What is the correct way to install a washing machine drain pan? I've got a laundry room on the second floor, and when it was remodeled the contractor put in a drain pipe, but no drain pan.  At the moment, I have the washing machine hooked up, but it's away from the wall and the drain pipe.

I picked up a drain pan only to find that its shape and features weren't conducive to a good installation, so I ended up getting this one from Driptite.  I feel a lot better with this pan because it'll lay flat regardless of where I drill the hole for the drain pipe.

Now here's my issue -- I just don't know how to install it properly.  The drain pipe isn't centered with the hole in the floor, it's angled, and I don't know how to patch the area around the pipe.  This is what it looks like:

I can drill a hole in the pan in the right spot, but then how should I really make a good seal with the pan?  The pan came with a PVC fitting that is not the right size for the pipe, and I'm actually not sure how it's expected to go together.  This is what I was given with the pan:

I assume that it's supposed to go in upside down from the way it is in the picture, otherwise the water level in the pan would have to be ridiculously high before it drained.  So let's just pretent that the fitting actually fit the drain pipe (it doesn't right now) and I flip it over.  It would still sit way too high because the fitting wont go down into the floor since the pipe is off-center!

At this point, I was thinking that I would need to do the following to finish this project:

Fill in the hole in the floor with something.  If so, what should I use?  Maybe some kind of silicone sealant / caulking?  Is there a particular kind I should use for the floor?  Is this a bad idea?
Cut the hole in the drain pan at the right spot.  Sadly, this is the only step that seems pretty straightforward.  I would cut it to be as close as possible to the diameter of the fitting
Caulk around the interface between the pipe and the drain pan.  The only thing here that scares me (a lot) is that when I put the washing machine in, it'll probably shift a little, and I would expect there to be a big risk of tearing the caulk and compromising the seal.

Perhaps there's another way to deal with this?

I could try to finesse (heat up) the pipe and bend it a little to be more straight, then find a fitting that will actually fit over the pipe snugly.
I would then have to cut the pipe little by little until the screw portion of the fitting is flush with the floor
Cut a hole in the drain pan the right diameter to fit over the threaded portion of the fitting
Slide over rubber washer
Screw on nut

After typing all of this out, I bet the second approach is the "right" way to do it, though the bit about heating / bending the PVC makes me a little uneasy.

Can anyone offer their suggestions and / or solutions?

UPDATE -- I picked up a better fitting and attached it to the pipe to see how much needs to be cut:

The bottom of the wrench flats is about 1.5" from the floor, so I imagine that's how much I will need to cut.  If I do that, the bottom of the pan will have to bulge up a little where the fitting is, as I'll need to put a rubber gasket ring below the pan since the plastic nut can't screw down all of the way (the thread is tapered).  This ends up being about 3/8"... has anyone had issues with their drain pans bulging a little?  I guess my main concern is that this means the water will tend to flow away from the drain... but as long as I cut the fitting low enough and it's below the lip of the drain, I should be okay.  Perhaps it would be a good idea to cut the wrench flats off and shorten the fitting so that it can be mounted even further below the level of the floor?

Go with your second approach of getting the right size fitting except don't bend the pipe, just deal with the angle. You pan lip should be higher than the ending (with fittings) top of the drain pipe so it can drain but that's all you need.

Why? PVC fumes are extremely toxic and you have a significantly better chance breaking the pipe than fixing the angle; then you'll have to tear up the floor to fix the pipe. A washer machine drain pan is used for worst case scenarios, not day-to-day use so as long as water can drain you'll be fine and a slight angle may actually decrease the minimum height of the drain anyways.

As for drilling the hole in the pan, mark it in place and drill it somewhere else with a sacrifice piece of wood/etc. underneath. You don't want to hold it up or anything because you'll need a decent amount of pressure to hold a bit in place and plastics like to fracture if not properly supported.


What is longest distance without attaching a top plate of interior wall I have an interior wall in a building with metal roof trusses and drop ceilings.  There are no wooden truss members or joists to attach the top plate of the wall.  The interior wall will attach to an exterior wall on one end and end in a corner on the other end, but I must build something to attach the top plate to down from the steel roof truss members.  Just wondering how often I need to do this.  I am guessing 8 feet would be ok?

In my opinion this should be done 3 times per span at a minimum.  So really it depends what you are building with.  If you use your stock 2x4s that are 8 feet then 3.  But If you get longer 2x4s I think you can also go with 3, given there are no breaks.

(This is also assuming that you can fasten the bottom every couple feet)


replacing a shower base I am attempting to replace a cracked shower base.

the shower stall sits on top of the base , before I start , I just want to clarify a few things to ensure I am doing it correctly.

what connects the shower stall to the base and also the wall? is it just the sealant, or is there going to be some other attachment?

ITs just a question of how to I remove the shower glass surround so that I can get access to the base.

I dont see any obvious way that the stall attached to the wall, but clearly there is otherwise it would be loose.

So I am just a little unsure of how to go about removing the stall so I can replace the base.

Any help would be appreciated.

Aluminum shower stalls like that often have a pair of channels that mount to the wall, then the panels slip into them. A small screw or other retainer holds them in place. Look for some way to release the panels. You may need to cut a bead of caulk.

The base is probably nailed or screwed through the top flange. You'll see it when you peel the wall panels off the drywall behind it. You'll also need to cut caulk against the floor and elsewhere for the base.


Adding 2X4 ceiling under lath and plaster If my old lath and plaster living room ceiling is solid and I am frame (2X4) and sheetrocking the ceiling 10 inches below the old one  , Can I leave the old ceiling up there or do I have to remove it?

I have seen this done many time but not 10". The problem with that is any light fixtures would have to be installed in the new ceiling and the wiring from the old fixtures will not reach the new locations so you'd need a junction box in the attic, if you have one, to splice new wire. You could have old knob and tube wiring which could really complicate the problem.


are those mold? and are these dangerous? Me and my wife are having headaches and fatigue lately, and we are not sure what's causing it. We did some research and found https://www.whatsupfagans.com/black-mold-in-showers/ and realize it could be caused by mold in our condo. I did a quick search around my condo and saw those black spots in the bathroom (second picture is the backside of the bathroom door). Not sure if they are mold, and want to get some second opinions in the forum. And those black spots have been there for a while already.

It looks like mold / mildew yes it can be killed with a bleach & water solution or a hydrogen peroxide and water mixture. Is it the “bad stuff” only testing will reveal that but to tell the truth that doesn’t look that bad. But killing it and keeping the area dry, making sure the vent fan is on when using the shower / bath will help get the moisture out that is allowing the mold to grow. I prefer 3% hydrogen peroxide and water AAA (always add acid to water to prevent an exothermic reaction.


Why did Home Depot (.ca) try to sell me "Door Swings" with my fridge? What are they? I was eyeing up delivery charges etc for a french door fridge I was buying, and homedepot.ca at that point informed me I should buy "door swings" (optional).

What are "doorswings"?  I found this page with zero information
https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.doorswings.1000116332.html

In this example I selected a $6000 fridge, and they want to nickel and dime me for another $25 for hardware to attach the doors?!

I ended up buying the fridge at lowes.ca, and neither they nor bestbuy had any warnings about 'doorswings'.

Please tell me I didn't just buy a $2000 fridge that doesn't include a way to attach the doors!

It is not a hardware item it is a service.  It is placed in the list of options needed or not, you simple decline.   As you see there are two items listed as optional installation some are needed some are not.

It is used if the refrigerator door swings open the wrong way for your kitchen they will shift it to the other side.  In your case French doors are both directions so you simply decline.  Same as the haul away or relocation, if your install is new you have no unit to haul or remove so decline.

The salesman should have informed you on both of these as to why and given a decision to decline.  Bad salesman not bad service as they are trying to prevent you from receiving the unit and then finding out after it is on site that doors swing incorrectly or you do not know what to do with the old unit.


Is the vermiculite found in my popcorn ceiling toxic? Can I remove it myself? I'm planning to remove a "popcorn" ceiling and submitted a ceiling sample to the labs for asbestos testing.  Here are the results:

It looks to me like the labs didn't detect any asbestos but I'm not sure what exactly Vermiculite is and if it's safe to remove myself.  Any thoughts? Are there any special removal instructions for Vermiculite?

Vermiculite on its own poses no health risk, and can be removed without concern.  However, in many cases, mined vermiculite can contain traces of Asbestos, and so its removal is not recommended without an asbestos test.  I would, as Scott suggests, call the testing company, and make sure that since no asbestos fibers were found, this indicates that the vermiculite used was asbestos free.  If that is the case, you are good to go (that being said- wear a mask when you strip the popcorn ceilings, or you'll be coughing and hacking a lot- that dust is nasty).


old 230 volt transformer style arc welder on an old square d 125 amp panel I have a an old 230 volt S.D.LEE arc welder (that I can not find any info about) printed on the front is says "PRI volts 230 max OCV 78 arc volts 25 PRI amps 65.7 SEC amps 230 temp rise 115c 60 cycles single phase model 110-085"
I am not sure what that means but I think it means at the welders max setting I need 230 volts at 65.7 amps?

Click for larger View

I rent an old house that looks like its haunted it has an old square D panel 125 amp QO combination panel (also don't know what that means really) lots of empty slots but the combined amps not including the main shut off is 165 amps I think I need a 70 amp breaker for the welder (not sure).

Can I safely add one? If so, what conduit should I use with the 70 amp breaker to run my welder about 45 feet from the panel?

Click for larger View

I really don't want to burn the house down, my landlord probably wouldn't like that either.

While the panel is rated 125 amp, you have a 100 amp service. You also have an electric dryer and water heater in addition to the usual lights and outlets. Adding a 66 amp load to all of this is definitely overloading the service.

If you went ahead and installed this welder, you won't burn down the house (at least not from electrical loads, from welding is another story) but you would get nuisance tripping. Every time you struck an arc, the lights would dim. The resulting voltage drop could damage electronic equipment such as computers and TVs, as well as anything else with electronics, which is virtually everything these days.


