Replace 3-way toggle with Lutron Caseta Smart Toggle I'm trying to replace a toggle switch in a 3-way setup with a Lutron Caseta smart toggle switch.  I'm not able to figure out the correct wiring configuration to get everything to work correctly.

There are 3 wires in the box.

1 Red wire
1 Yellow wire
1 Blue wire

The red wire is a loop and stripped in the middle.  It was connected to a screw on the old toggle switch.  The blue and yellow wires were plugged into the back of the toggle switch.  (see picture 1)

Picture 2 shows the wires in the wall.

The new smart toggle switch has 5 wires (see picture 3 and 4)

I tried connecting the following :

Yellow (wall) to White (switch)
Red (wall) to Red (switch)
Blue (wall) to Black (switch)

When configured in this manner the lights are off when the other switch in the 3-way configuration (identical model to the "old" switch).  When I flip the other switch to on the lights blink a a very repeatable interval (about 1 blink per second).

I've tried other wiring configurations but the lights do not go on at all.

Below are pictures of the wires entering and exiting the box.  This includes a white wire that runs from the top left to the bottom right of the box.

Update

This was the configuration of switch 2 before I modified it per the instructions.

This is the configuration now.  Now the blue and the yellow wire are connected together with the jumper wire.

Likewise, I was able to cut the white wire in the back of the box with the smart switch and just barely get them together with the white wire from the switch into a wire nut.

The LED on the smart switch is now on but it does not turn the lights on and off.

Any thoughts on what I'm doing wrong would be greatly appreciated.

Update - What is going on?

To quote Harper: "The problem is, your wiring makes no sense."

My explanation below is based on a few key items:

Red and White pass through the box together.
White is normally neutral.
Travelers (for a 3-way configuration) do not normally pass through the box - they start at one switch and end at the other.
The travelers must be Yellow and/or Blue and/or Red because those are the colors present in both boxes.
The travelers should be a pair - so that means Yellow/Blue or Red/White, since Red/White are clearly a pair. So that means Yellow/Blue because White isn't connected to the 2nd switch.

However:

Things aren't working as expected.
It is not clear which wires are/were on which connectors (common vs. travelers) on the 2 switches.

So now we get to what should have been at the beginning - "figure out the old wiring scheme" and "double-check my hunch...check for hot wires"

At this point, I am dubious that the original configuration was properly installed. It may have been working as expected but things strange behind the scenes. Or it may have been working a little "funny".

Here is what I would do next: (Actually, I would have done this much earlier, but I have tools to do so and you may need to go get some tools to continue.)

Determine what existing wire(s) is hot. My guess has been red in the 1st box. But it could be something else.
Determine which wires are the travelers.
Make sure there are no other boxes involved (e.g., 4-way instead of 3-way).
Determine what wire(s) go to the light fixture.

There are a number of ways to do these things. At this point, more information is needed because the obvious and/or logical things haven't worked.

Old Switches/Wires

The first task is to figure out the old wiring scheme. What it appears to be is:

White - Neutral. Not used with an ordinary switch but, fortunately, passing through the box.
Red - Hot. Passing through to another location. One way to tell is to turn off the breaker, cut the red wire at the stripped location (if all works, you will need to do this anyway) and see what else in the house doesn't work. You will likely find one or more lights or receptacles (besides the light you are trying to rewire) that are not working. Then use a wire nut to connect those two red wires and short piece of red wire. If you don't have red wire handy, use some black wire and mark it with red tape. There is nothing magic about "red" but it will help keep things consistent.
Yellow and Blue - Travelers. Or at least, let's hope they are travelers, because otherwise I have no idea what is going on. Open up the other 3-way switch. (already done, so updating with actual colors) You have yellow, blue & red. Yellow & blue are travelers. Red is your switched hot, which should be going to the light fixture.

One more thing you can do to double-check my hunch is to check for hot wires with a non-contact tester. If I am correct, both sides of the red wire should be always hot, either yellow or blue should be hot (depending on the position of the first switch) and the red wire coming out of the 2nd switch should only be hot when the two switches are "aligned" (i.e., light turns on).

If my hunch is correct, there is, unfortunately, one more big problem.

New Switches/Wires

The key is in the Advanced Caseta Installation Manual. See pages 28 - 30.

Unfortunately, the directions are based primarily on the Caseta being the 2nd switch - i.e., connected to the light fixture - or "load" rather than "line" side of the circuit. In your case, the Caseta is replacing the 1st switch - i.e., connected to the always hot. The instructions say "switch may be installed in either location" but they also say "red to load, black to hot". It seems that "switch may be installed in either location" is either "an exercise for the reader" or, unfortunately, may simply be wrong.

What I believe is really happening is, essentially:

Black = hot.
Blue = traveler as "toggle sensor" - i.e., it will appear to work as it used to, but actually one traveler will always be hot and the other (which must be connected to Caseta blue) will vary depending on the state of the 2nd switch. That's what the whole complicated tag, note, jumper, etc. (steps 12a/12b) process is doing.
Red = switched hot.

So the question is: How do we make this work with the Caseta as the first switch?

Black = hot - easy.
Red = switched hot - this would need to use one of the travelers to get to the other side.
Blue = traveler as "toggle sensor". I am not sure how to make this work. If you use the remaining traveler to the 2nd switch, there is no "always hot" available at the switch to toggle power on/off the traveler/blue. If you pigtail "hot" (Caseta black/red from the existing box) to one of the travelers and use the other traveler for Caseta blue (like the diagram shows for Caseta as 2nd switch), then you don't have any way to transmit Caseta red/switched hot. If you use Caseta red for the other traveler than I don't see how Caseta blue would work (unless they do some sneaky millisecond level pulses through the red - which is actually possible).

So I was going to end off with a detailed description of what to do next. But I think at this point you need to do one of the following:

Contact Lutron about how to install the Caseta as the first switch.
Give up on the Caseta and try a different brand (with a little research first)
Use the Caseta as the 2nd switch and a regular switch (rewired per steps 12a/12b) as the 1st switch.
Try using the Caseta as the first switch going with:

Green = Ground. This actually is a slight complication here as you don't appear to have an existing ground wire, which is quite common with older (and simpler) switches. Your old switch has a green ground screw, but you did not note a wire attached to it. You should be able to use a short piece of bare or green wire as a ground in the box and attach it with an appropriate screw to the metal box and then wire nut it to the green wire from the switch. See Grounded light switch box with no ground screw/wire for more details.
Black = Hot. Split the box red wire, wire nut the two sections together with the Caseta black wire.
White = Neutral. Split the box white wire, wire nut the two sections together with the Caseta white wire.
Red = Switched hot. Connect this to the box yellow wire with a wire nut.
Blue = Traveler/sensor. Connect this to the box blue wire with a wire nut.
In the 2nd switch:
Blue - stays on the switch as is
Yellow - remove from switch
Red (= existing switched hot) - remove from switch
Add a pigtail (according to the advanced instructions, there should be a jumper wire for this purpose with the Caseta) and wire nut to Yellow & Red wires and connect it to the screw on the switch which previously had the red wire ("common" screw).


Sealing gap(s) around cabinet pipe penetrations I own a slab house. Under the kitchen sink there are gaps around the pipes on the base of the cabinet, a good 1/2 inch gap. I'm wondering if I can seal those gaps and what the best method would be. I am smelling an odd odor that I can't put my finger on and suspect it might be coming from the gaps.

I'm wondering if I can seal those gaps if that might eliminate the odor?

Well, yes, if the odor is coming through the gaps. You could try to stuff something like fabric or cotton in there as a temporary seal, and seeing if it reduces the smell.

I think it would be easier to solve your issue if you could definitively identify the source of the smell first. It could be coming from your garbage disposal, mold on walls, the trash bin, or other things.


How do I troubleshoot my generator and transfer switch installation? I recently mounted a 10 circuit Transfer switch and attached about half of the wires to the electrical panel. After I start and plug in the generator, some of the circuits work fine (well pump, which is wired to 2x 20 amp terminals), some don't (refrigerator, wired to 15 amp terminal) and some partially work (oil burner, wired to 15 amp terminal, constantly clicks on/off).

When the generator was running and powering both the well pump and oil burner, the burner was clicking on/off about 6-7 times a second. After the well pump finished, the clicking slowed down noticeably to once every couple of seconds, as if there was more power available.

The circuits on the main panel are 20 amp circuits. I'm patching wires from the 15 amp circuits on the transfer station, but according to the instructions, this should be ok.

Are there any suggestions about what might be set up incorrectly and how I could start troubleshooting this?

I went to test it out again, hoping elves would've fixed it while I was gone, but no such luck.  As I was playing with the oil burner, I flicked on/off the emergency shutoff switch and got shocked.  This led me to check the ground wires.  The transfer station looked ok, so I went outside to check the power inlet.  I was cautiously happy when I saw that the ground from the building wire had come loose due to some really shoddy workmanship.  I reconnected and secured the ground and everything worked just fine after that :)

Thanks Tester and everyone else for all the assistance.  It was greatly appreciated.


Need help identifying shower diverter cartridge Shower diverter:

Need help identifying shower diverter cartridge for replacement

It's going to be difficult identifying that part without a model number. At this point I think your best bet would be to go to your local home store and search the plumbing section racks for an identical part. Better yet, take it to a plumbing supply store and they'll be able to match it. Good luck.


Best order for water filters to go? In my house, I have two whole house water filter housings in the basement, and then a third Point-Of-Use filter housing under each sink cabinet.

Currently both basement housings contain 20-micron sediment filters, and each POU housing contains an activated carbon filter.  I am satisfied with the taste of the water, but I notice particulates in my glass.

The plumbing in my house is rather old, and I was wondering if the particulates I see might be coming from some sort of buildup within the pipes themselves; rather than from the ground.  (Just a thought, as I have no plumbing experience.)  If that is the case, should I perhaps rearrange my filters so that the sediment filters are in each POU housing, and the carbon filter in the basement?  What do you think?  Also, should I get a smaller micron rating?

The order you have your filters is the correct order. You don't need to waste money on chlorine filters to have better tasting water in your toilets.

