Unplugged alarm panel - battery died - keypad says low battery I have a honeywell alarm panel that I believe trickle charges a 12v 4ah casil lead-acid battery.  The panel and battery are ~2 years old.  It was unplugged while doing a drywall repair and the battery was fully drained of power.  I've plugged in back in but the system is saying low battery.  Will the trickle charge be able to charge the battery back up and if so how long should I expect this to take?
If I can't expect it to charge up from trickle charging what other options do I have?
Thank you !

Well, it's either dead, and you need a new battery, or it will recharge and perhaps you don't need a new battery. Since the typical alarm is very "trickle" rather than active charge, it may take 2-3 days.
Depending on what its built in-protections for the battery are, a complete discharge might have damaged it (if no low voltage cutoff - lead-acid batteries HATE being anything like "fully discharged" - they are not NiCads) or not.
Alarm batteries are typically designed to protect in case of a power outage for a certain period of time - if the time yours lasted was particularly short, it probably needs to be replaced. You could check the actual voltage with a meter to see if it's alarming (11.99 or less; or 12.5 or less, depending who you ask. 10.5 and under are pretty clear indications that one or more cells have definitely given up the ghost) and if it rises before you check it again.
Unclear why you chose to do this - there are not very many reasons to, and several not to. Despite being nominally rechargeable, there's a rather small finite life to these batteries, and deeply discharging them eats into that.
Common recommendation is to plan on replacing on a 3-5 year cycle (how well the alarm "checks" the battery varies between alarms, and it may or may not give you any indication that the battery is useless before you have a 5 minute outage and the alarm goes belly up in 3 or 30 seconds - which can be one reason to unplug for a couple of hours once in a while, but not to the point of killing the battery unless it can't make it for a couple of hours and you replace it.)


Metal door frame; the screwholes holding the strike plates are stripped out. What to do? As the title states, the screw holes in my metal door frame are stripped out and do not hold the screws for my strike plates.  The door is a finely made iron and glass door (heavy), but the metal for the frame is fairly thin.  I thought about doing a helicoil, but I think the metal may still be too thin to hold a good coil.  Any ideas on a solution that will look good (this is my entry door)?  Thanks!

If you have sufficient space behind the material in which the hole has stripped, you may be able to make use of a rivnut. It's a threaded insert which matches the required threads (machine screw, not sheet metal or wood screw) and requires a larger hole to be drilled. Once inserted, the tool compresses the back side in the same manner as a pop-rivet or blind rivet and secures the threaded portion for return to normal use.

The image above shows a metric version available from Amazon.com, but SAE sizes are also common enough. Some tools for installation can be expensive, or as simple as a wedge with a bolt to apply the proper force.

The above, also from Amazon.com is obviously not a wedge type, but is not the hundred dollar version.


Portable air-conditioning system output problem I have just bought a potable air-conditioning system for my kitchen. However, after I bought the air-conditioner just realised I need to put the output pipe to the outside. My kitchen doesn’t have any window and it is far from other windows in my house. I understand that air-conditioner doesn’t work properly without connecting it to the outside.

However, my question is, can I put the output to a bucket or tank of water? In that case it will heat up the water instead of the environment.

Your comments will be much appreciated.

As an abstract question, yes you could transfer the heat to water. But in practice it is a totally unfeasible solution. Even a small AC will remove 5k BTU/hr from the air while also generating some heat of it's own. So let's call it 8k BTU/hr total heat generated.

At that rate you would heat 5 gallons of water from 70 ºF to 100 ºF in less than 10 minutes. And that's assuming perfect heat transfer to the water and no heat leakage back into the air.


Must I use both cables running to my bathroom fan? I have two cables running to exhaust fan hook up, each cable with one white and one black. Do I need both black and both white from the cables with the one black and one white from the new exhaust fan?  Then what do I do with the green ground wire?

Chances are one cable is the source, and the other is a switch loop. You'd need to safely test to be sure, though. If that's the case, here's what it should look like:

If you don't have a grounding conductor (bare wire) in your cable, ignore the ground wire in your fan kit. There's not much you can do about it without running new wire. It's probably a low-risk issue anyway.

Sorry your question slipped through the cracks. I hope you got it resolved.


What is best way to make up difference between concrete and drywall in garage The bottom part of wall in the carport was never covered with drywall. The distance from floor to bottom is around 9-10 inches. The bottom area is concrete blocks. The issue is distance from outer face of wall to outer edge of drywall is 7/8. The thickest drywall is 5/8. I need to make up the additional 1/4 inch. I was going to use 1/4 foam insulation but it is much more expensive than the other foam insulation(1/4-$40+). I had thought of cutting wood pieces to that thickness but was concerned it holding up drywall because it is so thin. Any suggestions? I’ll try to post pic within the hour.

I recommend you do not embark on this project.

If cost is of a concern to you, I recommend you do not embark on this project.

With that out of the way, you suggested you want this to be astetically pleasing. The best way *and functional way, to obtain the result you want is to build a wall to attach the drywall to. This means removing the existing drywall, insulating,etc - or build a wall on top of what you have.

If you do not want to do that, (which is the most expensive, and best looking approach), you could (for example), use 1 piece of 5/8, and one piece of 1/4 drywall. That gives you 7/8".

You will want to vapor barrier, or at least use greenboard due to its moisture and mold resistant design. You would then have to contact cement it and place bricks against it until dry. You will then also have to blend the edges, of the seam that now exists - and this is a NIGHTMARE.

The better approach of doing this, would be to cutback the existing drywall farther up the wall, revealing the studs, and adding horizontal pieces toed in, to use as the support behind the seam. You could still contact cement it when it meets the concrete. Or - you could use cement board, or glue in furring strips of your own instead of using double drywall sheets.

There are quite a few ways to accomplish what you want, but honestly, it isnt advisable. You can paint the concrete, or add colored aluminum as flashing. You could use molding and cut a channel in it, then use this to trim the drywall where it is already.

It all depends on the money you are willing to invest, and if you live in a wet or wintery climate, you can expect it to get damaged/dinged/dirty/wet in the first 2 years.


Install Ultra Short-Throw Projector Mounted Onto Ceiling in Residential Home I want to install a short-throw projector onto the ceiling of a residential home and whiteboard onto a wall to hold the projected image. How do I do this myself or are there companies out there who can do it for cheap in the USA?

...you buy a projector mount, install it to the ceiling (normally requiring that you find the framing to get adequate hold) and provide it with power and signal cables (normally requiring a considerable amount of ripping drywall open to get those run - do yourself a BIG favor and run conduits, not wires, so you don't have to re-do the drywall work when things change.) Then you repair the drywall and paint.

It's not magic, it's just work. Either you do it, or you pay somebody else to do it, and aside from "companies out there who do it for cheap" being specifically off topic, there's also the little matter of getting your house burned down by some cheap fly-by-nighter cutting corners on the install. Always remember that "the US Electrical Code" is written by folks in the "fire prevention" business. Do you really want to bet your house on doing it wrong?

Alternatively, you live with exposed cables attached to the ceiling. It's much easier, and when you remove the projector it's just a few screw-holes to spackle & paint. I've done quite a few projectors for work, and most of them are exposed wiring.

Or, depending on the size of your proposed whiteboard, you discover that large TVs are remarkably affordable and brighter than most projectors, and skip the whole whiteboard & projector thing (done a lot of those at work, too, at half the price of the projector, and able to work in rooms much too bright for a projector to work in.)


Possible water hammer under kitchen sink My husband and I installed a new kitchen faucet a few days ago (we are not plumbers).  Ever since then, when you shut off the hot water (or when the dishwasher runs), it makes a banging noise. From our internet research, it sounds like a water hammer.  There seems to be all sorts of solutions on the net, but some even contradict each other.  We did try draining the air out of the pipes, but even that had very different methods for how to do it, so not sure if we did it correctly.

Note, before we installed the new faucet, there was never a sound when you shut the hot water off.

Any thoughts on what to do? THank you

A loose washer on the hot water shutoff can also cause a hammer..


Is it ok to wire light switches and lights with 12/2 cable? It sounds like light switches and lights are usually wired with 14/2 cable. Is it okay to use 12/2 cable instead? Would I need special switches?

As long as you have a 15A circuit breaker on that circuit, it's OK to use 12/2 NM cable for your lights.  Since the maximum current on the circuit will be 15A, you won't need special switches.  You should label the wire that it is 15A, not 20A, so that someone else doesn't come along and treat it as a 20A circuit.

Pro: 12/2 cable is a slightly better conductor of electricity, so you'll have slightly less loss between the service panel and your fixtures.
Cons: it's more expensive, harder to work with than 14/2 cable, and you may need to use larger junction boxes because the NEC allows fewer 12 gauge conductors than 14 gauge in a given volume box.

You'll probably also find that you won't be able to use the insertion fittings on the back of the switches (but that's OK, IMO, because I always use the screws), and you definitely won't be able to use the electrical nuts that come with your lights, so you'll have to get your own (and making a secure connection might be trickier with 12 gauge).


Can I mount a router to the Ridgid R4510 table saw? I'd like to purchase a Ridgid R4510 table saw, but I want to make sure I can mount a router under it. Should I be concerned with whether this specific table saw is going to allow it or do pretty much all table saws accommodate a router attachment? Also, would there be a commercially available router attachment for this table. I noticed that most people create their own attachments, but I might like to save some time and just buy one.

Nothing commercially available nor would I expect one.  I've made one for mine with a fairly detailed build thread on the Router Forums.

http://www.routerforums.com/table-mounted-routing/35529-router-insert-ridgid-r4510-table-saw.html


Ground wire not long enough in 4-prong dryer cord? I have a Whirlpool model LEC8858EQ0 dryer with a 3-prong cord and am installing a 4-prong cord. Everything has gone well, except the ground wire isn't nearly long enough to reach the grounding screw.

