Do I need to replace cupped/curled plank sheathing in my wall? We gutted the inside of an old unventilated bathroom, and found extensive mold throughout the drywall and insulation.

The exterior sheathing is old horizontal planking (probably dating back to the 50's or earlier).  While solid and free from rot, it is covered in mold and appears to have curled/cupped extensively, probably also due to extreme moisture and humidity problems.

Notice the curvature of the planks - this is not a log home!

We bleached and scrubbed the mold as much as possible, but it still seems to be causing allergy problems for some people. Also, we can't solve the cupping issue without taking down the layers of exterior siding.

Should we just bite the bullet, remove the siding, and replace the old plank sheathing with OSB or plywood? Or can we leave it the way it is?

Update: There are two layers of siding - the inner layer is some old asphalt paper/shingling, and the outer, newer layer is vinyl. There may be a thin layer of pink foam (house wrap?) under the vinyl on top of the asphalt. The vinyl appears to be in good shape and is not permitting any water intrusion from the outside. This is a single-floor room with a simple shed roof above us, which drains toward the wall in question. The sheathing boards appear to be about 1/2 - 3/4" in thickness.

Mold is rot.  Bleaching was smart.  A Mildecide is what you want.  That siding I believe is called shiplap.  Incredible, tough, tight siding.  I am not sure about the other layers, kind of confused.

You need ventilation through or between the walls to completely stop the rot and mold.

If you could draw a simple 'cross section' of your home's walls, that would help me.  Dry rot is tough to 'see'.  Someone that understands what to look for should be right there with you to go through your home.  I've hired these home inspectors who work for you not the bank.  And I've built 30 custom homes!  I don't know very much about old construction and these inspectors are trained to look at old, aging structural members. They know about the old construction techniques.  Worth every cent!  I hired one for $120 to go through my 4000 square foot log home to check the foundation and other things such as proper blocking, heated floors, roofing, septic...I learned so very much in a few hours and I was already considered an expert!

Dry rot is like a cancer and you really want to know what is rotting and what is not, but you have to have an expert right there.  I would not take out shiplap unless there was dry rot.  Please let me know what you find when you call a private home inspector.  This definitely warrants a few more calls and appointments before making decisions.


Why did polyurethane make wood feel coarse? I have a piece of pine I want to use for shelving. I added some finish and then added a thin layer Minwax Fast-drying Polyurethane (clear semi-gloss) with a foam brush. It looks great, but the wood now has a coarse texture to it.

I've never done this before so I'm guessing I screwed up somewhere or am using a bad brand of polyurethane... or maybe just need to apply more coats.

First of all, I'm assuming you already sanded the surface smooth enough before you started. If you put polyurethane on a rough surface you will get a rough finish.

Second, as @keshlam says, make sure there is no dust at all on the surface before you apply the finish. A slightly damp cloth can help pick up anything remaining (but make sure the wood is dry before you apply). Also, don't bother trying to apply a finish in a dusty environment, that's just asking for frustration.

Another possibility is that you kept brushing over the finish as it dried, which is a common beginner mistake. Moving quickly, do a thin coat over the surface and then don't go back to touch it up. Small bubbles may form on the surface as air comes out but it will be OK. If you keep re-brushing over the finish as it gets tacky you will leave the surface rough.

Finally, your chosen brand (Minwax) is perfectly fine, so no particular concerns there. If the can has been sitting a while make sure you stir it before using, but don't shake. You don't want to introduce unnecessary air into the poly.


Breakers for living room was working, but has stopped after I turned breaker on/off I have one circuit of outlets and lights in my living room that stopped working one day. This happened after I turned off all the breakers to the house and when I turned everything back on I noticed this set stopped working.

It hasn't worked since that day. But today I was mapping out my panel to all the outlets and lights in the house and I'm turning on and off all the breakers (one by one) and I noticed the faulty circuit that previously stopped working had all of a sudden come back on at some point as I was testing all the other breakers.

I don't know when it started working again nor did I know which breaker it was controlled by. So I started to play with the panel again to find out which breaker was controlling this faulty circuit. I found the breaker (by turning it off) but when I turned it back on again, the lights and outlets stopped working again

has this happened to anybody else? Any solutions or things I can try? I do notice that the breaker for the circuit looks slightly off compared to the other ones (see pictures). Not sure if that's the reason it's not working.

I have an older home (knob and tube) if that's relevant. Also an electrician had come over and fix the same problem in the past, and just mentioned something about this happens when the wires become loose. But other than that I don't really know what he did to get the circuit working again. And also I don't understand how if the problem was the wires being loose, how does turning breakers in the panel on and off suddenly make the circuit work again?

I blame aliens!

No, there are no Little Green Men messing with the wires in your house.  However, your circuit breaker panel has been invaded by circuit breakers that do not belong there, and one of them appears to be involved with your problem child circuit.

In particular, your electrical panel is an older Murray model, listed and labeled to accept Murray breakers (which are really Siemens breakers now), as well as the old ITE EQ-P series, which apparently has been succeeded by the Siemens QP line, and the Westinghouse QUICKLAG P breakers, which are now made by Eaton as their HQP line.  However, some Bryant/Eaton type BR breakers were installed into the panel, which is incorrect; furthermore, there are a couple breakers in there that I cannot ID.  (The Eaton BR look-alike in the top center left, though, is OK -- it's an Eaton CL, which is UL classified for use in Murray panels, among others.)

Finally, your last photo shows another Code violation -- your panel is a rule of six setup, but has 7 breaker handle throws in the top section, violating the rule of six.  We'll need to rectify that as well while we are in here, and only then we can move onto further troubleshooting your issue.  Fortunately, getting this panel to a state of good repair should not be expensive.

Getting this panel whipped into shape

We start with the top section of the panel -- the BR230 in the top left position needs to be replaced with a Siemens Q230/MP230, while the two 30A breakers in the middle right of the top section get replaced with another Q230/MP230.  Finishing up the top section, we replace the BR220 in the bottom right of the top section with a Siemens Q220/MP220.

Moving down to the bottom section of the panel, we have two further defects to address.  First off, it appears that the breaker for the problem circuit is an older Bryant breaker, so I would replace that with a Siemens Q115/MP115 -- it could very well be the case that the breaker's line-side jaw is not fitting correctly onto the busbar "stab" in the panel, leading to the intermittent fault you describe.  As to the far bottom right breaker? While there are no labels visible on it, it does appear to be a Murray type MM "double-stuff" breaker, which is correct for this panel.

If this doesn't solve the problem...

If getting the panel into a serviceable condition does not solve the problem, then further troubleshooting will be required.  I would start by eradicating any backstab wiring connections from the circuit in question and replacing them with side-screw hookups, as push-in backstabs have this annoying habit of stabbing people in the back.

There is also the chance that the tab on the busbar was damaged by the use of the incorrect breaker to the point where no breaker will function properly when installed in that slot.  In that case, you will need to remove the dodgy breaker, put a Siemens ECQF3 filler in its place, and then replace the breaker below it with a Siemens Q1515/MP1515, using one half for the existing circuit in that slot and the other half for the moved circuit.  You'll also want to label the filler plate to indicate that the breaker space it covers is unusable if you do this.


Can I use a single 20A circuit for two bathrooms? Can I put two bathrooms on one 20amp breaker for the respective outlets or do I need a separate 20amp circuit for each bathroom? I am running out of panel space in my subpanel otherwise I would just run a home run from the subpanel to the bathroom no big deal. I am located in Connecticut USA.

Ed Beal's post covers a major point... here's a little backgrounder on that. A 20A breaker @ 120V will supply 2400 watts nominal.  "Sounds like plenty, what could 2 bathrooms possibly use?"
Well, one hair dryer is between 1500 and 1800 watts.
So while it's perfectly legal for any number of bathrooms to share 1 electrical circuit (one McMansion was built with 5 bathrooms on 1 circuit)... it's a bad idea from a usability standpoint.
So really, decide.  What is the purpose of doing electrical wiring?  To serve yourselves.  If you're trying to barely comply with Code to get inspector sign-off so you can flip the house, then 5 bathrooms on 1 circuit makes sense.   However if you're gonna live there, then the first rule of electricity is: "It's there to serve me, and do my bidding".  So install the electrical service that you want.

Now, as far as that full panel, first, if you're full it's surely less than 40 spaces.  If  so, it surely allows at least enough tandem/double-stuff breakers to make it to 40... so that's an option.  Also, in the LED age, lighting circuits don't need the ampacity they once did - if you have several lighting circuits, you may be able to consolidate them onto one breaker.
Also, bathroom hardwired loads can be on any 120V circuit of any kind (except the dedicated circuits to kitchen, laundry, garage or bathroom receptacles, or furnace. And they are allowed on the bathroom recep circuit if that serves only this same bathroom).  So it may be possible to recover spaces by diffusing those loads onto other nearby circuits.
Lastly, you can do what you really, really ought to do... and that's fit a big subpanel today so that you are ready later when you want to add other circuits.  You don't want to let opportunity after opportunity pass you buy - hot tub (can't) heat pump (no spare spaces) floor heat, electric vehicle, 240V welder at a great price, have to turn 'em all down.  Again back to "Electricity serves us".


How do I decide between a “Power Drain Snake” and a drain cleaning jet kit? I have some slow flowing drains that back up when it rains that I need to clear out. As there are no manholes or rodding points, I can only access them via the P-trap connected to an outside hopper.

I have a basic Karcher power washer that I can get a drain cleaning jet for,  or I could get a Drain Snake to attach to my drill.  Which should I use?

(Rods are not an option due to the P-trap.)

If there is a blockage (which it sounds like there is since it's backing up) then you probably want to snake it before jetting since jetting alone is not going to remove a big blockage.  How big is the drain? If it's large (like a 4" sewer line) then a power drill snake is probably not going to cut it and you need a drain auger with a larger diameter and some attachment options.  Something like this: .


