Why G23 energy-saving lamps need ballast, does it make sense also for LED type? IKEA Lival desktop lamp (like this) use a huge adapter plugging into power-socket, which should be ballast/transmitter. The lamp uses a G23 bulb from e.g. OSARAM DULUX S11 W. I feel very strange it needs a "power adapter" and found no where of the bulb's voltage! From ORSAM's website2 it s
Question:

Could it directly connect to 220V? would it damage the bulb permanently?
Why does it need a ballast? Such a big block for nowadays is really weird.
I would switch it to G23 LED type e.g. from Amazon, would it still compatible? if so, I think the design for still use "power-adapter"(ballast) is really awkward (industrial cheating). But Any benefits ten? reliability? long-life than direct LED (like this)?

Please help me understand this industrial revolution.

I think you're thinking of all light bulbs as just a thing you put 120V on, and then magic happens and light comes out.
Voltage is pressure.  Current is flow.
Not at all. Lights work on current, and most of them need external help to limit how much current flows through the bulb (or else they will flow too much current and explode). Edison's biggest challenge with the incandescent bulb was to get it to work on constant voltage.  Using constant-current was impossible because in the day, that was only possible with AC power, which would've required conceding the War of the Currents to Tesla.
Of course Tesla did win, and the result was discharge lights were viable even before silicon electronics.
So the upshot is that every light source needs some sort of current-limiting device, except for incandescents are able to do it themselves because of Edison's vast search for a self-limiting incandescent.
So yes, fluorescents need a current limiting device called a ballast, that also knows how to run pre-heaters and provide an initial "arc strike" voltage when preheating is done (which takes less than a second).
All the HID lights (low/high pressure sodium, metal halide, and mercury vapor) also need a ballast.  So do neons and traditional arc lights ("Batman beacons").
LEDs too need a current limiting device.  A resistor will suffice, but if you want peak performance out of them, it really needs to be an active ballast-like device.  Because they're electronic now, they call it a "driver".
Fluorescent ballasts and LED drivers are not interchangeable and one will not play with the other.
The things on the market that you call LED "bulbs" that have an Edison base are actually a manufactured products containing a) LEDs, b) heatsinks, c) lensing/diffusion, and d) an LED driver circuit.
As far as an LED "replacement unit", first I wouldn't buy anything from Amazon ever since they became eBay, because so much of it is unsafe junk from the worst overseas factories who cut every corner and ignore safety standards.
But yes, there is such a thing as an LED "fluorescent replacement" designed to work even though the ballast is still present.  This too has LEDs, heat sinks, lensing and electronic driver.   So in effect the ballast feeds power to the LED driver, which is built "smart enough" to behave the way a ballast expects a fluorescent tube to behave.


How can I repair damage to the corner of a 4x4 post? I'm updating my outdoor shower, and planning to reuse the existing (20 year old pressure treated) 4x4 posts. They're still solidly seated in the ground and surrounded by decking so I'd like to avoid replacing them.
In a couple of spots, the wood is broken or chipped out where an old hinge used to hang, or just from wear and tear. (Pictured below.) I'd like to repair it for cosmetic reasons before painting them and updating the rest of the shower.
What's the best way to make the repair? My instinct is to use my multi-tool to cut out the broken wood and then cut a new piece of wood and nail (and/or glue) it into the cutout. E.g. cut a 1"x1" section out of the broken corner and replace it with a solid piece of wood. Then saw/sand it flush. Is that a reasonable solution? Are there any more obvious / easier / better solutions? Thanks.

Any repair as you describe will look like a patch and will make the situation much more conspicuous than it is now. The only fix, aside from replacement, would be to wrap the posts with something new. You could box them with 1x6 ripped to 4-1/4", for example, but obviously that defeats the point of reuse.
I would probably add a few finish nails to secure the loose bit, then run a sander over it and call it a day.
UPDATE: I totally missed that you were painting. In that case, I'd probably run some screws into the loose area (or remove it), then skim with a good wood filler like Rock Hard Water Putty. Sand and prime, then paint.  I would not install a filler block. That's a lot of putzy work for little gain.


Carrier 60,000 BTU 92% Furnace vs Carrier 40,000 BTU 95% AFCU Furnace I have about 900 finished square feet in my house, and I'll eventually be adding another 200 or so finished sq/ft in my basement.  I'm looking to get my furnace replaced and have been quoted two options:

Carrier 60,000 BTU 92%
Carrier 40,000 BTU 95%

I'm currently renovating my house and looking for it to be as efficient as possible.  Walls/trusses will be well-insulated and all the windows are being replaced with high-efficiency ones.  I'd like to go with the more efficient furnace, but I'm not sure that it will be enough BTU's to sufficiently heat the place.  I'm looking for an opinion from someone who knows a thing or two about this stuff.

Edit

I should probably mention that I'm from Wisconsin, where we've spent the last couple weeks in -20 degree (with windchill) weather!

There are two exterior doors, 9 windows (including an 8-foot bay window), and it's a single-story, single-family dwelling.

The 40,000 BTU furnace is almost certainly sufficient. It doesn't take a gigantic amount of heat to heat an 1100 square foot house, even if the house is relatively poorly-insulated. If your goal is to improve your house's thermal envelope with more insulation and better windows, a 40,000 BTU furnace may even be oversized once you're done.
To make sure, do a quick calculation yourself using http://www.loadcalc.net/. You can play with the variables to see what impact your decisions have on the ultimate heating loads. This tool isn't perfect, but will probably get you within 10-20% of the correct number, which is good enough for your purposes here.
Since you're shooting for a well-insulated house, it would be a good idea to get a two-stage or modulating furnace that is capable of producing variable amounts of heat depending on the load. In the kind of house you're planning to have, one of these will be more comfortable, efficient, and longer-lasting compared to a single-stage furnace.


Is it possible to wire a 120v light off of a 220v compressor? I have a 60 gallon compressor in my shop that people leave running overnight, killing electricity.  I would like to wire a light off my compressor switch so it lights up when the compressor is on.  Would it be possible to wire it off a single hot, then use the ground and neutral?

Don't worry about how to wire up a 120v bulb - just get one that is designed for 220v.  Half the world uses 220v for lighting and general purpose outlets, so it's not hard to find online.  If you want to find something in a local store, look closely at the boxes for LED bulbs.  They could have a power supply that supports a wide range for the global market.

If you want a certain type of bulb, look online.  You can find LED or incandescent with a variety of bases.

And to add in other answers from the comments - a timer might be a good choice for you.  Home stores commonly sell large mechanical timers for 220v water heaters.  They should work well on something like an air compressor (assuming it is less than 40A, larger timers might be more rare).

And of course the other option would be to fix all the air leaks so the compressor never runs.


240v Cove Heater Wiring So I'm planning on wiring in three 240v cove heaters in my master bedroom and bathroom (on two separate thermostats).  I've read through the manufacturer installation instructions, as well as information regarding the NEC standards for installation, and I just want to make sure I have everything correct.

Here's my diagram of what I'm planning on doing.

I had a couple questions in addition to this.  I haven't found anything saying that 240v heater circuits need AFCI/GFCI breakers, is there a requirement for these in this circumstance?  If not, would it be a good idea, or is it completely unnecessary?

Second, the cove heaters stick out about 1" from the wall, meaning the cable has an air gap to cross.  I know there's a requirement to protect the cable from physical damage, but the manufacturer says not to use plastic conduit.  Would this limit me to rigid/semi-rigid metallic conduit?  Is there a way to clean this up to look a little nicer?

Thank you all for your assistance.

Edit1: More pictures

You bring your NM wall run into a junction box installed in the wall.  Then either you continue the NM down the conduit into the heater proper (ugh, NM in conduit!) or you terminate the NM there and continue in THHN or a high-temp wire.  Wire gage stays the same transitioning amongst  NM, THHN, AC etc.  I mean, you're always allowed to bigger than required.

I hope they provide a way to make that splice and button up the junction box without having to dangle the heater in the air while you do it.

They are recommending steel e.g. EMT conduit from there, I would certainly use EMT, or a nipple may suffice.  Rigid is not worth fooling with, except in rare instances where the facts just work in its favor.

You could also put the junction box past the end of the heater, come out of it with an LB elbow and into the heater, or surface mount the junction box past the end of the heater and have a short bit of conduit or nipple coming over.

This thing has to touch the wall somewhere, part of that physical mounting may include a raceway for electrical power.


Mini-split for cooling only (not heat) -- do I need the outdoor part? This is a very ignorant question, I know, but after reading several mini-split product descriptions I'm still confused.

I already have an adequate heating system.

I need air conditioning and central air is too expensive. Unfortunately my window unit is so loud I can't hear my computer, phone, or knocks on my door. So, I'm thinking that a mini-split sounds like the best solution (hopefully these things are quiet, right?).

However, I'm unclear on if I need the piece that goes outside. My understanding is that that's the "heat pump". Intuitively it seems like I would have to have a piece that goes outside, but the name throws me off because I don't need heat and if I don't have to have it then I don't want it because I need to minimize cost.

I'm not sure if the refrigerant is in that part or not?...

Yes. you need both pieces. An air conditioner is a heat pump that moves heat from inside to outside. A dual mode system that can supply heat just runs the same process "in reverse."

A heat pump draws heat from some source (often air) and transfers it into your house. An air conditioner is the same thing, but instead of drawing "free" heat from some thermal source, it draws heat from inside, and transfers it outside.

Your window A/C unit simply incorporates all of these pieces into one box, which necessarily hangs in your window so that they evaporator coil can be inside and the condenser coil outside. A "mini-split" system just separates these two, and is just an alternate installation style of what is commonly referred to as central air. The only difference is that instead of integrating into built-in ductwork (which might not be there), it instead hangs a unit on your wall. That unit incorporates the evaporator coil and fan, much like the inside half of your window AC. You still need the other half as well.

The image below is from Wikipedia


Can a clear tube added on the outside of a water tank be used to read the water level? I have a water tank that I want to read the level on. I would like whatever device I use to be passive. I have seen the 'cat and mouse'-type weight and pulley device, which doesn't suit my purposes (I would like something self-contained).

