Should I sealcoat new (few months) asphalt before winter? I've had a brand new asphalt put in earlier this year beginning of May (temperature hovering ~50s, +/-5 degrees change between day and night). The same contractor is recommending to seal coat it before winter, in the fall.

I would like unbiased answer - should I do it? My main concern is that it is going to get very cold quickly around October/November, and snowy shortly after, and it sounds like 'ideal' temperature is above 50 degrees. Also, another worry is that it is too soon and asphalt did not have enough curing time.

If yes, can you recommend a seal coat for new driveway?

In my experience, new asphalt in a residential application doesn't begin to show surface degradation for at least a few years. By that time, a coat that you apply now will need to be redone anyway.

I'd wait two years. If it still looks brand new, wait two more. There's something to be said for preventative care, but only if it actually extends the life of the product.


After short circuit, light switch no longer has power I removed a light switch/dimmer from the wall because the light was flickering
The wires in the wall were live and exposed
The wires in the wall accidentally touched each other, causing the circuit breaker to trip
After hooking the dimmer back up, it doesn't work at all
All other wires/outlets in the room still have power - including the fan which was connected to 2 of the same wires

Are the wires that touched now "dead" because they were short circuited?

What would it take to fix it so that the light switch has power again (for now I don't care if it flickers, I just want it to power on, period)?

Note: I will most likely call an electrician but I was hoping to get an idea of how big of a job this will be. e.g. will it require him to replace the entire wiring in the wall?

It might just be that when the wires shorted together and the breaker tripped, there is now some soot/debris on the conductors so they aren't making good contact to the switch terminals now. Clean the wire with some emery cloth / wire brush (WITH THE BREAKER OFF!) and try it again.

It's POSSIBLE that in making that short, you fried a wire deep in the wall, in which case it becomes a bigger job for an electrician.


Frigidaire freezer making intermittent grinding noise My freezer has been making an intermittent grinding noise recently, and it seems like it is getting progressively worse. It seems that the noise gets really bad, with the grinding events occurring very close together late at night when the freezer has gone a long time without being opened.

It seems to go away for a few minutes once I open up the freezer door for a few seconds.

Here is an audio clip of the noise: Frigidaire freezer making intermittent grinding noise

Any insights here would be appreciated!

A grinding noise audible in the cold compartment of a freezer or refrigerator is usually caused by ice buildup on the recirculator fan. The ice can be removed by removing the food and leaving the appliance off for 24 hours with the doors open. If the ice comes back inconveniently often then a door seal may be failing and allowing too much outside air to enter the compartments.

However the noise in your video could also be caused by a worn bearing in the recirculator fan. You'll know which problem you have once you have removed the ice. Of course the only cure for the bad bearing is to replace the fan.


3-Way Light Switch, two blacks and a red? Usual story of remodeling etc. Replaced all the other 4 ways and 3 ways near it just fine, then I run into this guy. It's a 3-way, and I could have sworn I put all the wires exactly where they were on the one I replaced (which worked fine before.) So as it sits replaced, it's not working/switching, but the other end of the 3-way switch I replaced does just fine.

Now I'm at a point where beyond just color matching the normal red/white/black (since in this case I have two blacks and one red) I'm not sure what causing this. I have the red & black you see in the picture from the top wire group, and the additional black wire heading out the other way (see pictures.)

My question would be; Do I just have a bad switch and need to run and get another to make it happy again? Do I swap the two black wires? If I swap them is there possibility of damage?

We just moved in a couple days ago and my meter is in a box god knows where so I can't even test for lives, but I only do one switch at a time and test in between because I'm anal about this sort of thing. Any advice?

It sounds like your wiring is like this:

I believe the switch you took a picture of is the one on the left. If so, it looks like it's wired correctly: the black screw is usually common, and it seems to be coming from the red wire nut, which is the power source (am I seeing that correctly?)

If the other switch is turning on/off the light, regardless of which position this switch is in, then it is very likely this is a defective switch.

However, if it is only happening when this switch is in one particular position, then it's highly likely one of the two switches has the common wire connected to one of the traveller terminals. It could be either one.

If you can determine which wire goes where (the biggest hint is that the traveller wire is 14-3 while the others usually aren't), then you should be able to match it up to the wiring diagram here.


What's the best way to hang an unframed poster on a sloping wall without using something that will damage the poster? What's the best way to hang unframed posters on a sloping wall without using tape or velcro or glue that would damage the poster? Thumb-tacks don't work too well because the poster ends up sagging between the tacks.

I'd love to find a way of attaching the posters to the wall so that they lie as flat and as close as possible to the wall without resorting to adhesives that could damage the posters or the wall.

Poster putty is an adhesive, but supposed to not damage posters or walls. Similar products are sold under names like Sticky Tack, Mounting Putty, and Blu-Tack.


Is there any legitimate reason you would NOT connect the ground wire on a circuit? I've been doing some remodeling on my house and had the need to move some electrical outlets. While doing so, I noticed that the ground wire wasn't hooked up on any of the outlets in the circuit (through a bathroom, no less). It was three wire cable, so the ground wire was there. It was just bent back or snipped off at each box and not connected to the outgoing ground line in any way.

If it were 2-wire cable, I could chalk it up to someone being cheap, but I can't imagine someone being so lazy that they didn't connect the ground wires when they were right there and available. Most of the other circuits in the house seem correct, so maybe this is intentional?

Does anyone know a legitimate reason you would wire up a circuit and not connect the ground wires?

No, there is no reason not to have the ground connected. Even with armored (BX) cable, you should connect the ground. There is an older style of armored cable that uses a wide metallic strip (inside) as the ground which is a bit flaky since it's hard to get a good connection (it is just supposed to connect with the box connector). The actual armor though is not designed for grounding, and should not be used or relied on as a ground (though in most cases, the electrical connection exists for it to work as ground).

Let me be clear though -- you should check what is on the other side of the wire, and make sure it actually is grounded (or, possibly, not connected -- which you can fix), and that it is not being used for some other purpose. Just a red flag for me: when someone snips off the ground it means they didn't know what they were doing, so don't assume that anything is correct.

One thing to look for - there should only be one common ground in your house, and everything should be tied together. If you have, for example, two separate ground rods and circuits mixed, you can have ground loops and noise issues, especially if you have sensitive electronics (TVs, amplifiers, computers) connected. All grounds should be connected together at or near the main panel.

On the same topic, you should have a ground wire connecting your electrical grounding wire to all copper pipes in your house, and to any gas lines. Be careful with placement, as often you need a jumper wire to go around a non-conductive water meter to connect both sets of pipes together.


Shower periodically loses hot water, and then the bath faucet will be scalding I am in a 3 story apartment building with roughly 20 units.  Periodically while taking a shower the water will suddenly lose heat and become ice cold.  I chalked this up to lack of hot water coming from the main water heater, but today I tried flipping the diverter back down during one of these spells so that water came out of the tub faucet.  Much to my surprise, this water was scaling hot.  I could flip the diverter several times and the effect was robust: scalding water out of the tub faucet, icy water out of the showerhead.  After a minute or two the spell ended, and it went back to normal water from both fixtures.

What could be causing this?  Note that there wasn't any water leaking from the showerhead while the tub faucet was on, or vice versa.

EDIT: My landlord stopped by and checked out the diverter.  It didn't haven't any visible problems, but he replaced it to see if that would help.  It did, and now the shower seems to work without any issue.  I still don't really know what the problem was, but hopefully this info will be useful to someone else.

Well either the diverter isn't closing off the hot and cold to the mixing valve or there is an issue with the mixing valve itself.  You wouldn't be able to physically see anything wrong with either until you start taking them apart.  If you noticed your handle moving "faster" that can signal that the handle was not tightened properly or has stripped bushings.


What should I do with this bare spot on the step? The bare spot you see below used to be covered by a gnarly patch of carpet, but I removed it when I laid that tile down.  My intent was to put the same tile design over that spot, but I never got around to it.  I am still considering it, but I am wondering what you guys recommend as far as overall aesthetics are concerned.  I am mainly interested in hiding that ugly wood that has been exposed for over two years, but am not sure of the best way to do it.

Stick a piece of wood on it. Either stain to match the wood rising up the stairs or paint it white to match the skirting boards.


How to remove two-component adhesive from a stainless steel surface? My dad used a two-component adhesive when trying to glue a door stopper to our stainless steel radiator. However he read the manual wrong and now there is dried out glue on the radiator and the door stopper.

While mechanical removal of the glue from the stopper is no problem, as the side wont be visible after attaching it to the radiator, I see problems scratching the glue off the radiator itself as any visible scratches would look unpleasant.

Are there any other ways to remove the glue from a steel surface without damaging the steel itself?

1) Heat gun - use a blow dryer or heat gun to soften the solution up.
2) Acetone - apply acetone to the spot. This will not penetrate the metal on the radiator.
3) Scrape - You can use an old t-shirt, stick the metal scraper inside the t-shirt and start chipping/smoothing away at the spot.

Repeat until it gets almost level with the radiator. You probably won't get it all up after the first pass.

After you do it again, you could get some medium grit sandpaper and try to smooth it away. Spot may still be there but raised surface shouldnt be nearly as bad.


Tracing individual conductors most effectively I recently moved in to a 20 year old house, and have started to unravel some of the unfortunate short cuts the previous owner left, with regards to the electrical work. One trouble in particular I'm having is tracing my hots: there's cases where he had them tied into white wires, and split out onto three way circuits where I believe the hot and travelers area actually tied together somewhere. Constantly de-energizing the circuit and pulling out all the boxes and disconnecting the receptacles is super tedious, and even when I do make progress, where I find hot wires coming back at the switch boxes makes no sense.