In the picture you can see the grounding screw at top left and the ground wire hanging sadly below it. The difference is a couple of inches.
I tried connecting the ground wire first to make sure it reaches, but if I do that the rest of the wires are too far from where they need to be.
Is there something I can do to bridge the gap?

It appears to me you didn't buy the Whirlpool brand cord, WP has ring terminals not forks. It is quite possible the maker of your cord didn't expose enough conductor to spread the connections for your dryer. Your options would be to get a WP cord or cut the black jacket back another inch or two and loop line conductors a little below the terminals.
Do leave the bonding strap in place where you have it and as the instructions show. Many people don't realize that on Whirlpool dryers the other end of that 4" long green wire is a stake-on landed right back on top of the neutral terminal, and as connected for 4 wire connections it is just a pointless loop. Here is a picture of that wire https://amzn.to/2IJBUKl .  It's just a place holder when wired for a 4 wire, but the part is present and moved to the ground screw if your only option is a 3 wire connection.


Spigot replaced with ball valve- now the water gets out like from a water cannon...why? I just replaced an outdoor spigot with a ball valve. Now when I open the valve the water comes out with a huge pressure...do you know why ? When I had the spigot in place that one provided a much smoother water flow.

what could be the reason?

The ball valve offers a straight through path for the water. It's bore hole is highly likely to be smaller than the feed pipe behind it so the bore acts like a hose nozzle.

The older style faucets have a complex path flow for the water through the device which causes turbulence in the flow and also a pressure drop. This is what makes it look to you that the flow is somehow more gentle.


What to do first in a house with poor thermal performance and high energy bills I just moved into a house and am a little bit disappointed in its thermal performance so far. It's winter and cold outside, and the furnace heats the house up pretty quickly, but then the house gets cold again pretty soon. So the furnace is on, then off again, then on again, and I suspect it's not reaching its efficiency potential from this. Furthermore, the dry air blown around the house isn't terribly comfortable in the already-dry northern New Mexico climate. The tile floors set right on top of the slab are really cold. The gas bill is irritatingly high.

So I'm wondering what I should tackle first to to remedy this situation. Here are some more details:

The house is a 42 year old ranch-style, and the conditioned space is 1,200 square feet.
The house faces west, so the main living area only gets direct sunlight early in the morning and in the late afternoon.
The heater is an 80% efficiency 125,00 BTU central forced air furnace with ducts in the unconditioned attic and vents in the ceilings.
There are lots of air leaks.
There is a large sliding glass door that was double-paned, but one pane is missing
The entry door is un-insulated.
The walls are 2x4 construction with fiberglass insulation.
External sheathing is cream-colored stucco, with no continuous foam insulation or anything nice like that.
The attic has loose cellulose insulation, about 6" maybe. Higher in some places, lower in others.
The roof sheathing is made up of light red asphalt shingles. Roof decking is 2x10s.
The house is built on a slab-on-grade which is not insulated at all. The footings have been extended outwards to form a ring of concrete around the whole house that you can walk on, making it impossible to effectively insulate the edges without removing the extra concrete first.
The windows are double-pane, but old and aluminum-framed. The aluminum frames feel very cold to the touch when it's cold outside. They also do a terrible job of noise cancellation. Inside the house, you can hear people 30 feet away outside.
There is an attached, uninsulated garage.

What should I do first? I'm planning to stay in this house a while so I'll have time to tackle large projects eventually (i.e. replace shingles with metal roof, add continuous foam insulation) but I'd like to know what's the general order I should tackle things.

Stop the leaks

You're paying good money to heat/cool the air, keep it in your house. Check the exterior for obvious leaks such as air blowing through a door gap or windows that don't close all the way. The less you absolutely need to use that area the easier the solution is. If it is a hole in the wall fill it with some insulation batting, if the window is cockeyed and not sealing cover the gap then seal the window with shrink film for a temporary solution while you're getting the rest of the house under control.

After you have the air contained make sure its going to the right places. Check as much duct work as you're able to get to for leaks, small gaps in joints or corners can leak air that will short cut the system and waste your money. Aluminum tape is recommended here but just simple duct tape would work as well. Might not hurt to throw out the money to have a furnace guy come out to check over the system and make sure the controls are all working properly and you're getting as much air through the vents as you're supposed to.

Insulate

Go through and prioritize what you can afford now and what you need to put off and how much they will effect your heat loss. Your priority #1 better be that sliding glass door, They have a very large surface area with less insulation than walls (in most cases, tbd in yours) and with one pane of a double pane broken its lost a tremendous amount of its insulating factor.

If you do not want to insulate the bottom of your roof in the attic then by all means wrap insulation around all the duct work which is in the attic, I would recommend both. Adding additional cellulose insulation to the attic would not hurt but will likely have less of a benefit as most of the other things listed.

Replacement windows will help but there are uglier things which can be done in the mean time which are much cheaper that could help get the costs and comfort under control such as storm windows.


How to run second disconnect/load center from meter I live in Medina County, Ohio, USA.

This other question discusses a bit about running two load centers from a meter.  I am wanting to do exactly that. I currently have service that supports 200amp (confirmed with city).  My existing disconnect in garage is 100amp and has a 3 wire cable going to 100amp panel in the house.  That cable is routed through difficult places and the electrician tells me it will be expensive to upgrade to the 4-wire cable that would support 200amp.

I really only need 100amp more for the garage, so I did a little research and it appears that I would be able to run another 100amp loadcenter off the meter.  The other Stack Exchange question I linked to above discusses that, even going over some code (like you can do this because of an exception if the disconnects are grouped together).

So in order to avoid having to upgrade the whole house to 200amp and replace that cable, which increases the cost drastically, I'd like the electrician to run another loadcenter right off the meter and have it right next to the existing disconnect in the garage.  I mentioned this to him and he said we'd still need to replace the cable.  Before I go back and forth with him, I'd like to be more informed, which is what I'm trying to do here.

First, is running a second loadcenter code-compliant?  The total amps allowed by the two loadcenters would be 200amp, and the meter supports 200amp.  The existing disconnect and the new loadcenter would be physically right next to each other.

Second, if that is code-compliant, would the existing 3-wire cable between the existing disconnect and the house panel need to be upgraded?  If so, why?  It would never have more than 100amp (protected by the disconnect breaker).

Third, is there anything special that would need to be done to run a second loadcenter or is it just run in parallel from the meter?

See my professional diagram below.

Thanks for your help,
Mike

The issue with 3/4 wires isn't about ampacity.  It's about grounding electrode systems and

Where's your main panel?

Electrical service is 3-wire from the pole to the main panel, and it operates under service rules.  After the main panel, power must be carried 4-wire and it operates under the feeder rules.

Right now it's arguable (and possibly grandfathered) that the disconnect and  your run from garage to house is all part of the service. To follow this logic through, the house has the one main panel and thus the one official neutral-ground bond. The cable run benefits from the 310.16b7 uprate, meaning the wire only needs to be rated for 83% of ampacity, or 83A not 100A.

If you add the garage panel as you mean to, with both disconnects right next to each other, the house run can no longer be a service.  It moves the "main panel" point to the garage.   Now the house panel is a subpanel. It will need separation of neutral and ground in the panel and all the way back to the garage.  The connection is feeder not service, and ground must be present. That means the permissive 83% uprate goes away and the wire must be rated for full 100A, so it may be now too small.

The upside is that ground can be retrofitted separately, it doesn't require total replacement of the cable.  Ground does not need to be bundled with the conductors because it does not flow current except in emergencies.  It can follow any practical route.


Adding 2 Piece Powder Room + Laundry I'm looking to add a powder room and laundry to the ground floor of our home. Most of the plumbing runs through the central wall on our side split and the W/C & lav will be on this wall too, making the draining/venting a bit simpler. However the laundry will not be on this wall so I'm hoping to use a cheater vent here so I don't need to drill half the joists in this room or open upper-floor walls to get a vent out the roof.

I've attached some diagrams of my plans and was hoping someone could give me some feedback / review things in general. Additionally, I have a couple more specific questions:

Is it better to connect the powder room and laundry both directly to the stack or am I okay joining them. I'm trying to avoid cutting too much of the copper out.
Is it possible to install back-to-back sinks that share a wall like the laundry/garage sinks in my diagram? If so what kind of fitting would work?

*NOTE: Stuff in blue is being added

All and all it looks good!

Regarding the Powder Room:

It is totally fine to join the powder room and laundry room on the same branch (as in your last picture). In addition, if the height is limited, instead of using a 3x2 sanitary tee on the vertical pipe to the toilet, you can use a 3x2 wye on the horizontal pipe before the toilet 90° to connect the sink and still vent the toilet.

Back to Back Sinks:

Yes, you can install sinks back to back. The fitting used here is a double sanitary tee or sometimes referred to as a sanitary cross.

Additional Comments

Note that some locations require that there is a fire-rated separation between the garage and the rest of the house. You can still penetrate the wall but you may be required to provide an approved fire stopping around the penetration. What you use will depend on how the wall is constructed and the drainage materials used. The same would apply to the water pipe penetrations.

Where I live we cannot use 90° elbows when transitioning from vertical to horizontal. We are required to use two 45° elbows. It's a bit silly, as we can use a hub x hub 45° and a fitting x hub 45° together and get close to the same radius as a short sweep 90°, but code is code. I know that many other jurisdictions/codes allow the use of long sweep 90° elbows for vertical to horizontal transitions.