How can I determine whether a home with common walls has good soundproofing? I'm looking to buy a new house in England. It's not likely to be detached. I like a quiet life and would like to choose one where neighbour noise isn't an issue.

I have read that during the 1980s, the building regulations were quite good on this but they deteriorated in the 1990s and may have improved in 2003

Does anyone have definitive information about "good/bad" years for house construction in this regard?

Alternatively, does anyone know ways of measuring/estimating this when viewing a house?

Thanks!

While codes and regulations can be good, there may have been a bad builder or contractor in one particular house. Or an inexperienced homeowner making repairs / upgrades. So, regulations can be a good guideline, but I wouldn't treat them as gospel.

Your best bet is to either try to hear the neighbors as they go about their daily business, or go talk to them and ask how good the sound-proofing is. I'd probably do both if I really liked the house. Both require the neighbors to be home, of course, so you may need a second visit when they're home. Note that if your direct neighbors aren't home on your first visit, other neighbors may be around who could offer opinions on their houses. Not directly comparable (see first paragraph), but it's still informative.


Reinforcing water damaged wooden fence posts, will it last, will it be strong enough? Backgound

On a wooden fence I have several posts that are water damaged at ground level and the fence isn't holding strong anymore. The remainder of the fence is in very good condition.

I believe I can stabilise the fence with the following approach that will be cheaper to do than getting the each of the entire fence poles replaced and cemented in.

Proposed Idea

I am considering using 750mm x 75mm (2.4ft x 0.24ft) galvanised steel retaining wall posts and securing them to the existing wooden posts with galvinsed bolts (100mm x 10mm) with spring washers.

This way the 100mm bolt would be through each fence post, about 300mm (1ft) ( above ground level. 400mm (1.4ft) of the steel would be under ground and cemented in.

Question

Will this approach keep the fence strong enough? Or will the steel + bolt attached to the wood be a weakness point after a short period of time?

Is 300mm (1ft) of steel support above ground, 450mm (1.4ft) below ground enough to support the 2000mm (6.5ft) of fence post + fence above ground.

Costs

The cost of the steel is about $10 more per brand new wooden fence pole, but the effort to attach the steel is less than replacing the entire post.

The best fix is to replace the posts with new posts correctly set in concrete.  if you want very long-life use concrete posts.

I can't say if your steel post will be strong enough, because I don't know how strong you need it to be.

sheet-steel buttresses are used to reinforce rotting power poles, so your plan is not totally unprecedented.

You will probably need two bolts 500mm apart to hold the post well.  Given that the ground is likely to be soft near where the post is rotten I would go at-least half the height of the fence underground.

TLDR: disconnect the rails set the fence panels aside then rent a post hole digger and replace the posts, back-fill the holes with "instant concrete", dress the top of these foundations to slope away from the post.


Does my heater have an air filter? I just moved in here, and it's time to use the heater. But looks like there's no actual screw on it, and I cannot open it. As you can see in the pictures, looks like there's no filter as well. How could I clean it or add filter over it? or I should just leave it as it is? Thanks.

I finally took the grill off! Two screws on it were super to be found, those are at right and left side but between grids. Turn on flushlight of your phone to find it. Also, I checked with king electric, no air filter can be installed on it. But at least you can clean it once you get it opened.


Why does the exhaust in my basement bathroom drip condensation in warm weather? The exhaust in my basement bathroom drips condensation in warm weather, and the drop ceiling tile gets mildewed. I did not use insulated ducting to the outside.

Should I wrap insulation around it or replace it with special ducting?  And will this solve the dripping?

Condensation occurs when warm moist air contacts a cooler surface. This typically occurs inside the duct, but can occur outside the duct in hot humid climates when exhausting relatively cool, conditioned air. Condensation can be minimized by employing insulation to reduce the temperature differential. It can also be managed by controlling where the condensation collects and drains, such as sloping the duct towards the outlet so any internal condensation drips outside.

In the case of external condensation, controlling via collection and drainage is difficult. Insulation is the best defense. Using closed cell insulation minimizes the chance humid air will reach the duct surface, but if any does, it is trapped by the impervious nature. Using open cell or fiber insulation allows humid air through, but also allows it to escape when conditions change.

In constantly humid conditions, closed cell insulation is a better choice, but if there are cycles of drier conditions, open cell or fiber insulation is a better choice.


How to fix a cistern float that jams The float in the image is in a cistern. Sometimes it jams right at the top so the water keeps on filling and doesn't stop. Is there a way to lubricate or fix this type of float to prevent it from jamming in the last quarter inch?

A new fill valve costs about $10, so it's probably more cost effective to simply replace it.
Procedure

Turn off the water to the toilet using the shutoff valve
Hold the flush lever on the toilet down (not pictured), until nearly all the water has drained from the tank.
Remove the supply line from the fill valve, by turning the nut anticlockwise.
Place a bucket under the fill valve (where you just removed the supply line from).
Remove the retaining nut from the fill valve, by turning it anticlockwise.

Remove the refill tube from the overflow tube.
Lift the fill valve out of the tank.

Installation

Follow the installation instructions included with the new fill valve.


Should I use Tyvek or tar paper on basement walls? We are going to be redoing our basement which was done in the 60's and very cold.  We have been told to apply Tyvek or tar paper to the walls, stud, then vapour barrier and drywall.  We plan on using fiberglass batt insulation because of costs (we are retired and limited income).  We would love to do the spray foam and not have to worry about all the vapour barrier and such but we are out of budget - Styrofoams seems like a lot of work by the time you have to cut each piece.

We are going to get some prices by contractors but want to do some work ourselves to keep costs down so of course the behind the scene work is what we want to do - i.e. studding (16 inch on centre and insulating and maybe installing the drywall but not taping and finishing).  If we use tar paper, do we just overlap it or do we tape it much like you do the seams of Tyvek?  Do we go right to the floor with the paper or, like with the insulation, do we keep it a foot off the ground?  Any help, suggestions are greatly appreciated.

"Should I use Tyvek or tar paper on basement walls?"

Neither. No building paper or wrap against the foundation. Just use foam it is not really all that difficult to cut.

The best practice really is to use rigid foam against the foundation wall, then a framed (possibly insulated) wall with drywall and no vapour barrier.

Batt insulation in the framed wall is debatable. Green Building Advisor has articles that say it's not a good idea because it can absorb moisture, but others sources have no problems with it. If you do use it (I would if you are in a cold climate and don't have existing moisture problems in your basement), I personally prefer mineral wool over fiberglass.

Don't forget about the cavity above the wall in the joist spaces.

Trusted Sources (read them!)

Built Wrong From the Start (Fine Homebuilding) [PDF]
Basement Insulation for all climates (Building Science Corporation) [PDF]
How To Insulate a Basement Wall (Green Building Advisor)

Good Luck!


How can I repair my fish tape? I've had a 50' fish tape for close to 30 years. (It's been used lightly.) On my last use, as I was rolling it back up, it got to be really, really difficult to roll back into its case with about 10' to go. I unrolled it and noticed that it had a bunch of bends in it and those were making it tough to roll back up.
My first thought was to unbend it, but, sadly, there are a whole series of them. When laid out, there are no kinks - it looks like a bunch of waves. I think it got caught on a joint in conduit and my attempts to push past that wrinkled it with each shove. Poor technique on my part, I'm sure.
I plan to cut off the damaged bit and attempt to bend a curve back into the leading end as similar as possible to what's currently there.
This is a 1/8" x .060 steel tape, how can I get a tight bend into the end of the tape and have it stay (since spring steel has a tendency to, well, spring)?
For the record: GB Steel Tape. Catalog No. FTS-50B 50' x 1/8" x .060"
It's served me well and I'd hate to have to retire the ol' gal.

Even spring steel will hold a bend if you take it far enough. The only question is whether it snaps before you get an acute enough angle.
I'd snip off the damaged length, then drop the new end in a vice, but a fair bit longer than the final hook should be. Slowly hammer it over until you're at 90 degrees, then take it out and mount it sideways in the vice. While holding the long hook down as far as you can by hand, continue to hammer the bend tighter. Once it's to about 135 degrees you can probably take it out of the vice and rest it on top for the final bending. Then trim the hook to length.
If you find that the metal wants to snap off or tear you may have to heat it with a torch and work it hot, or maybe ask a friend to weld a hook on it. I'm no blacksmith, though, and can't offer much advice there.


Can 7 day programmable thermostats typically be programmed with each day the same without having to duplicate? I only need 2 settings for my heating, one for night and another for day since we're basically at home all day every day.

We have a ground source/underfloor setup which was designed to run primarily on night saver electricity, a bit like a storage system. So we set it low in the daytime and high at night. But because of the storage nature of the system and the fact that it takes probably a few hours to properly react to weather changes, I sometimes need to make manual tweaks to the temperature so I watch the weather a bit etc. It actually works fine believe it or not - EXCEPT THAT the thermostat that came with it is a nuisance because for instance if the weather gets suddenly cooler and I want to set my nighttime temperature higher I have to make seven changes ( one for each day ).

I want to replace the unit with a Programmable Thermostat which is set once for the seven days ( since they're all going to be the same anyway )  - however I only see one such device on the web and I'm not sure I can even buy it here ( Ireland ) ... there are many options for 7 day programmable stats and I know they have modes 7day, 5-2, 5-1 etc but none suggest being able to put them into a simple "single day" type mode - though I studied this stuff in college so I know a mode like this should be simple to add to a unit during design and manufacture

So my question is — it typical for a 7 day programmable to be capable of working in a more simplistic single day more, or do i have to go on doing seven times the programming every time I want to account for the weather?

Sounds like you might want to trade in the 7 day programmable thermostat, for a 5-2 day one. A 5-2 day thermostat allows you to set one program for weekdays (Monday-Friday), and another for the weekend (Saturday, Sunday).  That way you'll only have to change one or two programs, instead of 7.

I don't think they make 1 day programmable thermostats, though who knows what you can find on the internet. You may want to consider a non-programmable thermostat, if you don't mind managing the temperature changes manually.