I've seen the tone generators and breaker/circuit tracers, but is there a good tool to use that will allow me to map an individual conductor to approximate the path of the hot I'm seeing currently without the risk of using 120v and a non-contact tester all over the place? Basically, can I clip something on to my hot (de-energized) line and get kinda close with the tone generator function, and then find exactly which conductor(s) are then connected to it? Thank you for any thoughts!

Two additional notes:
1. this house is a prefab - built in two parts and shipped in, then placed on a poured foundation. It was partially pre-wired, and the two halves of the house were connected later. While likely to 90s code, some of the methods seem unconventional (I'm not saying wrong), but the bigger concern is that originally Rv-style self-contained outlets and switches were used, and they're past their lifetime. Most have been straight swaps. The previous owner though took some additional liberties and took what might have been mildly confusion and made it concerning, potentially dangerous. (see note below).

My end goal is to also write in a number of home automation switches that requires neutrals, so ensuring that this are accurately identified, traced and labeled is important, hence my question.

Edit - @Harper - while I'm no Master Electrician, and still learning more of the advanced circuit possibilities, I'm judging based on a number of observations. For instance, the three way switches for the ceiling fan wouldn't work correctly (would switch one leg, but the other switch would shut off the whole circuit), and after pulling out the switch box from the wall, I found two previously unknown switches electrical taped "on", stuffed down into the wall cavity. Tracking then where the wires connected to those switches went has led to more fun findings, like wires just twisted and taped loose in multiple boxes. So yes, I definitely have more to learn, but I believe these are items that definitely qualify at a minimum as mistakes.

A method I have used in the past is to have all the breakers disconnected for safety (old houses are known to have "crossed circuits"...

Then have a very long cable back to the distribution board connected to a particular wire to test, then use the multimeter to test the object wires at the point of interest. Label as necessary (even down to tape with text...).


Hanging a Tree Swing I was going to buy a swing for my two boys, each weighing under 100 pounds.  I can't imagine more than three of them on the swing, so 250/300 pounds max.  This silver maple is the only viable place for me to hang it in my backyard.  I was planning on using an single I-bolt, directly through a large branch.  Does this photo depiction look safe?

My biggest concern is that silver maples are notorious for having weak crotches that grow at angles, rather than perpendicular to the main trunk; however, I can also find articles that argue these trees get bad reputations based on hearsay more than fact.

See the pink I-bolt in the furthest right branch.

I would not use any type of bolt through the branch.

i would use a rope or, better, a strap to make a collar around that branch and another around a branch behind to share the load, which will give ample support. Think of those 2 or 3" wide loading straps and then use a D-link to attach the swing to the strap, that way you won't damage the tree.

You could esily brace to two other branches...


Applying caulk over new caulk A few days ago I scraped out all of the old caulk around our bath, cleaned and dried the area then applied an anti-mould bathroom sealant (neutral silicone). I don't think I applied a thick enough layer. There are no gaps but if you look closely you can see a few cracks in the sealant. Would I be able to apply another layer over the top or do I need to scrape it out and start again?

Unfortunately, silicone doesn't stick to silicone. So unless you can somehow bridge the entire bead of original caulk, you're stuck with the hard work of taking it all out again.


How to get rid of mosquitos at my front door? I don't why but in spring and summer time outside the main door of the house, there are usually 15 to 20 mosquitos just lying around. It is so bad to the point we have to avoid using the main door and use the garage for entry. How can I get rid of them?

mosquitos are attracted to carbon dioxide, install a carbon dioxide mosquito trap, like the ones with yeast or with propane tanks.


How should I connect new drain? I am updating my basement shower and need some help to connect a new drain. I have cast iron that runs under the foundation. Where it comes up in the shower I have no way to connect to it. Once the drain is installed I am planning on pouring a new shower pan with liner. The cast iron is 2". Here is what I have now.

I typically use something like this for drains when I have to go into hard to access cast iron pipe. You stick it inside the cast iron pipe and then insert PVC into it. Make sure it fits very tight inside the cast iron pipe if you go this route.


Bathroom GFCI Troubleshoot House about 15 years old. Upstairs bath has light switch (ceiling and 4 bulb over vanity) , exhaust fan switch and two GFCI plugs either side of vanity. Flipping the light switch trips the breakers - both. The lights over the vanity have been burning out frequently over past 6 months. Exhaust fan does not trip and any and all appliances plugged in do not trip. The light switch trips and then I took out all bulbs and it still trips. I replaced the switch and it still is the same. What should I check next? I'm thinking one of the fixtures, either ceiling or vanity must have a problem. Any other thoughts or confirmation would be appreciated - what to look for?

I think it is a safe bet that it is one of the fixtures. You seem to have ruled out everything else. Start with the fixtures that have been burning out lamps.

If you feel confident, turn off the breaker and remove one of the fixtures. It may or may not be obvious if it is the culprit. Cap off the wires coming out of the wall, turn on the breaker and try the switch. Repeat if the problem persists.

Edit: Upon re-reading, when you say "trips the breakers", do you mean the reset button pops out on the GFIs, or the circuit breaker trips??
A GFI is NOT a circuit breaker.


Turning on AC either resets thermostat or blows fuse I have an 10-year-old American Standard Freedom 90 HVAC system, with an outdoor AC compressor. My thermostat (Honeywell RTC6580WF 1001) stopped being able to turn the AC on (it could still turn the fan and heat on), so I called out an HVAC guy. He couldn't find anything wrong with the contactor (but he replaced it with a sealed one) or the cap on the compressor, and upon further investigation he was able to get the AC to start by manually shorting the R, G, and Y wires behind the thermostat. From that he determined that the thermostat was bad.

I replaced the thermostat with a new one (same model), but when it tries to start the AC it immediately turns off for a few seconds (it's powered by the C wire) and then turns back on. It sits there blinking that it's waiting for the compressor protection timer, and then after 5 minutes it tries to start the AC again and reboots again and the cycle repeats.

I pulled it back off the wall and tested the voltages, and I'm getting a little over 26V between R and all the other wires. However, with the thermostat off, if I short R and Y, it now blows the 5A fuse on the furnace's control board. I've tried this twice, with the same result.

Any ideas?

EDIT: I think I found the problem: https://photos.app.goo.gl/yeGaGdQPyAbwvw2x8

I heard scurrying when I first approached the compressor, so it's likely the cable became rodent food at some point. It's too far back to splice inside the compressor housing, so I am going to either need to figure out how to do a weatherproof splice or splice it inside the house and run a new wire through the wall.

First I would make sure all the wires are hooked up correctly. Look at the thermostat, what color is hooked to R, Y, C, G,W and whatever else you have. Then go to the furnace and make sure those same wires are hooked up the same at the furnace. There is a cable going to the condensing unit outside from the furnace. One wire should be hooked to Y and the other to C on the furnace. The other end should be hooked to the contractor outside.  Also make sure none of these wires are grounding out. Make sure the new contractor is 24 volts at the coil. They make them with 120 and 240 volt coils. You say the contractor is white? The only white ones I have seen are special purpose. Usually they are brown or black. I would be interested in seeing a picture with the label. My guess is something got wired back up wrong with all the fiddling.


Can I run 275ft underground cable to pole barn? I have a new 1500 sqft pole barn that needs electric. I expect to need 100Amp service at the barn which will have a 220V 15A compressor and 220V 25A welder. The rest of the barn will be 110V fluorescent lights, and few if any high amperage tools. My house has 200A service, and I could branch off a 100A breaker from the house breaker box.
My first question is: Can I run 275 ft of underground feeder wire (in pvc, 24 inch burial) to this barn from a 100A breaker at the house? I've done some calculations that suggest #1 aluminum feeders would be good, and the voltage drop should be less than ~3%. But most calculators stop at 250ft, and runs over 250 ft aren't discussed much. I want to ask here because the experience is unmatched. The house has a good 3-wire feed and breaker box. But the house is all electric. I'm willing to go with copper feeders if I have to.
I plan to use two 8ft deep copper grounds at the barn.
I done a lot of research and can't find a definite answer on maximum feeder lengths. BTW our state uses the 2014 NEC codes, but I'm all about safety.
EDIT:
Thanks again, let me give this a try. I'll probably not be using all tools or equipment at once. Figure VERY intermittent use of the compressor and welder because I'm not setting up a paint booth. But a 50A car charger is a real future possibility (thanks @jwh20). A large fan, permanently wired (but not always on) could be 8A (so figure 10A), a heater or small A/C (for a very small office) would be about the same 10A because it will be on when I'm in the barn when the compressor kicks in. Lighting would be LED almost certainly just as in my house with no weed being grown. So 1500 sq ft of space needs requires three 20A circuits for lighting, but will likely be less than 5A. Add an extra 10A for everything else, so my provisioning is for 50+10+10+5+10 or ~85A (someday).
Wire type: Using UG-F inside conduit seemed to be the safest, most long lasting option. Because THHN/THWN saves more space within the conduit (thanks to @NoSparksPlease) this decision will likely come down to availability and costs. Thanks also to @Ecnerwal for the tip about putting the grounding rods in the trench, and that 18" deep is enough. I'm not crossing any roads or areas where there will be vehicles crossing.
The ampicity table 310.15(B)(16) under 60C says that at 85A I'm at AWG3, or at 105A I'm at AWG1. So if I use AWG1, I can use a 100A breaker. the ground wire would need to be about #8 (Best guess). But now I need to check the voltage drop.
So you guys are magic or something, because I went to the voltage drop calculator that @Ecnerwal recommended and it was literally already set up exactly for this. Using 275ft of AWG1 aluminum wire, I would have a 4.48% voltage drop, and would have 229.25V at the barn. This seems okay to me (not in Canada I assume) with the main line only 15 ft from my house meter and breaker box.
I know I need to mark an answer... Hard to pick just one but going with @Harper - Reinstate Monica for the process he described, but you all were extremely helpful.
Thanks everyone.

