance at less than 500v there is usually a staple or nail through the insulation. If the test is good start turning on switches, lamps/ bulbs out when one circuit shows a low value this is the one to check. With all this said if you have recently added flouresent lighting, a large computer / UPS or a large dimmer on any kind of lighting circuit arc fault breakers can't tell the difference from an arc and a electronic load and will trip.


Which terminal should be used for a “C” wire when none are labeled “C”? Older electric furnace/heat pump I have an all electric air handler/furnace connected to a separate AC unit and it is also a heat pump. I've purchased the latest and greatest Honeywell WiFi "Smart" Thermostat and it needs a C wire. Because the furnace is all electric (not gas, etc.), Honeywell told me it's either not compatible or I'd need to hire a technician to determine.

Following are pictures which show the current thermostate wiring, furnace model #, terminal wiring and wiring diagram (it's a furnace from 1989, so please forgive any lack of clarity on the diagram).

I've read the other posts about the C wire, but am unable to determine from those if the B would work in my situation as a replacement for the C. I already have an extra Blue wire wired to B and am hoping I can use that for the C wire, but I don't want to damage anything and was concerned from some other reading that it may be for the heat pump.

Higher resolution picture of wiring diagram: http://i.imgur.com/68bhMjn.jpg

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

According to the schematic, the B terminal does appear to be connected to the transformer.

I'd actually trace the wiring in the unit just to confirm, but based on the schematic it looks good.

You'll want to make sure the transformer has enough power to supply the additional load of the new thermostat, but typically it isn't a problem.  If you hook up the new thermostat, and the fuse inside the unit blows. That would be an indicator that the thermostat is drawing too much juice.


Keeping a shed warm in winter and cool in summer I live in the UK, with damp cold winters and modestly hot summers. I have a 2.4Mx2.4M (8ftx8ft) shed that I use as a woodworking workshop. I'd like to make it warmer in winter and cooler in summer. I think there are some challenges in achieving this while avoiding condensation in the winter, unless I put permanent heating in there like I have in my home. Is this correct?

For cooling in summer I was thinking of fitting an extractor fan on one of the gable ends and a filtered intake on the opposite gable, to allow fresh air to flow in and hot air to flow out. Will this totally ruin my ability to keep the shed warm and dry in winter? I guess I could fit a shutter onto each and seal them up when it's colder.

For heating in the winter I was thinking of fitting a moisture barrier on the inside and then a layer of mineral wool insulation, maybe with a sheet of plywood over the top. I'm no expert though, and I worry this might just result in the mositure being trapped between the barrier and the wood and subsequent damp/rot will come creeping in.

In summary I don't really know what I'm doing and would appreciate any advice.

I have a similar shed ( 12 X 8 US ft.), I have mineral wool insulation with OSB ( cheap imitation plywood ) over it. It also has an 8 X 4 ft glass skylight. I have aquariums in it and put plants in it in very cold weather. I am impressed by how comfortable the temperatures are. It has about 600 watts of aquarium heaters  and lights ( they cycle off/on). I use a 8 in. diameter fan in the one window when hot. Moisture has not been a problem; no moisture barrier. I have aluminum ( aluminium ) along bottom edge of the skylight and condensation does drip from it. Our lowest temperature is 15 F , typically 32 F, 0 C , at night in winter.


Can I convert a European washing machine to work with a North American outlet? I'm looking to hook up a European washing machine I got my hands on to either a standard North American outlet (unlikely) or a 220 V appliance outlet.

Here's the info I have right now:

230V
50Hz
2300W

It has an s22 socket.

Well, in North America the frequency is 60Hz, so I'm not sure how that would affect it.  The difference in voltage (220V compared to 230V) is probably not significant.

I'd check with the manufacturer to see if there would be any issues.


Remove blower wheel that's rusted on to motor shaft The blower motor on my air conditioner is shot & needs to be replaced. I've already identified and ordered the replacement motor. The problem is, the old motor's shaft is seemingly FUSED onto the blower wheel itself (Carrier/Bryant LA22LA108) by rust.

I'd really hate to buy a new blower wheel, too... they're not cheap ($125+) and the old one appears to be fine (aside from being inseparably-fused onto the old motor by rust).

Is there any reasonably straightforward way to get them separated without damaging the wheel so badly it ends up having to be replaced anyway? Maybe some semi-magic chemical available from Home Depot/Lowes (or at least a well-stocked Ace Hardware or some other store likely to exist in South Florida) that quickly eats through rust without doing too much damage to the as-yet unrusted steel?

I contemplated trying to cut away the motor shaft & drill it out from the inside until it falls away from the wheel's hole, but I have a hunch that the motor shaft is superhardened steel that won't cut easily.

Soak the rusted area in a penetrating oil. Wait a day or two. Cut the motor shaft from the motor, drive the shaft out using a hammer.


What can I use to manage the wires when replacing a looped ceiling rose light fixture with one that just has loose wires? I'm changing a looped ceiling rose (LCR) light for a light that only has 3 connections, Live, Neutral and Earth.

The looped ceiling rose has 3 different metal parts that the wires go into, like this:

(Image from http://www.flameport.com/electric/lighting_circuits/lighting_ceiling_rose_looped.cs4)

There's also an extractor fan wired into the LCR although if I can get the light wired in I should be ok with the extractor fan.

I guess I need the equivalent of the Loop, Neutral, and Line parts, but can't find anything that combines wires like this.

My plan was to recreate the neutral, loop and line 'combination' parts, with wires going from the line and neutral to the light.

My question is, in the UK, can I buy something to combine wires like this, similar to a Terminal Connector, but for multiple wires? Am I approaching this in the right way?

You can use a block connector (you can bridge it - on one side loop a a wire into each terminal to make it like one big connector)

or You can use a twist connector

I was searching for something like this. But an insulated version- i found something in china but the problem is it will never be approved to use that on internal circuits due to high risk of electrical shock. These are used inside distribution boards only - and can only be installed by qualified electricians.