The question is: can I take clear tubing, connect it to the outside of the tank at the bottom and run it up the side of the tank to just over the full line? Will I need a vented cap? What about the head pressure on the tube? Is this not advisable for any conceivable reason (assuming the tube is secured properly)?

There should be no fundamental problem with this, provided that the indicator tube is not closed at the top. You can either install a vented cap to keep debris out, or connect the top of the tube to the top of the tank.

As a callow youth I assisted in the construction of a water tank indicator like that. I have also operated a steam boiler with similar indicators. If common experience is any guide, your most likely problems will be:

Discoloration of the inside of the tube, from scaling or even from
algae, that makes it difficult to read the level.
Hidden blockage that prevents the free flow of water to and from the tube.
Damage or fracture of the indicator tube leading to a serious leak.

Against (1) you should make the tube dismountable so you can clean or replace it. This will require a shutoff valve and a threaded joint or union.

Against (2) you can rely on dismounting the tube and briefly opening the shutoff valve, or you can install a drain valve that you can open briefly, thus restoring your confidence that the flow is unrestricted.

Against (3) you must install a shutoff valve.

Note that the combination of the shutoff valve and a drain valve can also serve to drain the tank when necessary. If your tank presently has a drain valve, this might be a place to install the indicator without boring any more holes in your tank.

Here is a sketch to show the order of the valves and fittings for a couple of possible tank drain positions:

The order of the fittings must be: Tank Tap -- Shutoff -- Sight Glass Connection -- Drain Spigot.

You will have to shop for the transparent tube and the compression fitting together. Don't bother with a big-box home supply store, go to a plumbing supply shop and talk to the oldest guy there.


How can we security manage keys for a co-op building? After having some security incidents in our building, we have decided to change the locks and we are looking at a solution whereby we (co-op board) can give out to residents keys that cannot be duplicated by them.  Our building has 16 units and we were thinking on handing out 3 keys per unit (total of 48 keys).

Can anyone recommend a solution to meet the above requirement?

You may want to consider keyless entry systems. The cards can be programed to allow or deny access. Once a conventional key is issued it will work until the lock is changed. A keyless system can disable individual cards in the event of loss or theft. The initial cost may seem high but if you are rekeying locks and making 48 copies a couple times a year it may be cost effective in the long term. Occupants can issue cards to service or contract vendors and have them disabled if not returned. Some systems can limit entry to specific times only.


Suggestions on how to fill gaps at all of my windows My boyfriend and I live in a ground floor apartment with windows that leak cold air horribly! So far we’ve tried to add several different kinds of weather stripping to help but  I don’t think it’s done much. (I can’t find the best way to explain so that it’s not super confusing because I don’t know anything about windows or their specific parts.)
The top can slide down to be opened or, the bottom can slide up to open. There are drafts of cold air coming in at the ‘side tracks of the windows where the window slides up and down. This is how every window is and some of them have very small foam blocks in the channels (I’m assuming to stop the drafts) but honestly they don’t do anything.
I’m posting photos - the ‘side track’ part that I’m talking about it circled. (Please ignore the dirt) When you close the window, you can feel A LOT of cold air right here.
Is this normal??
Anyone know of any fixes?
I'm looking for a solution that fills or covers the gap as opposed to using a film over the entire window. Please let me know if you have any ideas for this as well as any ideas for a better way of explaining this lol !

Most of these types of windows rely on weather seals that look like brushes and they do ok when new but compress and leak after a few years.
Without replacing those brushes on the sashes you have 2 choices.
Either use the weather seal rope caulk which can be removed without damaging the window or use the heat shrink plastic window covers.


If our Panasonic microwave shuts off after 2 seconds, is it likely a door latch or magnetron issue? Need some help with our Panasonic Inverter NN-SD681S. Very light use and in perfect condition except that it suddenly started shutting off after 2 seconds.  All other functions are fine (lights/power fine, timer works, etc) After it turns off, power is still on, just goes back to the main "menu"

When I hold the door in tight and a minuscule bit "up" (maybe 1/16 of an inch movement, literally the tiniest visible amount) it works perfectly and does not shut down. The second I let go of the door it shuts off . The door closes and secures normally, but I guess is off by a tiny bit that makes the difference. Googling and looking on this site I see this likely means there is a door latch issue, or possibly the magnetron.

Is this accurate? If so, what exactly do I need to fix/replace and is safe to do? Wasn't sure if it's just securing/moving an internal part or actually replacing something. DH has some electrical experience so as long as nothing will blow up, he can probably do it.

This is indeed a door latch issue; however, you're best off referring this to a microwave oven technician (they exist, although much of their business comes from foodservice not residential).  Microwave ovens contain a dangerous HV transformer and capacitor: the transformer will supply several kilovolts at several hundred mA, and the capacitor is well over a microfarad.  Furthermore, the door latch interlock is a critical safety system on a microwave oven -- if it fails or is bypassed, you can get into a situation where the microwave tries to start cooking you as well as whatever food you put inside!


If black mold is discovered underneath the siding, does that necessarily imply interior air quality problems? Consider this video.
Without a vapor barrier, this home will accumulate black mold on the plywood on the exterior of the home.

My Question:

  Does black mold on the exterior of a home necessarily imply air quality problems on the inside of the home?

Reason for my question:

I suspect that vapor barriers are a recent invention.

And if they are, then I doubt that all homes built without a vapor barrier necessarily have black mold and air quality problems on the inside.

Am I correct?

Older homes without vapor barriers may not necessarily have black mold problems, but they probably do not have very good insulation or air conditioning either.

Houston, TX is a humid subtropical climate with average summer conditions of 95 degrees F and 75% humidity, so lack of a vapor barrier on the outside walls of this new home will lead to IAQ mold problems inside if other conditions are correct.

The dew point for 95F air at 75% RH is about 85F.  Without the vapor barrier, hot humid outside air in summer will likely make contact with internal surfaces cooled below 85F by the A/C, causing condensation well inside the wall.  The better insulated the wall is inside, the farther in the condensation will occur, since the dew point will move toward the direction of the insulation.  During summer the exterior wall without the barrier could be wet internally, not just underneath the siding (depending on indoor and outdoor conditions and how the insulation is constructed within the wall).

It might be possible to mitigate this somewhat by making certain the A/C system creates positive static pressure within the house; however, if the A/C system causes negative static pressure in the house, then the problem will be especially bad.  I suspect that is how this guy in New Orleans got into trouble: How to solve new condensation in bathroom exhaust fan ducts?

The following link points to a helpful essay titled, "How to Avoid Moisture Damage to Walls from Condensation":  http://www.tlpca.org/images/articles_condensation.pdf   See the description on page 9 for damage that occurs to a Florida home when there is not a vapor barrier on the outside and vinyl wall covering is installed on the inside.


How do I install a butcher block breakfast bar on a half wall? Well, I finally got around to tiling and grouting the backsplash in our kitchen. This leaves one last project to do- installing the breakfast bar on the island.  The island is a bank of three base cabinets (2 30" and one 24"), that are attached to a 42" half-wall.  From the countertop to the top of the half wall is tiled, and there are 3 electrical outlets installed.  The top of the half-wall is an exposed 2x4, and the side opposite the countertops, and edges of the half-wall are finished with drywall.

For the breakfast bar, I have purchased a solid 1 5/8" thick wood butcher-block countertop, that I'll rip down to overhang 1 1/2" on the countertop side, 1 1/2" over the half-wall edges, and 14" over the back side of the half wall.  My primary question is- how do I attach it to the half wall?  Is 14" too far for a 1 5/8" butcher block to overhang without support? (i.e.- do I need corbels to support the bar?)  How do I physically attach the countertop to the top of the half wall?  I am guessing my finishing of the half wall is going to nail me here :(.  I have thought about using keyhole plates routed into the bottom of the butcher block, and heavy screws with large heads out of the top of the half-wall.  Is this reasonable?  Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

I have a similar bar/half wall situation, but with a granite top instead of butcher block. In my case, I screwed a piece of MDF to the top of the half wall, and the countertop installers then glued the granite to that with a strong adhesive. This works because the granite is doubled at the edges, so the MDF is mostly hidden. If it would be feasible for you to rout the bottom of the butcher block 1/2" deep everywhere except the edges (I'd suggest leaving an inch around the edges full thickness), then you could do pretty much the same thing as me, with a layer of MDF screwed to the wall to provide support for the butcher block.

Make sure that the MDF is installed level - otherwise, when you level the butcher block, you'll have MDF peeking out from under it at one end. Don't ask me how I know...


water flow difference between 1/4 turn and multi turn shut off valve I replace my multi turn toilet shutoff valve with a 1/4 turn shutoff valve, now the water flow is much slower is there a difference in the amount of water that flows through the 1/4 turn valve

It depends on the make and model of the valve. If you look at the size of the water passage (sometimes referred to as the "port") you will get an idea of the size of the restriction. I have found that cheap imported 1/4 turn stop valves frequently have a small port. Whereas higher quality valves (more $$) may have a larger port or may even be "full port".


How is this pipe removed? Seems to have 2 points to be released I am looking into how I can unclog my bathroom sink.
I am looking at the pipe underneath and it seems that it has 2 points that can be used to be released. Why is this? Does it matter which to use?
This is the v shaped pipe underneath the bathroom sink we usually remove when the sink is clogged.

That looks like a double-ended compression coupling.  It is used because most people cannot spin their sinks or houses around to unscrew them.

Use a pipe wrench to unscrew both ends of that coupling to gain better access to the pipe.


Mystery Clog & Backup in Upstairs Bathtub I've got a bathtub upstairs that won't drain (at all), and slowly fills with water apparently from fixtures in the same bath room and the adjacent bathroom.

Whatever is going on doesn't appear to be impacting any downstairs fixtures (sinks, toilet, washing machine). I tried to snake the bath but the snake stops advancing without being able to clear the clog. It brings back small clumps of hair. I called out a solid professional plumber, and he was also not able to either clear the clog or explain the backing up.