Your first, and only question that I see, is whether or not you can run 275 ft. of underground feeder wire to your barn.  The answer is: Yes, you can provided you use wire large enough so that the voltage drop at the barn is acceptable to your use.  As noted in your question, the commonly accepted value is 3%.
For long runs (i.e. large wire sizes) Al wire is significantly cheaper than Cu and the only benefit from using Cu is that you will use a smaller wire size.  The overall performance of a properly size Al wire vs. a properly size Cu wire is the same.
I do question your 100A load figure here.  Are you going to be running multiple tools at one time?  You've mentioned only a welder and a compressor but those together will take only 40A.  I can't imagine that you'll be using anywhere near 60A for your lighting.
BTW - you might consider LED lighting instead of fluorescent.  The cost difference is not that great any longer and LED use quite a bit less power.
I don't get your 1 AWG figure, however. Using the Southwire calculator at:
Southwire Wire Calculator
returns a recommendation of 4/0 :


I have R-13 exterior insulation around my foundation. Do I need more inside to finish the basement? My home was constructed in 2016 with exterior insulation around the foundation (see image). They also put in this hanging batt fiberglass insulation on the inside of the walls, which seems superfluous. (On another note, part of me is worried that they did this to hide something...)

I started framing my finished basement and was planning on leaving a 1.5 inch gap between the concrete wall and the framing.

I live in PA, where I think you only need R-10 insulation on the walls.

Is it worth my while to put any insulation on the inside of my exterior walls at all? I was considering cutting up the batt insulation and shoving
between the studs at the very least. But I was also considering just trashing it and putting a 1-inch foam board on the wall.

Is this all overkill?

Edit:
To clarify: I guess I'm asking, with the exterior insulation > R-10, do I need any insulation at all inside? Or can I throw away this fiberglass insulation that's billowing off the walls?

The gap would be a good solution if you want air to circulate behind the frame which means you would have to have some holes every so often to do the circulating.
If you don't want to have the holes, you would have to make sure that you have a vapor barrier. A foam board would do both...insulate and be vapor barrier.


Diagnosing loud pool pump motor The other day I noticed the pump motor for the pop-ups on our pool was louder than usual.  There wasn't anything I could attribute this to such as the motor overheating, and the onset wasn't gradual - one day it was quiet and the next it was loud.

The motor hasn't run very long in this state, I shut it off and have only run in a couple times for about 5 minutes at a time to test some things.  For instance, it appears to still have full power, as when it runs it is still driving the pop-ups and the force of water coming out appears to be about the same.  And it doesn't seem to be overheating, at least not when running it for just a few minutes. (I can hold my hand on it and it feels hot but not uncomfortable.)

I did a bit of research and found a couple of things which possibly could be going wrong here.  One is that the could be something that got stuck in the impeller, and the noise I am hearing is the impeller grinding against it.  The other is that the bearings are going bad.  The noise the motor is making seems like it could be either one: it sounds kind of like a constant metal rattle of moderately high pitch. I had tried listening closely to both the motor itself and the impeller housing, and haven't been able to isolate one or the other as where the excess sound is coming from.

I have tried a quick taking off the impeller housing (it's got a hand tightened screw that holds a metal clamp in place) but both sides of the motor housing are bolted to other things which prevent the housing from separating until they are all removed.

You might as well figure out how to remove some of the pieces of this setup so you can have that inspection look. If something needs replacing it will have to be taken all apart any way.

If all the water piping is rigidly attached this will be the opportunity to cut the pipes and install union fittings so a future repair/replace is much easier. Note that if the water piping is all PVC pipe that can normally be cut back and spliced in without a union fitting.

Electrical conduits are not normally too difficult to free up at the motor end and pull the wire ends out of the junction box on the end of the motor. Make really sure that all power to the motor is shut off. That could be two wires to check if it is a 220VAC motor.


How to deal with a pop up drain install when nut doesn't sit flush with bottom of the sink? Finished up a bathroom today and installed a pop up drain assembly on new sink.  The nut to tighten the drain assembly is off by about a 1/4 inch - tight in the back, gap in front.  I am guessing that this is a defect in the sink because I haven't used this sink before nor been this far off with a nut.

Pop up came with a few crappy plastic gaskets.  A combo of the gaskets and plumber's putty got it to drain without leaking but I don't feel right about it.  Is this the normal way to deal with the issue, bigger gasket, other?

Extra explanation:  Won't be back to the house until Tuesday so will try to explain better.  A normal install would have the popup drain assembly 90 degrees from the bottom of sink (hole).  You would tighten gasket with drain nut... boom done.

When I go to tighten nut (let's say no gasket yet) the nut cannot ever full tighten because one side hits well before the other.  The gasket that came with it didn't help because it basically just extends the issue.  So I put a massive amount of plumber's putty right under sink hole on the side that the nut doesn't hit. Then gasket, then nut.  Works... but who knows if it gets knocked or a lot of use.

The plumber's putty will not work, pull it all out of there please. The pop-up assy. should have included a fairly thick tapered rubber gasket to seal against the underside of the drain hole. This gasket has a flat back for the "crappy plastic" washers to rest against, those are actually friction rings designed to let the nut spin freely and press up against the rubber cone washer. I think you are missing the rubber washer.

Plumber's putty should only be used to effect the seal between the upper drain trim ring and sink.


Toilet on septic system won't flush after heavy rain I have a home with 2 toilets on a septic system. It has been raining for 2 weeks or more. Neither toilet will flush. They just fill to the top of the bowl and take all day to drain. The first thing that happened before this problem was when in the shower the toilets had a lot of air bubble up and then the tube was draining slowly also.

Some people said to wait 2-3 days after the rain stops and the water that soaked into the septic would drain out and every thing would be ok.

Your drain field is saturated.  You need a new drain field.  The drain field gets plugged with lint and fibers.  It is too slow to handle the drainage from your house when the ground is wet.  Talk to a qualified backhoe operator. He should be able to help you.


How can I add a fireplace to an existing non-fireplace chimney? Our 83 year old house has a brick chimney covered up with drywall. We have no idea where the original flue was, but it must have vented a wood stove because there is no structure for a fireplace.

We want to install a zero-clearance wood-burning fireplace. The best place (to our mind) would be in the living room, which means that it would squeeze into a corner of the living room, with a doorway on either side of the hearth. I know we will have to install an insulated chimney liner esp. since there is combustible material against the chimney. Our rough plan is to place a lightweight floor protector, rather than a stone hearth, so the floor can bear the weight. Because we cannot stick the stove "into" the wall because there is no fireplace opening, the new fireplace vent would have to bend into the chimney at some point, and we would have to cut a hole into the brick chimney for the flu. Also, the fireplace will "stick out" into the room, so we will have to make a mantel/hearth around it  that will basically eat up 1/6th of the living room.

I'm a novice at this, and am sure I've missed some details. Any advice or suggestions?

Is it possible to cut through the brick?

Is bending the vent pipe a good idea?

Will the chimney be a fire hazard even with insulated liner?

Our other option is to wait, and build a new chimney/fireplace into a one-room extension we plan to add to our two-story house. But everything I've read says never to do that... and that chimneys on exterior walls cause poor air flow.

I realize this post is "old" however I wanted to post the answers as the information is always relevant to future question askers! :)

I sold venting pipe professionally for 4 years, and have experience designing a variety of systems.

Just a few notes:
 1. Always check your clearances to combustible materials. Zero-clearance fireplaces are only zero clearance to certain materials, like masonry, etc. Make sure you take care when addressing this.

Different stoves have different pipe diameters. If you're still debating which model to get, you could save yourself some money by going with 6" diameter versus 8", as the larger it is the more expensive.
Old masonry chimneys are dangerous and should be inspected, even if using a liner.

Onto the parts! Since you are going to be dealing with a freestanding stove as well as a chimney liner, you're likely going to need an adapter as you enter the masonry.

When you come off of your stove with the flue pipe, you would want double-walled black stovepipe. This has a twist-lock connection that will go on your stoves outlet, either top or rear vented. It is more expensive than single-walled pipe, has less clearance requirement of 8 inches versus (18-inch clearance of single-wall) but has longer life, and isn't burning hot to the touch.

Your question about bending the pipe: Definitely do not ever physically bend a pipe to create a curve, etc. Rather, use an angled piece, then a straight, and then another angled piece to complete the connection. This stove-pipe comes with "elbows" at various angles. 45/90 degree are the most common, so you should have no issue angling the pipe to penetrate the masonry at 90 degrees.

The easiest way to complete your system would be to adapt the standard stove-pipe to a masonry liner.
For a normal chimney-pipe to masonry-liner system, you will need a few pieces that aren't "standard" on most installations.

Masonry Thimble: This item installs into the 6-8" diameter hole you drill in your masonry chimney. It allows a length of straight pipe to pass through your masonry wall, into the chimney, and connect to the flexible stainless chimney liner.
Stove-pipe to Liner Adapter: This piece physically adapts the rigid interior stove pipe to flexible liner.

You asked if the chimney can be a fire-hazard even with a liner;
The short answer is yes. The reason being that if there is not enough clearance from the edge of the chimney interior to the outside edge of the chimney liner pipe; heat can be transferred to the brick, which can then catch wood aflame. If you have proper clearance, no fires should occur from the liner/masonry portion.

The only other fire-hazard that should exist is the chimney-cap itself. Make sure that the termination (last pieces) are done correctly. Is there a masonry chimney penetrating above the roofline a good bit? If so, you have it easy and can purchase a Turbo cap with a "spark arrestor" screen.. The cap spins as the heat exhausts out, cooling it, and the screen catches any flaming embers or sparks that might still exist from the burning wood.

Regarding your "Chimneys on exterior cause poor air flow" Statement: From my experience that is mostly false. Only in situations where there are EXTREME weather conditions does this ever occur. The reason this is never a problem with correct installations is that the Class A pipe required for exterior installations is either double wall or triple wall insulated. There are numerous layers of insulation that keep the flue gasses piping hot (ha) until they exit the chimney cap. Please keep in mind when designing a chimney system you want to achieve this: Most air flow. Least bends. Shortest run.

