Can't find correct size outdoor spigot handle I have ordered several faucet handles but every one has been too large, or the wrong shape (square). Home Depot and Lowe's have handles but all too large or the wrong shape. Universal Outdoor Faucet Handle - too large/wrong shape. House was built about 12 years ago. Is this faucet really that rare? I would appreciate your expert advice, this has become frustrating.

I know this thread is old but I found it because I'm having the same issue. I wanted to share what I found for a solution. Hope this helps anyone else out there.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M16DANU


Checklist for installing proper electrical outlet outside the house I plan to install electrical outlet in the following location:

It would be used mostly for:

USB camera that is always plugged in.
pressure washer.
car charging.

I plan to splice the wires from the electrical box behind the lamp which I pretty much always leave powered on because it has a built in motion detection sensor:

I watched few youtube videos on how similar projects are done and If I understand correctly, I have to:

Turn off electricity at breaker box.
Buy old-work electrical box (i.e. one that has those wings and can be attached to the wall opposed to stud). PVC material should be preferred as then I don't have to use metal-sheathed cable.
I need to drill a hole in the wall where the new electrical box will be installed and then use a sawzall (or something similar) to cut out rectangular shape that matches the electrical box.
Punch a hole in the bottom of electrical box behind the lamp. Punch a hole in the top of electrical box that I just bought. Guide the cable behind the wall to both boxes.
Buy a 15 Amp GFCI protected outlet because GFCI is mandatory for outdoor outlets. Connect all 3 wires to it and screw in to electrical box. Splice all 3 wires on the other end to the lamp wiring.
Buy a Plastic Weatherproof in use cover and attach it to electrical box. In-use is mandatory as I would leave camera plugged in at all times.

Am I missing something? Do I need wire clamps too that would lock wire in the electrical box? Do I need to apply silicone caulk somewhere? Is it ok to install outlet that high above the ground? Are parts that I plan to order compatible with each other? Do I need to check wiring going from light switch to the lamp if it can actually handle 15 Amps?

The fuse in electrical panel is rated for 15Amps. At the moment I don't know how likely it is that some other device behind the 15A fuse would ever cause consumption to go over 15Amps.

As a related by separate issue regarding the camera USB power. If it were me, I would not put the USB power adapter on the outside of the house under the in-use cover like that (even if you found one with room under the cover). My reasoning is because if the camera is for security, all someone needs to do is unplug the USB adapter and it is dead!

The USB wires themselves are "low voltage", meaning most of the wiring rules don't apply. So what I did on mine was to put the USB power adapter INSIDE of the garage plugged into an existing outlet, then just drill a hole in the wall for the USB cable to pass through to the camera base with nothing exposed and visible. You can seal around the wire with some simple silicone sealant.


how to calculate sub breakers from the main breaker how do I calculate exert amount of sub breakers to match a specific rated main breaker. e.g 200A main breaker to sub breakers

The only "calculation" is "how many circuits are expected to draw how much, at the same time" - and if it's more than 200 amps, you'll need a bigger main, or two 200A panels, or something like that.

It's quite normal to have far more than 200A of breakers attached to a panel with a 200A main. Whether that ever becomes a problem of tripping the main is a matter of use patterns. As an example, it's rare for an electric range to have all burners and the oven on full power, at the same time.

Likewise, many 15 and 20 amp lighting and outlet circuits are rarely fully loaded.

Breakers (and wire) for "continuous" circuits are derated, so they only draw (at most) 80% of the rated breaker amps (breaker is sized for 125% of load - the math works out) if correctly sized.

Most appliances that get a dedicated circuit call for a breaker considerably larger than the actual running current. Starting currents may be much higher, but are rarely if ever applied to all circuits at the same time.

On the other hand, if you had 10 20-ampere electric resistance heating circuits (drawing 16 amps per derating) that would be all you could put on one 200 amp main (as the entire load is continuous) other than some load that would not turn on at the same time (say a big honking air conditioner, if the control systems are sane and don't run heat and A/C at the same time).


Water accumulating on the side of our house I just got concrete pour for my backyard 2 weeks ago. It didn't rain so I didn't realize it's not slope correctly. It rained yesterday and when I came out today I noticed rain water accumulated near the side of our house.
From looking at the picture below, do you guys think I need to get it fixed?

Start keeping a log or diary of all communications regarding this project. Record every phone call, letter, and visit. Write down who and when, and what you said and what they said.
Call the original contractor first. Tell him this is not satisfactory and he needs to fix it. If he won't come when the weather has been wet, you can demonstrate standing water with your garden hose.
Naturally he will be reluctant to devote more time and money to your needs. He may try to tell you that this standing water is no problem. Do not accept this. You will probably need iron-hard sales resistance. Maybe you will be lucky and your original contractor is honorable and wants to preserve his reputation.
If the original contractor absolutely will not fix this then tell him you will hire somebody else to fix it and send him the bill. Then hire somebody else to fix it and send the original contractor a bill. If it comes to this, you should ask over on Legal SE how to present the bill to the original contractor.


How to lock an inside door with round doorknobs turning both clockwise and counterclockwise (without a key)? I'd like to lock an inside building door, which I'm pretty sure is possible.

The lock/doorknobs look like the pictures. The doorknobs can turn both clockwise and counterclockwise.

How do I lock the door without the key?

Thank You!

The lock/doorknobs look like the pictures.

Does that mean the knob in the photo is not the actual door knob you have ?

I am not sure about you door knob but on some older door knobs you push and turn to lock. It may be that it is only lockable with a key.

Grasp the door knob that does not have the key slot in it, push the knob in and then while holding it in turn it, probably clockwise, just  little and it should stay in when you release it and that should lock it.

You can do this with door open so you can test the other side to be sure it is locked.


Brand new oven won't heat On Wednesday we had new appliances delivered to the house.  The installation was included in the purchase price so I let the retailer (not a big box but a well known and regarded local appliance shop) install everything.  We have a double wall oven (JennAir) that was replacing a 14 year old Maytag double wall oven.  The old oven and the new oven require 240v.

I chatted with the guys doing the installation on Weds morning and then headed to work.  When I got home everything looked great, as directed by the installer, I was to turn the oven to bake at 350 for one hour to burn off some of the coatings put on the oven out of the factory.  All works fine - oven has power, lights, etc.  But no heat.  Zilch - no bake, no broil.

Fast forward to today and I've since pulled the oven out of the wall and I'm not registering 240v, I'm getting 125v.  My guess is that the oven is fine but that it's not getting enough power to heat.  My hope is that this isn't an issue with the wiring but I'm really struggling with another reason - everything was fine with the old oven which arguably drew more power.  Could it be the junction box connection?  (I wasn't able to get the oven out far enough to check the connections)  Perhaps a bad breaker?

There are some good questions here in the comments of your post.

One thing you did not mention was the 125V measurement how that was taken from what to what.

So lets assume you have a 3-Way or a 4-Way hookup, you should have L1, L2, Neutral and if you have a 4th wire it will be the Ground.

Measuring

L1 to Neutral  125 VAC
L2 to Neutral  125 VAC
L1 to L2       240 VAC
L1 to Ground   125 VAC
L2 to Ground   125 VAC

Neutral to Ground  ~0 to .5 VAC.

Now you do not mention what the installers did - replace wiring or Circuit Breaker or leave the old breaker?

You should measure your voltage at the Breaker there should be a single or a ganged breaker that is for L1 and L2 - you should measure your voltage on the breaker terminals to see if you have proper voltage right after the breaker (seeing as you did not have it at the oven ???? ).

1: if you have voltage - turn the oven on and measure the voltage - if the voltage drops you have a bad breaker.

2: if you don't have voltage - you have a bad breaker.

3: If you have voltage at the breaker and while the oven is on as well - verify your wiring connections at the breaker, that they are tight. Then verify the neutral and ground connections are also tight. After this you will need to go to your oven and check the connections at the oven to make sure they are properly connected in a manner appropriate for your ovens connections.

4: If after these steps you still have no voltage - you have a wire break between the service panel and the oven.


Will this breaker fit into this panel? I'm looking at a Siemens PW1224L1200CU Main Lug Load Center.  Will either the 200-amp branch breaker QN2200 or QN2200R fit into this panel?  I looked at the wiring diagram but was unsure if a QN2200R breaker is considered a 'QNR' type.

The QNR type will fit but have the handle reversed.  You would choose the QN or QNR depending on how the panel will be oriented when you mount it.


hot spot on new roof I had a new roof put on last fall.  I never noticed any hot spots on my roof until this winter.  I had an inspection after the roof was put on and I was told my insulation looks okay.  When they put on the new roof they closed two lower vents on my roof on the back side.  There are canister vents on the back side near the top.  My soffit covers are solid and I'm planning on adding soffit covers with holes.  Thanks for any advice.

Notice that deeper snow below and to the left of the bare area? It's deeper than it is anywhere else in the picture: why?
It's very unlikely that that area was much better insulated than the rest of the roof, and so has melted much less. Instead, it's almost certainly a wind-carved snow drift, especially when you notice that the deepest spot forms a ridge sloping away from the edge of the roof.
With that in mind, it's pretty clear that your bare spot is just an area where the wind during your latest snow storm either didn't deposit snow or actively removed it. Once the storm was done, the snow has been melting everywhere; this spot was the thinnest, and so has become bare before the rest of your roof.
Summary: nothing to worry about.


How to attach a security camera to an existing box? Our house was wired for security cameras, when we moved in, and I'm now getting around to install the cameras on some of the corners.

However, the cameras and the separate mounts on sale today all seem to expect a three-hole mount of 2" in diameter.

What I have on the corners of my house -- with the camera-cables inside -- are 4" boxes with 4 screw-holes (although each box itself is attached to the wall with only two screws).

How should I proceed with the installations?

Unscrew and replace the existing boxes with something specifically designed for today's cameras? What are they called -- how do I find them?
Find some sort of mounting adapter
for sale? I spent an hour on Amazon already and couldn't find anything -- any hints?
Make an adapter by drilling the necessary openings in
the cover-plates of the existing boxes? Seems easiest, but I worry about security of the result -- though the cover is metal, it may bend and warp with time under the weight of the camera and wind-pressure.