Can I connect 2 motion detectors with one power supply to a single LED Strip? I want to make a motion detection LED strip to the stairs. My idea is to put 5m LED Strip on the wall and put one motion sensor on both sides of the strip (one on the upper level and one on the lower level). I would connect the sensors to the same power supply.
Will it work?

Yeah, that will actually work.
I mean, the way you wired it would be a horrifying hack if it was mains AC power.  That would be a “loop”, and those are very bad (in AC) because everything inside the loop becomes inside the core of a transformer.
That’s not a problem in the DC domain.  (Mind you I’m not sure that doesn’t change if you use PWM dimming, but I’m not going to tell you to worry about it).
I recommend you bring a 3-wire cable between the two PIRs:

Positive
Negative
Switched Negative (assuming you switch negative; that’s best practice with LED strips).

And then, feed both positive and switched-negative to the LED strip at both ends.  That way you are not relying on the thin little pathways inside the LED strip to carry all the current.  (There’ll be noticeable dimming if you do).
By the way, learn the fine art of cutting LED strips to length; they have specifically designed cut points.
It will also aid your craftsmanship to learn to splice and/or solder, so you aren’t dependent on cheapie connectors and premade wiring harnesses.


What gauge wire/cord do I need for these outdoor lamps? I have two 700 watt outdoor halogen lamps, each connected to a splitter, then back to a power source. Given the distances illustrated below, what gauge cord should I use?

To determine what gauge wire you need, you need to know two things: How much current is needed, and what current capacity (ampacity) corresponds to different wire gauges.

Ampacity

You can find ampacity charts online (for example). This chart also shows resistance.

There's another factor you must consider, which is voltage drop. Long lengths of wire will have an associated resistance (because copper is not a superconductor), so you will need to take into account what that resistance is (perhaps even using a larger wire to accommodate it if necessary). This resistance means that the load won't receive the full voltage supplied at the other end of the cord; this is also known as the "voltage drop".

Ohm's Law

So, let's first calculate what current will be needed. Ohm's law allows you to determine voltage (volts), current (amperes), resistance (ohms), or power (watts) by knowing any two values.

The splitter will connect both lamps in parallel, giving each 120 volts. You know that they are 700 watts, so you can find current by using the formula I = P/E.

I = 700 / 120 = 5.83 A

The ampacity chart shows that you would need at least 14 AWG (for power transmission) for the connections between your splitter and the lamps.

The current from the splitter to the source would of course be double (11.7 A), so you would need at least 10 AWG wire (11 AWG is uncommon, so I picked the next larger size).

The Lamp Runs

In the run of 14 AWG wire, you would have an additional resistance of 2 * 2.525Ω/1000 or 0.51Ω. (Remember the length of wire is actually double; one for line and one for neutral.) You can calculate the voltage drop of the wire by treating it like a circuit where the lamp is one resistor and the wire is another, then use Ohm's law to determine the voltage on both resistors. The lamp's resistance is (R = E^2 / P):

R = 120^2 / 700 = 20.5Ω

The total resistance (lamp plus wire) is:

20.5 + 0.51 = 21Ω

Now the total current with 120V applied is (I = E/R):

I = 120 / 21 = 5.7 A

This is less than the original current (5.83 A) because with more resistance (the long wire), less current can flow. You can also determine the voltage drop and how much power the wire itself is dissipating (E = R * I, P = R * I^2): 2.9 volts dropped, 16.6 watts dissipated. (This isn't a lot (less than 3% of the total voltage) so you could just use 14 AWG for these runs. "Upgrading" to thicker wire would present slightly less resistance, but the benefit would not outweigh the added cost of more expensive wire.)

The Home Run

Doing the math on the "home run" depends on what was selected for the runs to each lamp. We'll assume that you stuck with the 14 AWG for now, so the total current is 5.7 * 2 = 11.4 A. (We can treat the splitter and downstream wires and lamps as a load of 1368 watts, or a resistance of 10.5Ω.)

Total resistance using 10 AWG wire (and remembering to double the run length) for the home run:

10.5 + 0.2 = 10.7Ω

The total current would be:

120 / 10.7 = 11.2 A

Why does the current seem to be lowering each time we calculate things? Because the wire resistance limits how much current can flow, just like a resistor in a circuit. Two 700 watt lamps with superconducting cables would actually pull 5.83 A each, or 11.7 A in total. With the extra length of wires creating resistance, the whole configuration pulls 0.5 A less.

Because 10 AWG is rated for up to 15 A power transmission, it is sufficient.

If you were to use a cheap 16 AWG extension cord for the home run, rated for only 3.7 A, you would run into trouble.


Can I Piggyback 4 15 amp outlets off a 30 amp fuse? I have what you would call a “mini kitchen” set up in my house for a guest bedroom. Ran all new electrical for it and hooked it up in the outside fuse box. It’s a 20 amp fuse running 4 15 amp duplex receptacles. I have a large mini fridge (always running) a large window unit (rarely ever on while cooking) a toaster oven, hot plate, and 1100 watt microwave. Not all the outlets are even being used but if I use more than one cooking device (with the fridge constantly plugged in) it blows the breaker. Since I’m running all these appliances (not at the same time but sometimes I do) can I switch the 20 amp breaker to a 30 amp breaker? I’m tired of blowing a breaker everytime something is cooked in there. Also the wire is 14/2 if that changes anything. Someone please help. The “mini kitchen” is used almost daily.

