Will marble dust trash my router? I'm getting ready to tile a bathroom, and got an incredible deal on a short lot of marble tile.  Problem is, there isn't any matching bullnose available so I'm going to have to cut the bullnose myself.  I picked up a brazed diamond router bit for the job, but I'm a little concerned about how abrasive the dust is going to be and what it might do to my nice router.  I would prefer to use a router table with a fence, which makes the dust accumulation in the router body much worse.

Is this going to significantly shorten the lifespan of the motor?  I'd thought about picking up much less expensive router specifically for this job, but don't know if it would be worthwhile.  Anyone done this before or have any thoughts?

Keep a small supply of water flowing over the area you are cutting. Yes it will be messy, yes you will need to be mindful where your cord is, but it can be done. When that proved too difficult to keep a cut wet and I had a bit that could be run dry, I set a box fan inches away from the cutting to immediately blow away the dust from me and my machine.

Of course the tile will be much smaller, but the idea is the same, set up a work space, have it close,


Decoding a three lamp outlet tester I've just moved into a new (Australian) house, and I've been checking the outlets with this.

On one of the outlets all three of the lamps go on when the outlet is switched off. When you switch the outlet on, the blue lamp goes off. As you can see from the card, it's not useful for telling me what's going on.

Can anyone tell me what this means, and how concerned I should be? I assume it's been like that for the 20 years that the previous occupants resided here, and they're all still alive.

Sounds like they have both swapped hot and neutral, and they are switching neutral.  This is probably one mistake, made in the switch area.

This device is simple: the green light is between hot and neutral.  The blue light is between hot and earth.  The red light is between neutral and earth.

The device has a useful feature: it deliberately doesn't try to explain the meaning of every color combination. That's because there can be several reasons for any of them. And as such, anything they say is likely to be balderdash and more misleading than helpful.  This drives us crazy with the similar tool in North America; some of us call it the "magic 8-ball" tester because their explanations of the cause are so laughably wrong, and waste a lot of time.

On safety, raises hands yeah, you got us.  The system is overbuilt so it takes more than one simple failure to create a hazardous condition.  All this stuff is redundant.   Fuses, your system will work without em.  Grounds -- well, you need them on that circuit, but not normally.  Yeah, so shortcut away.  What could possibly go wrong?


AVR Input and Output Gauge Hello just wanted to know if my AVR has input voltage gauge or output voltage gauge, see sample picture below

The reason why i'm asking is that my AVR, when turned on, the gauge i'snt all the way up to 220 (my country has 220v as standard). Its somewhere lesser but inside the red line (again see the picture). I just want to make sure since what i knew is that the voltage regulator doesn't regulate properly it could damage my appliance connected to it.

Also, the manual doesn't show any of that ( sad :( ) but yeah any of you guys who are experienced with this stuff, please do share . Thanks

NOTE: BY THE WAY, THE PICTURE IS NOT MINE, GOT IT FROM GOOGLE BUT ITS EXACTLY THE SAME (wattage and all)

Other Chinese manufacturers of that unit, for example Ligao, describe the meter as an output voltage meter.

The same design seems to be manufactured by various companies. Sometimes with different sockets (some Sassin units also have 2-pin sockets)


Remove tiles (and plywood underneath) around toilet without removing toilet Is it possible to remove tiles and plywood from a bathroom floor around the toilet without removing it? If so, how?

The floor is ceramic tiles over plywood over floorboards, in a 1st floor (one floor up from street level) flat/apartment.  I'm trying to do as much as possible myself, before getting professionals in to retile and (presumably) remove and put back the toilet when needed.

Anything is possible, but this falls under the Why On Earth Would You category.

Removing and reinstalling a toilet is a fairly simple job for even a novice DIYer. Don't let that intimidate you into making your project far more difficult than it needs to be.