His recommendation was to begin cutting out ceiling downstairs to get into the pipe and figure out what was going on, but I wanted some other input before I embarked on something expensive.

Is it possible that a local clog at the tub could be causing the backup? I'm obviously not a plumber, but it seems like that would have to be somewhere in the pipes shared by the two bathrooms for water to come across from the other shower into this tub.

Based on your description and what you have snaked, it appears that the blockage is in the down-pipe between the first and 2nd floor.  Water is traversing horizontal and able to back flow into the tub. I don’t know why the plumber didn’t do this, but if you can safely do this, look for the sewer vent pipes on the roof above the area where the blockage is.  You should be able to snake from the vent pipe to the down pipe and clear the blockage.
Before doing the snake from the vent pipes on the roof, You might try the chemical method first, such as Drano Gel and Main Line Clearners.  As always be careful while using the toxic chemicals.


Ceiling fan wiring with dual switches but only one red hot wire at ceiling box I want to replace an existing "lights-only" fixture with a "ceiling fan with lights". This is a new home and I was told by the builder that the box is ceiling fan rated and is pre-wired for dual switches. I made a diagram of the present wiring. Most "dual-switch" connections call for 4 wires from the ceiling box (black hot, red hot, white neutral, and copper ground) to be connected to (fan black, fan blue, fan white, fan ground). But, I only have one "red hot" at the ceiling box. I would appreciate any advise on how to connect the ceiling fan with lights.
Thank you

If there is only the red hot in the ceiling, make sure for one that the box is fan rated.  If you have two switches on the wall, it'd be interesting to know where the other hot goes, so I'd be investigating your wall switch.
An easy fix would be to get a ceiling fan with remote, as it can be wired for just one hot, neutral and ground and is easier, though more expensive.  Otherwise, you're wiring the red hot to both fan hots and controlling it through pull cords if you don't want the fan and lights on or off all the time.
But if you have a dual switch, definitely follow that up carefully.


Shower head not working It is below freezing outside and our shower head in master bathroom is not spraying water. It is on an outside wall. We also have a hand held shower head in that same shower which is spraying a little water. What is possibly wrong!

What is (very probably) wrong is that the shower is on an outside wall and poorly insulated, so it's frozen. Run straight hot water through the hand-held that is partly working before it can freeze solid, and that will bring some warmth to the affected pipe, hopefully helping it to thaw. Heating the room more (turn up thermostat) can also help. If you choose to use a space heater to help warm the room, be very, very careful (frozen waterline is much less trouble than burning the house down.)

You might also try using a hair dryer on the shower control and the pipe for the showerhead (idea being to warm those parts and help thaw parts frozen inside the wall) - don't let it get wet, of course.

Once you get it thawed, you should probably leave it "dripping" as if there was a slight leak until the weather warms to temperatures where you have not had this problem before. The flow of water will help prevent the formation of a complete ice blockage.


Few questions about concrete/cement wall inside of the apartment and which screws to use I live in an apartment building that has concrete/cement walls.  I am still not sure which one it is. I included the image which has the wall in the background.

I would like to know which screws i should use to let's say hang shelves or paintings.  Do i need to get concrete screws like tapcon and use an impact drive to screw them in?  Can i just make a hole and use plastic anchors with regular screws?  I did hang a picture on the wall but i had tough time getting the screws in with a cordless drill.  Some of the wall chipped a bit.

Also are there beams behind the concrete wall or there is no reason to have them.  I can just screw almost anything to it?  I have a beam finder and it does detect some beams but i wonder if it's a false positive because it is a concrete wall.

Cement is a powder, so I doubt your walls are cement!  You might have lathe-and-plaster walls.  (What country are you in and what year was the apartment built?)

If your wall covering is sandy plaster, then you would attach light shelves and pictures by pre-drilling holes with a masonry bit and using expanding anchors or toggle bolts.

Heavy shelves or cabinets will require screwing to a stud (which you are referring to as a beam)


water line leak - major problem had a water link leak under a concrete slab walkway to the front porch.  Had to have the walkway taken up and the pipe coming from the house may be a big problem.   Plumber repaired and sleeved however I don't know what to do about a walkway being built in the same area and really concerned about the pipe from the house and what future issues I may have.   So my questions are - any idea what to do for a walkway - and how bad does this situation look for having future problems.   Please note the concrete slab walkway was 10" thick at the back which was over the pipe area.  Photo attached  - the house constructed late around late 96-97.   Any advice/input will be greatly appreciated and if I am in the wrong area to ask this question - please let me know.  Thanks in advance

!water line i[]1mage description here]2

In terms of what kind of walkway to put back there, pavers (like brick or bluestone) could be easier to remove and put back in the future.  You also can consider putting the pavers flat with the driveway, and having a step up to the porch, or vice versa, which gives you the opportunity to deepen the porch.  A 10" slab is a lot of material to replace.


Trying to install 2 smart switches but neutral wires in box are not connected I'm trying to install 2 smart wifi switches to replace 2 dumb switches in a box.  1 switch powers a dining room light.  The other switch powers two kitchen lights that turn on/off together.  As expected, I found 3 wire bundles entering the box (with 2 wires in each sheath, one black and one white).  One of the black wires is hot (connected to a red nut).  2 of the black wires are loads going to the lights.  All of these wires are on the same circuit because they are run through the same breaker.

This all makes sense to me.  However, I expected the 3 white (presumably neutral) wires to be connected in a bundle.  I would then tap that bundle for the smart switches, but they are individually capped.  They also have a small amount of voltage in them when I tested them with a voltmeter. But all the lights and switches work with the dumb switches, so there doesn't seem to be a problem.

My question is: should I bundle the 3 white wires together?  Was that just an oversight when they were being installed?  And then can I tap that bundle for smart switches?  How can I be sure the 3 white wires are the right neutrals?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q8FRJ96/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=A3KD59IVUZ5TBM&psc=1

Here is the smart switch I would like to install.  I don't have the manual yet because I don't want to buy it until I'm sure it will work.

I confirmed that this box is not grounded and does not have a ground wire.

And updating with pictures of two of the three lights.  The third is hard to disassemble, but its wiring runs with one of the two pictured.  These all look standard to me.  Black with black, white with white, and grounded to the box.  All lights work.  Note that although the wiring in the box look new, these wires likely were originally installed many decades ago.  The house was built in the 1920s but has been updated over time, so the wiring could be quite old.

enter image description here

Some locations (switches) may have a neutral, others may not. Depends on the previous electrical installations, electrician/installator...with smart switches is exactly the same, depends on the model of the smart switch. Some need that neutral wire, others not. But the vast majority of smart switches require that neutral wire.  I'd connect the dining room neutral wire to the smart switch (let's just say A) and then other 2 together under one cap plus a white wire which goes to the other smart switch B. Remember all the neutral wires that are connected should belong to a single circuit.


Why does the blade of my table saw stop? I have a cheap, old (but, until recently, serviceable) belt-drive, table-top table saw, Skil 10" model 3400.

Last week while cutting a 2x4, the blade stopped but the motor kept going.  I finished up with a hand-held circular saw and let the table saw cool down. When I came back to it, I looked it over.  The blade is still firmly attached to the shaft.  The nuts are secure and if I manually move the blade, the shaft turns.  When I turn it on, the blade turns (though it seems to lag the motor a bit) but when it makes contact with wood, it stops.  There's a weird, rhythmic ying-ying-ying noise when it is running.  I have some weak intuition that a bearing failed.

Any thoughts on further diagnosing -- or, better yet, repairing -- my saw?  Or should just hit Craig's List looking for a replacement?

At this point I would take it apart. It's already broke you have nothing to lose. I had an older Delta saw that had a gearbox fail. The parts were more than I paid for the saw. It may not be a total loss though. Some of the older models had a router mount cast into the table. It was useless as a saw but made a dandy router table.


I think I overloaded a wall outlet and the breaker never tripped !

Any suggestions on how to fix this? How dangerous is it right now? Thanks for suggestions.

!

This is not good! What size breakers are on those circuits?T here are definitely signs of arcing and burning on some of the neutrals that could be caused by loose connections. Turn off the power to those circuits, cut the burnt part of those white wires off, strip off 1/2" of the insulation and insert the wires in different holes in the neutral buss and torque connections to specified values. Check to make sure that if there are any multi wired branch circuits the two hot legs are on different poles. If they  are on the same poles you will be overloading and burning the neutrals. Is this something you just happened to find? Maybe it's an old problem someone previously did a poor job of fixing. Or were you experiencing problems and smelling burning and went looking for the problem?


Razor Socket to GFCI Conversion Kit.. Load terminals vs Pigtail Hi,
I'm trying to convert this 1973 "Razor Only" socket to GFCI. I have the full conversion kit and I'm wondering the best way to approach wiring it. I've seen videos where electricians do it differently, either:

first disconnecting the switch from the socket and then throwing a pigtail between the whites and blacks to the GFCI line terminals...
OR first disconnecting the switch and then separating out line and load based on the voltages in the energized circuit.

Is one of those approaches superior to the other? I.e. Is there a meaningful difference between the wiring options ("GFCI Pigtail" vs "GFCI Proposed") in this diagram: Circuit Drawings
PS For wiring:

Top Right Red - Light Switch Hot In
Top Right Black - Always On (?) Hot In
Bottom Right Black -  Hot Out... to unknown (?)
Top Left Black - Hot Out to vanity light.

I'd go with your "Pigtailed" plan
Since everything in this box should be on the same circuit based on the existing diagram having the switched-hot and always-hot sharing the same neutral in the outgoing /3 cable and on the fact that there's only one neutral bundle in the box, we can safely assume that neutral bundle can be pigtailed into to get neutral for our GFCI.  To go with that, we pigtail off the always-hot as in your appropriately labeled "pigtailed GFCI" plan, as we don't know what else that always-hot feeds, and putting lighting on a bathroom GFCI has the downside that a GFCI trip will plunge you into the dark, which is bad news if you're holding a curling iron, for instance.


