Why do I have no power in two rooms after plugging something in? I plugged something into an outlet, and heard a sort of a sizzle noise. Now I have no power in two rooms, but the breaker did not trip?

Any ideas into what happened?

Check to make sure you didn't trip a GFIC breaker in one of the rooms. You will be familiar with these in bathrooms and kitchens -- the ones with the little Test/Reset buttons. They are often wired to protect a circuit in one or more entire rooms. Push Reset and see if your receptacles are now live.

If that doesn't work, try resetting each breaker by turning it off and then on.

If that doesn't work, look around to see if you have a subpanel set of electrical breakers lurking in a closet somewhere.

If there are no subpanels and the breakers aren't resetting your power, you may have a wiring failure and it is time to call an electrician.


Garage Sub-Panel Addition I want to add electric heat to my 750 square foot garage by way of an overhead 7.5 or 10 KW heater.  Adding a sub panel would allow me other options for power for the following:

Heater 220V at either 7.5KW 30Amps or 10KW at 41 Amps
Table saw 110V 15 Amps
Small Freezer 110V 5 Amps
Central Vac 110V 13 Amps
Perhaps 8 110V 20 Amp Receptacles
I have a 200 Amp Service Entrance Panel (Siemens Model #G4040B1200) Service Entrance panel with 3 spaces left and the proposed garage sub-panel would require 65' of wire to connect to the main.

What breaker do I need in the main?
What specific wires to go the 65' to the sub panel?
Easy to put these in plastic conduit, so is that okay to do?
What else am I missing here?

You have to provision 50A for the 10kw heater.  We can play some provisioning games on the saw, dust collector, freezer, lights and receps, and allocate them, say, 25-30A.  Which puts us at 75-80A.

You could get away with #4Cu / #2Al wire.  However, there's very little cost difference just go go all the way to 100A, and that's commonly done.

So, provision 1 AWG aluminum THWN-2 wires with a ground wire of 8 AWG copper bare or 6 AWG Al insulated.   There's no reason for a wire size bump at 80'.

This setup would also have the reserve to stick a Tesla charger in there, though Tesla+heater+shop tools simultaneously would be a no-go.  Presumably you don't want sawdust on your car :)

1-1/4" conduit should get it done.

Our standard advice is to use a much larger subpanel than you'd ever imagine needing.  That's because "buying a subpanel with more spaces" will set you back a couple of Frappucinos, but "having to change your subpanel because you thought too small" is a solid day of work. If the subpanel is attached, even with a breezeway, you don't need a "main breaker" in the subpanel.  If detached, you need some kind of shutoff switch, and using a main-breaker panel will only add $20-30 to the cost of the panel.  There's no need for the subpanel size to match the feed breaker (100A) size, so feel free to get a 150A-bussed panel with a 125A main breaker if it's on sale :)  Also consider "value pack" panels that come with some breakers.


Would unplugging help melt ice build up in freezer with warm refrigerator? I have a GE Refrigerator Bottom Freezer that is 13 years old. My refrigerator stopped working but the freezer seemed to still be very cold, though ice cream was not as hard. A guy from the Appliance Dr told me my compressor was bad. My fan in refrigerator was not working either.

I moved everything out, but was still able to use the the freezer as refrigerator. Water stayed ice cold but was not freezing. Then I went away for five days and everything in freezer started freezing everything again. The freezer continued to work fine, but refrigerator still did not work. Water in bottles I had became solid. This made me think the Compressor could not be bad.

I was told by a second appliance company that it was NOT my compressor but rather my evaporator fan motor that needed replacement. I was told this repair would cost $325. I did not want to pay $325 so I unplugged the refrigerator, took the doors off and put it in the garage to dispose. The next morning I noticed a substantial amount of water in the bottom of the Bottom Freezer. I am now wondering if the problem was actually a simple build up of ice and that both appliance people were wrong.

Is it normal for a lot of water to show up at the bottom of of a Bottom Type freezer if it is unplugged? In hindsight I probably should have unplugged for a day before I gave up. I can not plug it again as I don't have electricity in the garage and have take it apart so it probably isn't worth assembling it back, but wanted to get a perspective if this happens again. THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR INPUT.

'sOne possibility is the heater strip that is in the air duct between the freezer and the refrigerator section.  This strip warms the icy air to provide the cold for the top.  If it fails then ice buildup occurs in the duct until it blocks off the air flow and the top gets warm.
When unplugged the ice melts.  If this part failed or it's thermo sensor failed it is a cheap fix (around $30 not including service fees).  I have had this happen on our old GE losing several hundred dollars of food in the refrigerator.
If you put doors on and plug it in and the top gets to the proper level of cold for several days until ice starts building up again you may likely have this issue.
A refrigerator/freezer thermometer is cheap and handy to see what the sections temperatures are really doing, even on a newer digital control unit.


I installed non IC LED recessed lights and now need to insulate part of the ceiling before it is installed, what should I do? I installed 4" non IC LED recessed lights in a first floor room with 8" clearance during a remodel (no insulation and full access to ceiling space). I later realized that one area of the room with a few of the lights has a small angled roof space above it and needed to be insulated. Rather than switching the housing types, I purchased some tenmat covers. The internet tells me that I need to air-seal them from heat escape (live in Northeastern US), but I need to insulate before the sheetrock goes up. How would I airseal edges with foam after the ceiling goes in? Can I just tack the covers to to the rafters to hold them in place and not airseal? Their datasheet doesn't say anything about foam. I'de rather risk losing heat than have poor airflow and hot fixtures. What should I do?

What you should do is forget about using those crappy dunce caps and ensure that the fixtures are at least 1/2" away from any wood or combustible material and that insulation is removed and kept away from the fixtures, at least 3" clearance.


Honeywell RTH7600 does not responsd Just installed new Honeywell RTH7600.  All wires are correct and the unit displays fine.  The issue is that heater and AC do not turn on at all.  I even put the fan to ON instead of AUTO and that does not turn on either.  not sure what the issue is.

THe unit will display "Heat on" or "Cool on" to indicate that something should be happening.  I hear a click from the unit, but nothing actually happens.

So far I ihave tried power cycling at the circuit breaker.  But im thinking about first re-seating all the wires and second reinstalling the old unit to make sure that still works and that my ac/heater didn't just go out at the same time somehow.

If you swapped out the thermostats with the power on, you could have shorted out the transformer. Best case is a blown fuse, worst case is a blown transformer. Do you have a C wire at the thermostat? If so, test AC voltage (VAC) between R and C.  You should get between 24 and 30 volts.

The furnace breaker should be in the main panel, or there will be a servicemen switch near the furnace. If a fuse is blown, it will be on the control board inside the furnace.


Fire door modification beyond trim allowance So I bought some fire doors.
"The doors comprise cellulosic (flaxboard) cored, timber framed leaves". The Certifire certificate of approval is here: https://www.jeld-wen.co.uk/getmedia/0b0aa417-28ea-42ba-9513-489469a53773/CF160-Certifire-certificate-FD30-Timber-Door-Assemblies-44mm-FD30-Moulded-Doors.pdf.aspx
These are standard sized doors that have a maximum trim allowance of 4mm on each side and 6mm on the bottom.
The problem I have is that my house was built in the late 1800s and there is not a standard sized door opening in the house. There's not a huge amount in it, but if I were to trim the doors, doing so would exceed the trim allowance and presumably invalidate the Certifire certificate.
My thinking when buying the doors was that I would take off the door linings then adjust the openings before fitting new door linings, stops etc.
However, we've had carpenters round to quote us for fitting the doors and to find out if there are less disruptive ways of going about this. The three people that have come around have all quoted us for fitting the doors to the existing openings. One has suggested modifying the doors by sawing off one or more of the timber frame edges, removing some core material before putting back the timber. They believe this would get the job past Building Control, especially since the door will be painted afterward.
However, as I see it, this would mean invalidating the Certifire certificate as far as I can tell, whether Building Control signed it off or not.
So let's say I put my concerns aside and got someone to modify and fit the doors in that way.

Q1. How likely is it that this would be signed off by Building Control?
Q2. If it was signed off, in the event of a fire, would we be covered by our insurance?
Q3. If we rented the house, in the event of a fire, would we be liable?
Q4. If we sold the house, in the event of a fire, would we be liable?

How likely is it that this would be signed off by Building Control?

Highly likely. The way you describe the carpenter's modification proposal it would likely not be easily detected.

If it was signed off, in the event of a fire, would we be covered by our insurance?

If they knew about your modification, no. However; unless the door in question contributed to the fire spread there would not likely be a close forensic analysis of the door, right?

If we rented the house, in the event of a fire, would we be liable?

You would be liable if the door failed to prevent fire spread as designed due to your modifications. Held accountable? See above.

If we sold the house, in the event of a fire, would we be liable?

You would be liable if the door failed to prevent fire spread as designed due to your modifications. Held accountable? See above.
I am not giving legal advice, and you should not trust legal advice from the internet. Deliberately violating building/fire code to make your job more convenient is not the right thing to do. If the worst happened, you and the carpenter and the inspector and the door manufacturer could be in court swearing oaths of truth. How would you feel if your renter's children were killed because the modified door failed to prevent fire spread?


Kitchen faucet low flow rate? I have a kitchen faucet with a single handle separately on the side.
The sprayer flows fine but the faucet flows only at about 60% of the sprayer rate. I removed the airator but no change to the flow.
The faucet did flow a lot more before I installed a pressure reducer on the water main. Understandably that would lower the flow some but it lowered the flow much more at this faucet than others. Others seem to be flowing at full cross sectional area of the pipe. The
is one looks like 75%.
Any ideas what it could be causing this?
I had to replace the valves on my fridge water dispensor. Looked like the seals had been compressed by the high water pressure I had before. Could a similar thing be the cause in my kitchen faucet?
The handle connects to the faucet through a line and the sprayer connection comes off on the side of that line at the faucet connection. See attached image.