Since the wire is 14/2, the breaker feeding it must be 15A.
Someone apparently changed that to a 20A breaker (presumably because they were sick of constant breaker trips every time they attempted to use two heat appliances at once). Since that was done, you have the sense of "hey, do it even more".
That "end justifies the means" POV ignores the reason we use circuit breakers in the first place, which is to prevent house fires. The National Electrical Code specifies this based on hard data, and if you're not interested in following that, then this is the end of the answer for you. We can't help you on this site.
Your loads and why they are tripping
A 15A circuit (which you do have, even if it's horribly misbreakered) can accommodate 1800 watts.
A 20A circuit on #12 wire can accommodate 2400 watts.

Your refrigerator needs about 100 watts (trivial, don't need to give it too much thought).
Your air conditioner needs 500-1500 watts (whatever its nameplate says; it may be stated as VA).
Your toaster oven needs 1500 watts.
Your hot plate needs 1500 watts (some are less).
Your microwave needs ~1200 watts.

As you can see, you can run precisely one of these at a time on a 1800 watt capacity circuit (and you get to ignore the refrigerator). A 15A circuit can't handle two.
And you know a second thing: a 20A (2400 watts) circuit can't handle two, either. So bumping the breaker to 20A didn't actually buy you anything useful, it only brought 600 more watts, and that's not enough. Since the 20A breaker is illegal, dangerous and useless, change it back to 15A.
And I bet you didn't know any of this, and were just confused and frustrated by all the breaker trips.
Now, you can make a decision whether you can live with one at a time (refrigerator not mattering) or whether it's worth the blood sweat & tears to bring more power to this room.
More power, please
For a modest power increase, I would bring up 12/3 cable, and wire it as a multi-wire branch circuit. This will yield two 20A circuits (2400 watt each). As we already established, you still can't run 2 things on the same circuit, except,

the refrigerator is no problem and
if the A/C is small, say, under 900W, then it can share a 20A circuit with a 1500W appliance.

So now, we can run the A/C, refrigerator and any two cooking appliances.
Bigger please? OK, run two multi-wire branch circuits, for four 20A sub-circuits. Everything at the same time, win!
Bigger still? OK. We'll need a subpanel. The next size up of wire is 10/3 which will give us 7200 -- oh heck, for the same price you could buy 4-wire #2 aluminum for 21,600 watts! Or for less money, #4 aluminum for 15,600 watts, or even cheaper #6 Al for 12,000 watts.
Now your subpanel will have power to spare, and you can give every appliance a dedicated circuit and use them all at once if you want to.
Both options are complicated and require a lot of knowledge, attention to detail and respect for the electrical codes, so best to hire a professional for the job.


For planning interior walls, should I get an architect or interior designer or someone else? I am thinking of adding interior walls to divide up a large space (a walk-up basement).  But I am clueless regarding building codes and I don't know where I can and cannot put walls.

I've read a lot about how architects are important for new home design and major projects, but for this early planning stage I'm thinking an architect would be overkill, since this is not major construction, right?

So what professional help should I get in this regard?  Someone from the city?  An interior designer?

I would not let a designer make these kind of decisions.  A good architect, a builder, or a good general contractor would be your best bet.  You could always bring in a city inspector and ask them for a few thoughts too.

If money is no object than almost anything goes with a basement.  You can basically put a wall anywhere as long as you aren't moving anything above your head.

Some of the things to think about when drawing up plans:

How do the stairs flow?  I really do not like basements that have stairs that slice the basement in half (unless you have a huge basement).  I also do not like stairs that have a minimal landing pad - meaning it is hard to get things in and out of a basement.  The stairs in your situation could be good to go and a non-issue but this is the first thing I think about with a basement remodel.
Where are the low points of the basement ceiling and how will we handle these.  In a normal basement you will have a main load bearing beam that runs length of the house.  How high is it?  I am also assuming you will have duct work running parallel to this beam.  Can we go 3 inches under the duct work and beam and still have good clearance (7 feet).  Basements with lower clearances, I like to put the duct work against the edge of a room, with a higher clearance it doesn't matter as much.  Also the last few I have done, I have not enclosed the beams/duct work, and instead painted it with autobody paint.  Saves room and gives architectural details.
Where is the main stack and plumbing located?  If the mainstack is in the middle of the house - which is pretty common - then you not only have an obstacle but you have a huge cost if you want your bathroom in a far corner.  For instance by creating your bathroom next to the stack and incoming water supplies you could save 5-10K.  Plus bathroom could hide stack - I have built larger closets to do this next to or in bathrooms.  And then to add on a lot of people just put a bathroom in a plan and next thing you know you can take a crap and watch the football game without leaving the toilet.  Give your bathroom privacy - put the entrance in a hallway.
Windows...  Are they currently suitable for what you want?  If you have bedrooms downstairs do you need bigger windows to meet code?  What is the cost of this?  Also when building rooms you want to leave at least a half foot from edge of window to wall.
HVAC and drain.  Hopefully these are in the same area.  Also there are building code requirements for room size.  This is why it is usually a good idea for this room to be a storage room also.  And with the drain, obviously your basement is pitched (at least in some areas) to drain water to it.  So you can't build a wall a foot from it and not expect issues (drain back ups should not spill into walls).
Electrical panel.  Your panel needs to be accessible and have clearance.  Do you want the panel on a wall in a living room?  Best bet is to make this part of storage/HVAC room but that always doesn't work out.  You can move panel to fit plans (lots of money) or you can design around it.
Learn about existing walls.  If you have no walls in your basement that is a plus.  Often though basements are built with a divider wall or the storage room walls up.  You must figure out what is inside these walls and if you can use these walls in your design.  I had a divider wall in my basement that I used.  It was at a good spot but wish I would have know it was at about 85 degrees from floor.
Getting your money back.  You are building on a walk up basement.  It is an investment.  If done right and you do some of the work yourself you could see a return on your money.  Basically to make money back you need three things.  Bedrooms, full bath, and functional space.  Bedrooms are first priority - so make sure they meet "bedroom code" - windows and closets.  Closets are sneaky.  Plan for them if  you want something to be a bedroom.  Full bath is worth it.  You don't have to create a spa but if you have a bedroom get a bath in.  If your house won't meet code for bedrooms then a half-bath or no bath is fine - but then I would keep the basement very open so it could have multiple uses.