Difference between normal vs machinist tool chest What is the difference between machinist tool chest vs normal tool chest other than the machinist one having more drawers and smaller size drawers? What would typically be stored in smaller size drawers?

The two you are comparing are different quality from different brands with associated (vastly) different price points. If you operate the drawers on each you will feel a difference, and the overall quality of construction is quite different.

Aside from drawers sized to the typical precision measuring tools you don't want knocking about with larger tools or piled on top of each other, there is typically a drawer (top center) in a machinists box specifically sized for a particular book - Machinery's Handbook - the "bible" of the trade. There is usually a security panel that covers all the drawers when the box is locked. Likewise, felt lining is standard in the drawers so the tools are not abused by the drawers themselves.

If you are gift shopping and can't grasp the more than $300 difference, contribute part of the money towards the expensive one if that was what was requested. The cheap one is not at all the same thing, if the recipient is a machinist in training (normally the only folks that need one.) The cost of the tools that go into one dwarf the cost of the box rather quickly. The job of the box is to keep those tools safe.


Washer / spacer for round surface I would like to bolt a bracket to a steel pipe (1.5 inch diameter), with the nut located inside the pipe. Since the application needs to support a considerable amount of weight, I need some kind of washer or spacer that is flat on one side but spherical (or cylindrical) on the other side, to match the inside surface of the pipe. I'm afraid that a regular washer will buckle and/or crack under the pressure, since the force would not be distributed evenly. What can I use to solve this problem?

Most washers will flex somewhat, so unless it's a really small pipe, or you're installing in really cold temperatures, you shouldn't worry ... but I'd be more concerned with being able to hold the nut still while you're trying to bolt to it in a smaller diameter pipe.  (I don't know if the 1.5" is ID or OD, but if it's outer diameter, and it's got any significant wall thickness, it's going to be tight)

If you're really concerned, you should be able to find a rubber gasket to put in there to take up some of the gap; you could also cut down a rubber grommet or bushing to fit in there.  You could also use multiple thinner washers which will flex more easily than a single thick one.

Another option would be to take a hole saw that's got a similar inner diameter to the pipe, cut a plug of wood, then slice a chunk off to make the flat-on-one-side-curved-on-the-other piece you're looking for.  (and then use a fender washer or similar so the nut doesn't dig into the wood).


How do I seal a 4+ mm gap between skirting board and slate tiles? I have a slate kitchen floor and wooden skirting on the walls around (no beading).  At some points around the wall there are gaps of around 4 mm or more.

I was thinking of simply stuffing paper in the gap and then using polyfilla to cover the gap (sanding it off and then re-painting the skirting).

Does this sound like a good idea?  I am worried about making a mess of the slate floor using polyfilla.

I would use foam backer rod in the gaps, put down masking tape on the slate (and perhaps above the joint, on the skirting and fill with the polyfila or perhaps a colour matched latex based caulk.

Pull the masking tape right after smoothing the joint down with a finger.


Do I need a pump for my sprinkler zones that are minus 70 feet elevation? I have a water tank on a hill and some lawns to water at the bottom of the hill.

The pipe that connects those two is a 2.5" pipe (yes, really) and when I attach a pressure gauge at the bottom of this 2.5" pipe I see a pressure of about 35 PSI, but when I connect the water tank, the head will be another 10 feet higher (it's a 10 foot tall tank) so ... figure 40 PSI.

I think my flow rate in GPM is extremely high.  I tried some calculators online but am not sure if I am getting it right but it appears that I have hundreds and hundreds of GPM.  And again, the pressure is 35-40 PSI.

It would be really nice to not have to purchase, install, and maintain a pump for this application, and it seems like I would not need one ... but may I sanity check:

If I connect a sprinkler zone at the bottom, feeding in 35-40 PSI at (god knows what huge GPM) and that sprinkler zone is maybe 200 ft. of 3/4" PVC and say 4 impact sprinkler heads that are designed to run at 30 PSI ... good to go ?

I lose 1-2 PSI on the 200 ft. of 3/4 PVC run ... do I lose any PSI on each of the impact heads (they are in a series) ?

Am I missing something here ?

From the position of the sprinklers you have 70 feet of head. You have shown that you have sufficient pressure.

What you need to consider is that if you have too many sprinklers then the pressure drops and so does the performance.

You will only need a pump if the area to be irrigated is too large and you need too many sprinklers....


How can I prevent reverse air flow from bathroom fan? I have a second floor bathroom that has a ventilation fan which exits to the roof. Whenever I take a shower there is an incredible amount of freezing air (midwest winter) that is coming in through the bathroom fan (not running because the bathroom door is open). How can I prevent this? The simple solution would seem like just turning the fan on but there is still a really cold draft that whirls about the shower area (enclosed shower stall with open top).

Your fan is equipped with a backflow prevention flap. Check that it's installed correctly and not gunked up with so much lint that it doesn't function.

It's usually a simple task to remove the cover, unplug the fan and light, and drop the motor panel. This usually doesn't require work on the wiring connections. From there you have open access to the flap.


Why are shower drains 2", but tub drains 1.5"? In the US, code dictates that the drain (p-trap and arm) on a shower use 2" pipe, while on a tub you use 1.5" pipe.

I understand that is code, but I am curious as to why it is the way it is. Sometimes code just is what it is, but I was wondering if there is a physics answer to this question. Is there a reason why a shower is larger from a performance perspective?

And, is there any harm in using a 2" drain pipe for the tub as well?

Tubs are big and intend to hold the water; drainage speed is not really important. Showers on the other hand have a low curb and can’t hold much water, so it is important that there is plenty of drain availability to prevent overfilling and flooding.

Some tubs do have 2” wastes, but I think smaller drains are more common as it reduces the possibility of completely using downstream pipes via multiple upstream fixtures draining simultaneously.


How to attach a monkey-bar/playground structure to the ground in my backyard? I would like to build a monkey-bar/playground structure in my backyard. It's not your standard monkeybars, but I made a 3D visualization at staktrace.com/pub/structure.html if that helps. I'm planning to buy steel tubing (1.25" or 1.5" diameter) and getting a welder to assemble it. However I'm trying to figure out the best way to actually attach it to the ground.

My plan was to dig a 2.5' hole for each post, fill in 6" of gravel, put the post in on top, and pour concrete to fill the hole. After reading some of the info on this website I'm wondering if burying 2' of a 9' or 10' post is going to be enough. In terms of "load" on the structure it's going to need to hold maybe two people swinging around (let's say 500lbs). Also given that the posts are all going to be welded together using crossbars at the top I feel like it should be pretty stable already so I shouldn't have to go that deep.

Also I've never done stuff with concrete before so I have some general questions about that.

So my questions:

Given the nature and intended use of this structure, how much of the post should be buried if I want the "ceiling" bars to be 7' off the ground?
What diameter should the hole be?
Would it be better to weld the structure first and then attach it into the ground? Or install the posts first and then weld the rest of it to the posts?

Any other advice or recommendations are also welcome.

[Edited to add: in terms of weather, this is southern ontario so it has to deal with +30 to -30 degrees C and everything in between]

I put tie-downs in my driveway to guy down my boat canopy during the summer. I dug 2 foot holes, crisscrossed rebar diagonally into the ground, poured concrete, and sunk heavy duty eye-bolts with alternating nuts and washers into the concrete. I will be doing something similar this summer with posts, sinking them into concrete, with rebar through them.


Pulling treads and risers back into position in a housed / closed stringer staircase I recently moved into an 80+ year old house and am looking to fix up the main staircase. It seems to be the original (oak?) wood stair that is built using the closed / housed / mortised stringers that don't seem to be widely used any longer.
Most of the suggestions for fixing up these types of stairs that I find online suggest going in from behind and fixing/adding shims, extra fasteners and glue.
In my case the back of the stairscase is not accessible and is plastered and I'd rather not get into removing that as my first project in the house.
The problem is that over the years the treads and risers have shifted back from their mortised positions as seen here:

I tried pulling one tread forward and I can do it with a bit of work. However the riser behind it stays in place and the gap between the two widens:

I'd love to be able to pull them all back into position and fasten in place (thinking of using finishing nails here to fasten to stringers as well as treads to risers) before moving on to refinishing the wood. However, I am at a bit of a loss on how to pull the risers forward.
I think perhaps screwing something to them and using that to pull forward might work. However, given my lack of DIY experience I am not sure what might be appropriate.
Any suggestions for tools / process would be appreciated.

Screwing an eye bolt into the front of the tread then pulling might work, but it leaves you with the extra work of patching up screw holes on every single tread. It might also lead to splitting your treads! If the tread is nailed in place/stuck near the riser and you pull too hard on the nose, you could crack it and that will be an even more difficult repair.
Prying on it, as you've shown in your picture probably has a 50/50 chance of moving the tread forward into its dado or pushing the riser even further back.
Unfortunately, I really think your best bet for getting this repaired properly is tearing out the ceiling below it and going after it from the back side, as you've Seen on The Internet!™ That's probably why that's the advice you've been finding.
You may want to cut your teeth on some easier projects to build your skills and confidence before tackling this one. You may also seriously consider hiring a professional to fix up the plaster work (if it's truly plaster, not just drywall) when you're done. You may find that several projects will require some plaster repair, so you could do them all, live with ugly plaster for a bit, then have someone come in to do all the plaster work at once. (Probably cheaper - and more convenient for you - than having them come out multiple times to do each individual repair.) Of course, if you've really got the DIY bug, you can learn to do the plaster repair yourself, too, just know that there's as much skill/art to a good plaster job as there is know-how.
Just remember that so long as you don't end up doing structural damage, most of your screw ups (and you, just like the rest of us will have screw ups) aren't catastrophic and aren't final. Just consider the additional breakage "lesson learned" and "opportunity to learn another fix"! Welcome to home ownership!