Numerous elbows/Angles cause the exhaust to cool. A rule of thumb is no more than 3 90 degree turns total from stove to cap.

I hope this helps!


Replacing light switch with dimmer - can't identify wire colours; no ground I'm trying to do a straight replacement of a single pole light switch from a regular rocker switch to a dimmer.

I pulled the old switch out of the box and found the following:

two wires coming out of the top, one red and one blue. I can't find anything online that tells me which of these wires is which so I'm not sure which one to attach as hot in the new switch.
there isn't a ground wire. I've read that the switch will be grounded just by attaching it to the metal box, but is this true? Should I attach a ground wire to the box?

I'm in Canada, if that helps. It's an older apartment too (which may explain the lack of ground wire?)

Most likely, it makes no difference if you're installing a simple dimmer switch.  All a single pole switch does (even a dimmer) is interrupt a hot circuit.  If your switch installation instructions call for specific connections (i.e hot must be hot, switch leg must be switch leg), then use an electrical tester to determine the hot lead.


Running new fridge line, get regular breakers, AFCI, combo with GFCI, GFCI outlet, etc? My fridge (2017 GE upper double doors 1500 W, 145 W icemaker) is now on part of a four-outlet circuit with a microwave. An electrician is going to run a new circuit to the fridge only. He said I can buy a breaker at home depot for cheaper than his company sells it. He didn't say what kind to get, just Square D homeline.
I'm trying to figure out if I should get

AFCI/GFCI combo breaker (and what are the different types?)
AFCI breaker and GFCI outlet
Just an AFCI breaker?

The fridge is between two counters and upper cabinets so the outlet is not easy to get to. I've read differing opinions and code citations online saying a fridge frequently trips GFCI outlets or doesn't, that combo breakers trip and it's impossible to know why, many people citing 2014 electrical code, etc. Very frustrating research.
The fridge located about 8 feet from our sink on opposite side so I think I only need GFCI if it protects the fridge motor. I'm willing to pay top dollar for quality outlets and/or breakers.

You don't need GFCI for a fridge receptacle in a residential kitchen
Refrigerators are, and have always been, effectively exempt from the GFCI requirements for dwelling units in the NEC, as those requirements only require receptacles serving kitchen countertops to be protected, and a dedicated refrigerator receptacle clearly doesn't serve countertop space.
AFCI is likely required though
However, your location is on the 2017 NEC, with no apparent local amendments, so you'll need to get an AFCI breaker for the new circuit, as basically all dwelling unit receptacles are required to be AFCI protected under the 2017 NEC.


Securing a toilet flange on top of ceramic tile Most suggest that a toilet flange sit on top of tile so that the bottom of the flange is flush with the ceramic tile.  If that is so, how is the flange attached to to subfloor as the flange holes will be over the tile?

I’m hoping to avoid trying to drill hole through the time for the anchor screws.

I see very many toilets fixed down with only silicone sealant and blank plastic plugs in the fastening holes. One was in a home owned by a guy who weighed in at 400lbs (30 stone or 190kgs)...

I've also struggled to remove toilets fixed in such a way!

I wonder if this may be a national issue though, as I'm not quite sure what you mean when you say toilet 'flange'. We call them a toilet 'pan' and they have one or two holes each side at the bottom for screws, often going into a plastic bracket inside the base.


Metallic smell when HVAC Unit. fires up. What could it be? Background:
The HVAC unit I have serves both the 1st and second floor, but does a poor job of distributing heat to the 1st floor. The previous owner added a hydrodronic boiler and baseboards to the 1st floor, so the duct vents for the 1st floor are closed and sealed (with magnetic covers and some duct tape).

Problem:
My HVAC unit is located on the 1st floor and when the upstairs T-stat calls for heat I can hear a fan kick in for about 15-20 seconds before the poof/rawr of the burner lighting. During this time there isn't a smell, but shortly after lighting another fan kicks in making a clacking noise (you can hear it here).
A minute or two after this I start to smell something earthy akin to burning aluminium, or maybe a strange mold. The smell is most prominent just out side of the equipment room (even more than in the equipment room itself) and isn't nearly as bad on the 2nd floor. What might be causing the smell? the clacking noise?

Possibly related info:
There seems to be two sets of fans associated with my heater. When it first kicks on, a fan, that I'm guessing provides the air supply for the burner starts up and begins drawing air though a grates on the side and top of the side of the furnaces burner compartment.  About 45 seconds later another fan that has starts up, and begins circulating air though the system, however, at the same time, the same slots that were previously drawing air in now begins to blow air outward. Might this be part of it?

Video of one panel removed, before and after the second fan kicking in: https://photos.app.goo.gl/CgdhcCxrmfskzMjZA

And another clip better demonstrating the force of the air flow after the second fan kicks in:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pdEWUi4Q39MHwkLB6

The triangular grated thing next to the motor connects to the flue, and it's ability to draw in exhaust doesn't seem to be affected by the second fan (though this might change once the paneling is back on).

I think you need to find your way into the heat exchanger and look for "foreign" matter to clean out.

Let me walk you through what is going on here.
The initial fan noise you hear, is the draft inducer blower, and it does exactly what you suspect.  It should take air from either your intake air vent, or older furnaces would use the ambient air of the room.  After the ignition logic does it's safety thing, then the main burner kicks in with that big whoosh.  The main blower will come on soon as well.  At this point the flames are burning in a combustion chamber where the exhaust should go up your chimney or exhaust vent.  You should not smell this for more than a minute if everything is drafting properly.

The heat exchanger is the above the flames, and the main blower moves return air over the other side of these channels and that is the heated air sent out the rooms.

Now when this metal heats up there may be some odors depending on how clean they are and what condition they are in.  That would be in the air flow, so that your don't smell that everywhere is telling.  A bad possibility would be a hole in the heat exchanger where combustion products could leak over.  A CO detector is highly recommended.


Why do some lamps have different power ratings for different kinds of bulbs? I had a lamp that broke recently after getting smashed against a wall by accident (there are now numerous exposed conductors, making it unsafe to use), so I went to the store to get a new one. I intend to use the same very nice LED bulb in the new lamp. I have measured the lamp's power consumption with the LED bulb as 15W before it broke, using a kill-a-watt meter. I was expecting to see a single power rating on each lamp, measured in watts. I was also expecting that that rating would be around 60W to handle old inefficient bulbs, hence making (nearly) every lamp usable with my LED bulb. Unfortunately, this is not what I saw. Most of the lamps had a separate rating for an LED an incandescent bulb, with < 10W for the former and around 60W for the latter. Some also had ratings with a similar < 10W wange for self-ballasted compact fluorescent bulbs instead of LED ratings.

What is the reason for these different ratings depending on how the electricity is used? Surely, if the lamp can deliver 60W to an incandescent it can deliver much less to an LED without problem? Can I use my 15W LED bulb in a lamp that is rated for an 8W led or a 60W incandescent?

EDIT: I think that this question is on topic as, although I am not a professional electrical engineer myself, this is important knowledge for anyone looking to design a lamp or other light fixture.

Different bulbs dissipate heat differently

The reason why you see different power ratings for incandescent vs. self-ballasted (LED, CFL) lamps for a given fixture is because the different kinds of lamps dissipate heat differently.  Incandescent bulbs give out large quantities of heat, but most of it is dissipated from the bulb as infrared radiation -- this escapes the fixture as long as it is not blocked/absorbed by parts of the fixture.

However, while self-ballasted lamps generate far less total heat than incandescents, most of that heat is generated in the lamp base area and must be conducted out.  This leads to "heat trapping" in some fixtures that are not able to conduct heat away from the lamp socket area well, and limits the ability of the fixture to handle higher power LED/CFL bulbs.

The answer is to find fixtures that aren't so stringently limited -- I, personally, would be inclined to integral LED fixtures in this day and age vs. Edison-base designs to begin with, as using Edison bases for LEDs inflicts many compromises on the both fixture and bulb designers, vs. the design freedom and performance capacity possible with fixtures designed around LED technology.


Eliminating an outlet with 2 white 1 green and no black wires I would like to eliminate an electrical outlet. When I removed it I was expecting to find blackk, white and green wires. However, I found there were 2 white wires and a green but no black.

My question is, do I splice the 2 white wires together after removing the outlet?

Some facts that might be useful

home was built in 2008
this is an outdoor outlet
this is a GFCI outlet

In response to your question: DO NOT connect the two conductors together.

Two things you need to pay attention to. First make sure that the conductors have not been painted over. In many cases the conductors appear to be the same color, but by scratching and scrapping the true color will become apparent.

Second, because general house wiring is in NM and it's usually a black and white conductor, it is not against the NEC to have white conductors as current carrying conductors. It should be marked as a non-neutral. For example it is wrapped with black tape which may have fallen off or just not done. The only problem I see is if it has two white conductors, it generally indicates that that receptacle is on a switch or the branch circuit is tapped somewhere.

If you need to find which white wire is hot. You can do this by using a multi-meter and find which conductor has nominal voltage between that conductor and the ground (the bare or green wire). You might be able to use a non-contact voltage detector, but they can be a little unreliable. If you do find the hot conductor then you can mark it, then reconnect it and it wouldn't be a bad idea to find the tap and see what the "tinker" was up to.

Hope this helps and good luck.


Power in, and power to light at one 3 way? In an ideal 4-way situation my understanding is you feed the 3-way switch with power in then go to 4-way then to next 3-way then to lights.  Is it okay to go to lights at the first switch? Besides the extra wire being there in that box?

If a dimmer is involved it's typically at the 3-Way switch which goes to lights, correct?