Many camera's like this popular Lorex model:

come with a small 2" surface mounting "Plate" that you can use if you don't have electrical box mounting.  They also screw into a 1/2" weatherproof threaded knockout, so that they can be used with 4" weatherproof flood light accessory plates:


How do I control a heat lamp with a thermostat? My girlfriend is crazy about making bread. However, as the temperature is often very cold around here, I would like to make her a box in which the temperature can be controlled.

I have purchased a thermostat and have figured out how to wire it to a heat from a heat lamp (simply breaking the circuit and putting the thermostat inbetween).

I would also use a metal box as housing. Is there anything else I should be aware of? I have zero experience wiring AC power.

Without AC wiring experience, I can't recommend that you do this. A better suggestion would be to use a space heater in a closed off space (no flammable materials and have a smoke detector if you're going to leave it unattended).

However, if you ignore that, then at least consider the following.

Use an AFCI protected outlet. The arc-fault breakers will trip when things start sparking, hopefully before they burst into flames.

Make sure your switch is designed for your AC voltage. Wiring for HVAC thermostats are usually 24v. To use one of these, you'd need a 24v transformer and some kind of solenoid/relay to safely close the 120v circuit. They also make thermostats designed for 120v AC power, which would be a better option.


lay out common rafters with combination square I need to mark common rafters (plumb line and birdsmouth) to build a lean-to roof. I only have a combination square, a rusted try square and measuring tape.
All explanations involve either a speed square or a framing square.
Can it be done?

As  Aloysius Defenestrate commented I realized it can be done with any piece of flat wood that has a right angle and straight sides.

Pitch is a ratio between rise and run, it doesn't even matter in wich units you mark it. For example: 6:12 ( or 1:2 ). Mark 6 cm (or inches) on one side of the right angle, mark 12 on the other side. Now use that as a framing square, marking the plumb lines and bidsmouth the same way as you would with a real square.

Thanks


How can I make sure a shed is hurricane rated? I need to build a metal shed about 10' high and 6x6 in floor space which must be able to withstand 175 MPH winds.

How can I make sure that the shed and its anchors can hold up under those conditions?

I can think of two options that should work...

Shipping Container

A steel shipping container should be more than strong enough to meet hurricane ratings, and come in just about any size.

This company sells anchors that it claims should withstand strong winds & hurricanes, though they "have not been scientifically tested." They're basically big triangles of metal or long screws driven into the ground:

Monolithic Dome (shed sized)

A dome constructed of rebar, foam & concrete/shotcrete. They're very very resistant to winds (probably tornadoes too), and the weight combined with a cement slab & footing should make sure the whole thing won't blow away, ever. See Wikipedia or Inhabitat.com

Alibaba has a larger one, with images too:

For more conventional construction, if your neighbourhood/city has hurricane requirements then they must have guidelines on how to meet them, especially for usually DIY-friendly sheds. Check with them first.


Do we need steel beams when installing an Egress Window Our contractor suggests that we use steel beams restraints when we  implement our egress window his explanation is:

"Because your foundation is so tall, I don't want to cut the egress without putting a vertical steel beam restraint on each side of the new window. Your foundation will be weakened after the cut. The foundation will break within 5 years because of the hydrostatic pressure on the west side. "

Does this make sense ...  Our basement ceilings are 12 feet tall ...

Thanks

Paul

In my area, qualified engineers are required to review modifications to building structures. From my experience, if the contractor is worried about the strength of something, there is probably good reason to have it reviewed by an engineer.

Also a 12' high basement wall is no small item, openings place in it can cause issues if not done properly.

As Joe and others have mentioned, often times when placing new openings in existing concrete or cmu walls, two different load carry elements are compromised.

Vertical Carry Capacity. This is where steel lintels are used to carry the wall above that was previously carried by the wall that is being removed.
Lateral Load Carry Capacity. Basement walls are designed to carry pressure perpendicular to their surface. Be it from wind, soil, water, or seismic. Openings (full height or partial height) create a weakness that must be compensated for. Steel beams (running vertically from foundation to floor system above) can be used to support the weakness created by placement of a new openings.

Personally I would insist that a qualified professional review any modifications of this type. They can gather the necessary information (something we cannot do here), and make the correct judgement call. This way you can get your second opinion, check the contractor, and rest easy knowing that your home is going to be safe.


How to shut of water supply to laundry tub? The faucets on my laundry tub need to be replaced. I'm trying to figure out how to shut of the water supply to the hot and cold lines. There are two valves(maybe?) inline on each of the water lines right above the tub (shown in the attached picture). Are these shut-off valves? If not, what is the purpose of these? I don't see any other shut-offs on these water lines between the tub and the main pipes that go along the ceiling.

Either

Shut off the main valve (stopcock) for the building. If necessary drain pipes. Or
Buy a pipe-freezing kit. Prepare thoroughly. Have a plan B. Work fast.


Electrical switch for outdoor security light(motion activated) I would like to have the switch work to give power to outdoor lights when we are active on the patio, then hit the switch and turn off outdoor lights and send power to motion activated light. This way the motion activated light won’t keep on activating while family is on the patio. Then we hit switch to go to bed and motion activated light turns on and outdoor lights turn off. Was hoping to do it with one switch instead of two

If both sets of lights are on the same circuit at the same location, a 3-way switch is all you'll need. Since neutrals will be tied together, connect the feed to the dark screw (common terminal) and the load, usually black or red, from each set of lights to the two remaining terminals on the switch.


Patches of drywall mud on subfloor. Do I need to remove before installing flooring? We put down a 1/2" ply subfloor on top of our floor diagonals.

When the drywall guys were done there is basically dried splatter if drywall mud everywhere.

Do I need to scrape this off before installing tile floor. Our floor guy says that he will put a layer of hardiback board on top.

Is scraping enough or do I need to sand the floor smooth?

Just scraping it flush with the surrounding area of the subfloor will work fine. At most, I would vacuum areas where thinset is to be used under the cement board.This will pick up the dust in  the grain of the plywood subfloor, giving room for the thinset to grab better. Make sure the plywood is well fastened, 6" on edges, 8" both ways in the center of the panels. Screws are best. The diagonal subfloor hopefully was secured better first... nails reset, screws added...

In general I would vacuum everything that gets a finish over it to control future dust.


Filling Gap Between External Door Frame and Wall - For Securing Strike Plate Screws What can I use to fill a gap between a door frame and the wall, at the location where the strike plate screws will be anchored?

I recently installed a new external door frame where the wall ended up being pretty out of whack (the house is over 100 years old). The top of the door frame sits right on the wall, but the bottom required some shimming, as did points in-between. During this installation I failed to think about securing the locking hardware and, indeed, there is a decent gap (maybe 1/2") between the frame and the wall where the security screws are going in.

I'm not keen on this. I don't like that the screws are floating out in space for such a gap. I'd like to fill the gap with something that will (1) give the screws something more to bite and (2) stick to the frame and wall so it does actually provide additional security.

I thought about taking the trim off (of course, I installed the trim already - sigh) and wedging a new shim in, with construction adhesive on it to secure. But is there something I could just squirt in there that will set up and adhere to the adjoining pieces, and will take a screw when set up?

You could put some shims/wood filler/bondo in there, but it's 90% cosmetic. (The remaining 10% is that it would resist an attack with a prybar, but realistically, if someone is coming at your door with a prybar, you're doomed.)

The screws (assuming they're long enough to bite solidly into the framing), will do what they're supposed to do with or without filler.


How do I regrade the ground around my house? When we purchased our house, the inspector recommended that we regrade all the ground that meets the house to ensure water is draining away properly.

What do I need in order to do this (am I insane for even considering doing it myself?)?
What should I do with the plants that are currently in the way of digging up the ground to improve their chances of surviving the process?
Are there any potential issues we should be prepared for (discovering drains, buried cables, etc.)?

I was given the same recommendation and decided it would be too much work for me to do myself. I was told to use a clay based soil to ensure that it doesn't wash away and to plant some type of ground cover (something like Pachysandra) to take root and hold onto the soil.

I'm far from a gardening expert but it seemed to be a tremendous amount of work to do without some kind of heavy lifting equipment and a few tons of dirt.


If I want to deodorize my carpet with baking soda, should I spray water on the baking soda? https://web.archive.org/web/20160715111807/http://www.housekeepinghere.com/weekly/baking-soda-carpets/ says that I should keep the carpet dry, while http://www.repair-home.com/flooring/carpet/carpet-cleaning-solutions.html says that I should spray the area with water.

Baking soda needs to be in contact with the odors to work.  If the baking soda is wet, it will not really work at all because the water will be blocking the odors from getting near the surface of the baking soda.  I also suspect it would be a real mess to clean up.

In the past I've tried baking soda on carpets (dry!) and found it to be a waste of time.  A professional steam cleaning is probably the most effective solution.


How should I neutralize restored plaster walls? I have made half a dozen plaster patches within my home remodeling, each about 30-40 sq ft.  The plaster goes over brick, so not lath.  It was a hell of a job but still simpler than framing walls and hanging drywall.

I used the old-fashioned plaster recipe:  for the inner two coats (it needed that many coats to be flush with the old plaster bordering it because the old plaster is 3/4" thick) I used 2.5x masonry sand and 1x hydraulic lime (by a company called Virginia Lime Works).  For the finish coat I used 1.5x really fine sand (by Quickrete) and 1x the same hydraulic lime.

In preparation for painting, I was told that before applying primer, the presence of lime in the plaster required neutralizing.  I am not sure about this so I am asking to confirm.  In addition, are there better solutions to neutralizing than vinegar?

This thread at Contractor Talk regarding priming/painting new lime plaster has multiple good tips:

Wait 2-3 mos (until plaster is fully white), neutralize (vinegar in water was mentioned) and prime with an alkyd primer.


Question on Honeywell Thermostat Have an older round Honeywell Stat with 5 wires, G,Y,W,R, RH.  I have hot water heat (no fan) and a Central AC with air handler.