Without knowing the details, here's a basic outline:

Close the water supply valve at the wall.
Flush the toilet to (mostly) empty it. Wet/dry vac the remaining water out of both the bowl and the tank (if convenient).
Detach the water supply at the underside of the tank. It's likely either a hex nut or a plastic wingnut. Be gentle. This stuff isn't cast iron.
Remove the caps for the base mounting bolts (2 or 4), and then remove the nuts.
Cut any caulk present against the floor with a utility knife.
Wiggle and twist the toilet until it loosens, then carry it out. Optionally detach the tank for easier carrying.

Reinstallation is basically the reverse, but there's the wax ring to deal with. Do a bit of reading here and elsewhere for tips on that.


Cast iron drain pipe replacement I live in a ranch with a concrete slab for a foundation built in 1956. The kitchen drain feeds into the pipe under the concrete where it is rotted or collapsed. This 2 inch pipe runs approx 18 feet to the main drain out in the center of the house.

Since I know I will need to cut the concrete and dig the old out to replace it, I need to know what kind of connectors should I use to connect an 10ft and 8ft piece together. I just don't think the rubber seal with clamps are the correct type for underground use. Any Ideas on what is?

Thanks for any assistance provided

You should use plastic (ABS) for any replacement runs if possible. Yes you can use clamp couplings underground (for iron-to-iron and iron-to-plastic connections) but not just any type. You need heavy duty clamps listed for that service (not cheap "no-hubs" from the ubiquitous orange big box).
We call them "mission bands" but that is a brand name (no endorsement) that has become a common moniker.
Of course, you should check with your local code enforcement authority.


Is this wall load bearing? I want to remove these three small pieces of wall (Marked in yellow arrow) to combine dining and living room?   Since the house has a basement. I also attached the basement pic to show the structure those walls. Are they load bearing? can I remove them?

It can be kind of hard to tell from photos.

Your house plans (blueprints) would tell you for sure, presuming the house was built faithfully to the plans. You really should have a good look at the plans, or get somebody knowledgeable to look at this in person. Or both.

Do you know which direction the joists are running? Floor and ceiling joists will be perpendicular to the load bearing walls (or beams!), not parallel to them. If the joists pass across the top of the wall (or beam) unbroken, then the wall is possibly not load-bearing, depending on your joists, the length of the span after you remove the wall, and the load on the floor above.

If the ends of the joists are resting on the wall or beam, then it is definitely load-bearing.

if there isn't another floor above this one, and you have engineered, prefabricated trusses holding up your roof, this won't be load-bearing. The trusses are engineered to handle the load of the roof by themselves. If they aren't engineered trusses, that doesn't apply.

Is the long common wall of the living room/dining room/kitchen directly on top of (parallel with) the long wall downstairs, and is the opening between the dining and living rooms perpendicular to that long wall downstairs? It looks like the photos might be from different directions? If so, then the common wall with the kitchen is probably the load-bearing wall, and the opening between the living and dining rooms may or may not be, depending on how the joists are laid out.

But you really should look at the plans or get somebody knowledgeable to take a look in person.


How can I determine what is in my water? My question is, how can I determine exactly what these "floaties" are that I see in my drinking water?  I know that I sound crazy and more than a little obsessive-compulsive....my wife tells me this all the time.

For a while, we had a Brita water pitcher that had a replaceable filter in it, and it works great except that bits of the charcoal would always fall into the reservoir (even after following instructions on how to clean it out after replacing it with a brand new filter, etc).  We never had "floaties", other than the little grains of charcoal, which still drove me crazy (to the point that I would dump the water or use it for something else, clean out the reservoir, and fill it up again...).

Whenever I get water from the tap in a glass, I raise it up to the light to see what's in it.  Normally there are a bunch of air bubbles, which is fine.  But after letting the cup sit on the counter (covered with saran wrap to stop dust from falling in, etc), I've checked it again and have seen little "floaties".

We rent our home, and the refrigerator has a filtered water system (where you can replace a cylindrical water filter located inside the refrigerator).  The water tap for this is on the inner part of the refrigerator door (as opposed to on the outside...first time I've ever seen this).  Checking the water in the same manner as I do with the tap, holding it up to the light and inspecting it, results in little "floaties" in there also.