Image of the faucet I have.
Update:
So I pulled the handle appart and took out the cartridge. At the bottom of the handle assembly there are 3 holes and three other holes below them. These holes don't line up though. See image. Is that the way they are supposed to be? I need to look into if those can be aligned.

So it was the diverter that is in line with the faucet.
The valve inside the diverter is stuck down. It only moves a little up when the faucet is running. The valve in the downward position supplies water to sprayer which is why the sprayer was fine.
Interestingly if you cycle the sprayer on and off a few times the valve loosens some and can move upward more which lets some more water flow through the faucet for a period of time.
$14 for new diverter.


seal and fix cracks in a concrete floor in basement I have a few lengthy cracks, 1.5-2mm wide. What special paste or mortar should I use to fix cracks in a concrete floor in basement? Can it be done with cement mix or some special sealant must be applied? Does it matter, what time of year this fix is performed?

UPDATE Below are the images of cracks:

Thanks.

Is it for cosmetics or is it a matter of sweeping/washing off and things go between the cracks. Finally reason makes a difference. In commercial construction we often use concrete caulk, that way it is the same color and shrinks and expands with weather conditions. Mortar may work but if there is any shifting I would not be surprised if it becomes loose and looks just as bad as before. There are products that help when applying thin layers of concrete/mortar to stick but that it usually for applying an 1/8-1/4 inch. When do that when we are about to stain concrete that was not recently poured.

Note: looking at the pics I would not advise mortar as it would be difficult to fill and stick.

The concrete caulk will fill the gaps and seal it properly. Again the benefit of the caulk is it will shrink and expand if there is minimal shifting, where mortar will not..

Here is a link to for the caulk at home depot. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Red-Devil-10-1-oz-Masonry-and-Concrete-Repair-Caulk-0646/202261765


Paver installation - excavation limitation I am trying to install a paver patio in my backyard but have run into some excavation issues.  Everything I have read says to dig deep enough to allow for 6" of base material under the paver surface (4" of base gravel and 2" of builder's sand).  The problem is, at 4" I uncovered the top of a 1-ft diameter PVC pipe running horizontally across the length of my backyard.  I live in a townhome, and the pipe appears to be a drain pipe that everyone's gutter downspouts feed into.  So there's definitely no chance of removing the pipe - it's there for good.

Because this is only at 4" deep, should I dig the rest of the area to the max depth needed, and just leave the section where the pipe runs at 4"?  Or should I dig everything to the same 4" depth?  Do I need to do something special to the pavers going on top of the area where the pipe runs?  Or do I actually add material and go up, raising the surrounding areas around the space I plan to put pavers on as well?  So many questions I can't seem to find any answer for through google.Any advice from experienced paver installers is greatly appreciated!

I have run into this many times usually with light duty drainage pipe for the gutters . I really like a solid base I use more rock and less sand but 6” for a patio is good. I would expose a little of the pipe and stop at 5”.

When packing the gravel work to the pipe from both sides  but don’t pack directly over it until both sides are packed. This reduces breakage of the pipe if it is light duty drainage pipe like I have run into. I also use water while packing this helps to pack the rock into the dirt and work the fines from packing into the cracks.

I use just enough sand to level everything in reality a deep spot might be 1/2” for me with a thin spot being close to 1/4”. I get it flat with a 3’ wide rake that has teeth on 1 side and smooth edge on the other side, by working at 90 degree angles he sand flattens out quickly. By over lapping each pass with 2/2 of the rake then turning and working at 90 doing the same the low spots show up quickly after I get the sand very close I use a mist nozzle to wet it down and a last pass, wet sand is harder to work that’s why I get flat prior to wetting it down, a mist nozzle takes longer but won’t dig ruts in the sand.

A border around the area is best but is really needed if more sand is used when it rains water pulls the sand out at the edges of there is no border. A thin layer of sand won’t have the sand migration as bad even with small pavers. Last make sure to have a slight grade away from the house, yes the rock will help to create a drain field but a well packed base and poly sand will hold water quite well so having a slight grade away from the house is best..
I have put in many patios with pavers if crushed quarry or shale is used the rock locks together and can last decades don’t use crushed river it doesn’t lock together I have learned this the hard way living in Oregon where crushed river is much cheaper , I only use that for French drains where o don’t want it to pack together. Hope this helps , 4” of rock will work 5 is better but 4-1/2 with 1/2 of sand will reduce your chances of breaking the pipe and still provide a good base for your pavers.


What size breaker and wire do I need for a kiln drawing 32 amps at 240 volts? Wiring for a ceramic kiln 32 amps 240 volts

You would need a 40A circuit.  (80% of 40A is 32A, that's why the kiln is sized that way).

You would need to run wire large enough for a 40A circuit, i.e. 8 AWG in North America/CO/VZ/PH.


Electric front load dryer making room extremely humid and wet My front loader electric dryer makes the room extremely humid and hot and it also forms condensation inside its display. The vents are not blocked and they are not leaking. It's a brand new dryer. What could the problem be? It's a maytag front load dryer, current model.

Most "traditional" electric dryers basically have a heating element, a fan, a motor and a control panel. The motor turns the drum, usually via a belt. The fan blows air past the heating element into the drum. The air then flows out, through the lint filter to the back (or possibly side) of the dryer through ductwork to the outside.
Anything can go wrong, but the most likely problem is that the air is going into the room instead of to the outside. That points to one of a few possibilities (more specifics would depend on looking at the manual for the specific model):

Air blocked from exiting the dryer, resulting in it seeping out through any cracks/gaps and, therefore, going through the control panel (condensation) and into the room.
Ductwork not connected properly at the back of the dryer. This would easily explain the air going into the room, but not the condensation in the control panel.
Ductwork damaged, preventing air from exiting properly. This could result in air going into the room and/or air not exiting the dryer normally and instead seeping out through any cracks/gaps.
Ductwork not connected to the outside. Presumably accidentally (because if it was on purpose, the old dryer would have had the same problem) and the air going into the room.

Check the installation manual to see if there are any dampers, multiple venting options, etc. that might explain the problem. Also check the ductwork to make sure that it is (a) connected to the dryer, (b) connected to the outside and (c) not crimped, squashed, torn, etc.
With typical ductwork, it should be easy to remove it from the dryer. That is important so that you can clean the ductwork periodically, because no lint filter is perfect, and dryer lint fires are a very real problem. One thing to try is to disconnect the ductwork from the dryer and then turn on the dryer for a few seconds. You should get a steady stream of air through the vent. If you don't, then the problem is inside the dryer. If you do, then the problem is in the ductwork.
The ductwork should be as long as it needs to be, but no longer. That is because every extra bend can collect lint or get crushed. The ideal setup is one elbow out of the dryer, one straight length of ductwork (best is solid metal, next best is flexible metal, worst (by far) is vinyl/plastic), then another elbow to get through the wall to the outside. Sometimes the ductwork has to be more complicated, especially if the dryer is not next to an outside wall, but every extra turn is equivalent to several feet of additional ductwork, and every fan (dryer, exhaust fan, etc.) has a limited effective distance.
If the ductwork is more than a couple of feet longer than it needs to be, cut it! With flexible ducts that is very easy. With solid metal it is a bit trickier (tin snips or replace with a pre-cut shorter length) but the end result will be a more efficient and safer dryer.


What length toggle bolt to use? I'm looking to install some floating shelves (I originally wrote "cabinets", sorry) in my apartment and want to put some moderately heavy things on them (likely under 100 pounds over a 48 inch long span).

I'm 95% sure there are metal studs and I can reasonably identify their location (though not necessarily their center) via my magnetic stud finder.

My only real question is how would I know which length toggle bolt to purchase?

I know I'd need 1/4 inch width bolts but I'm uncertain on the optimal length (presumably 3 or 4 inch)

Also, if the shelving bracket has 3 holes

should I use three toggle bolts per bracket or is that overkill (or perhaps would just weaken the drywall/stud?)?

One does not use toggle bolts in studs. They're for hollow-wall applications and would require you to drill very large hole through the stud flange, which isn't a great idea.

It's also fairly difficult to drill the cabinet for toggle bolts, transfer the locations to the wall, drill larger holes for the togglers, insert the togglers in the cabinet, then get all the togglers into their respective holes in the wall. It's a real hullabaloo and a thing to be avoided.

Use three or four screws with sheet-metal (fine) threads in each of the available studs and you'll be fine. Since most of the pull-out force is at the top of the cabinet, you might use two screws near the top.

To answer your actual question, though, toggle bolts should usually be just long enough that, when the wings are folded back and the bolt is inserted, they can open up behind the wallboard. Whether they can be longer depends on clearance, of course.


Will latex paint applied over oil paint bond well? Our church basement was painted with latex over at the very least 10 year old oil based paint.  The team did very little prep, did not scrape old peeling paint so I am sure they didn't sand the old oil paint.

Questions:

Will the latex stay on the wall?
How long till we have an issue with the latex peeling?
How do I get the Latex off the wall? Or should I even try?
Would something like Kilz do anything for me?

There is nothing you can apply now to make the paint stick.  The critical factor is the bond between the old paint and the new paint, and that is all underneath the new paint, so it is inaccessible.  It's as simple as that.

It is not true that you can't overpaint oil (alkyd) with latex.  You can, and it can work.  What is true is that you can't overpaint a glossy surface with any expectation of success ...and... oil paints are pretty good at being glossy.  The gloss is what ejects dirt, grease and other surface contaminants such as new paint.

I found a soup can I had used to paint with green marine LPU paint, which is very glossy.  I had later used the soup can to paint black LPU. I had left about 1/8" of black in the bottom of the can.  The black had "popped out" -- it refused to stick to the fully cured green.  Needless to say, no other paint would stick to that LPU either.

If this wasn't done, it will be hit or miss what happens next.  Expect it to fail if you bother it in the next few weeks, latex needs at least that long just to start really curing.  After that, you'll have to see.