New stat has terminals for G,Y,W,R,RC.  Question is does the RH from the old stat go to R or RC on the new stat?  I assume that R would go to the remaining one.  I tried R to R and RH to RC and it's not working.

I'm assuming that R, Y, and G come from the air handler. While Rh and W come from the boiler.

That would mean that you need to:

Remove the jumper between R and Rc
Connect Rh from boiler to R on the thermostat
W from boiler to W on thermostat
R from A/C to Rc on thermostat
Y from A/C to Y on thermostat
G from A/C to G on thermostat


Will enclosing my porch keep my house warmer? Will enclosing my porches during the winter help keep my house warmer? There is a lot of wind hitting the house, and I'm afraid that is causing a drop in temperature.

An enclosed porch can act as an oversized "storm window" for the part of the house it covers, so there is some insulation benefit. How much depends on how well the porch is air-sealed and insulated. It's probably a relatively small part of the surface of the house (unless it's a wrap-around porch), but it certainly won't hurt and, depending on prevailing winds and lighting conditions, might help.

An enclosed porch can also act as an "airlock", reducing how much warm air you lose each time you go in and out by preventing winds from blowing straight into the house. Again, probably not a huge effect, but it's there. And gives you a sheltered place to leave outdoor stuff like bicycles, or muddy shoes that you don't want to track into the house.

I doubt energy savings alone justify it. Those combined with increasing the year-round usefulness of the porch space might.

(Mine just has storm windows all the way around. It definitely does work as windbreak and airlock and so on. Its R-value for the rest of the house is probably negligible, but I still find it useful -- and it gives me a screened porch in the summer as well. Someday I'll upgrade it into a three-season space, but there's no rush right now.)


Can I feed two circuits from one breaker? I'm running out of slots in my old electrical panel. All of my breakers have a single wire plugged in. Can I free one up by feeding my doorbell low voltage converter into the same circuit breaker that I use for my ceiling lights?

Yes, it's fine to combine circuits onto one breaker, at which point they become one circuit.  Provided, of course, that there is not a Code prohibition on that due to certain particular circuits needing to be dedicated, i.e. You can't add anything to a furnace circuit, and cannot add non-bathroom loads to a bathroom receptacle circuit.

Mechanically, you must use breakers listed for your panel by UL.  Your breakers might allow 2 wires on a terminal, if not just pigtail them. Wire nuts are allowed in panels.


Wall outlets with constant power All my wall outlets through out the house have constant power whether the switches are on or off. What can I do to make the power to the outlets be controlled by the switches? Jake

In this day and age? Use smart switches and either smart outlets or modules that the lamp plugs into.

But for God's sake, don't omit the permanently installed light - that should still be switched by a switch.  (It can be a second switch).  "Switched outlets instead of an installed lights" is not a style. They want you to think that, but it's just to save a couple bucks at the expense of safety.

Because real world, it's confusing whether you turn that plug-in light at the lamp or at the switch, and people do the wrong thing a lot, leaving them stumbling in the dark.  It's much worse for guests and First Responders.  I've seen several EMT interventions where they were flummoxed by light switches that did nothing. Disgraceful in the LED age.


Voltage between breaker box and earth I recently bought an older (1920) house.  The wiring was upgraded ~20 years ago.  The breaker box is on the back porch.  Circuits run  though conduit to the floor of the porch, however the conduit ended there.  I've been re running the wires so that conduit goes all the way to the interior of the house.
While doing this I felt a slight tingle (less than a 9v battery on your tongue). When I touched an open blister to the conduit, while lying on my back (sweaty, electrolyte) under the porch.  I only felt this when the open blister touched, other parts of my skin did not feel anything.  I then put a volt meter on it and read 1v between the conduit and the earth.
There is a grounding wire going to the plumbing. However, the input to the plumbing was at some point changed to Pex, so it no longer has a true grounding path.  The meter clearly has a grounding wire going back to the transformer (above ground on a pole that I can visually follow).  Is this a problem?  Should the breaker box be connected to a grounding stake?

Well, there’s only one source of power there, so if you got shocked at all, it was by 120V.
You still live because the resistances of the available current paths are wildly variable due to all sorts of factors including meteorology.  So you got lucky today.  Don’t try to get lucky tomorrow; that is to say, don’t count on that high impedance repeating itself.
It sounds like your electrical panel’s Grounding Electrode System relied on a metal water pipe which was improperly changed to plastic without addressing bonding.   There might also be other problems with the grounding system or the Neutral-Ground equipotential bond (the connection between N and G in your main panel).
Yes, as George describes, that wire going back to the service pole is neutral, not ground.  They are not the same thing.  The power company does not supply ground, but they do tie neutral to ground at the pole transformer.  This means there are some fault conditions where power will try to return via the earth to that transformer-pole ground.  Dirt is an exceedingly poor conductor, so this doesn’t flow a whole lot of current; and since it doesn’t, it creates a voltage gradient along the route.  You may have encountered some of that.
Some of your house’s appliances may have a ground fault, but this is not the time to address that; now you want to go over your Grounding Electrode System and your Neutral-Ground equipotential bond with a fine tooth comb to make sure all is in order.
Next, I’d use that voltmeter to make a perfunctory check of all the receptacles in your house (or rather, one per circuit, or rather, one per leg of service if you know what that is.  We are looking for voltages that are not 120V, but which add up to 240V-ish.   So if one leg is 99V and the other leg is 142V, that’s the red-flag.  Further this will change several volts if you turn on a big 120V appliance like a hair dryer or toaster.  This would indicate a lost neutral, which means your house is trying to return all imbalance (neutral) current via the Grounding Electrode System. That is easy to fix and it’s almost always in your power company’s bailiwick, so it’s free to you.


How can I support a large aquarium built into a wall? I have a wall that goes 3/4th of the way to the ceiling between my living room and dining room. I would like to put a fish tank in it, spanning the length of the wall.

I have the engineering skills to build the tank, but I don't know much about actually placing it in the house.

The tank will be 12x2x2 in size, so I'll need to cut a hole 12'x3' into the wall.

I'm concerned about two major things: I need the surface that the tank sits on to remain smooth to evenly distribute the weight, and the other is the weight.

This tank, once filled and assembled will likely weight close to 3500 pounds. What do I need to do to insure that there won't be any problems with the wall, floor, or anything else to support that much weight. The wall is on the first floor of the house, is not load bearing, and the foundation is a concrete slab.

Static load affects structures much differently than dynamic (moving) load. A dynamic load will give periods of relaxation for members to return to their previous shape. A static load will promote bending. Considering the pressure and surface area, you basically need this to sit on your slab.  The tank can't take pressure, and you don't want the tank pulling your house down via the wall it is attached to, so for the house, you're basically building a 12 foot wide door, and a tank that's just under the door frame.

The rest is planning for eventual water spill and easy maintenance.

Most aquarium frames capable of holding a 2 foot by 2 foot cross section aquarium are made from 2x4 with 3/4 inch plywood facing.  They use a ladder frame for the top and bottom, and have vertical members spaced every 2 feet.  The exceptions to these rules include removing every other run in the floor frame (to accommodate sump equipment) and ever other riser on the access side of the frame (to accommodate repairing / replacing the sump equipment).  Reinforce the frame as you see fit (most are very overbuilt), as skimping on a little extra 2x4 can buy you a lot of sleepless nights.

Build a pan into the frame if you can.  Build a drain into the room if you can.  Keep in mind that you'll need storage space for water treatment, and access to the top of the tank.  The best solution is a "aquarium closet" with an extra tank just under 1/2 the size of your aquarium.  If possible, build that room like a shower, with a central drain, and greenboard around the floor area.  In the event that your aquarium develops a leak, it will probably do so when you're on vacation :)

Pay attention that the frame is level and solid on the floor.  After you fill the aquarium it will not rock, but those warnings about static load apply to the frame too.  If the frame bends, the glass sheets will encounter stress along the seams, and you will get a leaky seal between the sheets.

Ironically, at your size you really shouldn't be messing with anything except a reef-ready tank, which conveniently comes with holes drilled in the bottom :) (for those who don't know, that's a good thing as sump equipment is stored below the aquarium)


How to get rid of pigeons under an air conditioner outdoor unit, on the high floor of an apartment? My family lives on the high floor of an apartment. Pigeons live under our air conditioner outdoor unit too. They cry every morning so it bothers my brother. But there is nothing much we can do. The floor is so high and no space to stand, so we can't get out from the window to get rid of them. We are thinking about calling an exterminator.

How to get rid of pigeons under an outdoor unit? And how to prevent them afterward?

If they have a nest with eggs or chicks, you will pretty much need to remove the nest to get rid of them because they will be very persistent in protecting the nest.  If you don't care about being humane, you could make an "L" shaped tool to reach under the unit and knock the nest out.  Use a mirror on a long pole to see what you're doing.

If they are just congregating under the unit, you can use repellent foil.  It's a Mylar ribbon imprinted with an irridescent holographic pattern.  You can find it at places like Amazon or big hardware chains.  Here's an example:

The patterns vary.  Apparently, birds can't focus on the pattern and it scares them away from landing.  Just hanging it in the vicinity keeps birds away:

In the picture above, there is some hung vertically and some horizontally to protect different areas.  In the picture below, they just have some ribbons of it that flap in the wind:

For your problem under the unit, you would make a big loop of it, drop the loop under the unit from the window (assuming it's under a window), and fasten the ends in a reachable spot.  If there is nothing good to fasten them to, and you can reach the top of the unit, staple the ends to a board that sits on top of the unit.  You might want several loops of different lengths if there's a big area underneath.  If you use a board, secure the board with adhesive, or double-sided mounting tape, so wind doesn't blow it off and cause damage or injury below.


