What can I do "spread" load on breaker for single bedroom? Thanks for the help ahead of time. I'm not a certified electrician, but have VERY extensive experience working construction and repair. I do know quite a bit about electrical, but I'm not sure if I'm pushing my house breaker and fuses by doing what I'm going to do.

I work from home and need quite a bit of equipment installed in my office. I have an 850w computer and 5 servers in a cabinet that I want to install. I also have a window A/C unit. This is all running on 110v wall sockets. I have the A/C unit on its own socket. I have the high powered computer running on its own socket, and I have one free wall socket left. There are two 8-port surge protectors in the server cabinet. I plan on using those both on the 3rd available wall socket.

Is this safe? Right now the computer and A/C aren't making the breaker hot. The do cause a minor light flicker when they turn on. Nothing too serious, but I don't want to set my house on fire. I also don't want to pay $1000.00 to run a dedicated breaker box to my office. Is there anything I can do at the panel to make this safer? Perhaps change the breaker and fuses to something that can handle more juice?

If there's room in the panel, you could run additional circuits.  If not, you could install a second panel, or try and free up space in the existing panel.

If you have room for additional circuits, I'd recommend putting the A/C unit on its own circuit.  Because through normal use, the A/C unit will introduce surges and noise on the line. This is undesirable on circuits with sensitive electronics such as computers, so you should avoid having the A/C on the same circuit, if possible.

If you're seeing dimming lights when the A/C comes on, it's likely due to voltage drop. This voltage drop is caused, because the A/C is drawing a large amount of current when the unit starts up.  This drop in voltage can be damaging to sensitive electronics.

Depending on the load requirements of the servers, it may be desirable to install an additional separate circuit to handle them.

If possible; and depending on the load requirements, I'd recommend using three circuits. One for the A/C, one for the servers, and one general use circuit for the PC, monitors, and various other office equipment.

Installing a larger breaker is likely not an option, unless the wiring, devices, and equipment are all rated for the higher current (not likely).


How do I "fix" a bad sweat (solder) joint? I tried soldering some 1/2" copper (to make something like this) and some of my joints are horrible.

I tested it with water and some of the joints leak.

What is the best way to fix the joints?
What is a quick and easy way that will work?

These pipes do not need to much pressure.  (they are fed fluid from a holding tank into a float valve - the tank is about 100 gallons and sits about 3 feet above the float valve)

I cleaned them and fluxed them before attaching but since the joints are so close together I am not sure if I burned off the flux in the unsoldered joints before I got to them.

I might also have a torch that is too hot?

Just heat the joint up with your torch, once the solder starts to melt use Channel locks to pull the fittings apart. Once the joint is apart, wipe as much old solder off as you can with a rag. Now you can start over. Clean, Flux, solder.

You should not be applying flux to joints you are not working on, take each joint one at a time. If the joints are all close to each other, try doing the joints out of order. Solder one joint, then move to a joint further away, then back to a joint near the first, etc.  This should allow some of the heat to dissipate, and reduce the chances of overheating the joints.

Don't forget to wipe excess solder off the joint before it cools using a damp rag, nothings worse than an ugly joint (except maybe a leaky joint). And don't forget, soldering pipes is an art. And like most things, it takes lots of practice to get good at it.


Dripping sound emanating from interior wall space I've seen some other questions about dripping sounds but wasn't sure if my situation fills the same circumstances or not.

I have a 2-story home and only a partial understanding of where the mechanisms of HVAC and plumbing are run.

In a wall that is nowhere near the exterior walls of the home, we're hearing a intermittent dripping sound and yet not seeing any damage (yet) nor would we prefer to wait for visible damage before addressing it.

The wall/ceiling where we hear the sound is near the upstairs shower/tub combo. There is an access panel into the back of the tub and yet when we listen there the drip sound is not audible nor is there anything obviously/ominously wrong to my eyes -- despite being roughly in the same location.

I've heard and read on this site that warming/cooling hvac or plumbing runs can produce this "drip-like" sounds so am hopeful for this outcome but don't know how to confirm.

We've lived here for 5 months (starting in the heat of summer) and only noticed this sound in the past 3 days in the beginning of Winter -- but our heat has been running off/on for a month or so.

Before we heard (noticed?) the sound, we turned off the water to install a new valve fixture on the first floor. Did something shake loose with the sudden change in the status-quo of the normal, pressured environment?

What contractor can tell the difference between normal water dripping inside a pipe versus outside versus condensation versus rubbing sounds of metal on wood? Who would you call first? A plumber or HVAC or "handyman"?

I've tried to isolate by closing drains on sinks and shutting off water to toilets but still haven't figured out what could stop the sound / behavior.

Thanks for your thoughts and perspective!

Update

It still isn't clear to me the right kind of contractor to confirm what I found, but during periods of inactive furnace activity, the sound seems to die down. Also, when I place my ear next to the cavity (firmly against the wall) the sound transforms from dripping to ductwork creaking / popping and I can hear the sound of air being moved.

I'm hopeful that there is nothing to it and that I can come to peace with the red herring sound. My ambition will be to present this as the answer to my question if an HVAC person can confirm it unless someone else can recommend something better. Thank you.

You could have an HVAC condensate drain that is dripping into a vent stack pipe for your waste plumbing. They (HVAC installers) are not supposed to do that, the condensate drain is supposed to run to the outside of the house in a dedicated line. But I've seen several cases where that was not done and the lazy HVAC contractors just put a Y fitting on a nearby vent stack and run their condensate drain into it. There are potentially serious problems with that because sewer gasses can get sucked into the HVAC system. That's why waste vent pipes extend all the way up to the roof.


What should I use to secure/organize data cable runs? I am running Cat-6 and Coax in new construction.  I am looking for advice/best practices on how to organize and secure the cables during the runs.

I will be running 2 Cat-6 and 1 Coax to a single-gang box in nearly each major room.  These runs will converge at certain points as they are run into the basement.

Let's take these scenarios:

I have 3-wires running along a stud or joist (1 coax and 2 cat-6)

Would you just use a staple(s)? Why or Why not?
Should I use a cable stacker like this?

Let's say I have 6-12 wires.

Cable stackers?
I saw these things called "Cable Caddys" (below) which look nice, but cost almost $1 a piece, which got me thinking that PVC cable clamps would work just as well, for much cheaper, but I'm thinking the stackers would work better.

As all the wires (20-30) enter the basement and run along a joist, I realize I can use a raceway, but don't really want to spend the extra money.  Is there anything wrong with using a large PVC clamp, like below?

It's not real critical. When wiring phone centers we used metal raceways (or a thrown-together wood one) in the ceiling, but for my house I used pipe clamps like the one you posted at about 4' spacing. I like to add a wrap of double-sided velcro around bundles going to the same box, also about every 4'. Near the demarcation point I might use a few screw-in hooks like those used to hang bicycles if there are a lot of cables going out in one direction.

Don't fasten the cables to anything too securely. That way you can use the old cables to pull a new one if it becomes necessary.

One important detail: do not use zip ties. They can constrict over time and damage the cables they're wrapped around. (They're also tougher to pull new cables through than velcro loops.)

You didn't ask about routing them, but I guess it's relevant to explain the assumptions my recommendations are based on. I always do horizontal runs in the floor/ceiling and then run vertically within the bay where the junction box is located. (Rather than meandering through the wall as shown in one of pumpkin's photos.) This means less holes to drill and usually less resistance when pulling the cables. I also leave an empty bay (two studs) between mains and network cables, so I don't need to worry about securing the drops (recommended distance is at least 1' apart when running parallel to mains).

If you wanted to make pulling new cables even easier without doing a full PVC conduit setup, you can just install PVC fittings such as 90° elbows where the cables pass through the top plate or sole plate. That's were all the friction is going to come from when pulling, so some nice smooth PVC lining the holes can smooth things out nicely. (This of course assumes you'll use one of the existing cables to pull the new ones. Obviously you won't be able to run a fish tape without the sections of PVC connecting the fittings.) The fittings would also ensure that you don't go under the cable's minimum bend radius of 1 inch.

One other thing that I'll mention just in case is heat. Large, tightly-wrapped bundles of cable (think 50+ cables) that are being heavily utilized have the potential to trap heat in the center which can eventually degrade the insulation and cause shorts. Unless you're running a grid computing cluster at your house that's not likely to be a problem though. A more likely scenario for the average home owner is the use of Power over Ethernet, which will generate more heat. If you're planning to use PoE I'd limit bundles to 7 or 8 cables, just for good measure, even though I think the odds of a problem are still very low.


Freeze prevention in garage My garage is below a heated room, and there are heating pipes running through the garage to heat that room. In the recent incredibly cold spell in New England, one of those pipes froze and burst. I have lived in this house for 30 years, and this is the first time I've had a problem; now I have to figure out the correct solution. My plumber tells me that the pipes can't reasonably be moved anywhere better. They do have pipe insulation on them (though due to my own stupidity the insulation on the place that burst had fallen off and I hadn't replaced it.)

The garage is about 17'x17'; there is an adjoining room as well that is about 13'x12'. The house itself is heated with gas forced hot water. The garage has an old large radiator in it that is part of the basement zone; several years ago I put insulation over that radiator, as the basement zone rarely fires (it stays pretty warm down there due to the boiler itself).

In addition to better pipe insulation (which again my plumber tells me is insufficient), I see two reasonable solutions:

replumb the radiator in the garage to be on its own zone and set it to some really low temperature, or
purchase an electric wall-mounted heater to heat the garage, again to some low temperature.

Which of those is preferable (or is there another solution I'm missing)?

Clearly this is (at least historically) a pretty rare issue for me, so I don't need or want a high-end solution, but it was sufficiently unpleasant that I would like to address it.

Your plumber seems to be poorly educated if you are left without the following solutions having been mentioned.