To make new paint stick to glossy old paint, you must remove  the gloss.  Proper sanding is more than is required.  I am fond of a green Scotchlite pad, like you use to scrub pots and pans.  Then wash it to remove oil, grease and dirt.  Then a wipedown with the paint's solvent (e.g. water for latex).

New paint won't stick to new paint of a different chemical type, because it is still chemically active.  Normal (1-part) paints take a year or so to cure.  2-part coatings cure like epoxy, and so they cure much faster.


How should I handle old wallpaper over top of lead paint? We removed a layer of thick textured wallpaper on a wall in the dining room of our 1959 split-level; it came off very easily in large strips. Unfortunately underneath it is a layer of much older (1970s?) and much uglier wallpaper which comes off only with extensive elbow grease, and immediately under that (we've only removed a small area so far) is a layer of flaking leaded paint (verified both by small-squares flaking pattern and with a home lead test kit). To add additional complexity, all of this is on top of some kind of 1/2in composite wallboard; we can only access a very small area of what's behind the wallboard, but it seems to be a plaster wall, also with leaded paint on it.

Our goal here is a flat paintable surface, and (much more importantly) not lead-poisoning our children.

Options we are considering:

1) Hire lead-abatement professionals to strip everything down to the plaster, and then see what we need to do from there. We can't really afford this.

2) Try to pry off the wallboard so we can see more fully the condition of the wall behind it. This is tempting because it removes more cruft from the wall, but it has some downsides: It will certainly result in additional flaking of the lead paint on the wallboard, as the pieces of wallboard separate. Depending how the wallboard is attached, it may be quite difficult to pry off and result in pieces of wallboard still stuck to the wall, which may be quite hard to get off without disturbing even more lead paint. And lastly, we don't know why someone put up the wallboard in the first place, which leaves us concerned about the condition of the wall we might find underneath it. (A third of this wall was an extension on the house at around the same time the wallboard was probably put up, so for the last eight feet we aren't even sure there will be anything at all behind it.)

3) Hang a fresh layer of 1/4in drywall over top of everything.

4) Cover the wall as-is with a layer of Zinsser Gardz to seal everything in and prevent reactivating any wallpaper glue, then skim-coat with thin layers of joint compound (using a roller brush and squeegee trowel), prime, and paint. ("As-is" means mostly covered with the old wallpaper, which is in quite good condition, not peeling or bubbling at all and firmly stuck - also its tough wallpaper with some kind of fabric weave in it. It also has a bit of glue residue on top of it from the wallpaper we already removed.)

Currently we are leaning towards option 4. Is this a crazy idea? What would you do?

Definitely read up on the EPA 'renovation repair and painting' rule.

Option #3, the 1/4" drywall, is likely to produce the best and cleanest results, at the cost of loss of room space and alteration in the look of all your trim.  You'll have to extend all outlets also.  Of course that sounds suspiciously like what happened last time. Eventually your room will be solid wall covering with no center.

Option #4 sounds attractive if that texture on the wallpaper will really hold the joint compound.  I'd run a test with and without the primer/sealer.  Remember worst case here it cracks later and you redo it all with #3.


How do I replace this toilet shutoff valve? I need to replace a toilet shutoff valve (does not completely stop water flow) as part of process of fixing a leak I saw around the base of my toilet (suspect i need new wax ring??).  I bought a new 1/4 turn shut off valve and turned off the main supply, but was not able to remove the old valve.

I believe it's because this valve is soldered on and thus can not be screwed on/off and replaced as such?  Is there another way to go about this, aside from cutting pipe and soldering (no torch, saw, experience...).  Wondering is there is an additional valve i could install further down the line to the toilet (realizing this is not the best method)?  Also, am i correct this is steel piping not copper?

That's most likely a copper pipe covered in solder. You can try scraping the solder off to see if you get down to some copper to verify. A copper pipe cutter is cheap and easy to use:

Get this onto the pipe a close to the valve as you can, tighten the screw until it's snug, and spin it around the pipe making sure to keep spinning on the same location (you're making a cut, not treading the pipe or making a spiral). After every few turns, tighten the screw a little more and eventually the pipe will break off. Clean the pipe with some emery paper, and install a new compression style valve (this only requires a few wrenches (crescent or fixed, not a pipe wrench or pliers if you want to avoid teeth marks). If you removed too much of the pipe, you may need to replace the escutcheon with a flatter style.


What is the best way to improve counter tops without completely replacing them? I would like to re-do our counter tops in the kitchen.  We currently have the laminate on particle board type.  What is the best way to refinish this type of counter top to make it look higher quality, without replacing the whole counter top?

Overlay a higher quality laminate on top with adhesive?
Rip off the laminate and replace with a different material (stone, tile, etc?) This might require cutting or sanding the particle board which I don't mind doing.
Give in and rip it all out and spend the bucks on a higher quality finish?
Don't touch it, call a professional?

As DA01 mentioned, there are epoxy-based methods for refinishing laminate counter tops in the $100-200 range. They seem to have fairly positive reviews:

Rust-Oleum Countertop Transformation Refinishing System

$194.21
Covers 50 sq ft
(cheesy how-to video showing how 'ridiculously easy' it is)

Counter-Coat

$179.95
Covers 35 sq ft
(application instructions)

Giani Granite

$79.40
Covers 35 sq ft
(equally cheesy how-to video showing how 'ridiculously easy' it is)

Note: I have not personally used any of these products, and I am in no way affiliated with them.


Can I use a jigsaw to cut fence rails? I'm looking for a saw to complete my fencing project.  I was using a circular saw to cut the fence rails but it went for a walk, if you know what I mean.

I'm now wondering if a jigsaw would be a worth getting instead of another circular saw because I have more uses around the house for a jigsaw than a circular saw.  However right now I need the saw to cut fence rails in half so I can finish my fence. These are 50x100mm SG8 KD treated pine and possibly laminated fence posts (112x112mm), although its fine if it can't do the posts.

I have found a number of jigsaws that claim to cut up to 80mm and one, a bosch, even up to 140mm.  I need the cuts to be flush and straight so my primary concern at is that the jigsaw blade will flex giving an uneven cut across my wood.

In saying that I have read the jigsaws can give really straight accurate cuts even in this wood or I'm a little confused.

Buy choosing a good quality saw and the right blade can I use a jigsaw for this purpose with results similar to that of a circular saw or even a mitre saw?

What should I be looking for in a jigsaw to meet my needs? or can I simply not use a jigsaw for this purpose?

I own a Bosch JS470E and love it. I've owned many over my 20+ years in construction. It has a setting that will direct air from the motor to the area you're cutting and keeps saw dust clear from the line you're following.

"Will the jigsaw do the job"? Yes, with a good blade and little force but the job will go slow and the cut won't be as clean as a circular saw would do. If you won't use a circular saw that often I would suggest getting an inexpensive one. Maybe even go Harbor Freight. Then you can put some money into a good jigsaw for other uses.


Can I convert a 3-way switch that switches half duplex outlets into an outlet? I have a room where all the wall outlets are half switched, bottom half always hot, top half are run by two 3-way switches. One of the 3-way switches is on a wall I am removing and turning into a pony wall. Instead of just wiring it together and hiding it in a junction box can I convert one of those switches and turn it into a wall outlet while retaining the ability of the other switch to switch the half outlets? The switch I want to convert is not the one that receives power, it's at the end of the line. It is a 3 + ground wire.

The 3 way switch that I'm leaving that is the start of the line with power coming in has black bottom right, red bottom left and black top left. Inside that box a red and white are connected with a wire nuts.

The wall plugs are all snipped on power side with red on top, black on bottom and both whites connected.

Yes, you can, and the general idea is:

If the power feed comes first to the switchbox you want to keep:

Convert your 3 + ground to 2 + ground by capping off the red wire with wire nuts at both ends.  (see Correct way to remove a red wire from a circuit)
Replace switch with outlet, wire up.
Replace remaining 3-way switch with a 2 way, and pigtail some new connections as such:

Bundled with feed black - Black from converted cable, black to hot outlet, pigtail to new two-way switch (This is 4 blacks - use the right size nut!)
Red to switched outlet to other terminal on switch.
All whites bundled. (3 wires)
All grounds to box grounding screw.

The major issue might be fitting everything into that one box.
As always, turn off the breaker before doing any work.


Brick wall insulation I moved into a 30 year old house this fall.  The bedroom at the front of the house is colder then the others.  Two sides of the room are brick exterior walls vs siding.  I was in the attic running cable for a poe camera and noticed the brick wall.

Not sure if this is the cause of the cold room but the top of the brick wall is exposed?  From what I have read air gaps are required.  I could not find anything referring if the air gap should be sealed?

No. The wall insulation is presumably inside the framed wall, behind the asphalt felt we see here. The brick is outside the building "envelope". It has no involvement with insulation.


Contractor not using thin set between sub floor and cement board So, I've made a big stink with the flooring guys about how they have installed the Hardiebacker cement board for our tile.  They skipped putting down the thin set under the cement board even though the installation instruction specify that it is required.

from instructions:

Apply a supporting bed of mortar or modified thinset to subfloor using a 1/4” square-notched trowel.

The flooring guy called me and said that JamesHardie company tech support said that if he used screws instead of nails they could forego the thin set under the cement board.

So I called JamesHardie tech support and their offices are currently closed... So I can't verify this claim.  This seems quite shady.

Am I wrong to push the issue or should I just let him use the screws and go about the job?  They have umpteen years experience doing this stuff.

Also,  will this cause problems down the road, and should I continue pushing the issue?

