Neutrals from same circuit connected together...is this ok? Just to demonstrate something, I wanted to connect a light socket to a switch, that is connected to an electrical cord that gets plugged into a wall outlet. The switch is a standard single-pole light switch.

The way I have it wired does work. The breaker doesn't trip and nothing seems to be getting hot (tested with thermal imaging camera).

I'm guessing this isn't up to code, but is this configuration relatively safe? The neutrals that are connected together are part of the same circuit.

Here's the actual wiring configuration...

The neutral from the electrical cord and neutral from the light socket are connected together with a wire nut.
The hot from the electrical cord and hot from the light socket are connected to the terminals on the switch.
The ground from the electrical cord is connected to the ground nut on the switch.
All wires are 14 AWG.

Thanks for the help!

This is probably fine, as long as all accessible electrical connections are adequately insulated.  However, I would instead recommend that you get the type of switch that is intended to go on a power cord.  They come with an enclosure that hides all of the electrical connections.  Much safer.


Correcting Navien Tankless Hot Water Heater Installation A while ago we had a plumber/friend install a Navien tankless water heater.  We trusted him and thought everything was just fine as we were getting hot water throughout the house. There is a circulator pump, but it still takes a long time for hot water to reach the upstairs bathrooms. Also, as I'm taking a closer look at it, I'm concerned that some key things may be amiss.

The cold water pipe coming from the wall goes into the domestic water inlet on the tankless heater, as it should. However, the plumber branched this off into the circulation water inlet. Is this correct for the function of the system?
When attempting a flush of the system, I shut off the hot and cold valves that lead into the heater.  When I hooked hoses to the service pipes, the system still produced a strong, steady flow of water, seeming to not drain. This made me suspicious that water was coming from the mains. Is there a way to tell if the cold pipe is circulatory/return line or cold water from the mains?
You will see in the photo that the cold water valve shuts off water into the domestic water inlet but doesn't have a shut off into the circulation water inlet.  Therefore, I can't drain the system. Is this incorrectly installed?
Any tips on where to verify if I have a dedicated return line? House was built in late 1990s and is 2 story, built on a slab foundation.

I'm fairly handy with DIY plumbing, but not and expert and I know when I am out of my league.  If pointed in the right direction, though, I might be able to solve this. I would appreciate any help and insight you can offer.

That installation is incorrect. You can tell because the cold supply line is connected to the circulating return. The circulation return needs to come from a loop at an end of the hot supply line.

The user manual for these devices (of which I own two) provides a pretty good plumbing diagram for proper install. Consider yourself lucky if this installation hasn't damaged your circulating pump inside the unit.


Is it ever ok to wash a towel that has had mineral spirits on it? I use mineral spirits as a degreaser on metal, usually removing manufacturing or packing residue. Usually, I use paper towels, let them dry, throw them in a sealable can and then store it until I have a place to drop it off.
But yesterday, I used a couple of old cotton bath towel to dry off something that was soaking in mineral spirits. The towel definitely has some on it, but very little. They are nowhere near soaked. I'd like to be able to wash and re-use the towels. I'm assuming it is safe to wash them, but I'm concerned about putting these in the electric dryer.
Is it safe to put these in a wash and or dryer? What precautions should I take before washing or drying in a machine?

There are 2 separate prongs to this problem.
Allowing flammable solvents into machines and sewer systems.
We don't want to wash towels that are contaminated with flammable solvents, because the vapors will wind up all sorts of places we don't want flammable solvents.  That includes:

Flushed down into the sewer pipe - sewer gas is bad enough!
In the mechanisms of the washing machine where it could attack plastic components and potentially start a fire.
Wafting through the dryer where it will make contact with hot heating elements or worse, gas burners!

Certain flammables will self-combust
That is because they have a "curing" behavior similar to epoxy or concrete - and like most cures, it is exothermic.  If that heat is sufficiently bottled up, it can rise to its own flash point and FWOOF!  About 1700 house fires a year are caused by this.  That generally relates to paints and stains.
However, I generally recommend developing the habit of handling all "oily" rags on the assumption that they will behave exothermically.  I spread them all over the shop for a week to dry out, or better, leave them out in the rain.


How do I remove window sill / apron overhang? I'm planning on building a built-in window seat against a wall that has two windows  with sills and an apron that extends from the wall about 3/4" to 1":

What's the best strategy for removing this extended part of the sill so that we can build flush against the wall?

Figure we have the following options:

Replace with new sill
Cut existing sill flush with wall
Build on top of or around existing protrusion

Doing #2 would clearly be the easiest but I'm concerned about any draftiness and sealing it back up right. I'd prefer not to do #3 as it would affect the height of the seat by a few inches.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

For reference, here are our renderings of the intended unit.  The gray part is a vent for the radiator behind:

I would agree with #2.  Sealing it up would be easy with some spray foam or caulking.  You would have to put some type of flush trim on to hide the cut, or chisel out a bit more of the sill and piece in some sheetrock and mud it and/or change the window trim to a picture frame casing.   Not really a hard job, just not sure what you want. I would like to see what you want the seat to look like in relationship to the window. How much lower than the window do you want the top of the seat to be?


Can a ½ inch water pipe supply enough pressure for a shower head and body sprayers? I have a ½" water supply feeding my shower currently.  We're currently doing a remodel and would like to install a shower system (shower head and three body sprayers).

Can I use the current supply to feed it?  Or would I need a larger supply for branching to two different sets of controls?  As a reference, we're considering the following system.

For a little more detail, this shower is on the second floor with a 3/4 inch to ½ inch conversion in the crawlspace right before it goes up the wall to the shower.  And this ½ supply is solely dedicated to the shower.

For copper pipe, hot (~50 C) water should only flow at approx 5 ft/second. Flow of less than one or two ft/sec can also be a problem. Based on the diameter of the pipe (1/2 in type L), 0.72 gpm flows at 1.0 ft/second, so this would suggest a maximum of 3.6 gpm for the pipe (assuming 5 ft/second). Also, you must worry about the pressure drop. Use table 6 of The copper Handbook, at 5 gpm, the pressure loss is 0.161 psi/ft. Assuming your supply is 50 psi, and you need 35 psi to be delivered to the shower head, you can have a maximum pipe length of (50-35)/.161=93 ft. Figure 7 shows how fittings should be counted due to their larger pressure drop. A 90 degree fitting counts as one foot. Additionally, water pressure will decrease with elevation by approximately 0.433 psi/foot.

As long as you meet these two restrictions, you're fine. Since you need 4.5 gpm, and your pipe is likely less than 93 feet, things should work fine.


Will using a dimmer switch damage a transformer? I've been looking at lighting for a house I've just moved into, and see lots of low voltage lighting which is marked as not working with dimmer switches.

I can live without the dimming but will setting the dimmer to 50% say,
a) actually damage the transformer or
b) just make the lights go off or flicker or something..

I would worry if accidentally dimming the light caused permanent damage.

If they say they are not for use with a dimmer they mean it. Regardless if you set it at 50% and leave it or whatever. Yes, you will damage the transformers or electronics of the systems if you use them on an incompatible dimmer.

Don't forget, many low-voltage lighting systems can be used with magnetic or electronic low-voltage dimmers. You need to check the manufacturer's specs to be sure.

Lutron, a leader in dimmer technology, has a good explanation here: http://www.lutron.com/en-US/Education-Training/Pages/LCE/DimmingBasics.aspx


Does anyone make larger torsion spring clips for recessed lighting fixtures? I've got recessed LED fixtures in the dining room. (Juno IC22 housings.) They were installed after the old plaster ceiling had been removed, so they're fastened to the joists with telescoping bar hangers.

Now that I'm installing a plank ceiling, I've found that in order to account for how far out of level the joists are, the finished height of the planks in the area of the fixtures is such that the adjustability of the fixture trim won't quite go low enough.

Here is a photo of one. It only needs to go about 1/2" lower. (That's the approaching planks coming in from the left.)

If the torsion spring clips can be replaced with some that are slightly longer, that would do it. The ones that came with it are four inches on either end of the spring.

I'm looking for some that are at least 4-1/2" on each leg of the spring. The only ones I've found available online are either labelled as 4" or don't have any dimensions specified.

Do these clips come in different sizes? Alternatively, is there another way to get the trim of the fixture about 1/2" lower.

As DIY springwinding goes, that's a pretty easy one to start with - you can get a pack of 100 12" long spring-steel wires (straight, not a coil - it will be easier to start from there) and put the central coil and end bends into them. Bend around a smooth metal rod, and you'll have to bend somewhat past where you want them to end up, due to spring-back.

Then again, you could pry (or unscrew, but I'm guessing it's pry without being able to see that) the mounts out of the joists and lower them before remounting.

I'm not seeing extra-long torsion spring clips when I search for them; that does not mean they don't exist, but it doesn't mean they do, either.


What's the 1 inch square knob sticking out of the wall? I noticed there is a square knob sticking out of my basement wall. Does anyone know what this is?

It looks like a sewer cleanout plug:

Scrape off the paint around the circle and you should be able to turn it with a wrench. Though sometimes it can be a bit hard to turn, particularly if it has been painted over and untouched for many years...

However, you might never need to remove it. You only need it if it provides a good location for cleaning a blockage in the pipes. But you definitely want to know where it is for when you really need it.


Is a special outlet or wiring needed when replacing an electrical outlet under a gas fireplace.? The outlet under our gas fireplace that runs the blower fan has a short in it, and needs to be replaced. I have replaced a few standard wall outlets and was thinking of doing this one myself too, but I am not sure if I need a special outlet or if it is just the big box store trying to up sell.

However, being that this is under a gas fireplace I am wondering if this is best to eat the cost of an electrician.

You can tell very quickly if the outlet is at all special by shutting off power to the outlet, removing it, and inspecting it.

It seems rather unlikely to me that the outlet would be special since it's not near water, and it's supplying power for a blower.  Other than making sure you've got proper amperage rating, I wouldn't think there would be any special concerns here.