There are probably lots of other things to think about but this is just off the top of my head.  When designing you need to figure out your storage/HVAC room and bathroom and then kind of work around those two things.  Something that is properly designed can easily save 10-20K in a basement remodel.

Note: I was hesitant to mention getting an architect involved.  I lump architects into two general groups for residential housing - functional/builder and the fancy/designer.  The functional/builder will work with what they are given and cost structure.  They will understand how to integrate electrical panel and storage room.  Might even have some good ideas on room transitions and such.  Going with the fancy/designer architect doesn't mean they don't know what they are doing, it is just the design and look come before cost.


Old Septic Tanks & Fields I found a old unused (20+ yrs old) septic tank/field in an area that I want to build apon, what am I suppose to do &/or who am I suppose to contact? thanks, Caneadea

First call is to the local building department, to find out what is allowed in your area. Some places let you fill them, others make you remove them.

If you have to remove it, you'll have to check if it's empty. If not, you'll have to call somebody out to pump it. Once empty, you'll have to call a bunch of people with shovels, or somebody with a really big shovel.  You'll also need somebody with a crane, and a big truck to haul it away.  You could ask at the building department for references for local companies that might offer removal service.

If you can fill it, follow the filling instructions of the local building department


changing hard wired smoke alarm on house that once had an active alarm system which is now shut down Nothing was disconnected - i just did not resign up when I bought the house.
If i shut off the main breaker to the ouse, can I be sure the smoke alarm wires are dead - no electricity in them?

OK, clarify. Are you referring to alarm system detectors, or hard wired line-voltage (120V) smokes?

Either way, if you shut off the main, you should have no line voltage power anywhere. Line voltage smokes can, and typically do, have battery backup (9V battery), but this would NOT pose ANY safety hazard with regard to working on them.

If you are talking about an alarm system, then there is also mostly likely a system battery backup, but again, this should pose no safety hazard at all since these systems run on low voltage anyway.


How do I find the angles for baseboard on an outside stair stringer? I'm installing baseboard on the outside of a staircase in my home. The staircase doesn't have an open stringer, and the height of my baseboard has created a really interesting angle at the bottom of the stairs where the floor meets the first riser.

This cut has completely broken my brain. Any insight on how I can find the angles to wrap this around would be really appreciated!

From your picture, it looks like if you extend the non-flat sections of the moulding they'll intersect before you reach the vertical at the end of the stair (e.g., pardon my abysmal Photoshopping):

This would certainly be the easiest solution, although it may not be the prettiest one.


French Drain PVC Size Will constructing a french drain still work using two  inch perforated pvc instead of the recommended  four inch perforated pvc?

The drain will work but it will not work very well.
The larger pipe provides more surface holes for water to enter.
The smaller area inside will not have much area for water flow and will fill up with silt more than 4x faster (pie R squared ).
Slight variations in slope will affect the drainage.
Don’t go with small pipe. Most of the cost in a good drain is digging, and rock. The pipe is a fraction of the cost and trying to go cheep will cost in the long run.


How to evaluate the suitability of an electric tankless water-heater I'm trying to evaluate if an electric tankless water-heater would be suitable for my home. There are just too many variables to consider, and I wonder if there is a mathematical approach to it.

I'm thinking these are the factors to consider:

Occupants: 2 (no child yet!)
Sinks: 2
Baths/showers: 1
Washing machine: 1 (but little-to-no warm washing)
Dishwasher: 1
Floors: 1

Still, having these data points tells me nothing. Is there a formula of some kind?

The numbers you need are flow rates and desired temperatures. For example, Home Depot's guide gives the following flow rates:

Bathroom Faucet: 0.5 – 1.5 gpm

Low Flow Kitchen Faucet: 3.0 – 7.0 gpm

Shower: 1.0 – 2.0 gpm

Dishwasher: 1.0 – 2.5 gpm

Clothes Washer: 1.5 – 3.0 gpm

Tankless heaters are rated for how much heat they provide at a given flow. If your incoming water is 50°F, and you want 120°F, you need a 70°F rise in temperature. Now say you want to both run your dishwasher and take a shower. On the high end, you may be looking at 4.5 gpm. You need to find a way to raise 4.5 gpm 70°F. Going back to Home Depot, they sell a Rheem gas heater that will do 77 degrees at 4.9 gpm.

Alternatively, you could combine a whole-home unit with point-of-use units. This is particularly useful if you want to only heat your shower to 120, but your dishwasher doesn't include a heating element and you'd like to heat that water to 140, or if you want your kitchen faucet to supply hotter water than the bathroom faucet or shower. Also, point-of-use units are useful for providing instant heat.


First time home owner - books to introduce different systems and things to know (Closing in another 2 weeks) We are closing on our first home (townhome built in 2000 in NJ) purchase in another 2 weeks, we are very excited at the same time concerned about not knowing anything about homes. Is there any books or articles (links) which introduce to all the systems in a house and how they work and things to know (Example - When I was applying for home insurance, the agent asked if there was a sump pump and if it has back-up power , which I have no idea).

What are the different systems that are there in the home and how they work?
Things to know(in a car analogy we need to change oil every 3 months, is there anything in home where we need to constantly monitor/maintain)?

Any help / links / good books

The home inspection is the standard way to get started with this knowledge. You hire an inspector to not only look for problems, but to instruct you about the systems in your house. You can think of an inspection as the Owner's Manual customized to your new home -- the inspector should tell you what upkeep is required, how various systems can fail, what to keep an eye on, and what you should consider investing in. If you don't have answers to all these questions, both explained to your satisfaction and documented in a report, then the inspector hasn't done his job.