If you think you need additional sediment filtration I believe you can find a carbon filter with better sediment filtration to use at each sink. Those housings also take GE brand filters and other filters of that size so look around to see if there's something suitable.

If you can't find anything you may want to consider adding an additional housing at each sink so you can have an independent sediment filter as well as a carbon filter. You can also try replacing your current filter housing with a 2 or 3 stage under counter filtration system that includes a separate spout for filtered water so you don't waste your filter media for things like washing dishes.


Can you use a dimmer with a can (recessed) light conversion kit? I have a can light (recessed light) that I need to convert to hanging a pendant light. The conversion kits have you plug into the socket, and I am hanging a dimmable LED fixture with a wall dimmer instead of a switch.

Is there any issue with it being dimmable since you're not directly wiring it to the switch? i.e. wiring to the socket adapter -> screwing into the original can light socket.

Here is the socket:

I recently did the exact same thing you're evaluating. We used a conversion kit to install a pendant light above our sink where there was previously a recessed light. As far as dimmability goes, that's mostly up to the switch and the bulb you have, i.e. you have to have a dimmer switch and a compatible, dimmable bulb. We went with Leviton in this particular instance, though we have Lutron dimmer switches elsewhere.

One thing we've noticed, since we're dimming a single bulb, is that we have to find a "sweet spot" on the dimmer to prevent flickering in between brightness levels. It's a minor nuisance for the flexibility of adjusting the brightness.


Is it safe to plug a power strip into a SurgeMaster outlet? Similar to this question, but not exactly the same, since this is an actual outlet and not a power strip.

Also, is the grounded light supposed to be on? Should I just replace this with a normal outlet?

As you discovered, this is just another cheapazoid power strip, but in a different "form factor".  The real receptacle is behind it.
I'm being a little harsh on Belkin; they are certainly best-in-class among the cheapazoids.  I would consider them a Tier 2 supplier alongside Lutron and Leviton.  I use it myself.  However, even a top tier power strip (like Tripp-Lite) is still a power strip and is not anywhere near as safe as built-in wiring.
But it's even worse than that
There are two aspects we really care about: Human protection and machine protection.
For machine protection, this setup as illustrated does not have a safety ground, and while safety ground contributes to protecting humans, it really protects machines. You don't have safety ground.
For human protection, what we need the most is GFCI protection.  You can't use a GFCI receptacle at this location, because the bolt-up "power strip" blocks it.  The outlet certainly could be protected by a GFCI device at another location (receptacle upstream, deadfront upstream, or GFCI breaker). In that case the outlet would be fed off the GFCI device's "Load"  terminals. (that's the only thing "Load" should be used for).  You can test that by hitting "Test" on every other GFCI in the house (you're supposed to do that monthly anyway) and see if doing so knocks out power here.
Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, it can be OK.
Honestly, what really makes power strips dangerous is uber-cheapies, or asking too much of the power strip.  As I said in the other question, chaining power strips is fine if you don't load them very hard.  This is all about "know your amps", which most people have no clue about, so, skill up a bit :)
It goes without saying that a cheap Chinese power strip won't handle as many amps as a quality unit, and one which lacks a competent UL* listing won't handle any amps safely at all. Look at any of Big Clive's teardowns on Youtube to see how that is.

* Other agencies on the trusted list of NRTL's would also suffice, but never CE unless it's bought at a reputable bricks-and-mortar store inside the EU.


How can I mount a light to a square junction box? In my entryway, there is a lighting fixture box that is sticking out of the ceiling drywall. (See attached image below) The box is 4 inch by 4 inch. I assume that it came with some kind of ceiling light that included the box as part of the hanging fixture. I assume this because I can't find any ceiling light in stores today that would fit over it. But I also can't find any ceiling light that comes with a box like this.

When I bought the house, there was no light here, but now that I am selling it, I want to put a light up. If I can find a light that works with the existing box, that would make things easier. Otherwise I guess I have to take that box out and put in something else to put up a new light.

Anyone ever seen lights that use this kind of box for hanging? Is this more of an old style light that is no longer made? All the lights I see now are either recessed or flush/semi-flush which wont work with this box as it sticks out of the ceiling.

...ever seen lights that use this kind of box for hanging?

No, because that box is not made for directly attaching anything to it. The box needs an adapter ring attached to hang a standard fixture (or to mount switches, receptacles, etc.)

By itself that is just a junction box called a "4-S" (for 4" square). Look for a 4-S to 4-O plaster ring.

It goes without saying that it should not be sticking out of the ceiling like that.


Removing Seized Anode Rod From Water Heater We have an electric hot water heater (GE branded Rheem) that may date from the mid-90s (based on the energy usage tag). It was boxed in and I was finally prompted to open up the wall concealing it when we noticed an "electrical" odor. I found an overheating terminal on the upper thermostat.

After burning an effigy of the previous owner I set about cleaning up the installation and giving the heater a bit of TLC. Which brings me to the anode rod…

I can see through the top water and T&P valve openings that the anode rod is still there but it is clearly corroded - but I don't think I'm seeing the central core of the rod. Since the water heater is installed in a location where there isn't adequate clearance to remove the rod I'd like to replace it while I've got the heater removed. So far I've tried:

A 24" breaker bar - it rod rolled its eyes.
Soaking overnight with Kroil penetrating oil then the breaker bar - the rod laughed.
Heating the head of the rod - smoke, charing, but it would not relent.
An impact wrench - now the rod is openly mocking me.

Any suggestions?

You have certainly given it the effort to remove that stubborn anode rod. More intensive effort could very well damage the unit.

With a water heater that sounds like it is over 20 years old it might make sense to simply replace it. You have gone to all the trouble to remove it from its hiding place now would be a good time to place a new one with higher efficiency ratings in place instead of the old one.

Another thing to consider is that if the anode rod is that corroded there may well be other parts that are similarly corroded. There could even be corrosion pitting of the tank itself that may soon penetrate the tank and create a leak.


Is it necessary to re-wrap the house when we tear off the siding? We hired a contractor to re-side our house. We live in the Midwest in a suburb of Chicago. I'm not familiar with the materials, but I believe they first wrapped the house with a 1/2" foam board, covered that with a "paper" wrap, and then put the vinyl siding on top of that. The contractor did a great job, except for one little detail... they put the wrong siding up.

Thankfully, they owned the mistake, and plan to tear off the wrong siding and put up the right one. However, I'm not sure if they plan to re-wrap the house too. So I'm wondering, as a paying customer, should I expect that?

Obviously, the new wrap they put up the first time will now have nail holes and tears throughout from the tear-off process. Is it just as good/functional to nail up new siding over the holey wrap, or should they really be tearing off the wrap too and putting up new/clean wrap?  My main concern is if there are any leaks in the vinyl siding in bad storms, holes in the wrap will let water into the walls. I'm also not sure if those holes will compromise the insulating ability of the wrap in any noticeable way.

When repairing a small section of siding, it's a best practice to tape the holes and rips in the weather wrap (which you refer to as "paper") with the appropriate tape. But for a larger area, it's faster to simply replace the entire section of weather wrap and I would insist on it. Nail holes and tears compromise the effectiveness of the material, so I wouldn't recommend leaving it on when residing the house.


Ground fault interrupt breaker I could not find the load neutral--it may not even be white in the panel. Do I need to or is it OK to just hook up an extra neutral and go to the neutral bus from the GFCI breaker? Of course I have hooked up the white pigtail from the GFCI breaker already.

More info:

It is individual wiring not Romax so to actually follow the wiring I would have to follow it inside the conduit and keep checking at junction boxes in the attic of the building. But other things have come to light.  It would trip even when I tried to set the breaker when the load was not even connected on one and the other one that I purchased which they said was new breakers and they may be but maybe they have a malfunction in them.

The other breaker will trip when I would touch the secondary load neutral which I just connected to the neutral bus in the breaker box it would trip the breaker with our load connected so I think something is wrong with these two breakers.

But I appreciate all the insight.  If I can’t find the actual neutral that comes from these outlets I may have to put just a GFI outlet breaker in the metal track where The old outlets are again thank you tom

You must use the same neutral as the hot or every time you plug in the gfci will trip. GFCI'S work by detecting an imbalance from the hot and neutral. To find the neutral trace the hot wire back to where it enters the box if 1 cable entering the box black, white, and ground that white is the neutral you are looking for, remove that one from the buss and install it in the gfci breaker if only 1 white on the breaker then the white from the breaker to the neutral buss. if your gfci breaker has 2 white wires the white with a black stripe is usually the load neutral. tie white black stripe with the white you removed from the buss  the 2nd white from the breaker goes to the location on the  neutral buss you removed the wire from or one that is closer to the breaker but it needs to go to the buss now put the hot (black) on the hot side of the breaker , turn off the breaker plug it in then turn the breaker on. Breakers should always be in the off position when removing or installing for safety.

Added from deleted answer info,  having multiple wires is a little tougher but not two hard, first turn OFF every breaker that wire comes in from that pipe or the main, this will keep you from being shocked when trying to find the correct one. With the power off on every hot wire that enters the pipe Re there equal numbers of hots to neutrals? If there are less neutrals jump to the bottom where it says MWBC)
go to the outlet that you are trying to protect with the GFCI breaker. Pull the outlet, remove the neutral and hot from the outlet and put a wire nut on the 2 wires. Now go back to the panel and use a continuity tester or ohm meter and remove the neutrals that come from that pipe and check for continuity from the hot for the gfci that is turned off and the neutrals. On of the neutrals should have a very low reading less than 10 ohms for most homes. Once you find the correct wire showing a very low value mark that neutral and tape them together hot and neutral. Now if only 1 neutral pull the wire nut at the outlet and separate the hot and neutral and re check the hot and neutral it should not show continuity or now a very high resistance value if so hook the neutral to the gfci breaker explained above install the outlet now time to turn on and it should work.