Protecting a wood bathroom floor We recently had our house renovated and two of the bathrooms now have bare wooden floors. At some point I'll get round to putting down tiles or vinyl but for the time being what should I do to protect the wood from water? One floor is ordinary floorboards and the other is plywood.

You can get vinyl sheets really cheap especially if you don't care how they look.  I have picked up a decent sized sheet for $20 on craigslist.

Your other option is polyurethane.  2-3 coats will give you a decent barrier for the water.


Dealing with cables on the walls Whats the best way to hide or rather manage cables? Like for instance, I had setup some surveillance cameras which are wired.

Surface-mounted raceways are the typical approach, other than opening up the walls and putting the cables in them (or putting conduit in them so you can replace cables as they become obsolete.)

Common trade names for “raceway” (or conduit) include “Panduit” and “Wiremold”.

Or for the super industrial look, just attach conduit to the surface of the wall...


I need "silver" colored wire to run through chain for hanging lamp to connect to ground where it mounts to ceiling I bought a "Brushed Nickel" ceiling fixture to hang over my dining table, but it did not come with a long enough chain or wire.
I found the chain & two strand "lamp" wire in "brushed nickel" at Lowes, but they only had copper coloured ground wire, which will look odd where it weaves through the chain to attach to the plate on the ceiling.
Can I use one of the following:

picture hanging wire (twisted)
galvanized steel wire (appears to be single filament)
smaller (finer) guage speaker wire, split to only use the "silver" coloured wire

Or any ideas where I might find something appropriate to use as a ground in "silver" colour?
Thanks very much!

You could get tinned (thus, silver-colored) bare copper wire of the proper gauge from an electronics supply house. This is commonly available.
Evidently there is also nickel-plated copper wire available, but it's far less common.
I think you could also use twice as much of the "lamp wire" in the color you like, using the extra "lamp wire" as a grounding wire, but there might be some subtle reason that would not be OK I haven't thought of.


How can I protect my hardwood floors from water damage? I just bought a home with hardwood floors everywhere, including the bathrooms.  While this is nice, I worry that they will be damaged by constant exposure to water.  Is there anything I can do to protect them, besides high quality bath mats?

We also have a wood floor in our bathroom. I placed a plastic bathtub mat on the floor in front of the shower and then placed a bathmat over it. After 17 years, we have some damage to the floor, but mostly in the areas just outside of the mat area.


can you paint over peeling drywall? My drywall is peeling a little:

The paper sheet has ripped.

Can you paint right over the board is the fact that the paper has ripped... means I need to replace the sheet itself?

To reiterate, I want to remove the peeling paper ofcourse befor paiting. But my concern is, does removing the peeling paper precludes me from paiting over the gymsym board itself that is under the paper?

That damage is from excessive exposure to water. It should be cut out and replaced. If you choose not to, you could get rid of the mildew by spraying with a bleach solution, after it dries, carefully cut away all the loose paper and give a skim coat of drywall compound for the paint to go over, since the gypsum core that is exposed is not really meant for finishing with paint.

I have in one occasion, in a restaurant, used white unsanded grout as a skim coat in a small area as yours where it was getting continually wet so it would hopefully hold up better. Paint is still the main barrier here regardless and a sound surface to keep the paint layer intact


Garbage disposal drain is slightly higher than drain pipe I bought an old house and this is the old kitchen drain setup:

Frankly I never "tested" it before I remodeled the kitchen completely. The old kitchen has drop-in sink and now mine is under-mount.

With the new kitchen, I found out the garbage disposal is only 1" above the drain (I used a shallower sink vs. deep sink previously):

Here is another view:

To connect (A) + (B) to (C), I am thinking of two options:

I need to find a new (D) so that P trap is lower a bit and I have to find a pipe with a short L shape at the end to connect to (C)
Find some "built-in T shape P trap like this:

I am not sure if such thing exists.

The question is: What piece or how do I even create the connection from sink + garbage disposal --> drain pipe outlet?

UPDATE 1

So I was able to figure out the right "configuration" for this:

I made (A) longer and cut a 90 degree elbow really short (B). But that required me to push down the plastic drain pipe at the wall a bit, like 3/4" or so.

The result is that the connection in green circle above ended up at an angle like so:

There was no leak at that point so I was OK but then there was a leak below BUT I tried to use a bit of plumber putty inside and the leak stopped:

I know plumber putty is not supposed to be used in this case but I had no other choice. I hope it lasts for awhile but please tell me if otherwise. The reason it was leaking is "probably" because the whole P trap was pushed down 3/4", causing the "lip" not getting flushed to the "mouth" of the P-trap. I was just guessing...

You can buy t shape pipes. Look for double sink drain plumbing. Extend your p trap down more. It will still be an uphill battle. I might also suggest opening the wall at the drain pipe and below. See if you can lower the pipes there.


Should I remove cold cellar wall insulation below grade to allow ground heat to warm the space in winter? My house in southern Ontario, Canada, has a cold cellar under the front porch. The house also has a sump pump, located in the cold cellar.

The builder insulated the perimeter basement walls, including the wall separating the cold cellar from the main area of the basement, leaving the porch un-insulated and outside the warm air envelope of the house, and included two 4" vents in the cold cellar.

The original/previous owner insulated the exterior walls (down to the floor) and ceiling of the cellar and blocked up the vents, effectively making the cellar part of the warm air envelope of the house. Part of the problem of doing this is the humidity and odor introduced into the "cellar" space by the sump.

I have chosen to re-open one of the vents, and keep the (insulated) cellar door closed. The concern I have is temperature inside the cellar because of the sump (don't want it to freeze). With outside temperatures having briefly dipped to -15C, I found the cellar temperature drop to about 4C.

Can I expect the cellar and sump to remain above freezing throughout what could be a colder than average winter (can expect periods below -25C)? Will the insulated walls prevent the cellar from drawing enough ground heat to stay above freezing? In other words, should I pull off the insulation below the frost line (about 4ft below grade)?

I think you are safe with the conditions you explain, however if you remain concerned, (you are the one who lives there.  I do not live in your climate), I would start by restricting the size of the air vents. Your goal is to do no more than to keep the air fresh without dropping the temperature below a safe level. You could install a freeze control alarm for the area.  Keep in mind that if the sump is buried in the ground it is a good deal warmer down there, (I would say at least 5*) than the room temperature is. When it is all said and done, it is your house and your concerns. My comments are simply that, comments; from someone who has been in and around this type of business all my working life, 40+ years. P.S. Can you do anything to mitigate the smell. (I remember hearing it said once: In a multitude of counsel there is wisdom.)


Is it safe to use old, rotted wood fixed to an attic joist? I had a pack of old attic boards in my shed. They've been there for 10 years or so. I got them out today to lay them in the attic and found the packaging had broken and some damp had got in. One end was white and flaky enough to crumble with my fingers. It hasn't gone far down the board.

I have screwed this into the attic joist but after doing so I had some doubts. If the board has rot - which I presume it did - could that now get in to the joist?

The damage seems to have occurred in the wet and my loft is pretty dry. Plus the damage is old and the rot may well be long dead. Even if not the tiny patch of damage in 10 years suggests its super slow.

But am I running a terrible risk here of destroying all the timber in my roof by spreading For?

Since mold and structural integrity are safety issues, any answer that isn't "yes" is "no" -

and the answer isn't "yes."


How do I fit roof sheathing to an odd shape, such as a triangle? I want to cut a Scalene triangle: A triangle with no congruent sides out of plywood to fill in an open space in the roof sheathing. I can't trace it from underneath; there are trusses in the way.

Step 1: cut the hole into a rectangle.

If you can't do that, pick a side to be your base. This side will correlate to a factory edge of the sheet.  Ideally your sheet will be oriented correctly with respect to its strength axis.

Measure the length if the base side. Now measure precisely the lengths of each adjacent side, from each end of your base side.

Mark the base side dimension on the edge if your sheet from a corner. From that corner, strike an arc at a distance of the first adjacent dimension. From the base length mark, strike an arc that crosses the first arc at a distance of the second adjacent dimension. If you measured precisely, this will be your third corner. There's a lot of opportunity for error with this technique, which is why a rectangle is better.

Here's a diagram that shows the idea. Ignore the labels.

Another problem with triangles is long unsupported seams. You may want to float some backing and screw it all together to be sure that you don't put a foot through it later.


What is the safe/correct way to work on gutters? From a ladder or from the roof? I am very comfortable working on the gutters (usually just cleaning them) from one story up by just sitting on the roof. I do this on my own home over the garage and at my parents one-story home.

I noticed some debris in the gutters on my 'big roof' on the two story part of my home. From past experience I have not been comfortable working on gutters from the roof on two story houses.

I am generally comfortable with heights and safety harnesses. I get to go climbing and rappelling a few times a year. I would prefer that if I fall to my doom, it happens doing something cool on a mountain. Not cleaning my gutters and falling on my shrubberies.

What is the correct (safe) way to address gutter problems? From a ladder? From the roof?

If either is acceptable what precautions need to be taken?

Given the choice, I'd put the ladder 2-3' to the side of the downspout.  That should allow you to safely reach the downspout and a majority of the problem area without getting off the ladder.  Using a stabilizer bar so that you aren't resting on the gutter helps:

This also minimizes wear and tear on the shingles.  If you do need to walk on the roof, stay low with your feet always lower than your body, wear shoes/boots with a good grip, and if possible, have a rope attached to something fixed.  If you're going to be on the roof a lot, you may want to invest in a harness.


How do I force pump to force supply to radiators at top of house, If I want to force pump to direct all its attention to radiator in loft to see if I can get them hot. Will simply turning down the thermostatic valves for all the other radiators have that affect or do I also need to close the lockshield valves as well

Edit, update explanation of my system

I am based in Uk with three storey house. I have a 2 year old Worcester Bosch 24R Boiler, There is a 22mm supply and 22m return copper pipe round along the first floor floor joists from left to right through the house, with a pump on the supply pipe near the boiler. The supply pipe serves both the Central Heating and Heating a regular Hot Water Cylinder, I can control whether to use CH, Hot Water or both, there is a T-valve near the the hot water cylinder
that controls this.