If you've already had an inspection, but didn't get this information, call up your inspector and ask their advice. If you got inspection "results" but weren't around to learn about all the systems, try to schedule a follow-up visit so you can get that experience (it's worth paying for, if you have to).

We had an excellent inspector when we purchased our first home a couple years ago. Since then I've made numerous improvements and learned a lot, but I might not have known where to start without his guidance. Books and the internet are helpful but there's nothing like an expert's eye to alert you to the most important issues in your specific house.


How do I know when evaporative/swamp cooler pads should be replaced? This is my first experience with an evaporative cooler because we just moved into our house. I have no idea how long these pads have been it he cooler. We never noticed any smells come from the cooler and the cooler seemed pretty cool to us. How do I know when the pads should be replaced? My understanding is that these cardboard type ones last longer than the fiber based ones.

You're going to be up there at least twice a year, to put on and remove the jacket, so check the state of the pads each time.

You won't need to replace them every year, but treat them like any filter - if it looks dirty or clogged, it probably needs replacing.

The pads in your photo don't look bad - I'd leave them for now, and check again in Spring.


Water valve in basement connected to floor drain I have a line with a valve that is connected to the floor drain in basement. Is this supposed to run slowly or just be turned on occasionally to prevent smell?  I just discovered it is connected to the hot water line. Plumber said keep it off.  Turn on sometimes.  Should it be rerouted to the cold line?  Plumber installed this about four years ago.  I think at times it was on slowly and therefore wasting hot water. think he doesn’t want to confess to doing it incorrectly.

I would add some cooking oil to the floor drain. This will prevent the water in the trap from evaporating. You'll no longer have to add water every other month or so. In fact, this may last a year or more. It did for me.


Should I repair small gaps between brick sill and window frame? I have small pea size holes on the exterior wall right below the window.
I am wondering if I need to fill this hole. (see image below)

If so, what should I do? Cement?

If the brick veneer was done well there's a "drain plane" behind it which sheds rainwater without allowing it to damage the structure. If not, this is a serious concern that should be addressed.

If you wish to fill the gaps, do it with a material that best matches from an aesthetic standpoint. I'd consider a mortar-colored exterior grade caulk (ideally urethane), applied with as small a bead as possible. You may want to pre-fill the larger voids with foam or another insoluble backer.


Weatherstripping for inswing exterior door with clearance problems. Clearance door sweep? How would you weatherstrip this gap under an inswing exterior door?  The door threshold is not very high, and the door already drags a bit on the interior carpet, so many styles of door threshold are out.

The gap ranges from 1/4" to 1/2", and is curved over the threshold width.  Light is clearly visible under the gap.

A bottom threshold is possible, but Pemko #250V for example is way too high to fit (and as an extruded part wicks cold right from the outside to the inside, defeating the purpose somewhat).

What are options here?

I've used mounted door sweeps for this before and it seemed to work well.


destroy a wall that is useless I'm new to building or destroying things in that occasion.

I have a wall that is not supporting the roof or any other part of the house.

Removing that wall will help me build an extension of a room in my house.

I want to use a mace sledgehammer to destroy that wall.

Are there a better solution less consuming in time and effort than use a mace sledgehammer, please?

Second question is :  Are there other factors should I check when trying to remove a wall in my house than checking the wall is supporting part of the roof?

Any of your advices would be welcome.

Cheers.

Brick Walls are usually load bearing or non-load bearing. Generally you can identify them by their width. While not "best practice", in some cases a connecting non-load bearing wall may act as a lateral brace to a long load bearing wall. This may be an issue in an earth-quake prone area where bracing walls are very important. Check with your local building codes for that.

Other than that, make sure you disconnect/reroute all services that run through- and inside and then demolish away. You may want to perforate the wall first, by either cutting it or drilling holes, especially where you want to disconnect the wall from the building.

The impact of a sledgehammer might cause unwanted superficial damage outside the area you are busy demolishing. Perforating and then using a crow bar/ripping bar may be a better solution.


Where can I find garage building plans? If I wanted to build a detached garage/workshop, where can I find complete, detailed plans?  I'd like to be able to estimate building cost from a materials list.

I'm not certain what style I'd want, so I'm open to suggestions.  For sake of discussion, let's assume the main house structure is colonial or similar.

In order of increasing cost:

This website has a few good plans for simple garages available at no cost.

TodaysPlans looks like it has some good plans for free, but you have to get them through email.

Mybackyardplans has a few for free, but they look to be low quality.

This website has them starting around $70.

JustGaragePlans has a wide range to pick from, but they're going to run $100+ per plan.


Luxaire furnace ignitor shuts off before gas valve opens I have two Luxaire furnaces in the house, same model. They both worked fine until a couple of days ago, when one of them didn't blow warm air anymore. My first thought was the igniter, so I replace it together w/the flame sensor. But comparing the two systems, they act a little different in the timing between the igniter and the gas valve.
On the good one, the igniter turns on, after abt 5 seconds the gas valve opens (I hear a click) and the burner lights up, and after another 2-3 seconds, the igniter turns off.  As one would expect.
On the not so good one (the one in which I changed the igniter), the timing between the igniter and the gas valve seems to be a bit off. I see the igniter turning on, after abt 7-8 seconds, it turns off, and only after that the gas valve opens (I hear the click) and the burner ignites as the igniter still has some thermal inertia.
Is there a way to adjust the timing between the igniter and the gas valve from the control board? Or is it something else at play?
Thanks so much for any ideas, Serban.

The timing is usually based on conditions not all ignighters are the same some get hotter quicker,.
Quit throwing parts at it.
Look up your model , error codes, I found for that brand
7 or 8 flashes flame could not be established after several attempts,
2,3 or 6 flashes pressure switch problems,
4 or 11 flashes limit switch.
All of these point to different things and the timing being different can be because of the failure of a component or set point.
Most units have a removable panel that when you remove it it kills power to the board.
There is normally a plunger switch that can be pulled out and this is a service mode so you can see the flashes on the board when it fails.
Try this to identify what is causing it not to light and get to the problem without wag (wild ass guess) now you will be troubleshooting so you move up to swag (scientific WAG).