Electrical design for large property Need some help checking out what i'm doing and making sure everything sounds right and nothing fishy.
I have a large property with no service at the moment, I am working with the electric company to install a transformer and main service to a main panel on a free standing rack.
We will have a 33.6kv transformer.  I plan to have secondary wire about 100 feet away with our main meter (200a).  From there I need to have a main panel on the rack, i was considering a 200a double pole disconnect (or do I need a legitmate main panel with breakers for each line?)
Coming off the main panel/disconnect we will be feeding our house about 60 feet away(when finished) which will have a 200 amp panel etc etc...
In addition I need a second run off that main disconnect at the rack which is going about 80 feet away where I will be setting up a ground based solar array of about 15kw from the solar array I am also going to feed a water well pump/house that I will be placing about another 100 feet away from the solar array.  I am basically using the solar array as a feeder to the well pump as it will be about 180 feet from that first main panel to save on cable and conduit cost.
I am using 4/0 aluminum which I think is way over-kill but I got the wire for free.
First question, at the main panel at the meter can I use just a simple disconnect or do I need a panel with a main breaker and 2 other breakers to feed the house and solar array/well?
Second, do I need to run a ground WITH the wires or can I use just a grounding rod at the array and well pump?
The inverters and well pump are all 240v...  I don't need to run a neutral wire with any of this, correct?  Or will I need it for the inverter to be able to feed 120v to the house?   The inverter says it supports L1/L2 or L1/L2/N connections.
Thanks!

That "free" wire is actually a bit of a millstone around your neck in your situation
The problem with your "free" 4/0 wire and quadruplex (4/0-4/0-4/0?-4) is that it's somewhat too large for the job at hand.  You see, devices like breakers, switches, and panels can't accept arbitrarily large wires for simple reasons of physical space, both for lugs large enough to fit large wires and more importantly for the space required to bend large, stiff wires to get where they need to go.  This is a particular issue for you because you need to insert a visible blade disconnect somewhere in your solar feeder to satisfy your utility.
This is required by your utility's interconnect rules by way of incorporating Texas PUC Rule 25.212, and practically means that you need to fit a non-fused safety switch to provide that visible-blade disconnect.  However, a 100A safety switch doesn't have enough room for 4/0 wire in it; one can special order some safety switches with oversized lugs and enclosures, but that's going to be a costly proposition for a one-off project.  You could use a 200A safety switch instead of the 100A switch, but that's a cost adder as well, and it just gets worse when you add in the additional cost of collar lugs, subfeed blocks (vs. branch breakers), beefed-up subpanels (200A vs 125A), and heavier-duty service equipment.
As to your main panel...
Your next problem is finding a suitable main disconnecting means, given the sheer amount of solar power you're harvesting (64A of it with both inverters running flat-out).  Unfortunately, while a solar-ready meter-main that provides a dedicated solar input breaker is in some ways the ideal solution as it doesn't cut into busbar ampacity, very few meter-mains of that type that I am familiar with can handle an 80A solar input breaker.  Worse yet, your utility only apparently approves of a small selection of meter sockets, with no meter-main devices among them.
The good news, though, is that that the other normal solution for this problem, namely a "mobile home service" panel with feed-thru lugs running off to the house, will work for your situation, because there's a 200A main breaker at the house that'll protect the feeder to the house from inadvertently getting overloaded.  Since you're planning for future upgrades to the solar system, though, you'll want a 225A busbar on your main panel as well as the ability to take a 175A breaker for the solar infeed.
The first criteria rules out most mobile home feeder panels, unfortunately; the GE/ABB TM822RCUFL is the only made-for-purpose mobile home panel panel with a 225A interior.  The second is also a problem, as GE branch breakers upwards of 125A are not well-known parts.  You might be able to find a THQMV175WL through a supplyhouse, but applying it would be tricky at best due to the splicing required, so we'll need an alternative solution.
Fortunately, Siemens provides us with one in the form of the PNW1224L1225C.  While this comes configured as a main-lug panel, we can fit it with a MBK200A or 225A kit to convert it to main breaker and also add a ECLK2225 subfeed block + ECLK3N extra neutral lug to serve in place of the feed-through lugs.  Finally, while the QN2175(R) and Q2175B are both special-order parts, most supply houses that deal in Siemens stuff should be able to order them for you, answering the question of a 175A breaker when paired with another ECLK3 neutral lug opposite the subfeed block.
Note that either way, you're limited to a total of 50A for other loads (pumphouse, security fence/gate operation, serviceperson's receptacle) and a CLSURGE for a service surge protector by the NEC 705.12(B)(2)(3) point 3 limits, and your main panel will need the appropriate premade warning label required by 705.12(B)(2)(3) point 3, as well.  (The surge protector is a new 2020 NEC requirement, found in 230.67; normally, I'd recommend an external Type 2 SPD, but those require a breaker to connect to the panel, and that breaker would push you over the busbar limits even though the SPD draws no load.)  You could use a 30/20 or 35/15 triplex breaker (two single poles and a two-pole in a two-space package) if you want support for feeding the security loads from the main panel, or a 50A two-pole if you want the pumphouse subpanel to feed those instead.
Alternative main panel plans 1: tapping the meter
If the plan of using a mobile-home "trailer panel" or field-fabricated equivalent as the sole service equipment isn't workable, there are a couple of alternatives.  First off, since your utility largely uses Milbank meter sockets, you can look at using a set of Milbank K5022-INT tap lugs on the load side of the base to pull off a set of 1/0 Al conductors for the solar switch, which goes on the opposite side of the meter base from your main panel.  Note that the solar switch needs to be a fusible switch in this case as it's now a piece of service entrance hardware; 125A RK5 fuses are reasonable (and reasonably cheap) for this, and will accommodate your existing solar setup and proposed partial upgrade.
Since we don't want the wellhouse to get shut off by the solar disconnect, though, that leaves us with two options for powering it.  Either you can use a 200A mobile-home panel or equivalent (such as the Homeline one you're looking at) to provide breaker space for both a whole-service surge protector and the branch/feeder breakers (wellhouse, fence/gate hardware), or you could use a special set of lugs on the line-side of the solar switch to tap power there.
The latter, of course, depends on what you get for said switch: Square-D provides a flexible option for their 200A switches in the AL20DTF, but it's not listed, so its applicability depends on your AHJ, while Siemens switches can accept a control tap kit, but that only provides a tab terminal, not a full screw lug, so it limits how much power you can run to the wellhouse.  With both switch options, you'll also need to provide another service disconnecting means at the rack, dedicated to the wellhouse, although it can be as simple as a fusible A/C pullout disconnect, with a pair of conduits connecting it to the solar-switch.
The former isn't without its caveats either, though: you can't run the wellhouse feeder back through the service conduits as NEC 230.7 prohibits service and non-service conductors from sharing a raceway, so you'll need to fit a "runaround" conduit from the main panel to the solar-switch.  This can be either a rigid conduit run from the back of the panel to the back of the switch using LBs or pull-elbows, or a liquidtight flexible conduit run from the bottom of the panel to the bottom of the switch around the service riser using 90° fittings at each end.
With either of these, though, you'll be constrained by the need to run a minimum of 2 neutrals in your solar and house conduits, as you can't cross-connect neutrals that originate in two different service disconnect enclosures.  This also means you'll need to use care when wiring 120V loads from the backup power system; even if not required, using different colors, tape flags, or so on to denote backup-power/solar neutrals is a good plan in this circumstance.
And all that grounding business...
As far as grounding goes, you'll need two 8' rods driven 6-8' apart at the meter rack, with a 6AWG copper grounding electrode conductor going from both rods up into the meter socket and terminating there, as per PEC's service loop drawings. Fortunately, you don't need to worry about providing a grounding wire in your conduits, as the quadruplex has you covered on that front.
At the inverter rack, the grounding wire makes a pitstop at the solar combiner panel before continuing onward alongside the pumphouse feeder.  In addition, you'll need another pair of ground rods and matching grounding electrode conductor at the rack, headed on up to the grounding bar in said solar combiner panel.  At the pumphouse, though, you can use the well casing as a grounding electrode, provided it's made of metal of course; if it's a plastic casing, then you'll need to drive ground rods and connect them up to the grounding bar on the pumphouse panel.
Of course, all the bonding screws in all the subpanels need to be pulled out, and the house will need its own grounding electrode system (made rods, metal water line, Ufer/concrete-encased electrode), tied to the grounding bar in the house's panel.  Finally, you will need to run a neutral out with the feeder to the solar system as your inverters don't support 240V-only connections to center-grounded systems, and probably should continue that neutral out to the pumphouse as well in order to provide 120V there without the bulk of a local step-down transformer.  (Sharing a neutral between multiple feeders is permitted by NEC 215.4(A), although that won't work if they're on the load side of different service disconnects -- you'll need 2 neutrals and thus 9 wires minimum in the solar/pumphouse conduit in that case.)


Is 1/2" flexible gas pipe adequate for a 22000 BTU clothes dryer? I have 1” black iron pipe running just shy of 40’ to a manifold. The manifold then has one run of csst coming off it to my furnace. I then have 4 more ports I can run off for new appliances as I convert them to gas. My electric dryer just went up I would like to replace it with gas. The run would be about 30’. Is 1/2” csst big enough for that run the dryer is about 22000 btu. Thanks in advance.

I concur, 1/2 inch gas pipe is adequate for the dryer. The only thing I would like to add Is, did the gas company run a 2 psi meter to your home?
 an easy way to tell is if there is a gas regulator at each appliance. This is a pretty common practice in the state I live in. If it is a 2lbs system, you'll need to have a regulator added to the new appliance. Just something to be aware of.


How is heat output controlled in closed-vent gas fireplace inserts? Comparing Empire VFRL-18 and VFRL-18-10, the former is 26k BTU while the latter is 10k BTU. The look and price are identical. My question is, can I buy the 26k BTU unit to use in my living room, but if I decide to move it to the bedroom later, I can I step it down to 10k BTU to make it code compliant? In other words, how's the difference in BTU's physically implemented? Is it some part that can be swapped out?

It appears that the burner length is the primary difference, but that's not to say that there couldn't be other differences in the valving, etc. You'll probably want to contact the manufacturer if a company representative doesn't appear in this conversation.