I live in Southern Arizona, USA, so we have a lot of sediment buildup in our water.  Using vinegar or "Lime Away" type products to remove buildup around faucets is a normal thing done every couple of months.

However, the filter that is in the refrigerator, even when replaced, still has "floaties" in the water, which leads me to believe that it may either be sediment, or something living in between the dispenser head and the filter itself.

I like to think of myself as a "manly man" - I like to get dirty, romp around, and have a good time.  But for some reason (a mental one, I'm sure), I cannot drink water that has "floaties" in it.  And if I can't/don't check for "floaties", I feel like there's something in the back of my throat that makes me want to sick up.

So anyway...any DIY way to find out what these floaties are?  I'm sure that it'll be cheaper than a shrink or a separate filtration solution...

I would venture a guess that @Tester101's suspicion about your floaties coming from your glass (unrinsed soap, dust, etc.) may be heading down the right path. I would try rinsing a glass, scrubbing it with a new sponge or clean washcloth, wiping it dry with a clean towel (not paper towel, as this may leave pieces of paper behind), and then refilling it.  @NiallC's comment about asking for a water report from your municipal water supply is a pretty good alternative, but doesn't factor in anything that may come from the pipes between them and you. Most health departments will do water testing, so you could always fill a bottle and take it in.

Beyond that, if you really have to know what's in the water, your only real solution to absolutely know with 100% certainty (technically, unless you watch the health department do the tests, and can verify their results, you can't KNOW that they're right...but I'd probably just accept it) is to get testing kits for this, that, and the other thing (that was just the first page offering a wide range of kits that I found), that operate similar to what you might use for pool water. Depending on the sensitivity levels, you may pick up on things like trace amounts of chlorine...but of course this is going to get back into the more expensive end of things, as those kits aren't cheap (Grainger's seem to run around $40-$50 and up...it's about $20 for their cheapest, which is testing for copper, on that first page of results).

You could pick up a pool test kit, which will cover a couple of parameters (chlorine, calcium, hardness, etc.), but it's not going to cover everything and may not operate in the range you need to identify your floaties...it's designed primarily to help you maintain clear-looking pool water that you're not drinking, not crystal clear tap water.

So really:

Ask for report from municipal water supply
Take in sample to health department
If you're still paranoid and want to know what it is, buy test kits
If you just want to get rid of the floaties, filter, filter, filter, and make sure your dishes aren't the source


How should I prepare doors and windows for painting? I'm mostly interested in what is the best way to protect the wood from bad weather, but any other advice on how to improve overall quality of work would be appreciated.

Strip off all the old paint and sand the wood very well. Then use a good primer that seals the wood that water cannot enter it. Finally paint the wood in a colour of choice.


What amount of moisture is acceptable in a mostly dry concrete basement? My basement is generally very dry but I want to know how much moisture is too much, to better prioritize when I need to reduce it.

The basement is mostly concrete floors and walls with exposed wood joists and sheathing. It is in three small parts, with one of them well ventilated to the outdoors (for better and worse - needs better insulation); one with a painted concrete floor, drywall, a drop ceiling and a couple of windows; and one utility room with an exposed drain pipe in the floor and one window venting appliances.

Most of the time each space varies between 15 and 35% relative humidity* this time of year. The house overall is extremely dry this time of year, with all areas under 50% humidity that I've measured. Surprisingly even in cold temperatures (the room at 55dF) clothes dry relatively fast (1-3 days) because the air is so dry. During times of heavy snowmelt, a small area of the basement (less than 1 square meter total) does get dampness seeping in from the ground near the edge of the house.

At what point do I need to act to reduce moisture in the basement? Obviously if it's flooded, items inundated with water can be damaged and all the moisture can lead to other indoor environmental problems (like mold). But are small spills of water - e.g. from seasonal seepage, or from a pinhole leak in a pipe - alright on concrete? Roughly how much water can be there and for how long before it must be dried up to avoid further repair needs / permanent damage?