This is a subjective question. Here are the factors as I see them:

Hardi apparently doesn't require mortar under its cement board if it's screwed down properly. The guide referenced above seems to be more suggestion than warranty requirement. If the fastener schedule provided is followed closely, problems are not likely to occur. However, a mortared system will be more rigid, potentially reducing tile and grout cracks between floor joists.
Your subfloor is OSB, so it's questionable whether a mortar bond is wise at all. OSB is widely considered to be unsuitable as a tile substrate due to its tendency to swell and delaminate from moisture, but this is a bit different. It may have worked out with no ill effects. The mortar would serve to prevent any gaps between the layers of the substrate system, improving stability.
Your contract apparently doesn't stipulate mortar in this case. With Hardi's blessing, you probably have no legal standing to insist on mortar.

In my opinion, you'll probably be satisfied with the results if only screws are used. It's difficult to predict how much floor movement will occur with the information provided. That said, a mortar bond would generally be considered a higher-quality installation.

In the end, the decision comes down to your willingness to settle for 95% quality or to deal with the dispute between yourself and your contractor.


How do I replace a sub-floor that goes under a wall before reaching the nearest I-joist? In a bathroom, due to rotten sub-floor and remodelling, I have to remove the sub-floor and put a new one (we're changing the location of the shower and the sink; the plumber's going to make Swiss cheese out of it).

The challenge is that most of the sides of the sub-floor go under the walls. Some of these walls are right over the I-joist, some are not.

Where it's possible, I'm thinking of doing something like suggested here:

  If the couple of inches of flooring you have not removed at the wall is solid, you can screw through it and into a piece of wood below it that the new floor can also be screwed to in order to make the edge supported, in a somewhat easier fashion. It's crudely equivalent to having a T&G joint in that the floor acts as a single piece.

But I'm less inspired about a proper way to fix it where the floor is completely rotten and unusable.

I've thought of doing something like this:

The plan:

Since I have I-joists there, I thought about reinforcing the I-joists by putting in there 1" x 8", held by construction adhesive and 1 1/2" screws (those pieces are in green in my graphic). The plan is to make it fit snugly in there.
Then, with joist hangers, adding in 2" x 6" in-between the reinforced joists and use them as a kind of bridge (displayed in blue in the graphic; the joist hangers are not shown). The top of these bridges would arrive at the same height than the I-joists.
Finally, still using joist hangers, adding a 2" x 4" in-between the two bridges, right under where the end of the new sub-floor would arrive. (This part is the yellow one in the graphic.)

A couple of things to keep in mind:

I will not have access to the sides of the I-joists that are not under the bathroom sub-floors, so I can't reinforce the I-joists on both sides.
If that matters, I'll be installing ceramic tiles over the new sub-floor (after putting on there 1/4" cement boards).

The questions:

Is the idea suggested by the other post is the most appropriate?
Is the plan suggested here makes any sense? And if it does are the planks sizes appropriate and should I use screws or nails to attach joist hangers (and what size)?
And if it does not, what should I do instead?

Thanks!

Your plan, as diagrammed seems pretty reasonable.

Does the 3/4" thickness of the 1/8 that you were proposing to glue to the center web of the I-beam bridge out the whole width of the top flange of the I-beam? If not you may want to consider using 2-by material instead. Your joist hangers will nail or screw much better into the 2-by construction lumber than they will the soft pine of the 1x8 board and the OSB of the I-beam webbing.

As you suggested you really do want to screw that filler piece in after applying the glue because you will not have access to add clamps to hold the pieces in place until the glue dries. You will definitely want to pre-drill clearance holes for the screws in the filler pieces to that the screws can pull them up snug to the I-beam webbing. Make sure to deploy screws of a type and thread size so that they bite into the OSB webbing securely without stripping out.


Can I position speakers near ceiling, as opposed to ear height? I've been told that the best position for attached-to-wall speakers is approximately the ear height of the listener in each corner of the room plus center for the center piece for 5+sub systems.

However, I am dealing with a simpler 2-speaker system for a bedroom and want to use them with the TV on the wall facing the bed.  My problem is that the room door makes it difficult to position one of the speakers at ear height and still keep them reasonably spread apart so I was thinking to position them near the ceiling in top corners of the wall facing the bed, so that it not be in the way of the door swinging.

Can anybody throw their two cents on how much difference in sound quality that will make?  E.g. if I angled the speakers to point downwards.  The ceilings are pretty high, cca. 100" but I was thinking to put them at about 90" (or 10" below the ceiling).

I just setup a 5.1 system and obsessed a LOT about this. The room has 8 foot ceilings but has 4 foot knee walls on two sides (with a 45 degree run of sheet rock up to the ceiling). Placement in the corners was the "proper" location for speaker separation as well as aesthetics (and to keep kids from bumping into them). However, I was worried if I put the speakers in the corners I'd get a lot of harsh echos from the walls. In my case, yes I do get echos at some frequencies and it's obvious if a test blip is played from that speaker alone, BUT when I'm watching a movie I don't notice it at all (the speakers were the rears).

What I'd suggest is to try out the speakers on temporary mounts near the ceiling if feasible (command strips or the like depending on how heavy they are). If the "voices from heaven" effect isn't a problem, then you're good.

In my setup the fronts are essentially right next to the TV and I find I still get enough stereo separation for me. So keeping them nearer the TV but closer together likely wouldn't be a problem either (especially if having them high is distracting)


Glow Worm Flexicom HX boiler F11, F22, F25 Error codes This is less of a question, but more of a list of things we tried to stop the frequent F11, F22 and F25 error codes appearing on our Glow Worm Flexicom HX boiler which would stop it from functioning. We have some big (for UK) rooms with three large radiators in the reception rooms.

Symtoms:

F11, F22 and F25 error codes
Really noisy central heating pump, runnning flat out
Cold radiators, especially downstairs, even if upstairs were really hot.
Moderately hot tap water
Generally a very cold house especially when outside temps approach zero °C

Solutions we tried which DID NOT work

Turning up the boiler temp
Turning up the thermostatic valves for the radiators
Reducing flow for upstairs radiators to increase flow in downstairs radiators
Replacing the thermostatic valves with new for the radiators which would not heat up

The Solution which DID work

When our landlord let us have the heating engineers come round to have a proper look, the engineers discovered the system was clogged with rust and muck. They said it was the worse they had ever seen. The house is as around 20-25 years old, and they believed the system had never been flushed. So the heating engineers did the following:

Flushed the system
Used tools to vibrate all of the crud out of the radiators and flushed periodically
Fitted some kind of filter/ioniser which will attract all the particles into the filter and this can be flushed at every yearly service

Outcome

We now have all radiators really hot. The house is pleasant to live in. I have not even heard the central heating pump running since then, as I guess it needs to run less hard and less often to get the flow through. Tap water is really hot again, so have been able to turn boiler down to 70°C. I may be able to turn it down further over the next few weeks too.

Hopefully some information within this post will help someone who experiences similar issues with their heating system or boiler.


Do I really need to stud nail all my crown molding? Searching through google about stud nailing crown molding, I found this page about whether or not it is necessary to hit the studs. Can anyone confirm that it can be done without worrying about the studs? I'd prefer not to mark up my wall with stud locations and it seems like quite a bit of extra work.

Crown moldings, or any corner trims really should be nailed to a stud, not simply into unbacked drywall. Without good support, the molding will warp out from the wall causing gaps in coverage  to open along the edges.

With real crown, there is a hollow gap behind the molding as only the top and bottom edge touch the wall. The wider the molding, typically the deeper the void behind them.  This gap results in having to use longer nails to reach the wall and support wood behind the sheetrock.

One method that works well to make installing the molding easier is to first install a backer/nailer to the wall. Depending on the size of the hollow behind your crown, cut or rip some scrap board, plywood or even strapping, then nail it along the top edge of the wall against the ceiling. You can shoot as many nails as you want to assure the backer if firmly attached to the studs or wall plates, as it will never show anyway.  Now, when you go to nail your crown up, there will always be a solid wood backer anywhere you shoot a nail. You can also use shorter nails, or at least not have to use extra long ones. This method is also helpful when your walls are not perfectly flat and an extra nail is necessary to draw the molding in tighter to the wall in irregular areas.  Good Luck


Glue or nails for siding repair? I need to patch some wood siding after a roofer modified my roof. I have spare siding from parts and pieces that were removed. Should I glue the siding on or should I nail it in place?

I suggest both, but nails should be all you need, provided the pieces span to a stud so as not to break when you attach them. What is strange is there is no sheathing behind the shingles....hmmm


How does one identify compatible shower drain covers? One of the several things that our contractor never completed on our project was the shower drain.  We've got this awesome hole in the shower floor right now:

Sorry, I know it looks nasty.

THe problem is that we don't know how to identify the brand, and therefore have no clue how to find a replacement drain cover.  There aren't even any screw holes there to attach anything!

It seems that aesthetically-speaking, the cover should go over the inner lip, but then there's very little support for someone to step on the cover without it deforming.

Can anyone offer any suggestions as to what we can do to find a compatible drain cover?

Drain covers are specific to the tile drain manufacturer and can be difficult to find. Yours, however, looks to be of a common type and is very much like the middle one in this picture. I would take careful measurements and make a paper and crayon "rubbing" of your drain frame and go to the best plumbing supply shop in town (try a really good tile supply shop as well).

This is a website you might try: https://www.plumbingsupply.com/draincovers.html

It is odd that there are no screw holes in the drain scupper, the cut-outs in the tile frame are made to provide screw clearance. There is a chance that your tile guy tiled in a drain frame that was not the style meant for the actual drain assembly. If that is the case you may have to resort to a "snap-in" style retrofit cover. They never look as nice as the original but it's better than an open hole.


How can I fix this gap in my kitchen counter? Click for larger view.

These pictures show the gap between my counter and the wall, and re-caulking is only part of what I want to do. It was suggested to me that the cabinet is coming apart from the wall and I should try to see if I can somehow tighten the bolts that hold it to the wall, but I can't really see where those are. If I try to pick up or push the cabinet it doesn't really budge. Any ideas?

The screws attaching the cabinet to the wall are placed at every stud, near the top of the cabinet where you see the solid wood. Studs are typically spaced every 16" and can be found with a stud finder. The cabinets will be attached to each other, so look for screws in adjacent cabinets, too, tightening everything uniformly. There should also be something holding the cabinet down to the floor, behind the toe kick on the front.