Grounding electrical sub panel in separate structure It pains me to ask this question when there are so many similar ones out there - but I feel like I’ve read them all and still don’t have a satisfactory understanding of what the correct options are.
I have a house built in 1988.  It has 400A service and three sub panels on the structure itself.  They are all fed with 4-wire HHNG. One of those sub panels feeds a separate structure (barn) about 150’ away via underground feeder.  This feed is 3-wire HHN and is on a 60A breaker at the house.
At the barn the panel has a grounding rod and that is bound to neutral from the house.
I believe this used to be to code and is grandfathered in. I also understand it isn’t great, and hence why it’s no longer to code.
I’ve read all kinds of discussion and solutions.

Replace with 4-wire feeder and separate the G and N (which would be code for a new install)
Put a GFCI on the feed line (at the house panel?) and split G & N
Install a transformer to make it a separated service (and bond G N)
Leave it as is but understand it’s potentially hazardous?

First please let me know if I’m misunderstanding those four options?
One other complication though - the two structures are connected by a conductor....they share copper water pipes.  Seems like this could change the equation.  Can/should those pipes be used as grounding between the structures (in which case you would separate the G&N in the panel?)
I am looking to both make sure I understand the logic and make a good interim decision - in a few years we should be able to replace the feeder with 4w and just follow the current code.
Most relevant posts I’ve read are this and this one that just kept going
Edit - the current feeder is 3x#6awg THHN in 3/4” PVC Sch40 conduit.  No practical room to run a 4th in there, especially given the length (200’).
When the time comes we will eventually run 4x#2...

You have a 5th option if no grounding path is available and you want to update. Current code allows for a separate grounding conductor to be added to be compliant with 4 wire feed (if not metal conduit approved for use as such).
And a 6th option, install a GFCI breaker or receptacle at the first device in each branch circuit. This is the same option that allows 2 wire receptacles in homes to be converted to 3 wire and a tag stating no equipment ground on the receptacle (they come with these stickers pre printed).
Your system is the same as any home built prior to 1999 is it really hazardous? Code allowed this for almost 100 years.
If it was really hazardous code would have changed much earlier in my opinion.
Having a separate grounding conductor makes sense even if you have a grounding electrode at the detached building. Most non electricians spout all kinds hazards but think about this the grounding conductor can be smaller and if a large current is on that conductor there will be a larger voltage drop so is it really that much safer? , how many electrocutions do you hear about? Not many to start with.
Your #1 would be just like a new install but now that you updated the panel most jurisdictions want all the receptacles to now meet code every circuit with a receptacle requires GFCI protection (yes even lighting there are no exceptions unless local).
Your #2 put a GFCI on the feed at the house panel. I hope you are trying to get in shape because not only is this expensive you will be making a lot of trips to the house to reset it (GFCI’s do not use ground, but they do use the neutral code defines them differently grounding / grounded).
Your #3 install a transformer 1:1  again an expensive task it creates a separately derived system and you can now bond the neutral and ground in the main Panel it is no longer a sub 15kva 1:1  $600+ new $400-500 with shipping eBay used (shipping hurts here).
Your #4 leave it as it is, understanding millions of homes have this same setup.
As you can tell I might suggest running a new grounding conductor at the most. Possibly GFCI breakers or receptacles but I don’t have them in my shop. I have a customer that calls me almost every other month to replace a GFCI receptacle on one of his 3 saws he is afraid of electricity even though he has never been shocked and had me add GFCI receptacles almost 10 years ago well before they were required.


stem puller for shower I've an old shower in my house that was leaking when I moved in 8 years ago. I removed the faucet and, for 7 years now, I've not been able to remove the stem. (yes, that's a long time, but kids got in the way :) ).

I just purchased a Moen stem puller (not sure of the make\model of the stem), but it was unable to thread in so I could pull the stem out.

Ideas?

Thank you

Two options:

Find a screw that does fit the thread. You have the screw that holds the handle on, right? Take that screw to the hardware store and buy one that is threaded the same and 3-4 inches long. You can then drill a hole in a 2x4 for the screw (you'll probably need a washer) and use that 2x4 to pull the stem out.
Forget about changing the cartridge. Just open the back side of the wall and replace the whole assembly. If you have copper pipes, Shark-bite connectors make this a super easy fix nowadays.


Any hidden disadvantage to lever-type door latches? I have a lever-type door knob on one of my bedrooms and I like it a lot more than the ordinary round knobs. I am considering replacing all the door knobs in the house with levers. Is there any reason to not do this? Why do people use round knobs at all?

It‘s interesting how these things differ among cultures!

In Europe (Germany for sure, but I never observed a difference in other European countries) basically all doors have levers. Here you install a knob only when you need the feature that it becomes more difficult open a door for pets and toddlers.

However, in most of these cases you can already get away with putting the handle upright, so knobs are really rare.


How do I deal with glued-on drywall? I'm in the process of gutting a bedroom. I had to remove a pocket door, move the light switch, add a couple of receptacles, and deal with some rot/mold/insects on the exterior wall. I found that whoever put up the drywall in that room used glue on every stud with only a handful of drywall nails per board (to hold it in place while the glue dried, I suppose).

My problem/question is now that I've removed all of the drywall, little bits at a time, I have studs with up to an 1/8 inch of hard construction glue up and down them. Should I leave the glue and put the new drywall over it if it seems even, or it is worth the time to chip off all of the glue and then install drywall right on the studs? It's a LOT of work and I'd like to avoid it unless there's some problem I can't think of.

I would spend the time to scrape it off. This will increase the contact area between the studs and the drywall, which in turn will give better stability. Stability is important because if there is any free play, the screws will move, and may eventually show through the paint.

There are various scrapers available in your local home improvement store, in the paints/brushes section. If adhesive proves hard to remove, use mineral spirits or any type of adhesive remover you can find.

I also found that a reciprocating saw with a scraping attachment can be efficient.


Framing a window directly through a post in post-and-beam construction? I have a single story home built on a concrete slab using post and beam construction. I have 4x4 posts spaced 5 feet apart along the exterior wall with 4x8 beams holding up a 4" tongue and groove roof with composite shingles.

I am considering the removal of the post and replacing it with a sufficient header and jack studs so that the window isn't bisected by the post.

I know having a professional engineer come and evaluate is my best option, but I am also considering over-speccing it if I can arrive at some kind of rough estimate for an appropriate header and supporting jack studs. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Removing the vertical post and finding some other way of supporting the roof beam will be complicated, specially since there is very little space between the window top and where the roof beam enters the wall. This is where you would need to insert a cross beam or similar to support the load from the roof. Needless to say, it will not be pretty and would probably still block a large part of your existing window.

Alternatively, you could consider moving the window. There seems to be sufficient space to the left of the photo. Although it would be a bit more work, no structural elements will be compromized, and most of the covering materials taken off to make space for the window could be re-used to fill up the gap on the other side.


Garage door seal is glued and I want to replace it My garage door doesn't seem to have the plate that you see in new doors these days where you can slide the rubber seal. Mine is hard glued at the bottom and side of the door. Does anyone know a way to removing this glued seal and installing a new plate that allows me to slide the seal instead? I don't want to glue a new one on.

Overhead door seal channels are available as well as the rubber seals. Kits would probably come with sheet metal screws for mounting. You'd just need to pull the old seal off or cut it away so that it gets covered.


What is the easiest way to cut a 2 inch groove in concrete? I have a 5 foot wide concrete side-walk running next to my house. I want to cut a 2 inch groove from the wall to the yard in order to run a PVC irrigation pipe from the faucet on the wall to the trees. The primary question is:

What is the easiest way to cut that groove into the side-walk? (i.e. what tool will I need and how do I use it?)

Other questions:

Can you think of a better way to run irrigation from the faucet (that you see further down the wall) into the garden?

What other problems am I going to run into and how can they be avoided?

I'd try to go through the slab and then below it.  Most slabs are 6" thick with gravel underneath.

You can rent a concrete core drill for around $60 from home depot. Stick a hole in your slab.

Then you can use something called a 'sidewalk sleever' to tunnel under the slab.  Then install pipe (a little tricky due to the elbow, and fill your hole back up with gravel.

The end result will be much prettier and do less damage to your slab.


How can I repair this rotten entry threshold? My entry door threshold is sunk into the concrete from the driveway and leaking.
How can I repair this sunken threshold?
OR, what kind of contractor should I get to repair it for me?

Hard to confirm without pictures, but you might have a void below the wood where water gets in and is causing the wood to rot.
Remove the rubber gasket, then remove the metal threshold (if you have one). Next remove the rotted wood. You may have to cut away since the wood will run under the jamb.  Fill the void (if there is one) with quick setting concrete. Then just replace the wood. Use pressure treated wood to prevent rotting.
OR, just hire a repair/handyman.


Using 600W load with C2 MCB Can I use 600W electric kettle in a circuit which has a MCB rated as C2?

The power supply voltage is 220V.

There is a simple formula that relates Volts, Watts and Amps.

  W = V * A

You know the watts and the volts, and need to know amps to compare that to your circuit breaker.  Basic algebra tells us that Amps is going to be Watts divided by Voltage.  So, your kettle is going to use

  600W / 220V = 2.7A (about 3 Amps)

A C2 breaker is rated for 2 Amps, so it would not be sufficient for that kettle.


Replacing old thermostat with new wi-fi Honeywell I'm trying to replace my old mercury thermostat with Honeywell Rth8580wf. The cable has 8 wires, only 4 were being used. The wire colors and letters on the thermostat do not match up, so I'm left with red, white, yellow and green being unused. I tried to connect the red wire to terminal C, but the thermostat did not power up. I thought I could use any unused wire as a C wire, but please correct me if I'm wrong. If I can in fact use any wire, why doesn't it power up? I wish I could attach pictures, but can send upon request.

You can't simply connect any extra wire to the C terminal on the thermostat.  You have to also connect the other end of that wire to the C terminal in the furnace.

If you include a photo of the wiring at the thermostat,  and a photo of the wiring in the furnace I can give you a detailed list of instructions for hooking it up.