This is  pretty standard problem for folks with a boiler AND a woodstove - the woodstove keeps the house warm and the boiler pipes are subject to freezing off in the corners of the house. Not that this is your situation, but a "standard" solution to "pipes running in a cold space" exists.

The standard solution is a timer that circulates the boiler water every so often (a more sophisticated one could take input from an outside temperature sensor to influence how often) whether or not there's a call for heat. In combination with insulation, that will keep the pipes from freezing.

There are other possible solutions (that don't involve heating the garage if you don't want to heat it), the most obvious of which is to replace the heating system water with non-toxic antifreeze. Heat tape (on the pipe, under the insulation) would be another option, but is frankly fussy and can be unreliable.

A final possible influence - if you use a "setback" thermostat or you manually turn the heat down at night - don't do that in very cold weather. It makes for a long "off" time before the first call for heat after turn-down, and that's when things tend to freeze. When it turned very cold here, I set my thermostat to "hold" and left it there.


Designing a Half-Suspended Shelf I'd like to make a shelf from 17mm (2/3") thick plywood, whose back will be affixed to a brick wall and its front will be suspended by metal cables from a concrete ceiling (e.g. something with the same principle of the construction in this image).

I'm aiming for a shelf about 2m (6ft 6.7in) wide and 80cm (2ft 7.5in) deep.

Naturally, I'd like the shelf to be as stable and robust as possible. I tried consulting the Sagulator, but I think my case requires 2D load analysis, whereas the Sagulator is apparently only 1D. So my questions are:

For affixing the back of the shelf to the wall, are 3-4 metal "L" brackets (distributed along the shelf's length) preferable to having a wooden support beam (as in the previously linked image)? What length of brackets should I get?
Will 3-4 metal cables in the front be enough? Will adding a metal support strip in the front of the shelf (through which the cables will pass) provide a significant improvement of the shelf's robustness?
What mass could I safely load on such a shelf?

Many thanks in advance for any help.

The wooden support beam ("ledger" around here) is nice because it supports the shelf weight evenly. It also gives you the opportunity to put a lot of fasteners in the wall if you feel like a few isn't going to be good enough. The bad thing is that there's relatively little to anchor against a horizontal pull forward. So, if it was me, I'd combine the ledger with a smallish (10cm/leg) L bracket on each end to prevent that pull. (For aesthetics, I'd put the bracket on the top side of the shelf.
Sag-wise, in all likelihood, 4 support points will be adequate. If your load causes sagging, simply add a metal or wooden strip. If you see sagging on the short edge, add wood or metal in that direction.
If your wires are anchored well into the ceiling (note, this is tough, as a straight pull out -- "tension", as opposed to "shear" -- is the weakest direction for a concrete anchor), this should hold anything short of a book and bullion collection. Be sure to use turnbuckles or equivalent to ensure that your cables are carrying the load equally. I'd suggest when you shop for anchors that you aim for something like a 10mm x 75mm in an expansion sleeve design. For reference, this would be something like an ITW Red Head Trubolt Wedge Anchor, which offers around 3000 pounds resistance to pull out. To attach wire to a bolt in the ceiling, use a "bolt hanger".

If you set the anchors and test load them and discover that they aren't holding well enough, you might put a (roughly) 100mmx50mm wooden ledger on the ceiling. This will allow more fasteners into the ceiling and permit screw-in eyebolts for the cables.

One last note, if you're drilling into a ceiling that's not entirely owned by you, check to see that you're not going to accidentally drill into water, power, or (worst case!) a post-tensioned slab.


What's the minimum vent diameter required for my drain line? I'm adding a secondary bar sink in a kitchen area, which will extend the waste pipe to it's farthest length, so I need to put in a waste drain vent pipe up the wall and through the roof.

The drain pipe is 1-1/2" diameter and I'm wondering if the vent pipe going up the wall can be a smaller diameter, like 1" or 3/4", so I don't need to cut such a wide channel in the drywall and fight with fiberglass insulation.

I've found this:

  Vent piping should never be less than half the diameter of the fixture
  drain it serves, and usually should be closer in size. For example,
  waste pipes of 3" and 4" diameters should be serviced by a minimum 2"
  vent pipe. And regardless of piping size, no vent should be smaller
  than 1 1/4" pipe. Dual vents which are to service more than one
  fixture should be slightly larger than required for a single fixture.

source: plumbing-basics.com


Why are the shingles blowing off my year-old home? My house is new construction and approaching its one year warranty anniversary mid April.

The house has its back to a cornfield where it gets pretty windy.. i think the highest this year way 65mph.. a couple times. These are 3 tab asphalt shingles not architectural ones.

I have had a few occurances after they have set on a hot day with some pieces of shingles blowing off here and there.

When these were installed, it was around Feburary of 2016, so they didn't correctly ser until April or May.. we had a few instances where they blew off badly from wind because they were flopping around before setting. They were corrected before move in.

So far the builder says the roof spot repairs fall under the one year warranty.. after that i am on my own per them, but clearly im fighting it.

When these were installed in winter, were they supposed to be manually sealed or glued in anyway to prevent what happened during cold months?

Below are a few pictures of the shingles blowing in the wind after first installed, and recently with a few missing shingles. Could these shingles be a side effect from improper installation? Or just not able to withstand the wind.. if the latter, well what to i do other than spot trear shingles blowing off every year?

It's good that the roof is not leaking (you didn't mention that) but improper installation will create leaks in the future. So, verifying a few key items and then officially notifying your builder (by certified, return receipt mail) of incorrect installation will protect your rights. I'd check the following:

Number of nails in each shingle: Each roofing manufacturer requires a certain number of nails into each shingle, usually 4 minimum. Depending on your location, it could be 5 or 6, depending if you are located in a "high wind area". (Where I live, 65 mph winds would require 5 nails per shingle.) You'll find this info on each wrapper around each bundle of shingles. If no wrapper is around, you can find it on the manufacturer's website. If you don't know the name of the manufacturer, call the builder.
Nail Placement: I see this wrong on a lot of jobs. If nails are placed too high, then the nail will not penetrate the top of the shingle on the layer directly below. Nails should be above the top of the cut out in the 3-tab shingle, but about 1" below the mastic strip. Most roofers want to nail "in" the mastic strip. This is bad for two reasons: a) it misses the shingle directly below, so there are only 4 nails holding the shingle on the roof instead of 8 nails, and b) it creates a little dip in the shingle because it causes the shingle to bend down over the top edge of the lower shingle.
Lack of Hand-Tabbing: Most shingles do NOT require hand tabbing, unless you are in a "high wind area". Hand tabbing is placing a quarter size dab of roofing mastic "by hand" under each shingle. However, most roofing manufacturers require hand tabbing "if the shingles have not self-sealed in a sufficient time." This is a bit arbitrary, but "sufficient time" means "within the guarantee period." (You can get that confirmed by the roofing manufacturer.) So, the way to test this is to go up on the roof and try to lift a shingle tab (bend a shingle tab up). I'd try about a third of the shingle tabs. The roofer will tell you the shingles will "self tab" down. That means they anticipate the sun heating the shingle up until it sticks to the mastic strip under each tab. The problem is that it may not get warm enough in your area or the nails are not set flush and the nails are holding the shingles up above the mastic strip. (See #7, below.)
Too large of exposure: Three tab shingles should have only a 5  5/8" exposure. Most roofers will stretch that to 6" or 6. 1/2". That gives the opportunity for the wind to lift more of the shingle and creates improper nailing, (missing the top of the lower shingle, etc.)
Too short of nails: Nails should completely penetrate the plywood. Can you see the nails from inside the attic?
Roof sheathing is too thin: 1/2" plywood or 5/8" particle board minimum, I think. Check with manufacturer. Again, this info is on the wrapper.
Nails or staples are not set flush: That is to say the nails are held up slightly (maybe 1/8") which keeps the shingle from self-sealing.

These are the things that lead to blow off, but other typical bad roofing issues are: A) no starter course, B) shingle ends are not staggered, C) blown off shingles not repaired correctly and the holes in the paper underlayment not sealed correctly where nails have withdrawn from blow off.

One thing that seems odd is that various shingles are blowing off. Usually, one shingle blows off and it takes 10-12 more shingles above it in a "V" shape pattern. This indicates to me, that the nails are not in the correct position below the mastic strip, (see item #2, above.)

Also, where I live, by law, roofing has to be guaranteed for 2 years not 1 year. So, your guarantee period may go another year. You can verify that with your state's Construction Contractors Board (CCB). Also, check the roofing manufacturer's wrapper.


How to remove old metal shower drain? I have this shower drain piece from 1970s, and can't budge at all.

Is there any smarter way to remove this?

The lower part is your actually sewer pipe connection - you should not remove this unless you are looking to do a lot more work.

I have had your exact issue. Here is what you need to do to remove the upper threaded unit (the drain that fits the shower) . Remove the screen so you have access to the inner part of the drain pipe. Now you can use a hacksaw blade , a dremel tool, a small cutoff wheel to cut into the drain pipe - do not cut into your threads but get close enough.

Now you will want to place a rag down the pipe - something you can retrieve - tie a string to it if need be .. in case pieces fall.

At this point you should be able to bend in the pipe using a hammer with an iron bar or iron chisel .. breaking the "seal" it has to the threads at this point you can lubricate around the unit with WD40 and wait a few moments - you might be able to unscrew it or you might need to tap on it in a CCW direction with that chisel to budge it in order to get it to to unscrew. If it still will not budge - you might need to do another slice down the length of the drain pipe and attempt the same thing of course at this point the whole unit might bend in enough to allow you to simply pull it out. The latter was what I ended up doing as mine turned a little bit and then still stuck - so instead pf playing around I did 1/3 the way to the other side and chisel bent the remaining piece and the whole thing came out nicely. I cleaned the threads with plenty of WD40 and a wire brush so I could install the new drain.