What you need to find out is why the cabinet is pulling away. Perhaps it's just caulk drying and shrinking. It's possible your floor is settling/sagging in the middle of the room. Or the outside walls could be going out of plumb. Some of these, like sagging floor joists, could indicate other problems that need to be solved first.

To fix the problem, you could remount the counter top tighter to the wall. But 99% of us would simply add more caulk.


How can I figure out why my bedroom light won't turn on? I changed the bulb though it was good still. I changed the switch. From the breaker box it goes; bathroom light, hall light, bedroom light, porch light. All other lights work just fine.

First thing I would do is check the bulb on another verified working fixture. Sometimes even two bulbs are dead so you thought it wasn't the bulb. If not, then:
Next I would see if there was power coming to the wires that connect to the the light fixture.

But note that you need to test the wires going to the fixture, not just the fixture itself. You are ruling out the fixture as the cause of the problem.

If there is power going to the wires connecting to the fixture (with the correct light switch on), then you have found your problem - the light fixture itself.

Third, if power is not going to the wires that attach to the fixture, then you know at least that it is not the problem, or not the only problem (the fixture could also be bad, but you have another problem somewhere else as well if no power is coming to the wires).

So, the third thing I would check is whether there is power coming to the light switch. If there is power going to the wires connected to the switch, then the problem is somewhere between the switch and the light fixture.

If there is not power going to the wires connected to the light switch, but like you said the lights are wired in serial (one after the other), then since there IS power going to the bedroom light like you said, which you mentioned is the fixture before it, and the switch is wired in serial AFTER the bedroom light fixture, then your problem is the wire between the bedroom fixture and the light switch for the porch light; or, perhaps the wire is detached from the previous fixture.

That should be a good starting point. If there are only wires between the light switch and the fixture, and between the light switch and the previous fixture, then one of those wires is bad, if you have gotten to this point in troubleshooting.

If it is not in serial like you said but wired in parallel, then it is a little bit more complicated to find, but it should be pretty intuitive from here and this it a good starting point for you either way.

Update: I made a quick photoshop for you to help visualize. This is of course assuming it is wired in serial like you said in the same manner, but this is effectively how you will go about troubleshooting. Just change it a bit if it's wired differently, but this should answer your question fully.

I put a question mark with an arrow to the points of failure. It could be

the part connected from the previous fixture (could be disconnected, etc.)
the wire to the switch
the switch itself
the wire to the fixture
the fixture itself
the bulb itself

Note 2:

You asked in a comment above how do you test if there is power going to the wires? Well the unsafe but easiest way is simply to attach a wire to the wire to the positive and to the negative and the just put the two wires to a working light bulb (side and bottom of the light bulb) to see if there is power going to it.

Here is a quick photoshop of this hack. Please use common sense and don't shock yourself. If you do this, screw each loose wire on top of the other wire, ON the light switch where it screws onto it. This will prevent the wire from flopping around. Be sure to put electrical tape on the loose end of the wire so they don't hit each other while you/re getting situated and blow the fuse or shock you while hanging.

If it lights up then the wires are fine and it's one of the things between the switch and the porch light. If it doesn't light up then the problem is either the wires or the connection to the previous fixture.

You can also test the voltage with a voltage meter but may not be necessary, although this is the better and safer way.


Why isn't my sump pump kicking on? My sump pump is not kicking on and has water standing.  The water also seems to have oil in it.  Don't know what that is from but I don't want it to flood my basement.  What should I do?

You likely need a new pump.

Submersible pumps are often filled with a non-conductive mineral oil.  If the oil is no longer in the pump, the pump is probably dead.


How can I be sure I connected the electric power socket correctly? I just installed a new power socket (instead of an old one) for the first time. I plugged in a light lamp and it seemed to work OK. But the socket should be used with much heavier instruments (kitchen ovens). So, I want to make sure that it is really installed correctly, so that no accidents happen when I plug in the ovens.

Is there a safe way to check in advance that the socket is installed correctly?

There are small plug-in devices with LED indicators that you plug into the socket; you can probably get one at a hardware store. The LED lights will indicate any wiring problems such as lack of ground, or confirm proper installation.


Lawn tractor stalls after a few minutes I have a Craftsman lawn tractor with an 18.5 HP Intek Engine (97700 series).

It starts fine; but, after a minute or so, it begins blowing white smoke, then stalls.  The smoke is not real thick, but enough to make a haze around the mower.  When the mower first begin stalling, gas seemed to be getting in the oil.

I've replaced the head gasket, changed the oil, cleaned the carburetor, replaced the air filter, and checked the valve clearances.  Is there anything else I should check before taking it to the repair shop?

If the smoke is coloured blueish white you are burning bit of oil. it could be many things. overfilling the crankcase with oil, Malfunctioning crankcase breather or air leak in the crankcase are the usual things to check. if the head gasket is sound and you are not operating the machine over 15 degrees tilt all the time that leaves only few other possibilities. simple ones like wrong oil type or water in the gas. You mentioned you check the carb and imo water in the gas is very high unlikely too. Worse case scenario is worn cylinder or rings if ignored can cause big problems. You probably done this already but if it was mine i would drop the oil fully and fill it with exact amount it says on the manual and give her few rounds around the yard with full power without the blades and than engage the blades and start cutting


Can I remove my oven's wire conduit to save space? I am wiring our new stove top & oven. They both came with probably four feet of wire that is enclosed in this heavy metal flexible conduit. I don't have room behind my oven for all of this metal  conduit. How can I remove a part of this metal conduit on the wiring on my new stove top & oven?

You have that much so that you can make the connection, then put the appliance in place. There's generally no problem with finding space for it, as it naturally ends up behind and/or underneath the appliance as you push the appliance in.
Rushing to shorten it may make it impossible, or very, very difficult to connect the appliance to power. Correcting THAT may require ordering replacement, uncut, feed wires. Proceed cautiously and deliberately.
If it's typical spiral flex, you cut across the spiral strip (so not straight across the cable as a whole) and usually have to bend the cable a bit to get the spiral to snap, then you need to insert a bushing to keep the cut metal from damaging the wires.


Replacement Options for T12 Four light fluorescent light fixture I have a good number of fluorescent light fixtures that are old the ballasts are going out. There are two ballasts per fixture. The ballasts are expensive when factoring in labor cost. Covering to T8 requires new ballasts as well. Can I go with three lamps per fixture and get by with one ballast.
Is there an LED option that can eliminate the fluorescents and ballasts all together.

You can go T12, T8 or LED, and 2, 3 or 4 lamps.  That is decided by which ballast you buy.

Instant, or Rapid/Programmed Start.

This is decided by the wiring of your fixture.  Each bulb end has 2 pins because there's a small filament in each end of the bulb.  Rapid or Programmed Start ballasts use both pins to preheat those filaments for an easy start and longer lamp life - so they have 2 wires to each end of each bulb.  Instant start ballasts do not, so they only have 1 wire. If you have instant-start, stay with it - otherwise you may need to replace the lamp sockets.

T12 vs T8 vs LED

You probably have inventory of T12 bulbs, but they are basically obsolete.  T8 bulbs are inexpensive, more efficient, have much better color rendition (typically starting at 80% CRI) and come in several light colors (3500K, 5100K etc.)   Edit: since I wrote this I have started fitting 90CRI T8 tubes, readily available for under  $2 each, they are marvelous.  You don't see it in the tubes, but rather, in the stuff being lit up.

LEDs come in 2 flavors: "direct wire" (rewire the fixture for 120V on the lamp ends) or "keep the ballast". (no rewiring, the smarter LED emulates a bulb). The trouble with the second kind is you must maintain the ballast, and it must be of a certain type (i.e. instant start). With direct wire, you remove the ballast entirely and wire 120V to the lamp end(s). Some "direct wire" LEDs take the 120V on one end of the lamp (the other end is a dummy) - that can be a problem in a fixture with 1-wire sockets.

2, 3 or 4 bulbs

T8 bulbs are generally brighter than T12 bulbs.  Look at the bulb rating in lumens, but multiply by the ballast factor (a percentage) - they make ballasts designed to underdrive or even overdrive the bulb's rating.  Often when lighting is carefully designed, they replace 4 bulbs with 3 or 2, because T8's are brighter and/or because they found the space was "over-lit".

LED lumens are lower, but they're worth a lot more, because they're all aimed in the right direction - unlike fluorescents which waste a lot of energy lighting the backside of a reflector.

Sourcing

Changing ballasts is rather straightforward and I pay between $12 and $30 on 1000bulbs.com or other sources.  I aim for middle to top shelf quality - my first choice is GE, and I find good deals on boxes of new ballasts on eBay. Edit: 4-lamp ballasts are readily available.  The tactic of getting 3-lamp ballasts and only fitting 3 tubes works well with T8, as they are somewhat brighter.

I have also been doing great on eBay buying new or lightly used ballasts that were pulled from newish fixtures for LED upgrades.  As low as $4 each.

I regularly see direct-wire LED replacement 4 foot "tubes" for under $10, often from 1000bulbs.com or superbrightLEDs.com.

It's pretty easy work if you don't mess with the lamp sockets - just get a big bag of "blue" wire-nuts, a stripper, and go to town.  If your fixture is hard-wired, you must install "disconnecting means" - I power down, install half the connector on the hot lines, then power up and do everything else.

When I replace lamp socket ends ("tombstones"), I pay about 60-70 cents each for those, and they are fairly standard.  But the labor gets pretty high.


Hob wiring 5 core cable to 3 terminals I've wired a new induction hob in and looking for confirmation on cabling.

Instructions state you can wire it as follows:

A)3 x 4 mm² three-core L1 N G (bridge L1,L2,L3 inside on hob terminal if using 3 core cable)
or
B)5 x 2.5 mm² five-core L1 L2 L3 N G
http://productdocs.smeg.it/st/PI964X/userManual/GB

It came pre wired with a 5 core cable. I have 3 terminals available on a 45A outlet.