Could improper installation of a weather vane on the roof cause a collapse? My daughter thinks  that becsuse of,the way this was installed the roof is no longer safe and will collapse. Has the integtity of this building been compromised?

Someone is being very paranoid!!! There's ABSOLUTELY no way the structural integrity of the roof has been compromised by installing a weather vane.

Edit:
Something else to consider about your daughters worries about the structural stability of the roof... Someone had to physically get on that roof to install your weather vane. If the roof was unstable, there wouldn't be a weather vane there as the roof would've collapsed under the weight of the person that installed it.


Is the Electrician trying to scam me? I own a home in California and was emailed by my property manager about an electrical problem with an outlet. The outlet was fixed according to the tenant but the repair man through the manager thinks there is still a problem. Just wanted to know if this sounds right or if I'm being scammed. This is the email:

  "I installed a new outlet as needed in the upstairs guest bathroom. I also tested each of the bathroom GFI circuits and they are now operating properly. The old outlet failed on the inside and melted. The plastic covering on the wires were also meted. Because of that I also started checking some of the other circuits in the bedrooms. I'm extremely concerned based on the tests I did on a few random bedroom outlets. I found an amperage issue. Normal amperage is either 15 or 20 amps. The bedroom outlets that I tested were pulling 36-49 amps. This is very dangerous. I would need to test all of the outlets and switches in the home and outside the home to trace where the amperage issue starts. I will also need to go through the main electrical breakers one by one. The volts aren't an issue here, it's an electrical outlet, switch, breaker, or bad wires pulling a high level of amps. High amps like that will make the wires heat up and melt the plastic coating off. If that plastic coating is melted due to the wires heating up, it will allow the copper wires to touch each other and that can potentially cause a fire. Because I will need to open up each outlet and switch one by one and also test all the breakers. It will take several hours. The estimated cost of labor will be $340. If we need to replace more outlets or breakers or even wiring in the walls obviously the price will need to be revised to accommodate the cost of any new parts. Please let me know ASAP If you want me to proceed. I can move it to the top of my list because it's a life and safety issue. This issue is not only very dangerous, it can burn out any products that are plugged in to outlets, such as TVs, stereos, and any electronic devices. I told the tenants to unplug any high dollar items just to make sure nothing will get damaged due to a surge in amps. Again please let me know how to proceed as soon as you can. I'm afraid this problem may cause a fire. It also might be a good idea to replace all the smoke detector batteries if they haven't  been done for a while. That would cost $50 in labor and $40 for all the 9v batteries. The cost of the batteries are high because due to the new law when detector batteries are changed, they need to be replaced with the 10 year batteries and the date of install marked on each one. If you go online you can check the pricing of the batteries. Unfortunately the required 10 year batteries are twice as much as the regular 9v batteries. "

Quote: "The bedroom outlets that I tested were pulling 36-49 amps."

Sounds fishy. Outlets do not pull any amps by themselves. Did this electrician plug in to the outlet with some kind of test load to draw this power? If not, the electrician is probably not honest or does not know their job. I was an electrician for about 10 years, granted that was 30 years ago but I have never heard of testing the "amps pulled by an outlet" since outlets do not "pull power" at all, only the load (your lamp, tv, or whatever) plugged into the outlet "pulls power."

Finding the breaker at the panel is easy:

This paragraph assumes you have only one breaker panel and is a good place to start if you don't happen to know.
Plug a radio into one of the outlets in question and turn the volume up so you can hear it from the breaker panel. A lamp works also but you have to run back and forth to check if the lamp is on.
Turn off all 15 and 20 amp breakers one at a time. You should hear the radio go silent when the proper breaker is turned off. If there is still power to the outlet(s) in question after all 15 and 20 amp breakers are off, then it would be logical that they are not wired properly and may well be wired to a higher amp breaker. Skip the next paragraph in that case.

If you found the breaker that controls the outlet(s) in question you can replace the breaker if you want to be sure there is no problem with the breaker.

If the outlets are not powered off after all the 15 and 20 amp breakers are off, then try the higher amp breakers one at a time until you find the guilty breaker. THEN, be sure you do not have a sub panel somewhere that is fed by that high amp breaker. If you do, then you need to start over with that breaker panel.

BTW, even if there is no "amps problem" you may still want to open all the outlets and check them if one had melted insulation. That is almost always caused by a poor connection or nicked wire. The outlet was likely not installed properly to start with.

Another reason the outlet may have failed, since the electrician claimed that it melted from the inside, is that a heater or other high draw appliance was plugged in loosely. That would cause the same problem as a bad connection to the outlet. In fact it would be a bad connection, just that it happens to be the plug, not in the wall wiring. If your outlets are worn out, that is, you feel little or no resistance when you plug something in, they are a fire waiting to happen when someone plugs a space heater in.


Can a retaining wall follow a slope? We've got a 50' stretch of yard that has a very gentle side to side slope that we can't easily eliminate (fences on each side built at different heights). We want to build a retaining wall along that stretch. The wall will be 6" to 10" high. (Two or three layers of 4" block with the first layer dug 2" below the lower elevation.)

Can a retaining wall be built at a gentle side to side angle so that the top of the wall is flush to the gently sloping level of the higher elevation? We'd like to avoid stepping the wall. Are there any special considerations for a wall such as this?

Edit: the reason I'm asking is, much of what I've read says it's important that the first course of blocks is level both front to back and side to side.

Edit 2: Mark's post taught me you can add photos, so here are some:

I built a retaining wall in a situation very similar to what you described. In my case the wall drops approximately 12" over 40 feet. It has 3 courses of 6" Keystone wall blocks. The first course is mostly buried and the wall is about 12" high over most of it's length. I also put about 4" - 5" inches of drain rock behind it with a landscape fabric barrier.

This was 15 years ago and it seems to be holding up just fine. I would hope that the 4" blocks you want to use will be ok. However, I've worked with that size some doing garden walls and they are definitely less stable than the bigger blocks.

One other consideration here is aesthetics. Make sure looking at a retaining wall that isn't level doesn't bug you! Sometimes I look at mine and wish I had installed it level and stepped it down instead.

In the area where I live we have an assortment of gravity block retaining walls and the ones that follow the slope usually don't look as good in my opinion.

Here is a photo for reference:


Can I Add a Plug to Lights Designed to be Wired In? So I purchased these lights on Amazon, not realizing that they don't actually have a wall plug, they're just bare wires.  Can I attach some wiring and a plug to the wires to be able to plugin them into the wall?  If so, what all would I need to accomplish the task?

Here is the only technical information about the lights that I saw: 10W 12V LED Flood Light with Epistar Chip.

And here is a picture of how it is currently wired:

No. They're 12VDC, which means if you plug them into your wall they'll go PFFFZZZZZT and make a little puff of smoke. Or worse.

You'll need a power supply (a wall brick) that provides 12 volts and enough current. You can add mating plugs to the lights or just crimp them together.


three way switches not working I checked the wiring in the ceiling can light. I moved the neutral wires and saw a spark so I twisted it and now the lights work again. But now the three way switches aren't working right. They are more like a two way switch. Do you have any ideas of what I might have done? I did try new switches thinking maybe that was why my lights stopped working in the first place.

I'm not familiar with what moving wires and twisting "it" (what?) could mean. But I read there was a spark which should put you on alert. Some connection is no longer fixed. Sparks can cause fire! You don't know what's going on there and obviously you don't know how to handle this situation.

Turn off the fuse or breaker or whatever this is called and find a professional to see this ASAP. An electrical expert looking at that is cheaper than a burnt down house.


What are the standard sizes/clearances for bathroom elements? I expect to be asking several more questions about this project; but I'm starting with a general one, and will get more refined as things develop.

We are working on finishing our basement, which includes a bathroom.  In the original plans, the bathroom was 5' x 8'; which is very tiny.  This matches the size and planned layout of a bathroom upstairs, so we've an idea how cramped it will be.  We would like to enlarge it a bit, and move some things around to make it more...  usable.

The uncertainty I'm running into is dimensions.  For example, toilets are typically about 22-24" wide; but most people would be more comfortable with some clearance on either side.  I'm uncertain how to estimate the space needed for a toilet.  Similarly, counters are usually 24-30" deep; but putting in a sink typically defines a minimum cabinet depth.  Finally, while the original plans called for a tub/shower (side entry), we're planning to change that to a corner shower.  Tubs seem to be 30" wide; but I expect a corner shower to be wider (perhaps 36" x 36").  And if the shower has a corner entry, should I allow more space to enter/leave the shower?

Toilets

The standard side clearance for a toilet is 15" as measured from the centre of the floor flange to the side wall and or cabinet. This measurement is increased to 18" for ADA compliance. I wouldn't go much more then that as you will start to feel like the toilet is floating in the room. The standard distance from the back wall to the centre of the floor flange is 12" for a tank type (10" for flush valve type).

Cabinet Depth

I'm not sure what the standard vanity counter depth is but it would be determined by what is available and what size the sink is.

Corner Shower

Showers come in a variety of sizes. While 36" x 36" is common you can also get 34" x 34" and 38" x 38".

You seem to have a good idea on the spaces needed. Your best bet would be to select the fixtures you want to buy (ones that meet you budget and taste). Then confirm that they will fit in the space. If they do not, adjust accordantly (pick different fixtures or increase the bathroom size if an option).


Maximum length for bathroom extractor/exhaust fan vent Our bathroom extractor fans are vented into the attic of our ~70yr old house in Philadelphia. According to our home energy auditor this is pretty common here. We want to vent these to the outside before we proceed with insulation which might involve spray foam spray foam bringing the attic into the envelope of the house.