What can be done about water running under my house? When the builder excavated for my home, the hole filled in with a half foot of water.  (They said I have a "perched water table".)

To "Fix" this the builder put rocks under my house and put in piping for a pump at the lower side of the house.

For the first few years my pump would turn on during the spring.  Then, 3 years ago, it started running in the summer and fall.

For the last two years it has been running off and on in about 5 minute spurts.  (It is on for about 5 mins then off for about 4.)  It is pumping out a two inch pipe.  Though I have not measured it, it is a lot of water!

I have tried moving up the bubble switch that controls the pump, but it seemed to have little effect.

If my pump is off for 30 minutes, then my basement starts to get wet!

Is there anything that can be done for this?  A kind of company to call, or ... anything?

I don't even know where to start.

NOTE: If this does not count as "Home Improvement" I apologize.  Let me know and I will delete my post.

Contact three or four local drainage contractors and ask if they will come out and give you a quote to solve the problem.  You'll learn what methods they would employ, their guarantee, and cost. Then you can make an informed decision.


switch for light also turns on a circulation pump - looks like a 4-way switch - has failed there are three bathrooms and one kitchen Light switch (total of 4 switches) that turn on the lights, and also start a Circulation pump for the hot water system. the intent is that the hot water circulates from the end of the "header" and back to the storage tank.
one of the switches has failed and when removing from the box, it looks like a 4 way switch with 2 "regular" wires and 2 "thermostat wires". there are relays in the utility that im pretty sure look after the circulation pump regardless of which Light is activated.
do i need to open each location to determine which switches are 4 way and which are 3 way ?
i took the old switch to Eecol Electric and the replacement switch they offered has the 4 contacts but the gold/black colors do not match ?

This sounds like it would use a double pole single throw switch. Each side of the switch would be electrically separate, but they physically turn on and off together. The relay probably just turns on the pump when any of the switches are on. If this were some sort of 4 way setup, turning the light on in two rooms would turn off the pump.
You can test that your new switch is a double pole single throw switch with a continuity tester. All four contacts would be isolated from each other when the switch is in the off position. When the switch is in the on position, you'd have two separate pairs of contacts (probably the one pair on either side of the switch) that have been connected, but there would still be electrical isolation between the pairs. If you want to be extra sure that this is correct, take out one of your existing working switches and confirm that it behaves this way as well.


What type of fitting connection is this? This fitting for a pressure washer seems to be straight-threaded. The OD of the threaded portion is 16.18mm according to my caliper. Thread pitch is approximately 1.5mm. I need to convert this to NPT.

I first thought of ORB, but it doesn't appear to be the right type. Based on prior history with this vendor, there's a chance its a German DIN fitting. But I don't know enough about those to make a good ID.

It appears to be a 1/2" threaded stop plug with an Allen wrench shaped hole in it . It also looks like the plumbing fitting itself may be 3/4" itself , with a 3/4" to 1/2" reducer in it.

The fitting, the way you hold it in the picture does give us a shot of the other side of it... Would need to see that too.


My Air conditioner suddenly became defective after a power outage So, these are the symptoms:

1] The big fan outside is taking a lot longer to start.
2] Within 2 minutes of start-up and cooling, it makes a growling/ rattling sound and
3] The power switch to start the AC trips automatically and the whole unit shuts down.

The problem started this morning, after a power outage, when we heard that electricians were repairing connections somewhere in the city.
Until then the AC was running fine. What could be the problem.

I'd start by checking the start capacitor for the fan motor.  If that's starting to go bad, the motor could be drawing high current for too long while trying to start.


Is there a way to easily split a wall register? I have a small powder room that doesn't have a register/vent so it gets a bit cold compared to the rest of the house. I could install a new duct line split off from the main but there is a wall/floor register right on the other side running in the wall cavity in a 2x4 wall. I'm wondering if I can just cut out the back of the rectangular duct and install a baffle to split the air to two registers and then fine tune with how open the registers are. Or is there a premade solution for this? I found some split return air ducts for equalizing are between rooms but not this specific setup

My parents' house has one place with vents that look exactly like that - the duct has two vents, one on each side, and there is a baffle inside such that you cannot look through the vent and see the other room. The baffle extends about 1-2 inches past the edge of the registers.
I spent some time trying to find a pre-made part (or even a picture of someone having done this), but I can't find one.


Is a 3 way switch required at the stairs to a basement with no other entryway? Is a 3 way switch required at the stairs to a basement with no other entryway? We were given a violation for not having a 3 way switch in a basement with no entryway.

Stairway Lighting is Required, with light switches at top and bottom of the stairway if the stairs encompass more than three stair treads (Canada) or six stair treads (U.S.).


How to properly ventilate a finished basement? I am trying to understand what is the proper way to ventilate a basement. I have a finished basement which if not ventilated starts to smell ..like a basement :-) and I don't like it.

If I run the AC fan continuously the problem diminishes but I get a slight smell upstairs (a raised bungallow, above the grade windows for basement)

What are the recommendations for properly ventilating the basement? The basement has an apartment with a kitchen and a bathroom that have their own ventilators. On top of that I have the chimney for the old furnace. I am thinking about using any of these to evacuate the smelly air and I hope that better air will be sucked from upstairs .... will this work?