Tv will be off center if mounting to studs I’m trying to mount my Samsung Frame above our fireplace. The placement of the studs makes it so the tv would be about 1 1/4 inch off center if I hang it with the included mount anchored into a stud on each end. If I went directly centered no studs would line up with any of the mounting holes. The tv is 55 lbs.
My main question is 1 1/4 inch off center going to be noticeable for 65” tv, over a 71” mantel, viewed normally from a couch 10-11ft away?
I’ve thought through some of these alternatives:
The Frame comes with a very specific no-gap mount that makes the tv tight to the wall and look like a painting.  We’d like to use the no-gap mount, so that rules out 3rd party mounts. The included mount doesn’t allow for any lateral movement. It does have various mounting holes, but unfortunately but their placement doesn’t span long enough to allow for any studs to be hit while centered. Also wanting to keep the tv tight to the wall rules out mounting plywood across multiple studs and attaching the mount to that.
Update: I was browsing a store and happened to find that a third party makes the exact same no-gap mount. I was hesitant to drill holes in the OEM mount since that'd void the warranty. No qualms drilling the aftermarket mount.
This first picture is the mount lined up with the center of the studs(yellow lines) using the existing holes. You can see the center line is off center.
This next picture is the mount and where the center of the studs(green lines) line up.
If I drill a new hole on the top left side there'll be .56 inches of margin on the left side of the hole. I think that should be ok since the existing holes are only .4 inches from the top. Also since there's a taper, I'll need to move the bottom left hole in a bit and maybe hit slightly off center on the stud. Does that all sound alright?
If I'm trying to follow the manufacturers instructions I should add two sheetrock anchors in addition to the 4 stud holes. If I use anchors in the two center holes(my thumb is covering one) is there enough width between everything? I think it should be alright?
Thanks for your input!!

drill holes in the frame where the studs are.  No way would I put a $1000 TV on toggle bolts.


How do I measure the thickness of something with a lip or frame? I'm looking for a device like vernier calipers (ie 0.1mm resolution or thereabouts is fine), but in more of a C-clamp configuration which allows me to measure the thickness of some object's face where there is a thicker frame, lip or ridge around the outside which makes it impossible to use verniers.

A few examples:

Thickness of glass plate in a framed mirror
Thickness of the side walls of a container with a narrowed top
Thickness of a lipped lid, say for a barrel

I know there must be a range of measurement devices to do these sorts of things, but my Google-fu is failing me today. Micrometers are the closest I can get, but (1) I don't need that sort of accuracy, and (2) they still don't work if the lip/frame is too thick.

What should I be looking for?

There are special forms of Vernier caliper such as these known as neck calipers.

  These neck calipers enable measurements in hard to reach places.
  They offer you the following benefits:

  You can measure wall thickness inside bores and recesses.

Obviously, the machinists calipers in A.I.Breveleri's answer will be cheaper and will probably work for a much wider range of situations.

Another type is the Curre-jaw caliper - again with a vernier scale - though both these jaw types are available on calipers with electronic digital readout

There are also a very wide range of external dial calipers, as kris and pcdev identified.


Building an Attic Loft with a Low Pitch Roof (Approximately 5:12) I'm new to the site.

I'm curious as to what kind of potentially usable space I might see if I built (or had help building) an attic loft in a 2/2 home with a low pitched roof (about 5:12 pitch).

Basic Details:
- 1160 square feet, 2 bed, 2 bath
- 5:12 pitch (not a high pitched roof)
- slab = 40' x 30' (approximately)

If I move forward with the idea, I'm thinking of replacing the attic ladder with a spiral staircase - currently in a closet.

I have not purchased the home yet, so unfortunately I cannot get exact measurements.

Any direction or research ideas would be helpful as I am a complete novice to this idea. So far, everything I've found are Attic Loft ideas for High Pitched Roofs so even a website link for an attic loft with a low pitched roof example would be helpful.

Many Thanks!
-Gabriel B.
Houston, TX

I'd say bad idea & keep looking at other houses. Go look at it again with a tape measure. But, the only thing I might consider is putting the utilities up there to gain more user-friendly space on the main floor. Get rid of closets to use floor to ceiling cabinetry instead & store more up in the attic. Maybe a garage or porch can be abandoned & converted to real square footage.

The issue is structural framing & of course roof pitch. It may be stoop worthy but not stand-up worthy & therefore would not ever constitute a legal room of any kind. Typically, the ceiling has to have a minimum peak of 7-feet & you may only have a 3-foot wide section of anything even close to that. Depending on joist height, insulation, rafter depth, collar ties & ridge beam. If any wood has to come out, the plan fails instantly & should not be attempted.

However, if it's wide open & you're thinking it'll just be an office type use where you're seated the majority of the time, then it may work for you. Though, I'd opt for more insulation & hanging utilities from the rafters to then use it as just a crawlspace sort of storage area.


Is a roof made out of glass viable? I have thought about that if I am ever going to build a single floor house this is what I would do. I would make the whole roof out of glass (like a greenhouse). This glass roof would be made out of double glass with as much as 20 cm between the two. In this space I imagine that there would be a very dark curtain, which would stop sunlight in the case where the temperature inside the house gets too high (I am living in Scandinavia so this would just be the case for a few months per year). It would be possible to control the ventilation in the space between the glasses by opening sections of the roof.

The positive effects of this would be:

Watching the stars from bed at night
Feeling like one is outside the whole day if the curtains are away
Less need for lighting

A part of the reason for doing this is that light is a precious thing in Scandinavia during the winter.

What am I missing here? Why have I never heard about such a house (bad research?)?

You lose more heat through ceilings than through other surfaces (because the warm air is touching it, and because of good convection currents).

The insulation value of glass is very low. To put it in USA terms, a single pane of glass is R-1, while many house walls are R-20 and ceilings R-30. I've seen superinsulated roofs at R-60. Even triple-pane glass is only R-3; inert gases inside help, but over time they leak; you probably can't have a good seal if you want to run a curtain through them.

During the day, insolation will warm your house through the ceiling (probably too much, even in your part of the world), but at night when you're only losing heat, you'll really feel it. You'll use a lot of energy to stay warm.

At the same time, it would be very expensive. Windows are generally an expensive feature in a house. Sloped windows should be tempered for safety, which makes them even more expensive. And you're talking about a huge area.

Roofs in particular get beat up pretty hard; standard roofs (asphalt shingles) around here last about 20 years.

Meanwhile, you lose the opportunity to put photo-voltaic panels on your roof.

However, you can get a lot of what you're looking for with a much less ambitious approach.

Small solar tubes bring in a huge amount of light for their size.
A skylight over your bed can let you stargaze in comfort. Put your bed up high for a wide viewing angle.
Spend more time outdoors.


Can touching 2 live wires trip breaker? I have two questions. I couldn't find it in google or archives.

First. When you accidentally touch both line and neutral or line to line with your fingers or different parts of your body (for example, fingers to line, toe to neutral or another line), what is the minimum amperage of the circuit breaker before it can trip?  For example, if you have a 60 ampere circuit breaker.. would it trip when you accidentally touch line and neutral, or line to line?

Second. If line and neutral touch themselves, what is the maximum breaker amperage when it can still trip. Like if the breaker rating is 500 Ampere.. it may no longer trip when the line and neutral touch would it. I want to know if specifically 60 Ampere breaker can trip if line to neutral or line to line shorts or touches.

In general, circuit breakers provide protection from overloads and short circuits.  Their primary purpose is to protect the wiring - overloaded wiring will overheat, break down insulation, and eventually start a fire.

They are designed to trip immediately on short circuit, when you have line to line or line to neutral contact.  With a short circuit, you have extremely high current.

They are not designed to trip immediately on overload at their nominal protection rating;  in other words, your 60 amp breaker won't trip immediately under a 61 amp load.  There is a "trip curve" for the breaker, which describes how long it takes to trip on overload - longer / slower for a slight overload, shorter / faster for a more dramatic overload.

When accidental contact causes current to flow through your body, your body's resistance is high enough that the current is usually quite small;  it only takes tiny currents to cause injury or death.  This won't trip a regular breaker - it isn't a short circuit or an overload.  Regular circuit breakers are not designed to trip for safety.

Note that faults that travel through ground are also usually through high enough ground resistance that small currents flow, not enough to trip a breaker.  When an equipment grounding system is in place, it will provide a low resistance path for many faults, allowing enough current to flow to quickly trip the breaker and "clear the fault."

GFCI / GFI / RCD circuit breakers have another means of tripping.  A GFCI device monitors for the current on each of the two or three wires to see if there's any current going out on one wire that isn't returning on the others, which means there must be current flowing through ground, which could be a person receiving a shock.  There are different types of GFCI, but common US class A GFCI trips at only 4-6 milliamps of current, low enough to prevent injury.  Other types have higher trip levels.

Note that a GFCI only protects against accidental contact that causes a ground fault;  under some circumstances you can still receive a shock from a GFCI.  For example, if you are wearing rubber soled shoes on a dry wooden floor and are making no ground contact, and you grabbed a bare neutral with one hand then a bare line conductor with the other, there would likely be no current flowing through the ground, and the GFCI would not trip.


Is notching a flange on an I-Joist ever acceptable? My home builder said that the following notch in a flange on an I-Joist was acceptable, but I've read that you're never supposed to do so. Is that true?

According to this document (PDF), accidental notches in the top flange may not need to be repaired if they meet specific criteria. To determine if a repair is required, we'd need a bit more information, including:

The distance from the center of the notch to the end of the beam.
The depth of the notch.
The specific beam used, including beam height.

If a repair is required, it may be as simple as gluing and nailing on a 2x4 and some backing material.

This repair can be placed on either side of the beam, so in your case, it could be done on the side opposite the pipe.
Note that the building code specifically says "unless the effects of such penetrations are specifically considered in the design of the member". This means that the manufacturer of the beam is the one that determines what type and how much damage requires repair.

IRC R502.8.2 Engineered wood products.
Cuts, notches and holes bored in trusses, laminated veneer lumber, gluelaminated members or I-joists are not permitted unless the effects of such penetrations are specifically considered in the design of the member.