You also might want to read the manual for your thermostat, looking specifically for override and hold.  Typically, if you manually adjust the thermostat, it will maintain the new set point until the next part of the program starts. While the hold feature, should keep the modified set point until you tell it to stop (Run).


Welder display flickering Just bought a 2nd hand welder. Boc smootharc 185 tig. After stick welding for a while (haven't got argon to tig yet) I go to shut off the unit and the display flashes a few times before it dies off. Is this a normal thing or is something on its way out?

So, the LCD current meter functions properly until you turn the unit off, upon which it flashes a few times before going completely dark?

That's no big deal. There's something odd about how the various power supply capacitors store and discharge their energy as the unit is shut off, but that's just iffy design, not indications of a real problem.


Install Honeywell RPLS740B with three-way switches (disable three-way?) I would like to add a Honeywell RPLS740B to a circuit with two three-way switches to control four outside lights.  I realize the RPLS740B is not compatible with a three-way circuit, but my question is if it is possible to wire it such that three-way switching is "disabled" but the circuit still works with the timer?  For example:

I have identified the switch on the line side, fed by a two-wire cable from the panel.  Can I install the timer in place of this switch and tie the load side of the timer with both travelers leaving the box?  It seems to me that the timer would then power both of the travelers and the outside lights would be on with the timer regardless of the position of the second (load-side) three-way switch.  I would be OK with that compromise (i.e., loose three-way functionality from second switch).

Is it safe to tie the travelers together?  This would obviate the need to cap any wires.

Is an alternative to cap the red traveler, install the timer in place of the first line-side three-way, and use the black wires throughout the circuit?  This would leave the second load-side three way as a dummy?

Is there another option?

Can I install the timer in place of this switch and tie the load side
  of the timer with both travelers leaving the box?

Yes (probably) and no. Unless the timer pulls an amount of current that would put the circuit over 80% of the 15 A supplied by the breaker (12 A) you can install the timer on the original circuit but don't tap the travelers together.

You can't run 14 AWG wire in parallel, which would be the case if you tapped them together. This is done when dealing with larger wires where the cost factor compared to additional ampacity isn't economical.

  NEC 310.10(H) Conductors in Parrallel (1) General
  Aluminum, copper-clad aluminum, or copper conductors, for each phase,
  polarity, neutral, or grounded circuit shall be permitted to be
  connected in parallel (electrically joined at both ends) only in sized
  1/0 AWG and larger where installed in accordance with 310.10(H)(2)
  though (H)(6).

Note: You can actually run conductors smaller than that in parallel. Those exceptions don't seem to apply here.

  Is an alternative to cap the red traveler, install the timer in place
  of the first line-side three-way, and use the black wires throughout
  the circuit? This would leave the second load-side three way as a
  dummy?

Yes, this is the correct thing to do based on the above information. However, I wouldn't leave a dummy switch there. Just remove the switch and replace its cover with a blank plate.

  Is there another option?

Well, there's a couple additional options depending on current and future plans for operation.

If the device is capable and there's a need, you can use the red as a second timed leg. This would give you the ability to use it for some future fixtures. Obviously, additional work would be done.
You could use the black for a constant hot and the red for the switch leg and use the black to feed a single-pole switch as sort of an override. The timer would turn them on whether the switch is on or not, and the switch could turn them on without manually switching the timer circuit any time you need.


Will reducing the size of a pipe running to my bathroom reduce pressure at the fixtures in the bathroom? I bought an older house and there are 1 inch pipes running from my hot water heater, across the basement then up to the bathroom on the second floor. The pipe also goes a round-about way and there is a lot of excess pipe that can be removed. Needless to say, it takes a LONG time to get hot water in the bathroom and obviously wastes a lot of water. I want to reduce the 1 inch pipe to half inch, take out all the excess, and reconnect to the 1 inch pipe going up the wall to the bathroom. My concern is that I will lose pressure particularly in the shower. Thoughts?

Reducing pipe size will certainly reduce the amount of cold water sitting in the pipe, but it will also reduce the pressure at any given flow .vs. an equivalent larger pipe. However, you are proposing to shorten (and likely remove some elbows) from the pipe as well as change the size, and then it's very much "it depends" - there are online calculators for pressure drop you can use to compare options, for instance, but they would need type of pipe, length or equivalent length (where each elbow counts for extra equivalent length) pressure and flow to calculate a result.
How much that's an issue will depend on the type of pipe (smooth plastic flows much better than lumpy corroded galvanized iron) the supply pressure, and the demand at the end of the pipe.
It sounds like replacing all the pipe is not convenient. If it was, then 1/2" PEX "home runs" have a considerable benefit since they flow pretty well but have low volume. If this is galvanized iron or the like, and feeding only the one bathroom group, I would suggest 3/4" PEX for the easily replaceable (and shortened) part unless you live in one of the places with absurd plumbing restrictions against modern plastic pipe.
If the pipe is 1" to supply many other groups (other bathroom(s), kitchen, laundry), then think carefully about where it makes sense to have 1" pipe (due to large flow demand) and where it does not.


Is there any way to test the water pressure at a structure, and if necessary from a specific output (hose bib)? Reading about irrigation sprinklers (example product), I see a certain recommended PSI. With interest in powering an existing irrigation zone from the hose bib attached to the property, it seems prudent to know the PSI available at the hose bib. How can I test this? Is there a DIY option, or an inexpensive tool? (If possible, it would be nice if this tool could be reusable for other applications too, as most of us DIY folk would likely be more amenable to purchasing a tool if it were reusable for other procedures.)

Yes, you want a water pressure gauge with a female hose thread. There are some on Amazon for less than US$10.


Remove cam lock pushed the wrong way into Ikea furniture I messed up trying to assemble an IKEA bed. I accidentally pushed the cam lock with the smooth side facing out. Now I have no way to rotate it to tighten the cam lock and bolt to secure the two pieces of wood. How do I remove it? I have attached some images.

The part numbered 104895 is facing the wrong way at one location. Is there a way I can extract it?

Sometimes you can knock them out by striking the wood furniture next to the hole, either with your hand or with a hammer. If using a hammer, put a small piece of wood (like, a chunk of 2x4) against your furniture, then strike this wood. That way it won't mess up the finish on your furniture.

Just a few taps. Don't hit it so hard that you break your other connections! :)

Sometimes it works to hit the same face of the wood which has the hole drilled into it (right next to the hole). Other times it works if works if you tap the furniture directly behind the hole where the nut is buried. Give them both a try.


What is the grey wire dangling from my ceiling? We recently moved into a new apartment in Berlin. We are the first occupants and thus there are no existing lighting fixtures. In the living room there are 4 light switches (1 & 2 on the left of the room, 3 & 4 on the right) and 5 cables dangling from the ceiling:

Green/Yellow: Earth
Blue: Neutral
Brown: Live when switches 1 or 3 are on
Black: Live when switches 2 or 4 are on
Grey: Gets a "small" current when switches 2/4 are on.

By small current I mean - the only tool I have is a simple test light. When the Brown/Black wires are active the test light glows very brightly, but when the Grey wire is active the test light is very dim.

I get that there are two sets of three way switches here, but what is the Grey wire for then?

According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_wiring#Colour_code Black, Grey, Brown are colour codes for 3 phase, but I don't know what that means as far as installing a ceiling light goes here.

Any help much appreciated!

You need a multimeter, in voltage measuring mode.

And please post pictures of the overhead and two wall junction boxes.

Without further information, most likely Brown is hot for fan, Black is hot for lighting, and Grey is wired through some dimmer you haven't yet discovered, or neglected to mention you had.


How can I control my furnace fan from a secondary thermostat? I have a WaterFurnace geothermal system with upper and lower level zones.  I recently added an outdoor wood burner and my issue is that I want to use a secondary stat to run the furnace fan during the heating season. I was hoping that I can easily wire this to my furnace stat but that hasn't been the case.

When I piggyback the red and white wire from the heat only stat to the red and green on the furnace stat, I get a flashing E1 code and nothing works. If I remove the red and green from the stat and tie them together, the fan will not come on. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

E1 on waterfurnace I think is a stat wire connection problem. Which makes sense.  It sounds like you want a space heating wood burner heat to be circulated by your waterfurnace if that's the case this is how your setup should look. If it's an add-on wood burner that ties to the duct or uses its own electrical, that's a whole different approach. I can help with that too if needed.


What part do I need to search for to fix this leaky outdoor hose faucet? When I turn on the hose outside my house, pictured below, water pours out of the top of it and goes all over the place.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can fix this without having to replace the whole thing? Does anyone recognize this component and can recommend a part ?

And here is what it looks like off:

The anti-siphon part on top is broken.  You need to determine the brand and purchase the replacement part for the anti-siphon.
The brand can be seen here.  Take a photo of the brand here.

For the similiar style shown in my comment earlier, a replacement part is sold.  If your faucet is a PRIER or Mansfield, this is the part needed.

You would order a similar part/kit for your brand.

You can unscrew the plastic part,  It is most likely cracked to gush that much water.  Try this universal replacement part shown in this Youtube video.

Replacing part with universal repair kit

I found this part, which looks identical to your photo. Remove the plastic piece and see if it looks like this.

IF the right blue handle is turned inline with the outlet, water should come out, even if the top cap is leaking.

This part can be purchase here.

You stated you didn't want to replace the whole fixture, It might be easier (@ more cost) to replace the whole faucet with a similar type.
Another solution is to replace the broken faucet with a standard hose faucet, and add a vacuum breaker part on the hose bib end.


Concrete floor "too thin" for bolt and sleeve anchor In our 100-year-old co-op building in NYC, I'm replacing a failed door stop with a heavier one to prevent our (very) hefty entrance door from smashing the doorway's marble.

The door stop is intended to be bolted into the floor with a sleeve anchor very similar to this one and a 5/8" pre-drilled hole.

Unfortunately, as I drilled through the tile/concrete with a hammer drill, I discovered that the floor only extends maybe 2" down, after which it seems to be loose fill/sand. If I try to use the sleeve anchor in this hole, it looks like the "expansion" part of the sleeve will be expanding into thin air, or at best only partially in the concrete floor.