I have connected L1 L2 L3 into L terminal on the 45A outlet. All appears to work well. Is this ok?

Alternatively I have a 3 core cable from old hob I could use but would prefer not to unscrew terminal box on the new hob. Not sure if there are bridge connectors for L1 L2 L3 which I would need with a 3 core cable, as it already has a pre wired 5 core cable.

Thanks

The L1, L2 and L3 terminals are separate for a specific reason: many countries in Europe (and some homes in the UK) have access to two-phase or 3-phase power, and 16A is a common breaker size on the continent. So in a larger home in Germany, for instance, this same hob would be connected to all three phases via a 3-phase, 16A breaker.  In that case 5-wire cable would supply all three phases, neutral and ground, that would hook up in the obvious manner.

If your home has 3-phase, you too can split load like that, with appropriate breakers.  It really doesn't matter which of the 3 is connected to which phase, as long as the wire size and breaker is correct.

Or in a 1-phase home, you can connect all 3 terminals to your one supply phase.  You will need to use a 45, 48 or 50A breaker, of course.


Wall outlet configuration I read everything I could on this site and others but have not found a great solution. I have 4 wall outlets in a room. I need a easy way to find out the main feed outlet as I guess each outlet is fed from the other. Like outlet (A) feeds to outlet (B), (B) to (C), etc. How do I find out which one feeds the other without disconnecting wires and see where it stops, and find the main feed outlet. One circuit breaker controls all 4. Thanks !

You can usually find the last outlet because it only has 1 set of wires, and then work backwards towards the breaker panel is often logical, there are also specialty tools that can measure voltage drop across each of the receptacles and make an educated guess at the first receptacle that has the lowest voltage drop
https://youtu.be/16KObgI44UE?t=286


Why do I hear water flowing in a floor drain near commercial bathroom fixtures? I work in a government agency building, less than 10 years old, built to some kind of 'green' standards.
When I am in a men's bathroom, either at a urinal or a commode, when someone flushes a toilet, either in the men's, or even in the women's next door, it sounds as if water is being flushed down the floor drain at the same time. (In fact, it sounds like the flushed waste is going down a drain, although that is (obviously) not true.)
Why is this, and what is happening to cause this?
Per a comment: Yes, the sound is coming from a floor drain
(It happens in all bathrooms on all floors of the building. The audible whoosh/splash sounds immediately following hearing a toilet flush. It's easier to hear in 'our' bathroom when a person in the other bathroom flushes, but it also happens when our toilets/urinals are flushed.)

The sound you hear is the “primer” releasing a “squirt” of water into the floor drain. The primer is activated when a nearby water valve is activated. In your case it’s the urinal valve.
The floor drain has a trap that blocks the smell from the sewer lines from flowing back up the sewer lines and into the room and building.
Primers are placed on drain lines and traps because they do not get a regular flow of water to keep the trap full.
Because you didn’t complain about a sewer smell, I know your primer is working.


Why don't conduit fill rules apply to cables encased in closed-cell foam? I have a question that is more theoretical in nature. I know that when you have 14/2 cable and put it in a 1/2 conduit you are above fill (or just at max fill). The NEC cites that this is in part due to heat dissipation.

  300.17 Number and Size of Conductors in Raceway. The number and size of conductors in any raceway shall not be more than will permit
  dissipation of the heat and ready installation or withdrawal of the
  conductors without damage to the conductors or to their insulation.

Consider a close-celled foam installation:

The cables are usually entirely encased in the stud-bays (even less clearance than in 1/2 conduit), and while foam is a good insulator it is a bad heat-sink; it doesn't allow good heat-dissipation due to there being little to no air.

Since I've seen a few foam installations where the cable is completely covered there must not be a code regarding it, and I was just wondering why? Doesn't the foam pose an issue for heat dissipation?

Please when answering cite official sources if at all possible and don't rely on conjecture.

Additional section of interest:

310.15.3

  (3) The rate at which generated heat dissipates into the ambient
  medium. Thermal insulation that covers or surrounds conductors affects
  the rate of heat dissipation. (4) Adjacent load-carrying conductors —
  adjacent conductors have the dual effect of raising the ambient
  temperature and impeding heat dissipation.

The foam isn't the issue, but a lack of spacing can be

Foaming NM cables into a wall (or otherwise burying them in thermal insulation) isn't considered to be an issue, provided that the cables were originally run in a manner that maintains proper spacing between them.  However, not all installers are that careful, and for those who aren't, they find themselves staring at the third paragraph of NEC 334.80:

  Where more than two NM cables containing two or more
  current-carrying conductors are installed in contact with thermal insulation without maintaining spacing between cables, the
  allowable ampacity of each conductor shall be adjusted in
  accordance with Table 310.15(B)(3)(a).

This covers the issues with mutual heating that you allude to when the current-carrying conductors are actually adjacent to each other, such as when a bunch of NM cables are run together.  However, with the cables spaced out properly, they will sit separated by thermal insulation, which prevents the cables from heating each other up.


A/C tune-up: "Condenser fan motor drawing high amperage" A local A/C company was offering a deal on a home heating/cooling "check-up". I've never worked with this particular company before, and I've had some bad experiences in the past (different home, different state) with stuff like this. I wasn't there when the guy did his inspection, and the result was:

  Condenser fan motor drawing high amperage. Advise to replace soon.

  $350 - 10% = $315.

We have other rental properties in the area, and I'd like to establish whether these folks are reputable so that I can continue to do business with them in the future.

Can anyone with A/C or HVAC experience suggest a way that I can confirm that this isn't just a manufactured or exaggerated problem, and that the cost is reasonable? I'm not against calling another tech from a different company out to see if s/he returns the same diagnosis...

If a motor is drawing a very high amperage it is not unreasonable to advise a repair.  If the motor cannot be cleaned, or it has been cleaned and still drawing high it may show an imminent failure.  So you could replace the motor while they are at the home, usually with no additional labor, or maybe have an emergency call in the future where you will now be charged labor in addition to the motor.  It is worth checking around with other customers of theirs to see if they are trustworthy or not.  Hard to tell off one diagnosis.


Radon fan with submersible pump. Is this normal? New home owner here.  When I bought my home, they did the radon test and found the levels high, so a radon fan was installed.  I recently investigated the radon fan setup, and discovered that it seems to be coupled with a submersible pump in the basement.  Is this normal?  I'm concerned that running the submersible pump is using a lot of energy (it's a 9.7 amp/115 volt pump, which equals ~1115 watts by my calculations).

A little more info:  it seems that there are two PVC pipes into the sump area.  One is connected to the submersible sump pump, and the other is presumably connected to the heat pump outside.

Also, there is a noticeable level of water in the bottom of the sump.  Is this normal?  The sump is sealed, but is NOT air-tight.  Is this normal?  The manometer pressure value indicates 1.6, if that means anything to anyone.

What is the function of the submersible pump?

That thing is called a sump pump.  It has nothing to do with your radon or your heat pump.   It has one purpose, removing groundwater from your basement.   Without it, your basement may eventually flood.

The water at the bottom of the sump is normal. This is what primes the pump.  Many pumps rely on hydraulic lock (the incompressibility of water) to function aka to "prime"... And also need the water as a coolant and lubricant.  So don't be surprised when you find a pump that Does Not Like running dry.


Determining the correct depth of a well My wife and I are looking to buy our first home and have found some promising prospects. One of the homes we like is in what use to be a rural area. Since this house was in a rural area when it was built, it uses a well and septic instead of the city's water system.  Upon further investigation, we learned that 6 other homes share the same well and they all contribute to the maintenance of it. Our concern with the well is its depth. We would hate to buy a home that in may run out of water. How does one determine the correct size and depth of the well needed?

The well needs to be far enough down to reach the underground water table. There may be certain requirements put forth by your local area (township, county, state), but other than that, there's not usually a "correct" depth.

As Doresoom said, your best bet will be to ask the neighbors. They'll know whether there's enough water. Keep in mind, though, that with well water, there is always going to be a chance that you'll run out (if it doesn't typically, a particularly long drought might make you run out).

That said, it's not uncommon for people to build a second (or even third) well, if they have more than one deposit of water under their land. So I wouldn't discount the house just because of the well. Also, since the house is now within city limits, you also probably have the option to hook into the city's water supply (but this might not be the case for all of the houses you've looked at, so the other information may still be useful).

Also, there are a number of ways to help conserve water, or use different water sources. If you're the type that likes to water their lawn, or wash their own car, or keep a garden, you would probably benefit from installing rain barrels to catch the water run-off from the buildings on your property (if you use the water for anything that you will eat or drink, such as a food garden, make sure you have it tested regularly, and/or run it through your filter system). You just have to get creative. :)


How do I make professional grade double pane glass at home? I've been shopping around and no one near me will do Argon filled double pane and only one place will do a vacuum. The price seemed astronomically high considering I can buy the glass and the local hardware store (single pane 2x amount to make double pane) for ~1/10 of the cost. So ranting aside, what is the best way to make double pane glass / window inserts from single pane glass?
I was thinking about using something easy like a few 1/4" plastic tile spacers to keep a uniform spacing with weight or light clamp then applying heavy silicone bead to everywhere but the spacers, coming back later to fill in all but one or two of the spacer holes. Do a good inspection and cleaning if necessary, plug to have one hole left and then pulling a vacuum to ~7-10psi (~5 psi vacuum from ambient). Last hole (vacuum hole) will have to be plugged/corked with something else then silicone to ensure longevity.

My project calls for 24 ~8.5"x11" inserts, trying to weigh in my approx. time to build these and that I already have vacuum pump, I could have a 50% success rate and still save money so if it at all possible to do this at home/shop I'm going with that option.