MWBC if there are less neutrals than hots you have multi wire branch circuits where a neutral is shared by 2 hots on opposite hot legs (L1/ L2). You can use a double pole GFCI and hook the 2 hosts and neutral to the new double pole gfci or pull a new neutral pulling a new wire won't be that hard in pipe but dpGFCI's are expensive and you already have one. The hard part here is finding where these 2 hot wires and neutral go. It will usually be close to the outlet we started with if this was the first outlet on that circuit, once you find where the hot and neutral split at that location I would pull in 2 New neutrals back to the panel using the original neutral as a pull string (you could reuse the wire you pull out by attaching a string and 1 new neutral. But I usually just pull 2 for cases like this). Now you have a neutral on each hot so your gfci will work making sure to get the correct neutral with the hot to do this without thinking I will pull a gray and a white both are legal neutrals but in large facilities gray is usually for "other voltages than 120" like 277 or a 230 3 phase system,,,. In residential it helps to identify multiple neutrals in the pipe., hope this covers every thing, if not comment below this and every one will try to help clear things up for you.


What type of window is this and how can I remove it with minimal damage to the wall? I want to replace some old metal windows in my house but I'm confused on how they're attached/installed. I'm more accustomed to vinyl windows that have "fins" extending out the edges with trim.  These windows I'm replacing don't have that.  Here are some pictures:

I don't see any screws or nails holding it in.  Is there an adhesive perhaps that it covered by the outside plaster?

You have about a depth of about 5/8" to 3/4" of material to remove back about 1 1/4" from the frame you see protruding from the wall.

The aluminum nailing fin is about 1/8" thick and 1" to 1 1/8" wide.

I was lucky in that the base on the DeWalt cordless saw I used spaced the blade the perfect distance from the aluminum frame as a cutting guide. I used a carbide blade, set to depth, cut a strip out all round the window and then finished cutting the corners out with a chisel. This was on wood siding, Stucco, being cement will require some sort of masonry blade and dealing with the heat involved cutting through.

After pulling the nails out of the fin, the window dropped out. Follow directions for reinstallation, there should be a special section for stucco. There are other questions asked on DIY here for Stucco repair which will be the next hurdle.


How can I route an unknown amount of wires through an outside wall? I'd love to figure out the best way to make a reusable junction through an outside wall for routing cables through it.  (Specifically, ham-radio coax cables).  It would be fairly simple if I was going to only do one, but I'd like to implement something that would let me add or remove cables over time.  All the junction boxes I've found seem to not be straight pass-throughs though and have a hard back.  I'd like to find one with a semi-sealable rubber flap that would let me poke new cables through it.  I'd mount it high up on the ceiling under an eve to prevent most of the water issues, along with drip loops on the wires, but I suspect the real reason most people (and code?) don't do this is for rodents?

Or is my best option to do it once and make connectors to and from the outside with a fixed panel and multiple junction boxes vertically aligned with each other (one above the other, and one facing outward and one inward)?

You ask for a box, as long as 120V does not go thru, then you can use a low voltage cut-in ring.

These rings come in 1,2,3 and 4 gang or even round.  You can use a 1 gang weatherproof cover with either 1 1/2 hub or 3 hubs.  Or you can buy a blank plate and drill your own 7/8.

Weatherproof plate with 3 1/2 hubs

To make where your cable goes thru the cover you can use a strain relief connector.  You pick your connectors by the size of gland (grommet) you need to use and then there is a compression nut that tightens and the gland compresses to your cable.

You can probably get 2 holes drilled if you use a 1 gang blank plate or 4 holes if you use the 2 gang ring and plate.  You can always do one size and change the ring to a larger size if you want, but you can't go backwards.

You can buy all this at a DIY box store or at your local electrical distributor.


No wall switch for ceiling fan outlet My bedroom fan needs replacing. There is no wall switch. It worked with remote. Have had nothing but problems with remote controlled fans and would like to install a pull chain only. I was told this is not possible with no wall switch to turn it off and on. Doesn’t make sense to me. So can I have a fan without a remote?

You do not need a wall switch to operate a fan. A fan can be installed to operate by the pull chain at the fan.

The bad news is that code requires a switch by the door to operate a light or an outlet that a lamp/light can be plugged into. This is so you don't have to enter a room in the dark. Are there any switch locations in the room? What about cover plates that might be covering up a switch location? How are the lights in your room controlled?


Where to attach the "C" wire to my furnace? I am upgrading to a new thermostat which requires a "c" wire to power it. I have an unused blue wire running from my thermostat to my furnace that I plan to use as the common wire. However, I am unsure where to attach the "c" wire at my furnace. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

It's labeled in the diagram.

You should see a cable that leads to the A/C compressor,which contains 2 wires. One will be connected to the Y wire from the thermostat, the other is connected to the C wire.  You didn't include the make and model of the furnace, so I'm not sure if there's a terminal block or if the terminals are labeled.

You'll want to make sure the transformer can supply the additional load of the thermostat, or you'll burn out the transformer. It's usually not a problem, but it's something to be aware of.

For more information, please see this answer.


What is this ceiling beam called above interior wall? I'm attempting to add ethernet to a bedroom. This will involve drilling a hole from the attic to route the cables behind the drywall. I expected to see 2x4 above the interior wall but found a tongue and groove 2x6 as shown in the photos below. It runs in parallel with the ceiling joists and ends about an inch away from the roof overhang. House is in California and built in 1958.

Does this beam have a name and what is the purpose? Can I drill down through it to route cables?

That board is likely nailed to the top of the 2x4 wall framing and provides a nailing surface for the ceiling finish material. Yes, you can drill through it. It’s called a nailer, is not structural, and is not a beam.


What size Aluminum 3 wire should I use to run 200 feet underground at 100 Amps What size aluminum 3 wire should I use to run 200 feet underground at 100 amps 110/220 volts?  This is in Colorado and will be used to run a mobile home with an electric dryer as the only 220 volt appliance.

It can only be 3 if this is the service drop - if it's a sub-panel it needs to be 4-wire.

3/0 (000) should do it. There are MANY voltage drop calculators on the web, as well as tables/charts. I happen to like the one linked, but they are mostly similar and should all give similar results. Shoot for 3% or less drop at rated (or calculated) load.
 I added 10 feet to account for getting the wire in and out of the ground, rather than just the horizontal distance - wire length, not "as a bird flies" is the number that matters for length.

I prefer to allow for the full load (100 amps) rather than attempting to finesse 30A 240V dryer + 120 volt loads unknown; I've lived with an undersized feed and I'm not fond of self-induced brown-outs.


Rebuilding fence - lumber questions I recently bought a condo with a 11'x13' patio with a wooden privacy fence. The fence is in pretty bad shape so I want redo it while we are locked down in our houses. I've read up a ton and just want to confirm what I know before I purchase all of the materials. This fence is on concrete, I assume that is crucial information.

Here is my current materials list:

2 6x6 posts
4 4x6 posts
22 2x4
80 1x6 redwood fencing planks
EasyGate no sag gate kit
Galvanized post bases for all of the post
Camo Deck Fastener System
2.5" deck screws

My main questions are:

If the fence is on concrete and nothing will be touching the ground, do I need pressure treated lumber? I was thinking maybe for the posts only but even then they will be raised by the post base. For sure the framing I'm thinking I can just use normal 2x4 wood? Also I plan on painting the posts and staining the planks so do I even need pressure treated?
I know the planks will have their screws hidden because of the camo system, however for the general framing portion of the fence, do I need to do anything to protect the screws? I assume I should avoid having the screws facing up so that water doesn't collect but other than that do I need to seal them somehow?

I appreciate your help in advance, thanks!

Wood isn't pressure-treated just because it may touch the ground. It's a sponge, and it'll always be damp inside unless you're in a desert. Whether you need it is your prerogative, but why would you pay a premium for redwood pickets and not use something of roughly equal longevity to support them?

Brand recommendations are off-topic here. I've removed that portion of your post.

Screws don't need to be protected. They're presumably corrosion-resistant, or they're not suitable for a fence.

Important: I don't know what post bases you're planning to use, but most aren't designed to hold up a fence. They're merely connectors and/or spacers. Be sure yours are up to the task.


How do I replace the exterior wall without damaging the siding? I have three exterior walls that need all the studs and the top plate replaced. I am a novice carpenter and I try to learn everything through research and study first. The walls would need realigned as well as raised due to prior cuts on the bottom of the studs to replace base plate.  The two outer walls need the bottom brought in and the front wall dividing the home from the enclosed porch needs the top brought in. How do I replace and fix all of this without doing any harm to the siding or it falling or coming off?

I really think you have a situation that is going to be a bit more than a novice carpenter should tackle. The normal procedure to replace wall framing involves placing a pretty hefty beam under the ceiling joists and jacking the entire section of joists at once so the weight is off the stud walls. The studs and plates can then be removed. Other considerations will be electrical, windows etc. It is going to be impossible to properly replace the entire wall frame without also removing the exterior sheathing and siding.

What you are faced with is a MAJOR repair. You will need all the right tools, calculate the proper wall height, plumb the walls, interlock the corner plates together, support the roof load, and try to do this fairly quickly as the house is going to be wide open for a while during this process.

This is a good example of when you should hire a pro and see if he/she will allow you to assist. You will learn a lot and have the security of knowing the roof isn't going to fall down on you during the process. Consider the costs as tuition in you carpentry education.


Why is this ceiling light fixture wired this way? I'm trying to replace the hanging light below and I've gotten a little confused. Shouldn't the brown wire on the left be connected to the live (red) wires rather than the neutral? I understand that the black wires on the right are connected to the blue wire, both are neutral so that makes sense. The same goes for the earth wires. I just can't understand why it is wired in this way and how it even works?!?! Can someone clarify this for me?

The cable on the left runs to the switch. Power comes in from one of the two other cables via red, runs down the red of the switch cable to the switch. When the switch is closed, power runs back along the black and into the light via the brown. Goes thru the lamp into the blue, which connects to the common neutral black of the other two cables.

Switch legs can be confusing because the neutral coloured wire carries power back the the switched fixture. All is as it should be though.


Replacement of under sink cabinet floor Do I need to replace the old cabinet floor under my sink if there is nice hardwood flooring below?  Hate to hide the beautiful hardwood.