Some people tell me hanging clothes to dry in a basement is too much moisture, and the previous owner actually ran a dehumidifier in the utility room in the past. To me, <40% humidity* seems like there's no need for a dehumidifier, and even if clothes are sopping wet out of a wash for some reason (not usual), the shallow splashes/puddles they leave temporarily don't seem like they'd cause any problems in the long run. Neither does routine hanging clothes to dry ~1/week.

*Note, my humidity measurements might be wrong because I'm using a cheap electronic device. I did check my humidity gauge against a humidifier's and they matched so that's reassuring, but I wouldn't be surprised if mine isn't very accurate.

I have worked on homes that had a drain trench around the entire basement that drained into a sump and was pumped out, the walls were always wet and a dehumidifier was needed in the winter. With the levels you have listed I would not worry at all. If the 1 location that gets wet gets worse or larger some exterior work may be needed to get the water away from the wall. The dampness will not affect the concrete, think about all the bridge pilings that are in & under water. If you don't have a mold or mildew problem I don't see anything wrong with hanging clothes to dry. We have a large kettle on our wood stove to add moisture to the home probably not much different to the amount the clothes provide plus it saves energy.


Is there a way to improve the appearance of a covered front porch roof that uses corrugated plastic roof panels? We are planning to retrofit a 5'x7' corner porch cover to fit under the eaves/gutter. We will be using corrugated plastic roof panels because they are light weight and we can made a 1/4"/12" pitch.  We need ideas on how to make this look architecturally attractive so the plastic panels don't show, making it look like a cheap mobile home.  What is a facade concept we could use to make it look like it 'ties' into the house a little better?

One of my business partners is a roofing and gutter company in Eastern NC.  It varies, but code requires a membrane roof on a .25/12 pitch and I have seen a number of houses around here with a small covered entry like what you describe with a EPDM (black rubber membrane) roof.  Typically it will be trimmed with a metal edge band and doesn't look bad at all.

My concern, at least around here, would be when we get a good rain with wind involved.  The water may not drain off fast enough and if the wind pushes it against the house, you have potential for water to find it's way in.  Therefore, I would recommend flashing the membrane up behind the siding or fascia depending on how you frame the roof.

EPDM (rubber membrane) roofs this small are within the realm of possibilities for a do it yourselfer.  Be sure to do your homework on how to install these and take your time to get any and all wrinkles out of it.


What is the cause of a shower diverter valve becoming stuck? When I tried to shower today, when I pulled the shower diverter, it didn't divert most of the water to the shower (most of the water kept coming out of the faucet). I tried to push the diverter back down with the water running, and it became stuck. Now I can't pull or push it.

Was it because I tried to push it back that it got stuck?

I got it replaced with a new one and it works perfectly. Even after detaching it, the diverter didn't move.


When should I open a skylight vent? I have a one-floor (plus basement) house with a large skylight in the living room.  It has an openable vent.  When is it proper to open the vent?

Should I open it in midsummer with the AC on, on the theory that the high hot air will leave?  What about spring/fall when no AC or heat is on, but it's hot-ish (or cold-ish) out?

Use it only when the temps are moderate to exit warmer air from room when the outside temps are lower than inside and can come in through windows etc., like in the evening.  Once the outside temps are higher than what you want in your house and you have AC on, keep them closed.


Is it safe to put a gas furnace in the same room as an electric clothes dryer? Possible Duplicate:
  Can an electric dryer be next to the gas furnace?

We are currently remodeling our house. Is it safe to put a gas furnace in the same room with an electric clothes dryer? The room has a vent and the dryer vent is to outside.

Simple answer, yes, definitely. Absolutely no reason not to.


Installing bathroom exhaust fan: what to do with vapour barrier and insulation? I'm adding a bathroom exhaust fan, which is being mounted in the ceiling of the bathroom (in the attic) and venting out through a vent in the wall.

right now, there is a vapour barrier (paper) between the insulation in the attic and the drywall. I will have to break this of course to mount the fan housing, but my question is, what do I do after? Should I put a vapour barrier around the exhaust fan and seal it to the paper?