Any questions just ask.


Fix water pooling on porch connected to driveway The steps to my back porch are connected directly to my driveway. However, the paved section of the driveway leading to the steps is improperly sloped. This leads to pooling at the bottom of the steps. This is inconvenient and I'm also worried about damage when water is sitting against the wood steps for extended periods.
Any suggestions on how I can regrade slightly to drain away from the steps? I've considered getting some asphalt cold patch so I can match the look of the driveway, but I'm unsure if it will hold up for this use.

Yes, you could try the asphalt patch but after a few winter freezes, it would crack and crumble.
A better, more permanent solution would be to dig out about 12 square feet in front of your stairs, about a 3.5' x 3.5' area. Regrade it to eliminate the pooling and install patio stones/pavers. You'd loose some asphalt but it's not that great to look at and you'd have a nice landing at the base of the stairs.


I'm replacing the under-sink pipes, and I'm confused what connector this is I'm replacing the pipe under the sink after it cracked.

I thought I had figured everything out, but the connector I got doesn't fit due to this non-threaded copper bit above the threads, is it something I can remove with pliers, or should I try to unscrew further down and replace it from there?

New pipe is 3/8" COMP to 1/2" FIP

That's a flared fitting (see: flared fitting copper).  They are meant to accept the end of a piece of copper pipe, flared using a special tool.  Looking at the picture, it does seem that you might be able to replace that part under the sink with a brass fitting (see: brass male-male pipe nipple ) that will properly accept your hose, but it might be difficult, given the corrosion.


Can an electrician run wiring to convert battery powered smoke alarms to wired alarms? I recently purchased a 2001 built condominium unit with original battery powered smoke and CO2 alarms. Since I have to replace all the alarms at this point anyway, I'm curious how invasive a procedure it would be to get wiring run for these in a traditional wood frame / drywall construction.

Can I expect someone marketing themselves / licensed as an electrician to be able to do a job like this or do I need to seek help from a more general contractor for the drywall / etc. work on the ceilings?

For how invasive the project will be here's what to look for. You will need to steal "hot all the time" power from somewhere. Sometimes that's a light or sometimes a plug. Its not always a light because sometimes the power that is in that box is only switched hot, as in only hot when the switch is on which you don't want. So first would be finding some sort of power that's close to where you want to put a smoke alarm. Than you would need to run a three wire piece of cable from one smoke alarm to another. So that when one goes off, it signals for the other smoke alarm to also go off (sound the alarm).

As you can see that can be pretty hard to do when you imagine all the wood studs below the drywall that you will have to drill through to get those wires pulled.

You can call an electrician to first come and scope the scene out and let you know the easiest route. That will let you know how much drywall needs to be cut in the process.  And you can decide if it's worth it to you. When the electrician is done the job (if you go through with it), that is when you could call a dry wall professional to come and repair your drywall (or perhaps some guy advertising his services for cheaper on Craig's List).

If you have an unfinished basement I could see this going easier....

I believe some electrical companies give you free quotes. I would start there.


What would cause this bad flame pattern in my boiler? I'm living in Mexico and my landlord just installed a new boiler.

When it's turned on, it makes this huge noise. When you check the burner, you can see this flame below the main burner.

I asked my landlord about it, and he says it's normal, that the loud noise is simply because he turned in burner pressure to all it can be. (I'm not convinced it's normal, but he's stubborn about it)

After he left, I left it like that for a while and then checked the burner again and I see the burner metal glowing red from the underside 'cause of the flame that ignited there. This can't possibly be normal operation, right? So I lowered the main burner pressure (to the minimum) and it still ignites a flame there.

I'm wondering if I'm missing a gas pipe connecting the main burner and the pipe that extends from the control unit... but the few pictures that I've managed to find of similar models of boilers seem not have a pipe there, either.

So for a proper question: what do you suggest I do to fix it? (besides hiring a professional to take care of it for me, as my household is living on just savings right now, I can't afford one and, besides, I'd also like to know :) )

BTW, I've been Googling around and am surprised to see that it's difficult to find the type of boiler that I use. This is the type that you find all throughout Mexico, but all I see in the internet are these rectangular-looking ones.

Here are the pictures for my boiler.

Burner:

Boiler:

You don't need to do anything, the burner configuration, while a bit crude, is as it is intended. This kind of burner configuration is notoriously loud. I have a small portable camp stove with this configuration that is named "Pocket Rocket" due to it's loud roar when burning.

The pipe you often see that appears to be missing will always have large air inlet holes to meter the mix air. Without this, the mix air is metered by the size of the lower plate's center hole, which is not very accurate, evidenced by the orange in the flame. You will notice burners with more sophisticated mix air metering will burn pure blue.

The glowing red is not unusual either, it's simply a lot of heat in a small area.


Should I caulk window gap behind casings? Installed flange windows often have a gap where they're shimmed. This gap will usually be covered by casing.

Should it be caulked before the casing is installed?

No. It would take a massive amount of caulk and you'd have a real mess. Or yes, if you consider spray foam "caulk", which it is in a sense. Water sealing is done outside. The seal(s) at the outer face of the wall handle water and and air intrusion concerns, ideally. Modern techniques for that involve flexible tapes and housewrap membranes.

Traditionally that void would have been filled with fiberglass insulation. In recent years we've taken to using spray foam from disposable cans, which provides both insulation value and a nice air seal, and it offers the added benefit of stability for the window. It should not be relied upon for water management, however.

Also, be sure to use the "minimal expansion" variety, as the original version is very likely to bow your window frames (jamming the sashes) and will end up all over everything once it squeezes out. Once urethane (foam, glue, varnish) dries on something it will be there a very long time.


Are off-brand framing nails compatible with my Craftsman nailer? I have a Craftsman Clipped Head Angle Framing Nailer (28 degrees) Model No. 351.181790.

They don't appear to stock the specific nails for this gun anymore. Which according to the manual are:

18351 - 8 penny, .120 2 1/2"
18352 - 10 penny, .120 3"
18353 - 16 penny, .120 3 1/2"
18357 - Galvanized 8 penny, .120 2 1/2"
18358 - Galvanized 10 penny, .120 3"
18359 - Galvanized 16 penny, .120 3 1/2"

When I search for those nails I just get out of stock pages from Sears. I did find one forum that claimed:

  I am sorry that we do not stock these nails any longer but you should be able to get them from any big box hardware stores or home centers.
  Stanley Bostitch will fit.
  Campbell Housfeld will fit.
  Atro nails will fit.

Do any of these other brand nails work with my Craftsman?

Just keep an eye on the angle and you should be fine. If you're really concerned bring the gun to a store with you and check a strip to see if it looks like it will fit okay. I'm sure you can return the box if there are issues.


Repair sagging ceiling that has heat strips House was built 1975 - 1980 and has heat strips in ceiling. My hallway is sagging, I am not sure where the heat strips are.  Are they protected so that a screw will not damage them?

Thanks for your help.

In the pacific North West the "cable heat wires" are laying on the sheet rock between the trusses. These are easy to damage and usually have a insulation above them. I would suggest checking them before working on the sheet rock a few homes I have repaired had some kind of adhesive holding the cable in place if you have this kind of install they are difficult to remove but can be separated with patience.


Alternative to T Transitions for floating laminate floor I have a floating floor on concrete slab that joins to tile in a number of common, high traffic walk ways in our home:

The standard way of joining a floating floor to a fixed one (or two floating floors) is a "T" transition:

These transitions suck for a number of reasons:

They get caught on shoes or anything sliding across floor which puts ripping force
Every one I can find is made from wood / particle board they break easily
Because the surface that is in contact with the floor is so narrow, they are easy to topple, and the glue rips.  Carpentry nails help, but don't work for concrete subfloors.

In general, it means that there is nearly annual maintenance and replacement for something that should require very little thought.  We'd like a better way.

Caulk / Silicone grout: All official sources on the web seem to suggest this should not be done for floating floors (and especially relatively large surfaces like ours), though it's not entirely clear why.  What is the worst case scenario here?  Softness in the flooring?
Is there a non-wood brand of t intersection that doesn't look awful, or looks like wood but is something sturdier?
Is there a brand or type of T strip that has a larger footing that the laminate be slotted into?  All that I've seen have at most 1/4" of cheap wood that gets glued down and don't last the day.  Something Like this?

Schluter makes a number of transition metal pieces that work seamlessly and permanently but some need to be embedded under the last row of tile in the thinset.
Some examples:

Schluter Reno-T is metal, can be glued to the tile side, and doesn't require tile to be lifted though works only for same height.
Schluter Reno-V is adjustable to accommodate different heights on each side of the transition (in case your flooring isn't as level as depicted in your drawing), and secures underneath tile side.  This is solid, has a smaller transitional space, but requires that you re-glue / grout your tile or be doing a fresh installation.


Brand new shallow well jet pump, noisy and slow 1/2 hp Red Lion shallow well jet pump, 20 gal pressure tank, well water table was measured 8 feet down the well pipe.

When priming the pump, water came steady but not at a good rate. Not knowing how fast the water should come out without going through the pressure tank I finally just closed the drain and let things fill up. The pump always sounded like it still has air in it or something rattling around.

After several days and some investigating I found at first one leak at the pressure switch line going out from the pump, fixed that and a day later I found another leak of the line going into the switch, fixed that as well. The pump is still noisy and it takes 8 minutes to replenish the pressure tank even though no water is running in the house. It pressurizes with lots of slurping noises to 50 psi and shuts off.

My question is: Where should I start trouble shooting without having to tear everything apart? I already checked for air leaks with soap suds. Is it possible the pump was damaged during priming due to the two existing leaks?