There's really no reason to replace the cabinet floor. I had the same decision to make a number of years ago. My dishwasher hose cracked and leaked water all over my particle board cabinet floor. I cut out the damaged area and was measuring the hole for a replacement piece when I stopped and asked myself "why replace it?" The kitchen tile floor had been extended to the walls so I decided to just cut end pieces to support the existing ends of the cabinet floor and Good Stuffed the seams to bug proof the area. I did get a big plastic tub that fit right in there in case I ever had a leak, but that was it.

Since then, I've had to replace my faucet and my garbage disposal and the extra 6" of space to work in was really welcome.


When installing backer board for wall tiles, do the screws need to be absolutely flush or even pushed into the backer? I'm asking because some screws will not go in fully flush. But I'm thinking the layer of thinset then tile will surely cover any screws that aren't flush, so tiles won't 'pop' out.

Since you will be applying thinset and tile, you have a lot more "play" in your screw head depth.  While you of course want them to be as flush as possible, the tile over thinset will even things out as you apply the tile and make them flush.

If this were drywall, the story would be different.


marking & cutting odd plywood shape I need to create a non-standard shape of thick plywood (1+") for an extension to a kitchen island.  Shape is something like this:

... the size is roughly 3ft-square, and the inside and outside corners have radius 1", though I might settle for a bit more **.   I have some preliminary thoughts about how to do it.  I'd appreciate commentary on these and additional suggestions.

I'll create the material, before marking or cutting, by glueing two 3/4" sheets of plywood with Liquid Nails and screwing with 1-1/4" screws.

For marking, I could draw directly on the plywood using pencil.  Or I could draw on a large sheet of paper (or print, if I had a big enough printer, which I don't) to get it right and somehow transfer that to the plywood.  Anyhow, I can use trial & error, an eraser, and both sides of the double-thick plywood, to get it right.

Cutting will be the crux.  I can imagine first cutting out circles where the inside corners are, using a hole saw; and then roughing out the rest (with the outside corners squared) with a circular and guide fences, or a table saw; and finally, shaping the outside corners with a jigsaw.   Simpler and better, if I knew where to go, would be to take it to some shop where they cut it for me, perhaps using a band saw.

** As background, though I've worked this part out with a temporary piece: the flared out part will sit on an existing kneewall at the end of a lower countertop and it'll be cantilevered out from there with a diagonal brace back to the kneewall.

I would make a template out of hard board. Then use the  template and Top Bearing Router bit to do the final piece.

Mark your template by using a tape measure to mark the placement of all your lines and then a long straight edge to pencil in the lines. Use the hole saw to as a marking guide for the inside corners and a can of tomato's or roll of tape to mark the outside rounded corners. Once you have all the lines marked out you can cut your template to shape. You could use a jigsaw to cut it all out or you could use a circular saw and straight edge or table saw (preferred for straight cuts ) to cut the straight cuts on the sides that have outside corners and part of the cuts up to as close as you can get to the inside corners and then finish the corners with the jigsaw. Remember with the jigsaw to cut just slightly OUTSIDE of you line and then fine tune it down to your line by sanding.

If you take the time to make a perfect template then the final pieces will be perfect as well.

Now you have a perfect template for your router to follow, You can then clamp your template on each one the pieces of plywood and at a time a trace it with a pencil or marker. Cut each piece to ROUGH SIZE, meaning cut just OUTSIDE of the lines all the way around by about an 1/8 if an inch. You can then screw your template down to one of the pieces of plywood so that have the 1/8 extra all the way around it. You are now ready to route all the way around, your bearing on the bit rides against the template and presto you have one piece that is perfect.

You can use the perfect piece of plywood as a template to cut the remaining one. Glue and screw the two pieces together and like with the hardboard template leave the 1/8 all the way around. Now when your router bearing will follow the first piece of plywood leaving you with perfect edge.

Sand off the sharp edges sand the top, apply finish and, bob's your uncle.

You need a bit that is long enough for the 3/4 plywood, I.E. a 1" bit.

***Practice your routing on a piece of smaller mock-up  scrape, sometimes plywood is best routed with a spiral flush trim bit to avoid tear-out and ripping.


What is this type of interior wall? I don't know much about what I'm doing, and I need help. I'm trying to cut a hole in my wall for a 1 gang low voltage bracket. Do you know what type of wall this is? It's very hard to cut into with a drywall saw. Do you perhaps know how I can cut into this easier?

That's a normal wall, sheetrock over plaster. That's how you save money when you want to renovate your home with plaster walls in bad shape, you just screw gyp board on top instead of paying for demo/dumping then gyp.
run your finger around the back side of the plaster inside the wall, you should feel some lath or if the lath is nocked away, you should feel flat/bulge/flat/etc.
Also, that's not insulation. Insulation is like cutting through butter. That's plaster. Delicious dusty plaster.
It's fine to cut into with a drywall saw, and it's normal that it will destroy your drywall saw. Most people just use whatever they have on hand, and you just have to decide which tool you want to destroy.... you can get purpose made masonry blades for your tool of choice, but then you have the tool of choice cost on top of the blade, and a drywall saw is so cheap to begin with. Cost of "replacing" drywall saw you already have if you're really sad it's not sharp as new versus: Cost of reciprocating saw and masonry blade; or, Cost of masonry reciprocating saw blade and replaceable blade handle that accepts that type of blade; or, Cost of oscillating multi tool and masonry blade.


Trying to measure kW and kWh I want to measure how many kilowatts or kilowatt hours are going through some of electric lines in my house. For reasons too numerous to list here I can't use a standard kill-o-watt (basically some of these appliances are hardwired and don't have plugs).

Can I use data that you get from an AC clamp meter to calculate kilowatts going through a line?

There are a whole bunch of calculations here: http://www.rapidtables.com/convert/electric/Amp_to_kW.htm

but I am not sure which one to use and if I can get all the information I need from an AC clamp meter.  If I can't use an clamp meter is there anyway to measure killowatts flowing through a line?

To be clear this is what I am calling an Clamp Meter:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-Electric-Digital-Clamp-Meter-MS2002/202353289?keyword=ms2002

Clearly I am not an electrician so any help would be appreciated!

You can use a clamp meter to measure current through a single conductor.

Current is the number of electrons flowing through the wire per unit time, and is measured in amperes. If you know the voltage, you can use that to calculate power (watts):

Power [watts] = Current [amps] X Voltage [volts]

If this is a standard residential power system you can assume 110V or 220V for the voltage, or you can measure it with a voltmeter/multimeter. If you want kW instead of watts, you divide by 1000. (The formula on your website includes a "Power Factor" which is based on the appliance being used. In most cases it's close to 1, so you can just leave it out unless you need to be super-precise or happen to know that you have a low power factor.)

The major limitation of a clamp meter in measuring household power is that it can only be clamped around a single conducting wire, not the entire romex cable. If you clamp around the entire cable you will get a reading of 0, since the two conductors have opposite currents and they cancel each other out. This limitation means the meter is probably only practical inside the circuit breaker box or an electrical box, where space and safety concerns may make it a bad idea.


Mini-split vs gas boiler for heating I recently had three mini-split heads installed, two downstairs and one upstairs, primarily for A/C. These are Mitsubishi units, rated down to -15C (or perhaps F, but it doesn't really matter for my purposes).

I've been considering using them for heat, either primarily or as an assist to my 25 year old gas boiler for a forced hot water radiator system in a reasonably well-insulated 100 year old house.

I pay about $1.50 per therm for gas, and about $0.11/KWH for electricity. By my calculation, that comes out to a $3.22 equivalent price per therm for the mini-split solution. Even if the old boiler is not terribly efficient, I can't believe it would make up the difference.

My current plan based on this analysis is to use the mini-splits for A/C only and my existing gas forced hot water for heating. Am I missing anything?

Edit: The units I'm concerned with have SEER ratings of 23.1 and 21.6, and HSPF ratings of 12.5 and 11.7. The models are the Mitsubishi MZ-GL15NA and MZ-GL12NA. I do not know if they are true heat pumps or not, but I believe they are.

I have original cast iron radiators (at least I believe they are the original radiators).

I live in New England, so a particularly cold winter day might be between -10F and 0F; normal winter temperatures are closer to 15-25 for a low.

The thing is: heat pumps move heat around rather than creating it, so they are more than 100% efficient. They collect heat from the outside air and move it inside, and depending on the available heat outside, the output inside can be several times greater than if that same energy were to be used to generate heat (as in a resistive space heater).

With your numbers, and assuming your boiler is 80% efficient, you only need the heat pump to be about 170% efficient to be a net win — that is, a COP of 1.7 or greater. This is easy for a heat pump to achieve, even in cold weather.

In this chat discussion Shalvenay pointed me to a chart for Mitsubishi heat pumps, and the MSZ-GL12NA-U1 has a COP of 3.84 when the outdoor temperature is 47° F and 3.13 when it's down to 17°. Assuming your prices are as you say, this is a definite win for the heat pump.

But are you sure you're factoring in the full electricity costs? I know it's a year later, but looking at my Eversource bill, I see $0.11397 for Generation Service Charge, but there are bunch of per-kWh Delivery charges as well, coming out to about $0.223 total per kWh — or $6.54/therm. That makes the math look somewhat different — you'd need a COP of 3.4 or greater for the heat pump to be a win over gas priced at $1.50/therm. According to the data sheet, your units should still hit that when it's relatively warm out, but won't as it gets cooler.

There is also another factor to consider. Burning natural gas is relatively clean as fossil fuels go, but still releases CO₂ — about 12 lbs per therm burned. In Massachusetts, about .9 lbs are released per kWh of electricity generated — about 25.7 lbs per therm. If we again go with 80% efficiency for the boiler, that means a COP of 1.7 or better is a win for carbon emissions, even if not for your pocketbook.


Condensation on HVAC Ducts in Basement In general the AC in our house works reasonably well (though I haven't done performance tests on it yet). It's a single stage 3.5 ton heat pump/AC original to the house, which was built in 2002. Everything is in the basement with the condenser being about 25 ft away outside.