Edit: I already bought a DeHumidifier. Last year I had some problems, acute problems I would say, strong smell. This year is much better. In winter the furnace did most of the job and the smell almost disappeared. The hygrometer measured around 35-40% RH at 21C. Now since the AC does not start  I am at 19-20C downstairs and 23C upstairs with 45-47 humidity downstairs and 41 upstairs.
If I run the DH constantly I can hardly squeeze any water from the air, looks like it is not very efficient. The DH has it own hygrometer, not really in sync with the other one that I have down there but they go up and down in sync. So the DH does not seem to solve the problem

Sounds like dehumidification might be the answer. The cause of the dank "basement" smell, is high humidity. Removing moisture from the air is a side effect of refrigeration, which is why the air conditioner helps.  A dehumidifier is just like an air conditioner, except that the dehumidifier heats the air back up after cooling it and removing moisture.

You may be able to simply use a standalone dehumidifier, though then you'll have to dump the collection bucket. Another option, is to install a whole house (or whole apartment) dehumidifier. A whole house unit will be more expensive, but won't require dumping a bucket or water once a day.

If you have moisture problems in the basement, you'll want to sort those out. That should eliminate the cause of the foul air, and the need for removing it.

If you don't want to deal with the moisture problems, then you'll have to focus on removing the foul air and replacing it.  This means drawing in outside air, conditioning it (heating, cooling, filter, humidify, dehumidify, etc.), and exhausting the foul air.

If you live in a mild climate where indoor and outdoor temperatures are similar, this shouldn't be that bad. However, if you live where indoor and outdoor temperatures are extremely different, you're going to be paying a lot to condition the air.

You'll want to look in to a heat recovery ventilation (HRV), and/or energy recovery ventilation system. As these systems will help reduce the amount of heating/cooling that will have to be added to the incoming air.

Drawing air from one dwelling unit into another, is not a proper solution.  Air must be moved within a single dwelling unit, or between the inside and out.


Replacing single pole switches with 3way switches Have 4 lights on circuit 1 to single pole switch with power. Have same setup for second switch. Want to replace both single pole with 2 3way switches so that at each switch i can turn on/off each set of four lights. Do i need 2 12/3 cables between each switch location?

You will need two separate 12/3wG between the two switch boxes. This is a case where you cannot use 3 x 12/2wG to get the six conductors, because you don't have three independent pairs.

If the power enters this complex at one of the lamps, you will need 12/3wG from that lamp to the nearest switch box; otherwise you need 12/2wG from the switch boxes to the lamps.

Your diagram shows a square of wiring between each group of four lamps. You only need three sides of the square.

When you run the cables between the two switch boxes, you may discover that power is fed from your service panel to one of the switches, and chained from there to the other switch, via a 12/2wG cable. If this is so, remove or abandon that cable and replace it with two 12/3wG cables. Then connect the switches and lamps like this:

If you examine this design you will see that each lamp group with its controlling switches is completely independent from the other. They are connected only at the wire nuts on the power feed cable.

OTOH you may discover that there is no connection at all between the two switch boxes, and the two lamp groups are on independent circuits and may even be on different breakers. In that case there is no connecting cable to remove; just run the two 12/3wG cables between the switches. Then connect the switches and lamps like this:

Here it is even more obvious that each lamp group with its controlling switches is completely independent from the other. You could print the diagram and cut the two circuits apart with scissors.

Be careful to avoid mixing the wires between the two 12/3 cables, otherwise you could end up with something that seems to work, but is very dangerous to future maintainers, and generates inductive heating in hidden places.

I haven't included the fault ground wires in the diagram. Generally the best thing to do is to connect together all the fault ground wires that you can find, and also connect everything electrically conductive that you could touch to a fault ground wire.

There is one exception to this rule: When parallel cables run between two junction boxes like this, and the boxes are metallic, the two fault ground wires will form a conductive loop, which will couple inductively with nearby active conductors and possibly carry significant stray currents. This is called a "ground loop" and should be avoided.

The rule for parallel sheathed cables between metallic j-boxes should be: use only one of the provided fault ground wires and leave all the others capped off.


window top flashing/channel against flat surface I have parging above the window, nothing to tuck a channel under. What is the product to use to add flashing to the top of the window in this case?

If I understand this correctly, you need a way to connect the flashing to the parging. I would advise studying the way that chimney apron flashing is attached to chimneys. In short, (maybe call a contractor to) cut a 1/2" deep groove (aka kerf or riglet) in the parging to insert the flashing. Use window and door flashing tape (aka double stick) and silcone to adhere the flashing.

If you hare having trouble attaching the flashing to the window or something, then (maybe upload a picture and) describe the problem more specifically.


Mold, Lead, Asbestos Testing Kits - recommended or seek a professional? Professional testing of Mold or Lead or Asbestos can range from $300 - $1000 for each type.
I just found some home testing kits that require you to take and submit samples.

Are these a good cost savings approach with adequate results or should I consult professionals?

UPDATE

I actually found this on the EPA website.
EPA Accredited laboratories.
You can just send samples in ziplock baggies to these laboratories for testing.  I saw that a lot of the DIY kits out there are essentially just baggies! So no need to buy those kits.

Seems reasonable to me.  IMO, if you are able to send samples to a lab, that is going to be more precise and certain than any kit you could apply in the field.

The only thing I don't like about it is that it creates a third-party record, which means now you must engage any formalities of dealing with those things, and the formalities can be more annoying and expensive than the actual work.


Are solar panel films for windows ready for the end users? I read about a new solar-panel technology, based on a photo-sensible film, which may be applied directly on to glass.

This will definitely help in the versatility and in the ease of installation..

Are any of you aware of this technology? Did you ever see it in use?

some references:

commercial product?

3m solar films

Photovoltaic windows are not commercially available. Most examples of this idea, including the SolarWindow to which you linked, are made of organic photovoltaic (OPV) materials. OPV is, compared to other PV technologies, in a very early stage of development. Laboratory cells still have quite low efficiency and very short lifetimes compared to more mature PV technologies.

The 3M solar films you linked to are barrier, backsheet, encapsulant and reflector films. They are made as components of solar panels and they do not produce electricity.