I was also going to put insulation back over top of the exhaust fan - is that correct to do, or anything to watch out for? The vent pipe I have is a 4" insulated duct that will go to an outside vent (which I just installed this weekend).

Check the directions/specifications of your exhaust fan, it should say if it is rated to have insulation next to or on top of it.

It would probably be a good idea to seal the vapour barrier back around the fan.


Add Heater to Circuit - 14 AWG to 10 AWG on 30A breaker? My new home has ductless wall heaters (Cadet specifically). I want to add a new wall and install another heater in it. In checking my panel, I see that the seven original heaters are on four dedicated circuits; each being 240V, 30A. I want to tie the new heater on the line that only has one heater on it currently. However, in purchasing a heater and checking all of the current ones, it seems that the wiring that comes with the heaters is 18 AWG (for the fan) tied to 14 AWG (for the heating element), with 14 AWG exposed to connect to the main circuit. Additionally, every heater has a separate thermostat with 12 AWG wires. I cannot tell in the heater box what gauge the main wiring is, but it is definitely larger in diameter than the 14 AWG. As far as I understand, 30A breakers require 10 AWG wiring, so now I am confused as to how my house ever passed inspection and how I will pass for this remodel.

Am I missing something in the code that allows for appliances to have wiring connected to the 10 AWG of the circuit that is only 12 or 14 AWG? Is this safe?

Code doesn't apply to the wiring within appliances

The NEC does not deal with wiring within appliances -- UL (or CSA, or Intertek, or MET, or TUV) is the one responsible for ensuring that's safe, and they work off a different set of wiring specs (Appliance Wiring Material or AWM for short) than the wiring used for building wire.  This is codified in NEC 300.1(B):

  (B) Integral Parts of Equipment. The provisions of this
  article are not intended to apply to the conductors that form
  an integral part of equipment, such as motors, controllers,
  motor control centers, or factory assembled control equipment or listed utilization equipment.


What type of cutting disc should I use for cutting steel rods? I am building a 3D printer and I have bought steel rods which I'm going to have to cut to size. I have already got a rotary tool at home which works. I have only ever used it to cut wood however, so all the blades I have are specific to wood.
Anyone have any tips on what type of cutting disc is suitable for cutting the steel rods? For reference, the max diameter of these rods is 1.2cm (approx 1/2").

Depends on you, as much as anything.
First off, don't forget eye protection and to work in a location where the sparks flung won't set your house on fire (sometimes hours later, if they get off into a nice cozy bed of lint or shavings in a corner.)
All cutoff discs are consumable, in the sense that they either break or wear down too small to be of use, so buy them in multi-packs.
Very thin discs are easier to break, but cut faster since they remove less metal. If you have a steady hand so you don't break them so much, they work well.
Thicker "reinforced" discs cut slower, since they remove more metal, but are somewhat harder (though not impossible) to break.


Are WAGO lever splice connectors approved for use with solid aluminum #12 or #10 with WAGO joint compound Are WAGO lever connectors approved for use in the US with #12 and #10 solid aluminum wire with the WAGO joint compound. The use would be for copper pigtailing of aluminum wiring.

I finally found it in the WAGO online catalog WAGO 222-413 lever connector is listed for copper. There is no reference to aluminum. WAGO sells a joint compound in a syringe for injecting into these connectors and this made me hope that they were listed for solid aluminum, but it seems not so. I think it would work, but if it's not listed then one cannot use it for pigtailing aluminum wiring.

WAGO 222-413


Using rope & net for deck railing I'm looking to make a deck railing similar to this idea. 1-1/2" unmanila (synthetic manila) rope, with netting. In case, there will be rope at the top and bottom of the net, but that's beside the point.

I'm unsure how to attach the rope at the final post. It could pass through the hole, with a knot to prevent it from slipping back. But with 1-1/2" rope, that would be a gigantic knot.