What is a safe way to ground this light fixture? We are putting in a new mirror and light fixture. Unfortunately the electrical box is not centred with the vanity. I am going to drill a hole in the metal backing for the light fixture (see pictures) to put the wires through, but i'm not sure about what is a safe way to ground it.
The guy installing the mirror will then fix the fixture's backing onto the the mirror.

can I make a new hole for the green ground screw closer to where im cutting the larger hole for the wires to go through?

alternatively can I use a twist wire cap to connect both grounds together, then loop a section of the newly connected one to the ground? (the ground coming out of the wall isn't long enough to reach the current ground screw once repositioned)

Sorry if it's obvious, just want to make sure I do it safely
thanks for the help!
Update:
Thanks everyone for the replies, they were all helpful and appreciated.
I installed it yesterday and it worked out great, thanks! I've added a picture with the final product.

Yes you can cut the hole but you need some protection for the wire coming through the hole I would find a large snap in gromet drill a hole to fit the gromet   I would move that 10-32 green screw to the point the wire comes through and tie your ground there but you can make a jumper in this case with a wire nut.
You need to protect the wires from getting cut  if you can’t easily find a large enough firewall gromet , snap in gromet , snap in bushing  you need some type of protection I like 3/4 snap in bushings the big box orange store has a bag of 3/4 acc snap ins for 2.23 a bag of 10.


What material is window insulation film? That clear, heat shrink plastic film they use to insulate windows... Does anyone know exactly what type of plastic it is? Can't find anything searching.

I have a project I think it might be good for that requires gluing it and I'd like to know what it's made of to use the most appropriate adhesive. If anyone has done this, recommendations on adhesive will also be appreciated it.

A quick Wikipedia search leads me to say its Polyolefin (also see Shrink Wrap):

  The most commonly used shrink wrap is polyolefin. It is available in a variety of thicknesses, clarities, strengths and shrink ratios. The two primary films can be either crosslinked, or non crosslinked. Other shrink films include PVC and several other compositions.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrink_wrap

Any adhesive that will adhere to "plastics" should work fine.


What material does a door in your garage that leads outside need to be? This question may seem trivial, but I want to be sure. I've gotten conflicting information thus far from a few different big box hardware stores.
We have a door that is in our garage that leads to the exterior of the house. I believe the previous owner installed a door that is not a solid door. From the parts of it that have degraded over time I can clearly see the border of the door to be solid wood and the inner area most likely be MDF? or something else, im not entirely sure. Regardless, the door needs to be replaced.
As I went to look at solid doors, I thought the doors that were completely solid were made out of pure wood. I guess I was wrong? So I guess there are 3 types of doors. The hollow interior doors. A door that has it's border made out of wood, but the entire is solid mdf. And doors that are made entirely out of wood.
Which type of door would I need for my garage door? Can anyone shed some light on the topic? The information you can give, the better.

It sounds like an interior door was used. I used interior doors on a shed ; I screwed 3/8 " rough sawn cedar ( exterior grade ) to the outer surface . I thought the cedar would protect them but the doors deteriorated in a few years. My other exterior doors are steel with wood frames  - no problems. Front door is solid wood - no problem ,but more expensive than steel.


How best to secure rigid duct near a ceiling penetration In order to vent a kitchen cooktop exhaust hood I am running rigid 6" round metal duct from my ceiling to a roof vent. The cooktop is on the front wall of my house. For aesthetic reasons I wish to avoid venting on the front wall or front roof. Instead, the duct will run 2 ft vertical into the ceiling, through a 70 deg bend, then 16 ft straight on a diagonal to reach a vent that I put in near the ridge line on the rear roof.

Where the duct penetrates the kitchen ceiling is close to the eave and there is very little space in that part of the attic to work. I'm struggling with how best to secure the vertical, bend, and diagonal pieces near the eave. I would like to leave a stub coming down from the ceiling to which I can attach the vertical duct as I install the vent hood. The diagonal run needs to be insulated to avoid condensation I'm using 5' lengths of foil-faced fiberglass insulation packaged as a tube sized for 6' round duct. The adds some bulk and weight and makes it very difficult to see what I'm doing in the attic near the eave.

My plan is to use the bend piece as the stub that penetrates down from the ceiling. In the comfort of my living room I will attach the bend to a 5' length of duct (3 nails plus foil tape). Then secure one end of the insulation as far down the bend as practical (flex tie around the fiberglass, cover with foil and wrap with tape). I will take this piece up into the attic and position it so that the input end of the bend pokes out from the hole in the kitchen ceiling. I have a roll of metal hanger strap for holding the diagonal duct in place between rafters.

This is where I get unsure. I think it would be best to secure the bend to the ceiling and not just to the vertical duct that will fit into it. To do this I could cut 3 tabs into the bend with tin snips, bend these down against the drywall around the hole, and secure with screws. I would still secure the vertical duct to the bend with 3 screws and wrap with foil tape.

Is this a good idea?

The ceiling hole was cut with a 6" hole saw so it's quite tight. The duct probably can't rattle in the hole. Maybe I'm overthinking this and should simply attach the vertical duct to the bend and call it a day?

I think you are being too concerned about support of your pipe down where the working space is limited.  Attach the hood fan itself rigidly.  Secure your round vent damper rigidly to the hood fan.  Then secure your vent pipe rigidly to the vent damper.  (Through away the 3-1/4" back draft damper.)  This will easily support four or five feet of 6" 30-guage round pipe with an elbow and insulation.  As soon as it is practical start using your plumbers tape at regular intervals. Insulate the pipe well. The entire length must be well insulated. Leave the insulation light and fluffy.  Don't strap it down tight.  This kills the insulation value.  Use another elbow as you pass through the roof.  Try to keep it tight to the roof line.  Cut some dove tails in the upper elbow on the top side of the roof.  screw them down to the top side of the roof. Install your roof vent cap over it. Now fry fish to your hearts content. P.


How can I calculate the load capacity of a platform? I'm planning to build a very basic bed frame, but I'm not sure what size lumber to use.

I was thinking of building the entire thing from 2x4s (legs would be 4x4), but I'm not sure if this will be adequate.

Some other ideas:

2x6 Perimeter with 2x4 cross members.
All 2x6.

I'm also not sure how I want to attach the legs. I was thinking of using carriage bolts, but I'm not sure if this is overkill or not in this situation. Maybe notch the 4x4s to receive the frame, then use carriage bolts to secure them.

I'd like to be able to do some calculations with different combinations of materials and fasteners, to figure out the optimal combination.  Do I have to go back to school to become a structural engineer, or are there tools/formulas for figuring this stuff out?

Here would be my basic approach (Mechanical Engineer here, Statics TA for 4 semesters):

For starters, you could figure out the weight of the mattress and box spring plus the weight of two people lying on it (W). Add in a safety factor (at a minimum 2, ideally a bit more) - remember, an uneven or dynamic loading will apply significantly higher stresses to your frame.
If you assume the weight will be evenly distributed it makes things a whole lot easier.
Figure out which supports your box spring will be resting on. Does it come in contact with the outer skirt on the sides? If not, divide up the weight of the box spring/mattress/people by the number of cross supports (n) the entire thing rests on, less 1 (W/(n-1)). For the end cross supports, use half of this loading.
Use the distributed load (or half of it) that you just calculated over the span of each cross support in conjunction with a fixed-fixed cantilever beam equation explained in Figure 23 here.
Calculate maximum beam stress at the center with σ=M*c/I (where M=moment,c=distance from neutral axis, and I=area moment of inertia) and compare to your material (pine? oak? maple?) maximum compressive and tensile strengths.
Apply the reaction forces for the cross piece ends to the sides of the supports running the length of the bed as point loadings. (If you want to get fancy, you can include the moment as well and add a torsional stress to the beam, but I don't think I can explain how to do that very well over the internet.) Use superposition (multiple P forces) and Figure 25 for this one. Repeat calculating maximum stress.

If you end up with not enough of a safety factor for your chosen design, increase the width (vertically) of the side beams. For the center, you could just add another support and recalculate. I don't think fasteners will be the limiting factor here, and calculating/estimating the stress concentration factors in an anisotropic material such as wood is a bear.

Edit: So that's how an engineer would approach this. However, @rachet freak has a very good point that you could save a lot of time by using a proven design. In that case, take a look at Ana White's website. It's got dozens of plans that people have already built with basically just a circular saw and a drill.


How to raise sinking deck post I have a portion of my deck that's a 4' square connecting stairs that go up and down from it.  One of the corner posts (green post in the pic) has sunk between 1/2 and 1 inch and I'd like to raise it and pour a new deck piling to stabilize it. I don't think it's still sinking and has been stable in its current position for at least a few years. The wood seems all in good shape.
I'm a total newbie at this and am evaluating whether to even try this myself.  I thought about using a jack to raise the corner, but I don't know where I can place the jack such that it won't interfere with my ability to dig the hole for the new concrete.  When I tried to place it anywhere a foot or more from the post, it basically tries to lift the entire platform rather than the corner I'm concerned about.  How could I effectively and safely raise the deck here while still leaving enough space to dig a hole around the offending post? Or is there another technique that might be better?
Approximate design below.  Posts are 4x4 and platform is 4' x 4'.
To respond to @Ecnerwal's question about the screws versus nails attaching the framing to the post: lots and lots of nails, sunk deep into the wood.

I get the issue with the nails.  I think you need to try to take them out.
I would start with a sledge hammer and try to tap one of the sides inward.   When demo'ing a deck you are taking full swings to do the same thing but I would go really light.   All you need is a slight gap.   Once you get a tiny gap get a crow bar in their and try to get it popped out maybe to a 1/2" - I would not go further.
This only works if you can work it out without the rest of the deck moving and getting angles jacked up.   So either you need to tap softer or just back out of this or try the other side and start over.
Once you get around a 1/2" (doesn't have to be that far) cut the nails with a reciprocating saw.
I would support this corner while you do this by either jack it up or throwing up something like a 2x6 which should be plenty with no load on deck.  Now follow the same procedures for the other side and this side should be easier.
From there you need to raise the jack or 2x6 to level.   Then drill a hole in each side for a lag bolt.   Get your bolts in at level and then try to get one more hole on each side for another lag bolt.
Option 2...   Dig post out really really good .   Raise it up with jack and framing.   Note that you must have this secure well to get the concrete raised (this could be easier if they didn't go very deep hence the sinking).   Pour a couple more bags in or go down to the appropriate depth for your region.   Let dry then take supports out.
Either of these options could be a 1 day deal.   If you are dismantling a lot of the deck to get to post top (remember you have to saw those nails out) then I would try option 2 first.   Digging this thing out in a muddy yard might take 30-40 mins and will give you an easy view of how hard it will be.   This would be my choice if deck looked nice minus the tilt.