What should I do? I'm considering somehow inserting as much concrete as possible into the hole, letting it cure, then drilling and continuing as before. Unfortunately I only have this 5/8" hole for access and I'm not experienced with concrete—I'm not sure if it will be thin enough for me to get enough down there before it sets.

Clarification: this is the ground floor entry way from the street, elevated maybe 3-4’ from ground level and accessed by four steps from the sidewalk.

I guess this isn’t “the” slab of the building, but just something odd used for the entry way floor. There is no access underneath the floor.

And as to the oddness of the whole thing, hey, 1913 construction in NYC? Not sure.

First - what kind of construction uses a 2" slab for a floor? Trying to get more concrete down there is unlikely without breaking out part of the floor because it needs something to displace in order to do what you want. Even if you got some down there it's very unlikely to hold. Why not go to a 3/8 x 2 1/4 expansion bolt. I know you're rightfully concerned with the 2" slab holding but it should be okay unless that door is a real behemoth.

Another option is to improvise an extra large (i.e. 6"x 6") block that you can molly-bolt onto the 2" slab. What this does is take advantage of the shear strength of the molly by exerting force laterally when the door strikes the block or stop as opposed to a narrow stop that will want to tilt when it's struck exerting diagonal forces (up and down) on the 2" slab. If you go with an over-sized stop you could also strengthen it by using more than one anchor spreading out the load.


Shaky, noisy and hard to open bi-fold doors I have multiple closets with bi-fold doors and they all have the same issue: shaky, noisy and hard to open. It looks like the doors were installed using cheap sliding hardware. The doors are so shaky and noisy that I try to not open them.

I am dreaming of seeing those bi-fold doors opening and closing easily and with no noise. Does anybody have experience with those doors? What hardware should I get to replace the cheap sliding hardware?

Bi-fold doors are just terrible. Even at their best they're often jiggly and awkward. They're such a pain that half of them end up perpetually open.

I'd look at replacing the hardware with a kit from your local store. They'll include track, door lap guides, upper rollers, and bottom pins and brackets.

Another problem is when the carpenter puts the knobs in the wrong place. They're often set right near the hinges. This makes the closing force all wrong, which results in premature wear and deformation of hardware. Ideally, the knobs will be in the center of the inner panel. This allows force to be applied in all necessary directions for both opening and closing action.


How to hang wall cabinets with the upper plaster removed I am trying to hang wall cabinets obviously want them level and plumb.
However, when I removed my old cabinets half of the wall’s plaster is missing.

This creates an extremely unlevel surface.
My thoughts were to drywall and try to match the thickness of the plaster there
Or
To screw in drywall shims and make the studs level as best as possible.

I'd presume that by "drywall shims" you mean pieces of drywall to bring the surface out to the level of the plaster. In that case, your two options are essentially the same thing, and, I think, a great idea.
I'd suggest, though, that before you start down that path, you measure the thickness of the plaster & lath from the stud face. You may be better off using strips of plywood/OSB that are a very close equivalent to the thickness of what you've got there. There is a lot more variety in plywood/OSB than there are in drywall, so you could probably match thickness in one layer instead of having to build it up. Of course, if the thickness you need to build out exactly matches a sheet of drywall, then you've got all the options in the world!
Additional items of note:

That insulation has a vapor barrier on it, but it's useless, since it's not contiguous and it's not all oriented correctly. I hope that it's simply being used for sound deadening on an interior wall. If not, you've got a really cold wall and the next point is critical...

I'm assuming this is not a load bearing wall. If so, you've got a significant issue where the top plate is cut through for the pipe on the right-hand side.

The pipe on the left-hand side appears to completely bypass the top plate, meaning that your furring will have to leave a gap to accommodate it. You'll probably want to use some steel protector plates (usually used to protect electrical wiring in the wall) to protect the pipe so you don't accidentally try to run a screw through the cabinet and directly into your water supply line.

Do note JACK's recommendation to also do something about the cable conduit run, as well.

And now you know why the previous person left this part of the wall unfinished... It's unprofessional, it looks bad, and it's going to take work to do it right.


Thermostat wiring for fan only I have a White Rogers 1E78-144. My house has heating only and no AC.
https://climate.emerson.com/documents/ie78-non-programmable-thermostat-instructions-en-us-4209010.pdf
The current wiring only enables the fan to run when heat is required, even if I force the fan switch to ‘on’ and set heat to ‘off’. If I set it to cool or off, the fan won’t run no matter what.
In other words, if I want the fan to run, it must come with heat, which won’t happen if it’s warm enough in the house.
Is there a way to bypass the heat and just have the fan on?

Your thermostat cable coming from the wall appears to have only 2 wires. Therefore the thermostat can only send one command: everything on, or everything off. (This is very common in older systems.)
In order to get separate fan control, you would need at least three wires, but at the other end of the cable, the furnace would also need to be wired for this option.
To determine whether this is possible, examine your furnace and update your question with photos of the wiring diagram (if you can find it) and how the thermostat wires are currently connected to the furnace's control board.


Night Light Clip In Cord Incandescent to LED & Safety I have one of those seasonal villages that use a clip-in accessory cord with a night light bulb that inserts into a 1" opening. The bulb is suspended by a metal clip.

the standard incandescent 5W bulbs do not offer much life. They don't last as long as LEDS I am told. The above cord set-up cautions the use of 5W MAX Candelabra base UL bulbs. The plug has a built in 5 AMP, 125 volt fuse...

So here's my question(s):

Can I safety use a C7 .75 7W LED candelabra base bulb with 27 lumens of brightness? It fits perfectly and lights beautifully. However I am worried that it will not be safe. The replacement bulb says it is made for night lights. Will it be safe to use with the above cord description?

Thanks for fielding my question..

Yes it's safe.

I've done the same thing with several decorative accessories that use C7 night light bulbs.  Our items are turned on 24/7, the bulbs have been burning 3 years now.


Can my apartment's electricity harm my computer? Is there an easy way to test the electricity? I live in a (rented, 1980 built) row townhouse in the USA with slightly suspect electricity:

A few of the outlets and light switches in the house (in various rooms) don't work at all.  (Even allowing for some switched outlets.)
My five year old desktop computer on the ground floor developed a bad power supply a few months after moving in.  (After a cross-country trip in a moving van, and it is an old computer.)
Plugging anything into one outlet on the ground floor often shorts out the rest of the stuff in the room.  (We avoid using this outlet!)
A 5-6 year old laptop's power adapter doesn't work on the ground floor, but does work upstairs.  (A newer laptop works both upstairs and downstairs, so it's possibly a bad power supply on the old laptop.)

Given that the computers in question are 5-6 years old, and we jostled them across the country moving, it's entirely possible that their time had/has come and they need to be replaced.  However, before I buy and plug in a new desktop (or keep using my other newish computer) with this potentially suspect power, am I right to be concerned about it?  Could the damage have been caused by the times we've shorted out the downstairs room?  Or maybe slowly over time by bad power?

If I had a multimeter or some other test device, could I test my outlets and/or electricity?  Do I need to call an electrician?  Should I just assume that my computer died of old age and replace it without worrying that the new one will meet a similar fate?

Yikes, it sure sounds like you have several issues with your electical wiring there. I won't speak too much to your power supply issue, but really think you should invest in a UPS to mitigate any power related damages to your equipment.

Now lets correct a few mistakes in the previous answer.

The 120VAC legs of your electrical service are supplied by two separate hot feeds from the power company. The neutral is not there to split the 220VAC, but rather to supply a return path to the service panel and ultimately earth ground.

The neutral should be at the same potential as ground. An open neutral is checked by measuring neutral to ground, if line voltage appears, then in fact the neutral path to ground is open. Unless you have a situation where both 120VAC legs are in contact with one hot connection, you cannot produce more than 120VAC on any open neutral. If you were to see 140VAC on any hot to ground or neutral,  or neutral to ground, then you have some serious problems and time to call the landlord before you fry all your lights, appliances, and electronics. This situation is very rare, and I don't think it is your problem.  Your problem sounds more like a bad connection, either hot or neutral in some device that feeds your downstairs outlets.

This can be a frustrating and time consuming job to track down this type of problem. It may involve pulling several devices out of the boxes and testing voltages with the power on, and also testing conductivity with the POWER OFF. Unless you have the experience and you feel very comfortable working on hot wiring, I'd suggest you have the landlord call in an electrician ASAP.


How to cover seams in plywood walls? I'm putting up a plywood wall in my garage workshop and have some unsightly seams; 1/8" or less gaps except around floor where I plan on installing baseboard anyway.  I've had to cut smaller segments of plywood to work around some workbenches installed by the previous owner so there's vertical and horizontal seams, if that matters.  I plan on painting the wall when finished but wondering what would be best to use to fill in/cover the seams before painting.

The overwhelming consensus here seems to be standard painter's caulk so marking this as answered.  Thanks to all that responded.


Dry gurgling from shower drain I just randomly heard a loud "dry" gurgling coming from my upstairs shower drain. It was draining slowly (assuming due to all the hair from a house full of females) so we have been using the basement shower. This particular shower hasn't been used in months. I haven't used the toilet or sink in this bathroom in about 2 hours and then I hear this weird sound. Is it possible to hear it from the clogged pipe hours after I used any other bathroom appliance?

If the shower has not been used for a long time, the water in the P-trap under the drain  will evaporate, so you no longer have a seal against the sewer lines. So anything else that drains into the sewer will make sound that can now come back through that shower drain. That by the way would also be letting sewer gasses back into your house, which is not good. Pour some water into that shower and see if the sound goes away.


CPVC - any health concerns? We are considering a new construction where the builder has used cpvc pipes for hot and cold water. Are there any health concerns? Internet search is mostly negative. Anyone has any thoughts or experience?

Aside from a few crackpots, which the internet is rife with, if the pipe is rated for potable water use (and it almost certainly is) it's unlikely to pose any actual health concern. That is the NSF/ANSI 61 standard, and is typically marked on the pipe as "NSF-PW" in the string of identification that's printed on the exterior. For plastic pipes, NSF/ANSI 14 is also applicable.