On the first floor there are 15mm copper pipes that come off the 22m supply and back onto the return, the same downstairs. Evey radiator has its own loop.

The only slight problem with this arrangement is that the T-Valve is positioned after two downstairs radiators have been supplied, so unless I turn them off they are always heated even if only specify Hot water.

In contrast there are two radiators on the 3rd floor (but still top of radiator is 1.5m below feed/expansion tank in loft) supplied by plastic pipe, although it doe seem to also be 15mm. What I can see is there is one set of pipes shared between the two radiators so I guess this halves the flow immediately ?

What I cannot readily see because I would have to remove bathroom laminate flooring is where they join the 22mm pipe, there is a possibility that they are sharing a loop with bathroom radiator.

The radiator that I described as further away, and you say nearer is physically quite far from the boiler (i.e start of 22mm supply pipe), but is probably nearest to somewhere along the 22mm supply pipe. So what is (most)important , distance to start of supply pipe or distance to supply pipe ?

I did consider whether to replace the plastic pipes with two set of pipes and that would be quite easy, however there would still be a short run under the bathroom floor of one 15mm pipe to the 22mm pipe, so if any of the pipe run is shared would that mean having two sets of pipes further up would have no effect.

All of the radiators and valves have recently been replaced ( 2 weeks ago) so there is no issue with sludge in bottom of radiator and unlikely to be problem with valves. Actually last night one of the radiators did get warm (but no hot) throughout, but the other failed for warm at all. I bled them again and there was no air, there was water.

If you are not getting heat to the radiators in your loft area, the problem is probably not enough system pressure. GO to the loft radiator and open the vent. you should get water out of that vent or air first then water. If you do not get water out of that vent, you do not have enough system pressure. Go to the boiler and check the system pressure. If the system pressure is 10 psi then the water in the system will be 23.1 feet high. (1 psi = 2.31 feet high). You could measure from the top of the highest radiator to the pressure gauge and divide the distance in feet by 2.31 and get the required system pressure, and add 2-3 psig for safety. From your writing, I will guess that you have what is called a monoflo  heating system. If that is the case then poor installation practices may cause one radiator to heat quicker than the others. By the way, where are you located since you are using mm instead of inches as we use in the USA. (0.0999Kg/CM2 = 1 meter) You should not have to close off 1 radiator to get heat somewhere else. All radiators should heat at about the same time.


How can I permanently fix a sagging floor? I have a home I purchased roughly 18 months ago. The house is a traditional 2 story cape code (3BR 1BA) and is structurally very sound and extremely stable.

However, on the primary floor of the house, near where the flu/chimney rises from the basement, adjacent to the bathroom, the floor sags roughly 1/4" to 1/3" over a span of about 12'. From inspecting the floor joists below, trim work and hardwood floors, it appears it has been this way for a very long time.

My initial thought is that this could be corrected over an extended period of time by slowing applying pressure to the affected area from below. It's a relatively minor deviation in the floor, but it is noticeable.

Would it be advisable to true up the floor with a pair of threaded posts and a small beam under the affected area?

Are there any possible unwanted side effects or structural considerations that need to be made? (Ex. load shift, cracks in drywall, etc.)

Should an engineer be brought in to assess this situation?

Frankly, in an older home like yours seems to be, I would not try to correct so small a sag.  But at the same time, so small a sag should be easy to fix.

Yes, the typical solution is just what you propose -- place one or two 6' jacks in the basement below the sag and span them with a 4x4, underlying 2 or more joists.  And yes, cracked plaster is a risk.  But if the current sag hasn't yet created a crack, it's likely that correcting your sag isn't going to move the wall far enough to cause cracking.  Worst case, a plaster crack is actually pretty easy to repair; it's just a bit messy (patching, sanding, and repainting a wall).

In my opinion, correcting such a small sag is unlikely to introduce other problems (add stress to plumbing, electrical, shift door jambs, introduce trim gaps, etc).  Consulting a structural engineer is definitely overkill.  Most home renovation contractors should have experience with this repair.

"Getting to the Bottom of Sagging Floors"

"Fixing a Saggy Floor"


What type wire to use for 240V, 30amp, 6-30R, with 60' run? I'm installing a glass kiln with specs of 240V, 30amp, 6-30R, with 60' run for wire.
I need to run from the breaker box-in the garage-to the basement where the kiln will sit.

What type of wire to use? What is the name for this? Does this size allow for run?
Can I use conduit from the breaker to the basement-to look clean-and then leave the wire without conduit to the outlet box?
Thanks for your help,
V

We don't generally worry about upsizing 240V wire until about 180', so 10 AWG will be fine.
You only need 2 hots + ground.  If you use cable, consider using /3 (2 hots + neutral + ground).  That's for 2 reasons: it's round; and it improves ability to reuse the wiring for other purposes later.
You can use any of the following wiring methods:

THWN/THHN wire in conduit - you might as well use stranded wire, which will be an easy pull
Cable in physically protected locations e.g. inside walls
Cable inside conduit provided the conduit is large enough

By "large enough" conduit, I mean the conduit's actual inside diameter must be 138% of the cable's widest width (hence the importance of round cable).  However pulling any cable through conduit is quite hard, and upsizing just to make the pull easier helps a lot.  A novice DIYer can easily wind up in a situation where you run out of swear words, and have to call in a professional :)
Anywhere you transition between THHN and cable, that must happen in a junction box.  I recommend a 4x4 metal junction box so you have enough cubic inches. If you plan to ever use that conduit for other circuits, use THHN - multiple cables requires a HUGE conduit.


Should I replace particle board underlayment before installing ceramic tile? I'm converting a bedroom into a bathroom. It looks like the current subfloor is 1/2" MDF or Particle board (I'm not really sure). This sits on top of 2x8 tongue and groove.

I've read that MDF and Particle Board both are not ideal for bathrooms because of how they retain moisture. We plan on using ceramic tile throughout the whole bathroom so I was wondering if I should replace the subfloor with something else like plywood or if I can just use some sort of underlayment. If I use an underlayment, what should I use?

Here's a close-up of the subfloor:

Here's a picture of the room we're converting:

Your underlayment is particle board and is not suitable for ceramic tile. Most tile mortars specifically disallow bonding to particle board.

Replace the underlayment with 1/2" cement board or 1/2" (or thicker) CDX plywood, or overlay 1/4" cement board if finished height isn't a concern. Either option should be screwed down thoroughly using corrosion-resistant screws in an appropriate grid pattern, such as 8" by 8".


How can I make a new basement window fit the opening? I bought a basement window similar to this one.

The plastic face of the window is the exact size of my opening, which is not perfectly square.  How can I shave off some of the plastic to make this install work?

If the window is flange mounted you have to be careful how much you trim. You need enough flange to secure the window. Most vinyl windows I have installed have a "C" shaped profile on the outside edges. If the window is secured by screws through the sides of the frame you can trim the edges. Depending on the amount to be trimmed I have used a utility knife or even a belt sander. The sander has to be used at slow speed to keep the vinyl from melting and clogging the paper. In another case I helped someone who ordered windows to large for the openings by running one edge thru my tablesaw to remove a blade width of "extra material".


Black Holes Appearing in Oak Floor I moved into my home in May 2013 and had the Oak Flooring sanded and re-treated as it was a bit stained from previous owners (the flat is only 5 years also thought so the floor isn't very old at all).

Since the summer, these black marks have started appearing all over it, the worst appear to have cracks/holes in them. At first I thought it might me the knots in the wood but having kept an eye on them coming its not as they are appearing in places where there are no knots in the wood.

I do have underfloor heating (water) and am starting to get concerned there may some moisture underneath causing these? What do you think?

Have attached

The tiny black specks that are not knots in your pictures are most likely from small particles of steel or iron causing staining. I wonder if your refinish process used steel wool (not a good idea on oak unless you are trying to stain it black.) The larger features with actual holes are, of course, knots, so if you have "holes that are not knots" you have not shown any pictures of them.

That new picture is a bit hard to see detail in (as you know) but there's certainly something knot-loke going on on the grain around it, so it probably is as well. Sometimes on an older floor that's been sanded down a lot you start to see stains from the steel nails, but that seems less than likely here.

To skip right to your water concern - probably not, since there's no sign of the floor buckling or failing to lay flat - wet hardwood floors tend to look like #expletive omitted# in short order as the bottom swells and the boards cup.


What can be done about a vanity top that doesn't sit tight to cabinet base? We purchased a new vanity top to replace our 12 year old builder grade piece, however, it does not appear to sit tight on the base. It doesn't really sit "in" the cabinet, and only the back sides seem to make contact. It's a standard vanity top size (49 x 22"), and my cabinets are standard also. What can I do about this? It appears to be fine from the top, but when she open the doors or look under the vanity top from inside the cabinet, you can see the issue. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

In my experience the normal, common way to attach such a top also fills any gaps, since it's good old silicone caulking - White or brown would seem like a good choice here. You can also attach by other means if you like and then caulk to seal and conceal. And you certainly should shim (or sand/grind the high spots on the base) to get it level. If the gap is larger than it seems in the pictures, use backer rod and caulking.


I want to install a 220 heater in my garage. I want to install a 220 heater in my garage. The heater draws 31 amps. The run will be 26 feet. Would I use a 40 amp breaker and and N0. 10 wire?

You need 8AWG and a 40A breaker for this equipment

You'll need to run 8AWG for this circuit -- NEC 424.3(B) requires the 125% continuous load modifier to be applied to the nameplate rating of the heater, meaning you need to size the wire and breaker for 38.75A of load.

Two hots and a ground should be fine

Most electric heating equipment runs solely off 240VAC, which means that you only need to provide it with two hots and a ground, unless the equipment installation instructions specify a neutral is required as well.  In that case, you'll need to use 8/3 cable for this; otherwise, 8/2 is OK here, given that nothing else can be attached to this circuit anyway.