  A unique 18-inch (10,000 Btu) Millivolt Loft burner provides heat and
  ambience for bedroom fireplaces. Check your local codes for applicable
  restrictions.

  The 24-inch Multi-sided Loft Burner (36,000 Btu) is ideal for
  Peninsula and See-Through fireboxes. ...

http://docs.homeclick.com/PE-Links/Empire%20Comfort%20Systems/Empire%20Comfort%20Systems-VFRL-18-10-specs.pdf


Black paper layer in attic...what is its function and how do I patch it? I just went up into my attic (house was built in 1939) and found that there is black paper on the 'walls'.
Part of the reason for going up is to find out the back of holes that my electrician made while mounting something to the outside of my house.

What is the function of this black paper?  What if there's a hole in this black paper? Basically I can see to the outside of the house.  The hole is about 1.5" in diameter. How do I patch it?

Here are two pictures.  One is with the black paper flap down, the other is with it up.  I feel like there is black paper, then some sort of plaster (with metal wires) and then stucco on the outside?  I don't see insulation.  All around there is black paper...except for the roof.  I see some sort of foil type of material.

To this day tar paper is used as a moisture barrier under masonry products and roofing on the outside of homes.

You correctly identified the layers from inside out, tar paper, metal lathe, stucco. To repair it you will need to remove the damaged product and replace the layers.

Check the Internet for videos on repairing damaged stucco.

Good luck!


What causes uneven sheen in semi-gloss or high gloss paint? I have new drywall which I prepared with 2 coats of primer. The semi-gloss paint finish sheen is uneven on the wall. I went back over certain areas with another coat of paint. Better, but not perfect. Should I have put a third coat of primer on the wall-especially where there was no mud? Is the solution a one-stroke brush/roller stroke from top to bottom? I am trying to achieve a smooth finish on the walls. The wall has lots of sunlight (big windows, south & west light).

Lots of moving pieces here.   I am assuming though that you are using the exact same paint.
First your two coats of primer might not be mine.   Meaning a "coat" is subjectively what you think it is.
My definition of a coat is hitting the entire wall with what I think is enough paint to cover it completely as quickly as possible.   In my head I know that if I go up to the wall with a microscope - or it gets hit with the right angle of morning sun... well there are probably quite a lot specs missing.  So a coat to me is wall looks painted from 30 feet.
That being said.   On fresh drywall...   I do "two" coats the first time through a wall.   Then about 2 hours later I give it a really hefty third coat... Which you may think is a fourth coat.
Now if I am doing a light colored eggshell I can go lighter on the 3rd coat.   With a semi-gloss - it is heavy primer then a good three coats of paint.
The unevenness is either from you having areas not primed enough so that your coats of paints had to initially prime the wall... or you simply did not put enough semi-gloss on the wall.   There really isn't a perfect technique for doing this right.   It is whatever you can do to stay roughly even - but for sure you should be using a good low nap roller, not a brush (unless you want a unique uneven look, or you are a budding artist).
Even after I overprime a wall I am hitting it with 3 coats if it has a lot of sunlight hitting it.    The sheen is duller in areas because like I said before those other areas were not primed as good or you missed it a bit on the first couple coats.    You don't need to dwell on that.   You need to keep adding very light (and even) coats until you are happy - nothing else you can do.
Note:  I do not think this is your issue but worth the mention.  I don't trust the "sheen level" on paint until it cures.   When you add new egg shell to old it for sure looks shinier - like not matching shinier.   3-4 weeks later hard to see the new paint.


Why can the gurgling sound of water only be heard when it's disappeared down a drain, and not before? In lots of sinks that I've used, I've noticed that the water makes a gurgling sound when it has all disappeared down the drain - however, the gurgling sound can only be heard after all of the water has gone - it's not noticeable when the sink tap is still running. Why can the gurgling sound only be heard when all of the water has disappeared - and not before?

This happens on direct vented fixtures that have no actual vent; they're close enough to the stack (<5') not to need one.

And when there's a 'head' of water above the trap while the water's running, there's too much suction to let any air in, so it pulls air down the stack. Once it has less 'head' it's easier to pull air past the water in the trap then it is to pull it down the stack. : gurgle gurgle

Basically, when water travels down a vented pipe, it creates an air pressure differential. The make-up air will take the path of least resistance. Be that, pushing a little bit of water out of the trap to make an air gap, or pulling it all the way back down from the roof.


Alternative to toggle bolt for toilet roll holder? My toilet roll holder comes off the wall every 6-12 months. Regular plastic anchors aren't helping much.
I saw that toggle bolts are a great option, but I only have about 1.5" of depth to work with, and can't find any toggle bolts shorter than 2".
Aside from the asking the hardware store to cut them down for me, are there any recommendations for this scenario please?

Mount the holder to the center of a notebook size piece of wood, sort of like a thin cutting board. Then mount the wood panel to the wall with a screw in each corner. If you like, you can add a bit of glue/adhesive.


Smart dimmer Wi-Fi (Globe or C-GE) to old wiring? Wiring smart globe dimmer switch with white, black, green red but my box is old and I only have black white and cooper.  Sure no neutral.  Help please.

So you have a white wire and black wire going to your existing switch and a bare copper ground in the box too. You have a hot, a switched hot and a ground wire. Your new switch has a hot (black), a red(load) and a white (neutral) oh wait!! you don't have a neutral in your box. You'll have to get a dimmer that doesn't require a neutral... they're out there, just have to look for one.


Wiring a light fixture when no previous light fixture exists My husband and I purchased a mobile home to fix up. The plugs, switches, and light fixtures were all missing. We have replaced all the plugs. We only have power to half of the house, assuming it's because we have some missing switches and light fixtures.
   Placement of each seem very obvious and hooking switches and plugs we've done before, but the light fixture wires are confusing us... Mainly because the previous owners twisted some of the white and black wires together and I've never heard of this bring correct in any instance. I wish I could attach a picture... Any ideas?

Typically when you see white and black connected together it is for a switch loop.

Power comes into the light fixture, then another cable runs to the switch. The cable going to/from the switch will use one wire for hot, and one for switched hot.  There is no neutral at the switch.

The proper thing to do is to mark the end of the white wire with black marker or electrical tape so future people (you) know what it is used for.

Without being there and knowing the quality of the work done before I cant say for sure this is the case, but its very typical.


grounding wires overkill I have been replacing some light fixture recently and haven't seen any info on connecting grounds wire together with a wire nut when a)one has been grounded to the green screw on the plate and the other one to the box already. Since there was excess on both grounds, I tied them together with a wire nut as a I am a little paranoid that things can come undone on that loosey goosey green screw that doesn't remain still very often and I might need the length in the future, so I chose not to snip. Is this a little overkill or could this make things worse.

thanks,

on the pic the supply ground is attached to the box (cant really see it)

Here you have two ground wires: one coming from the cable, and one from the light ballast.

One possible procedure is to twist the two ground wires together, then screw the twisted portion against the fixture.

Alternatively you can screw both wires into the fixture separately, but you will need to find or make a second ground screw.

The fixture should be grounded, so solutions that just connect the two ground wires but do not attach securely to the fixture are not good.


Yellow stains on the ceiling, how to diagnose Today I just noticed two new yellow stains on the ceiling of my bedroom. They are both size of an apple. I am pretty sure they are not there before.

We have had a lot rain for last a few weeks. I guess I may have water leakage on my roof. Just wondering what I should do now?

The first step is to get up into the loft (assuming the bedroom is on the top floor of the house) and look for signs of water up there. You should have insulation of some sort, this will hold the water.

Then check for nearby damage inside and out. Binoculars can help with the latter. You'll probably have to get it professionally repaired but you need to stop things getting worse until that happens. And you may want to get in touch with your insurer.


What kind of curtain rod should I buy for these brackets? I'm trying to figure out what style of curtain rod to buy for these brackets on my doors. One end has a circular hole and the other end has a rectangular opening. They are 27" apart.

I live in California and my building has been around since the late 1920s.

What kind of curtain rod I should buy?

Those brackets are for a 'pull down blind' aka 'roller shade', not for curtains. You would pull down the opaque blind and it would internally catch. A short tug to release it and it would recoil itself. You can see these in cartoons when they abruptly spin up and fwap-fwap-fwap at the top position. Roller Shade bracket

            Outside Mount Roller Shade Bracket

If you are determined to put curtains on the door(s) then chip off the many layers of paint covering the screws and cut through the paint around the base before attempting removal. A heat gun or powerful hair dryer will speed this process up but be careful about overuse unless you plan to ultimately strip the door down to bare wood and refinish.

The curtain rod you purchase may or may not come with a pair of appropriate curtain rod brackets. There are a wide variety available for different applications. For a small curtain rod meant to accommodate the window in a door, there's a good chance the existing mounting screw holes will be reusable.


Why would you use copper over CPVC or PEX? Are there any advantages to using copper rather than CPVC or PEX?

Copper has a well-proven track record
Copper parts are more readily-available and it's easier to repair (eg, don't need the expensive crimping tool like with PEX)
Safer during fires since it is much more resistant to heat and giving off fumes

That said, I am a huge fan of PEX. It's been around for quite a few years now (though obviously nowhere near as long as copper), and for the most part is proven.

Pex is cheaper (in both material and labor costs),
Pex is easier to install, with many less connections required (eg, try doing a long straight run through a wall or perpendicular through joists - PEX slides right in, copper requires a ton of little segmented pieces and couplers)
Pex can look better when properly installed (when not properly secured, it sags, and because of the forgiving nature, you can have crooked lines and non-right angles).


How do I find the valves on a toilet with hidden pipes? I just came back from holiday to find that water was pouring constantly through my dual-flush toilet, as though it's on permanent flush. A little tinkering revealed the shut off valve is broken - so no matter where the float is, the cistern continues to fill.

Apparently this apparatus is called the Bottom Inlet Valve and isn't too difficult to replace.