Do I need an HVAC vent in this bathroom? The finished portion of my basement was completed after the original construction. I've found a few questionable practices, including the lack of an HVAC vent in the basement bathroom (shown in green below). I don't know the first thing about the air portion of HVAC systems, but I'm assuming a good design would have incorporated one. Do I need to install a vent?

Furthermore, do I need to add more vents/ducts to the main finished area of the basement (shown in red below)? The red dots below are where the current vents are installed in the room.

The current system that serves this portion of the house also serves another ~1,350 sq ft on the main level. There is an air return on both levels. The unit is a 3 Ton / 90,000 BTU split gas.

I am about to remove all the exterior-wall drywall to insulate (they kindly left all exterior walls uninsulated, even those above grade), and ceiling drywall to run various wires and cables. This would be an excellent time to run additional HVAC ducts if needed.

The lack of insulation really throws out the "does it feel comfortable as is?" test.

"Den" => ~402 sq ft
"Bath" => ~60 sq ft (modified for discrepancies in floor plan below)

I'd say maybe you don't, if it doesn't have any exterior walls, which it does, so that's a yes.

Drywall is the enemy. This is also a good time to upgrade any of the electrical on the interior walls as well. You're two steps from a gut job; go for it.

As to whether you need more registers elsewhere, I don't know; I'm not a math wiz: calculate the heat load and the corresponding ventilation requirement (that's the part i pay for).


Is it better to replace this flange or install a “repair kit”? I have noticed that sitting on my toilet feels a little crooked, and today we have removed the toilet to inspect the flange. It’s an older flange with a metal ring and  PVC insert which I imagine is the kind that is glued to the drain pipe inside.  The metal looks pretty warped to me (ie im pretty sure that it’s lower around two of the screws and higher near the others, kinda like a very subtle roller coaster), which I suspect is why the toilet sat a little crooked but I’m not too sure as I don’t have experience with this.
I think it would be a good idea to replace it here but I have also seen these “repair kits” that can go over the top, like this one: https://www.homedepot.com/p/NEXT-by-Danco-HydroSeat-Toilet-Flange-Repair-10672X/204403879
I’d be all in on replacing it except it’s a little scary to have to cut the PVC insert while making sure I don’t cut the drain pipe as well, especially since I’m not too sure where one ends and the other begins, so I wanted to ask if anyone had advice on what might be the best route to take. I’m comfortable with cutting the old one out if I can be confident enough that it’s not a terrible idea :-)
Thanks!

It looks like the flange might be screwed down (note the screws in the flange itself).
The repair flange you linked is a "screw-down" type where you have a raised flange and want to secure it to the subfloor. I'm not sure I'd use that type here (a tensioned "push-in" type would be easier) but I'm unconvinced you need to replace it.
The situation where you need to replace your flange is when the narrow part (where the flange bolts grip underneath to secure the toilet) is rusted out and no longer holds the flange bolts. This flange looks older, but it's metal and the narrow parts are intact. If you can fit new flange bolts on either side then you're fine to put a new wax ring in and re-mount it.
Why is your toilet moving then? Likely the floor isn't level and your toilet can move on the flange. Here's what I would do

Buy a new set of flange bolts and try to re-mount the toilet (dry fit it without the ring).
Once you've tightened as much as you dare, see if it still moves. Look at the base of the toilet for gaps. If you find gaps, add plastic toilet shims until it doesn't rock
If you still can't fix it with shims, then and only then would I consider adding a new flange. Start with a rubber tension replacement flange, since these are relatively easy to install


My Acacia dining table starting to show some huge splits or cracks We got this Acacia dining table from costco and noticed after a year or so it started to crack on one end.
Initially the crack was pretty tiny and now it's very noticable.I was wondering what are the ways I can fix this?

There's generally greater success with making it a feature than trying to hide it.

Clamping it together and gluing will generally fail unless it's also rehydrated to the level it was made at first, and then kept that way. So if you live with the air you have, not going to fly unless you buy locally made furniture or avoid solid wood in preference to veneers over plywood or MDF.

While you can fill with wood, or leave it open (first putting in butterfly keys to try to limit further movement) one of the more visually appealing methods is to use a "crushed stone inlay" (sometimes the stone is really plastic, which, since the epoxy holding the stone in is plastic, is not that huge of a deal if you like the way it looks.) Simply using colored (often black) epoxy is anoter stylistic option.

Turquoise in mesquite cracks is probably the most common example of this.

I also know woodworkers who fill voids or make features by casting pewter directly into wood (it melts at a low enough temperature that this works.)


Is this a reverse osmosis system? I just purchased a home that appears to have a reverse osmosis system, but nothing comes out of the spigot, so I'm not sure if it is in fact R/O, if it's broken, etc.

Here's an album of the system in question: http://imgur.com/a/1vyrK -- it's the thin white tube that runs to the wall, but there's no filters that I can see. It just appears to run into a smallish box on the wall, then up to the spigot.

Any ideas?

Yes, what's left of it anyway. My guess is that all of the filters were removed and the lines were just put together so you didn't ask, "Hey, what's this do?". -Nothing, they took everything except the kitchen sink.

espwaterproducts.com/about-reverse-osmosis


Is this a "shared neutral" situation? In 2001, some electricians added two circuits to my house in California. I took a close look at their wiring and had some questions.

At the Service Panel, there are two 20-amp circuit breakers on the left side of the panel. Both breakers are connected to the same 12/3 Romex cable, with the red wire attached to one breaker and a black wire attached to a second breaker. The two breakers are not tied together.

The 12/3 cable feeds into the a junction box in the crawlspace where it connects to two 12/2 Romex cables. The red wire on the 12/3 cable attaches to a black wire on one 12/2 cable which provides power to my living room, and the black wire is connected to the black wire on a second 12/2 cable which provides power to a bedroom. Thus, the two 12/2 share a neutral.

This wiring configuration is confusing. Is this a "Shared neutral" situation? I am pretty sure that this was inspected in 2001, but is this configuration allowed by modern code? Was this allowed in 2001? What are the hazards of this sort of configuration? Does this present a hazard to the receptacles in the living room and bedroom?

Typically the connection of 12/3 to two side by side breakers (black on one, red on other) is used to run a 220v line.  A 220v line has two hots - each carrying 110v - pulled from adjacent breakers on the panel.  In such cases, the single white line is the 220v Neutral.

Speaking electrically :
What this guy did was use 12/3 to carry 220v to a junction box where he divided it back up into 110 - which should be fine because in reality the 12/3 is two parallel 110v lines, with a single neutral.   The single neutral isn't really a problem here - ultimately all lines share a single neutral back at the breaker box.  In your case, the shared neutral stops at a junction box - and the lines to the outlets are on their own neutral lines.

Are there any hazards to the receptacles?  No, as long as they're wired properly its no different than connecting the neutrals back at the neutral bus bar.

Speaking in terms of CODE and what's allowable - I honestly don't know if it's legal or not, but I cannot think of a reason why it wouldn't be.  The junction boxes are accessible, and using 12/3 to carry 220v is legit, and each outlet is wired to 110 properly.


Best roof for tropical climate I'm building a new house and can't decide what type of roof is best. I live in a tropical country where the day temperature is always above 32 degrees celcius. The criteria I want for the roof are:
- doesn't turn my house into an oven
- zero or low maintenance
- less leak problems
- no pests
- better performance during earthquake

I intially wanted a hip, tile roof, but I hesitate at the thoughts of having to clean the gutter often and rats getting inside the ceiling.

Your feedback will be much appreciated.

I'm a big fan of corrugated steel roofs.  They are noisy in a rain, especially if you have the windows open, and have little or no insulation in the ceiling space. They are quieter if they are firmly attached to mass:  E.g. a steel roof over 3/4" OSB over trusses will be quieter than steel over 2x4 purlons over truss.

Steel roofs are commonly done on trusses at 4 foot spacing here for machine sheds  Roofing fluctuates a lot in price, but my latest shed it was 2.35 Canadian per running foot 3 feet wide.  Call it 80 cents per square foot.  They last about 40-50 years.  Nowadays you can get them in a large variety of colours.  In a tropical climate I would get white, or very pale yellow.

In a tropical climate I would consider very oversize trusses so that you have and 8-10 foot overhang all the way around.  This reduces solar heating, and gives you a bunch of outdoor space that normally doesn't get wet.


What could cause my washing machine to stop before the rinse cycle? My washing machine will get stuck right before the rinse cycle. The washing machine will be full of water. The way to "fix it" is to twist the knob right after the "rinse" line, find the sweet spot, and pull the knob out. It can take 10+ tries to find this sweet spot and seems to have no rhyme or reason.

I've read online that this might be a drainage problem, but I'm not sure that is the case here. I'm basing that off of the fact that allowing time to pass doesn't increase the likelihood of hitting the sweet spot.

Anything I can check? As the pictures show this is a Whirlpool Ultimate Care II

Sounds like the timer-switch is dirty or worn, based on the fact there's a sweet spot that works. If the timer is stuck, i.e. it never reaches the end of the cycle on it's own, the gear teeth are probably worn in that spot.

If the timer works, it just 'misses' the rinse, you may be able to access the contacts and clean them. If the gears are worn or broken, you'll probably have to replace the whole assembly.

Since you can get it to work in the sweet spot, that rules out the usual suspects like control valves, relays, pumps.


How do I clean an oxidized steel terminal before attaching a wire to it? I have to replace wiring in a power meter box in an apartment building. There're four really beefy wires running vertically through the whole building and each wire has a short stripped segment inside the meter box and a steel connector is attached to the stripped part. Each connector consists of two plates aligned in parallel and the wire is placed between them and as the plates are connected with screws they are forced onto the wire and have electrical contact with the wire.