Ideally, the securing mechanism would be hidden inside the post. I'm thinking of somehow winding the rope and sinking two long screws through the post, biting right through the middle of the rope.

Any other suggestions?

Fasten a large screw eye to the post:

Then feed the rope through to make a loop and fasten it to itself with a rope clamp:


What is the recommended post cap or strapping for corner post under beam and rim joists? I'm trying to find the appropriate strapping to secure a beam to a post, while providing a means to attach a double rim-joist. Consider the drawings below:

In both of these drawings if I use a post cap to attach the beam to the post, the metal of the cap interferes with the joist hangers I would use on the rim joists. In the left-hand drawing I can attach half of the rim joist directly to the front of the beam while sitting it on the post, since the beam only needs 3.5" of support. But how would I attach the second half of the rim joist so that it is 'hanging' from the beam?

What is the correct method for securing the beam to the post, while allowing for the rim joist to be secured to the beam?

I need to hang the joists off the beam - I cannot set them on top. I am hoping to not have to set-back the beam; I want it centred under the corner as shown.

If you are butting a rim joist into the beam, you can frame like the first photo with the beam held back 1-1/2" and the first rim joist extending to the end of the post.

Then, in the corner of the second (inner) rim joist and the beam, attach some Simpson A35's.  1 should do, but if you have enough height you could install 2.  Each A35 can transfer nearly 600lb of gravity load into the beam.  If this truly is a rim joist, then 1,200lb of (2) A35's + the shear on the first rim should be more than enough.

Then use (6+) 3-1/2" quality construction screws (vs cheap deck screws) end screwed through the outer rim into the end of the beam to tie the rim and the beam together.

I would not recommend a Simpson ECC style column cap; these are only needed in extreme (for DIYers) load cases.


Will rubber pavers hold up against Wisconsin winters? I'm planning on redoing all of my walkways as well as a small patio in the back yard.  I'm trying to decide between concrete with exposed aggregate or rubber pavers.  The whole market for rubber pavers seems a bit nebulous to me.  I haven't been able to find much advice for which brands hold up the best or reports from anybody about wear & tear after much time after the installation.  I would like to know what to expect for durability from a non-biased and experienced installer or owner.  I'm especially interested in hearing about how they endure winter conditions, including the possibility of saturation with ice as well as being shoveled and salted.

Update:
The reason I'm interested in rubber is to minimize injuries from children wiping out because this walkway will be curving across the middle of a somewhat smaller (urban) back yard to reach the house back door to the garage back door.

Why install rubber?  Unless you have a really modern house or a funky design they will look ugly.  Also I had these for a walk up to my apartment door a while back.  Cuts and scratches in them really stick out.  Landlord was upset after I shoveled them one winter and there were a lot of blade marks on them...


Replace fan speed controller with Dimmer switch I replaced a fan with a light fixture and the fan used a fan speed controller.  It has two red wires going to two black wires. How would I replace the speed controller with a single pole dimmer?

The color (as long as it isn't white, green, or bare) doesn't matter; they're just pig-tails on switch legs. You're good to go here with a direct swap out and arbitrarily connecting the wires to the new device (assuming it doesn't have a neutral contact. If it does it probably matters which contact has incoming power. Read the directions ;).

Make sure those nuts are still snug after you're done.


Problem with outdoor gfi to switch to outdoor pond pump I usually understand how to do this but I am truly stumped.
There was a single GFI protected already in place and I wanted to run a switched 2 gang outlet from the box on my deck.
After turning power off,
I installed an outdoor GFCI receptacle to an outdoor switch in a duplex receptacle as follows....

I connected the black and white wires from the house to the line side of the GFI, and corrected connected all of the ground wires together and to the box.

I then took a black, hot, wire from the load side of the GFI and put one leg of the switch on it.

I ran the white from the load side and the black from the other terminal of the switch to the outdoor wire that is buried and ends up about 40 feet away.  I stalled a outdoor box with a waterproof receptacle to it and plugged in the pond pump.