If you don't trust the advice of your builder, or simply want a second opinion, you could contact the local building department, and see if they'll come take a look. Contacting a structural engineer is another option, though I'm sure you'll have to pay them for their time.
While damage to these types of beams is concerning, it's better to seek professional assistance, rather than relying on the lunatic rantings of a bunch of dimwits on the internet. Now that you're done reading the lunatic rantings of this dimwit, seek the advice of somebody with a framed piece of paper on their wall.


Garden hose spins but does not unscrew I am trying to detach a garden hose that is presently hooked to a dehumidifier. It spins freely but will not unscrew itself. Any idea what to do? Here is a picture:

The knurled portion of the fitting is the part that unscrews. The longer brass-colored portion should be held stationary, perhaps with pliers while loosening, perhaps with another set of pliers, the knurled portion. This should allow you to release the hose.


Removing old electrical box in ceiling I have hit an obstacle in my quest to replace my light fixture. The current electrical box in the ceiling is a very old type as shown in the picture I attached.

How does one go about removing this? I have searched high and low, even looking for older products and their manuals but no luck as this box seems to be ancient. The screws don't seem to come off? No matter how much I try they seem to be stuck on purpose. There is also what looks like a brace holding the box.

I appreciate everyone's time!

At least two of those screws look like wood screws. the other a machine screw. The machine screw probably has a nut on the other end that is spinning when you spin the screw.

In all three cases, try grabbing it (a screw) with a pair of needle nose or regular pliers, and pull down on it while you turn counterclockwise. See it it begins to unscrew. Sometimes you can us a flat bladed screwdriver to apply pressure against a screw while you unscrew it with the right screwdriver.

In either case, as you noted you are installing a fixture rated for a ceiling fan, you will most likely want to gain access to the area above, or open the ceiling a bit further to secure the new mount. (They typically have spikes you are supposed to hammer into the wood, and for good measure holes to make it permanent).

Also, that is obviously some old wire. Just curious, are you going to put in new romex to control the light and the fan separately if the unit you have supports that?

Hope this approach works for you.


How standard is American Standard Mounting for mortise locks? If I have a door whick has been prepared for one ASM mortise lock, can I directly substitute another? For example, if the door had a Yale mechanical lock, would moving to a Kaba electronic lock just require a few new mounting holes for the keypad?

Maybe.

American Standard Mortise standardized the size of the opening in the door that the lock body fits into and where the screws are to affix that in place.

However, it seems everything else is subject to variation. The centerline of the knobs or handles may be a bit higher or lower in the new lock than in the old one, requiring additional drilling. The size of the opening for the handles may also need to be different.

The spring latch, deadlatch, and deadbolt may also be higher or lower on thd door edge. In the simple case this is solved by replacing the strike with the one that came with the lock -- again, mounting holes are somewhat standardized -- but this variability means the new lock may not align correctly with an existing electric strike, which you probably weten't planning on replacing. And I've seen the deadlatch located both above and below the spring latch, further complicating this.

Measure everything precisely before shopping, measure again when you get home, do a test mounting of the new lock body so you can actually see how door and frame will align before you begin any other installation steps, and be prepared to either take the new lock back and try again or have the job Take Much Longer and potentially require additional investment to salvage.

(Been There, Done That... Or failed to do that, because my friend said the supply house said it would work and he'd checked it... my own fault for not checking it myself immediately, but I was distracted by the metal door, which is a set of issues I'm less experienced with.)


Stripped screw in door knob I have a stripped screw in my door handle. I tried drilling it to hopefully get a better grip but ended up messing it up further. I believe that i have drilled deep enough to the point where the shank is exposed.

Are there any other ways to remove the screw? Thank you

That does not look like you have got down to the shank yet.

Gently keep drilling and the head should come off.

Then if you remove the trim and other parts you should be able to get pliers or grips onto the bit left sticking out and remove it.


I want to install outlet on existing junction box I tried to install an outlet on existing junction box as below, but failed because it's too small to put in. I have 3 solutions to think.

Remove junction caps and put 2 outgoing lines into backstabs and screws, so it works as junction
Buy conduits and extend another box on the top
Replace existing box to bigger one (I can't.. because I can't take out the box from bottom conduits)

Can you tell me which is the best(means easiest) solution? (You can put your own)

That box has plenty of room, but you need to be strategic in where you place the wire nuts.  There is a hollow in the middle of the box, and they should be pushed back down there.  It also helps to use a less bulky model of wire nut.  Ideal brand is popular among electricians.

As far as GFCI, don't put a GFCI here.  It's outdoors and the GFCI will quickly corrode and fail.

GFCI devices are able to protect a downline circuit, e.g. A GFCI circuit breaker does exactly that.   So follow this circuit back toward the ser ice panel.  If it makes a stop at an indoor receptacle, fit the GFCI there and place this downline on its LOAD terminals.  Many people use those terminals accidentally because they don't know any better; use them deliberately.  Or you can use a GFCI breaker.

Then, fit a plain receptacle here and place "GFCI Protected" stickers here and on any other receptacles that are now so protected. Those are included with the GFCI.

Lastly, fit an outdoor "in use" "waterproof" cover.  They don't work, but they're required by Code.  The GFCI inside the house will do the protecting of all the wire in this box including the LINE side wiring  (which a GFCI out here can't protect).


Do I need a subfloor or a Dricore subfloor panels on concrete (basement) for ceramic tile? I'm trying to do the most intelligent, yet cost efficient method to tiling by concrete basement floor.  On some sites, it states to use a subfloor, with the underlayment.  Others it states to just tile over the concrete, with an underlayment.  I DID purchase some of the Dricore panels, but I'm not sure if using them will be a benefit or just an expensive, no value added addition?  I have no idea the best way to go about this.  HELP!

Do not use the Dricore panels!! It is a great product, but not for tile installs.

If you want the best installation, go directly over the floor with an anti-fracture membrane and tile directly over that. Many big box stores will carry one brand or another that will do the job. If the floor has been around for many years and there are no cracks where you wish to lay tile, then in my opinion, you will not need the anti-fracture membrane either, go directly over the concrete.


What could be wrong with my flood damaged water heater? We have an electric water heater. The basement flooded with 2 1/2 feet of water.  Now when I take a shower the water goes cold in 3 to 5 minutes. What could be wrong?

Replace the thing, it's shot.  The lower thermostat if not the lower element's toast, and several other parts could have failed as well, in addition for the potential for waterlogged insulation causing...issues, especially if some foam-eating mold moves into it.

Oh, and your tank's likely to have started rusting from the outside in if the insulation has water in it, too.


Mounting a Fireplace Mantel - Steel Studs My wife and I are in the process of revamping our basement and are hoping to install a new floating mantel over our gas fireplace in the basement. I'm hoping to get a piece of 2" thick, live-edge cedar for the mantel. My question is how best to mount it to the drywall above the fireplace. My concern is that our basement is framed in with steel studs and I'm concerned about the weight distribution of the wood slab. The mantel would be approximately 70" wide, however, I have access to a crawl space behind the fireplace and found that in addition to the drywall, a sheet of 19/32 plywood has been installed behind the drywall for presumably, extra support.

With that, what would be the best way to mount this? I've done a bit of searching online and haven't landed on anything. I've read anything from toggle bolts to lag bolts to carriage bolts with nuts and washers. Should I aim to go into the studs or just utilize the plywood backer or something completely different? Any thoughts or tips would be very appreciated!

A plywood backer is a great starting point. From there you could bore some hole edgewise in the live edge mantelpiece and install the anchors mounted into the plywood. If done properly and carefully your Live Edge mantel piece should be able to withstand much weight plus its own weight without moving. One thing to keep in mind is the height to distance ratio of your mantelpiece. Combustibles going over a fireplace have a ratio of how much horizontal distance off the fireplace to how vertically high above the fireplace your combustibles are.


4 New LED lights, Last one flickering Just bought a house and took out old ugly garage-looking lights from the kitchen (long bulb in a frame with thin plastic covers), and cut some holes to put in 4 slim recessed LED lights. There are two switches controlling these lights, but I believe they’re connected in the wall because there’s only one source coming into the kitchen lights.
The problem is light number 4 is not turning on, and has a slow flicker. First three lights work fine.
I connected them the only way I expected lights to be connected in  a line (hot, neutral and ground go from source, to light 1, to light 2, to light 3, and terminate at light 4).
It is possible the wires aren’t tight. These LED lights use a little plastic piece where you insert the wires, rather than twisting them together. However at light 3, I clipped off the plastic piece for  neutral, stripped and Then twisted them in a nut because they kept slipping out.
Perhaps I need to look at hot wires in light 3? Clip the plastic piece, strip and twist them All together to ensure a tight connection?
Do I wire them in a ‘serial’ method where the neutral from source goes to light 4? Hot goes to light 1, then connect from 1-4 from neutral to hot, and light 4’s neutral connects with the source neutral?
Anything else to check?

Of late, the big-box stores have brought in quite a sea of cheap imported crud.  It's not near as bad as the awful imported crud found on the flea markets of eBay and Amazon Marketplace (anything that isn't "sold by: Amazon.com"). Things from Lowes are certified by Nationally Recognized Testing Lab such as UL or ETL... so they won't kill you from toxic smoke or something equally avoidable. That says nothing about quality, and it might just be a bum light.  The surest way to tell is swap the relevant pieces with the next lamp over.
I agree those push connectors are dodgy as a rule.  Whenever you get "free" stuff like that, feel totally empowered to replace it with a quality item you feel comfortable with.
You are correct that the problem could be at light #3 in the chain, and I'd pull those out of the connector and put them on a wire nut.


Could clogged exhaust cause codes 13/33 on my furnace, and how do I check and clear? My Carrier Performance 96 series furnace (similar to the 59TP6 currently shown on Carrier's website, but I don't have the exact model number in front of me) has been showing codes 13 ("Limit Circuit Lockout") and 33 ("Limit Circuit Fault") intermittently for the last two years, but several repairmen have come and been unable to find anything wrong.

According to the manual, the codes indicate that the flame roll-out switch has been tripped, but it seems like that can't be the case since the flame roll-out switches require manual reset and I have never done so. The troubleshooting section of the manual refers to other "limit" switches, but there are no such switches installed on this unit and nowhere else in the manual talks about them.