If you resemble believing those crackpots to any degree, it's easy enough to either put your drinking and cooking water through extra filtration or slightly less easy to haul it in or have it delivered.


How to cut off an old swing to get rid of it I need to dispose of an old swing in my yard. Problem is some screws are so rusty they can't be unscrewed and the whole swing wont's pass the door.

Is there any simple way to cut this thing into a few pieces ? I guess the rods are hollow so perhaps it's not too hard. Any suggestion would be welcome.

You have numerous options:

Drill out the screws with a drill bit larger than the screw diameter.
Use a hand hack saw to cut it into manageable pieces.
Use a reciprocating saw - a "Sawzall" to cut it into manageable pieces.
Beat it into submission with a sledge hammer until it folds and bends and breaks (get medieval on it!)

My recommendation would be the sawzall with a new 10" demolition blade. You can probably have it cut into pieces in 10 minutes that way with little sweat.

If you don't own a recipricating saw, you can rent one at your local tool rental place or big box hardware store (Lowes, Menards, Home Depot, etc)

edit: Like SteveR says...make sure to wear your safety gear!


What does the inspector mean by "Hot and Neutral are not separated"? In an inspection report on my house, the inspector said "hot and neutral" are not separated. I think he meant "neutral and ground" are not separated. I've attached the picture, is that the case?

I'm guessing from the image that this is a sub-panel, in which case the inspector is correct.  The National Electrical Code (NEC) says:

National Electrical Code 2008
250.24 Grounding Service-Supplied Alternating-Current Systems.
(A) System Grounding Connections.
(5) Load-Side Grounding Connections. A grounded conductor shall not be connected to normally non–currentcarrying metal parts of
equipment, to equipment grounding conductor(s), or be reconnected to
ground on the load side of the service disconnecting means except as
otherwise permitted in this article.

Which means the only place the "neutral" (grounded conductor) is bonded, is in the main service panel.  If the grounded (neutral) and equipment grounding conductors (EGC) are bonded anywhere else, you can end up with neutral currents on the EGC and metal parts of equipment which is a violation of 250.6(A).

250.6 Objectionable Current.
(A) Arrangement to Prevent Objectionable Current. The grounding of electrical systems, circuit conductors, surge arresters,
surge-protective devices, and conductive normally non–current-carrying
metal parts of equipment shall be installed and arranged in a manner
that will prevent objectionable current.

A second look
After taking another look at this, he could mean that the white insulated wires are not marked appropriately.  When you use a wire with white (gray, or with three continuous white stripes) insulation as an ungrounded (hot) conductor, you have to mark the wire in some way to indicate that it is not used as a grounded (neutral) conductor.

200.7 Use of Insulation of a White or Gray Color or with Three Continuous White Stripes.
(C) Circuits of 50 Volts or More. The use of insulation that is white or gray or that has three continuous white stripes for other
than a grounded conductor for circuits of 50 volts or more shall be
permitted only as in (1) through (3).
(1) If part of a cable assembly and where the insulation is
permanently reidentified to indicate its use as an ungrounded
conductor, by painting or other effective means at its termination,
and at each location where the conductor is visible and accessible.
Identification shall encircle the insulation and shall be a color
other than white, gray, or green.

Since the white wires connected to the breakers are not marked, it looks (to the untrained eye) as if the grounded (neutral) conductors are connected to the hot bus. The most common way to mark the wires, is to wrap a bit of black electrical tape around a small section of the wire.


How to seal porcelain so that the sink will be easier to clean? I have an old porcelain sink.  When the sink is dirty it takes a lot of scrubbing to get it clean.  Can I put something on it so that it will be less absorbent?

I am considering this procedure: https://www.hunker.com/12259038/how-to-reglaze-a-bathroom-sink:

  Step 1 Clean surface of the sink with a standard cleaning agent. This
  removes the initial dirt and prepares the sink for further cleaning.

  Step 2 Eliminate silicone caulking with silicone digester. Get rid of
  as much caulking as possible because any residue will affect the end
  result

  Step 3 Scrape the sink with an acid paste. This eliminates any
  leftover debris. Be careful and wear safety gloves when working with
  acid.

  Step 4 Apply degreaser on the sink to give it one final cleaning
  before you start the glazing.

  Step 5 Use plastic or newspaper to mask areas that you do not want to
  glaze, such as bathroom tiles beneath the sink or on the walls
  adjacent to it.

  Step 6 Apply epoxy primer to the bathroom sink. If you are using a
  brush, make even strokes on the sink. For spray primer, hold the
  sprayer a few feet away. Glaze evenly and don't skip any part of the
  sink. Let the primer dry.

  Step 7 Spray acrylic-urethane resin to get the glaze you're looking
  for. Wait 15 to 20 minutes to let the resin settle.

  Step 8 Apply polyurethane coating to the sink for a shiny surface.
  Once everything is dry, reapply silicone caulking to your sink

Edit

I read the above instructions more carefully and realized they are for a BATHROOM sink, not a porcelain kitchen sink.

I started fresh and found three sources outlining a pretty similar process -- apply a strong acid or sand in small circles to ensure proper bonding; apply porcelain primer; apply special paint; finish with high-gloss polyurethane.  Ventilate well and wait three days before closing up and using the sink.

Conclusion: I think Ed's guidance on finding the right size sink is going to be a better solution, especially as it's winter now.

If you've got the time, don't want to get rid of the piece, and have some degreaser and muriatic acid lying around, you might save a few bucks.

For any application of coating, preparation and the right materials are essential. After getting rid of caulk and taping off, filling in chips and cracks with epoxy, some light sanding, an acid wash and degreaser, you'll have a surface that's as ready as you can get. Try something along the lines of 2000 grit with a light touch to keep the surface nice and smooth. You're not looking to strip the current coating, but put a little tooth into it. Blow with your compressor (I always tape an airfilter to a cheap box fan to gather up the dust) and you're ready to go.

When the surface is clean and ready to go, don your PPE, ventilate, and give a few light applications in succession. Usually, you have to let the current coat get tacky before the next. Don't try to spray heavy, because you get runs that have to be cleaned. The technique for spraying is finding the appropriate distance, and doing smooth passes in a line in succession. Of course, follow whatever instructions the product gives you.

On such a small unit, I wouldn't buy any fancy kits. For less than $15 you can spring for an aerosol solution. Don't bother messing with rolling and brushing this stuff on. Be careful because there are spray products meant for appliances like washers and driers and it's cheaper in cost, but not the same.

In my way of thinking, if it's a nice piece, you work quickly but carefully, then worst comes to worst, you're out of an afternoon of time and maybe $20 worth of materials if you're not satisfied. Then you can go pick out a new one, and you have the experience to tackle the same project again down the road.


Replacing a Novoferm garage door lock We've lost the key to our Novoferm garage door lock and as the company that installed it quoted over a hundred pounds to fit a replacement I thought I would get the lock and fit it myself.

I took the handle off by removing the screw that goes through on the internal side of the door, and removed the nut from the centre of the rectangular lock housing. I also took the small screw out from the side (foreground in the picture). However there did not seem to be any way of removing the lock cylinder without bending the metal tabs that held the 'lid' of the housing in place.

My first questions is, is it possible to remove the cylinder? Or do I need to buy an entire new lock - i.e. the whole rectangular block?

My second question is, can anyone tell me the name of this lock fitting, so that I can speak to suppliers or search for it online?

Regarding further pictures of the mechanism, that's about all there is to it. The other side looks identical to the photographed side except there is no slot-headed screw.

I'm guessing this is a fairly commonplace mechanism?

That's a Euro-style lock cylinder. It is normally held in place by a setscrew clamping it into the lock, but you may have to substantially disassemble the lock before you can get to that screw.

If you can't figure out how to remove the cylinder, I'd suggest dismounting the whole lock body from the door and bringing it to a locksmith. That will save you the "on site service" fees.

Rekeying double-sided Euro cylinders is a skill not all locksmiths in the US have. Single-sided, with keyway on one end and thumb turn on the other, are simpler.


Why mix cooking oil with epoxy to repair a toilet drain pipe? Today we called a plumber to repair a leak in the seal of a toilet drain pipe. He used metal-filled epoxy putty to seal up the area around the leaking joint, as actually disassembling the joint looks to be a major project due to where it is located. This was his second repair in the same spot in three months.

The plumber asked for regular (Canola) cooking oil, which he kneaded into the epoxy. This looks suspect to me, as I've always believed that one should remove all oil, dirt, grease, etc. from areas to be epoxied.

Why add oil to the epoxy?

I recently learned something about injection molding. While this is a completely different process, it may be somehow related to this topic.

When plastics engineers want to produce a flexible or partially flexible part, they choose to make the parts from elastomeres in the past (e.g. rubber or silicone). Unfortunately elastomeres are nearly impossible to produce during an injection molding process. Thus flexible parts were rather expensive.

Some smart engineers tried to mix cooking oil into thermoplastic materials like polyethylene and polypropylene to make it softer. They eventually found out, that the outcome was more like an elastomere, but could be produced by injection molding, which makes it rather cheap.
In fact, if you encounter a cheap plastic part like a toothbrush these days which exhibits a flexible part, it is very likely that the flexible part is basicly the same polymer as the adjacent parts but with cooking oil mixed in.

And because cured epoxy has some thermoplastic properties, I think it may be possible to increase the flexibility of the cured resin by thoroughly mixing in some oil. And flexibiliy is the be-all and end-all of a sealing.

This leaves the question, why oil on a surface is detrimental to the adhesive strength of epoxy, and inside the compound it's not.

I guess it depends on the degree of dispersion. One will have to mix it really good to prevent the formation of an oil film preventing the epoxy to grip the parts.


High floor transition height fix? Lower floor is tiled. Higher floor is plywood on some sleepers with laminate wood flooring on top. The difference in height is 1-3/4". I didn't take a picture but it's 3/4" furring strips as sleepers, 3/4" plywood subfloor and then laminate flooring on top with underlayment. The transition is at a doorway and the tile floor is right at the transition. The transition comes up at a 90 degree angle from the tile.