The best solutions seem to be infeasible:

Go straight up through the roof. We have a slate roof and I have concerns about the aesthetics, cost, and impact on an older roof.
Go out through the soffit. We have minimal soffit space to install any vent, so we'd have to go through the stone wall. Doesn't sound like fun.

We have a whole house fan on one gable of the house which is not stone. This seems like the only easy place to get to the outside.

Unfortunately this is a pretty long run (25 ft plus). Assuming we use rigid and insulated pipe, how far can we run a vent pipe?

In rooms with no shower or bath, 25' should be no problem.  Just run the smooth wall pipe and go with 4" diameter.

For the rooms with showers and baths it should not be a problem if you can get it go vertical into the attic, then slope down towards the exit.  Even at 25' it should not be a problem.  You could even possibly use ABS pipe for the sloped run because moisture will condense in the pipe and create water.  This water, however, should drain and evaporate and not cause a problem.


What can I do to a chain link fence to make it dog proof? I have a chain link fence which is pretty high but my neighbors' pit bull constantly climbs the fence to get over to my yard.  I am scared of this dog and the Law Dog has been called numerous times about this.

I would really like to put something across the top of my fencing so that I no longer have to fear this dog entering my yard, as I have two Brittany Spaniels and do not want them to be harmed in any way.

I would appreciate any information you can give me to fix this problem.

Coyote rollers, won't harm children like barb wire, is effective, and can be home owner installed.

  A Coyote Roller is a patented ribbed roller that mounts to the top of your fence.  When a coyote or other predator tries to jump your fence to attack your pets, it requires them to grab hold of the top of a fence.  With Coyote Rollers in place, the animals will fall right off of your fence and will not be able to jump over.


How much stainblock paint to use in bedroom and where? I'm renovating my bedroom.  On the north wall, there will be freestanding cabinets (wardrobes) against the wall; all interior walls except to the right (east) which is exterior.  There's no previous staining visible here.  It's some kind of masonry block material; not cinder block but vaguely similar.  Should I put a coat of stainblock paint on the inside of the exterior wall, as a preventative measure, all over?  The outside temperature here gets down to -10 C / +14 F.  There's no room to leave a large gap around the cabinets.
On a different part of the east wall, there is some discoloration due to previous mold.  I've treated it, but I'm thinking of putting one coat of stainblock over the discoloration, then another coat over the whole wall.  The same for the south wall.  Both of these are exterior walls.
Is using more stainblock paint than is absolutely needed a problem?
(I'm going to keep this question open for at least 24 hours so everyone has a chance to answer.)

There is no problem with multiple coats of stain blocking paint sealers.
When I use these I coat the entire wall, just sealing a small area can create the look of a stain in that area when the covering color paint is used.
I use zinsser and kilzs fairly often and I am sure any other shellac type paint or stain blocker would or should be applied or need the same (coating the entire wall where used).


Do I need to upgrade electrical service I am building a 24'X30' garage that will have a guest space above. The service to the main building is 200Amp. The garage will include small appliances heat and a/c. There will be an efficiency washer dryer as well. It's not an apartment meant for full time use. How do I know if the service needs to be upgraded? I was under the impression from one electrician that there was no need. However the contractor is saying it may need to be upgraded. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Generally we would go over 200A for a single family dwelling unless the house is over 3000 sq/ft, and even then we would run a calculation to see if a larger one is needed. When we see an addition to an existing building the code allows us to take the peak load of the existing building then add 25% to it then add the additional power you are installing in the new addition.

Now, where can you get your peak loads? If you look through your power bill for a year (2016). Somewhere in that mess they will give you the peak winter and peak summer usage, use the highest peak. Or you can call your utility company and they usually have that information available. It will be given to you in KVA or KW so you take that figure and divide it by .24 and that will give you you peak amperage for that year. If it is somewhere around 140A you need to consider upgrading your service before adding your garage.

If what I just said is confusing. You need to at least get some electrical professional to assist you with it.


My GE front load washer not starting, all tests are good. No error code My GE washer model GCVH6800JOMS is not starting. It's door lock and unlock and sits there when you press start. I checked, there is no error code. Almost all tests done, good.
Don't know what to do now.

In the GE owners manual it lists the symptoms you describe. It says the door will lock and unlock and will take 30 seconds to do a system check. If it still doesn't start open and close the door firmly; then press start.

Edit
If this doesn't solve the problem you probably need a repairman. If it's within warranty - terrific. If not call a GE recommended professional. It may be possible that someone on this site can help you but we would need a lot of more detailed information including pictures. Even then if someone here could diagnose the issue you'd probably still have to call someone to fix it. Good luck.


Will this box hold a ceiling fan? This is a picture of the box and a ceiling of my bedroom. It looks to me like a ceiling fan box but I just wanted someone else to give their opinion.
Is this a ceiling fan box?

Looks more like an post construction box. Just a nailer strap to hold it in place...
A ceiling fan box will have a spreader bar being it usually hex shaped bar attached to the joists


Is this wiring correct for outlet and junction box? I was checking some electrical work done because the previous owners of our house had done some shady and incorrect electrical work. I wanted to check to see if both of these situation were OK.

Is this setup correct to have both terminals used and the quick wire too?

This box is being used as a junction box, which are the yellow wire nuts. Is this acceptable.

I don't believe it is correct to use both backstabs and screws.  If it's legal, it's not a good idea, partly because backstabs are notoriously unreliable.

Also the socket in question is a 50 cent builder grade special, all the more reason not to use backstabs or the socket itself.   A much better choice would be a $3 screw-and-clamp type such as Leviton, which allow 2 wire connections per screw, easily handling those 3 wires each side.

It's fine to use any box as a junction box.  I do it all the time, a switch or outlet box is a good place to do it since they have to be accessible.     Just watch your cubic inches.  For instance, in that box I see

1 count for all the grounds combined
8 counts for the 8 conductors present
2 counts for the yoke (not caring if it's a thin little switch or GFCI)

Total 11. Given their fondness for backstabs (well in fairness they are using screws wherever possible), this had better be 14 AWG wire. (Backstabs won't fit 12AWG).   That requires 2 cubic inches per count, so 22 cubic inches.  You'll have to look in the box for a cubic inch count stamped into it.


How can I get my gas fire pit to have a larger flame or better disperse heat? I currently have a gas (run from our house gas line) fire pit in my backyard.  It is approximately 18" off the ground and the fire ring (relatively new) is 36" in diameter, filled with gravel at the bottom and lava rock on the top.  (We are not able to lower the pit).

During the fall, we are able to sit around it and feel quite warm.  However, in colder temperatures, we have noticed that the heat does not get dispersed horizontally very well, because the heat is obviously straight going up.  So, as one might expect, it gets a bit colder and people are less inclined to sit out in front.

Overall, we are hoping to get more heat to the people sitting around the fire.

Any suggestions on how we might get better heat?  Would any of these help?

Artificial Gas Logs?
Use a different type of rock?
Get a bigger flame somehow?  (Bigger pipe?)
Use a different fire ring?  Different size?
Any type of device we can use to circulate the heat?

Thanks very much!

We had a similar issue.  The solution is to stack up larger chunks of lava rock into something that is vaguely pyramid shaped.  As you note, the heat rises and if you have a large stack of rock over the flames, the rock will redirect this convective heat through the rock and heat up the rock itself.  Once the stack of rock is heated (ours gets quite glowing red in the middle), it radiates the heat out to the sides (where people are sitting) quite effectively... much better than the flat layer of rock in the bottom of the fire pit.  Since most of the heat is in the middle of the ring, that is where you want your stack tallest since it will extract more useful heat that way.

The only thing you need to be careful of is the stack of rock tumbling down.  Fortunately, lava rock is quite porous and there is a lot of friction between two pieces.  You can easily stack the rock in an interlocking manner and test it but pulling or pushing to ensure that the stack is stable, and that red hot rock won't come tumbling out on you while the fire is going.  With heating and cooling, the rock will shift over time so it is best to inspect the stack periodically to make sure it stays stable.

Note, I'm talking about large size lava rock, not the stuff I see in your fire pit.  Something like what you see here:


How to soundproof floor from neighbors below? We live in an old building in an apartment owned by our family so we can renovate. We go to sleep early so while our house is quiet we can hear our neighbors walking, dragging furniture etc.
I know that tiles are directly glued to the concrete floor. The building is 80 years old with a concrete floor (not sure how thick the floor is) with tiles glued to it with cement perhaps.
We have a budget of 10k, the flat is 67 square meter. We wonder if just doing our bedroom will be sufficient.
I would really like to know what would be the best solution I can apply from my end (no point in talking with them), to minimize the impact sounds.

There are two kinds of “sound control” problems: 1) airborne sounds, and 2) impact sounds.

Airborne sounds (talking, tv, etc.). When I first read your statement, I thought this was your problem because it occurs BELOW your unit. As soon as that noise travels in the air up to your apartment, it becomes “airborne sound”.

However, now I think it is an “impact sound” because you’re not complaining about other airborne sounds. Therefore, the clicking noise (from walking on the tile) must remain in the structure until the sound reaches your space.

Impact sound (closing doors, heels clicking on floor from walking, etc.).  Impact sound travels through building materials (floor joists, wallboard, etc.) much faster and much more efficiently.

In order to control impact sound, you need to isolate the surrounding material. Some of these problems are “built in” and cannot be resolved easily (or cheaply), which appears to be your situation.
For impact sounds we try to 1) stop floor joists and underlayment from extending under a party wall, 2) provide separate party walls between rooms, and 3) stop roof joists from crossing from room to room, 4) isolate the impact noise. Obviously it’s too late for those techniques.
The easiest remedy is to remove the tile and reinstall it over a sound deadening board to isolate the tile. However, I understand this is not an option. Therefore, I’d 1) check to see if the sound is just as loud in other parts of your apartment. If so it not, then maybe you could rearrange your environment (perhaps sleep in the living room). 2) If it’s just as loud in all parts of the apartment, then I’d build a sound isolation room within your existing bedroom. This may include adding music to mask the sound.