Yesterday the unit spent most of the day alternating between these two codes, and I decided to spend some time watching it. I sat there in front of it for half an hour (holding a carbon monoxide detector and) watching the flames. The flames look exactly as they should, in both low and high stages, and I see no roll-out.

After seeing nothing for 30 minutes I assumed that maybe one of the roll-out switches is faulty and I should replace them, so I put the cover back on and went to order new limit switches. Minutes later, the unit shut off again with code 13.

The second time I sat down in front of it, it sounded like the exhaust inducer motor was struggling a little, and that leads me to my questions:

This unit uses a concentric vent for intake of combustion air and for exhaust, and the pipes for these are around 30ft long. At the furnace end, they have multiple complex bends because of space constraints, then once they reach the ceiling above the unit they head straight across the room to the outside wall.

Is it possible that a clog in either (or both) of the pipes could cause this condition?
How can I check for such a blockage? If I find one, how can I clean it out?
I have identified a much straighter vertical path for the vent pipes. Is it worth cutting them and redoing them?

To me it sounds like a motor lubrication issue, your fan motor that sounds like it is struggling is probably the issue. Check for lube ports on the fan, if there is a port on the motor case both front and back try a few drops of motor oil in the ports, if there are no ports the bearings may be zz or double sealed and normally need to be replaced, in a pinch one of the shields could be pulled and fresh lube added in the form of a light grease as oil will just drip away if not designed for oil and grease is used.  The last type is an oil light bearing. These are not usually used on quality fans but possible the bearing is a sleeve that wicks oil from a wadding adding oil until the wadding is saturated will usually give new life to the bearing (these are usually found on low load fans like bathroom and low cost window ac units). There is probably a cane switch or a pressure switch that monitors the flow and may be triggering the fault code, oiling may help the fan to produce full speed/flow and solve your problem.


Where do I connect my C wire from my thermostat when there are two transformers? I have a Laars gas boiler that has 3 heating zones. I want to replace the old mercury honeywell tstat on the 1st floor (heat only) with a newer honeywell RTH9580 wifi model. I've taken pictures of my entire system, labeled the wires in the pics to indicate the associated connections, and included the Laars wiring diagram.  There is a transformer mounted on the wall near the boiler that is wired in-line to the system (power from the panel --> into the emergency boiler switch --> into the wall transformer --> then to the boiler (low water cut off and boiler circuitry).  There is also a transformer within the boiler circuitry itself.  Can someone tell me the best method (proper preferred, not necessarily easiest) to connect the C wire?

Okay... After reviewing your new photos, I think I have it figured out.

This is what your system looks like

You'll have to excuse the glitter pens, it's the only thing I could find on my wife's desk.

It's pretty simple actually. When a thermostat calls for heat, the valve for that zone opens, and the boiler is also signaled via the auxiliary switch in the valve.

To get a C wire to one or more of the thermostats, you'll simply run a wire from the other side of the transformer on the wall.

NOTE: If this diagram is accurate, the white wire to the thermostat is R, while the red wire is W.

The original wire from the transformer should be connected to the R terminal on the thermostat, while the new C wire should be connected to the C terminal on the new thermostat. This should supply power to the thermostat, and allow it to operate as normal.

The way your thermostat is currently wired, you'll have to swap the white and red wires to get it to work. So white will go to R, and red will go to W.

To make this fit a more common wiring style, I'd probably rewire it a bit. So that the red wires going to the thermostat, connected the transformer and the R terminals. And the white wires connected from the zone valves to the W terminals on the thermostats.

Rewired to fit a more common style.

Then you'll run the blue wire from the white transformer lead, up to the C terminal on the thermostat.


I cannot remove stopper & rocker-arm assembly completely from bathtub drain Despite the position of the overflow lever, I cannot remove the articulating assembly entirely. In the past if I messed with it enough it would slide out. What am I doing wrong this time?  Obviously I'm trying to plunge a slow draining tub again...

An accumulation of hard water deposits and anything else that washed through the drain is probably binding it's removal. Pour some CLR or Lime-away into the overflow opening. After awhile chase it with hot water. It could also be that any articulating pieces aren't lining up to allow the arms to be removed. If the sections are hinged they need to pivot at a 90 degree angle to the tub face.


Electric stove oven stopped working We used our electric stove to heat up our home. We turned all 4 top burners on and the oven. We left the oven door open. It stayed on about 45 minutes. Well, i turned everything off for about 2 minutes. When i went back to cook, the digital clock and oven went out. Top burners still work. What happened?

We used our electric stove to heat up our home.

Uh, like voiding warranties do you?

  What happened?

Sounds like you busted it.  Ovens are NOT space heaters.....

If you're lucky, there's a thermal fuse that will self-reset in an hour or so of no use.  You might try cycling the breaker.  But really don't.  If its acting badly because of a wiring problem the last thing you want to do is re-energize that wiring.

If the oven does not start working after several hours of non-use (thermal fuse), you have destroyed it.  You get to buy a new oven now.  If the new oven does not work, then you also get to run new wiring from the breaker panel to the oven.

It's going to be very expensive.  But cheaper than paying to rebuild the structure and put up room and board in a burn ward for all the residents.


Toxic fumes from spray paint I had a painter round my one bedroom flat where I live with my cat, he say's he will use paint spray as it is quicker, is it safe, the fumes? on google it says not safe to breathe in, but others say its okay?  now I am needing some advice as I know nothing about painting, he will be using dulux magnolia on all rooms, any advice would be appreciated thanks.

Spraying paint is a common technique and can be safe if done properly.

You should not be present while the spraying is going on.

The paint fumes may or may not be a problem depending on the type of paint. Low VOC (volatile organic compounds) give off very little fumes, are now generally preferred, and are mandated in some locales. They have less solvents and are much less toxic. Note that some painters still prefer older style paints with higher VOCs, claiming better application and durability.

Once modern paint designed for residential use dries, it gives off little in the way of fumes, although some odors may linger for a few days (or even weeks). Some people are more sensitive than others. But aside from the day of application, the level of fumes from paint is fairly similar regardless of whether it was sprayed or applied by brush and roller.


Clogged toilet in mobile home I cleaned my toilet and flushed all the blue cleaner down. The water barely went down. I purchased a 3' toilet snake which did nothing. I then used a much longer drain snake. Still nothing. I went to clean the toilet again due to all the splashing from snaking the drain. That's when I realized a large chunk of the toilet brush was gone which is obviously what clogged the toilet to begin with. I have no way of knowing how far in the obstruction is and can't afford $500 for a plumber. Any suggestions?

The piece of the brush may still be stuck in the toilet. I have used toilet auggers on several occasions and gone past the blockage, pulled the toilet and the drain was fine, running the augger backwards through the toilet got the dog toy that was stuck , and it pushed the light bulb out into the bowl that my daughter flushed. A wax seal is only a few $ and toilets are not hard to pull 2 bolts and a water line, make sure to flush the water out of the toilet, I then like to use a shop vac to suck the water out of the trap because when the toilet is laid down to try and reverse augger the toilet water will leak out of the trap if not removed.


What is the correct use for linseed oil on outdoor wood? I have doors, patio furniture and windows which all need constant attention in terms of varnish and wood sealers.

I have recently found a good contact for raw linseed oil, and would like to use something like this to preserve my wood.

What is the better choice between raw and boiled linseed and should I rather use the polywax sealers that you get in stores?

Essentially I would like to retain the lustre of the wood.

I have always used boiled linseed oil on the handle of my garden equipment. Wooden shovels, rakes, pickaxes, and such. That's what I thought it was for. It lasts a long time and doesn't get slick or gummy. I just get a rag wet with it and wipe it on. It should look great on some outside furniture.


How can I remove paint smears on my vinyl siding? I have some paint (latex, exterior) smears on my vinyl siding. It's set in the tiny cracks and is thoroughly cooked by the sun. I want to remove that.

I was recommended methyl hydrate, which gave me moderate success (scrubbed for a while with plain old scott towel). But it doesn't seem to be getting rid of the paint in the tiny cracks. Is there something better I could use? (I'd wash the place down with water to avoid reactions).

When I get paint on something like clothing I use nail polish remover. It takes time to soften the paint and remove it, but it doesn't harm the fabric.


What is the most energy efficient way to heat a converted garage space? I'm looking for advice of how to best heat a converted garage space (w/ some insulation). I live in So. Cal and so the lowest winter temp at night is about 40 degrees.  Normally I only need to heat the place up a maximum of 10-15 degrees and only at certain times of the day, not constantly.

I've pulled a gas line into the room. One contractor suggested a unit like the Modine Hot Dawg but worry that it may be too noisy (we use the space as an office / guest room). A local heating company suggested a dustless mini split unit which is electric.  I've been reading about the benefits of radiant heating units.  Would appreciate any tips and suggested sites to visit to learn more.

In that climate, the most energy efficient method is a heat pump.  An added bonus is that it can air condition during hot times, something that is presumably a requirement for an office space or guest room in SoCal.

Heat pumps come in all kinds of flavors, but those designed for and often used in commercial and residential space should be plenty quiet.  Perhaps a 3/4 ton (9,000 BTU/hr) ductless unit (at $500) like this would be more than adequate:

Beyond that, energy efficiency can be further increased with better insulation, decreased air infiltration, and more efficient windows.

Comfort probably can be further improved by adding thermal mass:  heavy furnishings, dense partitions, heavy curtains and wall hangings, etc.


If I move my sink, how should I route the vent? I want to relocate my kitchen sink to an inside wall from the outside wall. The vent pipe is currently in the outside wall. Can I run the vent pipe across the ceiling between the rafters ,the rafters run in the direction same direction the vent would go The walls are 11 feet apart.

Does your jurisdiction allow Air-Admittance Valves (aka AAVs or Studor vents)? If it does, this would eliminate the need for an external vent.