Anyway, the toilet is also supposed to apparently have a shut off valve, as this is standard on all modern toilets. Even if I can't do the work myself, it would be useful to shut this off when not in use to stop the noise and waste water.

The problem with all of this is that all the internal plumbing on the toilet is concealed. There's not even any visible screws to put in the toilet seat. Nor is there any panels to remove that I can see to get at the pipes.

There are just two screws, just above floor level, one of either side of the toilet. I have removed these, but nothing has come lose or started to shift. I Can't see anything that would just "come away" - the whole bowl of the toilet looks like a solid block of porcelain.

How do I get to the pipework on my toilet, to see if there's an turn-off valve or find where the bottom inlet valve screws in to the cistern?

EDIT: Some pictures of the cistern mechanism and the outside of the toilet. I'm not just interested in isolating the water. I need to find the inlet pipe itself, so I can disconnect the faulty valve.

I believe that your statement "the toilet is also supposed to apparently have a shut off valve" refers to rough plumbing and NOT the toilet. I am not aware of any toilet with a shut-off valve inside the toilet. If you don't have an external shut-off valve close to the external supply hose/pipe that connects to the toilet tank, you may not have a valve. In this case, the only way to turn off the water supply for the toilet is to find another valve on this system- most likely the whole-house valve, like keshlam suggested. It is unlikely that the shut-off valve is in the wall.

This image is a good example of a toilet shut-off- valve:


Fixing (at least temporarily) roof damaged wooden beam (rafter?) in an outbuilding Outside my house there is an outbuilding. I am not sure of the roofing terms in English, but trying.

On of the roof beams, the center one on this picture (a rafter?) is heavily damaged at its base, as well as the supporting transversal beam (a topplate?) along the wall. A little touch on the roof rafter beam makes me believe it is on the verge of collapsing. However, it has been in this situation for about   one year, when I bought the house. Apparently, the tiles show some bending with respect to the neighboring tiles, as can be seen from the light roof beam in the middle of the picture (a roof batten?)

A close-up shows that the rafter is not supported by the wall anymore, but apparently the other rafters, as well as the topplate below them, are OK.

A last close-up shows the damage with details. Apparently, it has already been fixed, but the damage is extending.

One day, I plan to have the full roof repaired, but I do not have the money right now. I was thinking about fixing a piece of metal, like the following one, but larger along the topplate, and wider to provide some support to the damaged rafter.

Would that be a sound idea? Better suggestions welcome.

judging by the shape and cut of the wood, the method of assembly and the size of the members, i would assume you have a tile roof?  either way, it looks like it was built for a very heavy roof load.

the rot you are seeing is just part of the problem, it most likely extends far into the timber and may even be present in the adjacent rafters.

bracing the beam (thats the transverse thing under the rafter) may not help much as it looks rotten as well.

the best thing to do is put in a post.  this is a vertical column from ground to the bottom of the rafter.  put down a wide block of wood or a concrete slab first to spread the load over the paving stones below.  use a metal bracket at both ends and concrete anchors, lag bolts or nails to secure the post to the base and to the rafter.  if you use a good solid post and are careful in your work, it should last until you can replace the roof.


Goodman gas furnace limit switch opening, blower only runs with a/c I apologize in advance for some of my incorrect terminology. My father has a 2004 Goodman GMH80904BN gas furnace with a/c. The a/c has functioned properly all summer here in Ohio, we have recently had some cooler nights and when attempting to switch from cool to heat and setting the thermostat well above the current temperature. The thermostat calls for heat, the exhaust/flue fan starts and shortly after the igniter glows and ignites the gas.The fire continues to burn for roughly a minute and then the gas shuts off while the exhaust/flue fan continues to run. Throwing a trouble blink code (4 flashes) which indicates High limit open.

This all makes perfect sense that the high limit would open because at no time does the furnace blower attempt to run. Now the blower does function fine when thermostat is set to cool or off with fan set to on.

To be safe, I replaced the filter.
We disconnected the vent pipe/flue to ensure there was no debris.

Checked for continuity at the high limit switch while it was hot/open (no) and again after it had cooled/closed (yes).

Purchased new thermostat to rule out the existing one as faulty. The new stat produced the same symptoms.

I was told the pcb was replaced at the very most 5 years ago along with a new blower motor when furnace was serviced.

Its my understanding that the blower in this furnace is controlled by the pcb and i'm beginning to fear the pcb has failed again. I attempted switching the fan from auto to on while also switching to heat. The blower was on, the vent motor also turned on. Furnace ignited, blower continued to run for about 30 seconds at which the blower the shut off and then after a short period of time the limit switch opened again and everything shut down.

Sorry for the long post, but hopefully my attempt at being through will help someone with the proper knowledge point me in the right direction & we can finally put this problem behind us. Any help is greatly appreciated! God Bless

Some of the older Goodman furnaces  was equipped with a flame sensor it was just a solid metal probe with one attached wire and when it heated up it caused a small millivolts in the probe if this sensor fails your furnace will not light or will go out after a few seconds, only maintenance required is cleaning the metal probe with steel wool or sand paper and check for a loose terminal due to heat stress its cheap and inexpensive to replace so it should be replaced every 5 years most problems with these probes were burned wires and connections as they are directly in contact with the burner (NOTE) Goodman furnaces were designed to run a few seconds in order to give the flame sensor time to heat up and produce the electrical current to activate the switch if no activity is sensed the burner will  shut off, a flame sensor works  on the same principal as an expansion thermo coupling except there is no movement on a flame sensor it works on millivolts of current generated by heating metal where as a thermo coupling has a mechanical rod in the housing that moves with heat expansion and stays as long as the pilot is burning,


Fast Setting Concrete vs Regular? Other than the ~1 hour set time of the fast setting stuff, are there any other pros or cons to it?

We're looking at putting in about 45 fence posts or so and I'm running costs. The regular 50lb concrete is half the price of the fast setting 50lb stuff. Why would we need the quick setting concrete?

Thanks.

having set thousands of posts of all kinds and sizes, i would offer this thought - its not the concrete speed or strength that matters, its the straightness of the post.  and fyi, nobody who makes a living building fences mixes their concrete outside of the hole.  they either use premix or they add powder to water right in the hole.  it works just fine.  and i live in ontario where cold weather cracking and frost heaving are a normal part of life.

if you use standard sakrete, you have about 30minutes of fairly fluid concrete. that means that you have to watch the post carefully for or brace (extra cost and labour).  multiply that by 10 or 20 posts, and it gets expensive.

if you spring for the fast set, it sets up so much faster, that usually by the time you have started drilling the next post, the first one is stiff enough to leave alone.

they are both about 40Mpa right out of the bag, and even if you only get 20Mpa as the final strength (not a perfect mix), its more than strong enough for fence posts.

however, there are alternatives.

1)  use hot water, and add directly to the hole.  then pour standard sakrete powder in and mix with a rod.  dont worry if its not perfect.  its just post concrete.  if your mix is off a little, it may result in powdery spots, but the moisture will cure it all within a couple of days.  just try to get the mix proportions right when you do the addition of water.

2)  just add calcium chloride or sodium chloride to the mix.  it acts as a catalyst.  just google it and you will see how it works.  just dont use it for steel posts or anything with rebar.  it corrodes uncoated steel quicker.

3)  just add catalyst to the mix. its a little faster than bleach, but a little more costly.  once again, see google.

4)  this is the best way, and we have been doing it this way for about 4 years now - just use the expanding foam pouches.  they are just as strong, unaffected by cold or ice, and weigh 1/1000 as much as the concrete.  it costs almost exactly the same for the materials, and is far less labour.  one guy can set 100 posts in a day and isnt tired at all.  its so much more cost effective to use the foam that we havent set a fencepost in concrete for years now.


Vapor barrier on Bathroom tub exterior wall(s)? So I keep seeing conflicting answers on this. I'm renovating a bathroom that was torn down to the studs. On the exterior wall I have siding-tyvek-plywood sheathing-fg insulation inside studs.
My plan is for an alcove tub with cement board backer above waterproofed with redgard prior to tiling that sits above the flange of the tub. Do I put plastic all the way up to the ceiling behind the backer board? Some say that will trap moisture in the cement board. If not do I just put the vapor barrier on the bottom half up past the tub? What about the two interior walls?

The liquid membrane acts as the vapor barrier so you don't need plastic behind the cement board.  Redgard data sheet says 0.35 perms at 30 mils so you can get away without an additional vapor barrier if you put on enough of the redgard.  Do the same for the interior walls as well.  Use a good quality primer and paint for the ceiling above if that gets drywall.  Both Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams make vapor barrier primers you can use.
When looking into this before, I went with Mapei AquaDefense which is a similar product but with better specs and a less "redrum" appearance.  I think RedGard may have updated their specs since then.  Leave a narrow gap between the cement board and tub, make sure to paint the redgard over the bottom edge of the cement board, and caulk the gap.


What header size for a 36" wide window? I want to replace a 20" W window ( 20 5/8" rough) with a 36" (rough) window. I want it to be as close to the ceiling as possible. It is a single story house with 2x4 studs on 16" centers. It has a double top wall plate.

Full size image here.

What is the smallest size header I can use. The new window is 36" W x 12" H. (rough).

it depends on a lot of things:

1)  dead load above
2)  live load (do you get lots of snow, rain, etc.)
3)  wall finish (for practical reasons you may have difficulty changing the header on a stucco wall, which is what it looks like from the cement stains on the interior of the sheathing boards)
4)  material.  steel is much stronger than wood.  spruce is stronger than pine.

in a 2 x 4 wall, you can do a double header construction with a 5/8" ply liner between them as a spacer.  given this, the fact that you are increasing the span from 20" to 36", then the span will be almost twice what was there before, but its still only 36".  generally, you need a 2x6 double header minimum for just about any scenario, so if you are worried about it, go to a double 2x8.  here in ontario, lintels under 2x8 are not permitted (table a-12), but your span is so small it doesn't even fit the minimum requirements.  just use a doubled 2x8.  its overkill, but thats the best way to build anything.