Will cockroach poison traps harm geckos? I live in a Hong Kong village house and here it's common to have Chinese geckos living in the house. They've been pretty unobtrusive so far and they do eat mosquitoes so I definitely wouldn't want to harm them.

Recently we've spotted cockroaches on a few occasions and were considering getting some poison traps like the ones linked here. Does anyone know if we're likely to poison the geckos as well if we install those? I guess the bait is unlikely to be directly attractive to geckos but will the poison spread through the food chain?

When I was in Japan in the 1970's we were told that the geckos will eat the roaches. Fewer geckos means more roaches. I would assume any dead roaches would contain the poison. Any geckos eating roaches that had consumed the poison would be contaminated.


White thinset on a light marble tile - tile turned dark - will it lighten? I tiled my shower niche last night, this is my first step tiling the bathroom, today I'll move on to walls etc. I used white thinset, and some portions of the tile turned dark after installation. I believe they soaked up moisture from the thinset, and theoretically will dry out and lighten up again.

Can anyone confirm? I finished about 8 hours ago and it's still dark so I'm starting to wonder.

White thinset is always used on light colored marble, you used the right stuff. Give it a few days, it will turn back to the dry color. I see Kerdi around the niche.  Are you planning on running Kerdi in the rest of the shower?


Installing a solid wood tabletop on this steel frame I would like to screw this solid wood tabletop (the long one in the back, it's beech wood)

onto this steel frame.

The slab's dimensions are going to be 200 x 80 cm. I read that "wood moves", so I would have to screw the table top on in a way that allows for movement.

The problem is that none of the methods that I've read about that allow for movement are compatible with the screw holes facing up in the frame.

How can I solve this? Should I worry about movement for this type of tabletop at all or can I just screw it fixed?

Here's another photo of how the wood is supposed to look after it's been oiled:

What do the purveyors of this table top say about mounting? If it might be a problem, one could consider straps which go over the metal frame and are attached to the underside of the table with two screws for each strap.

Personally, I would just mount it as shown in the picture and see how it performs. You could leave the table top in its intended location lying on the metal base, unattached, for a week or so to allow it to stabilize to the ambient temperature and (especially) humidity . Then drive the screws just barely snug for a month or so and only then tighten to full snug, but not hard tight. It looks like the screws shown have a little wiggle room in the holes in the metal frame.

Edit
You could consider using heavy, large flat washers between the heads of the screws and the metal frame so that the heads of the screws don't bite into the metal frame and so resist sliding.


Can I add a sink drain to a stack serving the floor above? A local plumbing company (big name) said that anything draining from upstairs would suck my p-trap dry. I asked about the mechanical vents, and he said it would not work. He went on to tell me that connecting was not advised and he would not accept the work.
Basically, I just want to tie into the 3" drain from upstairs with a sanitary Tee for a small sink. Adding the mechanical air vent before the P-Trap should eliminate any concerns around draining it, no? He also said if there was a backup, I'd have waste water issues, but isn't that the same for any other drain further down the line (like my master bath)?

Air admittance valves aren't allowed because they tend to fail over time and because they can leak sewage in a backup. Obviously such a situation can result in overflow elsewhere, but that's the rule.
As you've implied, flow from upstairs creates vacuum as it rushes past such a connection. If there's an opening for air to enter, as there always is with a drain, atmospheric pressure pushes the water out of your trap. Too much flow from above can result in backflow without adequate prevention.
There are ways to make this work, but you'd need at least a partial vent line attaching higher up on the stack.


How to measure voltage in a duplex (three-way) wired switch? Consider a light with two duplex switches. The switches work as I can turn light on/off from either switch. However, I'm not getting any voltage reading on my meter. The meter does work as I can get a reading on another circuit. This is existing wiring and I don't know the wiring plan. I want to know where the fixture is in relation, wiring-wise, to the switches (before, between, after).  Where should I place my meter leads to correctly measure voltage in duplex switches?

What you are looking for is called "Three way switches", although it will only be two switch locations. There are several wiring schemes that can be used, depending upon where the main power is derived from, switch box or light fixture. This link explains 8 different scenarios.

One box will have the feed voltage, 120 volts ac. It can be in either of the switch boxes or the light fixture box. Any readings across the switch terminals would depend on the switch settings and that would require a light bulb installed that would complete the circuit.


What size wire for a 60 AMP panel 400 feet away? We are putting a sign and several lights in our parking lot and need a 60 amp panel to be located 400 feet from the breaker box. Allowing for the voltage drop, what size wire do we need to run?
Thank you. North America is the location. The sign is 120 volt, 20 AMP in a dedicated circuit There will be three 120 volt, 30 watt lights, one 115 feet from the panel, one 100 feet from the panel, and one twenty feet from the panel. We have considered setting another pole but would rather not

Do we care about money here?
An oddity of wire economics is that 2-2-2-4 "MH Feeder" (90A; 100A if service) is about the same cost as 10-3 UF-B cable (30A).  The difference is aluminum, which is absolutely fine for large feeders of #2 size.  (not so good for #10, but not our problem).
Big big problem: your loads are 120V
Given your application, the power usage is 120V and wildly lop-sided onto one leg.  This means you really need to do your voltage drop calculations on 120V not 240V.   Which really throws a wrench into it, unfortunately.
The 120V load is probably at least 10A (since it's demanding a 20A dedicated circuit) but should not be more than 16A continuous as that's too much for a 20A circuit.
And when we consider voltage drop at 120V, that's a very grim picture.  The minimum legal size is #10 copper, but that's right out, giving 11% voltage drop at 16A.  We have to go clear up to #6 just to get 4.71% drop, but that makes more sense since it's much more expensive than the MH feeder I mentioned earlier.
If we go with the 2-2-2-4 MH feeder, we're at 3.13% which is completely acceptable anywhere but maybe Canada, and even there it's within the margin of error, for Pete's sake.
The aluminum feeder will work fine since we are going panel-to-panel, so we're running between lugs that are either made for aluminum, or are aluminum.


How to vent garage in summer? Our garage faces nearly directly west, meaning it gets full afternoon sun. It also has no attic above it - meaning it has a fair bit of roof. There is batt insulation along the roof but the garage door is not insulated. I suspect the exterior drywalled wall is not insulated.

We also have a bedroom above the back half of the garage. Now that it is consistently hot outside we have noticed this bedroom is warm. Our garage interior temperature stays warm late into the night, so we basically are "heating" our house at night because of this (while running the AC).

Is there a standard way to vent a garage in the evenings in summers like this? We have a whole house fan, which allows us to vent the house - perhaps something similar specifically for the garage?

Another option I guess is leaving the garage door open in the evenings... but this feels unreliable as I have to remember to open/shut it and I've already had to chase a rabbit out of our garage once this year...

If your roof is constructed with gables, you could use a thermostatically controlled (or timer controlled, or manually switched, or combination of these things) gable fan:

or cut in a dormer fan or flat powered-attic fan (these are available as a unit, just cut a hole and wire up):


Wood finish to handle high temperatures (not turn cloudy) I'm building a mobile bench top for my home brewing system.  The system will be all electric powered by heating elements actually in the kettles (think hot water heating elements).  When this type of system is built it is not uncommon to just set the vessels on top of a wood surface.  I'm only giving this info up front so you know that any heat involved is being transferred from the vessel itself, not exterior burners.

I'm planning to use 3/4 ply as a substrate, then some leftover unfinished 3/4 hardwood flooring (oak, likely) to cover the surface.  Many simply use dimension lumber for the top, then leave it unfinished but I'd like to make it a bit more attractive.

Two of the vessels will reach a max of 170*, and one will be in the 205-210* range, and I'd guess 95% of that temp will transfer to the wood surface.  From what I've read, Urethane varnish is the most durable, Spar Urethane seems to be what is commonly found.  I think anything oil based will be better than something water based.

Does anyone know of a finish that will work in these conditions without going cloudy after some heat?  I don't need much for color, I just want to protect the wood from moisture and preserve it.  This bench will spend it's life in the garage as well so UV isn't really a concern. If the answer is simply "no", I guess I can leave it unfinished, but I'd like to do something.  Even linseed oil if nothing else.

I would not use a urethane finish as it will quickly turn with high heat, since it is a food processing area I would use linseed / flaxseed oil. It will preserve the wood and can handle some moisture. At my last house I had a large oak butcher block that I used linseed oil on it took a large amount of abuse as that's where I prepared meats for summer sausage and for large brew pots, when the surface got a bit chewed up I used a metal scraper purchased from a local butcher shop that shaved a tiny amount of the surface then recoated, I did try a blend of bees wax and oil 1 time but this created marks with large pots. The best advice I have is to use food grade oil and wipe up excess water don't let it sit the wort is a great food for "stuff" to grow in so a through wipe down after use is a good idea.


Can I run a pressure washer without detergent in the tank? I've read through two manuals on two different pressure washers and neither of them actually say flat out that you must not run the pressure washer with the detergent tank being empty.  They both say using detergent is optional and that I'm not to use the detergent unless I'm using the lower pressure nozzles.

My main concern is air being pulled in the line from an empty detergent tank. Any thoughts?

If you're really worried you could fill the detergent tank with water. But the machines are designed with the knowledge that the detergent tank will run dry from time to time, or folks will forget to fill it... so if the manual explicitly says detergent is optional and there's no metering valve you can turn off (haven't used one, don't know) I would assume this is harmless.


How can I replace an old dial thermostat on an oil furnace with Hydrostat 3250 Plus? I recently bought a home with an oil fired Biasi furnace that has a Hydrostat 3250-Plus attached. It uses an old analog round dial thermostat, and I'd like to replace it with a new digital (wifi) thermostat. The old thermostat only has two wires running to it (T and T), but the new one I bought requires a C wire. I went down to the furnace to see if there was an available terminal only to discover the Hydrostat. The directions for the hydrostat show the two 'T' connections, but not a 'C'. It has a C1 and C2, but the manual says these are for a circulator. I'm not great when it comes to wiring diagrams, and I'm at wits end trying to figure out where to go from here. I've included links to the manuals I've been able to find. If I can't connect the Honeywell wifi thermostat, any ideas for other options?