Thank you! Susi

Were I looking for leaks causing the noise & slow fill issues, I would not expect them to bubble out - they would be leaks on the suction side sucking air in. A shallow-well pump sucks water in (practical limit 27 ft lift from surface of water when pumping - theory might give more than 30 but it's not practical - limited by air pressure and how closely the pump approximates a vacuum) and then spits it out under pressure.

Static Water level is 8 ft down - how deep is the well, where is the foot valve located? Does the water level drop significantly when pumping?

Here's my best guess as to your root problem:

What is your priming procedure? It appears that you have a check valve on the input, which will prevent priming the pipe from the prime port on the pump - so you'll have to also fill the pipe from the plug in the top of the Tee before the check valve.

IMHO that check valve is not a great idea, as the foot valve either works or does not work, and the additional check is not helpful, but many pumbing codes are check-valve happy to the point of not helping things.


Led and basic light bulbs; 2 light sockets. One works with both bulbs, the other doesn't. I live in an older house and I have a two-socket light fixture in my bedroom. One socket will work with both an LED bulb and a basic (wire??) bulb. The other socket, however, only works with the basic bulb. Why is this and how can I fix it?

With the power off, try tugging gently at the pad in the middle of the socket well. You want it to be sprung a little further out. (Needle nose pliers can be useful for this.) There's a strong chance that it is pushed in a little too far to make contact with the tail of the bulb. If you pull it too much and it breaks, get another fixture.


Removing old linoleum and replacing with tiles When replacing linoleum and you pull up the old flooring some of the wood will come up. Do you replace the wood that has come up with sheet wood or wood filler then lay the tile down or should you solve it another way? I have not tried anything yet. How should I handle this?

First you generally won't tile over plywood.  It will contract and expand too much and your tile will eventually crack.  You will need to put backerboard (size dependent on what is beneath it) over the plywood.  Generally you don't need to repair the plywood unless it is no longer flat.


How can I fix a bathtub that was not set properly? I think the floor was not prepped correctly. The tub creaks a lot and there is a great deal of vertical play when standing and moving around.

The tub does appear to be level, so I don't think that's the problem.

It doesn't seem to be such an issue when it's full of water and I'm sitting down- I suppose the weight is more evenly distributed.

   |w|  o  |
   |a|     |
 ->|l| tub |
   |l|_____|
   |_______|

I was thinking of:

Cutting a hole in the in the wall (where the little arrow is)
Pouring some self-leveling cement into the frame underneath the tub

It's a fiberglass tub and there is not a big gap between the bottom of the tub and the floor, so I don't really know if much cement will flow underneath the way I want.

Would a different product work better for this? Maybe expanding foam? or something else?

I can't remove the tub because there is tile lapped over it in a way I can't remove without damaging everything.

If you look at the underside of the tub (through your proposed hole) you should be able to tell if it was meant to sit on the subfloor or not.  Some kind of wooden frame will be partly embedded into the fiberglass to help support it.  If there are "skids" that should touch the subfloor but do not you can use shims to support them.

I had a shower enclosure that was not well supported underneath.  It eventually cracked and leaked on the ceiling below.  When I removed it, it was obvious that the enclosure was sitting on the floor in the front and hanging from the wall in the back.  The reinforcements on the bottom of the enclosure were not touching the floor.  I don't know if they were meant to or not.


Curb water shut off access pipe too high After removing a tree, the grade on the front of my property changed, exposing the water cut off access pipe (not sure what it's actually called). How should I go about cutting it down. Is it a DIY project? Or do I have to engage the water company?

That valve belongs to the water utility and you should not tamper with it.
To get them to address the issue promptly, tell them you fear that it will be damaged/struck by a landscaper during your work and/or that it presents a safety (tripping) hazard. They may need to replace the whole valve, which might require shutting down the water to your street at a main-line valve at the nearest road intersection.


Running wire for new subpanel in garage, how to best utilize existing wiring considering the scope of my project? I have a 200amp main panel in my home, and my garage has a subpanel fed by a two pole 50amp breaker by approximately 85' of 6/3 plus ground cable. I use my garage as a workshop, greenhouse, and office. I'm planning to install a ventilation system and add more power for my workshop on the lower level. I'm also going to install a ductless minisplit system on both levels of the building; hence, I'd like to update the panel.

When I first opened the existing subpanel, I noticed that the ground and neutral wires were bonded, so I purchased a ground bar and separated everything. All looks good now. There's a #6 ground wire attached to a grounding rod a foot or so away from the building.

My goal has been to replace the 50amp panel with a 100amp panel, running 2-2-2-4cu thhn inside 1.5" pvc conduit, buried 18" deep, from the main panel, 85' to the new 100amp panel in the garage. That said, I'd like to utilize the existing 6/3 cable and grounding rod. My question is, how would I do so appropriately and most gainfully? Does it make sense to have a second panel in the garage despite the redundancy? Honestly, I'd like to be able to utilize close to 90 or so amps in addition to the existing 50 amps in my garage, if possible. Currently, I figure I should play it safe since I spend most of my time out there, and I seem to like to use energy sucking devices for work and play.

Perhaps the old subpanel can be used for the minisplit and 3 fan ventilation system while the new panel can take over the duties of the existing circuits plus new ones I plan on running? I know that the minisplit will need a disconnect, so I'm wondering the best way to do this. Does the new grounding rod need to be 6' away from the existing one? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance, Chris

First, the 6/3+gnd cable can be pushed to 60A.  If it is certain types (NOT NM or UF), it can be pushed to 70A.

You need 2 grounding rods unless your grounding rod passes a particular impedance test which requires some expensive equipment to do.  For most people a second grounding rod is cheaper.  Those are called ground rods.  The wire from the panel to the ground rods is the grounding electrode.

You're not allowed to send 2 sets of the same kind of power to the same outbuilding. Except, your installation was approved and therefore is grandfathered. The approval was not an error because AHJs have the right to waive requirements like this.

And #1/0 Al or #2 Cu wire is good for 125A. (technically 115A but you get to round up to the nearest breaker.  You would be better off using Aluminum wire for this type of feeder, especially this much of it at this size.  You generally go 2 sizes larger when selecting aluminum instead of copper.

Honestly given that you are grandfathered as-is, I'd be maxing out the existing (free) 6/3 w/g cables before sweating any upgrades.  There are 2 legs to this:

Upgrade the subpanel(s).  Your first priority in panel selection is plenty of spaces. Then make sure both its busing and its main breaker are large enough for your feeder.  I recommend main-breaker panels because you must have disconnect switches, and you can't have more than 6 so you can't force people to snap off individual breakers. (or that would limit you to 6 breakers total).  The main breaker can be >= the feeder breaker size.
Upgrade the feeder breaker to 60A, or if cable rating allows, 70A.

Now you have 120-140A of power in that building, which is what you are after.  This will take a little bit of thought to provision power across 2 panels, but the savings are considerable over a trench-and-conduit job.


concrete slab up over vinyl siding I tore out my front porch slab so I can waterproof the foundation. It was also sinking and since it has a column to support an overhang, that's a problem.
My question is what should I do about where it needs to come up to a level higher than the bottom of the vinyl siding? In an ideal world, the slab for the porch would be against the block foundation of the house, staying well below the siding. The level of the slab also puts it above the wooden bottom plate of the house. In the picture you can see by the dark line on the siding where the main level of the slab was (there is also a step up to the front door). It also looks like no forms were used by the house, the concrete was just poured against the siding. How would I do better?

You can pour a new slab up to the level of the foundation, not higher. In this case,  you could basically fabricate a new concrete patio that's below the level of the previous one and build some steps leading down from the door to the patio.

You could also forget about making a concrete patio and build a wooden (or composite decking) patio at the current level of the door.

In general, I would recommend against pouring concrete right up against the foundation, because it provides hidden termite entry points and makes it very difficult for you or future owners to insulate the exterior of the foundation later (if this is an appropriate foundation insulation and hasn't already been done). Also, you have to get the slope away from the house perfect or else you're redirecting water into your foundation.


Rebuilding porch stairs - what size for treads? I need to replace the stair treads and landings on two sets of porch steps outside my house.  The originals are about 25yrs old and rotten.  They appear to have used the same type of stair tread that you'd use for indoor stairs.  Each tread is 1 board and the landings are multiples of the same material with no gaps in between each board.  The originals are cupped and cracked.

My plan is to replace them with narrower, pressure treated boards (to be painted), and put a gap between the boards like what you'd see in a deck.  But I'm not sure what dimension lumber to buy or how wide the gap should be.  Plus do I use screws or nails?  The landings are at the top of the stairs if that matters.  Here are the measurements:

Stair One:
Landing:  50.25" x 37"
Stairs:  4 steps, each 42" wide

Stair Two:
Landing: 20.75" x 9'9"
Stairs: 5 steps, each 9'9"

All the treads are approx.  11.25" deep and 1" thick

-Thanks.

You can use 2 pcs of 5/4X6" to replace each tread. It will keep the same dimension as your originals, 5 1/2" + 5 1/2" + 1/4" gap = 11 1/4" This is a very typical detail. You should have an overhand at the front corner, call a "nose". Your originals may already have that, if so, simply follow the same detail, but using the two pieces per tread.

Edit added sketch of treads, etc.


Removing a stuck/frozen compression fitting I have a home built in the mid-70's and we are wanting to do some remodeling in the bathrooms. Since I can't turn off those old valves under the sinks, I thought this would be a great time to replace them with new quarter-turn valves.

The problem is, I can't seem to get the old compression fitting off to remove the valve, the nut is frozen to the valve body. One of them has a whole bunch of white corrosion around the threads and I haven't even tried that one yet. They are a brass nuts on brass valve bodies, not chromed, and I think that has facilitated part of the sticking.