Reverse osmosis draining How long before a new whirlpool reverse osmosis fills the tank and stops draining? I installed the brand new system this afternoon and after 4 hours it is still draining. Does that mean the tank is still filling or is there a problem?
Model is WHAROS5

That model can produce 18.4 gallons of purified water per 24hrs or about 1.3 hours per gallon. So in seven hours, a 5 gallon tank should be filled. There may be other factors that affect this. If it is still running after 10 hours, you've certainly got a problem. Note that every time you use the filtered water, there will be additional draining.


Which way is up? (electric outlet) My house has electric outlets in both orientations.  Which one is correct?  Should the ground hole be at the bottom or the top?

OR

The ground pin is usually facing down, and, if I recall correctly, when I installed some tamper-proof receptacles recently, the printing on them was right-side-up with the ground pin down.  I believe it's also a requirement in some localities.

On the other hand, people supposedly install the ground pin facing up as a safety precaution: if you're falling or dropping something onto a plug that's not securely plugged in, you'll hit the ground pin first so there's no risk of a shock.  If you've got both orientations within any one room, it's possible the installer didn't know what he was doing.

If your locality doesn't have a requirement for them to be facing down, I would just pick the orientation that you prefer and re-install the ones that are in the other orientation to match.


Pull chain fully retracted on ceiling fan The pull chain that turns the lights on/off on a ceiling fan has fully retracted into the housing. Is this fixable without installing a new pull chain switch?

Just about all the switches I have encountered over the years can be taken apart to reroute the chain. Some have screws you can just remove, some have metal screws that have to be removed with pliers. Before you try to take the switch apart, remove it from the fixture and just shake it slowly to see if you can get the tip of the chain out. If this doesn't work, then apart it goes. Separate the two halves carefully because there are some springy contacts in there and you don't want them flying across the room.


Home value - relocating laundry to basement? I would like to turn our first floor laundry room to a powder room and relocate the laundry room to basement. Is this a good idea to improve home value?

Adding bathrooms is, superficially at least, a good way to improve the appearance of real estate listings. This can bring more interest. Whether you can expect to achieve a higher sale price as a result is unclear. Main floor laundry is also a desirable feature.


What kind of glue (adhesive) is likely to be suitable for a heat-lamp surround? I have a combination heatlamp-light-fan, somewhat like the one shown here. The surround (i.e., the big white piece of plastic shown in the linked photograph) is cracked between its outer edge and one of the holes into which a heat-lamp fits. Unfortunately there are no markings to indicate what kind of plastic has been used.
What sort of glue is likely to be suitable both for bonding and heat-resistance?

I believe you're looking to repair the plastic trim piece. For that, I would suggest a model cement that would be available at your local big-box retailer (like Walmart, but, since you're in Aus - Bunnings is Aus only, right? - I would hope you don't have those there), or at a hobby shop.
The good model cements will actually slightly dissolve the plastic at the broken edges, then when the solvent evaporates (in a couple of seconds), the plastic will meld together into one solid piece. You're not actually gluing them together, you are, effectively, welding them together. You'll have a nice strong bond, and if done carefully, you won't even see the crack. If you use something like this, you may not even have to get the trim ring off the light, just squeeze the crack together tightly, apply the cement with a cheap, disposable, fine-point brush, and hold it for 5 seconds or so. This type of model cement is going to cost a bit more, but it will make a nearly invisible repair.
If you can't find that (or don't want to pop for the cost), a "regular" type of model cement (for example, Testors™ is the brand I'm most familiar with from my youth) will work as a glue. I'd suggest that you get the trim ring off the fixture and apply the glue from the back. Use it sparingly - it will take quite a bit less than you'd expect - applied to the crack from the hidden side because it can leave a bit of a mess.
Once you've got the repair made, you have, essentially, nothing but the original plastic trim ring, so there's really no need to worry about heat resistance. If the original plastic was sufficiently heat-resistant, the repaired plastic will be, too.
If, for some reason, either of these glues don't hold it, you'll have to track down the actual brand of your fan and look for docs online to see if they indicate exactly what kind of plastic it's made of so you can get a compatible adhesive. However, I really think that some model cement will do the job for you just fine.


What could be causing dampness in a bathroom wall? The bottom section of the wall (other side is bathroom and a closet) has the following appearance - after prying out the planks that decorate the floor/wall interface.

The wall (in a high rise) does not appear to be wet a foot above from the floor and looks like an internal leakage, any help would be much appreciated.

Thank you so so much!

If it’s a wall in a high rise, I doubt if it’s a roof leak.

I’d guess 1) If there is a sink, toilet, etc. on the other side of the wall I’d check for  a loose pipe , or 2) I’d check for ventilation/condensation problem.

1) The leak might be from a loose drainline that only leaks when it’s really really full. That is to say, it could take years to produce enough water to create that mold. Fill up the sink/tub and see what happens.

2) If your exhaust fan duct is not insulated, it could create a lot of condensation which can accumulate and run to the floor. (However, I don’t see mold streaks, so I doubt it could be that...)


Should we turn our oil hot water heater off every night? My husband and I are considering shutting off our hot water heater from 8pm to 8am every night to save on energy.  Is such a time frame long enough to create a noticeable difference in our oil bill?  We already know it is effective to shut it off if going on vacation but are more interested in shorter periods of time. Could turning it on and off like this cause any other problems?

Electric water heaters lose very little heat.  Putting a blanket on them or putting them on a timer won't save much money.

NG/propane/oil water heaters, on the other hand, lose significantly more heat, as they not only lose heat through their outside surfaces, but also even more heat via the flue.  Putting a blanket around the outside will prevent perhaps 10% of the standby losses -- worth it if you're using propane but not NG.

Turning the water heater off will lower the temperature difference between the water inside the tank and the air outside the tank, so it can save you a significant amount of money ($3-4 for propane; I'm not sure how oil compares to propane) if you go out of town for a week and turn the water heater off (because after a few days, the temperature difference for the disabled water heater will be nearly zero and standby losses, being proportional to the temperature difference, will also be nearly zero.)  Turning the water heater off for only 12 hours a day will probably only save you ~40 cents a week if you have propane.  Perhaps worth it if you can find a cheap device to do it for you, but not worth the trouble of doing it manually.

NOTE: By mentioning that lowering the temperature difference between water inside the tank vs. air outside the tank, one might be inclined to lower the setting on water heater to ~115 degrees Fahrenheit.  While this will indeed decrease your standby losses, this is not safe.  At lower temperatures, bacteria commonly known as "legionella" will grow, which is particularly dangerous to elderly and children, and sometimes causes death.  If you would like to lower the setting on your water heater, you must raise the temperature on the water heater to 135-140F for at least one day each month.


Central Air duct does not blow We moved into a new house last year, the central A/C works great for all the rooms (even for closet) but we have a problem in just one room. There is almost no air flow coming from that room's air duct.

The room is the northeast corner of the house, so it does not get almost any sunlight (Just east wall in the morning and there is no window on that wall) but still the room 3-4 degrees hotter than the rest of the house. (We also had the same problem during winter, all around the house was warm, but not that room)

I placed paper strips to each duct outlet to see the air flow, all the papers move except that room. That way I know that there is no air flow in that room.

I closed some other air ducts to increase airspeed, but so far didn't help.

What should I do to find & fix this problem?

Disconnected duct-work, a closed shut-off louver (somewhere in the duct-work, not at the register), or it's the longest and hardest-to-run stretch, therefore possibly undersized to fit in the space or a poor job done connecting it, are all likely culprits. Contract someone who has troubleshooting experience and an inspection camera. Standard duct cleaning service companies aren't likely to have either. Re-balancing the system will not solve the problem as you have tried that already (unless it is a hidden closed louver).

If I had to guess (if it's not just broken duct-work), it's the longest, hardest-to, smallest diameter run in the house, running in horribly mangled (kinked) 6" flexible. Solution, replace with ridged.


Do skirting boards prevent\help to manage damp in any way? I previously asked this question Do I need to replace skirting in these places? .  Please note the placing of the boards which are behind cabinets but also under the sink area.  Note that the red lines in my pic are not correct, they should go further right up to the end of the sink

In my case of damp, water came through broken tiles behind the sink and down into exactly where most of the skirting boards are(indicated by the red line).  However I have comes across this statement in someones reply to an article:

"..NONE of your correspondents seem to have noted one of the most important functions of the much maligned skirting board - that of concealing the necessary gap between wooden floorboards and masonry to prevent transmission of damp and to allow for expansion and contraction of the boards with temperature and humidity."
https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,,-2689,00.html

Can someone explain what this means?  I'm wondering if the boards actually prevented my damp from going into the floor and spread as the comment would suggest?  And this comment might explain why the skirting goes to the end of the sink my damp situation demonstrating how it works.
Is this statement only relevant if you have floorbaords?

Skirting is purely aesthetic. It doesn't stop damp transmission itself, but just hides a gap where floorboards meet wall.

In the article you quoted, the important words are:

  ...concealing the necessary gap between wooden floorboards and masonry
  to prevent transmission of damp...

They are saying that if wooden floorboards are in contact with masonry walls which are damp, then moisture can wick into them (particularly from the end-grain). In fact, I think that this quote is ludicrous; if you have damp walls, you have a problem that skirting isn't going to help you with.

To answer your question simply, whether or not you have skirting will have absolutely no effect on managing damp, particularly on a concrete floor which is in contact with the wall.


Wire guage needed for standard stove/oven combo I am running wire for a standard Kenmore stove/oven and wire for a stackable washer dryer unit. Both runs are less than 50'. What amp breaker and guage wire is needed?

A "standard" cooktop only, or a single wall oven, will typically be on a 30A-120/240V circuit, requiring 10/3 cable.
Keep in mind, I have seen many newer cooktop models that require a 40A circuit. It all depends on the kW rating.

A free-standing range, rated 12kW or less, can typically be wired to a 40A-120/240V circuit using 8/3cu or 6/3al cable.

A typical electric dryer, and most combined stackable units, will require a 30A-120/240V circuit using 10/3 cable.