I believe its page 23 on the first one, as we have the Riello option.

B10 SERIES BOILER manual

Hydrostat 3250 manual

It looks like you're out of luck. It appears that the transformer is inside the hydrostat, and it doesn't expose a C terminal. You could contact the manufacturer, and ask them if there's a workaround. Based on the documentation, there's no obvious way to connect a WiFi thermostat to the system.


Are there any penetrating sealers for concrete countertops that will darken the color? I am in the process of grinding and polishing a pour-in-place concrete countertop.  When I am done, I want to seal with a penetrating sealer.  I don't want a surface epoxy or wax sealer.  I like the look of the exposed aggregate and it looks great when I am wet-polishing it.  but when it dries, it's all a very flat light-grey and the aggregate does not stand out well.  I would like to darken the color of the concrete to give it that damp-wet look.  Perhaps further polishing with finer-grit pads will give it more shine, but I'm curious if someone with experience here can help me decide if I need a stain or if a penetrating sealer will suffice.

The dry look I dont want (dry after 50-grit polish):

The look I am after (slightly damp after 50-grit polish):

If anyone is curious, the dark spots are portland cement I used to fill pits and low spots.  Part of my motivation to darken the color is to make them less noticeable.

There is a method that can solve both of your problems. I’m not sure how to translate it in English but it is called something like "polishing up to a point of black gloss“. This method makes the concrete waterproof and also brings up the color like you wanted. Back in the past this is the way people made their floors waterproof. Basically you polish concrete with something like fine sand stone till your hands start to bleed and then some more. Today you can use machines called "helicopters" which are rotating steel blades and high speed producing same effect.


Can I safely hang a 17KG TV on a drywall in the UK? I was wondering if it's possible to hang a 50 inch TV on the wall behind my PC setup? It weighs a total of 17KG.

Here's a link to the TV I'm talking about: Panasonic TX-50CS520B

Yes. Google tells me that model is compatible with VESA mounting.

For heavy screens, be sure to buy a mount that is rated sufficiently, and is attached to the structure of your wall. (So for drywall covered stud-framed walls, you'd want to be sure to attach to the structural wooden studs inside the wall, not just the gypsum wallboard.)

You can use a stud finder to help locate the studs within the wall.


How can I build a shelving unit like this? I'm guessing this DIY wall shelve uses Ikea products but can't find anything matching. Nor can I find any description as to how to build this other than just pictures.

Guessing by the books kept there, I'm thinking this is about 31" wide and 6" deep. That puts it close to Ekby or lack shelves. But those shelves have a 10" depth and this one is 6" at best (notice the CDs?).

Has anyone built this or know how to build this (using Ikea products or otherwise)? Step-by-step if possible would be great!

I found a matching image at http://www.furnitureinfashion.net/beech-home-wall-shelves-lasse-p-6628.html?osCsid=cf4c725a6d1c4b00d50adca495f827d3 which has dimensions of W85cm x D16cm x H47.5cm.

As to building it, I've built several like it over the years, and believe it really is up to you. What I mean is you can take this basic design and modify the dimensions to suit your taste. I use Excel and scale my plans until I'm satisfied before I even buy the wood. Also, you can build it out of any number of materials including: plywood, MDF, and solid wood. Also, the way you put it together is often dictated by your tools and skill. If you are a beginner and want to stain it, I would suggest you go with solid wood. It will be more expensive, but will simpler to build. I would also suggest you go to your local Lowes, HD, etc. and look at their selection of wood and see whether they have a hardwood you like. Looking at the picture, it looks like it veneered to resemble maple. But, I wouldn't recommend you use maple as it is too expensive. See if you can find another hardwood (I wouldn't use a softwood) that you like.

Another thing that will dictate your plan is what type of saw you have and your previous skill using it. Ideally you would want a table saw or radial arm saw for the cross cuts. If you don't have one of these, or have no prior furniture building experience, I'd recommend you either buy a pre-cut kit (if you can find one), or find a local woodworking business to cut them for you. Otherwise you'll likely end up with misaligned or uneven cuts that will detract from the appearance.

I don't want to sound negative, but, to me, even though this may look like a simple project, it's not a beginner project unless you can be satisfied with less than perfect work. If you do decide to go ahead though, just don't expect it to be perfect or you may be disappointed. Just enjoy the journey and hope you get to where you want. Also, there are tons of web sites that provide free info on cutting and assembling bookshelves. Although they won't look like this, their planning, cutting, assembly and finishing techniques will give you the knowledge you need for the project.


For the purpose of soundproofing, do I need to comply some building code when renovate my bedroom? If yes, what it is? For the purpose of soundproofing, I wound like to add some layer inside my bedroom.
So, I just need to drill some holes.

Do I need to comply some building code during the bedroom renovatition? If yes, what it is?

I googled building code and got this wiki, which discuss lots of building code without mentioning a word about soundproof.

I live in China.

Any ideas?

Usually during normal day time working hours there is no problem with noise issues. However I did live in a town that if someone complained the police came and gave a warning. If you had a permit 8am-5pm was legal for normal construction.


How should I level the concrete foundations for my fence's CMU block pillars? I'm getting ready to build a fence, consisting of CMU pillars spaced every 10 feet, with wooden pickets or latillas between them. For the block pillar foundations, I plan to dig holes in the ground, add gravel, and pour 4" pads of concrete for the CMU blocks to lay on top of. The grade is ever so slightly not perfectly flat.

How should I level the concrete foundations for the block pillars relative to one another? Both technically, and theoretically? Should I have the block pillar foundations precisely match the grade? Or keep them as level in an absolute sense as possible to keep the fence straight? And if I should level them... how to you level discontiguous pads of concrete 10 feet away from one another?

First off, your last question, which is most answerable:

  how to you level discontiguous pads of concrete 10 feet away from one another?

Homeowner, these days, a laser level is easiest unless you happen to accumulate old survey equipment (guilty.) But you use the same techniques that work with a dumpy level or a transit - shoot a level line, and measure how far below it your surface is. Two things that are 42" below a level line are at the same level. If one is 44" below, it's 2 inches lower. 41-3/8" it's 5/8" higher. With CMU, adjust to the nearest 8 inches if using mortar, or the actual height of a block (no mortar) if using blockbond. Nails on the inside of the form is the usual level mark before pouring concrete in.

Whether you set the fence "level" or follow the grade is, well, up to you, people do it both ways, matter of opinion, also tends to vary in a practical sense with how far out the grade is (a level fence might be 4 feet high at one end and 20 at the other, which gets a little impractical and suggests following the slope more.)

You can use the level and measuring stick to determine exactly how far off level your grade actually is, if that would help you come to a conclusion.


Does the toilet flange need to be bolted? I am replacing the toilet in my house, and after removing the old toilet, I can see that the flange is not bolted to the floor. Also, it sits up off the finished floor about a quarter inch. Do I need to add any supports underneath to fill the gap, and do I need to drill holes and bolt it down to the subfloor before installing the new toilet?

The bottom of the flange needs to be sitting flush with (or not more than 1/8" above) the finished floor or else the toilet will rock.  The flange should be fastened to the floor.  Dry fit the toilet to make sure it doesn't rock.  If it does rock, use shims to prevent rocking - just tightening the bolts probably will not stop the rocking but will risk cracking the toilet or breaking the flange.


Is there a way to make a thermostat based heating system more accurate through either adding probes or hacking? In my Brooklyn apartment, heated via steam radiator, my thermostat is in the unheated hallway between all the rooms. The temperature it reads is often different, than both the rooms with heaters and hallway. Where does the temperature probe for a standard dial thermostat live? Can it be expanded/moved/hacked? Would it be possible/wise to add a second probe for more accurate heating?  Would it be a better idea to get an electronic one?

The temperature probe is internal to the dial mechanism.

Due to longer lag times of steam systems vs forced air systems, many steam thermostats have an anticipator setting which compensates by shutting the system off "in anticipation" of its reaching the correct temperature soon.  Research your thermostat brand online for this possibility.

Your real problem is one thermostat is attempting to average the output of multiple radiators.    A better solution is individual thermostatic controls at each radiator, but this solution must be designed from the outset for the whole building.  You should research whether you have a one or 2 pipe steam system.

Steam thermostatic valves (google search)


Can I build a pergola on an existing deck, without digging more footers? A couple of years ago I built a deck onto my house. It is 32' x 14'

I used a cantilever design at 12' with 2x8" floor joists, with 2x6" decking boards. The Cantilever beam was set on 6x6" posts that are on top of 30" deep footers.

I doubled up a 2x12" for the cantilever beam by notching the 6x6" on either side, and putting the 2x12 in each notch. These posts are spaced every 8 feet.

The question I have now is how to go about building a pergola on top of part of the existing deck  - thinking something like 12x12', 8' high. The existing deck is only maybe 3 feet off the ground at the highest point. Can I build a freestanding pergola on top of the existing deck, or attached to the floor joists or something like that? I dont want to attach it to the house, and I dont really want to have to dig footers for it. The reason for this is because I had to rent a bobcat to dig the first footers because the ground is like solid shale about 3" under the top soil, and would be pretty hard to dig now that the deck is already there.

This is quickly going to become too complicated to tell you for sure if your deck will be able to support a structure like a pergola, but if it is even half the weight of your typical hot tub then your deck will very likely not support it.

To accurately determine this you need to figure out the additional #'s/sq ft of load that a structure as large as a pergola will place on top of the deck.  Doing this is simple with something like a spa where you have a clear square footage area and a relatively even weight  distribution when filled with water and people.  This is not so easy to determine with a structure where certain points of the structure are going to carry the weight of the structure differently.  The weight is not as evenly disbursed.

Right off the bat there I would advise you to consult an engineer with your structure plans to determine if this is feasible and safe.  This is completely disregarding the fact that your deck is only as strong as its weakest point.  If your house is brick and your ledger board is attached with carriage bolts then even if the joists were on 12" centers then you are still likely putting entirely too much stress on the ledger board.  You also could have a lot of problems if any part of your structure is going to sit over that 2' overhang.