Glazing manufacturers have spent decades perfecting a spacer system that does not eventually leak and condense. They still haven't completely perfected it, though they are much better than 20 years ago. There is no way you're going to put together a system that does not eventually leak, especially with a vacuum. You'll have a better chance with inert gas, but I'm not convinced even professional argon filled glazing stays argon filled years later. It's not that I doubt your fabrication skills, it's just that it's a very difficult problem to address.

For all the time and effort spent assembling a window system, it's worth buying professionally built glazing units. If you want to save some money, forgo the argon filled and simply get dual glazed units with a low-E coating. IMO, these offer decent thermal performance and good value.


How do you avoid brush strokes in satin finish when painting around casings? I bought some satin finish paint for my walls (Sherwin Super Paint) (for the color I wanted, my only other choice was flat, and I didn't want a flat finish). The problem is that because I used a roller for the big surfaces, and a paint brush for the edge work around casings, it's very easy to notice the sheen difference when the light catches the wall at certain angles.

I thought I had feathered out the paint sufficiently, but that seems to have made it worse. I did the edge work with the brush after the roller work had dried.

What technique should I use to ensure I end up with an even sheen on the wall, even right up to the casing?

Putting on paint with a roller adds a texture to the paint as you may have noticed. This is controllable to some extent by the choice of roller used.

Cutting in around windows and ceiling corners almost always wants to be done before doing the roller work. (The professional painters I have seen painting at the place I work always do it that way too). After the cut in painting has dried then you do the roller work and allow the roller to come up as close to the corners as you can without getting too close. This allows the roller texture to cover over the cut in painting.

Using a pad painter or foam brush as recommended in another answer here has good merit toward reducing the brush marks. However a brush, especially one with a beveled angle edge, gives a lot more control over the painting in corners and along ceilings than you can get with a typical foam brush. I have found that planning for multiple coats of the cut in painting and the putting on each coat in a light manner will greatly reduce brush marks as opposed to getting over exuberant with the paint.


Toilet Runs Sporadically I have a toilet at my house that once every 1-2 hours will run for maybe 5 or 6 seconds but then stops and acts normally. I have checked and nothing seems to be getting under the flapper. The float is the type that travels up and down the tube (not a ball on an arm). What could be causing this?

Probably a leak at the flapper/flush valve in the bottom of the tank. With age the flapper can get stiff, cracked, dirty, etc and allows water to leak into the bowl.

Semi-universal-fit repair parts are available in most plumbing or home centers. Frequently it's sufficient to replace only the flapper, but sometimes the valve seat has to be replaced too. Flapper change is easy; it takes a couple minutes to make sense of the instructions and one minute to do the work.


Better to excavate in the spring or winter? This is a somewhat subjective question, so I am looking for a general principle rather than a specific, exact answer.

In New England, the building season is mostly the spring and summer. So, winter is off peak. This makes it easier and cheaper to find contractors during the winter. On the other hand, excavation during the winter is harder because the top 4 feet or so of soil freezes. So, on one hand it is cheaper because it is off peak, but on the other it is more expensive because of frozen ground. Which factor dominates? Are there other factors that are key? Should I prefer doing an excavation in the winter or spring?

The scope of the excavation is about 800 cubic yards.

tl;dr Insulate the excavation area now and dig later.

Excavating in the winter is difficult only if you don't prepare the site. Lay down insulating blankets and/or straw over the entire area to be excavated prior to freeze. This will keep frost to a minimum and allow excavation at any time, such as when contractor prices are lower. Even if you're late and miss the freeze, insulating later allows ground heat to thaw some of the frost.

Excavating early means that the frost now exists at footing/slab level when it comes time to build. This presents its own set of complications, such as difficulty burying plumbing and drain tile and having to pour concrete on frozen ground. Better to have freshly-dug soil at that point, get footings and plumbing laid, and backfill.


Temporarily filling a hole with a shim I have two 3" x 3" square holes on a sports court. They are around 2' deep. They take two long poles that support a net.

When the poles are not in the holes they fill with water when it rains (mosquito breeding area) and are a trip hazard.

Question: How can I cover these holes where the cover will be flush with the surface of the court?

What I'm currently thinking of doing, not sure if it's the right approach: Buy a 3x3 piece of lumber (surprisingly hard to find) and cut 2' lengths from it and stick those in the holes.

Problems I see with that:

Home Depot and Lowes don't have 3x3 wood listed on their sites.
When it gets wet I am guessing that it would swell and be difficult or impossible to remove. (I'm also guessing that there's something I could treat it with to make it water proof.)
It would be difficult to get out even when dry. (Thinking that a small hole in the middle of the end with a sunken eye screwed into it would allow me to lift it.)

If you think that my current approach of putting a block of wood in there is the right approach then I'd love to hear suggestions about how to do it to solve the problems that I forsee. Otherwise if you have a better idea to solve this...

My first thought is square flush tubing plugs. they come in all sizes, for tubing up to like 6".

Check out this web site: Mocap square tubing plugs

Should be pretty easy to pry out with a small tool when you need to. They are not advertised as perfect seals to keep out water, but unless an area depression causes standing water right by the hole, I bet they would do a pretty good job.


Do narrow utility sinks exist? I am in need of a really narrow utility sink for my garage. It can not be any wider than twelve inches. Would prefer not to get a wall-mount, but can probably install that, if necessary.

Do they make them this narrow? My Google searches haven't given me any results narrower than 18-22 inches.

You might find what you want by looking up bar sinks.  They are made that small.


How can I support a desk without legs or brackets I plan to build a floating desk with the following dimensions: 75"-79" long and 22"-24" deep. I plan to mount it to concrete wall(see Image). My Preferred material is MDF.

The desk intended for use as computer desk and writing-reading desk. The load on the desk will be mainly consists of: monitor screen, books, laptop and so on.

My goal is to create a strong and stable desk that can support not only the load described above, but also beyond that(specifically: adult leaning on the desk with his arms).

My question is: How can I support the desk without any legs or bracket?

EDIT: There is a similar question to my question on the site(HERE) but I think the solution proposed does not fit my question. Since to my opinion the proposed support in  solution is too weak for my purposes. I'm pretty sure that if I will lean down on the edge of the desk with time not only it will created a 'belly' but it will damage the Alum angle stability (maximum torque). I think the proposed solution is better suited for shelf that functions as a desk, and I want a strong desk that can support for example a person sitting over it.

Note: I do not care if the most of the entire thickness of the desk(based on the design offered) would be a hollow, as long as it's does not exceed 5''.

This is a pretty standard construction for floating shelves/counter top.

 mount a cleat to the walls (the third wall is omitted for clarity sake). In this example it's a 1x4 but that will depend on how much weight it needs to bear.
 Create a torsion box leaving a socket around the edges to accept the cleat.
 mount the unit and apply a backsplash to cover the gap where the back and sides meet the wall. It's not impossible to scribe in a three sided surface but it's a tremendous pain in the neck.

I would recommend MDO over MDF as it has the strength to weight ratio of plywood but the surface of mdf. As for the thickness w.r.t the strength of the front edge... this is really pushing the limit of what you can support without a leg or integral steal beam and not experience serious deflection or failure.


Can I add induction cooktop and electric wall oven to my kitchen with this panel? I will be remodeling kitchen and replacing gas oven/range with induction cooktop (220V, 20 amp) + electric wall oven (also 240V, 30amp)

I don't know much about electricity and need help to determine whether my electric panel will support it.

Some other notes:

I have ac/heat unit inside the apartment as well as water heater and both appear on the panel.
I also have pictures without front cover but I can't seem to upload more than one picture. Please let me know if you prefer to see inside of the panel
this panel is Siemens is G1224L1125(CU) and "Main Lug/Main Breaker Kit table on the panel label has the following:
100 AMP Main breaker
125 AMP Main breaker
100-125 Main Lug

Also, as per my comment below, I can remove jacuzzi and replace it with shower. Please let me know if that would help a lot or if I can accomplish what I need without removing it.

You can do this, but it will fill up your feeder!

Assuming that:

You are removing the Jacuzzi and disabling its associated dedicated circuit
That the "GFI Kitchen", "Wall Outlet", "Microwave", and "Dishwasher" circuits are all kitchen Small Appliance Branch Circuits (SABCs)
Your condo is fed with 120/240V split phase (some high-rise condos are fed with 2 phases of a 208Y/120 3 phase service instead)
Your feeder is 2AWG XHHW-2 aluminum, limited to 90A and 75°C by its terminations, and
You have a 90A feeder breaker protecting the feeder and panel

we can apply the multiunit feeder calculation methods from the Code (Art. 220 Part II) (albeit not the optional simplified calculations from Part III, as we are assuming a 90A feeder here which makes that method inapplicable) to your current configuration to get the following numbers:

1300sf * 3VA/sf = 3900 VA for lighting and general receptacle loads
5 SABCs (4 kitchen, 1 laundry) * 1500VA/SABC = 7500VA for small appliances
Your water heater at its 4500VA nameplate load
Your A/C at 14.5 combined Full Load Amps at 230VAC = 3335VA (the combustion blower load can be excluded as it doesn't run when the rest of the motor loads are engaged)

For the lighting and receptacle loads, we get 11.4kVA which then gets a 35% demand factor for all load past the first 3kVA to yield 5940VA.  From that, we then add the 4.5kVA water heater and the 3335VA A/C to yield a total feeder load of 13.78kVA, or 57A at 240VAC.  This leaves just enough room for the 8kVA (or 33A @ 240VAC) range load from Column C of table 220.55, using note 4 to treat the cooktop and oven combination as a single range load of not over 12kVA nameplate.