Can I use cedar as my fascia? I am going to put cedar tongue and groove on my soffit, I was wondering if I can just use a 1x6 as the fascia. Thanks in advance. My concern is that it will not last.

Absolutely. My 26 year old Minnesota home has full cedar treatment and looks great today.

That's not to say that you can simply leave it raw, or seal it once and forget it. Sun and rain constantly work at it, so plan on applying a high-quality penetrating oil product initially and every 3-5 years thereafter.


Do these "rafter ties" tie anything together? I've been wondering if I can open this ceiling up for a tall room. I've been reading that the ceiling joists are often also rafter ties so I went up there today to take a look. I can see a few are tied to the knee wall and have an angle brace, but a majority seem like they just span the house, but aren't really tied to anything. I would like some opinions on this. The plan is to cut them out and replace them with steel rods and turnbuckles where needed to keep things tied together.

The roof is best described as a mansard with a flat top. I've tried to show that here:

This is the only point load I see. It actually doesn't rest on a joist, it rests on that 3/4 board that is spread across the joists so I can't imagine it provides a ton of weight bearing

Here is a drawing that kind of shows the roof shape

Although I have done what you are asking several times, I had an engineer design and stamp plans, making a structural change this big is a big deal, actually the first one was a repair for a Bone head that just cut them out, the roof sagged walls bulged he could not sell and the bank shorted it, after repairing and turning this property I did several more on the side that had low ceilings.
All those places were similar,
Recently helped a friend with a 2 story same issues but he did not have the $ for the engineering stamp. Good thing because after we repaired it it survived a huge snow storm that caused my barn roof to collapse.   But again someone tried adding height with knowledge or experience and that’s why my friend hit a killer deal as I have in the past. So don’t change things without structural engineering review when they can cause massive problems including roof failure.


Wall switch to half hot outlet both standard Why do I have 2 feed lines coming into my switch box both are black, white and ground. Thanks.

A normal switch with power located at the switch could have two cables coming in with the neutral/white wires are all connected together. Then, the ground wires are all connected with a pigtail to the green screw on the switch. Lastly, one hot/black connects to one switch terminal and the other hot/black to the other switch terminal.

When you turn the switch on power is passed through to the fixture or receptacle. This is quite common.


How can I fix hairline cracks in brand new grout? I have brand new grout in a shower done by a pro. Merely two months later it is already cracking. The contractor is telling me that house movement can cause this. (I'm not sure if he's full of it? Can house movements cause cracks in brand new grout? There are cracks happening in multiple directions which is odd for a presumably floated shower. Anyways, the house movement is the only thing I can think of, and my area is pretty notorious for it.

In any case, how would you go about fixing this? Would mixing more grout and driving it in work or would it be a waste of time. I'm really happy with the whole remodel but this is driving me nuts every time I'm in the shower.

Those corners should not be grout, they should be silicone as they are two meeting surfaces.


Can I remove this wall? This is the plan of the house I'm living in, and I'm thinking of making some changes. The measurements are in cm. The construction brick, circa 1980. It has only ground and first floor.

Before I'll go forward and talk with a construction team, I'm curious to know if I can continue planning considering the following two questions:

A) theoretically is possible to remove the wall marked with green?
B) is it possible to move the door from blue rectangle position to the orange one?

Based solely on typical building practices and my assumptions about your home^, the green wall is likely not load-bearing and can be removed.

The doorways can almost certainly be exchanged, providing that you implement the same structural header arrangement that the existing door has now. It's unlikely that there's a post in that location, though there may be plumbing, ducting, or wiring to consider.

^ That the roof system runs across the narrow dimension of the home, and that floor joists rest on the center wall.


Is it worth of replacing central AC coil? my central AC is a 16-year old Trane. According to inspector, the compressor is still good and all the conditions seem to be good, except the coil is leaking. It is an old model so it uses R22. As it is so expensive to replace a new AC unit, especially it will use a crane in my case, I am thinking about having someone to replace the coil, evacuate all the freon and then re-fill it. Hope that will keep this unit work for another 5-7 years before a replacement. Is that a good idea? Is it a difficult job to replace the coil? Do HVAC contractors normally provide that type of services? Any suggestions or advice are very much appreciated! Thank you!
Carrie

Ok if you know 100% it is the coil that is an easy repair. The refrigerant first needs to be recovered the old coil cut out and the new one installed. Coil cost 2 ton R22 ~300$  Plus recovery time and pumping the system down once the new coil is installed. Measure the amount of R22 returned to the system and add the difference for your ~4 lb total . The repair cost would be 1 days work the coil and a couple lbs of r22.
Dang the 8k and 10k prices sound crazy to me it is only a 1 day job ok possibly a day and a half if access to the air handler is not so good.  But I know R22 is going for 100 per pound 2 lbs plus a coil 500$ in materials ok a a little for the silver solder and flux but other than that the tech time maybe 100 /hr or so it depends,  you might get a guy that needs the extra day of work and gives you a onetime good deal. But those are ball park numbers you could work with so you have an idea.


how to fix a lawn mower that leaks gas My father-in-law handed down a fairly new Craftsman lawn vacuum that has a 6.75 Briggs and Stratton engine. When we put gas in it, it leaked all over the place.

We took off the air filter and the gas is coming out of the carburetor.

This was caused a small rubber seal, which they call the seat. Briggs & Stratton Carburetor Needle and Seat picture:

The needle and seat are sold as a package for about $5.  You have to take the carburetor apart to install it.


How can I improve the security around my house and prevent theft? My family and I moved to a new residential area. The environment is neither guarded nor gated, therefore security matters are concerning to us e.g. break-ins, theft, kidnapping, etc.

Since we moved in, our fence was often broken anonymously. We use a steel and aluminium fence. Therefore we set up CCTV cameras around the house, but recently the CCTV cameras were stolen also. This had made us very upset because the damage was costly.

I would like some suggestions on how to improve the quality of security. Moving again is not an option.

Step 1: have nothing of value in the house worth stealing. This is easier to do than you might think. No reason to keep anything particularly valuable in a house that is being targeted for break-ins. Anything valuable you cannot bear to remove from the house should be hidden in a non-obvious location (think creatively). Now, if someone breaks into your house when you're not there, they don't get anything. No big deal. Eventually word will get around in the criminal underground and hooligans will stop breaking into your house.

Step 2: get a big scary dog and a handgun. Train the dog to bark at people approaching the house and bite on command, and carry the gun on your person while you are at home. Now, if someone breaks into your house while you're there your dog will bite them and/or you can shoot them (ignore whichever piece of advice offends you if you are not a dog person or a gun person). However kidnapping is an extremely serious matter and I urge you not to discount any potentially useful options.


Accidental drywall mud over cement board I have a wall in my kitchen being built that will have some drywall and some tile. A dude I hired to finish my drywall, while I wasn't supervising him, applied some drywall mud over the cementboard. I was wondering if that will hinder the adhesiveness of thinset when installing tiles.

Is it fine as is or should I sand the mud off or, worse yet, have to replace the cementboard?

Thinset is approved for use over sheetrock - sheetrock typically has drywall compound on it.

If you were using a large format tile with a specific thinset that wasn't approved for use over sheetrock you might have issues.


Fixing an inwall toilet constantly flowing I have a Schwab inwall toilet. Water keeps flowing heavily after flushing.

I took everything out of the wall and found that the reason is because the ?hammer doesn't come back up again, therefore the ?float never thinks that it is full.

The reason it doesn't come up is because the plastic is 'squeaking' where the red circle is in my image.

What I really want to know is whether I have to replace that bit or if there is a way I can loosen it a bit. And if I do have to replace, then which part and what is it called.

Thank you!

Apparently that joint is wearing out. You may have to replace the whole assembly. The wonders of modern plastic.

As a stop-gap I would try greasing it (not oiling it). With silicone grease. Petroleum products and plastic don't play well together.


Frost building up in freezer My Kitchenaid unit (refrigerator on the top, freezer on the bottom) started building up a lot of frost kind of suddenly. I inspected the freezer door gaskets, and they seem to be sealing normally. What would be the next steps?

A common cause for this problem is failure of the fan unit in the back of the freezer compartment that circulates the air inside the refrigerator/freezer. You would want to determine if this fan is still working properly.

Note that the fan is typically hidden behind a plastic panel and not directly visible. Exact details regarding how to access and remove the fan will vary according to the make and model of your refrigerator.


Can I glue a second layer of drywall? I want to attach a second layer of drywall to old, partly damaged and crumbling drywall, with construction adhesive. I cannot use screws only because my patch's edges do not fall on studs (the patch will be around 60" x 48" in size).

This new double-layered wall will have to support heavy tiles.

Is gluing an acceptable method to build double-layered drywall wall? Is generic construction adhesive (liquid nails) an acceptable glue for that?

I don't want to replace old drywall because in order to do it properly I'll have to cut a huge hole in a wall that has a vapour barrier and patching it properly afterwards will be very tricky.

More detail: the middle of the area in question is crumbling due to water damage (that has been dealt with, e.g. it should not happen again). However, around it is 10-20" of good drywall, which I hoped I would be able to glue a new patch of drywall to.

My tiles are around 30kg (66lbs) in total weight, and a solid drywall can support such weight in dry area.

A good drywall adhesive has much more shear strength than screws - and this is just when your glue is on the framing.  So if you are doubling up the drywall gluing makes a ton of sense.

Just recently my drywall guys started using glue and I can say this, I hope I never have to demo these places because the drywall is ATTACHED.