I am looking for help in how to un-stick/freeze this valves so I can replace them. I am wary of pure brute force as I don't want to make matters worse, unless that is the only way of removing them. Cutting them off will not work since there will not be enough copper pipe extending out to put the new ones on.

I have found WD-40 to be a lousy penetrating oil. Liquid Wrench, Sea Foam or PB Blaster are much better. Experience has shown me that none of these are particularly effective on aluminum, I am not sure of their effectiveness on brass to brass. But it is worth a try. My usual method with ferrous fittings is to wrap a small strip of rag around the fitting and soak it for several days. Not sure if it works for brass but I've had good luck with  household strength ammonia on aluminum parts. It might be worth a try.


should I rework this 3/4" main water line into 1/2" branch circuits? The main water line into my house is 3/4". It then sizes down to 1/2" for the distribution throughout the house. I am wondering about the transition from 3/4" to 1/2" - what is the right way for that to look?

Specifically, my 3/4" line transitions down to 1/2" in the straight pipe before it branches off to any of the other lines. This seems to me it would create a choke point that would undermine the benefit of 3/4". Would it be better to extend 3/4" line to meet some other circuits, or is the current setup typical?

@ Roberto, I would change the water line to exactly what you show in your bottom picture. In my home there are no 1/2X1/2X1/2" tees. All the 1/2" lines are teed off the 3/4" line and when one device uses water, say someone flushes a toilet, the person in the shower does not see a reduction of water flow or a major temperature change in the shower water. There have been many posts where people ask "how do I keep adequate water flow when I have 1/2" plumbing", Your drawing is the answer. This works for me.


Why does one light on a new chandelier light up after the others? One lamp socket in a newly installed chandelier lights up the bulb a split second after the others.  I changed bulbs to make sure that wasn't the problem.

Why is this happening and should the chandelier be replaced?

Your chandelier uses compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs. Unlike conventional incandescent bulbs, these devices have internal circuitry that causes the bulb to light. CFL bulbs have been noted to take some time to come on and to reach normal brightness as the circuitry reaches full activity.

More recent versions of these bulbs have improved and are often advertised as instant on. However, there may still be a slight delay. This is normal. If you swap the delaying bulb into a different socket, it is likely that the new socket will now show the slight delay.

If you try other bulbs (or other brands), you may be able to find ones that come on simultaneously.


Connecting thermostat common wire to air handler or boiler? we are planning to install a Nest learning thermostat in our house. On first installation attempt the device notified us that there was no power from the Rh or Rc wires which from my understanding is because the thermostat cannot "power steal" any current into itself without the common wire.

The setup is wired in the following way (please excuse my bad diagram drawings):

The air handler is always turned off in the fall/winter season, so my question is:

Can I simply run another wire from the C terminal of the air handler directly to the thermostat or do I have to run a wire from the common of the boiler? I'm not entirely sure whether it matters if the handler is on/off since I believe the common is just completing the circuit and the 24VAC is sent to the Rh/Rc. The documentation for the boiler states that the common/hot are used for a low water cut off device, so I'm afraid to use it as a common to the thermostat without knowing for sure.

The air handler is a York F2RP030H06B and the manual can be found here. The PCB for the air handler has the following terminals: R, Y, G, W2, W1, O, and C. Of which only R, G, and C are connected. R and G go directly to thermostat. The C wire connects to a wire labeled "Outdoor temp sensor wire" in the Navien. (See diagram)

The heating system is a Navien NCB-240 which was installed within the past two years. The wiring diagram is located on page 69 of the manual. The labeling of the Navien is a bit different than what I have seen from other's installations in the past, so I'm just a bit confused.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

From your picture it looks like the C from the air handler is simply connected to the boiler C. So you could pickup a C for the thermostat at either the air handler or the boiler.

The main problem you are going to have is related to turning off the electrical supply to the air handler. You will lose the 24VAC power feed to the thermostat if you do that. So instead you want to leave the air handler powered but program the new thermostat so that it does not turn on the demand connection to the air handler when you do not require its usage. This should result in very little standby electrical power consumption but allow your new thermostat to work.

The "demand connection" I refer to is the thermostat output that is turned on to request heat, cool or in some instances fan. You may need to check if the air handler has the fan running when you think the thermostat has both the heat and cool modes shut off.

Another thing you should check is if the thermostat will run with just one of the Rh and Rc wires connected. Check to see with the air handler power shut off if the Rx wire from the boiler still has 24VAC.

I see that you have the G wire connected to the air handler. As I recall the G wire is for running the fan. You need to see if the air handler stops blowing out air if you disconnect the G wire when the AC power is turned on to the handler. It could very well be that the thermostat activates the G wire in heat mode despite your boiler heat source not using an air circulation fan. A truly smart thermostat may have a programming option to not drive the fan in heat mode to support boiler applications.


Installing 15" deep wall cabinets on a 14" deep soffit I'm remodeling my kitchen which has a soffit/bulkhead that is 14" deep.  I've been looking at ikea cabinets but all of their wall cabinets are 15" deep.

Now, I understand the mechanics of hanging the cabinets should work out fine, but what I'm not sure how to make the 1" overhang look natural.  I'm thinking of just getting a decorative trim of some type and running it along the top to kinda hide the overhang.

Anyone have any experience with this or recommendations?  Thanks

If the cabinets are deeper than the soffit, you have a "shelf" above the cabinets then. That would collect dust and cooking grime and be a pain to clean IMHO, let alone promote a spot for spider webs and the like. I would add a couple of sheets of Sheetrock on top the soffit wall, tape and cover it and make it all flush.


Propane gas fireplace pilot won't light I've asked this question before. Now I've posted some pictures as I can't figure out where I should clean. I don't smell propane. I tired lighting manually with a lighter and nothing. I know to turn the valve on,  rotate the wheel to pilot. Push in and try igniter. It worked fine 6 months ago.

Any suggestions?

Blow into the gas pilot to unclog it.

Its definitely not a spider that crawled into it but possibly grease build up. You may want to consider fitting a gas oil filter for your system.


How do I deal with a leaking toilet cistern inlet pipe? Recently there's been an odd, damp smell coming from one of our bathrooms. On further inspection, there seems to be a leak on this pipe where it connects to the bowl (where the little red arrow is). However, it seems that the seal is made further into the bowl than I can get to or see, so it will be necessary to move the bowl.

What is the name of this pipe? I don't think it's the cistern inlet pipe, but it's definitely not the soil pipe.
The pipe looks fine, it doesn't look cracked and there doesn't seem to be a great deal of water coming from it during a flush which makes me think it's just a seal. I guess to get in at it I'd have to disconnect the pipe from the cistern and the soil pipe from the toilet, then unscrew it from the floor and move it out?

I'm always keen to give these things a go but is this one step too far? My father said he never messed with water, electric or gas but one has to live a little, no?

If you do recommend this, what should I expect to find? Any tips?

Are you sure it's actually leaking from the bottom seal and not just flowing down from the top seal connected to the cistern? To be sure run your dry hand around the pipe near the top seal.

In any case to replace any of those seals:

Turn off the inlet tap to the cistern and flush until no more water remains in the cistern.  (Have some rags ready anyway as there's bound to be a small amount of water coming out residual to the cistern.)
Undo the nut at the cistern end by hand and lower this end of the pipe--now you can slide it back towards the cistern to remove it from the bowl.
Replace any broken seals and reinstall (reverse of removal instructions).
Open the water to cistern inlet and flush several times to check for leaks. Make sure both the cistern and bowl are well secured as any possible movement left may cause leak during usage.


Floorboards have come loose Front porch has old tongue and groove flooring. The nails at the end of the boards have come loose and two boards have buckled. What’s the best way to go about resetting them? I hate to cut away the tongue since that helps to keep the boards locked in, but it looks like that’s what I may have to do.

Just align everything and tap it back into place with a block of wood laid over the top. Work slowly and watch for misalignment, working from the end that's still in place.

It should go back in without much trouble unless it buckled because of severe swelling due to moisture. In that case, wait until it dries out and try then.

I'd use galvanized, coated, or stainless steel trim-head screws to re-fasten. Nails may not hold well in that old framing. Screws with pilot-points will help prevent splitting.


What is the best way to fix these displaced tiles? The tiles are complete and intact. Over time they have displaced from their locations. The grout around the tiles have chipped away.
What kind of adhesive is required to put these tiles back into place?
What's the best way to fix these displaced tiles?

The best and proper repair (short of addressing what's under them by ripping the whole thing out) is to chisel out the old thinset (might as well get the broken tile behind) and use new thinset, probably with a polymer admixture (liquid instead of water) as well as polymer modified thinset (the dry part), since the area has evidently been less than ideal for tile staying put, so more flex in the mortar is better.
Wait the proper time (tyically 24-48 hours) without traffic, grout between the tiles, wait more time (typically 24-48 minimum again), and ideally limit or avoid traffic for as long as is practical up to a couple of weeks.
For quick & dirty repairs in a similar situation I've used polyurethane construction adhesive. It's not best, but it beats a loose tile if you need it done quickly.


Adding wall sconce fixture - stud in way My wife wants three light fixtures mounted over the vanity in the bathroom. One of them is positioned directly over a wall stud. To install an electric box, can I saw/chisel through the stud (not load bearing), or is there a better way?

Use a saddle mounted box -- these are most commonly used for fans, but can be used for a light as well.  (Link and picture are merely representative.)


What does breaking the tab on the neutral side do to the outlet as a whole? I know that breaking it on the hot (copper) side allows the one receptacle to be controlled via switch while keeping the other always hot.  Are there scenarios where you would ONLY cut the neutral side tab and leave the other? What about scenarios where both would be cut?

Breaking the tab on the neutral side does exactly the same as the hot side: it separates one terminal and neutral outlet from the other terminal and outlet.