If you're going to do this, you need to feed the hot wire to the far 3-way switch and connect the neutral directly to the lamp. You must wire so that the hot wire is switched and the neutral is unswitched. This is for safety (and code compliance) so that there is no power to the lamp when the switches are off.


What is causing my halogen lights to not stay on immediately? I have 2 x 35w halogen bulbs running from a 12v 105w transformer.

When I switch them on (standard on/off switch not dimmer switch), they blink on, go off then come back on and stay on.

If I switch them off and on again they come on immediately and stay on.

If I leave them off for a few seconds they go through the blinking on process when I switch them on.

Before replacing an Aurora transformer with a Varilight transformer they behaved perfectly normally.

What's the problem?

Does the transformer have an overload shut-off, with an automatic reset?

The resistivity of tungsten increases markedly with temperature. A cold tungsten-halogen bulb will draw much more current then a hot one (and they do get very hot!). So the first switch-on with a cold bulb will:

Draw a very high current, which:
Overloads the transformer, causing it to cut off momentarily, while;
Heating the filament enough that;
The second, immediate switch-on does not overload the transformer.

Just a guess, but if your transformer has this feature, it could be the explanation...

EDIT:

This just in:  this site, http://www.varilight.co.uk/lighting/transformers.html, states that their transformer has overload protection with auto reset...


Bathtub Drain leakage - recurring failures I have had recurring problems with a bathtub drain leaking.

After soaking the ceiling below the problem is noticed, and each time reapplying putty to the drain, seems to solve the problem.

Apparently the putty dries out in the "drain flange," but I also notice that it erodes away.

I would like to do a more permanent fix, and have considered using silicone rubber as opposed to plumber's putty.

It is hard to believe that every tub in the world needs new putty every several years to keep it from damaging the rest of the house with leakage.

We had a problem recently with a leaky bathtub drain. The leak was due to a crack in the plastic drain shoe. The drain shoe extends horizontally from the overflow pipe to the drain in the tub. The drain flange (the part with the stopper or grate) screws into it. I'm guessing that I cross-threaded the flange when I screwed it into the shoe, causing the plastic to crack. (I had had removed the flange a few times to clean gunk from the drain). The solution was to replace the shoe (actually, we replaced the entire assembly, including the overflow pipe since it is all in a kit). Fortunately for us, we had easy access from an unfinished garage.

Here is a diagram:


Can I use a gap filler/expanding foam around HVAC vent? Found some mouse turds in the cinder blocks that were knocked out for the hvac off the main basement wall and the side slab. Can I gap fill around this? The vent doesn't appear insulated... should I be worried about sealing it off from the basement temps? Second pic is the first floor and the distance the vent goes from the basement wall out to the end of the slap.

/Cheers

It would be nice to know if it's a supply duct (bringing warmed or cooled air from the furnace/AC) or a return duct (taking air back to be processed again).  It looks like the latter.

But in either case, even a supply duct is not so hot that you could not seal the opening with ordinary expanding foam.  I would do that.

Typically supply ducts are covered with some minimal insulation so their air makes it to the room without loosing the temp difference (possibly to the basement as you indicate).   Return ducts are typically not.

You could also pay attention to any leaks in the ducting assembly, and use metal tape or duct mastic to seal them.  Expanding foam would also work around the duct's opening in the floor.


Add 120 volt outlet to a 240 volt disconnect I have a 240 volt breaker in my main breaker panel feeding a local outdoor disconnect (black, white, red & ground) for an outdoor sauna. Can I take leads off the black, white & groun, before the disconnect and make a local 120 panel with its own breaker?

I think what you actually want to do is install a subpanel. The subpanel can then include both 120V (e.g., 15A or 20A) breakers for receptacles or lighting and a 240V breaker for the original sauna use. The specifics will depend a bit on:

Existing wire size
Existing breaker size
Requirements of the existing sauna circuit

Keep in mind that there are GFCI requirements (which can be handled in the subpanel or possibly in the main panel) and that ground & neutral should be kept separate in the subpanel. The subpanel could have a main breaker that is larger than the breaker in the main panel that is connected to the wire that goes to the subpanel.


Why would my HVAC blower motor stop working after 10 minutes of runtime my 2 year old unit it freezing after it’s been running about 10 minutes. I turned the unit off all last night. This morning I took a look at it outside, then went back in, turned it on, sat by the vent. It was blowing cold air for about 10 minutes and then stopped. I immediately turned it off, went outside to check for any visible signs of ice on the copper lines and or condenser below the outside fan. No signs of freezing. I did see some sweating on the copper lines though.

While standing at the unit, I turned the “Fan” (blower) on the ecobee phone app. From the area where the control board is, I heard a click, then nothing for a few seconds, and then another click. The click sounded like a relay. I didn’t notice any humming or other noises, though at the time, the unit was put together.

I’ve done a lot of reading and based on everything, I’m thinking the problem could be a bad capacitor or contactor.

Does it like I’m on the right track here?

Here are a handful of various pictures: freezing, blower motor, control board, schematics, etc. https://imgur.com/a/DuyeGmK

Thank you for anyone able to provide help! Some things in life are simple fixes, if we spend the time to better understand how they work. If I need an hvac technician, I’m always willing to give up my own bootleg technicians license. :-)

There could be multiple issues, low Freon levels is one that can cause a low Freon pressure shutdown , this usually takes a specific amount of time based on the ambient temperature once the system has compressed the high pressure side and the suction side doesn’t have enough pressure automatic system shutdown, the second can be an iced up evaporator coil causing high back pressure as Jim said with the air handler motor tripping its thermal overload, once it cools down it will restart if the unit is still turned on. You need to open the inside unit (air handler) and see if the coil is iced up. If iced up you will need a leak check and recharge. 2 years old there is a leak that needs to be fixed prior to recharging or you will be recharging again in 2 years or less. If the coil is not iced up spin the motor you may have a bad bearing that is causing the motor to overload and trip it’s thermal overload, these are the main problems I see and would be my first checks, a cap going bad in 2 years is possible but they usually last much longer and would trip out sooner (just a minute or 2) if a start cap.


Install fire/smoke alarm directly to stud or in electrical box? I am installing (6) brand new smoke alarms in my home, including running all new 14/3 wire to each alarm. I have purchased "old work" electrical boxes for all of the alarms. However, the existing smoke alarms are installed by just screwing the bracket on to the stud and cutting in a small hole next to the stud to route the wire down.

I know the electrical box would probably be the best method, but it seems the advantages of just mounting to the stud and cutting a small hole would be (a) smaller wall cutout and (b) quicker/easier install time.

So the question is: Should I install smoke alarms in an electrical box or mount them directly to the stud?

A proper electrical box is the only way to do this. You CANNOT simply cut a hole and pass the wires through. Any and all line voltage (120/240V and up) splices must be in an approved box and be accessible, meaning you cannot bury a junction or splice box.
I could cite all sorts of relevant codes but I don't think that's necessary. This should be obvious.

Here is a recent thread on this very subject: What type of electrical box do I use for a hard-wired smoke detector?

Remember, it is almost a certainty (code wise in the US) that an AFCI breaker is required.


CCTV connection to OTA feeding multiple TV sets I have security cameras (CCTV) and I'm trying to connect to my TV's that are using an outside antenna.  I've been successful in getting a SV-2G splitter (5/1000 MHz) installed on the OTA feed prior to the Antenna Amplifier.  The other leg of the splitter is where I connected the CCTV feed.  This configuration yields good OTA channels and clarity, but the CCTV is very snowy.  When I installed a Attenuator on the OTA feed (prior to the splitter) it cleaned up the CCTV feed, but have lost 30% of my OTA channels, probably due to the reduced signal input after the Attenuator.  Is there a different type of splitter or Attenuator that I might try to regain the lost TV channels without affecting the quality of the CCTV picture?

Thanks

You should search out "channel modulators" this should help you achieve cctv on whatever channel you have available.


Single Electrical Outlet in home not working I have been replacing all the electrical outlets and light switches in my home. In one bedroom, one of the outlets stopped working after replacing all of the outlets in the room. I even tried several brand new outlets just to make sure I didn't have defective ones. I have checked every single outlet in the house, and they all work. I have tried every switch in the house to see if for some strange reason that was the cause. This particular outlet should be downline from a GFCI plug that I installed, the GFCI is not tripped, and every outlet down the line works. I have an old fuse box, and none of the fuses are burnt out. Any suggestions are much appreciated. I am not an electrician, just a DIYer.

Thank you

I found the solution guys!! I traced the wiring of that outlet to the basement, and it isn't hooked up to anything. Hahaha. I don't understand why the outlet is even there if it isn't hooked to anything, but now I can rest easy knowing that my house won't burn down. Thanks for the help and the suggestions.


Can I reduce capacity of a water heater? I recently purchased a large fixer upper with a 135 gallon AO smith gas water heater built in 2001.  Only two people are living in the house so we need a fraction of that amount.
Do water heaters always store their full capacity or is there some way to limit what they store or reduce their cost other than turning the temperature down?

A larger tank does not cost more energy. The only thing that costs energy is when the water cools - and that depends only on the surface area, not the amount of water in the tank. (Mathematically volume increases by the 3rd power, but surface area only by the 2nd power.)

So to save energy add extra insulation around the tank. Reducing the amount of water in the tank will do nothing since it won't save all that much surface area (and potentially none at all).

(Yes, it takes more energy to heat the water in the first place, but after that it doesn't matter - and you already heated it.)


Manufactured home wiring of hot water tank I have a manufactured home 2003 model. The breaker for hot water tank is tripping & at the breaker box it has 2 single breakers only 1 is tripping ?? Has it been wired wrong ? And what should I do ?

The proper breaker would be a 2-pole common trip breaker and not two 1-pole breakers. Buy a proper breaker in the correct current level (amps rating) for the wiring you have and install it. Usually the heater wiring would be #10 copper protected by a 30-A 2-pole breaker. What size wiring do you have? What is the current rating of the present breakers?