Each plate also has extra holes with threading and I have to attach branch wires that go to the actual load to the connector by warping a ring on the branch wire end and attaching that ring to the hole on the connector with a screw.

The problem is the connectors surface is of recognizable almost black color that steel parts get when they are exposed to mild humid air for long time - looks like result of oxidation treatment. I suppose this is not very good for electrical contact and I have to clean the connector surface where a wire will touch it.

How do I clean a steel connector surface? Do I just use fine sandpaper or do I need anything else?

As long as you make sure that the terminals are not live then fine emery cloth should remove the patina.


If a breaker is GFCI/AFCI protected, does the NEC still require garage and exterior outlets to be GFCI protected? I am looking into upgrading the cabling from very old clothed 14-3 wire to 14-3 MC wire and the outlets in my garage and I understand they must be GFCI protected; however, can I simply replace the current breaker that is installed (which is not GFCI protected) to one that is protected and then install normal outlets in the garage or would the NEC code regulations require the outlets be protected regardless of what is upstream.

The National Electrical Code requires GFCI protection in some locations, it does not specify how that protection is provided (well... It gives you options on how you can do it). If GFCI protection is provided by a breaker, then the GFCI protection requirement is met.


How to seal crevices in dry stack rock wall to prevent gopher activity? I've recently had a retainer wall built in the landscape using the dry-stack method (see photos).  Unfortunately, there has already been two occasions within past month of gopher activity behind the wall which has caused the soil to spill out onto the patio.  I would like to seal the crevices between the stones with concrete to keep the gophers from pushing the soil outward.  I'm not sure if portland cement or posthole concrete would be preferable.  Although there isn't a french drain behind the wall, I don't think that drainage will be a problem as there should be plenty of smaller weep cracks for water to drain.

I would expect that dry stacked stone would shift some, and that cement is too hard.

Consider using lime mortar instead. It's much slower drying, but isn't as brittle, and microcracks will self repair.  Currently used a lot on strawbale construction.


Expoxy Araldite and smell 2 weeks ago I used some 5 min araldite epoxy on one of my projects that consists on pine and tolex / leatherette near one of the joints.

I've gone to bring it inside and in my small office there is still a very subtle epoxy smell that lingers. I'm not sure if this to do with the curing letting off small amounts of gas.

To clarify the smell is only there if the door is left closed overnight (no ventilation in a small room).

As it's winter here in Australia I know the lower temperature might be inhibiting a full cure (it feels hard). I have hit it with a fan heater to help the bond a few times.

Is there a way of testing if this smell is toxic or if it's just residual sitting in the wood? Cheers

5 minute epoxy, thoroughly mixed in the right proportions and before the use-by date, and used within the prescribed temperature range, should be finished whatever curing is going to happen within about a day.  Expired materials, an inaccurate mix, or incomplete mixing, will leave unreacted components within the cured material.  If you're still smelling anything 2 weeks later, that's not likely to go away any time soon.  It likely also means that the epoxy won't be as strong as you would expect.

You can speed the cure if you warm it, but once it's hard all the way through, the reaction is pretty much done; any unreacted material is isolated and has nothing to react with.  Still, you've got nothing to lose giving it a little heat.

I'm not aware of any way to test it, at least at home (unless you have a well-equipped home chemistry lab).  As far as safety, you should be able to find the MSDS for the product online (sometimes linked at the retailer's site or the manufacturer's site), or the manufacturer's customer service can provide it.


How to put electrical wires and boxes in insulated (but not drywalled) walls? I have a basement, with concrete exterior walls which are framed with wood studs, and pink fiberglass insulation between them, all covered with a vapor barrier. I'm going to finish the basement, and need to add electrical receptacles to these walls.

I've read several conflicting advises about how to proceed in this situation: wires on top of insulation, wires behind, or buried inside it, just cut the insulation, or remove it altogether, etc., etc... So I'd like to know what is the best way to proceed in this situation? I'd like to make it right, but with the least amount of effort.

Apparently the correct way to do it is to remove the insulation, run the wires in the middle of the stud cavity, then re-insert the insulation (splitting it in half top-to bottom where needed to put it around wires in the middle. The fix the vapor barrier as needed.


Fan runs when in "on" mode, but not when in "auto" mode while in "cool" setting I have a Rheem RHPL-HM2421JC air handler, a Rheem 1.5 ton heat pump condensing unit, and a comfort control thermostat.

The heat and fan worked well over winter. I can also turn the fan mode to "on" and the fan will run. However, if the system is in cool mode and the fan is set to 'auto', nothing happens. I swapped out the circuit board, but the same problem persist. All the wires in the thermostat seem connected, so i am at a lost for the cause. Any suggestions?

Usually A/C, heat, and fan run the blower at different speeds. It's possible that the speed the A/C uses is dead.

Any easy test, is to swap the motor speed wires connected to HEAT and COOL on the board. Then see if the blower starts with the A/C.  If it does, that means the speed used by A/C is dead.  Depending on the system, you might have to replace the blower, or simply run it at a different speed for A/C.

WARNING: Don't run the A/C with the wrong blower speed for long, as it could damage the system.

If it's an ECM motor, there may not be a way to select/change the speed manually. Or the speed selection might be adjustable using dip switches, or jumpers.


How do I/can I install a dimmer without a ground? Full disclosure: I know very little about electrical work and was hoping for an easy fix.

I have been getting a buzzing from my dimmer every time the dim feature is used, and I read that a low quality dimmer can cause this. I read that this one is good, so I purchased it as a replacement: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BOA23U

I flipped the breaker and then tested the light switch to make sure the light wouldn't turn off. I removed the old dimmer, which had two black wires and a green wire.

Both black wires were connected to their own black wires in the wall (seen below coming toward the camera), but the green wire was not connected to anything at all. I'm really not sure what to do as I suspect that not having a ground on a dimmer could be causing the buzzing and could be unsafe. Here's what it looks like in the wall:

So...what should I do to make this safe?

A dimmer that buzzes is using an obsolete way to dim. It's also buzzing all your surge suppressors and the AM radio for half the neighborhood.

Grounds are not used in any way whatsoever as part of the functioning circuit.  Electrons should never move on a ground path.  So the dimmer shouldn't need it to function, but a newer, better dimmer might need a neutral wire.  Make sure you are considering future LEDs when picking a dimmer.  The better LEDs (GE, Cree) are really quite good now, and it's time to say goodbye to incandescents.

I do see a ground wire back in there.  It also looks like a steel junction box.  It is likely the ground wire is either strapped to the box (typically with a #10-32 screw) or is otherwise attachable with a wire nut, possibly already attached to other wires.

You also see the metal yoke on the switch.  That is meant to be ground.  You see where the yoke is resting on plaster, not the steel box itself, so the ground path there is weak - depending on the metal screw.  Because of that, I'd use a wired connection of bare (or bareD) wire to go from an attachment point to the ground screw on the switch.

By the way, that little paper square on the bottom of the box, is designed to go on the screws on the switch yoke.  You slide or screw it onto the screw, and now it will stay captive and not fall out.  Sometimes they get unscrewed by accident as you're removing the switch.


How can I install a GFCI receptacle to provide protection to other devices? I currently have in my shop, a 20 amp outlet directly below my panel which is approximately halfway along one of the walls.  Instead of having the GFCI outlet at the end, I would like to replace the existing outlet with a 20 amp GFCI outlet and add regular outlets to the left and to the right of it along that wall. Can I pigtail the black and white wires?  Will the outlets be protected?

Yes, look carefully at a GFI (or equivalently GFCI) outlet:

You can see the terminals at the top are labeled Line which means, upstream power.  The pair of terminals at the bottom are labeled Load, which means this is where to connect outlets downstream which are protected by this GFI.

Be careful not to bridge the line terminals to the load terminals!  A pigtail should only connect to the load terminals.


subpanel wiring after upgrading feeder wire I have a potentially simple question about the wiring in my separated garage after I upgraded the feeder wire from my main distribution panel. The garage was previously grandfathered in without a ground. I am replacing a ton of concrete between the house and garage and its the last time i can access that area. (plus the old wire was just put down on the ground and the old concrete path was poured over it, doubt that was proper.... it didn't survive the concrete demo). I ran a new proper three wire with ground.

The question I have is, do I simply separate the bare grounds and neutrals to their individual bars? Is it that easy in the subpanel after everything else is done, or could there be more complicated changes that im not processing by separating these. ie. need to upgrade garage plug and light circuits as well.  Should everything still work the same once i separate them..? I am absolutely overthinking this! Thanks!

In addition to separating and isolating the neutral from ground you also need to drive a ground rod(s) (some jurisdictions will require 2 even though it is an accessory ground) and bond any other metal piping system in the garage.


Installing a 3-way switch I have a two wire switch (old house) with no ground wire. I want to replace with a three way switch there and across the room. Is this a possibility?

From your statement it sounds like knocking out plaster and fishing some 14/4 cable is out of the question.

Yes, but you'll need a very particular smart switch to do it.

First, the smart switch must work without neutral, and you must partner this with bulbs it can do that with.  Incandescents work of course, CFLs are a dead technology, and only certain LEDs like to work with no-neutral smart switches.

Second, the smart switch will need to support and work with a wireless remote switch, either battery operated or powered by whatever power you can get to that location.  Presumably the remote switch would use radio to communicate with the controlling switch.

There are a variety of smart products on the market like this, specifically because people like you have problems like these.  We're not a "shop for me" site (the info goes stale too fast for our encyclopedic format) so I can't be much help picking brands.

It sounds like trying to pull /3 or /4 Romex would be a real problem for you. For what it's worth, the rules for running low-voltage wiring are easier.  If you can manage to get thermostat wire to the switch locations, you could use low voltage either for a relay controlled switch circuit or just for the entire lighting circuit.  LEDs are so efficient that you can get usefully bright light from low voltage LED "bulbs".