The house is 2 stories sitting on a basement/garage, and the floors are 2 separate zones. The basement is not insulated beyond 1.5 of the cinder block walls being underground.

All of the branch lines that feed the first and second floor are insulated, but the trunk lines that feed those are not. There are two separate trunks, one for each zone. Both trunks are 6-7 ft long.

On humid days (we're in the south, so every day) I notice a lot of condensation on the trunk lines sometimes to the point of seeing small puddles on the basement floor in some spots.

My question: Should these be insulated (yes, probably?) and if so would there be a noticeable efficiency gain to make it worth the effort to wrap them?

I know there are a lot of variables here so I'm just trying to get a basic understanding or rule of thumb.

One thing to check: measure the return and supply air temperature inside the ducts. A rule of thumb is a temperature difference of no more than 20 degrees. If it is more than 20 degrees the air delivery is too low ( you need more air flow ). Yes, the trunk lines and all the supply duct work in the unconditioned space should be insulated since you cannot control the humidity in that space. Adding insulation to the trunk ducts will do very little to change the efficiency of the overall system. Since You have a single return grill which you said you had in one of your answers, then all return air from rooms with doors will be from the space at the bottom of the door. If that gap is too small air delivery will be reduced. Think of each room with a door as being a balloon; you can only put in a certain amount of air. I would insulate the duct work and use insulation designed for that purpose available at some Home Depot, lowes or hardware stores and measure the temperature difference in the ductwork.


How should ground wires be handled when updating switch loops in an older home? I have a house built in the 1950’s with fabric covered NMC wiring still present in most circuits.  Those original wires are all 12/2 with no ground.  I am currently in the process of replacing some of my old switch loops with new 12/3 romex from the light fixture to the switch box in order to bring in a neutral for “smart” switches.  The existing switch box is metal.

I want to go from a typical switch loop (my old wiring only has line and neutral)

To one that supplies neutral from the fixture to the switch box

These wiring diagrams belong to do-it-yourself-help.com and can be found here: https://www.do-it-yourself-help.com/wiring_switches.html

My question is, what is the proper way per NEC to terminate the ground wire inside the new 12/3 romex?  The light fixture itself has a ground wire that is currently floating.  Should I leave the ground wire disconnected and just cap it by itself? Should I attach the ground wire at the fixture to the ground at the new cable in the event that ground may someday be brought to that receptacle? (This seems more dangerous to me since it’s definitely not currently grounded.)  Should I clip it up to the romex jacket and pretend it isn’t there?

I know the technically correct thing to do would be to pull new 12/2 wire from the existing fixture back to the panel (basically rewire the whole house), but that is not economically feasible.  I am looking for the most code-compliant way to handle this ground wire, but I am not having any luck searching through the 2017 NEC.  Any advice on the proper way to handle my scenario would be appreciated, especially if they can point to the relevant section(s) of the electrical code.

No fake grounds: Don't create "islands of grounding"

Grounding must start at earth, via your grounding electrode system, to the main panel and its equipotential bond.  Then it must be carried onward from the panel sequentially up the branch circuits.

If you don't do that, you create an "island of grounding" where a few nodes are grounded to each other but nothing is able to return fault current on the ground wire. In that case, you have simply created a "Ground Fault Distribution Network".  (Bad thing).

It means that if any device on that island has a hot-ground fault or leakage, then all the devices on that island have an uncontained ground fault, and their grounded parts are energized at mains voltage. Every switch plate cover screw, every machine chassis, all become lethal to touch.  It's the worst possible outcome.

Isolate the ground wires from the boxes.  This is not necessarily easy, they are bare and will tend to be pushed against the metal parts of boxes and devices.

Consider retrofitting grounds

NEC 2014 made it a lot easier to retrofit just a ground wire, and continue the original cables in service.   Now if you have an island you'd like to ground, you can ground it any which way you can - within some generous limits.

Not any random water pipe will do, but some will.
Neutrals can never be promiscuous (shared across more than one circuit*). But retrofit grounds can. So circuit 7 can grab a ground from circuit 9, provided they source from the same panel.
The pathway must be big enough for the circuit, continuously: so a 20A circuit needs at least a #12 ground (#14 won't do), and a 30, 40 or 50A circuit needs a #10 ground.  Metal conduit of any size is plenty for any of these.   Here's a strategy: first wire a "backbone" ground with #10 to range, water heater, A/C, dryer etc. so you can tap it for other circuits.  likewise run #12 grounds where 15A and 20A circuits are in the same area.

GFCI is a good band-aid

A great many ground fault problems can also be avoided with a GFCI breaker (or GFCI deadfront or livefront strategically placed).  You still get shocked, but only for a few milliseconds.

* a MWBC counts as a single circuit, and its breakers better be handle-tied.


What is "skin" time for bathroom sealant? I need to replace the bathroom sealant around our bath, as our bath has moved by about a cm over the years and the watertight seal has broken.

The sealant I have says "Skins in 15 minutes, dries in 24 hours".

What does "Skins" mean? I'm assuming that means that the surface goes solid (kinda like touch-dry for paint), but what's the implication of this?

What I'm trying to figure out is - when can I use the bath again? After 15 minutes, or after 24 hours (our shower is above the bath, so 24 hours is a loooong time to wait before using the shower).

After 15 minutes, you can no longer work with the sealant, e.g. smoothing out any imperfections with a wet finger.  After 24 hours or so, you can use the shower again.


What kind of insulation is this? Trying to identify this type of insulation and maybe some alternatives I can use to replace it with. It looks like foam to me. House was built in 1950s or so:

It looks like blown in cellulose insulation.
it was probably done long after the home was built.
I want to say popular after the 70’s. You can put other types over or replace it with any kind of batts or chopped blow in.
Big Box stores still sell it (I just checked on line) so if you need to add it or a very similar product is available.


both wires are white how can i determine the hot wire? both wire are white on the cord for my ac unit i need to know how to find the hot wire with my cen-tech p37772 multi meter. I am replacing the plug on the end and cut it without noticing which wire went to the hot.

You need to pay attention to the comment by @Hari Ganti. The only way I know to make sure you are connecting the right wire to the right place with confidence. Would be to open up and inspect the connection point of the power supply. Then you could ring each wire with your ohmmeter, mark and install them correctly. But if you could get to your connection point, why wouldn't you install a manufacturer approved cord and avoid any complications?


Any hand drill device that can accept any kind screw drivers tools From my knowledge, a hand drill looks something like the following:

Usually, this kind of hand drill allows one to change drill bit.

However, I would like to know if there is some tool that look like a hand drill but allow one to attach any kind of screw driver tools to it.
(It can be hand drill with special chuck that can hold on the handle of any screw drivers)

You realize that they make screwdriver bits to go into drills that will also go into the chuck of your hand drill. You can get longer bits that will fit easily into the chuck, for example:

You can also get magnetic extenders that will fit into the chuck and then hold a standard bit:

Note: photos are only examples and are not an endorsement of Sony product.


How to attach old style stacking wire in-basket brackets Old style stacking wire in-baskets have a heavy wire that is used for the stacking feature. How are the other ends of the wire attached to the next basket in the stack?

The wire has a bend on the end of it, it appears that you would just hook that bend over the wire on the bottom of the basket it will be hanging on.


Draining washing machine into yard Short and sweet. First, we are on a septic tank. We are in Mississippi.

We called a plumber to snake our drain on our washing machine because one load pours gallons of water onto the laundry room, even caused us to have to replace a brand new washing machine.

Plumber says the old cast iron pipes have become completely gunked up with black sludge that  snaking it does nothing. Recommended someone bring a jetter, stand on the roof and flush out the entire pipe.

Note: This pipe connects our washing machine and kitchen sink. If we do nothing, the sink is next.

Problem is, the jetter may or may not work. If it does not work, we will have to run new piping. The plumber suggested just have it run into the yard since it is just the washing machine and kitchen sink, not the toilet.

Running pipe into the septic tank would require going into the foundation, basically a lot more work and a lot more expense than we can handle.

So, is it safe to run the pipe into the yard? Legal? I can't imagine a licensed plumber would tell us to do something that is illegal but you never know. We have children. We are near a lake (hundred yards or less) so that concerns me, too.

Any and all advice is welcome.

What you are looking for is the Laundry-To-Landscape system: http://oasisdesign.net/greywater/laundry/

This system works very well and is easy to implement yourself at very low cost. I have implemented it myself and it works perfectly, providing much needed irrigation water to my parched desert yard (not a problem in Mississippi I imagine!). And unless you're washing poopy diapers, laundry is graywater, so it's not a health hazard. You could direct the water to mulched trees, or a gravel-filled trench you could dig. But don't just dump it onto the grass.


What are these brackets? I’m doing a remodel and found these brackets attached to some of the studs. The home was built in 1902.
What are these brackets?

What are these brackets?

Those are galvanized steel brackets attached with timber screw fasteners.
As neither of these products were manufactured in 1902, it is safe to say that someone in the recent past added them to reinforce the structure.


concrete ceiling anchor: how much weight can it support? Not sure if ceiling anchor is the correct term, so I attached a picture for reference.

I removed the drop ceiling from my basement, the metal frame holding the tiles were screwed into these wholes (anchors?), so I have quite a few across my concrete ceiling (roughly 1-1.5 meters apart from each other).

My question is, how much weight can these anchors support? They are about 2 cm deep and 9 mm wide. I am thinking of installing a hammock / pull up bar / perhaps use it to support a small bouldering wall if possible.

Any answer is highly appreciated!

It would be very difficult to say without knowing the exact company and part number. I found reference to something that might be similar here:

https://www.ccinetwork.com/p-39-38-sanko-shorty-drop-in-anchor-box-of-100.aspx

The info sheet says 2,200 to 5,500 pounds, but again, I wouldn't mount anything expensive or dangerous in them without a lot of stress testing. It would probably be worth bringing in a contractor to take a look and give you some kind of idea.

Drop ceilings don't weigh that much and it sounds like the weight was distributed over a lot of these anchors so that would suggest to me that they are not designed for heavy loads.