I can't imagine a scenario where only the neutral would be cut.

The neutral should be cut where the corresponding hots are cut and come with their own neutral. For example, if the two halves of the outlet are controlled by two separate switches and the power comes from the switches, then the neutrals should be separate. The neutral should not be cut where the power comes in to the box with the outlet, and the wire from the box to the switch is switching the hot and returning it over the white wire.


Determine load bearing wall I recently purchased a small home in a very rural area (in other words, no original blue prints at the recorder of deeds).  The home is sitting on a concrete slab and is a single level.  I have attached my own rough floor plan identifying a wall that I would like to remove to open up the kitchen into the living room (and add a load bearing beam).  Originally I believed that it was a load bearing wall since it runs perpendicular to the rafters.  However, when my father-in-law looked at the floor plan he thought that it was not load bearing since there is an additional 10 feet from the end of the wall to the edge of the home with no walls or headers (see left side of floor plan).  Short of calling in an engineer, are there any other things I could check to determine if this wall is load bearing?

I’d check: 1) roof framing, 2) top plate, 3) sole plate fasters, 4) wall sheathing

1) If the roof framing is identical over the “no wall” area as the “wall to be removed” area, then I’d assume it is not a load bearing wall.

2) If there’s a single top plate at the wall to be removed, then that would give additional indication that it’s not load bearing.

3) If there are no bolts with over sized washers (3” sq. Washers) in the wall to be removed, then that is an indication that it’s not a load bearing.

4) If there’s no wall sheathing (plywood, OSB board, etc.) then it’s not a lateral resistance wall.

If all indications are “negative”, then I’d assume it’s okay to remove.

Note: I did not mention checking for a footing, because you indicated your house is slab-on-grade.


How do I tell if dried flooring glue is oil-based or water-based? I removed vinyl flooring that was glued down (by a previous owner) in the 1990's, and there is a significant amount of dried glue left behind on the concrete floor.

The self-leveler and glue that I will be using for the new flooring has different floor preparation requirements depending on whether the old glue is water-based or oil-based.  How do I figure out which it is?

Place a wet rag over an area and then put a pot over the rag to keep it from drying out for a day or so and see if the glue softens up. If it does, it was water probably based.


In what order should I install roofing, gutters, and attic insulation? I have an old ranch built in the 50's.  It needs a new roof, insulation (currently no insulation) in the attic, and new gutters.  It's almost impossible to find a good contractor that does it all.  What order should I do the upgrades?  I've heard gutters must be made to work with roof.  I guess roof->gutters??  I might need to add more ventilation to the roof for the insulation. I'm guessing roof->gutters->insulation??  Thanks in advance for any help.

You want to do the roof before the gutters. Gutters attach to the roof decking and/or the fascia so if you did them first, they'd have to be removed. If the additional venting you mentioned is going to be installed on the roof, turbines, etc., they go in afterwards or possibly along with the new roof. If the venting will be installed in the eave with soffits, that can be done afterwards. Last but not least, the insulation goes in after everything else is complete


PEX minimum radius of curvature The photographed PEX radius of curvature is approximately 2 feet.

What is a reasonable curvature for PEX piping?

What is the minimum RoC?

I ask because if I can avoid using a 90 degree shark bite, that is one less failure (leak) point.  Although I really like the idea of one less failure point, I need to be careful not to introduce a curve that will weaken the pipe and cause a burst. The PEX piping runs through the plenum of an office.

The minimum bending radius or PEX is 8 times the outside diameter of PEX, (8 x OD). For 1/2" PEX with OD of 5/8", minimum bending radius is 8 x 5/8" = 5".
OD's for 5/8" PEX is.75", 3/4" PEX is .875" and 1"
pex is 1.125"
So minimum bending radius for 5/8" PEX is 6", for 3/4" PEX is 7", and for 1" PEX is 9"
These are the minimum bending radii so anything over that is reasonable.


How to locate plumbing schematics of a very old home? We have a break/breaks in our sewage main line, and need the plumbing schematics of house. If that is impossible then where can I find just the house blueprints?

Plumbing schematics are often unavailable, but a good plumber can usually figure it out.

...

  Current building codes usually require filing with a local building department, but that did not exist before mid 20th century or later in many jurisdictions.


pump running little water going into tank My well pump is running but water sounds like it is trickling into the tank.  I have primed the pump and that appears to be fine.  In fact,after running the pump for a little bit, when I go to remove the prime plug, there is pressure built up although my gauge does't show any (might have a bad gauge).  The pump constantly runs and I have the system shut off right after the tank.  We ran the pump about 15 minutes last night with the valve shut off right after the pump and it just continued to run.  That should be enough time to fill and pressure the tank and what small amount of pipe there is.  Other than a hole in the pipe coming from the well, I am trying to figure out if there is something else I can do above ground to see if that is the problem.

There could be several reasons for this to occur.  The first thing I would do is install a new pressure gauge.  From your description, even though the pump is running it does not sound like it is "primed".  If pressure is built in the pump when you pull the "prime plug" the water would be shooting out of there.  The best way to prime a jet pump is to install a ball valve where the prime plug is so you can add water here to the pump as it is running to help "prime the pump", regulate the amount of water going in, and begin to build pressure.  As the pressure on the gauge begins to rise shut off the ball valve and see if the pump begins to build pressure itself. If not continue to add water as pump is running until the gauge shows pressure building.  It would also help to do, as you did, (shut off the valve between pump and tank) until the pump builds pressure in the line. Then gradually open the valve to the pressure tank, watching the pressure gauge and trying to keep the water pressure on the higher end until the tank is full and pump shuts off.  If the pressure tank is waterlogged (No Air) the pump will have a considerably harder time to build pressure.

Jet pumps generally have a 20/40 pressure switch. Any higher pressure can cause the jet pump to work too hard to build and maintain pressure.
If there is a galvanized well tank make sure it is pressurized to 18lbs of air with a 20/40 switch. 28lbs with a 30/50 switch. This style tank has to be re-pressurized yearly.
If it has a bladder style tank make sure the air charge is the same as above.
You also need to determine if your well pump system is a single drop or double drop design. [Double Drop and Single Drop Jet Pump Well Designs][1]
Get yourself several buckets of water to aid in priming the pump.
If none of this helps you most likely have a plugged screen (call well man) or bad check valve (The check valve may be right at the pump). You can replace that yourself. The sign this is bad is after the pump builds pressure it immediately kicks on again as the check valve is allowing water to drop back down the pipe causing the pump to loose prime again.
Jet Pump Trouble shooting
How to re-pressurize a well tank

I hope this helps,

R.J. DeChene
The Water Softener Blog.com


Garage Door Sensor Issue This morning my garage door opener stopped working correctly. It was working fine, as of last night. I have a Liftmaster Professional 1250LM (1/3 HP).

Prior to this morning, the sensor had not been touched. I've made sure that they are level and correctly pointed at each other. Each has a solid (non-blinking) green light. Lock mode doesn't appear to be on.

When I press the button on either of our 2 clickers, the light just flashes and the door does nothing. As if something is blocking the sensors.

If I quickly press the button on the wall panel, the same thing happens. However, if I hold it down, the door will close. Not sure but, this seems to force it to go, despite the sensor reading. Tapping it again, once the door has closed, opens the door normally. When closing the door, I have to hold down the button on the wall panel until it's completely closed or it will stop. Again, as if something is blocking the sensor.

In either of these cases (the door has been "forced" open or close), the remote does nothing but make the light flash.

Any thoughts on what the issue might be?

UPDATE

After spending a few days trying to decipher the troubleshooting instructions Liftmaster sent me, I've resolved this issue.

http://liftmaster.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2715

As I mentioned originally, I could hold the button down on the wall control to "force" the door down. I did this and then waved something in front of the sensors. This reversed the door. So, the sensors are working fine.

I ended up pressing the green "Smart" button on the back of the main unit and then pressing the remote button once. This seems to have re-added the remote to the system. Both remotes work normally now.


Best type of fan for sucking air through a small hole? I'm trying to cool a little server farm in my rented apartment that consumes around 5kW of electricity. The insulation of the building is crap and there is no central heating so during the winter it kept the apartment at a pretty nice 18C.

Now that summer is coming though, things are heating up. All I have for ventilation is a few 20cm diameter holes that go straight outside, none of the windows open.

I've tried a few fans already, one was a bathroom fan that exactly fits the hole, it turned out to be rather noisy and doesn't really move a lot of air.

Another is a generic floor fan, the blades have a ~40cm diameter, I put a cardboard shroud around it to enclose around the hole as best as I could. That slowed down the fan quite significantly due to increased resistance but it still moves way more air than the bathroom fan and makes way less noise.

Now I've been looking at centrifugal fans online, apparently they should be better at dealing with high flow resistance but are also reported to have higher energy consumption and noise.

Do you guys think I would get better efficiency in regards to air flow/power consumption with a centrifugal fan or an even bigger axial fan?

A centrifugal fan should be able to push maybe 300-500 CFM through that hole, it will be fairly noisy and will probably draw 200-300 Watts depending on the size. Maybe something in the 1/6-1/4 HP range. However fans generally don’t do much when they are taking in relatively warm air to begin with. A fan will help a bit but if it gets hot where you are drawing the air from it probably will not be satisfactory. Usually a server room using that much power would be cooled by refrigeration.


Possible to refinish pressed-wood cabinets? I've got some kitchen cabinets. The wood is very lightweight and the cross-section is pressed wood with what looks like a durable paper-like surface layer. I'm not sure what they're called. They were new and installed recently (in the past year), I'm just not quite satisfied with the color. Is it possible to use something like the new Rustoleum product to change the finish? And what is the Rustoleum stuff? Is it like paint? is it a stain?