In the end, an experienced engineer will probably be able to confirm pretty easily if this will be feasible or not.


Patch holes in medium density fiberboard [

3 screws fell out of lower portion of upper right bracket of ping pong table.  What's the wisest/strongest material to use to patch holes into 5/8" medium density fiberboard in order to rescrew (1/2" screws) back into fiberboard.
Thanks

I think there are two probable options here.

First off, the easiest solution may be  as 'Ed Beal' Suggests, and simply  move the bracket over a few inches and re-fasten.

The other solution, albeit not very "elegant" is often highly effective. Liberally coat a cut piece of wood just bigger than a toothpick, and just shorter than your hole is deep. Slide in the glued piece of wood, the insert and tighten down your screw.

The screw works to force and press the new wood into the hole and give the screw something to "bite" into. The friction and pressure of this new piece of wood is often enough to keep the fastener in place. The glue keeps it in long term.

It's not an excellent solution if you plan on repeatedly removing the fasteners, or you rely on the fasteners to be in tension often. In this case where you're just holding a bracket in place where the leg will be in compression, I think you can get away with it.


Water feed pipe diameter: is 1/2" OK? The 3/4" water feed in a slab has a leak.  A proposed bypass includes a  1/2 inch PEX, run through the ceiling.  Why should a 1/2 inch PEX be used to bypass and not a 3/4 inch?  Assume that the slab pipe and the PEX pipe are the same length.

I'm assuming when you say "water feed" that you mean your incoming water main from the water company or well.  If that's leaking then it needs to be replaced which I believe you already know.
I am also assuming that by proposing to "bypass" with 1/2" PEX they are somehow going to put another parallel pipe in place or try to force the 1/2" through the existing 3/4".
I'm not sure either of these plans are all that good and the main reason is that you'll now be stuck with a 1/2" water service to your property and that's likely going to be deficient.  The 1/4" difference sound slight but remember that the cross-sectional area of a pipe (i.e. the IMPORTANT part) varies with the square of the radius.  So the 1/2" pipe has an area of 50% of the 3/4".
This comes from simple calculations using the typical ID of 3/4 and 1/2 PEX as 0.681" and 0.485" respectively.  Using the formula of A = pi * r^2 you can calculate the two as having cross-sectional areas of 0.36 sq-in and 0.18 sq-in.  That's 50% less and that's a LOT!
Let me suggest an alternative.  It's quite possible for a horizontal drilling contractor to drill in a new line and hit a 12x12" hole in your slab.  Using that they can then pull in a new 3/4" (or even larger) pipe and you won't be left with an inadequate water main.  They will likely need to cut such an opening in your slab and also will likely need to excavate a hole to get access to the water main.
Many plumbers work with these contractors but if not, you should be able to find one using Google or similar in your area.


How to replace UFFI insulation in walls with no access from basement or attic? I recently bought a house, and had an energy assessment done which determined that my exterior walls have old UFFI insulation that is rotting away, leaving substantial gaps and allowing heat transfer to/from outside. There does not appear to be any way to access the insulation by going up from the basement or going down from the attic to remove and replace it. Obviously, I could take down the drywall inside to get at the insulation, but I'd rather not do that if I don't have to. Are there ways of removing and replacing insulation in walls that are minimally invasive?

In a word, no. That's one of the reasons it is no longer used. Once it begins to shrink away from the edges, there is no recourse to fix the problem short of removing the drywall and taking it out, then replacing it with like fiberglass batts.


When taping cement board do I need to tape at the walls? I am preparing to put down cement board for a bathroom tile install.  I understand, I need to tape at the seams.  Should I tape the edges where the cement board meets the drywall or the tub as well?

I was told to provide a 1/4 inch gap between each seam and the walls, so that makes me "feel" that I should do something, but what?

Also prior to putting down the cement board do I need to apply any caulk or anything to where the plywood meets the tub?  Or will that be "sealed" with the mortar when applying beneath the cement board and then again when laying the tile.

Edit:
Thanks for all the responses, I am worried I may have chosen the wrong product to put BENEATH the cement board. I am using James Hardie Backer Board and the two guys at the big box who both said they do tiling on the side use below.

Steps were advised as follow:

Put down tile adhesive, put down the backer board let dry.
Create thinset use between backer board with tape.
After dry use thin set again to lay down tiles.

The cement board must be properly backed at tub edge to keep it stiff. The gap between it and the tub is grout filled. I don't tape corners. I do tape bevels simply to make a flush surface for the tiles. I generally silicon tiled corners. I use 1/8 inch gap and that give me more room for silicon on the corners. That's enough room. The idea is to avoid buckling from settlement and let you get more silicon in there.

You will notice the bevel edge on 2 sides of the cement board. When butt end joints are required it's a good idea to rasp a bevel into the ends using a wood rasp. The idea of the bevel is to allow you to get more joint compound in there making a stronger joint. The minimum for tub joints is Fast Set. It doesn't rot.

I silicon tub ledgers to avoid future squeaks. Just because you screw or clip the tub to the wall doesn't mean it won't squeak later if settlement occurs. Yes, fill the tub full when setting it.


Are these corner brackets that hard-to-find? I was searching for this a particular corner brace/bracket, but it seems that they are impossible to find.

I couldn't them at home depot or at amazon. I'm not sure if they just don't exist or if I'm looking for them incorrectly.

This is it:

I posted a similar question, and it helped because it showed me an alternative, but in this case I want to find this specific bracket that will hold three walls together.

There is this one on Amazon:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B071W4VQPT
You are working with a 20x20 tile and these are 2.25" Roughly

These ones: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0195UGD38
They are much larger, though WAY more Expensive.

Though you will see those Brackets. You could use something like this on the Inside with some Galv Bolts or SS Screws to make it look nicer.
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07CWMSS79

I'd put two on each adjoining edge. so 2 in each corner and 2 on each side on the bottom.


Is there any difference between wood screw and anchor screws? I have purchased a screws and plug set from IKEA. However, I want to secure a bookshelf on a stud.

May I use the screws from the set? Is there any difference between screws with anchors and wood screws?

Anchor screws and those designed specifically for wood have very similar (if not identical) thread pitch. In fact, anchors often ship with standard pan-head wood screws. I've used them interchangeably many times.

The critical concerns are diameter (larger diameter offers substantially more holding power) and length.


How can I connect two plumbing vents in a horizontal run? I have a vertical vent coming into my basement and I need it to go to a horizontal vent on both sides.  for the life of me I am not able to find any kind of vent Tee where its straight up and down without one side having a curve.  If I use something like a sanitary tee (which has a curve) am I going to restrict air flow on one of the horizontal pipes (mainly the one not on the curve) I am able to find cleanouts and converters to change the threaded top to a glue able kind (would that be ok?) or should I just put a y on the vertical for one direction and a 90 at the bottom for the other horizontal direction?
The venting is for the drainage, not the HVAC.  Something like this
https://www.lowes.com/pd/NIBCO-1-1-2-in-dia-ABS-Vent-Tee-Fitting/1000221855

The product you want is called a Vent Tee and they are made in PVC.  If they're not stocked at your local home improvement stores, check a specialty supplier (locally or online) and you'll definitely find them.
Keep in mind the vent needs to be able to drain water (condensation, rain, etc.)  Horizontal vent runs should follow the related minimum slope requirement -- usually 1/4-inch per foot, like drains.


What could be causing my new GFCI receptacle to keep tripping? An electrician installed an outlet on a circuit inside my garage that is connected to an exterior spotlight. The spotlight has a sensor that automatically turns it on at dusk and off at dawn. There is an interior switch between the outlet and the light that controls the light only. The switch has to be on for the spotlight to respond to the sensor. I was told it would be a good idea replace the regular outlet with a GFI outlet before the Holidays since I connect the Christmas lights there. Everything was fine until I removed the Christmas lights. Now when I turn on the interior switch (it was off to allow the Christmas lights to be worked with a timer plugged into the outlet) to allow the spotlight to work with the light sensor, the GFI outlet goes off! Possibly of note: prior to putting in the GFI outlet there were no problems and the washer/dryer are on the same circuit. Is it possible the circuit is overloaded? The outdoor spotlight is 10 years old. Could replacing it with a modern light that requires less power make a difference?

The washer and dryer are on the same circuit? It must be a gas dryer?

I'd think that you would want to see about splitting this out on its own circuit if you can. The drum motors in the washer or dryer could be the culprit. GFCI only requires a 0.005A difference in current between the hot and neutral legs to trip.

Your GFCI outlet might be defective or over-sensitive.

There could be a small/intermittent short to ground in your outdoor spotlight fixture? Maybe the lamp itself is defective and causing enough fluctuation to trip the GFCI.

Do you have a moisture problem in the outdoor spotlight, perhaps?


How to connect thermostat C wire to Weil-McLain CGa boiler? I have Weil-McLain gas boiler for hot water heat and going to install WiFi thermostat that requires common 24V 'C' wire. I do have a free wire in the cable but cannot figure out where should I connect it on the boiler, there's no any terminal, marked as 'C', 'common' or similar.
The system includes hot water boiler and central AC. Currently I use thermostat with battaries that has 5 wires going in.

According to the CGa-010 wiring diagram, you'll want to connect the C wire for the thermostat to the terminal pointed to in this image.

Notice the transformer is circled in red. The location where the transformer wiring terminates is circled in orange. The "common" side of the transformers secondary is pointed to by a large blue arrow.


Prevent air leaking from couplings on an air compressor hose I recently purchased an air compressor.  When I turn it on without a hose attached, it seems to work fine.  It gets up to 140 PSI and shuts off the motor.

As soon as I attach the hose, I can't get it above 60 PSI.   I can hear air leaking out both at the quick connect coupling to the air compressor and at the other end where I have an attachment screwed on the hose to fill car tires.

This is similar to the connection on the air compressor (except that the female end is permanently attached to the compressor such that I can't unscrew it):

I assume that Teflon tape on the threads would help the screw on connectors, but I'm at a loss as to how to make the quick connect couplers less leaky.