Why is this light fixture tripping the GFCI? I recently replaced an outlet with a GFCI outlet in a bathroom in an older home (1960s), and added a light/bath fan. In the same box as the outlet I replaced was a single pole switch to a light over the sink. I replaced the switch to match the outlet and wall plate. It was functioning fine before, no issues. It previously was NOT feed via the GFCI outlet. I switched it to be feed via it since it controls a light over the sink, and the new light in the bath fan.

The GFCI outlet feeds the feeds the single pole switch controlling two lights (the one over sink, and the one over shower within bath fan), as well as a 10-20-30-60 minute timer switch controlling the bath fan.

For some reason, the GFCI was tripping when the single pole light switch. Through trial and error, I determined it was the existing fixture controlled by the single pole switch causing the issue. If I disconnected it, everything works fine.

I've tried the following and have not had any luck solving the problem:

Swapped switch
Swapped existing light fixture for new one (we were going to replace anyway)

I hooked up a digital multimeter to neutral-ground for fixture causing the problem. When switch is OFF, voltage is essentially 0v (says 0.0008v, something like that). When the switch is ON, it is showing 0.11v. Not sure if that is of any significance.

Attached is a schematic I made. Some of the symbols might not be right, so please go easy on me! If anyone could help diagnose I would be greatly appreciative.

From your diagram it looks like the grounded (neutral) conductor connected to the light (that trips the GFCI), does not come from the GFCI device.  It looks like the grounded (neutral) wire is coming from the feeder to the circuit, instead.

Because of this, you'll have current flow through the GFCI device on the ungrounded (hot) conductor that does not flow back through it on the grounded (neutral) conductor. The GFCI sees this as a ground-fault, since the current on the ungrounded (hot) and grounded (neutral) conductors are different.

To remedy the situation, you can either not provide GFCI protection to the light, or connect the grounded (neutral) conductor from the light to the LOAD side grounded terminal of the GFCI device.

Essentially, this is what it looks like you have now.

Notice that the grounded (neutral) conductor bypasses the GFCI device.

No GFCI Protection

To fix this you could not GFCI protect the light, which would involve making a wiring change in the switch box. You'll have to move the wire feeding the switch from the LOAD side of the GFCI, to the ungrounded (hot) conductor feeding the box. The final circuit would look something like this.

In this situation, your original diagram would look like this.

GFCI Protection

The other option is to connect the grounded (neutral) conductor from the light to the GFCI, which would require running an additional conductor between the light box and the switch box. You'd then use the extra conductor to run from the grounded (neutral) LOAD terminal of the GFCI, to the grounded (neutral) terminal on the light.

If you go this route, your original diagram will look like this.

NOTES:

This answer is based on the assumption that your diagram is correct.
If local codes require the light to be GFCI protected, you'll have to do what is necessary to provide GFCI protection to the light.


how deep must a range hood be to effectively clear cooking vapor? Is it really necessary for a range hood to extend out from the wall completely over the burners?  Doesn't it draw from a wider range than its footprint?  There must be objective studies about this.  If they had to be wide, why does a reputable brand (I think) like XO make hoods that are less than 20 inches deep?

The deeper the better; ideally, it should be as deep as the range. Closer to the burners is better too, as is a higher airflow, within reason. Beyond 300 CFM, you might need a makeup air system or to be diligent about opening a window when it's running.

More info: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-curmudgeon/why-range-hoods-don-t-work


How can I install crown cornice molding and trim on rounded outside corners? We have rounded outside corners throughout our house what is the best approach to installing crown cornice molding?

The baseboards that are currently installed just come to a 90˚ point and the gap is filled in with putty, trim paint, mud, or combination thereof.

Any suggestions for a finely finished look to go with the rounded corners?

You can add a center section at the corner that runs at a 45° angle to either wall. That cuts down on any gap you might have, but makes the installation and cutting a bit more difficult. My house has a few faux pillars that use this technique:

(I know, I know, I haven't gotten around to touch ups after we painted the walls...)

And here's a lookup table for cutting crown molding (source):


Can I use an LED bulb in a 3-Way fixture? Is it possible to use an LED bulb in a 3-way light fixture?  Will all three work?

Unless you have a 3-way LED bulb (and a quick search indicates that they don't exist yet), it will light, but at the brightest light level.

A three-way incandescent light has two filaments: dim and medium.  Each filament has a separate contact on the bulb's base.  The brightest light level is provided by energizing both simultaneously.  When energized, each filament is driven at the mains voltage, so applying that voltage to a standard LED bulb will cause it to produce its rated light output.

You'll probably find that (because the bulb's base is missing a contact), you'll have an "on, off, on, off" pattern as you rotate the switch, instead of "dim, medium, bright, off" like with a 3-way bulb.


Why I feel stuffy when my dryer is running? In the house we rent, when the dryer is running, I feel the house is stuffy.

The Washer Dryer Combo's brand is Kenmore with model number 417.93702201. I wonder if the dryer is using gas or electricity?

Is the stuffiness I feel because the dryer produces carbon monoxide?

Looking at the this parts digram, this model appears to be a combination washer dryer with an electric dryer, so it's not likely to be carbon monoxide.    Possibly the dryer is not correctly vented to the outside, so it is pumping warm moist air into your house.   First, make sure the lint trap on the dryer (in a slot at the bottom of the door opening) is clean.    If the dryer is vented to the outside (you should see a vent on the outside of the house near the dryer), the vent pipe may be blocked.   If it's not vented to the outside, you may want to check with your landlord to have that corrected.


Improve loose thread fitting I have 10 laser pens of the same type(cheap Chinese ones) in aluminum and the threads are a bit loose, is there any way to improve the friction for the threads by applying some friction grease/paste? its for adjusting the focus of the lens so right now there is a slight wiggling room that i would like to get rid of.

I'd try Teflon plumbers tape. It will maintain the shape of the threads as it increases the diameter of the male threads, and will still let you disassemble the unit at need.


Can you really use 2 cables in place of /4 Romex? I have always presumed that currents must be equal in the same cable or conduit, and one shouldn't use multiple cables for 4-5 conductors because of eddy current heating, induced vibration causing metal fatigue, etc.
However, then I closely examined the following Code:

300.3(B) Conductors of the Same Circuit. All conductors of the same circuit and, where used, the grounded conductor and all equipment grounding conductors and bonding conductors shall be contained within the same raceway, auxiliary gutter, cable tray, cablebus assembly, trench, cable, or cord, unless otherwise permitted in accordance with 300.3(B)(1) through (B)(4).
300.3(B)(3) Nonferrous Wiring Methods. Conductors in wiring methods with a nonmetallic or other nonmagnetic sheath, where run in different raceways, auxiliary gutters, cable trays, trenches, cables, or cords, shall comply with the provisions of 300.20(B).
300.20(B) Individual Conductors. Where a single conductor carrying alternating current passes through metal with magnetic properties, the inductive effect shall be minimized by (1) cutting slots in the metal between the individual holes through which the individual conductors pass or (2) passing all the conductors in the circuit through an insulating wall sufficiently large for all of the conductors of the circuit.

Provided that you either a) use a plastic box, b) enter both cables on the same cable clamp, or c) slot the box as discussed...
Is that authorizing the use of two /2 cables in lieu of a /4, e.g. in a 3-way switch loop where neutral is needed?

Edit: I've italicized the relevant snippets, and here they are alone:

300.3(B) Conductors of the Same Circuit. All conductors of the same circuit shall be contained within the same  cable, unless otherwise permitted in accordance with 300.3(B)(1) through (B)(4).
300.3(B)(3) Nonferrous Wiring Methods. Conductors in wiring methods with a nonmetallic sheath, where run in different cables, shall comply with the provisions of 300.20(B).

No.

The language in 300.20(B) refers specifically to a single conductor, not a single cable.

300.3(B) mentions "in a single cable" unless otherwise allowed, and I don't read 300.3(B)(3) or 300.20(B) as allowing otherwise.

I would guess the exceptions are intended for where you need to run a pair of conduits to physically accommodate large feeder wires; Which are "individual conductors."


What wire gauge do I need for a 100 Amp subpanel at the end of a 60' wire run? I am adding an attached garage to my house.  I'm going to be putting in a 100 Amp subpanel which is about 60 feet away and run through the basement joists.

What gauge wire do you recommend for either aluminum and copper?  Also, do you recommend one or the other?

When determining feeder conductor size, you'll want to consider the "lowest temperature rating of any connected termination, conductor, or device" as per National Electrical Code (NEC) Article 110.14(C).
While the cable/wire may be rated at 90°C, you'll likely find that the terminals are rated at 75°C, or not labeled at all. 110.14(C)(1)(a) tells us, that since we're working with 100 amperes or less. We should use the 60°C column of Table 310.15(B)(16) to determine the conductor size, unless the equipment is listed and labeled for a higher temperature.

National Electrical Code 2014
ARTICLE 110 Requirements for Electrical Installations
110.14(C)(1) Equipment Provisions. The determination of termination provisions of equipment shall be based on 110.14(C)(1)(a) or (C)(1)(b). Unless the equipment is listed and marked otherwise, conductor ampacities used in determining equipment termination provisions shall be based on Table 310.15(B)(16) (formerly 310.16) as appropriately modified by 310.15(B)(6).
(a) Termination provisions of equipment for circuits rated 100 amperes or less, or marked for 14 AWG through 1 AWG conductors, shall be used only for one of the following:
(1) Conductors rated 60°C (140°F).
(2) Conductors with higher temperature ratings, provided the ampacity of such conductors is determined based on the 60°C (140°F) ampacity of the conductor size used.
(3) Conductors with higher temperature ratings if the equipment is listed and identified for use with such conductors.
(4) For motors marked with design letters B, C, or D, conductors having an insulation rating of 75°C (167°F) or higher shall be permitted to be used, provided the ampacity of such conductors does not exceed the 75°C (167°F) ampacity.

Since the cable will run from a breaker in the main service panel, to either a breaker or lugs in a subpanel.  We have to consider the temperature rating of...

The conductors
The terminals in the main panel where the conductors will connect.
The terminals in the sub panel where the conductors will connect.

We'll then use the lowest value, or 60°C if any of the above are not labeled. Once we know the size of the overcurrent devices, and the lowest temperature rating, we can use Table 310.15(B)(16) to determine the conductor size and material we'll need.