Flip the new breaker on and if it stays on, then you have fixed the problem. The tripped 1-pole breaker was bad.

If the new breaker trips, then the fault is in the water heater. Switch the new 2-pole breaker to off and disconnect the wires at the water heater.

Test the heating element of the water heater to see if it is shorted out. If it is, then you will have to replace the element or replace the entire heater if it is too old or shows signs of impending failure.


Should I leave a gap between flooring and shower for caulk? I intend to caulk either way, but wondering if leaving a small gap will help better seal the flooring the shower. Should I butt up to the shower basin and apply a small bead of caulk, or is it better to leave a gap and fill with caulk?
The floor is floating so I still have a chance too move it either way.

If the floor is floating you need to leave a gap for expansion. Most floor manufacturers have a prescribed measurement, but I think 1/4-3/8 inch is the norm. That being said; caulk the gap with a 100% silicone caulking. You should be able to find one thats a close color to your floor.


Replacing old 3-wire line voltage single-pole thermostat with a 2-wire one I'm trying to replace an old Mears M21 SP thermostat controlling the baseboard heater with a new one (Honeywell RLV3120A to be specific). Problem is, the old thermostat has 3 wires (Black, Red, and White - all connected to the respective wires in the box). The new one is a simple 2-wire setup (I assume merely acting as a resistor in the circuit). What would be the right way to wire the new thermostat? Thank you!

Below is a not-so-great photo of the box. There are overall, 2 red wires (connected to the red wire of the stat), 2 black ones (connected to the black), 3 white ones (connected to the white), the ground one (not connected) and some other two wires coupled together but not connected to the stat).

UPDATE: Ignoring the White and connecting the Red and Black to the new stat didn't work - the stat never turned on. I've done some troubleshooting and this is what I see:

The box has 4 sets of input wires (wires in each set are connected together)

3 Black wires (not used)
3 White wires (connected to the white wire from the old stat)
2 Red wires (connected to the red wire of the stat)
A single wire that enters the box as Red but then is painted Black :-) (this one is connected to the Black wire of the stat)

Checking the voltage across all of those gives me the following:

There is no voltage between the weird Red/Black wire and any of the other sets of wires.
There is 240V between any pair of the remaining wire sets (Black/White, Black/Red, White/Red).

Has anyone seen the setup like this in the past? :-) What I suspect could be done is the following:

Ignore the Black set of wires (which was ignored before)
Ignore the weird red/black wire
Connect the new stat to the White and Red wires respectively.

This is basically similar to what one of the comments suggested except it stipulates that Red and White are the Power and Load ones. But I'd really appreciate some advise before I burn a circuit or do some other very bad thing. :-)

UPDATE 2: found this wiring diagram for another thermostat with heat anticipator. Judging by this,I should definitely see the potential between between Read and "Black" and none between White and Black. However, I see instead potential between Red and White and and no potential between either Red and "Black" or White and "Black..."

The M221sp is a single pole that uses the neutral for a heat anticipator feature, which is really almost pointless with a baseboard. The Honeywell you indicated doesn't have that feature.

After you connect the new stat you will have one less wire in the wire connector with the remaining whites. Sometimes when installers twist the wires so hard that the wires spiral I have found the internal metal cone in the connector becomes flared at the tip and won't thread onto a new connection well. It would be a good idea to replace the wire connectors or at least be very sure that the existing connector makes a good bite, it could be most problematic on the white splice since it is now smaller.


Can a house with moldy, flooded basement be a likely fixer upper? I recently viewed a vacant house for sale that was nice except that the partially finished basement got flooded just enough to saturate the carpets and cover every piece of drywall, door, and trim with nasty black mold.  It was even on the concrete on the unfinished side.

It's clear the sump backed up from the recent storm and no one knew the pump quit.  I was considering what it would take to bring this house back into shape.  If I bought it, I'd certainly have a mold abatement specialist look at it.  If the report shows the mold didn't spread beyond the basement, would I expect to run into any issues by simply demolishing the finished area's carpet, drywall and framing and then bleaching all the remaining surfaces?

In other words, assuming no further flooding the house may become livable but will the basement always smell funny?  What are the chances mold can come back in the bad way?  Would there be any long term health risks after the cleanup?

On some TV show I was watching, they showed the cleanup of a house with a severe mold problem.  The procedure was to strip everything back to the studs and subfloor and clean with a media-blaster.  Instead of sand, they used small dry ice pellets.  It basically took off the top layer of wood from the studs and rafters.  Since it was dry ice, there was no cleanup except the sawdust.  You are probably looking at doing something like this, and it won't be cheap.


Minimum drop on washer drain? I would like to add a diverter valve to my washer's drain line to facilitate a graywater system. I'm thinking of shortening the washer drain so I can relocate the P-trap higher up and add the diverter valve beneath it on the main stack. If I were to do this, what's the shortest that I could make the washer drain? What does the code say, and what does sanity say? If necessary, I can just move the washer box higher up; it's a little low as it is. Here's a picture to show my thoughts:

The dryer ducting is all going to be removed, and the 220v outlet is going to be relocated, so ignore those. And needless to say, that cast iron is going to be replaced with ABS.

International residential code says that a standpipe must be no less than 18" above the trap weir.

International Residential Code 2012
Chapter 27 - Plumbing Fixtures
Section P2706 Waste Receptors
P2706.2 Standpipes.
Standpipes shall extend not less than of 18 inches (457 mm) but not greater than 42 inches (1067 mm) above the trap weir. Access shall be provided to standpipe traps and drains for rodding.

Check local codes, to determine what's acceptable in your area.


Water heater refuses to light after power outage I have an AO Smith FPSH 40 252 High-Efficiency gas water heater, about 14 years old. Today we had a power outage due to high winds and when the power came back on, the heater refuses to ignite. The blower comes on, the igniter starts to glow but never sparks - it shuts off with a click about a second after the gas comes on.  It repeats this three times and shuts down.  The green indicator light blinks six times, then pauses, which according to this indicates "System in lockout/Unit failed to light".

I have tried sanding the flame sensor and the perforated sheath covering the glowing element, as well as cleaning the rust off the little disc where the gas comes out. I have also tried "jiggling the harnesses" as one helpful forum user posted.

The gas is working fine. There are no obstructions in the vent pipe.

I should also note that I asked this possibly-related question about the same unit about a year and a half ago, so that might provide some additional background. The unit has been working fine, with cleaning of the disc and flame sensor about twice a year, up until today.

Do I need a new igniter assembly? Could today's blackout have caused the problem I am seeing? We had no blown breakers.

I really don't want to start purchasing parts without a clear understanding of the problem. Is there anything else I can try?

I had a family friend who's a professional come out and he cleaned off the igniter a little more thouroughly than I had, and that solved the issue. A happy ending!


Identifying and fixing leak sources, relevant cracks and water flow on a flat concrete roof? I'm asking this here to avoid being conned by "professional" roofers in India who either exaggerate their estimates or send highly unskilled labourers to do the job.

This is the layout of a roof:

D: Areas that are damaged
H: Drainage holes
P: Ponding areas (places where water accumulates and does not flow away)
C: Small cracks that may or may not be significant for consideration

D2 was an area where a solar water heater was installed and after it was removed, one strip of the roofing got damaged and cement was applied on it (as in the pic below). It hasn't caused any leak problems for 5 years, and the area only started leaking during last year's rains.

H1 and H2 are the only points for water drainage on the entire roof (I do believe the roof is slightly sloping toward H1 and H2). Because of D2 having some elevation, some of the water collecting in P1 was not able to flow to H2 (blue arrow) and was not flowing to H1 either.

Water also collects in area P2 and there's no scope for drainage.

Other areas of damage are at D1 and D3

This is the dampness caused on the ceiling right below D2. There is no leakage anywhere else inside the house:

There are also some slight cracks on the plaster on the ceiling:

Queries:
1. Is it possible that the damages at D1 and D3 could cause water to seep into the damaged areas and eventually flow and accumulate at the D2 area, thus causing leakage inside the house?
2. A mason says that in order to waterproof D2, he'd first have to chip off some of the cement along that strip, then get some sand and cement and mix some waterproofing liquid (another mason said he'd mix a waterproofing powder) into the cement and then apply it over D2. He's offering to do it (and the repairs of D1 and D3) at less than half the price that professional roofers charge. Does his technique sound ok to you?
3. Is it ok if there is some ponding of water at P1 and P2 or should some cement be applied at least at P1, just to create a slope so that the water flows into H2 (won't that add extra weight to the roof)?
4. How does one determine whether cracks are just cracks on the plaster or whether they are deep enough to cause roof leaks? For example, the pictures below:

I mostly agree with Ed Beal. Small or hairline Cracks like C1 & C2 can be simply Caulked for a 10-plus year repair & yes you want to address all of those types of cracks whether they're on the wall or roof, so they don't become bigger cracks. You've got hundreds & ALL cracks are potential leaks.

Break-outs & fully open large splits & spalls like D1 & D3 need to be cleaned of all loose debris & forcibly filled with Hydraulic Cement, it slightly expands within & behind as it cures to make the best water-tightness & backing of the surrounding cement.

Areas like P1 that are in the field of the roof need to be leveled to each side of the low spot's high spots, pitched. Meaning, the P1 outside edge further from H1 will & must be slightly higher than P1's inner closer edge to H2. The entire roof should be shaped like 2 bath tub bottoms with H1 & H2 being the drains.

P2 is quite a bit different since it's blocked by a wall. P2 must be pitched into the roof field with the area at the back of the wall being significantly higher than the area at the front end of the wall. At the front end of the wall P2 then needs to be pitched inward or toward H2.