I was asked if I could help find a solution. Not much they could have really done to keep the height less I'm told.

Is there some product that can be purchased to handle this?

Otherwise I think building a small ramp out of 2x material and nailing some of the laminate on top is the only thing I can think of. Are there any requirements/best practices as far as slope? They'd like the ramp to be as short as possible while still resolving the trip hazard that's there.

Without seeing the floor, makes the question tougher to answer but that said, there are transition strips to compensate for differing height floors. There isn't a commercial one made that will accommodate that height difference but you may be able to buy one of these strips and double it using a layered technique.


Bathroom Drainage/Vent Layout So I've been doing a full remodel of our bathroom given water damage from the last owners. I've gone down to the joists & studs. Now I'm looking at drainage/venting solutions. I've got a few plumbers coming by in the next few weeks, but wanted to get a broader range of opinions.

I have a single standard vent of 2" going up through the roof at this point. I'm trying to avoid tearing out the ceiling, as it's the only damn thing in the bathroom that was salvageable. So I started looking into AAV (eeek, not liking what I've been reading) and wet venting.

So I went through and read a ton of code, and tables, and really get lost when they start talking about maximum distances from certain portions of the system to others based on pipe sizes. So here's a rough idea of what I would like to do, but I'm not sure if the piping sizes & distances will be up to code.

Question: Do these distances & pipe diameters actually work for this type of wet vent layout?

BTW I live in upstate NY

After doing some more research it seems I might have to move to a 3" wet vent at the very least. Would appreciate some professional input on the matter though.

I guess I'll answer my own question to the best of my knowledge thus far.

The max distances from vent to trap have been clarified for me to mean from wet vent to trap, not just dry vent.

So the ipc code states that the toilet can be anywhere as long as there is a vent because it self syphons. I just have to reroute it so it doesn't drain past the tub downstream, which is also being wet vented.

The distance for the tub is within ipc spec as long as the lav's wet vent portion of ths drain is at least 2" in diameter.


How do I measure how hard my water is? Following on from How can I remove calcium deposits from a drain it looks like my water softener may not be working. How do I measure how hard my water is?

Home improvement stores typically carry test kits.  I've found them right by water filters and water softeners. They usually are small paper strips that change color based on levels of hardness. The kit will also come with a legend to allow you to compare the strips.


LED bulb replacement in Dusk-Dawn Outdoor 175W light My old metal halide bulb finally died after 30 yrs use. Considering switch to LED corn bulb. However, the seller website states "Connects directly into E39 Mogul Bases. Just screw in. Please note that in some cases the ballast may have to be bypassed when changing to LEDs. Most are plug and play but please check. (LEDs uses a driver, not a ballast)". LED bulb seller's website

So my question is "How do I check?". Would like to go to LED for quicker starts, BUT... not if it means headaches with a ballast.

The original bulb is Philips PS Lifeguard H69KB-175 (as best I can tell... the writing is very faded after 30 yrs use.)

You will need to bypass the ballast! Failing to do so will fry the LED.

Corncob LEDs are always a bad idea. They are inefficient. They intentionally defeat the best characteristic of LED -- that they make a wedge of light, which is what you really want.

Look around at lights. You have wallpack lights painting a super bright spot on the wall (useless), path lights lighting a huge circle not just the path ... and oh, the skyglow!   Just here at this restaurant the car dealer's halide light is blasting in the window from across the highway. Meanwhile at the gas station,  the canopy lights make the pump area glow pleasantly, but even the trees in front of the place are pitch black. Their lights are LED and are properly aimed. This saves them a fortune.

Cost savings is in aiming, not LED

Fact is, halide lights are about as efficient as LED. If you go with a corncob LED, you won't save any money unless the LED is less bright: this is a common con-job when selling LEDs. I saw one ad claiming their 45 watt, 3300 lumen LED is more efficient that the 175 watt metal halide . um... a 175W MH is 14,600 lumens. It would take 4 of those corncobs to make the same light, and it's actually less efficient.

Your linked one is 7000 lm, half the brightness of your MH.

On the other hand, if you aim the LED in exactly the wedge of light that you want,  you're still no more lumen efficient, but you're only paying for the lumens that are actually on target.   We once had seven 400W halide lights (3150W) lighting up a 400' right-of-way (and also, half the town). They were on city poles, so the location was not good. This was costing $1600/year.  I specced a mere 250W of extremely well-aimed LED spots, $125/year.

Anyway, for former halide lights, I just mount an aimed  fixture inside the old diffuser, aimed out the hole in the bottom.  A tiny amount of splash light makes the diffuser glow, it looks nice.


Do European/Italian light fixtures & boxes use metric threads? I installed a fancy light fixture in a US single wall box, and had a terrible time with the mount and trim until I tapped out the fixture's mounting caps with a 8-24 tap and replaced the mounting screws with my own cut-to-size 8-24 bolts.

Looking back, my box has normal mounting lugs at 2-3/4" (69.85mm?), but the fixture's plate has its mounting rings a little narrower at maybe 2-9/16 (60mm?) and I had to force the box screws in a bit crooked.
I think when I threaded the mounting screws into my bolt-cutter/wirestripper to cut them to length, it formed the thread to 8-32 to make them not quite match the knurl knob, which made it much harder to thread onto the stub and made the matching the proper length much more awkward.
The whole job took 10x as long as normal with all the fiddling around with everything not quite right.
So, what are the non-US standard box lug spacings and mounting screw threads? (With US spacings being 2-3/4" with #8-32 threads)

On http://internationalconfig.com/icc6.asp?item=72350-F I found this diagram with M3.5 lugs spaced at 60mm, which matches the mounting plate/mounting strap packaged with the fixture with its inner 60mm rings.
An M3.5 thread is a 3.5mm OD by 0.7mm pitch thread, while an #8-32 thread is 0.164" (4.156mm) with a 1/32" (0.794mm) pitch.  A #6-32 thread is 0.136" (3.45mm) with 1/32" (0.793mm) pitch.  They don't quite match, but visually they look close.


Why do I have spots showing through on stained pine? I had a chest of drawers made of pine that had crayon marks on it.  I sanded it down really well and applied a coat of golden oak stain after puttying the holes. Now there are light and dark spots showing through the stain.  What did I do wrong?

I believe you have to seal the wood with varnish before staining.  The softness of the pine absorbs the stain irregularly and may be causing the spots.


What is the most efficient way to replace a 14" rough-in toilet with a 12" rough-in toilet? I want to replace my failing 14" rough-in toilet. It seems the world has moved on to 12" rough-in as a standard. Would it be crazy to put a 1" thick board on the wall to provide some stability to the tank and install a 12" rough-in toilet?

Also, the toilet appears to be 50 years old but, being ceramic, the tank is still viable. Would a 50 year old tank from a 14" rough-in work with a modern 12" rough-in?

Toilets do not require any stability from a wall or any other surface other than a flat floor to set on. Even if the floor is not, shims can be used to correct that.

The 14" rough in, with a 12" toilet will leave a 2 1/2" to 3" gap at the wall, nothing else

You still can order toilets with a 14" rough in, try a plumbing supply, not the big box stores.

The tank from the 14" toilet may work on a 12" bowl, but toilets are sold with tanks typically together, not separate from their tanks.


Is this a picture of particle board? I’m looking underneath the laminate in my kitchen and need to identify this subfloor. Is this particle board?

That has a high probability of being particle board. You can doublecheck by looking at where the big gouges are... if the material is small flakes/big sawdust, then it's particle board. (Destructive triplecheck by putting a puddle of water on top and seeing if it puckers up.)

Given that you've got a fair bit of damage, now might be the time to replace it all with some water resistant plywood.


Rafter load capacity I have a 1929 craftsman house with dimensional 2x4 rafters on 24" centers. They're about 13.5 ft long, spanning 11.5 ft each (measured horizontally, wall to ridge beam) at a 7:12 pitch.  About 25% of them have diagonal  2x4 bracing tying them to either the center interior wall or ceiling joists (also 2x4) over interior walls.  The top of the rafters were angle cut to sit flat against the 1x6 ridge beam, then nailed through the ridge into the end of the rafters.  (I know, definitely not up to current standards.)  Over the years, 3 consecutive rafters split at the top end (maybe a tree branch fell on the roof?). I've sistered the top 6 feet on 2 of them with additional 2x4's, screws, and plates and plan to do the 3rd one soon. The roof decking is 1x6's and 1x8's nailed on top of the rafters. Besides a few knots and a couple split decking boards, the are no apparent soft spots or sags in the roof. It currently has 2 layers of 3-tab shingles.

I need to re-shingle the roof. I want to strip the existing shingles, add deck and ridge vents, and go back with an impact resistant dimensional shingle with a long warranty but I'm concerned about the weight. I've read that some can weigh over 400lb per square (100 square feet). A couple roofers I asked out for bids also said I would have to add 15/32" plywood or osb decking to ensure the nails have something to hold to, not empty knot holes or gaps between the current decking boards.

I'm in the central United States, Kansas City. We normally get 6-8" of snow on the ground, but occasionally up to 24-30" of heavy wet snow. We also routinely get 60-80 mph wind gusts with thunderstorms, sometimes higher.

Will the 2x4 rafters support the weight of the dimensional shingles, possible additional decking, and snow?  Since not all the roofers recommended the additional decking, would that increase the roof strength, or is it an unnecessary added load?

Your roofers are correct in adding plywood or osb board I order to maintain the roofing warranty. If there is a “blow off” the manufacturer will not honor the warranty if the nails are not installed correctly, including the minimum required thickness of the roof sheathing, which is 1/2”. (1x6 boards is not acceptable because of the number of gaps between boards means the nails could miss the lumber and be installed in the gaps, and thus no withdrawal holding power.)

We design for the exceptional not the standard. So, your occasional 24” deep snow will translate to 30 - 35 lbs. per square foot Live Load plus about 15 lbs. per square foot Dead Load (roof sheathing, roofing, etc.).