The resulting breaker switcheroo -- if you feel uncomfortable with this, feel free to ask your friendly local electrician to do this for you

Get a Siemens QT1520 breaker -- you'll need this to get rid of that single pole 15A breaker
Get a Siemens QP250 breaker for the new circuit
Run the cable for the new kitchen appliances and hook them up, but don't feed it into the panel yet.  Let us (or your friendly local electrician) know if you need help with this
Have the power turned off to your unit at the feeder/main breaker
Get the front off the panel
Remove the existing breaker from the slot labeled "Jacuzzi" and "GFI Kitchen".  Take the upper wire off (this went to the Jacuzzi) and put a wirenut on the end to cap it off.  Take the lower wire off and flag it with electrical tape so that you can find it to put it on the correct half of the new double-stuff breaker. Set this breaker aside.
Remove the existing breaker from the slot labeled "Rooms 1-2 Lights-Outlets".  Take the wire off, but do not flag it or cap it.  Set this breaker aside as well.
Move the two breakers that were above the removed 15A breaker down a slot in the panel -- there should be two open slots at the top left of the panel once you are done with this step.
Install the QT1520 in the open slot in the top right.  Attach the flagged wire to the 20A (upper, if the photo I have seen is any indication) slot in the breaker.  Attach the unflagged wire to the 15A (lower, again based on the photo I have seen) slot in the breaker.
Install the QP250 in the two open slots in the top left.
Run the cable for the new kitchen circuit into the panel itself and attach the black and red wires (hots) to the QP250 breaker you just installed.
Attach the neutral from the new cable to the left-side neutral bar on your panel.
Attach the ground from the new cable to the ground bar on your panel (I suspect it's on the far left side, outside of view of the photo of the panel insides you have posted).
Button the panel back up.
Turn the power to your unit back on.


Trouble wiring a Leviton DZ15S (originally a single pole with two black?) I'm trying to replace an old single pole toggle switch with a new Leviton DZ15S.

Here's the issue... The new Leviton requires 3 connections to function. Black, red, and white.

Please see the following diagram for an embarrassingly drawn "exploded" view of the plastic outlet box... (seriously, It's all I could do in paint. I tried...)

The "runs" are effectively Romex or whatever brand. Two incoming legs. The left "run 1" has 4 wires. Red, Black, White, and a bare copper. Oddly though... "run 2" only has 3 wires. I made very sure of this, but it's only black, white, and bare which is all twisted up with the bare from run 1. Nothing touches or connects to this bare ponytail.

The objective!

Replace the old single pole 2 wire fan toggle switch on the right side of the diagram.
The new Leviton smart switch will require a "black", a "red", and a "neutral" connection to work. This is the problem, I'm not sure where to get these from and I don't want to guess... because it seems like a real bad idea to guess with things like this.

Tools I have:
Basically everything for standard electrical work. Pliers, half jaws, stripper, electrical tape, Fluke volt/ohm meter, twist caps for binding wires, etc. I'm sure I have whatever I need - just not sure what to do here...

Link to Leviton DZ15S product page

Please help!
and
Thanks!!

On this switch, black is line. That is the black wire coming in from the cable on the right to the black terminal block. Red is load. That is the other black wire on the old switch, which goes to the fan. Neutral is the white line coming in from the right.

Move the existing wires from the old switch over to the new switch. Add a white jumper (a short piece of wire, maybe 6") from the block terminal holding the other whites to the white terminal on the switch.


How to convert L609 4wire to L6 3wire My electrical feed to location is L6 3wire (grnd+X+Y). My cabinet is L609 4wire (grnd+neut+X+Y).

The cabinet feeds 4 blocks of 110V.

Should the grnd+neutr be plugged into the grnd on the L6? or do I need to pull a fourth (neut) to the box, and use an L609 receptical?

Grnd and Neut in the wiring cabinet are the same, so I'm wondering if it's really necessary to carry a separate neutral, and thus I can use an L6

There is NO neutral in a NEMA L6-?? circuit. That is a straight 240V circuit/receptacle.

I have no idea what an "L609" is. There is no such NEMA number, but you CANNOT simply run a loose or separate neutral for this circuit. It MUST be run with the circuit conductors in the same cable or conduit/raceway. It must also be correctly sized based on the required circuit and overcurrent protection.

Also, what is the cabinet you speak of? Is this what you are feeding or where the feed comes from??


LED lights not turning completely off I own a recently built smart home. Last weekend I added LED under cabinet hard-wired lights using wires installed during the build. I changed out the regular switch with a Lutron dimming switch. The switch is on the same circuit as the overhead kitchen lights. Now my overhead kitchen LEDs will dim to almost nothing when I turn their switch off (not a Lutron switch) and have to turn the Lutron switch on and off to get them to completely turn off.  Any ideas as to why and how to correct the issue?

There are lots on compatibility issues with dimmers and LEDs. LED lights are not as simple as the old incandescent lamps. They have little AC to DC power supplies (called "drivers") built into them because LEDs work on very low voltage DC power. Then there are literally dozens of different designs of "dimmers" and many of the electronic ones have what's called "leakage current" through them even when off. When used on circuits with resistive devices on them, like the old incandescent lamps, the leakage is so low that it is undetectable. But because the LED drivers are designed to be very efficient and the LEDs don't consume much power themselves, this leakage current is often enough to keep the drives and LEDs excited enough to "glow".

The solution is to only use dimmers that say they are SPECIFICALLY designed for use with LED lamps. These will usually have a detectable OFF detent in the slide / rotary knob that is used for dimming. The totally electronic type where there is no slide or knob are the type that usually don't work to totally turn off LEDs. So you either change out the dimmer or learn to live with it.


What are the different types of drywall anchors, and what are the advantages of each? I recently put up wire shelving in my pantry, and spent forever figuring out what type of drywall anchor I should use. I even found several types that I didn't even know existed. It might be good to have a reference page for drywall anchors. So, what type of anchors have you used, and for what projects?

I almost always use the self-drilling stud solver type anchors.  I find that they are tough enough to hang just about anything.

Aside from those, the only other anchors I've found that I like are the toggle-bolt type, which are more useful if you need to hang something from the ceiling.


Where do I attach the rails for the keyboard tray on this desk? First off - this is the final look of the desk:

The problem is that the white rails for the keyboard tray - I don't know where to attach them to the desk. I have three 727x510 milimeter planks that the top plank(the 1100x590 one) should be attached to. However I'm not sure which way should be up or down. Te 350 milimeter rail should be attached like you see on the picture, but I can't find the proper spots. Maybe I have them the wrong way? All three planks have four holes at the top which match the three lines of holes on the top plank, so I assumed that's where they attach to it and that's their top part. Their other part is smooth. Here is what I mean:

Top part:

Bottom part:

On the other hand, i have these "legs" that look like they match the holes in the "top part":

Here are pictures of the three planks front and back.

Front:

Back:

The order of the planks is the same on both the front and back pics. Here is the top plank's bottom side:

Can anyone give me a clue on which direction they should all be facing and where to put the tray rail? It doesn't match any 2 holes and if I screw it to a single hole it'll just rotate around it...that's not right.

Assemble the rest of the desk, it should become self explanatory with what holes are left. This is probably contrary to the instructions, but you will be able to reach inside to attach the drawer slides later.

Picture 1 is the right side face of the middle upright

Picture 2 is the inside face of the left upright.

Picture 3 is the inside face of the right upright.

The feet go on the sides opposite the embedded metal lock nuts.


how to reach eaves and facia board I want to paint exterior of house myself but not comfortable on 20' ext ladder. Anybody have scaffold recommendation or experience with renting it? Can it be taken down and moved rather easy? Does it take up a lot of space to store?

The modern method tends to be a manlift, which are available for rental. I was raised on using staging, but both speed and worker safety (if you stay away from powerlines and otherwise operate according to instructions) are enhanced with a manlift, which is why you see a lot more of them and a lot less staging on most construction projects these days.


Putty around a new kitchen sink drain This may sound too simple, but I know nothing about it. My kitchen sink drain was replaced and a small amount of putty comes off around the diameter. I know that is normal but am I suppose to let that 'cure' with no water contact for a certain amount of time? I'm afraid the water (especially HOT) will cause it to remain soft and will keep it having to be wiped off, eventually removing too much of it! I forgot to ask the man that put the drain in and can't reach him.

The putty is plumbers putty which doesn't need to cure, and in fact shouldn't ever shrink, crack, or harden. It's safe to use your sink immediately and just remove any excess that squeezes out. The only concern is if it continues to squeeze out more after you remove the excess, that may be a sign that the drain wasn't tightened down enough.


What is going on with my downspouts? Most of the downspouts on my house (built in 1951) are routed into the foundation, like this:

My questions about this situation:

Why on earth did someone do this? (I just bought the damn thing and now I have to deal with it.)
How big a deal is it to fix? Unless otherwise advised, I would cut away the lower foot or so of downspout with a hacksaw and mate it with new stuff from Home Depot that drains to the outside of the house. Will that do, or should I replace the whole thing?
I assume I need to stop up the pipe at the bottom of the photo. Do I need to use cement or something, or can I just cap it somehow?

If you want to repair the leaking pipe where it enters the foundation, I'd use hydraulic cement to seal it. As for the downspout into the cast iron pipe, there are transition pieces that should tie them together more cleanly and tightly - or you could fashion something from ABS or PVC sewer pipe/fittings and downspout fittings.  Otherwise, my thought on this one is: "If it ain't broke (or not causing any major problems), don't fix it"!

As DaveM stated, it appears that water from your downspouts is flowing into the sewer system. Although generally not allowed today, it was apparently legal when the house was built, so I'd leave it alone - unless you have flooding problems in your basement or crawlspace. Making any changes to this system would typically require you to follow current codes which could end up being very costly - or at the very least, time-consuming.


What is the name of a coupling nut with a cutout? I'm fixing a lamp and I need a coupling nut to connect the post that contains the electrical wires to a rod that holds the shade. This looks like a normal coupling nut, but with half of the middle cut out to let the electrical wires come through.

What is the name of such a nut?

I have no idea why, but an open coupling for a lamp is called a hickey...  As in 1/4" IPS Brass Hickey:

I've also seen this sold on some sites as an "open cast coupling" or "open cast hickey".