Your roof must tilt from the front to the back & must also be bellied down from the center & outside walls while always maintaining that front to back pitch in order for H1 & H2 to remove all water & have no puddling. Then, everything can be re-painted & the roof can be sealed.


Honeywell C wire on a dual transformer system Currently I have dual transformer system
From heat >> RH & W1
From cool >> Y1, Rc, G
Honeywell provides a C wire adapter and also mentioned turning an unused wire into a C-wire. I do have an unused wire from the cool side. Mentioned in the manual is all about joining the adapter OR if there is an extra wire to furnace. My furnace wire up to the thermostat is only 2 wires.
Is it possible to use the cool transformer for the extra wire? Since I do have 2 unused wires
Thanks!

I'd use the blue wire from the air handler as your C wire
From the pictures given, it does appear that the blue wire from the air handler is connected to C, so I'd just use that as your C wire.  Let us know how it goes!


Well pressure drops when pump turns on Our well pump switch works fine, kicking in at about 30 psi. As soon as the switch turns on, the water pressure immediately drops off the scale and stays down for about 10 seconds. At that point, the water pressure goes back up to normal.

Could a check valve between the pump and the accumulator cause any problems?

EDIT: Here is a picture.  The yellow arrow points to where I'm thinking.

I'm not convinced it's just the pump taking too long to get water pressure up, because when the gauge at the bottom of the picture reaches 30(ish, from memory), the pump switch switches on, and the gauge immediately drops to zero.  (Faucets or anything else looses all pressure, too)  The pressure just before this drops steadily.

UPDATE: So I tried checking the pressure. I turned off the house valve (green ball valve), turned off the pump power, and drained the water using the spigot until it gurgled (no longer dropping pressure and now putting air into the pipes). The tank pressure at that point read 45psi. The pressure switch is set for 40-60, and the card that is barely visible on the top right of the blue tank says the tank pressure should be 38 for that setup. I dropped the pressure down to 38, but I'm not sure that helped.

Lacking any details (feel free to edit your question and add them) about your well pump type (suction, jet, submersible) or location, this mostly sounds like an improperly pre-pressurized accumulator (pressure tank.) If the pump kicks on at 30 PSI and the air side of the tank is not set at 27 or 28 PSI, the water in the tank may run out before the pump gets going, producing symptoms as you see.

If you turn the pump power off and drain water from the system, the pressure on the air side of the accumulator should be 2-3 PSI below the cut-in pressure. That 2-3 PSI allows for water to be supplied while the pump gets going. If your pump is submersible this is an easy check. If your pump requires priming to restart, it's a more involved check, as you'll have to prime the pump.


Can I use a wire rope to support strings of lights? This is a question borne purely of aesthetics. My wife doesn't want anything blocking the view out of the deck.

I'd like to install string lights above the deck. The deck has the house on two sides and nothing on the other two. It measures ~21'x16'.

My thought was to install a pole on the far corner from the house and run rope wire from the house to that pole (pink line in picture). Then, I'd run the string-lights-on-guide-wire from the house to the wire (black zig-zag lines).

My only experience with rope wire is an old laundry line. I know it can be strong, but I'm not sure if it can withstand this sort of stress. The string lights can't weight more than 20lbs, but I'm worried that the stress of a nearly 20' run, combined with the pulling towards the house is going to be too much.

Can anyone walk me through how to figure this out?

Update: Here's a thought for overcoming the pulling force on the end of a long pole...

Practical Advice

Let's consider the solution to a more difficult application: hanging a fabric shade sail. The static load is higher due to the weight of the fabric and the wind load is higher due to the sail effect. Furthermore, when a company publishes instructions for hanging this shade they have a strong interest in making sure it doesn't rip off your house. So if you follow their advice for you application you have applied a strong margin of safety.

For a 12' sail the linked instructions specify a 1/8" thick galvanized steel 4" x 4" post mounted 10 degrees from vertical or a 5" x 5" timber post mounted 20 degrees from vertical. Either post to be mounted in a concrete footing measuring 15.5" square and 31" deep. If you anchor the primary wire into the ground you could further stiffen this setup.

For the house anchors they recommend steel supports between the fascia and the rafter/truss. I suspect this is overkill for the four secondary anchors but may be advised for the primary wire if you want it to be rather taut. As @isherwood suggested mock it up and tug hard on the primary wire to get a sense of the forces involved.

Way more then you want or need to consider

Force on a deflected wire

First consider Why Can't a Rope be Pulled Completely Straight. Each wire end will exert a transverse force F_tw = mg / (2 sin θ) where m is a single mass at the center of the wire, g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s/s), and θ is the angle of deflection. If you are willing to accept a 12" deflection of the primary wire then F_tw ~ 50 N/kg * m = 16.7 ft * m.

For m on the primary wire use the total mass of the supported wires and lights as well as the primary wire itself.

Dynamic loads

Besides the static load of the wires and lights you have to consider transverse wind and ice loads. Utility companies do this when sizing poles (pdf). In the coldest climates they plan for 4 lbs/sq ft wind load on a wire radius that has increased by 0.5" due to sleet and ice accumulation. In warmer climates there's no increase to the wire radius but the wind load planned is 9 lbs/sq ft.

When doing these calculations it is customary to ignore the bracing effect of the other wires. So when computing the wind load on the primary wire we would ignore the fact that the light wires will resist the wind blowing away from the house.

For your configuration I would consider two orthogonal loads. The primary support wire can push right-to-left. The other wires can pull in-and-out of your figure. In each case add up the sq ft of wire and lights and multiply to calculate a wind load. Your support beam will need to support this load at the anchor point near it's top. Your other anchor points will need to support some fraction of these loads as well.

Force on a cantilevered beam

You need a beam that can support the resulting transverse wire and transverse wind load. It also needs to support it's own vertical weight but this is not normally an issue. Your question doesn't specify the height but the deflection of the pole grows linearly with the height of the mount point. Assuming the pole can handle the loads it must be securely anchored into the ground like a fence post.

Building anchors

The wires need to be anchored to the building. For highest strength you should anchor to the fascia (not the soffit) at a point close to the rafters. Don't forget that these anchor points have to carry the very same loads as the post. There are four secondary anchor points splitting the load from the lights and one primary anchor point which carries the same load as the post.

Safety Factors

When planning an installation it's important to apply safety factors. Overload capacity factors for utility poles are included in the link above and they range from 1.0 to 2.5. The strength of the pole or anchor points are also derated by a factor as low as 0.65. These are values applied by knowledgeable engineers. For a DIY project I would replace brains with brawn and build it at least twice as strong.


3 way switch conversion to single pole to separately control an additional light fixture i currently have a 3 way switch with power coming in from a 14/2. there is a 14/3 going to a second 3 way switch with a 14/2 then going to a light fixture. there are white neutrals connected to each other in both switch boxes.
i would like to add a second light fixture that is controlled only by the second switch and then have the first light switch only control the existing light fixture.
can i remove one of the traveler wires (black) from the first 3 way light switch where the power is coming in and connect the end of the black traveler wire to the incoming power wire (black), then connect the other end of the traveler wire (black) to the second switch to bring constant power to that switch. then remove the 14/2 black wire from the second switch which was going to the light fixture and connect it to the other traveler wire (red) that is still connected to the first switch. then connect a new 14/2 black wire to the second switch that goes to the new light fixture?

Assuming that you have
 supply - 14/2 -- 3-way switch -- 14/3 --- 3 way switch --- 14/2 light fixture

yeah, you can do that.
you have something like this:

convert it to this:


Ceiling Fan/Wiring Issue Alright folks - here's my issue.  My house has a ceiling fan that worked for a bit when we moved in...then stopped.  I assumed the fan itself (a cheaper contractor model) just went bad.  I went and bought a new fan to replace it.  The fan is not wired as a switch loop - the power goes into the switch box, then to the fan.

The room itself is wired as follows:

Power to the room > outlet > outlet > outlet > outlet > junction box > switch > fan. The other wire from the junction box goes to another switch > wall sconces.

All outlets work, as do the wall sconces.  On every outlet, Hot-Ground=~120v, Hot-Neutral=~120v, and Neutral-Ground=~0v.  Resistance from Neutral-Ground=~0.

In the switch box that controls the fan, the Hot-Ground=~120v and is connected to the switch.  The Neutral wires are connected to each other and read ~20v to ground.  Resistance between ground and neutral is high/unreadable.  At the fan - the readings are identical to the switch box.  And finally, the initial indicator of there being a problem, the new ceiling fan will also not work.  (I tested this new fan on a known good circuit, and it worked.)

My thought is going to a loose neutral.  However, while I understand the concept, I don't fully know if my problem points to that or not.  It would seem to me if it is a loose neutral, that the logical first place to look would be the junction box right before the switch.  I did confirm that the neutrals connected in the switch box are well connected and tight.  Anything else that stands out to people smarter than I?

Other tidbit - I have no idea how they wired the outlets - either with the stabs, or (how I think is more correctly in this situation) using the terminals and wire nuts.

UPDATE/FIX:  While I never actually saw a loose neutral to confirm - that was the ultimate culprit. I checked the outlet right before the junction box, and it was indeed back stabbed. Pulled it out, and replaced it with a new receptacle (with child protection,) and pig tailed. That did not take the voltage out of the neutral at the fan/fan switch. I then opened the junction box, and pulled all the wire nuts off, and resecured them (better) - no more readings at the fan box. So - something in that junction box was the culprit.

Check the last receptacle before the switch, anyway

This sounds like a failed connection at the load-side neutral of the last receptacle, given the voltage readings observed.  My bet is that the receptacles were wired using backstabs, too, so if you pull out the last receptacle in the chain and find it back-stabbed, I'd change it over to pigtails to the side-screws, and then repeat for all the other receptacles in the house even, one circuit at a time, as builder-grade backstabs have a habit of stabbing folks in the back in the way you see here.