Your 2x4 roof joists (even the older larger ones like you have) will only span about 9’, depending on the species and grade. However, the occasional diagonal 2x4 brace will help, but your roof joists are over stressed.

I’d also be alarmed about the connection at the ridge. High winds could “suck” the joists off the roof with just nailing. I’d use Simpson joist clips to hold the roof together.


How to remove plastic retainer sleeve stuck in faucet handle threading? I have a plastic "retainer sleeve" that threaded into my shower faucet handle a bit off and is now stuck. Any advice on getting this piece off?

Your shower faucet handle appears to be made of metal.  Heat the metal by soaking it in hot water for a while.  Then try unscrewing the sleeve.  The heated metal should expand making the threads looser.

Be careful to avoid buring yourself with hot metal.


Can I use a gauge designed for measuring air pressure to measure water pressure? Looking around at the local home improvement center for a water pressure gauge, and all they seem to have is a gauge with 3/4" FGHT (Female Garden Hose Thread).  Of course I could get a bunch of adapters (3/4" MGHT x 3/4" MPT -> 3/4" FPT x 1/2" FPT -> 1/2" MPT x 1/4" FPT), but I'd rather not.

The only other gauge I can find, is a 1/4" MPT gauge in the air compressor section of the store. Specifically a Husky 2 in. Heavy-Duty Side-Mount Gauge.

This gauge is exactly what I'm looking for, except that it's designed to work with compressed air.

Would there be a problem using this gauge designed for compressed air, to measure water pressure?

Pressure gauges commonly use a Bourdon tube.  Bourdon tubes are a coiled metal tube and as the pressure increases, it forces the coil straight which then moves the needle.  (think blowing a party horn, which causes it to unroll)   The type of fluid (water/air) makes no difference to the tube, only the pressure exerted against the tube does.  And since most of the tubes are made from bronze, copper or stainless water will not corrode it any faster than moist air from the compressor.

In all said, the air compressor gauge will most likely work without any issues.

But if you really want to get a water gauge, go to a pool supply store.  They have pressure gauges for filters that are designed for water and use a 1/4 npt.  They also have a nifty little ring on the outside where you can mark your normal pressure so it is easy to see if your pressure is low or high.


22kw generator mounting pad on slope I need to build a pad for a 22kW generator I am installing for my house. The image shows the situation. This generator is quite heavy.  I plan to pour a rebar reinforced 6" pad for it.
My question is--what to do to fill/retain the area in green? I am guessing this area will be ~18-24" deep at the large end. Because the generator is so heavy, I am tempted to just make the whole thing concrete---but I am afraid doing so will make it tend to slide off of the hill. What is the best approach to ensure that does not happen?  Drive rebar into the hill vertically 18" deep 1ft o.c.? or is there an easier/cheaper solution?

You will need to dig a footing below the frost level , you don’t want the pad moving around. For diy a easy way to build a concrete wall is with Cinder blocks the hollow concrete blocks you stack like...  blocks.
Some rebar dropped in them and back fill with concrete can support just about anything including my truck when we brought the generator in.
I have even used bagged sackcrete on just such a small retaining wall and I mixed it in a wheelbarrow a fair amount of work but inexpensive and solid.
After the footing and wall is cured backfill with dirt or rock. I poured a small pad on top and that powers a remote cabin generator so we had the comforts of home when we went out there.


Should I worry about these white marks on my exterior wall? Below is a picture of one of the corners of my house
You can notice the white mineral efflorescence that formed on the wall
The patio starts just off that wall, quite a large one, rectangular shape parallel with the house

Here is another example near the same area (~ 2 feet distance) This one is vertical.
There are a couple other areas like this but a lot smaller, you can guess them in the second picture. They seem to be crack but under the surface of that stucco or whatever is the name of that cement cover

The patio looks wet because it rained heavily today.
I am just wondering if this is bad. We recently bought this house. The house has gutters but I think that ocassionally that wall is washed by the rain

Generally in housing, the white marks (efflorescence) is caused by salts in the cement washing out to the surface when wet, and being left behind when the water evaporates.

If there's any salt being added to the system (I did some research in college on a brick wall built with seawater exposure), then over time the efflorescence can be part of the system that will cause the cement to break down over time.

However, if your patio is inland and you don't use any salt on it (like de-icers) then the efflorescence is cosmetic and fairly harmless. If it bothers you there are chemical solutions (bleaching agents) that you can find at the hardware store that can remove efflorescence. They will not prevent it from coming back, it will continue to effloresce until all of the salts are removed from the cement.


Splicing 6/3 wire to multiple 8/3 wires (or even other 6/3 wires) inside a junction box I have a situation where my oven and counter-top range are split up, but fall within spec of being able to utilize one 50a breaker on the panel.
My plan is to pull a single 6/3 cable to a large junction box, inside which I’d splice the two sets of 8/3 wires from the oven and range with the 6/3 cable (hots and neutrals, the grounds are skinny enough to use a twist-connector).  Because the all the cables combine to be pretty thick, I am not sure a twist-connector on the hots/neutrals would be a good choice (previous owner had it that way, but even with smaller cables it felt a bit sketchy).
With NEC 2017 in mind, what type of connectors can I use?  In the automotive world I’m used to things like a multi-terminal connector/distribution block.  Is there something like this in the home-owner world?
Tried searching and found some split-bolt suggestions - do I just wrap it with lots rubber tape to insulate?  Can a split bolt be used to connect three wires (one 6ga and two 8ga or even just 3 6ga if a future oven has that)?
Another option I found are Polaris connectors.  Expensive but seem straightforward. Would they or the split bolts need to be secured to the inside of the box, if used?
Any additional suggestions or recommendations are welcome.

I use Polaris and other brands for this, in the past I used to use cambric , linerless and super88 to insulate the split bolts the cost of the Polaris style pays the first time you reuse them and are much easier to use. I use a size 4-14 rated alcu  Home Depot actually had a good price on these and I usually put tape on to hold the plugs in place but nothing is required to hold them in the box.  Their are 2 lug 3 that I think you want up to 6 I have purchased all 600v rated and UL approved.


Is it okay to mix paint thinner with an elastomeric coating for waterproofing? Is it Ok to mix paint thinner with an elastomeric coating (HB-70) which is being applied for waterproofing?

I have people who have been waterproofing a dome (the right hand dome in the picture below) by applying this coating. However, the coating is apparently very thick, and almost impossible to apply with a brush, so they needed to dilute it. They said that paint thinner was the correct thing to use. I have no idea, so I thought I would ask here. Does such a procedure sound Ok?

I dont know if diluting it too much  will affect performance.  In my case, I use thinner to even the surfaces. I use the tube version  of sealant  , but still application through it is very uneven hence, I wet my fingers with thinner. or you may use , to spread the sealant evenly.


How long can a freshly sanded deck wait before sealing without do overs? I just had a composite covered deck installed with wood railings.  Part will be screened and rest open.  The contractor is ready to frame for screened portion and advised me to stain before he frames.

I'm using Cabot Australian Oil. Instructions state avg. min temp should be 50 for 48 hrs before applying.  The avg. temp now is 34 & I've already sanded rails, rafters, & steps.  It wont warm up for another 2 months to the 50 degree requirement.

How long can I wait without resanding for stain?  Or will I need to resand?  What do I do?

How quickly the pores will close depends on ambient humidity, but I'm having trouble even finding a ballpark. I'd never heard of 'water popping' before. Personally, I wouldn't stain anything that's left my chain of custody after having sanded it, without arbitrarily resanding it.

I think they told you to stain it because they saw you sanding. The wait time after which should be as little as possible. You can either build a tent and heat it, or cover everything so that their greasy hands don't make stains. And then you get to resand it anyway in two months.

At least you didn't do the floor. If you're going to open up pores, then you should coat them immediately, as per the specifications of the product.


How does a garage door wall button differentiate between a door open button, and a light button? How does the wall button know, if there’s only two wires (+ and -), what’s a door open button press, and a light on press? Is it a voltage transmission difference?

You got me curious so I went to check my garage door opener. I have a Genie pro stealth. It shows 3.8vdc at the terminals where the switch(s) goes. The voltage at the terminals drops to 2.1vdc if I press the light switch and 0v if I press the open/close switch. So ... it uses a resistor plus the switch for the light and a just the switch for the open/close.

Technically you could say it is a voltage divider.

Sorry  but I was too lazy to check for a signal with a scope. I know the sensors use a square wave with a dc offset (In my case). I built an alarm for the sensors a while back.

Hope that helps.


Flipped Home - Cracks Appearing on Wall Corners - Cause for Concern or Normal? I purchased and moved into my first home about 3 months ago. It's originally a home built in the 1930's. An investor bought it last year to completely gut and flip the property. A few of the walls were original, but for the most part, they redid everything.

Recently, I began to notice some cracking in the drywall on the stairwell to my basement where the wall meets the ceiling (pictures below). Every now and then, I'll see small pieces of the drywall on the ground from cracking. The stairwell was completely rebuilt and did not exist in the original house, so it's new.

I'm a 1st time homeowner so I don't know what's normal. Is this a cause for concern or is this normal? If it is a cause for concern, who should I call to take a look at it?

Thanks in advance for the help/

I wouldn't call it "normal", unless you're talking about the quality of work to expect in a flipped house.  The cracks don't look as much structural as caused by an atrocious job of finishing the corner.  It's hard to tell from the posted pictures, but it looks like they ran a corner trowel over the joint without taping it and on top of a couple coats of paint.  Between that and likely painting it hurriedly (they didn't really even sand that much), the existing paint separated in the corner.  This should be relatively straight-forward to fix - scrape off all the loose material, and then properly tape (I'd use fiberglass), mud and sand the joint.


What's this metal thing in my wall where the studs should be, and how do I put a shelf on it? I'm attempting to mount a shelving system (specifically, a Rubbermaid single-track adjustable shelf) to a wall and am running into something quite strange.