This will give us the current carrying conductor size required for our feeder.
But wait...
If you're working in a one-, two-, or multi-family dwelling unit, is Article 310.15(B)(7) applicable?

National Electrical Code 2014
ARTICLE 310 Conductors for General Wiring
310.15 Ampacities for Conductors Rated 0–2000 Volts.
(B) Tables. Ampacities for conductors rated 0 to 2000 volts shall be as specified in the Allowable Ampacity Table 310.15(B)(16) through 310.15(B)(19), and Ampacity Table 310.15(B)(20) and Table 310.15(B)(21) as modified by (B)(1) through (B)(7).
The temperature correction and adjustment factors shall be permitted to be applied to the ampacity for the temperature rating of the conductor, provided the corrected and adjusted ampacity does not exceed the ampacity for the temperature rating of the termination in accordance with the provisions of 110.14(C).
(7) 120/240-Volt, 3-Wire, Single-Phase Dwelling Services and Feeders.
(a) For individual dwelling units of one-family, two-family, and multifamily dwellings, conductors, as listed in Table 310.15(B)(7), shall be permitted as 120/240-volt, single-phase service-entrance conductors and service lateral conductors.

NO.
Notice the codes says

"shall be permitted as 120/240-volt, single-phase service-entrance conductors and service lateral conductors".

After reading the definition of these terms, it's clear that this does not apply to the wire between the main panel and a subpanel.

Service-Entrance Conductors, Overhead System. The service conductors between the terminals of the service equipment and a point usually outside the building, clear of building walls, where joined by tap or splice to the service drop or overhead service conductors.
Service-Entrance Conductors, Underground System. The service conductors between the terminals of the service equipment and the point of connection to the service lateral or underground service conductors.
Service Lateral. The underground conductors between the utility distribution system and the service point.

tl;dr
Conductors and all terminals rated at or above 75°C.
Use 3 AWG copper or 1 AWG aluminium for the current carrying conductors.
Conductors rated at or above 75°C, terminals rated at 60°C or unlabeled.
Use 1 AWG copper or 1/0 AWG aluminium for the current carrying conductors.
Conductors and terminals rated at 60°C.
Use 1 AWG copper or 1/0 AWG aluminium for the current carrying conductors.
Conductors rated at 60°C, terminals rated higher than 60°C
Use 1 AWG copper or 1/0 AWG aluminium for the current carrying conductors.


How to fill gaps in floor after wall removal Having recently removed a separating wall between kitchen and kitchen-diner, there is now a gap left in the floor that needs to be filled (150mm x 3000mm).

The floor is ground floor, laid on-top of concrete and is comprised of 25mm thick polystyrene on the bottom, 18mm thick chipboard on top and a layer of plastic sheeting between.

We want to have LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile) installed like this.

Here is a picture of the gap:

What would be considered best practice in filling this gap to prepare for LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile)?

I was thinking to either:

Purchase some sort of ready mixed compound to pour in the gap. If so what sort of compound would be preferable?

or

Fill the gap with polystyrene, chipboard and a layer of plastic sheeting between. If so what to do with the small gaps between the old and new?

Wood would be best for the here and now and to be gone for later. IF, you'll be removing the existing flooring for the LVT to go in.

Let the LVT installers simply lift out your wood and fill the gap later with Floor Leveler or other cementitious product. It's very difficult to chip stuff away to perfection, but very easy to put it in level with a new permanent elevation.


What could cause the furnace blower to come on constantly and no fire in gas burner? When thermostat is turned up on my hot air furnace, the blower immediately comes on, blowing no heat, had it checked and with some luck the burner fired after about 10 tries of switching on and off. When needed heat a couple of days later same problem. Checked furnace red light indicator and in manual it says open temperature limit switch. What does this mean?

You have a bad high limit switch, or the furnace is overheated. The high limit switch is in place to make sure the furnace doesn't heat up to the point that it damages itself, or anything around it. If the furnace gets too hot, the limit switch opens. When the switch opens the burners turn off, but the blower continues to run in an attempt to clear the heat. Once the heat is removed, the limit switch should reset (if it's an automatic reset type). In the case of a bad switch, it never resets, so the burners never come on.

Limit switches can go bad with age, but more often than not fail due to overuse. Dirty filters, blocked return ducts, closed registers, really anything that restricts air flow through the system can cause the furnace to overheat. If this happens too often, the limit switch will die prematurely.

Have a local licensed HVAC technician install a new limit switch.


Connecting a Leviton 3-Way Dimmer Switch to new 3-Way Circuit I have wired a new 3-way circuit in a bunk-house exactly as shown in the following diagram, with wire types and colors matching those in the diagram 100%:

I have a 2-pack of Leviton 6674 Dimmers, which came with the following wiring instructions:

  https://www.leviton.com/en/docs/DI-000-06674-02A-X2.pdf

It is confusing me for the following reasons:

The instructions are written as though someone is replacing existing switches (referencing the screw-colors on the old switch) but since my circuit is new, I don't have that to reference.
The example circuit in the instructions doesn't match the one I've wired in the diagram above.
The wires coming out of the back are not colors that match the colors of the wiring. The switch has: - two red wires (one is tagged with red tape also), one black wire, and a green ground wire as follows:

Can anyone tell me in simple terms (keeping in mind I don't fully understand terms like "common", "line/load", etc), and specifically based on the exact wiring diagram above, how exactly I should connect the Leviton switches (i.e. which specific wires on the back of the switches should connect to the specific color wires in the boxes?

EDIT - I somehow overlooked the note in the instructions that you can only use one dimmer in a 3-way application. Let's say I'll put it in the 1st box (the one on the left of the diagram) - I'm still confused on which switch wires to connect to each of the three colors in the box...

It's confusing to you merely because you are a novice in this area.  This is normal and all will be explained as you learn.   A few things:

In mains electrical, color codes often mean far less than you'd hope. Cables are made that way, with the same 2-3 wire colors, and gets used for everything.  The colors are to distinguish the wires from each other, not define meaning/purpose.
In 3-way circuits, colors are worse than useless because you have 4 functions and 3 colors to define them, and no two circuits are alike. Even experts have to work through it, it's ridiculous.  This is why I intentionally use colored tape to remark the wire color by function.  It turns insanity into easy mode.
You are learning "by rote" - that means repeating a thing mechanically without functional understanding. That falls apart in a hurry in 3-way circuits since every one is different.
Instructions cannot possibly tell you how to wire when every circuit is different.

Code requires that neutral be white (if it's present).  I prefer color codes of black for always-hot, red for switched-hot (hot when you want the light on), and yellow for travelers.   Now, a 3-way looks like this

and wires like this

So get a 5-pack of colored electrical tape.  On your spur cable to the lamp, mark the black wire red on both ends.    On the /3 cable between switches, you are using red and white as travelers, so mark them yellow.   Now you're marked just like this diagram.
What about that dimmer?  I'll sneak you to the end, although given what I just showed you, it may be fairly obvious.  The two red wires are travelers. Mark them yellow.   And voilà, everything should make sense.
But this may violate Code
Ugh.  All this and we have a problem.  Depending on the application, it may violate the building codes.  You notice that most of the time, switches are in an obvious place: that's because Code requires that. Certain (most) switches are required, and required switches must turn on a light and give usable light. This is to benefit guests (so they don't hurt themselves) and first responders (so they can work).
The wiring of this dimmer forces you to put it in one location (only place you have black-yellow-yellow, the far switch).  If the dimmer is turned way down, flipping the switch at the other location would provide a very dim light.  That's a Code violation since the switch doesn't turn on a light in the room.
The way to fix that is smart dimmers where you have a dimming control at each location.
Some smart switches use wireless or power-line signaling.  Your wiring layout lends itself well to smart dimmers with a wired communications line.  In that case, the between-switches /3 becomes black=always-hot, white=neutral and red=communication.  This also gives you always-hot and neutral at the far switch if you want to extend the circuit.


blocked sink due to same height of drain outlet? I recently bought into a new place.  It's a fixer-upper, but before my wife and I start the work, we're living in it while we finalize our plans.

Our kitchen sink does not drain on its own.  We either need to use a plunger to get airflow going or squeeze the pipe a couple of times (it's flexible rubber; which I've never seen before) to get it to drain.  We declogged it with a liquid product a couple of times, and once we get airflow, it drains fine.

I was looking under it, and noticed that the sink drain and the waste outlet in the wall is at the same height, with a P trap between them.

Would this (lack of) height differential be preventing the sink from draining?

If so, what would be our options? We plan on moving the kitchen when we renovate but until then, we're kind of tired of water piling up in the sink.

Try to add one of these to allow air into the drain


Why would a dryer receptacle trigger another receptacle to quit working I have my dryer plugged in in my laundry room (Circuit Breaker 5).  I have my T.V. plugged in in my living room (Circuit Breaker 7).  The dryer is tumbling, but no heat and timer not working. Power in house is flickering, I turn dryer off, my tv turns off.  I turn dryer on my tv turns back on.  I live in an old house with old wiring.

CALL YOUR UTILITY. NOW!
I'll bet you have either lost neutral or a lost leg. Either one can produce nasty results. My best guess is a lost leg - that would result in 1/2 your 120V circuits getting 120V, 1/2 your 120V circuits getting nothing at all unless a 240V appliance like a dryer is turned on and your dryer getting 120V instead of 240V (and therefore you get motor and controls but either no heat or minimal heat).
This can be an internal problem - e.g., loose wire in your main panel. But it is quite likely that it is a problem with the power getting from the street into your house. Call your utility. Tell them you think you have a lost leg or lost neutral. If they have no idea what you are talking about, just tell them you have an intermittent power outage and are concerned about safety.
In (almost all) places, they will check it for free and if the problem is outside they will fix it for free. If they determine it is a problem inside your house then they will tell you to call an electrician. If you start with an electrician then (unless it is a close friend or relative) you will most likely have to pay the electrician for a visit and still end up calling the utility to fix it. So start with the utility company.
Meanwhile, unplug any sensitive electronics or expensive appliances, as the problem may result in varying voltage which can really ruin things pretty quickly.