24" o,c, 2x4 for load bearing wall and rafters for workshed? I'm making a small 12x16ft workshed. I want to go 24" o.c. on the walls and rafters (rafters may be 2x6, or 2x4 with supporting members), both for cost saving, and because it will create less thermal bridges in the wall. Due to what's available here, I will be using 7/16 OSB sheathing for the walls and roof, which should work with the longer spacing. I can also go 5/8 drywall on the ceiling to prevent sagging.

However, I can't seem to find much information on 2x4 24 o.c. load bearing walls. Not sure how common they are. Is there any issues with these types of walls?

Although the modern trend is fast stuffing more & more lumber in the wall, walls framed with 2x4s on 24" centers will support nearly any sort of roof load you're likely to ever see - especially if you don't live in a far northern climate. I've seen 2nd-floor hot tubs with far less support than that.

You do have to be pretty careful laying out the studs; 1-1/2" isn't a huge surface to stitch two piece of OSB together on, so if one end of a stud is kicked to the side only 1/2", all you have left for one of those OSB sheets is a scant 1/4" of nailing surface.

For roof sheathing, you might want to go a little heavier, though. I've built two matching roofs using only 1/2" sheathing (this was in Albuquerque), and it was really pretty uncomfortable to walk on such a flimsy roof. Come to think of it, the trusses in those roofs were 24" oc, which was fine for that climate. It was really hard to drive roofing nails into, because the sheathing flexed so much.


How to safely install drywall anchors near wiring I need to hang a rack on a pantry wall, the other side of which has a light-switch. The rack will be holding quite a bit of weight (well-distributed, and close to the wall, though), and I need to install drywall anchors at several (~9, maybe less) points along the vertical extent of the rack:

However, there's a light-switch on the other side of the pantry's (thin) wall. It's not precisely where the drywall mounts would need to be installed, but it's close enough to worry me in my inexpertise:

The wiring for the switch appears to run vertically from the switch (it controls a light in the inner wall of the pantry itself, so that makes sense.):

So: Can I safely drill for, and install, shallow (but metal.) drywall anchors for this thing? How can I do so in the safest way? I've got a wireless voltage-sensor, but it doesn't pick anything up anywhere on the wall even with that light turned on, so that's no help.

Position the rack so you can screw into the studs. If that is not practical then mount a sheet of decent thickness plywood onto the wall surface and fasten that to the studs wherever possible. The rack can then mount onto the plywood. If you use a plywood that is 3/4' inch (19 or 20mm) thick then the screws for the rack need not even penetrate the drywall at all.

BTW. It is generally (if not always) discouraged to mount anything that will carry significant weight just on drywall anchors.


Process of removing mold from behind shower tile Background

Thanks to a shifting foundation, the tile in one of our showers cracked along a corner and water got in behind it.  We know that at the least the wall behind the tile has fails as it caved in when I leaned on it while cleaning.

We have had a few handymen tell us that the job is too large for them, and at the moment licenced contractors are describing this job as "too small" unless we want to do an entire bathroom remodel.

I've had one handyman offer to install a new surround if we do the demolition and mold abatement ourselves.  So my question...

Question:

What is the process for safely removing the tile, wall board and potentially compromised framing elements and abating the remaining mold in a residential shower?

Start out by using a pry bar and snapping the tiles off the drywall. This way you'll avoid cracking and breaking them up. Then remove the drywall by just pulling it off the studs. Then you'll have to go back and pull out all the screws and nails. Hopefully the framing studs will not have to be removed and you can just treat them with some vinegar to kill the mold and mildew. Notice that I said vinegar and not bleach. Bleach kills surface mold but does not sink in to kill the roots whereas vinegar does. If the studs are rotten, best to remove them plate to plate and replace the whole stud. Remember to wear good work gloves because the tile and debris will cut you to shreds. Wear eye protection too along with a dust mask.


Is it OK to attach only the junction box ground wire, or is it necessary to also attach ground wire from lamp fixture? While installing a hanging ceiling lamp over my kitchen sink, the ground wire on the lamp broke below the mounting bracket nipple, making it impossible to attach to the junction box ground wire. Is it necessary to attach both grounding wires, or is it OK to attach only the junction box grounding wire to the grounding screw?

Is it necessary to attach both grounding wires, or is it OK to attach only the junction box grounding wire to the grounding screw?

All the grounds must be connected together somehow. You can use a pigtail if necessary.


What tools do I need to make a straight cut in laminated chipboard? It's 38mm thick.

Next week I will need to cut it along a straight line, and I would like the cut to be as straight and clean as possible.

What tools do I need to do this ?

You can make straight cuts parallel to an existing edge by using a circular saw with a guide.

To make the bottom edge of the cut clean, be sure the saw does not cut much more deeply than the thickness of the material. You can also put tape on the cut line, before cutting, to prevent the saw from breaking off small pieces of the material on the top edge of the cut.


Bringing new 12/2 circuit to old knob/tube switches, but do not see a neutrals anywhere. Hidden? I finally have an opportunity to complete 2 new 12/2 circuits (from one 12/3 on opposite phase breakers)  an electrician left when when the permit was closed after new service and substantial-but-not-complete update was done in 2004.

I have an opportunity to de-energize an old knob and tube branch the electrician left wired to a (different) new circuit, and dedicate a 20-amp circuit to bathroom lights/fan and another receptacle, although the bath already has a separate, dedicated 20-amp GFCI outlet.

But I got confused, because at old K and T switches I keep seeing only one hot power feed going into the box and only one wire for each fixture/or fan going out. (single power feed to switch with separate fan/light wires switched together shown here) They worked but I was unclear where the neutrals were (in the ceiling?) or how I could get it to work with the new 12/2 power feed. I did not want to rip up even more walls/ceiling than I have already if there is no need - so was going to keep the legs from switch to fixture if I could. Maybe that is a bad idea. Who can tell me what is going on here?

Probably a shared neutral which was common with K&T.  Like you said, there could be one neutral in the attic, and you only see hot wires being switched.  The fixtures will all be connected into the shared neutral.  You might be able to see this in your new panel, because your neutral bus will have fewer conductors than there are circuits!  You'll could also notice if you shut off your breaker to the circuit you think you are working on, the neutral will still have current running through it when someone turns on a light switch that is on a different Knob and Tube branch! Ouch!

If this is the case, you should just rip it all out and do it right if at all possible.  Especially for bathroom you need to run have GFCI on all your circuits to be up to code and to be safe.


How can remove a flat head screw that's in a hard to reach space? I have an overhead light fixture and I need to remove the "cover" so I can change a bulb but the cover is held in place with metal brackets that have to be removed first  and they are attached to the main part on the ceiling with flat head screws.
The space between the cover and the ceiling is too small for pliers, and even small wrenches can't get enough grip. (I'm wondering how it was even installed in the first place, tbh.)
How can I remove it? Is there some kind of drill bit that could do the trick?

On this style of light fixture, you'll usually find that one of the three clips is spring loaded and can be pulled horizontally away from the center. This allows you d to remove the glass.  There is no need to unscrew the clips.


2004 conventional water heater in garage Our water heater has large rusted area (2"x3") located a inch or two up from bottom. How can we tell if we should change it? This is a 2004 conventional water heater

The rust you are seeing is to the outer casing.  There is a tank inside that.  Check to see if there is any moisture where the rust is, this would indicate a tank leak, which is non-repairable.  If it is dry, leave it be until it starts to leak.


My 2.5 ton HVAC unit We put in a new 2.5 ton Trane HVAC unit, and when it hits 90 outside, it won’t hold 74 degrees inside. (1400-1500 sq. Ft). Will it help to put in a 3 ton unit, or will it do more harm than good?

With a 1500 sq ft home a 2.5 ton should get it nice and cool.
Things that may affect your ability to cool, ducting not insulated, home not insulated, extreme heat (I don’t consider 90 extreme)

You did not state what the unit did cool to. Without this we cannot calculate the delta to tell if a larger unit would work for your home.
The tonnage of a unit is how much it will cool the Seer is the efficiency higher seer less monthly electricity demands.

I have installed larger evaporators in the past when I knew the owner was going too small. The evaporators can handle a range of cooling where the compressor and condenser are usually 1 unit (the outside unit).

I would check with your installer is this unit have a dual speed or variable speed fan that is not being turned on? I have seen ac units air handlers on low speed and they did not cool as well. For a friend I installed a new controller and my friend thought I put a new system in it worked so much better (~150$ took care of him)

So there are possibly things that could improve the performance of your existing system insulation and possibly different fan speeds both of these would be much cheaper than a new compressor / condenser and possibly a evaporator if yours is not large enough to handle a bigger compressor.


Identify part underneath chest I am trying to find the name for the following part.

This is underneath a chest that permits it to be moved effortlessly.
I am trying to find this part to replace as they are pretty worn.

They are referred to as "Nail on Glides" at my local hardware store. They can be found near the other hardware like the hinges, locks, and door stops.


What can you do to secure a shed door? Any advice on the best ways to secure a shed door from intruders?  I'm considering interlocking hinges, and a bolt-cutter "proof" hasp lock.  Anything else I should consider?

Easy: Motion detection lights.

Difficult: Alarm system.

High maintenance: Guard dog.

Anything can be broken into by a determined thief, the idea is to make your place less attractive of a target than the next place.


Is it required for effectiveness to stretch interior window film? Thanks in advance! Please let me know if I should provide more specific information, or if this is covered somewhere else.

Short version:

I am using a Frost King window insulation kit on a window. Can I skip the hairdryer step and still get a good amount of insulating effect?

Long version:

I am using a Frost King window insulation kit on a window. The way these work is that you tape a plastic sheet to your window frame (or some surface surrounding the window), then use a hairdryer on the plastic sheet to pull it taut.

My window frame is very bumpy (not a nice flat surface for me to stick the sheet onto), plus there is a window air conditioning unit sticking out in the middle (I can't take it out). Unless I want to cut the included plastic sheet into a more complex shape, the hairdryer step described above causes the plastic sheet to pull away from the tape's contact surface as it is drawn taut.