Here's what I know:

Studfinder appears to show studs at 16" intervals.
Upon drilling a pilot hole on one of these intervals, the bit pops
right through the 1/2" drywall, passes without resistance through a
small bit of free space, then runs into something hard to drill
through.
Removing the bit from the drill and manually poking the
offending substance produces an airy sound, like a big metal plate.
Drilling a few feet upward at the same horizontal
position yields the same result.

The wall is an interior wall in a recently-built high-rise apartment building shared between two apartments.

My questions:

What's this metal thing I'm hitting? (I doubt it's a protective plate, as it spans the height of the wall, and sources say a metal stud should be "easy to drill through", which this is not.)
Why am I (apparently) finding a gap behind the drywall and no stud at these 16" intervals?
What are my options for mounting this shelf now? (Toggle bolts?)

Further testing I plan to try:

Scanning wall with a strong magnet (my hard drive magnet hasn't shown me anything yet...)
...yeah, I'm out of ideas.

Thanks in advance!

Given that this wall separates two apartments in recent construction, the wall you're drilling is likely not to be "normal" familiar construction. It's probably some kind of "area separation wall" designed firstly to limit the spread of fire and secondly to limit the spread of noise between apartments. You might do well to seek information from building management as to the construction of that wall to ensure that you don't compromise its fire resistance characteristics.


Is it allowed for a wire to go directly into a wall from PVC conduit (with some connector)? Or do I need to install a junction box? I need to install a permanent wiring from a receptacle on the ceiling of finished garage to outside of garage (for motion-sensor flood light). The wire will not be below 9 feet level.
Do I need to use conduit in the first place?
Assuming yes - I'm planning to extend an outlet, replace with GFCI and then run the wire through PVC conduit attached to the ceiling. Second question - can I run wire directly through the wall from PVC conduit? Or do I need to connect it to a junction box (and then from junction box to run wire through the wall)?

Generally speaking, wires within reach need to be protected. Above 9 feet is out of reach, doesn't need to be protected, so conduit not required. If you use conduit then you can use separate wires. If you don't use conduit then you use cable - normally non-metallic cable, aka Romex.
However, you do not normally need GFCI on permanently wired lighting (except above a tub or shower or certain other places). In fact, if you want to GFCI-protect a ceiling receptacle, you can't install a GFCI/receptacle in that location because the GFCI has to be easily accessible. At the same time, if the receptacle is only used with out-of-reach stuff (e.g., ceiling lighting or fan) then you don't need GFCI anyway, though local code may vary.
As far as conduit through the wall, I am pretty sure that is fine, but one of the experts will speak up if there is a problem. In fact, I suspect it is the opposite - running loose wires (as opposed to cable) outside conduit, even just to go through a wall, is not allowed.


How do I build a wet room for a wheelchair user? How do I build a wet room that:

Does not leek
Does not have water run out of its door
Is wheelchair accessible (e.g a very low slope)

It is very hard to get the slope right by hand and I have need two many cases when the sleep is too steep and the water run runs into the rest of the house.

A Barrier-Free Water Dam might be an option.  They allow the user to simply roll over them, then they spring back to their original shape and contain the water to the shower.


Linoleum underlayment removal We have three rooms that have linoleum, which we'd like to tile.  They all transition flush to 3/4" thick hardwood flooring at the same height, so I have to assume there is some kind of additional substrate under the linoleum???

Can this layer be removed, and does anyone have suggestions on how to remove it?  I just need to know how much of a job I'm in for and that I have all the tools I'll need.

Linoleum can be a total bear to remove in and of itself. If the substrate is screwed or nailed down then it shouldn't be too bad but if it's glued to the sub-floor then you're gonna have a bad time.

If I had to guess then there might very well be hardwood flooring beneath the linoleum which may have been sanded down to accommodate the linoleum's thickness. If this is the case then ripping up hardwood flooring isn't too difficult unless it was glue down.

As you can see, without knowing what your substrate is, it is impossible to know how big of a challenge you have ahead of you. There could be several linoleum layers for all we know.

So:

Step #1: remove at least one piece of linoleum from an inconspicuous location such as a pantry or closet since you might decide F*** it after all

Step #2: take a picture of the substrate and edit it into your question

Step #3: you probably won't need someone here to tell you how difficult things are going to be as you'll have a general idea of what you are up against


What size breaker and wire do I need for a subpanel in my shed? I am wanting to run power to my shed/workshop.  I will have 8 outlets running table saw and such not everything at same time also will have shop lights and a separate 20 amp circuit for pool pump.  What size breaker in main house panel should I use to connect to subpanel in shed that is approx. 90 feet from the main panel?

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. It's tough to beat a 60 ampere sub-panel. You might be able to get by with a 40 amp setup, but it's always nice to have future expansion possibilities.

At 90 ft., you're probably okay to use 6 AWG copper, or 4 AWG aluminum conductors. You'll have to pull four conductors, either through conduit or via a cable.

Since it's a separate structure, you'll need a grounding electrode system. Which you'll have to bond the grounding conductor from the feeder, and the grounding conductors within the building to. You'll keep the neutral conductors isolated from the grounding conductors, which will likely mean removing a bonding jumper within the panel.


Can I replace the receptacle and breaker on a 40A circuit with 30A equivalents? I have a 40-amp circuit that previously was used for the oven/range in my house, though I switched to gas so the circuit is no longer in use.  If I wanted to install an L6-30r (30-amp receptacle) on this circuit is it sufficient to simply swap the breaker for a 30-amp and use the existing (appears to be 8AWG) wire? Second part of question, most L6-30r's that I'm finding note that they accept 14-10AWG wire, is this the norm and if so what other options would I have if I want to connect a device to this circuit with an L6-30p?

**Edit - I should have noted this would be a dedicated circuit, no other receptacles would be installed on it. The existing receptacle for the range/oven would be removed.

Going down to #14 is not a surprise. That is the smallest wire legal for use in any in-wall mains wiring.  This would normally be 10 AWG, but there are rare edge conditions where a smaller wire circuit is permitted to be up-breakered, and the only example I can come up with is welders with a short duty cycle.

Not being able to go to #8 is also not a surprise; the terminations are not rated for aluminum wire, and the right aluminum wire for 30A is #8.

Anyway, here the answer is you get about 6 inches of #10 wire and pigtail.  A red wire nut, cranked down hard, should suffice for a #8 to #10 join.


Is there a good rule of thumb for how many lights you need in a room? I want to use ceiling recessed wall washers in a 13 ft by 24 ft room. Any advice on light spacing so I don't create dark spots? How far from the wall vs how far apart from each other should they be?

You need to consider many factors.

Beam angle: spot (narrow) vs flood (wide), and everything in between

The wider the angle, the farther apart the spacing can be without creating dark spots on the wall

Direct vs indirect light: is the light facing the wall, so the room is actually lit by light reflecting off the wall, or are the lights directly lighting the floor/whatever it is in the room?

Reflecting off the wall will make less lights seem brighter (vs direct lighting), and creates a softer light (not many shadows, light coming from all directions)

Wall color: especially if you're mostly using indirect lighting from the wall, the color will dictate how much light is reflected

Light colors (eg, white) will reflect the most, while dark colors (black/gray) will reflect less.
Strong/vibrant hues (eg, red, blue) will also cause the room to appear that color. Eg, if you have red walls, and all your lighting is indirect from reflecting off the walls, the room will look like it's lit with red lights. If you use direct lighting in the same room, objects/people in the room will have closer to normal colors (you'll still have some element of red, of course)

Heat: depending on the types of bulbs, more heat will be generated, which should be a factor to consider. A room with a dozen halogen bulbs, for example, will be noticeably hotter while the lights are on full. CFLs and LEDs generate much less heat, but have other drawbacks.
Dimming: If the lights are dimmable, and you plan on having them dimmed a lot of the time, you may need more fixtures to generate an even look.
Electrical load: Code says you should design to use 80% of a circuit's capacity. If you have a dedicated 15A, 120V circuit (breaker) for these lights, you can use up to 1440 watts total. This means if you have 100W bulbs, you can only have up to 14 of them.

If the circuit is shared with other lighting/outlets, be aware that subtracts from the power you have available.
In Canada (at least) there is a limit of 12 outlets per circuit. I'm not sure if that applies to light fixtures or not though, maybe someone else can weigh in?


Suggestions for fixing bottom of concrete step Part of the bottom of the side of my concrete step is crumbling away and I'm looking for advice on a reasonably quick and easy fix as I'm worried critters will get in there (if they aren't already).  My current (and potentially misguided idea) is potentially making some forms, mixing up some concrete and pushing it into the gap with the forms.

Any suggestions/help with this would be much appreciated :).

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.  I ended up using concrete and some pieces of scrap wood as make shift forms.  I also pushed some concrete back in behind using a broom handle as suggested by fixer1234.  Since I didn't want to get wet concrete on the driveway I used a garbage bag and some masking tape to mask off the area surrounding the hole so I could just pour the concrete and push it into place with my forms (you can still see a bit of it left behind in the finished picture).

Some complications/gotchas that I encountered:
1. The pavement around the step wasn't entirely flat, so it was difficult to get the wood forms to line up squarely and stay in place.  I ended up putting a couple bricks behind to push them into place and hold them there.
2. The concrete mix I bought was more granular than I would have liked, with lots of large stones in it which made it hard to get a smooth surface.

The fix is still holding well, and I think it turned out reasonable given that I've never mixed or poured concrete before :).  Now I'm working on cleaning up all the rust and re-painting the railing.


How to make an underground connection to 4 inch clay drain pipe I need to connect to an existing 4" clay drain pipe opening that will be underground, and I don't want dirt/sand to enter the joint.  Are there connector pieces that form a tight joint?  For extra protection, would it make sense to wrap the joint in landscaping fabric held by zipties?

Thanks

Generally you use something like this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/4-in-x-4-in-PVC-DWV-Mechanical-Flexible-Coupling-P1056-44/100372298

The worm drive and rubber make a good bond.  This is used in vertical and horizontal sewage applications both residentally and commercially so I wouldn't bother with landscape fabric and zip ties.  Chances are if you are joining to tile the tile will be replaced at some later stage down the road.