How can I locate the 2x8 boards beneath subfloor, backer board, mortar, and ceramic tile? My floor is getting a little creaky in my bathroom.  Unfortunately, it has ceramic tile over it (along with mortar and backer board).  What I need to do is drill a clearance hole through the grout and then put a screw through the subfloor and into the 2x8 boards beneath it, but I need to locate them first.  What are my options in locating these 2x8s?

Assuming you do not have access from below, (if you do we have a completely different solution) you need to drill  holes in the perpendicular grout line apx 16 inches from the parallel wall to the joists to start with. You may have to drill a couple of holes until you find a joist. Then calculate every 16 inches on center and drive screws. When driving the screws, they should bite and countersink themselves if you have hit a joist.  Since you will have to re-grout the seam anyway, strip the grout and find the joists. Even doing this, I am not totally convinced a few screws will solve your problem. The best solution will be securing the subfloors from the bottom.


How can I cut a metal pipe while preserving the wires inside? I need to install a dishwasher with a solid bottom into this space, where this solid pipe (green rectangle above) is in the way. How would I remove the pipe, or at least make it level with the floor, while not damaging the wires inside the pipe?

You have to pull the wire out. Period.

What you're looking at here is the conduit wiring method. It's actually a very excellent way to run wiring, but I gather it's completely alien and unfamiliar to you.

The gist is that you build the pipe route, then you run the wires through it, in that order.  The wires can be any color and size you want.

Now, Code requires every junction box cover remain accessible without tools, forever.  It can't be covered with drywall, wallpaper, carpet, a screwed down plywood panel, not anything like that.   So Wherever the other end of that conduit is, you should be able to access it. That is where you pull the wires back from. Expect them to be individual wires, not the cable you are familar with.

You also see a transition from EMT metal conduit to some sort of flexible conduit system such as AC.  I don't know what's going on with the tape, but I assume/hope there is an appropriate coupler there.   Also, I don't see what's happening with the ground wire.  Perhaps this flexible conduit is not allowed to carry ground (EMT is), and that was their fix.  The right solution is to add a ground wire to the inside of that conduit the entire run.

The answer is to reroute that EMT and flexible conduit so it uses a different path.  Don't be bashful about getting more EMT or flexible conduit to extend.  They sell pre-bent sections and they also have conduit benders.

Do not exit the conduit with bare wires.  Honestly I think the metal conduit is a good idea due to the exposure to damage there (from the washer being installed and removed).  You are generally allowed to exit conduit with Romex cable, but not here, because it would be subject to damage.  However pulling stiff, balky cable through conduit is a major pain, and is often not practical for a DIYer.

So find the other end of this conduit. Bind a rope to your wires at the end. Then pull the wires to pull the rope into the conduit. Then do your work, then use the rope to pull wires back in.


How do you secure pre-built garage shelving to the frame? We have built the typical free-standing 4-level garage shelves(similar to this) & want to secure it to the house frame in the garage.

The whole thing is pretty sturdy but we just want to be safe & this is in California, where there is a threat of earthquakes.

What kind of screws do you recommend & how long should they be?
Maybe 1-2 screws per shelf to the frame?

Here is a photo & rough estimate of the measurements:

I'd go two screws per wall stud thru the top and middle shelf. The weight of the thing is supported by the structure itself so all you need to do is keep it from falling over. Use a 4 1/2 inch timber tech or a 5/16 lag with a washer and you'll have two inches of screw into the stud which is adequate but a minimum. Make sure you install shims or a spacer to fill that gap before you run your screws.


New bathroom counters and sinks, what is the proper way to handle the difference in supply line length So I got new counters and faucets. Unfortunately, the old faucet had an extender on the supply lines that the new one does not, additionally, it doesn't appear to something i can swap from old to new. Due to this, the water supply lines are too short to reach the new sink. What is the best way to handle this?

Old sink connector

New sink connector

You typically use braided steel supply lines to connect the sink to your supply.

You can get anything from a few inches long to a couple feet long.


How Do Houses Prevent a Water Buildup in the Flooring? I have been reading Canadian Wood-Frame House Construction to get an idea how houses are built and function, and am really confused about one aspect.

External floors are built just like external walls, just on their side. Internal boards->Vapour Barrier->Studs/joists with insulation. Which makes a lot of logical sense in walls and ceilings. But since water drains down, I have no idea how this is supposed to work for the flooring. I am using an example of a wood framed external floor, but the same principal extends to concrete slabs that have a vapor barrier built in. Assuming I spilt some water, or a pipe broke, a few gallons of water got on the floor. How does this standard design allow this excess water to be shed by the house?

The entire house is encased in a plastic vapor barrier, that is sealed and caulked at all the seams, it is one giant plastic bag. This house now has several gallons of water under the floor boards. What happens next? Or is a vapour barrier not a liquid water barrier?

How does this standard design allow this excess water to be shed by the house?

You are correct in seeing the flaw in a plastic vapor barrier. It doesn't allow the house to breathe. I personally don't like the idea.

The only way to shed the water is by evaporation through ventilation. Some of the water could drain to the ground since vapor barriers are not necessarily water tight but the tighter you make the house envelope the harder it gets to allow it to breathe.


Electrical outlets not working I replaced a few outlets in my home over the past weekend and now some other outlets (which I assume are downstream) are not working.  The outlet that I replaced still works fine but I cannot figure out why the others are not working.  I checked the circuit breaker and reset all the switches.  All of the wires in the outlets have been double checked to make sure there are no loose wires.

One of the outlets that I replaced (and assuming this is the problematic one) has a black wire, a res wire, 3 white wires, and a ground.  I screwed them all into the new outlet and no luck.  I tried bypassing the outlet all together by putting the red and black wire together and all the whites together but still no luck.

Any suggestions?  I have gotten a few quotes from electricians but they all want $300+ to come out and fix it.

Thanks in advance

There is a second black wire that you left dangling (I guess). You can see it on the first picture, right side of the wall opening, mid-height. It seems to be a slightly glossier black (newer wire?). It probably needs to be pigtailed to the other black.


Would these 3 motors perform differently? I've three older, used, 1 hp, 3450 rpm, Sears/Crafstman motors to choose from to run a used 10" table saw on a 110v power.  None smell burnt.
If they are all in equivalent decent shape, will they perform the same?
If not, is it possible to deduce which will perform best, or do I need to test all three?
Two have a capacitor wart for start-up, the third is labeled as "capacitor motor".
Two are 115, the other is 115/230.
One is labeled 40 degC Ambient, another 40 degC Temp Rise, the third 50 degC Cont. Temp Rise.
1) Smallest motor, sleeve bearing:

2) A bit larger than the smallest motor, sleeve bearing:

3) Largest motor, ball bearing:

The #3 motor having ball bearings will outlast the sleeve bearings. A ball bearing motor can be run closer to 115% of FLA (full load amps) with creating as much heat. The larger Frame usually provides more torque at the same amperage. Small motors like this are usually rated in peak horsepower / 746W of consumed power is called 1 horsepower. This calculation is usually at close to locked rotor so no true power is being generated, just consumed. To answer your question You might find the larger ball bearing motor has 20-50% more torque at 746W so it would be much more powerful than the other 2 motors.


Installing a new electrical panel in RV I just purchased this breaker box from Home Depot.  I'll be installing it in my RV.  Current will be supplied by a 12VDC to 120VAC, 3000W inverter.  I'll be using Single-Pole Type BR breakers.

Here's a picture of the box:

My current understanding is that I must install a grounding bar to the box.  This is my current understanding of how to connect the breaker to the main supply.:

Here is my understanding of how I would wire in new circuits:

Does this look right?  I would really appreciate your help -- I've been beating myself over the head about this.


How do i get a wet bicarbonate of soda stain out of my carpet? I had a stain on my carpet, the professional came round tried to remove it and later it turned pink, he told me to add bicarbonate of soda watered down 1/5, the pink faded but not completely he said to put more bicarb on which i did and it worked on the stain (not completely but enough to live with)however, the surrounding edge where the bicarb had flooded onto it turned a darker shade of my carpet and now i have a massive stain of bicarb on the carpet.It looks worse than the original stain. How do I get rid of the bicarb stain now?

You don't.

Maybe.

You might get lucky but sometimes a series of chemical processes ends up fixing the stain permanently. A research chemist and a lot of time and money might fix it but sometimes you have to consider alternatives.

Not too long ago, a plumber left a stain on a carpet. I went through a variety of products and services to try an remove it. In the end it was worse than it was before I started.

I paid a carpet fitter to replace the carpet.


How can I replace an air conditioning thermostat? I have ducted air conditioner with a control panel in both bedrooms and the living area that only has a thermostat.  Is it possible to replace each of these easily (and inexpensively) with a timer to switch off and on at certain times?

It's a Siemens model if that helps but not permitted to post pictures yet!

Edit: A couple more questions:

Can I buy from the US (thinking Amazon as I'm visiting next week) if I'm in a 220V country or would I have to buy locally?
Any recommendations for a replacement thermostat? Can you pretty much buy any one with the desired features and it will be compatible?

It should be possible in theory to use a generic timer switch to electrically disconnect the 'stat from the aircon during certain time periods so the 'stat cannot call for cooling. Whether it's inexpensive or easy (or attractive) depends on the details of the current installation and the style of timer switches available.

A better solution would be to replace the 'stats with a more sophisticated controller that has timer functions. This solution is unlikely to be inexpensive, but shouldn't be prohibitively expensive either. It is typically easy to do this, disconnect the old 'stat from the wiring and attach the wiring to the new 'stat. Once again, the ease depends on the details of the current installation and the replacement 'stat.


Wiring for ecobee3 lite I recently purchased the ecobee3 lite and am now stuck trying to install them. I have 3 Honeywell thermostats I am looking to replace and my heating system is oil/hot water. My home was built in 1970 and I believe the wiring involved here is pretty old. I am not an electrician but I believe I should be able to handle this project given some help.