You are correct that it is a good idea to use teflon tape on the threaded fittings, however no sealant is required or advised on the quick-connect part itself. These are designed to seal using internal o-rings.

There are multiple types of quick-connect air line fittings that at first glance appear similar, but are not necessarily compatible. It is very likely that you have connected two incompatible types, resulting in a leak. This is very common.

The two "main" types are often referred to as "automotive" and "industrial", though each can have sub-types that are typically letter designations, e.g. Industrial can be M, H or G. There's also a type called ARO, and one called Lincoln, but these are somewhat less common (at least in the US consumer market).

(image from Legacy Manufacturing)

The documentation for your air compressor may specify exactly which type of fitting you have. Otherwise head to the local big box store with your male coupling that leaks, and look for a similar-while-slightly-different male coupler to try.

Legacy manufacturing has published a very informative guide on the evolution of the various types of quick-connect fittings that lists the common types in use, with some images of each.

Milton Industries has also published a document that may help identify the type of plug you have, though their letter designations may not exactly match those of other manufacturers.


Restarting toilet line after 50 years I have a sewer opening in my basement for a toilet. The flange looks just fine, but that sewer line has probably not been used in 50 years.

Is there anything I should do before starting to use it? Or just pour some water down it and see what happens?

You could make someone happy and have it video inspected and/or snaked (where "someone" is the guy who gets paid) but there's plenty of 100 year old waste plumbing still in service, and not being used does not harm the pipe. Dump 5 gallons down there and see if it leaves promptly - if not, then spend extra money on it.


Why does my illuminated light switch glow more dimly with an LED bulb installed in the fixture? Electrician just installed an illuminated light switch for a single bulb wall fixture.  It barely illuminates. All other illuminated switches in house glow brightly.  There is a single LED bulb in the light fixture.  What could be causing this?  Do I need a special illuminated switch because its an LED?

It's the LED cheap obsolete switch

Many switches need power for the electronics of the switch itself.  Smart switches, dimmers, motion sensors, and lighted switches.   Power comes from 2 wires: always-hot and neutral.  The switch also needs switched-hot, so it can switch the light.  So we're talking about 3 wires in the switch box.

However, back in the olden days, about half of all switches were wired in a "switch loop".  The switch loop only provided always-hot and switched-hot.  No neutral, since plain old switches are human-powered and don't need neutral.

So, when things like dimmers and lighted switches started getting invented, they had a problem.  About half of installations didn't have a neutral wire.  How to power the switch??

So they exploited a weird bug/feature in incandescent style lamps.  Before they are lit, they have very low resistance and resemble a dead short.  Designers found they could power their gadgets by leaking small amounts of current through the incandescent bulb, effectively putting their device in series with the bulb.  Since this was guaranteed to work everywhere, it became THE standard way of solving that problem.

Then in 1998 along came the CFL, using an electronic switching power supply.  This did not like small amounts of current being leaked through it. The industry needed smart, dimmer and lighted switches that sourced their power from neutral instead of leakage.  But, chicken and egg, too few switch boxes had neutral because of switch loops.  Classically at the speed of NEC, it took them until 2011 to absolutely require neutral wires in all switch boxes, and even that only applies to new work.  But at least neutral-powered products are being made.

Anyway, you need one of those to play with any random LED.

You may have better luck with LEDs rated as dimmable, since they have extra features designed to tolerate leakage style dimmers.

Whose fault is this? The electrician's.  LEDs are not a surprise (especially if an LED was already installed).  In this day and age, he should have selected a neutral-powered instead of leakage-powered lighted switch, or at least warned you of the issue.


Breaker trips when light is switched on in one room I have and older home built in the early 60s. All rooms were wired with switch operated outlets. I installed a ceiling fan in a room yesterday and the following is now happening. When the switch is turned on the breaker trips.  Thinking that the breaker was now overloaded ( there is one other room on this breaker and 2 hall lights) I reversed my connections back to the original switch operated outlet. I then tried the switch again and the breaker tripped again.

I really have no idea what could be causing this as the room has never had an issue with breakers tripping before I disconnected the outlet and attempted to hook the fan to it.

The outlet has the following connections:

a group of black wires with a pigtail going to the outlet
A group of white wires with a pigtail going to the outlet
And one red wire going to the bottom of the outlet

Any suggestions on what to do next would be greatly appreciated.

Update-
Upon looking at the outlet again it was wired incorrectly when I reverted back to the original setup. I have corrected that issue but am still getting a breaker trip when the light switch is switched to the on position. I have inspected the wire in the outlet box and all look to be intact with no nicks to the wire shielding that I could see.

If I am reading the question right:

You tapped the switched supply of a half-switched receptacle to power a ceiling fan.
When your turned the breaker back on and turned the on the switch, the breaker tripped.  (There had not been any such problem before you started.)
You then tried to put the wiring back the way it was before you started - as you put it, "reversed" your work - but the breaker still trips when you turn on the switch.

Obviously, you didn't put the wiring back quite the way it was before you started;  something changed.  These are just guesses.

Since the breaker trips when you close the switch, it's likely the problem is with the red wire, the switched hot.

You may have put the box together so that a ground wire is touching a switched hot terminal - the one with the red wire on it.  Try wrapping the receptacle with tape so the terminals are not exposed, and carefully fold the bare ground wires to the back of the box.
There may be a nick in the insulation of the red wire that's coming in contact with a ground somewhere - inspect the red wire carefully.
Maybe you miswired the receptacle with the red wire on the neutral side, so when switched on, it makes a dead short.  (Presumes the tab on the neutral side of the receptacles is not removed.)


Is silver bearing lead-free solder sufficient/safe enough for water heater plumbing? I have existing solder from the BernzoMatic Kit PK1001 and want to use it for soldering pipes for my water heater.  The solder says Silver Bearing Lead-Free but it does not explicitly say potable.

Is this solder OK for potable plumbing?

Silver Bearing Lead-Free is fine to use. Make sure you clean all fittings and use flux. If installing a new tank, make sure to solder the brass tank connectors to 12" pieces of copper first. Then tighten the tank connectors onto the inlet and outlet using teflon tape. Failing  to do this may cause the dip tube inside of the tank to melt.


Spot prime indoors with shellac-base primer? I need to block some wood knots that bled through the finish of the door trim. The knots have been previously painted with latex paint and acrylic primer/sealer. It took just a month for the knots to become visible again. This time I am going with the shellac-based stain blocker (B-I-N ultimate stain blocker).

Here's what it says on the back of the can:

B-I-N is great for exterior spot priming and is the only primer that effectively seals knots and sap streaks. Note: prime only under high hiding paints. Otherwise, prime the whole surface with Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 after spot priming.

Also, the front of the can says Interior & Spot Exterior.

I am painting indoors, and the paint is white latex paint - probably not a high hiding one. What is the reason the label tells me to prime the whole surface - and what will happen if I spot prime? Do I need to apply a coat of regular primer over this shellac-base primer before painting it?

I've used BIN primer with great success in the past.  The reason the can says to use under a high-hiding paint or to prime the whole surface is so the primer doesn't show through.

Say you have some unpainted, knotty wood and you spot prime the knots.  When the whole board is painted, the spots where the primer is will be very obvious since they are bright white and absorb the paint differently.

I've used BIN to prime an entire wall of knotty pine, smoke stained paneling and then painted.  It worked well since the whole surface was evenly primed before I used the paint.

For what it's worth, you wouldn't want to spot-prime over normal stains on an old with a water-based primer before painting either.  You'd prime the whole wall or you would have an inconsistent sheen at least, and visibly lighter spots in many cases.

Looking back at your question, since you are going to be spot-priming a previously white-painted surface and you're going back over it with the same, white paint, I think spot priming with BIN should be OK.  Just be generous with the spots so the stain doesn't travel under and around the BIN spots.


Should I worry about my electrician not being vat registered? Is that automatically a Red Flag?

I'm about to ask what credentials he holds and who he's registered with NICEIC, etc.

Assuming those things are OK, is the VAT registration important? (I'm getting domestic work done, and we're in London)

Not at all.

If he is a sole trader it is quite possible that he doesn't turn over enough money to need to register for VAT.  Registration is only mandatory above a certain threshold (which changes every year) and is optional below that.  Most traders who don't have to register won't bother as it saves a lot of tax form-filling hassle.

As long as he has the appropriate qualifications, go with it.

He won't have to charge you VAT so you should get the work done cheaper.


What equipment can I used to dig a foundation very close to another structure? I only have 7' between houses to get a backhoe/trench digger in to dig a house foundation. Any suggestions on a machine to use?

So called 'mini-diggers' (as they are often called in the UK) now go down to a size which will easily fit through a 900mm doorway. Your situation isn't an impossibly tight dig. I'd recommend simply visiting your local tool/digger hire centre and hiring the largest machine you can get into the space you have. Don't forget you'll need room to turn the boom around at least 180 degrees. Possibly a micro, micro-plus or mini.

NOTE: Terminology will vary from country to country depending on what excavator manufactures are present.


How do I install electrical through existing stucco (e.g. "old work") Is there such a thing as an "old work" stucco junction box?

Rather than cutting and flashing a 4" hole for a new junction box, can I cut a 1/2 hole for the non-metallic cable, and attach some sort of box with a flashing?

In this case I'd install an outlet in one such box, and a light in another.

For the same question for "new work" see How do I install electrical through "new work" stucco?

You can do all of this using weatherproof boxes and conduit especially if you are not opposed to having conduit visible.  It will only require a single 3/4" hole through the wall.
Supplies:
1-gang rectangular weatherproof box.

round weatherproof box.

1-gang In-use cover.

3/4" PVC conduit.

3/4" male terminal adapters

3/4" PVC conduit clamps.