Not sure how to successfully drill these pieces I'm trying to drill two pieces of wood similar to the angled pieces marked in blue. However, I'm not sure how to clamp these and can't drill them straight without the wood slipping. What's the best way to join them?

As the diagram mentions "pocket screws" you typically drill those type of holes using a pocket hole jig.   Here is one of the more popular ones, available from various outlets:  Kreg Pocket Hole jig  https://www.homedepot.com/p/Kreg-Jig-Pocket-Hole-System-R3/202269070

You can clamp the jig to the material and it holds the drill bits at the proper angles to easily drill the holes where you want them.


Help: Black and White Wires on Switch but No Neutral? I was going to install a Kasa smart switch, which requires a neutral.  When I opened up this box, which contains 2 switches that control 2 separate lights outside (porch and walkway), I noticed black and white wires going into both switches.  Is this a sign of a switch loop for both outside lights?  Does this mean that the white wire is not neutral but hot?  Thanks for any help you can give a newbie!

That's exactly what it means, no neutral at the location. There are smart switches that don't require neutrals so you might want to check them out.


How can I repair a crack in my fireplace hearth? We have just purchased a house, and upon the inspection noticed the the fireplace hearth has a crack in it.  It's a clean crack, but it goes from the front to the back, and pretty much right through the concrete.  Do I need to replace the hearth, or can I repair it?

I am not a mason, or an expert on fireplaces. (It is not a bad idea to bring in several such people to get an estimate on the repair.) However, a few things seem fairly clear.

The crack appeared because...

The hearth may have been insufficiently reinforced, thus too little rebar, metal mesh, or nothing at all.
Heat stresses, caused by heating and cooling cycles can cause cracks. A properly built hearth should have been designed to prevent that.
Insufficient foundation under the hearth, which might have allowed it to settle, thus introducing stresses.

One or more of the above factors will have caused the problem. Someone experienced in seeing these types of problems will know what caused it, and thus what is needed to repair the problem so it does not happen again.

For example, it should be obvious if there is no reinforcement at all, since the crack will let you see inside. If there was settling, then one of the pieces may now be tilted relative to the other. There may also be other cracks in the walls or foundation of the house to be found.

If you do nothing, then there are some issues to consider beyond pure aesthetics. The one that comes to mind immediately is the crack will allow infiltration of air into the house from the ground. If there is radon in that air, it could potentially cause lung cancer over a long period of time. While this is not a high probability event, it is possible, and it does happen.

Repair may be a moderately difficult thing, since you really need to eliminate the underlying problem. Simply slapping some mortar on the crack will not solve a thing, even if you bother to find some heat resistant mortar. The crack will just reappear.

Again, I'd suggest contacting a good mason who understands fireplaces and foundations.


Troubleshooting a garage door/opener that "catches" and re-opens when wet My garage door and opener work reasonably well most of the time -- hot weather or cold.

Sometimes when it rains, though, the door "catches" a little bit, at about 2 feet from the ground, and it is enough to cause the opener to stop and re-raise the door.

If I stand next to the door and pull down while it is closing, it will close successfully.

I can't seem to identify the source of the problem, and am asking for any general tips as to what I might look for or try in order to improve the situation.

Most garage door openers have a feature that when they encounter too much resistance, they will reverse.  This is to prevent the door from trapping/crushing something that didn't get out of the way (a car, person, or your dog).  It sounds like the door isn't jamming completely, but it is just "rough" in one spot of the travel, which kicks the the opener into reverse.

Do you have the option of shutting the door manually?  In my garage, there is a latch that lets me disconnect the door from the opener, which allows me to slide it up and down by hand.  Try opening/shutting the door hand and see if it feels "tight" at the point where the opener would reverse.

If you can identify a spot where this happens, you have something off in your door/track.

If not, something is wrong with the garage door opener.

If it is the opener, some things to look at:

Some openers require periodic
lubrication of the screw drive
mechanism (not the door track).  Find
the manual for it and see if there
are any reccomendations for greasing
it.  There may also be crud in it,
preventing a smooth travel.
The electronics inside the opener
that detect a jam may be
malfunctioning.  If so, good luck
finding replacement parts.

One other things to note:  Did it suddenly get cold out?  Thermal expansion properties of the door and track can trigger problems.


How should I run electrical wire perpendicular to exposed joists in my basement? I have some questions in regards to running electrical in an exposed, unfinished basement environment. I understand that wire running parallel to floor joists should be at least 1.25" above the bottom of the joist and fastened at regular intervals (4.5 ft?). My question: when it is required that the wire jog 90 degrees (perpendicular to the joists) and pass through drilled holes, does this wire have to be in conduit? To avoid the conception that someone could "hang" something on this wire. Also, do the holes where the wire passes through have to filled with a fire retardant?

Conduit is not required where a cable runs through bored holes in joists. If you're worried about it, you could install running boards between the joists above or below the cable.

National Electrical Code
Chapter 3 Wiring Methods and Materials
Article 334 Nonmetallic Sheathed Cable: Types NM, NMC, and NMS
334.17 Through or Parallel to Framing Members. Types
NM, NMC, or NMS cable shall be protected in accordance
with 300.4 where installed through or parallel to framing
members. Grommets used as required in 300.4(B)(1)
shall remain in place and be listed for the purpose of
cable protection.

Fire retardant is also not typically required, unless the cable is passing between dwelling units, into a garage, or between floors.

National Electrical Code 2014
Chapter 3 Wiring Methods and Materials
Article 300 Wiring Methods
300.21 Spread of Fire or Products of Combustion. Electrical
installations in hollow spaces, vertical shafts, and
ventilation or air-handling ducts shall be made so that the
possible spread of fire or products of combustion will not
be substantially increased. Openings around electrical penetrations
through fire-resistant-rated walls, partitions,
floors, or ceilings shall be firestopped using approved methods
to maintain the fire resistance rating.

This is of course unless there are any local amendments.