Your cabinets are probably a melamine covered press particle board type. You should be able to use the Rustoleum product you mentioned in your question.  You could also paint them.  What you cannot do is sand and stain them because there is no real wood veneer to work with.


Is a gradual 3/4 inch rise acceptable under carpet? I have a change in subfloor height to contend with. For whatever reason at one doorway of the house the subfloor was built 3/4" (19 mm) higher than the neighboring section.

I can install a tapered board here so that the rise would take place over about a 5" (125 mm) run. However with carpet over this I am concerned it may not be visible enough and could be a trip hazard.

Any tips on whether this is really a concern and if so what to do about it?

There is no practical way to alter the construction to get all the subfloor in the same plane. But I might be able to extend the run of the transition to about 10" with some localized alterations to the subfloor just at this doorway. The doorway is through a 10" thick wall.

There are shims made for these situations. Have a look

These are made by traxx. Ask at your local carpet shop or order on line

If you take a look at the link you will see a variety of options including one shim that is 24” in the ramp from 0-1”.
 In my opinion this is a good fix for a transition like yours and is easy to walk across.
You can of course ask your local AHJ about code compliance.


How should I install a french drain in this situation, and will it help? I need to install a french drain to prevent the water from getting to the wall of my house. The water is coming off a patio, here is the layout

I would like to understand a couple of things:

1) How effective is a french drain that is so close to the wall as in the picture below:

Below is a drawing (not mine) representing a french drain. Just to be clear, Our house does have gutters, clean and with no problems.

The above picture shows a foil of plastic that is installed in the french drain before anything. Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose, which is to collect water from the near by area in all directions?
On the other side my concern regarding to the effectiveness of a french drain that is built attached to the wall of the house is questioning an issue that could be easily avoided by installing such a plastic foil on the side of the trench that faces the house wall. My concern is that in the eventuality that something goes wrong with the french drain the water will collect close to the house wall and it will actually aggravate the problem.

2) I also don't understand, in the absence of the plastic foil, what prevents the water from getting further below the gravel in any direction. The only time when the pipe will collect water is when the amount of water is more than the soil at the bottom of the french drain can absorb which is not very often.

3) The depth of the trench should be 24". Isn't that too deep?

Home depot recommends a patio excavation of around 8-9".

  EXCAVATE
         The highest point of a patio surface can be as much as an inch above grade-enough so that the lowest section is at grade. Remove the sod. Then remove 4½ inches of soil plus the thickness of the pavers to make room for the 4-inch gravel bed and a 1½-inch sand base, leaving the lowest surface of the pavers 1 inch above grade. Excavate the rest of the patio, following the slope of the lines.

4) I am not sure about the soil that is under the patio but the surface of my patio is clearly not graded. The yard of my house is graded toward the North of the below picture. My question is: can I grade just the section that is north of the raised deck? The area under the deck and the area south of the deck is not getting lots of water and the wall is fine in that area.

5) If I have the french drain installed as in the layout from the first picture will it be effective since there is a 90 degree turn at the corner of the house?

The water table around my house is very high with a lot of surface water due to clay subsoil. My experience of 25 years in my current house (boat?) is adding a french drain around the house is a patch to a larger yard grading problem.  I've done this and eventually they clog and need maintenance.  Over time I've regraded most of my yard so water flows away from the foundation.  Gravity never fails and never clogs!  My guess is your patio is sloped incorrectly towards your house.  Short of replacing the patio, a french drain is the only alternative I can think of.  They work when installed correctly.

I just replaced my patio this summer.  We had a surveyor transit, built up the area with dirt/aggregate and put in a slightly steeper pitch. The one small part slopes towards a french drain to my downspout.  I was afraid the water would run into my neighbors yard and I don't need those problems!  The larger section pitches towards a special garden area that was dug out and filled with mulch and water loving plants.  It gets very soggy!  Again, my approach is to slope the water away from my foundation and then do something with it there.  Through hard knocks I've learned solving a water problem at the foundation is the least desirable place to address the problem.  Unfortunately for many, prior mistakes make it the only alternative.


Woodford faucet water leaking out of little holes near hose I have a Woodford model 25 exterior faucet bib "freeze less"
When I turn it on, it appears water is gushing out of some holes near where the hose connects, and not much pressure is going to the hose.
What are those holes, suggestions for fixing it?

Those holes are probably part of the now required anti-backflow feature. There are rubber seals inside that must be replaced.
Shut off the water at the valve in the pic and unscrew the cap on the left. There will be parts inside which must be replaced. Looks like a large Allen wrench fits inside. If you don't want to get a special large Allen wrench, one could probably use a pipe wrench or channel locks.
EDIT  Before you take it apart be sure that the hose you are connecting to it is threaded on correctly and has its own washer seal in place.


How can I cut metal roofing and siding into pieces during demolition? I'm tearing down an old single wide. What is an easy way of cutting the siding (aluminum) and roof (corrugated steel) into manageable pieces.

Circular saw (e.g. Skilsaw) with a carbide-toothed framing or demolition blade (or two, or five). Good eye, ear, and skin protection. Reciprocating saw (e.g. Sawzall) for the tight spots.


Why do different meters show different voltages between hot and ground? I am measuring voltage between hot and ground wires on a light box.

Why does one voltmeter show 4 volts. And another shows 0 volts?

How many volts should there be between these two wires?

Any time you see wack-a-doodle voltages associated with safety ground, you should consider that safety ground might not be connected to anything.

It's very common in pre-1965 homes to have the original wiring laid groundless with contemporary /2 no-ground cable, and then in the 1970s and onward, extended with /2+ground cable.  Typically they either connect the extension ground to nothing (preferred), or to the metal boxes (bad, since if it isn't connected back to the panel it only causes those locations to share their ground faults, energizing all their grounds if one has a ground fault).

So when you see a hot-ground reading like that, you are best off investigating why that safety ground is not properly connected back to the main panel (or maybe the hot is not properly connected).  If the wiring is old enough that it simply isn't connected, then furl up the ground wire in reserve for the happy day when ground is retrofitted, and do your best to insulate it from touching the metal box.


Minerals when draining water heater Per the instructions with my new water heater, I drain a gallon from the bottom every month. The previous owner of my home never did anything and that water heater started leaking, hence the replacement.

The water in our area is hard-ish, but I hesitate to call it hard. I've never seen this in all the decades I lived in this area but, when I drain the water, there is a collection of minerals, sandy looking, in the bottom of the bucket. Maybe a tablespoon amount.

This has been going on for a year. At first I thought it might be residue in the pipes. We had some of the plumbing replaced cause it was in bad shape but not a majority of it.

How unusual is this and should I be concerned or do anything about it? I've lived within 10 miles of my current home and I've never seen that before though I'll admit I've not been as meticulous about taking care to drain the water heater or doing it in a bucket first. Have I just never noticed it before?

This is completely normal and is the reason it is suggested you drain and flush your tank periodically.   Even better than just draining a gallon of water is to turn off the tank (either kill the electricity or turn off the gas valve), shutoff the water to the tank, drain the entire tank, and then with the drain open, run the water to flush any remaining sediment away.

The discharge will be any colour from white to black depending on the mineral contents of your water.

Be careful when draining the tank as the water will be very hot.

Once complete, re-fill the tank completely and then turn on the power or re-light the pilot and turn the gas valve on.


Is it safe to use stain and polyurethane on a wooden trivet I'm making wooden trivets (using hard woods) to sell. I would like to use stain & polyurethane but I'm not sure if it will melt or become damaged when a hot pan is placed on it. Will it be safe?

Oil-based polyurethane is fairly resistant to heat (slightly more so than water-based), and it would seal well, allowing for easier cleaning and care. If you're not a terrible cook or one inclined toward flaming dishes, it should last well.

  For trivets, the enemies are heat and food or water spills. Years ago, I made some trivets for the magazine and finished them with a 50/50 mix of oil-based polyurethane and mineral spirits. Its thinner consistency allowed the finish to flow down into the nooks and crannies well (my trivets had some intricate cutouts, as you can see in the photo below). Then, the excess was easy to wipe off. It soaked in and dried quickly, and I applied several coats. Over the years, we’ve continued to use this very trivet regularly, and the finish has held up well to all sorts of hot pots and cookie sheets. I recommend it.

More info


Duct tape and painter's tape to cover baseboard heater I am having an issue of beetles and centipedes entering my apartment from under my baseboard (length of room) radiator via cracks in the foundation. Landlord is not able to send anyone out for a few days yet.

If I cover the vents with painter's tape and duct tape, and the heater accidentally kicks on (if temp drops too low, my thermostat does NOT have a switch, all I can do is turn the dial down to like 35 deg F), would it be dangerous? I.E., fumes?

Backstory is long but this is something I may need to do till an exterminator comes out later in the week and treats the patch of grass on the property.

My internet research has yielded ambiguous results.

Thanks all.

In theory, any tape that is truly designed for HVAC use should be OK. That would not include painters tape, and very likely not include ordinary duct tape (despite the name "duct", it is not necessarily rated for heating duct temperatures).

But for installation right next to an actual heater, I would recommend metal tape designed for high temperatures. Something like 3M High Temperature Flue Tape. I have not used this particular tape, but I have used similar tapes. Check the temperature rating - this one is rated for up 600 degrees Fahrenheit - and if your baseboard heater gets hotter than 600 degrees then you have bigger problems than a few bugs (a few well-roasted bugs).

Now that I see (thank you @bib) that you are talking about taping over vents, that gets a bit trickier. I thought it was just holes NEAR the heater - in which case high-temperature tape would certainly be fine. Blocking actual vents in the heater is potentially more of a problem because heat could build up inside the heater beyond the design limits - i.e., once the heater turns on it wouldn't turn off (unless the room warms up for other reasons) because the tape would trap most of the heat inside the heater.