Procedure:
Start by boring a 3/4" hole through the wall where you want the conduit to pass through the wall. You can hide the hole by entering the receptacle junction box from the back knockout, so the junction box will cover the hole.
Next you'll want to slide the conduit through the hole, and seal around it using either silicone caulk or Duct Seal. Then using the 3/4" male terminal adapter, connect the conduit to the rectangular junction box.  Seal the rest of the knockouts in the box, using the supplied knockout plugs (leave one open to run conduit to the light box).
Seal all but one knockout on the round box using knockout plugs, then mount the box where you want your light. Using a couple more 3/4" male terminal adapters, connect a length of conduit from the rectangular junction box to the round junction box.
Pull the cable, and install the fixtures.
Finish the receptacle installation with an In-Use weatherproof cover, this will allow the box to remain weatherproof even when things are plugged in (I like the low profile models, because they are less noticeable when not in use).
Use the 3/4" PVC conduit clamps to secure the conduit to the wall about every 24-36".
Extra Weatherproofing:
For a little extra weatherproofing, squirt a bit of silicone caulk around the screws used to mount the round junction box before driving them all the way down. Then run a bead of caulk around the top and sides of the rectangular junction box where they touch the house (don't put any on the bottom seam). This will prevent water from getting behind the box, and leaving the bottom unsealed allows any water that might get in to get out.
Safety:
Remember, because the receptacle is in a "wet zone", you'll have to use a GFCI receptacle (or have some other form of GFCI protection for the receptacle).


How can I convert a single light/fan switch to separate switches? I have a single switch for ceiling fan and overhead light. I’m looking to wire to a two switch plate so I can run independently.

Assuming that you currently have 2 wires (plus ground) going from switch to fan, you will need to do the following:

Add a 3rd wire. If you have individual wires then you just run another wire (make it a different color from the existing wires) through the conduit from the switch to the fan. But it is quite likely you have a /2 cable - black (switched hot) + white (neutral) + ground in one cable. In that case, replace the cable with a /3 cable - black (switched hot 1), read (switched hot 2), white (neutral), ground.
Remove the existing switch. You may need a bigger box to properly handle 2 switches - that is based on box fill rules, which I conceptually understand but I am not an expert on that.
Attach the black wire (hot) from the panel to either the common hot connection on the switch (some dual switches include a common hot connector, which makes things easier for situations such as this one), or wire nut (pigtail) the black wire with two short black wires and attach each of those to the hot of a switch.
Connect each of the two switched hot wires (typically one black, one red) to the switched hot screw on a switch.
Use a wire nut to connect the panel white neutral to the neutral wire going to the fan/light.
In the fan/light junction box, connect each switched hot to one of the hot wires on the fan/light. Note that the colors may vary - typically black, red or blue.
In the fan/light junction box, attach the white wire (neutral) from the switch box (which is connected to the white from the panel) to either the common neutral connection on the fan/light (some fan/light combinations common neutral connector, which makes things easier for situations such as this one), or wire nut (pigtail) the white wire to the separate white (neutral) wires for the fan and light.
In both switch box and fan/light box, all grounds should be connected (wire nut) together.

Note that this is based on panel/power -> switch box -> fan/light. If your configuration is panel/power -> fan/light -> switch box then the setup will be a little different.


How to attach electrical wire to messenger cable? I have an old wire THHN going from pole to pole that lights up a sign.  The wire is a 70' run (17' above the ground) with no messenger cable, thus, weighing on itself.  Also, the wire is solid copper instead of stranded which is highly susceptible to wind.

I want to upgrade and install stranded 12 gauge THWN wire that I will hang on a messenger cable.  The messenger cable will go from one weather head to another (from a pole to another pole).  The wire will light up an existing sign.  Basically, it's like upgrading the wire and making sure it's properly installed.

I saw many styles of hanging the 12 gauge wire on the messenger cable.  The cable will sway in the wind due to the height and location.

1) Can't I just twist the 12 gauge wire around the messenger cable?

2) Or should I get special hangers to let the 12 gauge wire hang below the messenger cable?

3) What size messenger cable should I go with, for a 70' run?

Thanks

You'll want to use a cable not individual wires here

What you will want to do is lash a cable, specifically a UF cable (the same one you'd use for direct burying the run to the sign) to the messenger, not individual wires.  Your initial plan is a Code violation outside of an industrial establishment where only qualified personnel service the installation, even, due to NEC 300.3(A):

  (A) Single Conductors. Single conductors specified in Table
  310.104(A) shall only be installed where part of a recognized
  wiring method of Chapter 3.

and NEC 396.10:

  396.10 Uses Permitted.

  (A) Cable Types. The cable types in Table 396.10(A) shall be
  permitted to be installed in messenger-supported wiring under
  the conditions described in the article or section referenced
  for each.

  (B) In Industrial Establishments. In industrial establishments
  only, where conditions of maintenance and supervision ensure
  that only qualified persons service the installed messenger-supported wiring, the following shall be permitted:

  (1) Any of the conductor types shown in Table 310.104(A) or
  Table 310.104(B)

  (2) MV cable

  Where exposed to weather, conductors shall be listed for use
  in wet locations. Where exposed to direct rays of the sun,
  conductors or cables shall be sunlight resistant.

As to that messenger wire...

You will need to use a sag and tension chart, or run the NESC sag and tension calculations (see PDF pages 33-35 of this Southwire manual for details) yourself, in order to figure out what size and tension of messenger is acceptable, given the clearance requirements imposed upon you by NEC 225.18:

  225.18 Clearance for Overhead Conductors and Cables.

  Overhead spans of open conductors and open multiconductor
  cables of not over 1000 volts, nominal, shall have a clearance of
  not less than the following:

  (1) 3.0 m (10 ft) — above finished grade, sidewalks, or from
  any platform or projection that will permit personal
  contact where the voltage does not exceed 150 volts to
  ground and accessible to pedestrians only

  (2) 3.7 m (12 ft) — over residential property and driveways,
  and those commercial areas not subject to truck traffic
  where the voltage does not exceed 300 volts to ground

  (3) 4.5 m (15 ft) — for those areas listed in the 3.7 m (12 ft)
  classification where the voltage exceeds 300 volts to
  ground

  (4) 5.5 m (18 ft) — over public streets, alleys, roads, parking
  areas subject to truck traffic, driveways on other than residential property, and other land traversed by vehicles,
  such as cultivated, grazing, forest, and orchard

  (5) 7.5 m (24 1∕2 ft) — over track rails of railroads

In general, this messenger will be a steel or ACSR wire, and it must be grounded to the circuit ground wire, although this can happen at either or both ends.  (This is simply a matter of using an appropriately sized split bolt and 12AWG bare copper jumper to wire the messenger to the mains junction point, where it can connect to the circuit grounding wire.)

The messenger's size will need to be determined by the NESC tension calculations -- it's a bit of an interactive process that depends on where you are and how much sag you can work with, as the mechanical aspects control here, not the ampacity of the wire.

...and the lashings

There are two basic approaches to attaching wires to a messenger -- you can either use a lashing wire that wraps around the messenger and carried cable, or you can use cable saddles or bridle rings that clamp onto the messenger and provide an ring the carried cable is run through to support it.  The latter is probably easier for someone who isn't running overhead cable for a living, albeit somewhat harder to find (you'll need to ask your local electrical supply house for them, but you'll be shopping there anyway, right?).

Furthermore, you'll need to remember to put drip loops into the ends of the UF so that water can't run down the UF into the junctions or mastheads at each end.


How to mitigate 12 AWG to 14 AWG transition at GFCI Was it ever acceptable in the past to use 20A breakers with 14 AWG wire?
1960 house I'm working on has 20A breaker and 12 AWG terminating at a GFCI receptacle  in a box in the garage. The breaker is dedicated to the garage. On the GFCI load side 12 AWG
goes to the outlets and 14 AWG goes to two LED sensor lights.  The 14 gauge is more than 10 feet.
Is the GFCI outlet sufficient here or should I change out the breaker to 15A?

You should change the breaker to 15A, or replace the wire. It is not OK to have 14 Ga wire on a 20A breaker like that.
The GFCI is not an over current protection device and does not help you here. It will happily let 20A through and light the 14 Ga wire on fire as long as there’s no imbalance between hot and neutral.


Why is my shower head pressure low? I have two bathrooms back to back.  one with a tub and shower and the other is a walk in shower.    Both have the same shower head.    One has super pressure, the other is eh.   What do you this causes this?

We had this issue and found it was the gasket inside the one shower head. Same thing - two showers, same shower head, one didn't work right. Once we removed the gasket and reinserted correctly everything was fine. For us, the gasket had been disturbed during our move.


How do I identify the common wire when both wires are red? I have an old house circa 1730 - much of the wiring has been in for at least 20 years.
The pull-switch in the bathroom has broken.  I have removed the casing to find two red wires and one yellow/green earth wire.
I am confused by the markings on the casing which don't tally with the modern COM/L1/L2 markings etc.  One is marked 'C' and the other is marked 'IN'.
Can anyone tell me if 'C' is likely to be the common/live supply please?
Why would 'IN' be used?
Thank you
Julie

If by "common" you mean what North Americans (and I thought UK also) call neutral (blue, black deprecated, white North America)... A switch doesn't necessarily have neutral/common.

A switch connects two wires: a supply wire that is "always hot", and a "switched hot" wire to the lamp which is hot when the switch is on (lamp is intended to be on).

All the switch is doing is connecting those two wires, or not, depending on how you've thrown the switch.  Since it is only connecting, it doesn't care which is which.

Since both wires are hot at least some of the time, it is correct to use a "hot" wire color like red for both.

Where youm may have seen a neutral/common colored wire on a switch is this oddity. Much house wiring is done with twin-and-earth cable, and usually twin-and-earth comes in only one color pair (brown/blue, deprecated red/black, North America black/white). Neutral isn't used in a switch loop, but you're stuck with the wire colors available, so one ends up being black/blue/white even though it's not neutral.  However I have heard of twin-and-earth being made red/red for exactly this application.  Maybe this was required previously.

In a similar vein they might have required (or chosen) metal conduit. Then they would use individual wires of appropriate colors, and the wires could be newer than the conduit.

Up at the lamp, the lamp connects to switched-hot and neutral.  That is the only place neutral enters the picture.