The other place I would check would be the junction box.  A wirenut is less likely to fail than a backstab, and the lights aren't going to be nearly as susceptible to brownout as a ceiling fan is (the ceiling fan starting current is probably causing enough voltage drop across the bad connection that the fan simply does not turn, while the bulb's simply going to be a bit dim at most), but it's worth checking while you are in there.


how to connect an electric heater with 2 black wires to the wall? I have a new stelpro electric heater 240v to install. The wall wire is also a 240v, it has been tested. 2 blacks wires and a green one are coming from the heater. The wire from the wall has only one black one white and one green wire.
The heater green wire goes with the green wall wire (ground). What about the rest of the wires?
Thanks

They don't make cables with black/black/green

Since /2 cables do not come in black/black/green as a color combination, and running neutral to a heater that will never need it is rather pointless anyway, the previous installer ran a regular /2 cable (black/white/green) and used the black and white as the two hots.

So, with the power off, connect one heater black to the black from the wall, the other heater black to the white from the wall, and the greens together and to a box grounding pigtail if the box is metal.  While you're in there, put a wrap of black electrical tape on the white wire from the wall to mark it as a hot and save the next installer the trouble.


How to darken a room without hurting airflow? I am a sucker for open windows. My room has two windows on opposing sides, and I get an amazing flow of air between them most hours of the day and night, and I want to keep it that way.

A problem with open windows is uncontrolled lighting. If I wish to open my windows during the day even if the flow of air is nice, I often get too much light on my screens and can't really work on my computer or watch TV.

Is there a way to darken the room, hopefully by putting something on the window, which would filter light, but not restrict the flow of air in the room?

I've been considering about painting the walls with a darker color, but for now that option is not viable because of reasons.

The only logical that comes to my mind is an awning of some sort.  If you get a big enough one, most direct light will be lost and you should have the same amount of airflow.


After installing a mobile AC, I do have hot air intake from the front door I have installed an appliance like the following one:

Its hose is connected to what acts as the 'chimney' of the building.

Now whenever I turn it on, I can feel that hot air is coming from the front door.

Question:

Is my setup wrong or is this to be expected with a mobile AC but can be mitigated somehow ?

Those mobile A/Cs draw air from inside the room, cool it, and return most of it back into the room. Some air is used to cool the unit and is exhausted, in your case up your 'chimney'. This causes a small negative pressure, which will draw air from adjacent, unsealed areas (in your case, your front door).

There are dual-hose mobile A/Cs that use external air to cool the compressor, but that doesn't really help solve your current problem.

I would say that it's just to be expected; the price to pay for a cheap, mobile A/C.


Really hot or cold showers We have a new shower rose installed. When starting a shower we have to turn it onto full hot (we have a mixer), then move it slightly towards cold to get it about right. 1mm left or right it is too hot or cold. Because it is at the hot end, the water pressure is not great. Our water tank is in the ceiling and the shower is 2 floors down.

The mixer needs to be replaced. I had the same issue a year and half ago! Find out the brand and get a compatible mixer- youtube instruction of you have not done this before but I will say its very straightforward. Remember to turn the water off!


Adding always hot outlet to switch controlling fan I ran into a wiring issue while trying to help someone wire a new outlet...
He wants to add an outlet (to be always hot) to a switch that controls a ceiling fan (most convenient location). The power source comes in at the ceiling fan fixture.  The only wires running from the ceiling fan to the switch is a single set of 14/2.
Question is: without changing any of the existing wires, can we add an outlet to the single set of switch wires to be always hot?  Can this be done by perhaps using 14/3 and rewiring the setup from the switch box to the outlet box? The box for the new outlet has already been added below the switch box, we just need to know how to wire it if it can be done.
Thanks in advance to everyone that takes the time to read this and help us out!

No.  If the line wire goes to the light box first, the wires to the switch from there are used as a line wire and a switch leg.  To add a receptacle at that location you would need a line wire and a neutral wire, so you'd need a 3 wire cable.  One option you may have with modern products would be to switch the light to a wireless switch and use the wires as line and neutral, all though that may give you nuisance concerns.  If removing drywall or damaging finish is prohibitively expensive, you may need to hire a Master electrician to pull a wire to a new box for you using a concealed work permit.


Faucet spout perlator: worth it? I've seen the following perlator and similars (also plastic ones) on some shopping sites. They claim it can decrease water consumption up to 40%. Is it possible? Is it worth to try?

I've had a couple of these over the years and found that their biggest benefit was the ability to convert to a spray for better rinsing of dishes if your sink doesn't have a separate sprayer, not so much their water-saving ability.  Even though a 40% reduction sounds like a lot, your kitchen sink doesn't use that much water to begin with compared to, say, your shower or clothes washer.  So reducing your kitchen sink usage by 40% may not produce noticeable results on your water bill.


Can I safely nail a wall's top plate to a laminated beam? I'm finishing my basement in Minnesota, and am in the process of framing it out.

An engineered wood beam (2 parallel pieces of what looks to be 13 or 14ply laminate) holds up the main floor. My design calls for a wall that spans about 75% of this beam's length. To attempt to use as much of available floor area as possible, I would like to attach the wall to this beam.

Can I nail in my wall's top plate directly to the bottom of this beam with no ill-effects? Or should I leave the beam alone and build out two walls, one on either side?

Go ahead and put that wall right on under that beam. The beam is a bearing surface for what is up above the beam. The wall you are adding is a non bearing wall that will not hinder the bearing capacity of the beam. Nail it in place using standard nailing practice. In other words, don't load it up with no more nails than you need, one nail staggered every 16", 2 on the ends.

The thing about the non-bearing wall you are building, it can never be made a bearing wall unless you do something with the floor it sets on. The reason why I bring this up, it is possible that in the future, and it is highly unlikely that somebody at some time sees this wall under the beam and thinks "well this wall is under this portion of this beam and I need to run such and such through this area, I will just cut it out since there is this wall under it." WRONG. The beam MUST remain intact as if there is no wall under it.


Wiring second breaker panel I have a 100 amp service running from meter base to new garage, that's completely wired.

Now, I'm going to run from garage to new house under construction. I want to use another one hundred amp panel with main breaker. The Inspector said to run 3 conductors with bonding wire to house, this will eliminate having to add ground rods. I know red and black go to main breaker, white to common.

Here is the question, where do I run the bond wire to?

I know I'll have to run a 6 gauge to gas line, but the bond wire has me confused.

If the house is detached you still need ground rods or a concrete encased electrode. You didn't answer ThreePhaseEel's second question.

Either way, The ground wire gets attached to the ground bar. All grounds and neutrals are kept separate on their own bars. The green bonding screw for the panel is NOT installed. Discard it.

There are several other questions on this site regarding sub-panel installation. Like here.

Good luck!


Kitchen LED ceiling light blinking Hopefully someone can help with this issue. Everything I have researched seems to be related to a type of light I do not own. I have a kitchen LED light that has been working fine up until just recently when all of a sudden it will start to flash when turning it on. Sometimes it comes on and stays within a few seconds and sometimes it will take 10-15 minutes or more.

I attempted to take the cover off and check and see if any wiring was loose and could not locate anything causing it. None of the wires when touching or adjusting will cause it to start working again. It is not on any dimmer switch but has two different standard light switches that operate it.

http://imgur.com/cqOcIr8 (Image of unit without the cover)
https://youtu.be/K_YH0blbOqY (Video of the flashing)

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am stumped on how to fix this.

Replace the fixture -- the driver's failed and isn't starting up properly.


Nest Thermostat Wiring for Baseboard Heaters I'm using a Nest Thermostat to power baseboard heaters (240VAC).

I have 4 wires that I have access to:

2 wires: Red/Black from a transformer which outputs 24VAC
2 wires: 24VAC from a thermostat RELAY (Honeywell R841C1169)

I thought initially that the two wires from the thermostat relay connect to W1 and RH.

But then I wasn't sure how to do the common wire.

Then I thought about the C wire, and thought I could use a 24VAC transformer, but in my diagram, 2 hot wire were touching, and I wasn't sure if that was bad. Is it?

Somehow this doesn't seem good.

How can I get the common wire involved? I'm pretty sure the wires from the relay are OK, they just hookup to W1 and RH. But where do the wires from the 24VAC transformer go? One of them I'm pretty sure needs to go to the C wire, but where does that last wire go??

Thanks!

Since you have a R841C (with an integral transformer)

You have your terminals on the relay confused. Connect RH to the HOT terminal from the relay and W1 to to the NEUTRAL terminal from the relay.  C on the Nest is left unconnected, and you do not need a separate transformer here.

If this was an R841D (standalone relay)

You have your terminals on the Nest confused here.  Connect the hot wire from the transformer to the RH terminal on the Nest, the neutral wire on the transformer to one end of the relay coil (it doesn't care which way it's wired) AND to the C terminal on the Nest, and the other end of the relay coil to the W1 terminal on the Nest.


Repair paperless drywall or tear out and install new? I removed a large wallpaper mural from drywall in a house we purchased. The previous owner didn't put a release compound or protective sealer on before gluing the wallpaper on. When I pulled it off, it took almost all the white compound coating on the drywall with it. Easily 90% of the drywall is exposed brown paper. I know I can't paint this until it is either sealed or I put a skim coat of joint compound on it first. My question is is it worth it to reapply joint compound to 90% of a 12 x 8 wall or should I just tear out the drywall and install new stuff?

As long as some of the drywall paper is still there, the drywall is still intact enough and it's safe to skim coat it. Either approach will work. Only you can answer the question of which one is "worth it." Among the factors:

Which of the jobs you can do yourself
Which of the jobs you enjoy more/hate less
The relative money costs of the two jobs, whether you do them yourself or decide to hire them out
The relative time costs of the two jobs
The amount of mess and inconvenience of the two jobs
Whether or not there's anything behind that drywall you wanted to expose/replace anyway

Etc.