So my question is simple: Can I just skip the hairdryer step if I don't care what the end product looks like, or is the hairdryer step necessary to produce the insulating effect? Will I still get some benefit if I skip the hairdryer step?

Tightening the transparent plastic is mainly for cosmetic reasons. As long as the tape stays in place, the plastic will do its job of preventing air flow.

If the kit is exposed to buffeting winds strong enough to snap the plastic sheet back and forth, it could tear or pull off the tape. So you want it to be as tight as possible.

In general most people find that it's impossible to pull the sheet tight without leaving a few wrinkles, but after using the right color tape and shrinking the plastic a little, the result is indistinguishable from a windowpane.

In your case, with that AC in place, you're not going to get a windowpane effect anyway, so just pull it tight manually. You might consider taping both the inside and outside to help prevent loosening or blowout.

EDIT: I have just learned of another reason for tightening a window film. The plastic film can not only eliminate through drafts, but can be installed to reduce convection transfer by trapping a thin layer of air against the glass.

The ideal separation distance between film and glass is 1/2 inch. Even 1 inch is too thick as it allows the trapped air to circulate freely within the gap. But at 1/2 inch, unless the plastic film is quite tight, it will bow in and stick to the glass over at least part of the window.

I know this remark does not apply to the OP's circumstance but I include it here for the general case.


Second-story floor leveling question for new home We recently purchased a new home (yes, new construction); the home is a modern-style three story 1800 sqft detached home with a cantilevered section. There's a carport under the cantilever, and then the second and third floor sit above the first floor + carport. It's slightly similar-ish to this home, but with two support posts instead of one:
https://photos.hgtv.com/photos/viewer/cantilever-/modern-home-with-garage-and-cantilever-carport

Anyway, the floor of the second story has a small slope over the cantilevered portion (3/8" total recession over 10 feet). Apparently this was due to a builder mis-measurement, and is not a foundational problem with the home (the third floor is perfect and has no slope). We put a clause in our purchase agreement that if we find that the floor slopes further, they will fix everything, and we negotiated the price down significantly after the inspection uncovered this, assuming we could live with it.

Furthermore, the beam right where the cantilever begins is obvious and forms almost a small "mountain" in the floor, which would make leveling more complicated since we'd have to level the entire floor to this top point instead of just the cantilevered portion.

I guess you could visualize a cross section of the floor (very roughly!!) this way:

_________________________---___
                               ---------
                         /\
                         |
                  cantilever starts here

The floors are all engineered hardwood.

So, finally to my question:

While I am able to live with it, It's definitely been on my mind to go and fix this someday if possible, and I was wondering what options we have and if this is even possibly a DIY project?

I read a few interesting posts mentioning the use of "purlins" like here, here and here.

Could I conceivably use the current engineered hardwood and do a 'leveling' project, or would I almost certainly need to replace the flooring on the whole floor?

Is this a reasonable-ish DIY project, or should I run far away from the idea and just hire people? In that case, would I be looking at prohibitive crazy-costs? Is this all just a wild idea?

If it is useful as a data point, I'm in Seattle, and the floor area is about 33'x20'.

Just looking for perspectives and advice. Thanks all!

You need to get professionals to do this, imho, as the structure will need supporting while the floor-base is sorted out.

That structure has significant weight and supporting it while providing sufficient access to the bits that need repairs / replacement is not a simple task.


Is it possible to add a "C" wire to my electric heater? I bought a Wifi Thermostat but my old thermostat did not have a Common Wire. I can't use any of the swapping the G for the C solutions because I have an electric heater. I was told by Honeywell that I needed to run a new wire from the "C" terminal on the HVAC to the thermostat, but there is nowhere on the HVAC that is labeled "C."

I've searched everywhere for an explanation but I haven't been able to find anything analogous to my situation. All the other diagrams or solutions I've seen indicate a "C" Terminal somewhere on the control unit, but there is nothing like that on mine.

I am assuming that I can piggy back off one of the connectors on the circuit board (below) to create the common wire, I'm just not sure exactly where I should do it.

Below is the wiring to/from the thermostat, the twisted blue/brown/black wires are extras that were run through the wall but don't connect on either end. The thicker wires are the ones coming from the control panel which are then connected to the thinner wires running to the thermostat via the wire connectors.

Can anyone tell me where would be best to connect the new Common Wire or if it is even possible?

P.S. I can take more pictures of the actual wiring if it helps. Just let me know what section would be helpful to see.

On the schematic, the BL wire in the section labeled "Low Voltage Field Connection" near the bottom of the diagram. That's the C wire.

Click for larger view

It appears as though the "C" wire is bonded to the chassis, so you should be able to connect the C wire from the thermostat to the chassis as well.

In the last photo, if you follow the yellow wire from the thermostat cable. It connects to a yellow wire from another cable, which I would assume leads to your A/C system.   The blue wire from the A/C cable is attached to another blue wire, that blue wire ties in with all the other "C" wires.   So you could connect the C wire from the thermostat, in with those blue wires as well.

Click for larger view


Do hot circuit breakers indicate a problem? I have a main 100amp breaker panel.  The two 30A breakers going to the dryer are getting around 125 degrees Fahrenheit when I tested them with a temperature sensor and about 3 or 4 adjacent breakers are getting warm.  Is this just an indication of the breakers getting old?  Or is it normal for a dryer breaker to get this hot?

It is never common for any breaker to get extremely warm. Residential plug-in breakers are rated for 70C. So your measurement of 125F then it is at 52C and I am guessing you're just measuring the breaker and not opening the panel and checking the lugs. If your breaker is heating up over 158F you have already done damage to to your breaker or bus.

Breakers heat up for a number of reasons:

Loose connections - kill the power and check all connections make sure they are clean and tight at the breaker and the dryer plug.
Splices in the feeder - Check and make sure your feed is continuous from the breaker to the dryer if there are splices that are a transition and cannot be replaced see above.
Undersized wire - This may be because of voltage drop because of circuit length Not much to say except change out the wire.
Damaged breaker - I am pretty sure you have already damaged the breaker so you should just replace it as SOP.
Damaged bus in the panelboard - pull the breaker and make sure the bus is not discolored or there is arcing damage. If there is replace the panel.

One other thing, you didn't mention the age of the mobile home. Many of the older models were installed with Aluminum conductors. If this is so you may need to No-ox the connections or pigtail the trailer.

If all of this is too much for a DIY, you might need to get a professional on site.

Remember "there are old electricians and bold electricians but there are never any old, bold electricians" so kill any panel or circuit before performing any maintenance on the electrical system.

Hope this helps and be safe.


Sub Panel Install - Main Panel Full I am looking into installing a sub panel in my basement which will be used to feed electrical circuits to the basement that is currently unfinished. I have an 150 amp main panel and was thinking of installing a 90-100 amp sub panel. I do however have a few questions:

1) Since I do not have any breaker space, I am wondering if there is anyway to replace breakers or shuffle things around to make space? I've included a image below of my panel if it helps anyone make recommendations.

2) Do I need to ensure I use the same brand breakers? I assume yes...

3) Is 100 amp too much for the sub panel in the basement given the main panel is only 150 amps? I plan to have some lighting/receptacle circuits as well as baseboard heaters.

4) What is the proper gauge for the feeder wire? 2-2-2-4 enough for 100 amps? My city uses 2011 national electric code

Any help is appreciated.

I'll address each of your four questions in turn.

You can do this without moving any circuits by replacing the 20A tandem breaker in slots 10/12 and the 30A two-pole breaker occupying slots 14/16 and 18/20 with a 20A/30A quadruplex breaker with a center common trip which will take the circuit from the 30A breaker and independent, non-tied outer trips that take the circuits served by the 20A tandem breaker -- in your case, the Eaton BQC2302120 -- and then shifting the two 40A two-pole breakers (one is in 22/24 and 26/28, the other is in 30/32 and 34/36) on that side up a full width slot (so that you would have a quadruplex in 10/12 and 14/16, the first 40A two-pole in 18/20 and 22/24, and the second 40A two-pole in 26/28 and 30/32).  This would then leave you with slots 34/36 and 38/40 open to put your feeder breaker in, which of course must be an Eaton BR two-pole.
Your breakers in the subpanel must match the brand of the subpanel -- there's nothing in the NEC that prohibits a subpanel that's of a different make or breaker type than the main panel.  I'd recommend installing another Eaton type BR panel and matching breakers, though, simply for consistency's sake (it makes your electrician's life slightly easier when it comes to sourcing parts, and also makes the subpanel breakers behave the same as the main panel's breakers :).
Since you have 1100 ft^2 of space to cover with this wiring project, you will need to account for a minimum of 3300VA of lighting and general receptacle load; this is based on the 3 VA/ft^2 figure given by Table 220.12 (the 35% demand factor for load over 3000VA given in Table 220.42 is apparently inapplicable in a 220.83(B) calculation).  Atop this, you will be putting three 1000VA heaters, giving you another 3000VA of heating load for a total of 6300VA on the feeder, which works out to 26.25A.  While it's technically permissible to treat the heating as a continuous load and the general load as noncontinuous load and then use the 215.2(A)(1)(a) method (125% of continuous load + 100% of noncontinuous load) and use a 30A breaker and feeder, I would use a 40A breaker and appropriately oversized feeder (50A ampacity minimum) to be safe and keep voltage drops reasonable.  Don't forget to re-run the 220.83 computation for your overall service to make sure you aren't overloading it!
Since you don't need a 100A feeder (the field reports I have read about electric tankless heaters are that they are a real waste of money) and can get away with 40A minimum instead, you can use a smaller cable, all the way to 8/3 NM.  If you wish to use the 2-2-2-4 Al SE cable you linked, though (it's cheap!), you will be limited to 75A maximum due to 338.10(4)(a) in conjunction with the 60 deg C column in Table 310.15(B)(16):

  Interior Installations. In addition to the provisions of this article,
  Type SE service-entrance cable used for interior wiring shall comply with the
  installation requirements of Part II of Article 334, excluding 334.80.