Installing tile on screened porch We have screened porch that currently has outdoor carpet on the floor. We want to get rid of the carpet and maybe tile the porch. There is standard decking under the carpet. I have been told by both friends and a flooring contractor that we can just put cement board down and tile over it. However, there are, of course, small gaps in the decking, so some moisture will come up from the ground under the deck. My questions are:

Can I just use regular cement board for this application?
What thickness would I need?
Are there any other considerations I am missing?

I have tiled a couple of of bathrooms and a fireplace and would like to tackle this project myself to save some money. Thanks.

One of the joys of actual ceramic tile (as opposed to various plastic tile products) is a high tolerance for moisture.

The major consideration for any ceramic tile job is how solid the floor under it is - what it won't tolerate is much movement/flexing. Depending on the specifics of your existing deck/floor, that may be a reason to add layers to stiffen it.


Reduce speed of existing well pump My existing well pump (at 550 ft deep) is a nearly brand new (installed last July) 3 wire pump and I do not want to replace it. However, I now have a 1500 gallon underground cistern in which to store water. I can use the existing pump just fine, but filling the cistern rapidly depletes the well, which doesn't produce water as fast as the pump can drain it.

Is there a way to take my existing pump and reduce its operating speed so that it pumps slower than the recovery rate of the well?

Simplest solution from scratch: - put the deep well pump on a timer that only lets it run for a short length of time when filling the cistern. Say 15 minutes every hour, or whatever ratio actually works with the pumping rate and refill rate. So you'd have a (float switch?) calling for water into the cistern, and you'd have the deep well pump set to pump for 15 minutes (or whatever time works) and be off for 45 minutes (or whatever time works) when the cistern is calling for water.

You can try restricting the flow from the pump (which will, counterintuitively to most, reduce its power draw) but this will result in high pressures in the piping from the pump to the restriction - possibly higher than is advisable, depending on the pipe and fittings.

Simplest solution if the parts are already in place: If the deep well pump was set up with a normal pressure switch and bladder/pressure tank, you could also simply use that arrangement as the source of a restricted fill to the cistern, and the pressure switch would act as the "timer" and the restrictor valve would act as the restriction, without any excessively high pressures. The cistern float switch (or the float itself, mechanically) would control a valve in line with the restrictor valve. Set the restrictor valve for a flow slightly lower than the well refill rate.

Well--Pump--Pressure switch--bladder tank--restrictor valve--float-controlled valve

If your pressure switch has a low-pressure cut-out it will shut itself off (until you reset it) if the water level gets too low in the well. In that case, you could close the restrictor valve some to reduce the flow before restarting the pump, as you'd know the pumping rate was exceeding the refill rate.

You do not mention but presumably must have either an additional pump on the cistern, or you have located the cistern sufficiently far above your dwelling to provide gravity flow from the cistern; but that does not materially impact this question.


Prefab recommendations I'm toying with the idea of completely knocking and rebuilding my house.  Does anyone here have experience with prefabs?  In my case I'd need a 2000ft2 modern but traditional-looking house (since my town has a saying on the design and they wouldn't accept ultra-modern looks).

Any pointers?  Any experiences?

The term pre-fab is loosely used. There are several versions of pre-built structures, from pre-framed wall sections, to modular building block sections, all the way to completely built (interior & exterior) modular homes delivered on site in two or more sections. most manufactures of modular homes offer a wide variety of styles and floor plans. I would suggest finding a manufacturer within a couple hundred miles of your site, to limit transportation costs.  If you google "manufactured housing" it should bring you to many sources.  A typical modular home is sound, well built and can be ready to move in, in a week or less. If your prep is ready and you have your plumber, electrician and finish carpenter all lined up, the process is fairly easy.  Good luck.


What should I do to this basement closet so I can put clothes in it? We bought a house that had a closet along part of the basement wall. it has the water meter in it and on outside wall also.  we carpeted the basement along with the closet. the closet has drywall in it. I have stored some clothes in the closet to find that there is some white stuff (most likely mildew) on some of the jackets. What can I do or should I do to make the closet able to put clothes in? We are very handy so if we should have to put new dry wall up we can.

Since you don't mention the problem elsewhere in the basement you can probably solve it with increased ventilation in the closet. You can start by leaving the door open to see if it helps. If you see improvement install some louvers to help circulate some air. You can add a small 4 inch fan to help move more air. If the exposed water pipes are not insulated condensation may be forming on the pipes adding moisture to the air. If opening the closet doesn't help you have two options decrease the humidity or raise the temperature. I spent some time in a tropical area. The closets had a socket for a light bulb typically a 60 watt bulb. With the door shut and the light on the temperature  increases.This allows the air to retain more moisture so mildew won't form. Not the greenest solution though. Another option is a dehumidier either a conventional electric unit or the calcium cloride filled pan depending on how seasonal the problem is.


USA outlet states not grounded from surge protector for all outlets in only 1 room in my house I have 1 room that will be my theater room in my house, and for all the outlets in this room, the grounded light on multiple surge protectors doesn't light up. If i move those surge protectors to any other room in my house the grounded light is on. I took off the wall plate (after turning off the breaker for this room) and checked and there is a copper ground wire coming out of the cable run to the receptacle box along with the black and red wires and that copper wire is secured to the ground screw on the plastic box for the outlet . Why would all the outlets in this room act this way when they appear to be grounded? Is there any way to fix this or do I just need to replace it with a GFCI outlet from what I have been reading?

Re-reading your post, the ground wire should be connected to the grounding screw on the outlet, not the plastic box. Plastic junction boxes don't need to be grounded (they're not metal, after all). The lack of a ground connection on the outlet itself is why the surge protector is showing an ungrounded connection, and the 3-light circuit tester would show an open ground as well.


Am I supposed to pull part of the whole cable inside the box? When installing an electrical box, am I supposed to pull part of whole Romex cable inside the box or I can remove the white insulation outside the box and insert only 3 wires (hot, neutral and ground) inside the box?
Look at the picture. I have pulled part of the Romex cable inside the box, but those clamps are too tight. I am not sure if I was supposed to pull it this way or not.
One of the cables is 14/3 and other 14/2.

You need at least 1/4" of cable jacket inside the box
You need to make sure at least 1/4" of cable jacket enters the box.  This is required by NEC 314.17(B) for metal boxes and (C) for plastic ones in order to ensure that the cable clamp clamps the jacket, strain-relieving the jacket to the box so that stresses on the cable aren't transmitted to the connections in the box and protecting the insulation on the wires inside the cable from being damaged by the clamp bearing directly on them:

(B) Metal Boxes and Conduit Bodies. Where metal boxes or
conduit bodies are installed with messenger-supported wiring,
open wiring on insulators, or concealed knob-and-tube wiring,
conductors shall enter through insulating bushings or, in dry
locations, through flexible tubing extending from the last insulating support to not less than 6 mm (¼ in.) inside the box and
beyond any cable clamps. Where nonmetallic-sheathed cable or
multiconductor Type UF cable is used, the sheath shall extend
not less than 6 mm (¼ in.) inside the box and beyond any
cable clamp. Except as provided in 300.15(C), the wiring shall
be firmly secured to the box or conduit body. Where raceway
or cable is installed with metal boxes or conduit bodies, the
raceway or cable shall be secured to such boxes and conduit
bodies.
(C) Nonmetallic Boxes and Conduit Bodies. Nonmetallic
boxes and conduit bodies shall be suitable for the lowest
temperature-rated conductor entering the box. Where nonmetallic boxes and conduit bodies are used with messenger-supported wiring, open wiring on insulators, or concealed
knob-and-tube wiring, the conductors shall enter the box
through individual holes. Where flexible tubing is used to
enclose the conductors, the tubing shall extend from the last
insulating support to not less than 6 mm (¼ in.) inside the box
and beyond any cable clamp. Where nonmetallic-sheathed
cable or multiconductor Type UF cable is used, the sheath shall
extend not less than 6 mm (¼ in.) inside the box and beyond
any cable clamp. In all instances, all permitted wiring methods
shall be secured to the boxes.
Exception: Where nonmetallic-sheathed cable or multiconductor
Type UF cable is used with single gang boxes not larger than a nominal
size 57 mm × 100 mm (2¼ in. × 4 in.) mounted in walls or ceilings,
and where the cable is fastened within 200 mm (8 in.) of the box measured along the sheath and where the sheath extends through a cable
knockout not less than 6 mm (¼ in.), securing the cable to the box shall
not be required. Multiple cable entries shall be permitted in a single
cable knockout opening.


When my primer flakes off easily how will it help hold the paint I'm painting an iron structure to save it from corrosion and make it look nice. I was advised to apply a layer of primer which I did, it contains iron oxide and is supposed to prevent oxidation. Now I find that the primer itself is not very good in holding on to the iron. It can be easily scraped off with a light use of emery paper. If the layer beneath the paint is this weak how can I expect the paint to hold on and stay put on the metal. Could anyone experienced in this area please advise me. When painting how does the layer of primer feel after application and how does the paint applied with the primer work. Thanks a million.

You need to make sure whatever you use is a "DTM" primer - direct-to-metal. The instructions on the can are usually awful, so you should check out the manufacturer's website.

If you're using the right primer and having adhesion issues, the most common cause is probably not prepping the surface properly before applying the primer. Usually you need to wash very thoroughly (if you paint dirt, the paint will only be adhered as well as the dirt is), followed by a sanding or scuffing. Again ,the manufacturer's website will give you directions.

If you need to use emery paper to remove it, I'd say you're OK. It it comes off with a wipe down with a cloth I'd say that's a problem. Emery is an abrasive designed to remove material, after all.

As an aside, if you have an iron structure you want to protect from corrosion, I'd look at products from POR-15. They make some very nice corrosion resistant coatings. I'd also have recommended a 2k epoxy primer but it sounds like you're past that point already.

EDIT: Oops, I didn't notice how old this one was. Well, I hope whatever the O Pwould up doing worked out well :)


Power tool for scraping paint off windows I need to scrape paint off of a bunch of windows where the painters painted over the glass. I know I can use a razor, but that takes a long time.

Are there any power tools that I could use to make the process faster?

No no no, you really don't want to do that

As Alaska Man says... "power tools near glass, what could go wrong?"