For starters, each of my thermostats is hooked up with a red and a white wire, with one additional (blue) wire coming out of the jacket in the wall, but not hooked up to the thermostat:

As far as I can tell, there's no voltage coming from that wire. I checked with a multimeter and it came up 0 every which way I checked it. So then I made my way to the furnace. Here's what I see:

So this box is a Honeywell Aquastat Relay L8148A whose schematic can be found here.

Here are two angled views of the controller that give a better picture of the few different connection points:

Here is the inside of the cover plate for the controller that details the wiring a bit:

As you can see, the main controller has 1 pair of red/white wires labeled Thermostat in the top-left corner. Then there are two transformers affixed to the furnace that also have red/white wires. I'm at a loss because most "add a c-wire" videos show a controller that has 5 different connection points, one of which is clearly labeled C, and they run a wire from there and everything works. I can't find a spot that I'm confident would be a "C" wire spot. The ecobee3 lite offers a PEK but that looks like it also requires more than just two wires to be run into it to operate properly. Many of these smart thermostats assume you are also controlling a cooling system which I am not; I only have a furnace.

So my question is: Can I install an ecobee3 lite myself in this system without a ton of work, or should I just buy something like the Nest E that can power-steal from my furnace?

You have a bigger problem than chasing down a blue wire here

Here's the rub -- the Honeywell L8148A doesn't even provide a C terminal for the blue wire, PEK, or whatever to connect to, as it was designed for dumb mechanical 'stats.  Considering it not only contains a transformer and relay, but a high limit function as well, this leaves you with limited options -- simply replacing it with a separate transformer and relay won't do.  One could add another transformer and relay as an isolation relay, but that's probably more complexity than is called for here, considering that Honeywell makes a more versatile version of what you're looking at, called an L8148J.

Replacing your L8148A with an L8148J configured for a 24VAC gas valve (valve from B1 to B3) lets you connect the C wire to the TV terminal, jumper T to TV, and then pull the jumper from Z to W, connecting R to Z and W to W.  Of course, this all presumes that the cable doesn't transition from 3-wire to 2-wire somewhere in the middle; if it does, then you need to use a PEK or add-a-wire device to handle the situation atop the aforementioned aquastat changeout.


Is it safe to cut throught a 70mm spruce beam with a Metabo jigsaw? I have this jigsaw: Metabo Ste 90 SCS  (610 watts).

So far, I'm using it to cut 1cm to 2cm thick wood, and it's a great tool.

I know that the right tool to cut this beam would probably be a miter saw, but I don't plan to buy one for just a few cuts.

I am not looking for the accuracy of cuts for this job.

I have seen that there are 10 cm blades, but I'm wondering if this is safe to put long blades on a powerful jigsaw, to cut thick - and possibly wet - wood. Some beams are so wet that their weight is almost twice the weight of dry ones.

So here what I fear could happen:

violent kickback at some random point
blade breaking inside the beam
burning or damaging the motor,

Yes, the problems you mention are possible if you try to advance the jigsaw too aggressively and even with thinner materials. Just don't advance it too fast and especially don't force on the jigsaw and it'll be fine although rather slow.

The other side is that those 10cm blades are rather expensive and you might be much better off just using a handsaw for the few cuts you need.


230V Single phase connection for 2 HP Table saw to the breakers in the panel For the 230V is the connection to the panel breakers made to L1 and L2 plus ground? This being two breakers side by side.

OR

Two L1 connections and ground? Breakers on opposite sides of the panel.

With most panels 2 breakers side by side (not end to end) will provide 230V.
You should buy a breaker with a single handle 2 pole or get handle ties for 2 separate breakers.
You will also need the ground as you had mentioned. If a 20 amp motor you will need the wiring to be 12awg.
If 30A it will need to be 10awg. If you do use separate breakers with a handle tie make sure they are of the same amperage and style.
I just looked up 2 hp 230v motor it should draw 12A so it could be run off a 15A breaker with 14awg wire. but 20A would be better because on start up it may trip the 15A breaker.


Moisture on crawlspace dirt/clay floor Our house has a damp/musty smell to it when you first enter.  Once you open a window/door the smell usually dissipates. In May (Chicago-land) the humidity in the house is about 30% upstairs and 40% in the crawlspace while dehumidifiers run on both floors.

We noticed that of our crawlspace dirt floor is moist, almost mud-like, along the front side of our house.  See picture below.  The floor moisture creeps forward a foot during heavy rains, and recedes a foot during dry spells, but almost never disappears entirely. The rest of the crawlspace floor is dry.

We notice no cracks in the foundation wall, and no water lines running down the wall.  We recently installed a French drain to reduce the amount of water hitting the front of the house (the floor dampness existed before installing the drain).  The gutters dump water into a pipe system that the sump pump uses, and shouldn't be dumping water at the foundation of the house.

Our sump pump runs routinely, about every 10 minutes during rain and every 30 minutes during dry spells.  Ground water is always slowly pouring into the sump pit.

Is this damp ground something to be concerned about?  Can it be fixed? Is it possible that the damp smell comes from the crawlspace floor moisture, or from something else?  How can we get rid of the damp smell? We want to hire mold specialists to test and clean the crawlspace but are afraid their work will be wasted if we don't eliminate the source of the moisture first.

You will need to seal the basement walls and the basement floor to accomplish this.

I have seen the dirt removed from around the face of the basement walls and then the walls sealed and the dirt returned - generally it is a trenching around the basement wall of the house - but I have only seen them do one wall.

There is another way to do it that is easier and works from the inside of the house:

how-to-waterproof-basement


How can I seal off exterior hole? I have an A/C line (left) which has been chewed through by mice.

They are now enjoying the comfort of my attic. I've temporarily put steel wool in the hole, but they have evolved and pulled it out. The hole itself is about 2". The temperatures right now are around 25℉ high, so I worry that mortar will freeze. How else can I seal this hole off?

Insert the nose of a tube of 100% silicone calk and pump it full.  They don't like it.


Converting EVSE with 6-50 to 14-50 Is it safe to replace a 6/3 soow on a 6-50 adapter with a 14-50 adapter? I have an additional 6/3 soow to use. The adapter says it must be used with a 4 wire, but the charger only uses a 3 wire cord currently. Do I leave the ground disconnected and just use the hot wires + neutral?

If your EV charger has worked so far with a 6-50, or is shipped with a 6-50 adapter, then it probably doesn't need neutral to function.  That's no surprise, honestly.

There is nothing wrong with changing the plug to 14-50.  In that case, you simply do not connect neutral in the plug.

You certainly do connect safety ground!  In all cases!

In cordage such as SOOW type, the /3 designator means it has 3 wires: black white and ground.  (/2 is groundless, /4 includes a red wire).

Use the white wire as one of the "hot" wires.  The usage will be obvious in this case, but bonus points if you color the wire with a sharpie to indicate it is not neutral.


Are switch screws sufficient for load grounds? In California, in a metal gang box with the line ground attached to the box with a ground screw, I understand that I don't need to attach a ground wire to a switch (screwed tight, captive washers removed).

But I do need to ground the load conductor directly to the box? Is it acceptable to attach the load ground to the switch ground screw?

Or must I attach it more directly to the box (such as with a clip, nut, etc)

At switches

Grounds at switches must be pigtailed to the box, then all the grounds from all the cables joined to the box with a wire nut.

If you don't want to use wire nuts, you could a) use box clips on the edge of the box, b) drill and tap any #10-32 holes in the back of the box for each ground wire and land it on the screw.

You cannot land one wire on the box and one wire on the switch.  This defeats the entire purpose of pigtailing grounds; ground paths should remain continuous even if you remove a device.

At luminaires

It depends on how the luminaire is built, and you have to make a case-by-case judgment call.

For instance some luminaires have two ground wires -- one for the ceiling rose, and another one for the lamp proper which is on the end of a chain or cable.  Chains are not valid grounding paths!  In that case, you can ground the rose via the metal box, but must wire the ground that runs down the chain.

If the luminaire has some plastic and some metal parts, that problem may recur.


Can I use domestic hot water from a gas combination boiler temporarily, while the pressure in the central heating circuit is low? Due to work on the heating pipes, the central heating water pressure is low.
Is there a safe way to use the gas combination boiler (Ferroli Modena 80 E, domestic hot water + central heating) for domestic hot water production (until the end of the work on the heating pipes)?

Currently the low central heating pressure light is blinking (as it should) and the fire does not turn on when hot water taps are opened.

Sure, it is safe, as it's meant to produce domestic hot water in the first place.  The problem is it won't start up because there's no water in it as it all has drained out. You need to put some sort of stops on the inlet and outlet heating pipes and re-pressurize the system before it will produce hot water.


Confused: Obscure Pliers What are these pliers called and what are they used for?

Looks like the tool used to clip animal nails. Even looks like it has a handy depth gauge, so you don't hit the vein in a dogs nail.

Professional Pet Nail Clipper


Can I cover insulation in my attic roof with plastic or plywood? You can see into my attic a bit there (looking from the outside of the house into the attic), and it's insulation between the rafters. It's a small storage area and I'm tired of getting the itchies and having to worry about bumping into the insulation when moving boxes around. Can I nail up some thin plywood or some plastic sheeting? I figure boxing the air in like that would help with the insulation as well.

I'm no so concerned with the portions down at the very bottom where the attic flooring meets the rafters, but the higher part (where you can crouch and work in) I'd like to stop getting insulation on me.

Yes.  Either wood or plastic would be a good idea.  You are only going to be able to get narrow sheets of plywood through those holes, but just nail them up.  If you use plastic, secure it with staples.


Resealing or repolishing interior concrete floor? I have a concrete floor in my apartment. It is somewhat shiny. When cleaning up after a pet, I used an abrasive scouring pad on it, and looks like I took off whatever layer is giving it shine:

How do I fix this? I did some research on concrete floors, but I can’t tell whether my floor is stained, polished, or what. Any ideas?

Although you might have worn through the finish if you were aggressive enough or the scouring pad was course enough, try cleaning gently (to remove any residue) and then buffing it out with a microfiber cloth and water. If that doesn't work, you'll have to check with your landlord/super/apartment manager. Scuffing of the finish shouldn't be an uncommon occurrence.