All this being said the glue holds to the back paper of the drywall.  What you are saying is that behind the drywall you don't have a solid base... then the glue won't work.

Also I am going to assume that crumbling drywall means moisture.  While most glues will be fine with a little moisture, the back paper of your drywall will not.

Then we have to think about heavy tiles.  Heavy tiles do not go on drywall.  They go on a backer board.

You need to take out crumbling drywall, then install 1/2 inch Hardiboard, then install tiles.  There is no reason in the world that you need exterior access to remove interior drywall.

Recap:

general purpose Liquid Nails is not a drywall adhesive
approved adhesives are just as good or better than screwing - but not applicable to you
I wouldn't install drywall when you have an exterior moisture issue
drywall can't be used for heavy tiles
-


Wiring outlet with a switch for garbage disposal I took out my kitchen and took some photos of the "old" kitchen's garbage disposal wiring:

As you can see, it has 2 black lines connected but only one white line connected, while one is capped off.

I know the main purpose is to use the switch to control one of the outlets BUT isn't this is the right way to wire it?

Ref: https://dengarden.com/home-improvement/home-wiring-guide-how-to-wire-a-switched-half-hot-outlet

I am a bit confused about the two setups and differences.

The thing is I tried to follow the diagram above and couldn't get the switch to control the outlet and it was ALWAYS ON.

Help?

You don't have a 3-wire cable; you have two independent 2-wire cables. To have two independent receptacles of the duplex receptacle with two 2-wire cables both tabs need to be broken off, so the neutral side must be broken as well. The hot and the neutral wires connected to a given receptacle must be in the same cable.

If the switch does not control one of the hot conductors at the receptacle, then the switch may be faulty or more likely wired wrong. Look in the box for the switch and see how the switch is wired.

EDIT
The currently capped white neutral must be connected to the neutral side of the receptacle that it's companion hot is connected to. Break off the neutral tab if it is not already broken.


20 year old "Spongy" Roof - It was solid 5 years ago - Do I need new plywood? My Question(s) - :
Is spongy plywood on a 20 year old roof OK or does it need to be replaced? This plywood was solid 5 years ago.

More background (edited based on comments):

I was walking on my roof last week and it is spongy all over (like walking on carpet with a reallllly good pad). 5 years ago it was solid (far more solid - definitely had some flex). There are no leaks to speak of (that I know) except a gasket that was worn around the sewer air intake drain that I corrected as soon as I found it 3 weeks ago, but not sure how long it was happening. It's a split level and the other half (that is dry) is equally spongy). I got a quote and the guy walked the entire roof and acknowledged that it was spongy, but said 3 pieces of plywood would need to be replaced. Can a 20 year old roof that was solid 5 years ago and is spongy now only need 3 sheets of plywood. Another estimator told me the golden beads along my joists in the attic were sap from the plywood. My guess is that I need to replace most if not all of the plywood.

Yes, the roof sheathing could go bad (weaken) after a few years due to 1) moisture, 2) extra heavy snow loads

1) Moisture is the most likely problem. Plywood is made from wood veneer plies that are glued together. When moisture seeps into the plies, they will delaminate. The plywood will probably look fine from the attic (looking up) but it will become spongy.

2) If the plywood is slightly undersized, (half inch thick on joists spaced 24” spacings) it could feel spongy, especially if there have been several extra heavy snowfalls.

The plywood will loose it’s Modulus of Elasticity (it’s ability to recover from deflection) if loaded to its capacity several times.

Generally we require 5/8” thick plywood for joists at 24” on center. (1/2” is rated for 24” spacing, but will deflect significantly.) If you live in a “high wind” area or a seismically active area, 5/8” is required. (High wind areas will suck your shingles off your roof without an additional holding power of a minimum of 5/8” thick plywood.)

Note: I doubt only 3 sheets are required. I also doubt a whole sheet will need to be replaced at each problem location. The roofers are going to find more problems and charge you accordingly once the roofing is removed. (Old common roofers trick.) I’d get a unit price for each 4’x8’ sheet and 4’x4’ half sheet that needs to be replaced.


How would I reverse yellow stains resulting from sealing a marble table top? I sealed a new polished marble table top with a granite sealer that also works on marble.
The discoloration is slight, but I'd like to remove it. What's the best way to do this?

I've read about "color enhancers" that accentuate color, but I'm looking for something that would reverse that effect and fade the yellow. Does something like that exist?

I've read that using bleach is not a good idea.
I'm considering sanding it at 220 grit—wise move?

Sanding even with 220 grit requires feathering and also making sure you go to 600 grit or higher to match existing polish. A product I use as a professional called diamond renew works wonders it is acidic and it is similar to glass etching products.

It must be applied and removed in sections exactly as the instructions say.

As warning: it is a lot of physical work and  it must be used across the entire surface after sanding.
 It is a difficult process but renews the surface to a factory or near factory finish. You must not let it dry on the marble or get into cracks  as it will continue to eat in to the stone and create pits.

If after feather sanding the spot another option besides diamond renew you might try to buff the surface with  rouge.
Use a variable speed buffer on low to medium speed with enough rouge to bring out the shine but not so much it leaves residue on the surface. Start light and work up.

However diamond renew is my preference it is just very difficult and you should if possible practice on a piece of marble before you attack the counter top.

Lastly marble is not granite...lemon juice can discolor marble and it scratches easily so sand lightly ....if you are not sure how to feather sand do not attempt it until you understand it. Also please remember products that claim are for both granite and marble should be used with caution. I would recommend using an "ager" after you finish sanding and polishing...not a sealant.


What are these 3 thin lines draining into my sump well? There are 3 thin lines draining constantly into my sump well.  The lines are coming through the concrete to the best of my knowledge because i can't trace them on the walls or ceiling.  I am having a constant pumping through the line in the upper left of the well, every 30 seconds of a fair amount of water, causing my sump pump to run every 20 minutes.  This is creating an issue with drainage in my yard.  I'm assuming that the french drain installed doesn't have anything to do with these lines, but could they be from the wall mounted inline water heater?  Or even the refrigerator line?   I also have a water treatment system, but i have bypassed this to remove it from the equation.    Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated as i have been dealing with this issue for quite some time.

Suggestions for investigation:

(1) Temporarily attach it to a piece of transparent tubing held vertically above the sump, to see how high the water rises. This will give you a clue to the location of the source.

(2) Force high pressure air into it and walk around listening for a hissing noise.

(3) Stop it up and see what floods or overflows.  Be prepared with mops, bucket, shop-vac, etc.

(4) Inject a harmless dye or other tracer under pressure and see what turns colors.  Green is best for deniability if it turns out the source is not on your property.


Wiring inside plastic shed I will be extending a GFCI-protected 15A, 120V circuit from my garage to a new plastic shed, just 6 ft away. I will be exiting the garage wall into a PVC service ell, down into the ground via 1/2" PVC conduit, and going underground to the shed via 14/2 UF cable direct-buried 12" deep (permitted by NEC 300.5 Column 4). I will enter the shed via similar means.
Inside the shed, the wiring needs are simple - a couple of outlets in convenient locations, one light, and a light switch. It will be used mostly for storage so I just need lighting and battery charging. All wiring and boxes will be surface mounted as there is no wall thickness to speak of.
Now the question. How should I wire inside the shed?

I know I cannot run exposed, surface mounted NM or UF. Can I simply use metal handy boxes and MC cable?
Or is the shed considered a damp location, and must I use all weatherproof boxes/switches, PVC jacketed MC cable, and threaded cord grips for all connections? (ref this question)

Photo of my shed and garage (new unconnected electrical service on the back of the garage is unrelated):

The provision you're using is a bit of a fool's errand for most detached structures
The provision in the NEC you're relying on (using GFCI protection at the source end of the buried run to allow for a 12" burial depth with UF cable) is a bit of a fool's errand when feeding a detached structure, as it turns out.  Why? As it turns out, it's not terribly uncommon for things to develop ground faults (vs tripping breakers, even), and if something does trip the GFCI, you'd really rather not have it turn the lights out on you, especially if that something is a circular saw with a rapidly spinning blade on its business end that has a bit of momentum to it.
As a result, it's normally better to accept having to bury the cable or conduit deeper in exchange for having the lighting on a non-GFCI branch, with a GFCI receptacle or deadfront inside the shed providing protection to the receptacles there.  If you're willing to live with that limitation for now, though, given that all you're dealing with are lights and the occasional battery charger, there still are a couple of other points you'll need to keep in mind.
You'll need some sort of disconnecting means at the structure
You'll need a disconnect where power comes into the shed.  If you want an outdoor disconnect, the easiest and cheapest way to do that is using a non-fused pullout disconnect of the type used for air conditioner outdoor units; you could also use one of those inside the shed if you don't care about anyone ever finishing the inside, or you could use a 20A key-operated lightswitch such as a Leviton 1221-2WL in an ordinary box for an indoor disconnect instead since you are only dealing with a single branch circuit.
From there, you don't need to worry about damp
Since this shed has a reasonably functional roof on it, you don't need to treat it as a damp location per se, but there is some cause to be concerned about physical abuse given that there are no studs to speak of in such a shed, so it's much easier for boxes to pinch cables.  As a result, using MC or EMT is not an unreasonable decision in your situation. Note that push-fit connectors are available for both wiring methods, so you don't have to worry about setscrews, clamps, compression nuts, or such; however, you will need to use metal boxes unless you want to do all the inter-connector bonding yourself.  If you do go the cable route, by the way, look at MCI-A type cables (MCAP™ or equivalent) -- these combine the advantages of MC and AC cables in that they need neither the ground wire makeup required with traditional MC nor the "redhead" anti-short bushings required with AC cable; some products even manage to eliminate the normal assembly tape from the equation.