I strip a lot of paint off a lot of windows because I hate masking.  And it's not super-easy latex paint either - it's alkyds or LPUs (which are a fight) or worse, 2-pack epoxy primer, which has an uncanny bite on glass (how??)    Or silicone sealants.

Just go to town with a bottle of Windex and a stack of sharp razor blades.  It's really fast work, and I don't see how a power tool could help. Keep the area wet with Windex.  If you don't want to waste Windex that way, dilute any lliquid soap; the purpose is to lubricate the razor blade to keep it from scratching and extend its life.  Let a good rain take the soap away and windex it at the end.  Do Not Do This Dry.

If it's slow going, you're doing it dry, or using dull razor blades (change those lickity split, they are your enemy as they will scratch the glass!  Also, there are no medals/awards for conserving razor blades, and they recycle 100% because the landfill shreds your trash and runs a magnet over it to pick up ferrous waste).


I have a 120/240 dryer from Canada, and want to use it in a 240v country. The dryer electric driagram identifies  a RED L1 wire, a WHITE LN one, and other Black as L2.
The suplpy cord has a RED, WHITE and BLACK wires and the green ground as well.
How should I connect the wires to have the 240 V from the wall outlet and the 120V trough a 240 to 120 transfo?

Very often, these types of dryers are also marketed in Pacific Rim markets where only 240V is available.  In this case, they build the dryer slightly differently, adding an internal 240V/120V transformer for the small number of 120V loads inside the machine (typically the motor).

I would start by getting the schematic for the 240V version of this dryer. Then compare it to the 120V schematic, and see what needs to change.

DO NOT - DO NOT - use a "step down" transformer without extreme care for how neutrals are bonded in the dryer and with your power supply.  If a step-down transformer isn't applied painstakingly correctly, it would end up energizing the chassis of your dryer at 230V.


How to fix plaster on ceiling due to screw coming loose? A builder did a bad job when painting and the ceiling vent came loose, upon inspecting it seems that they broke the ceiling plaster by unscrewing it, tried to hide it by screwing it in another place and now the thing cannot stay in place anymore.

How can I fix the holes so I can screw the ceiling vent back in place ?

I'd use a few pieces of wood up in the ceiling, to have something for screwing the vent to. The plaster is getting a little worn-out there. I wouldn't trust anchors or make anymore holes for them, nor use toggle bolts; that plaster is about to go and you're about to run out of room (hide-able hole). -I just really don't like wall hangers and I wouldn't want to be pounding some in at that location. It's also not going to be the easiest thing to line up all 3 holes' anchors.

You may get lucky and rotate it just right to find something to bite (don't rip the duct) or just get some shims up there and be done with it. If you do rotate it and find undisturbed plaster to screw to, use drywall screws and not the silver ones you probably have from the vent (larger thread; better grab -do not over tighten them).

Judging by the number of holes, this is the fourth time it's come down; shim it.


6/3 NMB in non-metallic conduit? I’m running a 50A circuit using 6/3 NMB from my interior panel to a hot tub. I’ve got the required GFCI protected disconnect within direct line of sight of the tub (about 15ft from the tub). I have 3/4” LFNMC that is planned to use once the wire penetrates to the exterior of the crawl space. My question is....is it acceptable to run this cable through the conduit if I remove the romex jacket? It would need to be in the conduit for about 8ft from the crawl space to the disconnect and then about 25ft or so to get to the connection inside the hot tub. Thanks in advance for your help!

Don't make your life harder than it needs to be!

First off, shucking NM of its jacket is no good, because the wires inside NM cable aren't marked properly for individual use.  Second, pulling NM through outdoor conduit is unacceptable because NM is no good in wet areas due to the paper separator layer between the jacket and the wires (which wicks moisture up the cable, leading to hard-to-troubleshoot failures later), and all outdoor conduit is considered a wet location by NEC 300.9:

  300.9 Raceways in Wet Locations Abovegrade. Where raceways are installed in wet locations abovegrade, the interior of these raceways shall be considered to be a wet location. Insulated conductors and cables installed in raceways in wet locations abovegrade shall comply with 310.10(C).

Third, there's absolutely no reason to make your life this hard: pulling 4 6AWG THHN wires through your conduit (hot, hot, neutral, ground) will be far easier than trying to jam a cable through there.  So, I would simply get an appropriate amount of 6AWG THHN (black, white, green is fine) and use that instead.


Difference in total pressure when HVAC system is on or off This is a follow up question to one that I asked here.

I am measuring the total pressure at the registers (all registers are open) with the BMP180 pressure sensor and somehow they don't change very much when the system turns on. Logically, I would expect:

Static pressure increases since there is more air immediately after the air handler (correct me if I'm wrong on this one)
Dynamic pressure increases since there is air flowing through the register

So, I can see two reasons why I'm not seeing a difference:

The increase in pressure is so small that it is no different from noise at the pressure sensor (3 - 6 Pa noise)
There is some fundamental flaw in the pressure sensor such that it is not able to detect the pressure changes in the ducts

Does anyone have a better explanation why there is no change in pressure at the registers?

If you are measuring the pressure inside the duct, before the diffuser, the pressure should be detectable.  The velocity pressure is given by Pv = pV^2/2 where Pv is velocity pressure, p is the density and V is the gas velocity.

Taking a wild guess at a velocity of 5 m/s, gas density of 1.29 kg/m3, then Pv = 16 Pa

The static pressure should be equal to the pressure loss across the diffuser, which may not be very large, but is probably in the range of 5 - 10 Pa.

I would suspect your problem is one or both of two:

The BMP180 is a barometric pressure sensor, and is designed to measure pressures on the order of 900 - 1000 mbar, you are asking it to detect a change of about 0.25 mbar, which is very much at the limit of its accuracy (regardless of how it's advertised).  Moreover, the electronics to which it is connected will add error to its measurement as well.  Static and total pressures in a duct are typically measured using a differential manometer, comparing the pressure inside the duct to the pressure outside the duct, because this is a much smaller number and allows a much more sensitive instrument.  Velocity pressure is usually measured by comparing the static pressure and the total pressure inside the duct.
Placing a flat pressure sensor (presumably mounted on a circuit board) into an airstream will likely not yield the stagnation pressure of the gas in the airstream at the aperture.  The sensor and the circuit board will so dramatically disturb the gas flow as to change the direction and likely create a point of 0 velocity at the pressure sensor.  Total pressure measurements are taken using pitot tubes which are carefully designed so that they will allow the gas to flow around them with minimal disturbance and collect the stagnation pressure at the aperture.  Once again, I think the BMP180 is the wrong instrument.

If you aren't too concerned about accuracy, you can make a makeshift pitot tube out of a piece of copper tubing bent so that the tip will point into the gas stream.  The more aerodynamic the tip, the better.  I wouldn't use this for spec'ing a $100,000 fan, but for fun around the house, it might be enlightening.

As far as the manometer, you may try using a tube, folded in a U-shape and taped to a ruler marked in millimeters, and filled halfway with water.  This will still just barely register at the small pressures you're looking at.  YOu can experiment with changing the angle of it to make it more sensitive.  The greater the slope, the more the water will move in response to a given pressure.


What tube should I use for a kitchen rail? I am building a kitchen rail for hanging utensils and frypans along the wall and need some help choosing the right tube size for the job.

Because I'm renting the place I don't want to drill any holes, so the rail must be one long piece of tube lying on two support legs.

Rail length needed is 2.5 meters or 103 inches.

There are few sizes of alloy square tubes I can easily get in Sydney are:

20mm x 3mm   - 0.787" x 0.118"
25mm x 3mm   - 0.984" x 0.118"
25.4 x 1.2mm - 1" x 0.047"

(I grew up in the metric world and did all conversions to inches in google calc, sorry if the numbers look awkward)

I think overall I'll be hanging 5-8kg or 10-18 pounds of stuff, distributed mostly along one half of the rail.

What formulas should I use to calculate the size of the tube needed, or the maximum weight a particular tube can support?

Would circular tubes be stronger in this application? If yes, what are the formulas for circular tubes?

You could accomplish hanging a total of 8 kgs of pans on a 2.5 meter long tube of 25.4mm diameter x 1.2mm thickness. I assume this is the cheapest option, but it might be more susceptible to failure in the long run than your other listed options. Supposing that it was mounted well, it could withstand a good amount of static force... based on my familiarity with materials. I'm a scientist and I'm darned good at physics, but this question is more about familiarity with materials and kitchen rough-housing.

Generally, 2.5 meter a tube that is 25.4 x 1.2mm will hold your 8kgs of pans, but the 25mm x 3mm tube would destroy the 25.4 x 1.2mm in a "sword" fight. And although the 20mm x 3mm would probably beat the 25mm x 3mm in a sword fight, the 20mm diameter would not necessarily win the load bearing contest against 25mm pipe. So they are about equal except the smaller diameter tube should be a litte less susceptible to dents... it's probably more of an aesthetic choice for size.

If the prices aren't very much different, the 20mm or 25mm x 3mm will be about 6 times stronger than the 25.4 x 1.2mm. Also, you want to have a good stainless steel in the kitchen, like 316.


Window in shower enclosure: What to do about it, if anything? One of the quirks of my house is a 1945-vintage double-sash window, with wood trim and probably wood sashes, chest height, located above a tub where it could be nicely soaked by side-splash when taking a shower. I've always wondered what the designer was thinking...

My current solution for it is a multilayer kluge: glass frosting for privacy, inside trim mostly spar-varnished, and finally a shower curtain spread across that wall so it shouldn't get splashed under normal conditions. (Just steamed.) Massive overkill,  I presume.

What would the right solution be, given that I'm not eager to reconstruct the wall or replace that window?

If it's an old house, it may have originally been a claw-foot tub with a full surround curtain. And the window was the ventilation.

If you want to keep the window (as it sounds like you don't want to seal it off), one option would be to replace it with a vinyl window with vinyl trim. Make sure the vinyl trim is glued and sealed. That would get rid of the 'wood in the shower' issue.