What should be the thickness of a glass table top I want to make my own dining table. I'm planning to buy a glass table top, but I need to know if a glass of 1/4" will be fine for that.

Condition: Brand new item in box
Shape: Rectangle
Available: Sizes36x60
Glass Type: Clear Glass
Edge Work: Beveled Polish
Corner Finish: Eased
Strength: Tempered

http://www.dullesglassandmirror.com/store/36x60-inch-rectangle-glass-table-top-14-inch-thick-bevel-polished-edge-eased-T36x60RE6MMBETEM-T.aspx
Also I think using a Nano470 Construction Glass Glue for adhering to the base would be fine.
Should I buy a glass with a greater thickness?
Another thing I am asking is how can I illuminate the glass with LED. I see something in this site at the bottom of the page:
http://www.thinkglass.com/glass-countertop-residential/tabletop/tabletop
Would this work?

1/4" tempered glass should be fine. It's considerably stronger than the same thickness of normal glass, and also much safer in the event that you do manage to break it.

LED (or any other light source) into a glass sheet is normally injected at the edges (the LEDs being built into the table frame) - but it may not be all that exciting on a clear glass sheet (the ones you linked to were heavily textured - it needs to at least be frosted on one side for much light to get out.)


What does the "lip" of a toilet bowl mean? This is a question inspired by the term as used at http://www.quora.com/Why-does-urine-have-a-tendency-to-collect-at-the-base-of-the-toilet and at http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-a-Toilet

I basically want to know what to call the part of the toilet that's under the bowl (but still to the side of it)

The part under the seat is called the BOWL  the space where water and other stuff goes down the drain is called the FLUSH PASSAGE

Now i doubt there is a technical name further than that and In the building trade we always set a toilet on the Bowls Base, so the top will be the Bowl Head( which in your case is what you are referring to as the "Lip") and on the head you mount the Seat.

EDIT

What you have circled is called the toiled mounting. The screw you use is called a mounting screw and the mounting screw holds the Toiled base via the toilet mounting to a floor flange.Sometimes in between the base and the flange you can have a leak pan connected to another waste pipe.

If you have any more doubts.. please research this interesting document.


How to fix gaps between laminate flooring and a door We moved in to our house just before covid and had a trained "friend" fit our laminate flooring but since have come to realise he hasn't done a very good job and has stopped replying to messages.
Around our front and back door, there are gaps between the door and laminate flooring. What would be best to fill these? I am completely new to DIY so need as much help as possible!
Photos below.
Thanks,
Lauren

Are those sliding doors or regular hinged doors? The "friend" actually did a fairly good job of installing the flooring. There usually has to be a gap between the wall and flooring because the flooring will expand and contract if it's a floating floor. The gap is usually covered by molding fastened to the wall, not the floor. You can find different molding and trim at your home stores. They usually come in different colors or you can stain them to match.


How can I check if my well still has water if the pump is broken? I just bought the house recently and this is my pump :

Not in a great shape as you can see, but new one will do just fine. My questions is more on the well.

How can I check if it still has water? Or what are the steps I need to take to make sure there is still water there before connecting pump (let's pretend my pump is primed and ready to go)?

Find the actual top of the well, (follow the suction pipe), dig out and clean off, remove the well cap, preferably also remove the suction pipe so there's nothing to snag on (it should pull easily, and you'll want to look at the foot valve anyway) tie a weight to a string, if the string will not obviously show where it's wetted, attach a rag or something to the weight, and lower it 27 feet (since you appear to have a simple suction/surface pump setup - 1 pipe to the well.)

Be very careful of the opened well - you probably won't be able to fall into it like Lassie's idiot friend (in most cases, but there are still a few that big in service) but you do not want to drop anything into it - hard to get back out, and bad for your water supply. Recap as soon as you are done testing.

Pull up, if the string or rag is wet, you have water that you can pump with that type of pump.

You still won't know actual flow capacity of the well until you do a pump test, which involves actually applying a pump and removing water - any well / pump company can do that for you, for a price, or you can just buy a pump and do it yourself, less formally.

You can also use more string and check how deep the well is, though to actually exploit any water below 27 feet you need to change pump types - but changing to a submersible type pump would put the pump safely in the well rather than outside in the weather and vandal (? something's been broken, anyway) zone. If there's actually much more extensive breakage and that was a jet pump (two pipes in the well), you want to change to a submersible anyway (in my opinion, in this day and age) for a variety of reasons including more efficent pumping and no priming needed.

When placing the well back in service, you should "shock-treat" it to kill any bacteria introduced while servicing the well. You should avoid drinking the water until you have tested it (after flushing & using it for non-drinking purposes for a while after shock-treatment) to be sure that it is actually safe to drink.


Stud hole for Romex electrical wire filled with Green-glue acoustic sealant - Cause of concern? I am helping my brother with his unfinished basement when I realized he made a mistake. I told him to use a fire stopping sealant in certain stud holes where Romex wire was being fed through.

Unfortunately he used the wrong sealant, he used saint-gobain's acoustic soundproof sealant (i.e: Green-Glu).

My primary concern was "Would there be a negative reaction from the soundproof sealant coming into contact with the Romex sheathing" (i.e: Would it damage the sheathing or is there any serious risk)

I reached out to Saint-Gobain for more information and couldnt get a straight answer (which is  understandable)

Saint Gobain - "We do not have any information on using with wires and I don’t expect our sealant will provide an acoustical function in contact with the wires, and it could be a safety issue if a fire develops in one cavity as this is not a fire blocking material."

I plan on trying to remove some of the sealant and replace with a fire stopping sealant but there are areas I simply don't have access to. To anyone's knowledge is there any serious risks here? Should I be concerned with the Romex Sheathing having any negative reactions to the sealant?

Its worth nothing:
- The only "official" reported negative reaction I could find is when it comes into contact with copper. They also state it can be used around plastic junction boxes.

Green Glu Material Datasheet
Product Used

The MDS notes that the components are latex polymer, water and CaCO3 (calcium carbonate). These are inert and should not interact with the sheathing.


How to troubleshoot/diagnose an oven that won't heat past a certain point? Our ovens (double-stacked Nutone Hotpoint circa 1960s) are old:

About 2 months ago, we noticed that the bottom one - which had been running great for years - wouldn't get any hotter than just "kind of warm". No matter what we set it to (Bake 500 degrees, Broil, etc.) and no matter how long we waited, the bottom oven would never get anywhere past 100 degrees or so. No big whoop, because we still had the top one working fine.

Well now the top one is doing the same exact thing which means we're out of a usable oven. This is a very big whoop.

Ideally, I'd like to troubleshoot, diagnose & repair the ovens. I just find it strange that these 2 ovens have been running strong since the 1960s and now they both go within a few months of each other.

I'm not sure where to even begin troubleshooting. For one, they certainly could use a cleaning, so I think I'd like to start there. But I have to ask: what steps/processes should I go through to figure out what is going on with these?

I'm guessing that coiled up wire at the top right is the thermocouple. Do I see a silver tip thing on the end of it? You can splice thermocouple wires if you use ceramic wire nuts, otherwise you have to trace that back to behind the control panel. Here's some good info at Appliance411. I'm not to keen on electric ovens, but with the door open and perhaps a fan blowing in, I'd like to think you'd see the elements glow at least briefly in order to eliminate element or control knob problems.


Help identify a ceiling mounted fluorescent light cover I know this is a stretch, but I'm hoping that someone might be able to help. I have three of these lights and two of the covers are broken. We've searched and been unable to find new ones. I don't know the brand, but I do know we bought them at Home Depot some time after 2006.

Included are images of the fixture.

Thanks in advance!

You may be overall better off looking at replacing the fixtures with something different rather than stressing out trying to find an matching cover. It is fairly easy to source fixture covers that look more like this:

These also more of a contemporary styling as well.

Another thing to consider is the replacement to LED technology for the energy savings that it offers.


Central curtain rod support is ripping out I used zinc drywall anchors to install a curtain rod. The area doesn't have studs. Given the length of the rod, there are three hangers: left, center and right. I noticed that the center hanger is damaging the drywall (it appears to be cracking under load: .

Questions:
Is the drywall at the center hanger too damaged to remove the anchors and replace them with toggle bolts?
Is it easy/recommended to remove the anchors and replace them with toggle bolts on the left/right sides as the drywall their doesn't exhibit cracking.
Is there a way to strengthen the drywall at the cracked area?

Curtain rods are a cantilevered load, meaning they will pull on the anchor. Drywall anchors don't do well with pulling loads.

The better fix would be to add some supporting bracing to take the cantilevered load and transform it into a shear load. For example using a steel wire to a hook a foot or so above the support.


Fan blew up capacitor, replaced capacitor, now it won't turn I have a three wire fan, diagram looks like this:

Source: Google
Or this one:

Source: https://www.electricalonline4u.com/2016/09/replacing-motor-capacitor-ceiling-fan-capacitor.html
The capacitor swelled but was still somewhat functional so I replaced it, the fan would barely turn.
The problem is I replaced the switch (switch looks like the top diagram, with three pos tied together) and capacitor (except its a purple and yellow wire cap with a value of 1.5 and 2.5uf, now the fan won't turn. But it does get hot (like 110C hot). The hot wire reads 120V at the switch, I can't really measure the other points because of difficulty of reaching them with the meter probe.
I am thinking that the coils could be out... I get 70Ω across the main winding and 150Ω across the secondary of the motor.
What could be the problem?

When fans get old, the lubrication on their bearings is usually gone. Most consumer grade fans have oilite bushings. These wick oil from a cotton or wool to the bushing; as they age, they use up the oil, pull more current, and may pop the cap. I have recovered many fans by using a light oil and saturating the media with oil. When starting the fan, if you give it a flick and it runs but then slows and stops, this may be your issue.