  Where installed in thermal insulation the ampacity shall be in accordance with
  the 60°C (140°F) conductor temperature rating. The maximum conductor
  temperature rating shall be permitted to be used for ampacity adjustment and
  correction purposes, if the final derated ampacity does not exceed that for
  a 60°C (140°F) rated conductor.

Addendum: You are correct in that you can use a heavier-rated loadcenter in this application; however, Eaton does not list a 100A BR main lug loadcenter in their catalog.  I'd recommend Eaton part number BR816L125FDP for a flush mount loadcenter or a BR816L125SDP for a surface mount loadcenter -- these are 125A load centers capable of taking up to 8 full-width BR breakers or serving 16 circuits when loaded with tandem breakers and pre-equipped with main lugs to run the feeder into (otherwise, you'd need to burn two slots for a main lug kit).  You will also need a GBK10 ground bar here (Eaton makes ...FGDP/SDGP versions with the ground bar preinstalled, but the blue box doesn't carry them).


Can I ask my contractor to redo a tile job I'm not happy with? Click on photo for full size

I had my bathroom renovated while I was away last week. I'm not happy with how the floor tile came out. I assumed the contractor would lay the tile out in a uniform way (yes I know-- ass-u-me).

The bathroom is pretty small- about 4 1/2 feet by 5 feet of total floor space (plus bathtub). I thought I could live with this-- but it is kind of driving me nuts.

Two questions--

is it fair to have him redo it?And how tough would it be to redo it.
I have a bunch of left over tile so I wouldn't need to buy much more.
How tough is it to rip the tile out and redo it. There are no
moldings or anything. The only thing which would need to be removed
aside from the tile is the toilet.
Ok three questions-- what do you think the cost of this should be (I
live in Manhattan).

just to be clear-- here is an updated photo when the job was completed. I wanted to make clear that the issue was not the white spots or grout-- the issue was how the pattern was not continuous and how the seams are shown between the sheets of tile.

We can't really answer the cost or any legal questions (OT per our FAQ), but it's unanimous that this job was done poorly. Repairing it right will likely involve removing everything and starting over from scratch. There's not enough benefit in saving a few rows of tile and it would make the thin set and grout work more difficult. Ripping up the floor in the bathroom is more difficult the better your contractor did their job. A power chisel will make the job go faster, but no matter how you do it, it will be a mess.

I'd point out the mistakes, ask him to correct it, and if he refuses, never work with that contractor again. A good contractor is willing to fix their mistakes and make the customer happy, since a good reference is usually worth more than the materials and labor.


How can I allow guests to manually control lamps under wifi control? I have a few lamps in the house that are now wifi control enabled. I use google home to control them.  So far, I have been using wifi plugs - but the issue is that some guests who are not comfortable with google home are unable to control the lamps.

So, I want to install a physical override in parallel. Most of the examples I am seeing are for wall mountings. For a floor lamp, this is my plan:
 - Use the Sonoff wifi switch
 - House it in a plastic unit where at the top, I can install a push button or on/off switch

My question:
 - Anyone who has done this and can give me some inputs.
 - Any downsides to what I am proposing or a better way or better products to achieve this?
 - Is there a readymade product that is a closed module that has wifi and a physical switch together?

Thanks

Google Home is nice, but you can't control primary room light exclusively with it.

The building codes absolutely require that some lighting in each room be controlled by plain wall switches in standard locations. The locations of the mandatory switches are defined by Code.  The brightness level is defined by Code, though in some living spaces it is allowed to switch a receptacle and the citizen is on his own recognizance to plug in a workable light.

As long as there is a light switch in the proper location, and it operates some light in the normal way, the Code requirement is satisfied. You can have as many other lights as you please, control them any way you please, and you need never use the statutory light switch.

Lack of legal lighting could endanger your occupancy permit and thus, your mortgage.  What's more, if an accident is caused by someone being unable to turn on the light, the insurer will cite the defect as reason to refuse coverage. Your mortgage lender will have a problem with that too.

On top of this, that Sonoff junk is a direct import from China and uses this loophole to bypass all our safety regulations, that's why it's cheaper.  As such, it is not approved by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NEC 110.2 on the very first page) so there goes your fire insurance.  And again if the inspector catches this in your home, he'll make you tear it all out.  Rules are eased somewhat for smart devices which are not made part of the house wiring and are merely plugged in.


How do I locate a dryer exhaust vent? I live in an older duplex. I just recently attempted to clean out the dryer vent/duct for the downstairs unit and failed because I could not find where my dryer vent is outside. Is it possible that my dryer vent and the upstairs dryer vents are connected to the same outdoor vent?

Place a wet towel in your dryer, turn it on, and in 5 minutes look for the steam somewhere around your house.


How do I clean bleach marks off bluestone pavers? I have bluestone tiles in an under cover outside area. I sprayed a household cleaner on sections of the pavers and used a high pressure washer to clean them. However upon drying they now have white bleach spray marks on them where I sprayed.

Is there any way I can get rid of the unsightly "bleach" marks?

The white stains might be dried on soap scum, i.e. calcium etc. salts of detergents. In that case, a vinegar or citric acid solution should solubilize them and allow you to rinse them off with a hose.


Can a Ground Wire be attatched to a nail in wood stud? Guilty as assumed: I've installed a thermostat connected to a single electric baseboard. Is it possible to connect the load and line ground wires to a nail which is attached to a wood stud? OR, simply twist the two ground wires together and allow the ground at the panel to complete the setup?

Install equipment in real junction boxes

I've done a lot of wiring and I cannot imagine how you would get a ground wire anywhere near a 2x4.  Your wires (including ground) are doing one of two things:  traveling inside a conduit (pipe) into a junction box, or travel inside a cable and the whole cable enters a junction box, so ground is inside the junction box too.  The junction box entirely encloses the wires.  How would a wire get outside a junction box to reach a 2x4 and a nail???

And then I realized... you're not using a junction box, are you?  Use a junction box.  You really, really want a junction box for 240V power such as is used by a heater.

Here's an example of a Steel City brand metal junction box. There are many kinds.  This particular one looks like

a new-work box (before drywall goes up) with flanges to make it rather easy to attach to a 2x4.
It has an offset to allow for standard drywall thickness
standard threaded holes to mount standard yokes (switches, receptacles, thermostats etc.) The yoke then has screws to mount a standard cover.
Is extra-wide and deep  for extra wire space
Has built-in clamps specifically for NM cable, and a few knockouts for anything that takes a knockout (e.g. conduit).
has a green ground screw for pigtailing a ground. This only attaches 1 wire, but that wire is then wire-nutted to the other ground wires.  Inside the box obviously.

I presume you'll want an old-work type box for fitting into existing drywall or onto an existing 2x4, etc.  The big-box stores have a selection, but a proper electrical supply house will have a better selection.

All electrical connections must be inside a junction box.  It is not legal or safe to splice any wire or fit any device outside a junction box.  Additionally, every junction box must be accessible without dismantling the building.  You must be able to remove the junction box cover without needing any tools except to unscrew the cover screws.

Retrofit a real ground

You do realize as of 2014, it is perfectly legal to retrofit grounds.  Just run an Actual Ground Wire from the place you are trying to ground (or anywhere connected to it by an appropriately sized ground wire, i.e. either end of those two ground wires) to anywhere on your equipment grounding system (downstream of the service panel) where the ground wire back to the panel is >= the size of this ground wire, or anywhere on your grounding electrode system i.e. the bare wire from your service panel to the water pipe, ground rod, wherever the panel gets its grounding from.

Do not simply ground to a water pipe, the goal isn't just to reach ground (that only helps with natural electricity like ESD, whose source is earth) -- the goal is mainly to reach the panel's equipotential bonding point, so that human-made electricity can be returned to its human-supplied source, i.e. the neutral wire.  Electricity flows in loops and electricity must be returned from whence it came.


Is it okay that a Leviton 9860-LHG CFL lampholder has no ground wire? For code-compliance reasons, I'm planning to replace an old-school porcelain bare-bulb light fixture in a closet with a Leviton 9860-LHG lampholder that I bought a few years ago but never got around to installing until today. It's a CFL fixture with an enclosed plastic top. (In closets it's a code no-no to have bare-bulb fixtures.)

But when I opened the 9860-LHG box, I noticed that the lampholder has only 2 wires-- hot and neutral-- but no ground wire. That said, the entire lampholder is plastic, so perhaps it's OK there's no ground wire since there's no other metal anywhere?

But before I install a fixture which is different from all other fixture in the house which have ground wires, I thought I'd check with the experts here.

Is a not-present ground wire OK in an all-plastic fixture like the 9860-LHG?  Or should I go find another lampholder?  If the answer varies based on local codes, I'm in Berkeley, CA.

Yes, that is normal. In a metal fixture, to put it simply: anything that can conduct electricity (but whose primary purpose is not to conduct) must be grounded. This is in case something shorts out and energizes the fixture, if someone grabs hold of the fixture (and provides a path to ground via their body) they don't get electrocuted. Having the fixture grounded causes the electricity to go to ground through the ground wire (even if someone is touching it at the time, in theory the ground wire provides less resistance than a human body and so the human won't be electrocuted), and probably will trip the breaker very quickly.

In a plastic fixture, there is no exposed metal that someone can touch, and so there is nothing to be grounded.

Note that the junction box it's mounted in must still be grounded though, just like any other fixture. Often even non-metallic junction boxes have ground screws in them: I have insulated boxes I used in the exterior walls of my house that are made of PVC, but have a ground terminal connected to a small strip of metal that connects to the screw terminals, in this way the screws holding whatever is attached to the box are grounded.


house hold wiring for two way switch how to install a wiring where I can have two switches the two switches will turn on a bulb

I have to turn on the light if any of the switch is on and I have to turn off the light if any of the switch is turned off

can you suggest me a way to install such a mechanism thanks in advance

What you are looking for is a 3 way switch (2 ea 3 way switches) check out this post, or search the site there are probably over a hundred with examples Of proper wiring. The basics are if the light is off flip one of the switches the light is now on. Flip one switch the light is off. There are also digital models that can dim, or turn off from both locations one switch is a master or the control the second switch is a slave or remote.