Pool liner loose after hard rainfall - wait for it to re-seat itself? Hi my pool liner went loose bc of excessive rainfall. In the past it re-seats itself. This time it’s pretty bad so I didn’t know if I needed to proactively push it back down.

A guy near me has a "well" next to his fiberglass pool which he pumps dry or down to some level. He told me the installer told him this was necessary to keep the pool from being lifted by hydraulic pressure.


Are there door knobs specifically meant for outdoors? I recently moved to a new home and need to replace a door knob that will be exposed to the outdoors. Does it matter what kind of door knob I get if it will be exposed to the outdoors?

If it doesn't matter, are there types of knobs that hold up better to the elements than others?

Normally anything that has keys that come with it is meant for outdoor use.  And almost all of these are made from non corrosive metals.

I can't think of any house that I have ever looked at that had a rusted out door knob and everything else was in good shape.


100 amp transfer switch for 125 amp home A local electrical shop tried to sell me a GE 100 amp transfer switch. My main electrical panel breaker is 125 amps.
Would this be ok?

No, you can't do that

A 100A manual transfer panel has a 100A breaker for the utility-side input; as a result, it would be a "bottleneck" if you put it inline with your service, restricting the whole service to 100A. However, this does not mean that you have the wrong transfer switch, so do not go running back to the store before you read the rest of this answer!

But, you probably don't want to transfer the entire house

Whole-house transfer sounds good at first, but especially for folks with smaller generators, its not nearly as good a plan in practice as it is in theory.  Many of your larger loads, even on a smaller service, are rather large for a generator, and are not nearly as important to have on a generator unless you are dealing with a situation where the power regularly goes out for days on end.  (Do you really need your dryer on a generator, or your range for that matter?)  Furthermore, you will have to flip a zillion breakers in order to not overload the generator when you transfer to generator power -- probably not the easiest thing to do in the dark!

As a result, what I would do is put a 30A, 2-pole branch breaker in the main panel to provide the utility-mains-side feed to the transfer switch, and then put a subpanel in off the standby side that only has breakers in it for the critical loads -- the ability to have heat so the house doesn't freeze (with a 125A service, I can tell you do not have electric resistance heat), the ability to run a small cooking appliance (such as a plug-in electric griddle or a microwave), your refrigerator (if it's not on the aforementioned small appliance branch circuit, that is), 1-2 circuits for standby lighting + the smoke alarms and selected receptacles, and perhaps the ability to run the hot water heater as well (an electric tank-type heater can be half-volted for use on a generator at the cost of very slow recovery, as well as an extra transfer switch and some clever wiring), as well as any sump or well pumps the house may have.


Well water system - chlorine tank remains full We have a well water system. The level in the chlorine tank used to gradually lower and we used to refill. Since the last maintenance guys were here, it remains full. Why would this be?

I have a chlorine injection water treatment system for our well water. The chlorine tank has a dip hose with a filter on the submersed end. This hose runs to an injection pump. There is a dial on the pump for setting the dose to be injected per cycle of the pump, which is triggered by a water flow valve. The injector also has a valve to prevent back-pressure from forcing water into the pump and conceivably into the chlorine tank

But wait, there's more.

The now-chlorine-infused water should then enter a settling tank, to remove reactants from the chlorine and any sediment. The next tank should be a carbon filter to remove left-over chlorine. If you have a water conditioner/softener, that's the next stop on its travel to your plumbing/dispensation within your residence.

It's unlikely that the dip hose filter is clogged.

It's possible a tech turned the dose knob and reduced the volume to zero. There's no set figure for the dose; it's established over time and testing of the chlorine level at the use point.

The injector valve can easily become clogged, especially if you have a high iron content. My valve is called a duckbill and the iron deposits fill the beak, causing it to stick open, allowing more iron into the opening, eventually filling and clogging the valve. Local suppliers will carry the valves, but online is about one-quarter to one-sixth the cost. I believe I paid five dollars each, possibly less for what the locals charge about thirty-five bucks!

After the injection valve, there's very little to go wrong, unless your flow valve is stuck in the off-position. That's very unlikely, as the flow valve would prevent water flow to the house. It's more common to have it stick in the on position, over-dosing the water with chlorine, easily detected by taste and smell.

The injection pump typically dislikes to be run dry and will sometimes not prime when the chlorine tank is refilled. There should be a priming knob/valve atop the pump. When turned 90 degrees to detent, the air in the line is forced out. You should have a discharge/priming hose that returns to the chlorine tank and can watch the pulses from the pump when the priming is complete.

It's a high maintenance system if something goes awry, but when it's running well, it's great to have clean iron-free water. If you discover that it's the injection valve, buy a quantity and replace them on a calendar basis, rather than on a failure basis. I get three months between changes and have no more injection lapses.

Other types of systems can be found at the clean water store web site which effectively changes the method that triggers/measures/dispenses the chlorine. The above description is one of those at the site. The image below comes from this site.


Can I fuse two Neutral lines of two different power lines? I am from India where we use 220V AC supply. There are two power supplies for my house. Can I use the Live wire of one power supply A and the neutral wire of power supply B to power my geyser? I want power supply A to be billed

This is a terrible idea, not only for a variety of safety reasons, but also because there is no guarantee both power supplies will be on the same phase.

For instance, I have seen a building with two separate 120/240 main panels, each fed by its own transformer from 480 volt 3 phase.  They had been sloppy about mixing neutrals, for instance a fan circuit ran all over the factory, grabbing the nearest neutral wherever there was a fan, even if that neutral came out of a different panel.  The two panels were originally on different phases of the 480 (for balance) but were later moved to the same phase - clearly they had been having problems.

A far bigger danger is it could overload the neutral wire (carrying its design load and also the unexpected load), and there would be absolutely nothing to detect this.   Neutral wires do not have circuit breakers.


Choosing THHN colors when running 2 circuits together Consider a situation where you need to run two circuits through an emt conduit using a common ground wire. The THHNs will originate in an external breaker panel (using dual afgf breakers) and terminate in a junction box inside the house where they will be spliced with romex to make run to equipment.
Following colors appear to be commonly available: black, red, blue, green, white.
How do you choose five colors that are NEC compliant. Remember that all wires travel together in the conduit.
Let it flow...

The available colors are considerably more than that through any decent supplier. Get out of the big box (heck even the big box near me carries more colors than that)
However, at the most basic...
You don't need a grounding wire since you have EMT which is a grounding conductor, but if you do choose to have a grounding wire it has to be green or bare, and green or bare can't be used for anything else. wIth properly assembled EMT you'd just have a grounding screw at the box where the connection to NM/B is made and connect the NM/B grounding wire to that screw.
Neutrals can be white or gray. White or gray (in conduit) can't be anything other than neutral.
All other colors (black brown red orange yellow blue purple) can be hots. There are even striped versions for yet more easily distinguished "colors".
An acceptable and compliant method is to group a pair of black and white wires for each circuit using colored tape, or different numbers of loops of black tape so that you can distinguish the groups.
Another acceptable and compliant method is to run blue and white and red and gray. Or black and white and red and white and tape group the white neutrals to their respective hots. Any of the hot colors for hots, I'm not going to list even all the options that are possible from what colors you list, you should get the idea.


Should I run cable through pipe? I drilled a hole in my wall and ended up creating this mess. I plan on fixing it with spackle. The cable is a communications wire, not an electrical wire. Would it be appropriate to stick a plastic pipe inside the wall to run the wire(s) through in order to make it easier?

Finished product after response

Better plan: cut out the damaged drywall and install a low-voltage bracket and coax barrel wallplate

Some cheap-arse folks do what you see here -- simply punch a hole in the drywall to run low-voltage cabling through.  While this sort-of-works, it leads to ugly results like the ones you see here.  It's much better to do the neat and tidy thing and install a low-voltage old work bracket and coax barrel wallplate instead.

Installation is as follows:

Cut out the damaged drywall to match the cutting template for the old work bracket you're using
Install the old-work bracket using the clamps that come with it -- you'll have to run the coax through it first to do this in your case
Undo the existing barrel connection between the two lengths of coax
Screw the coax from the wall onto the back of the barrel wallplate
Attach the wallplate to the bracket
Attach the removed coax cable to the front of the wallplate


Can I route an irrigation main through my basement? I received estimates on getting an irrigation system installed in my back yard. The majority of the cost is for digging down to the house's line in the front of the house (4 feet deep), splitting the water line, adding a backflow preventer, tunneling under my walk, trenching all the way along the side of the house at a depth of 2 feet, and then installing a drip system.

Today I was in my basement looking a where my water main comes into the basement, and am curious if there's a reason why they can't just split off the main where it enters inside my basement, route the main along the ceiling of my basement, and then out into the backyard through the basement wall?

Is there a reason this is not a good idea? Would love to save the time/trouble of digging all those trenches if there's no serious downside to going through my basement.

In most US jurisdictions, from a legal perspective, the work in the basement would fall under the local building code and its permitting, licensing, and inspection requirements...e.g. a splinkler contractor could not run the pipes inside the house and a plumber would be required, building department fees would be applicable, etc.

The pipe running through the basement that conceptually would be part of the irrigation system, is both legally and from a life safety standpoint part of the domestic potable water supply [it may be possible to get the building department to treat it as a domestic non-potable system, but that's less likely than a flat "no" from the building department]. Even if you get it approved, you'd still want a vacuum break where the pipe exits the building and there's a risk of contamination.

Anyway from a practical standpoint, one thing you're facing is the standard practices of the irrigation installer tradebase. They own Ditchwitches and shovels. They don't usually dress for walking across homeowner carpets and aren't in the habit of pulling plumbing permits. This is pushing things outside their business model...and reducing their revenue. Maybe you see a portion of whatever savings the contractor realizes, maybe the contractor just passes on the job [it depends on how much work they have, and you want the person who is busy].