I repowered the circuit check the circuit with a tester and got an O K reading. Turned the switch to on andthe pump ran for a while but then the circuit popped.  Now it pops as soon as I switch on.
Should I have run the switch from the line side??

Can you please help?

Check for a neutral-to-ground short somewhere downstream

The behavior you're describing (a GFCI resetting fine, but tripping instantly when any load is applied) is symptomatic of a neutral-to-ground fault in the wiring on the LOAD terminals. I'd unhook and nut off the wires currently attached to LOAD, and then see if the GFCI resets and powers a load at this point.

If it does, then you'll probably need to replace your buried cable run; note that it's no good to use UF for a pond pump branch circuit, as its ground wire is bare, which violates NEC 682.31(A):

  (A) Type. Equipment grounding conductors shall be insulated copper conductors sized in accordance with 250.122 but
  not smaller than 12 AWG.

As a result, I'd redo this run using PVC conduit with individual THHN/THWN insulated wires (black, white, green) inside it; this fixes the Code issue with your existing install, in any case, for that matter.


Bath and Closet electric wiring what type of wire and how many circuits? We would like assistance in the electrical design of our bath and closet remodel, all walls exposed and access to ceiling. We have had a subpanel (100A) installed (14 empty spots) and empty conduit from the box to the attic - we are ready to pull wires…
1-220v dedicated hard wired line to a body dryer- wire suggestions to use?

1-110V dedicated 20A to tub bubbler (not whirlpool) wire suggestions to use?

The rest I’m wondering if I should keep the lights on a 15A circiut and use 14/2, then multiple 20A circuits for the outlets on 12/2?

OR should I mix it up with 12/2 for all wiring (20A) and have lights and receptacles on the same circuit (multiple circuits)? I know I want the 2 Hair Dryer outlets on separate circuits so I thought the right half lights and outlets on 1 circuit and the left half on another.
And GFI at the beginning of each line.

Does this require 14/3 anywhere? Any design suggestions are welcome, I am a DIYer.

Heaters and other hardwired appliances over 10 amps

Those take the breaker and wire that the labeling and instructions specify.

If the instructions are silent, then you look up the VA of the device, failing that the Amps, failing that the Watts.   VA or Watts need to be divided by the voltage, yielding amps.  Amps should be a number roughly between 8 and 32.   Now you multiply  that by 1.25, giving a number between 10 and 40.  Round up to the next largest breaker size.

15A breaker = 14AWG wire.   20A=12AWG.   30A breaker=10 AWG.  40A=#8.

With large, hardwired heating appliances, after applying the 1.25 factor, you will often find the appliance just fits under a threshold.  That's no accident!

If all the hardwired appliances on a circuit, after the 1.25 multilier, exceed 10 amps, you cannot have any receptacles on the circuit.

Lighting

It is best to have bathroom lighting on a separate circuit from bathroom receptacles.  Bathroom lighting and hardwired loads are allowed to be on circuits with other things that are not in bathrooms.

Receptacles

Bathroom receptacles must be on 20A circuits that serve only bathrooms.  You have two options on how to arrange them.

option 1: the circuit can supply receptacles and other fixed loads in this bathroom only.  But the fixed loads can't account for more than 50% of the total circuit load.
option 2: the circuit can supply receptacles in any number of bathrooms only, but nothing else - no fixed loads.

Most plug-in bathroom appliances are heating appliances.  Most plug-in heating appliances take 1500W or 12.5A.  You may notice you can't fit two of these on a circuit.  As such, the dream bathroom has at least two if not three 20A receptacle circuits.

Conduit

First, no more than four circuits per conduit.  However a multi-wire branch circuit (MWBC) counts as 1 circuit yet gives two usable 120V circuits.

The best wire to use inside conduit is THWN-2. This is individual wires, not multiwire sheathed cable like Romex aka /2 /3 etc.  All the circuits in 1 conduit can share 1 ground.  Fixed metal conduit is allowed to be the ground wire.

For instance, I might fit a bathroom in conduit as follows, minding the 4-circuit limit:

xxA 240V circuit for heater, xx defined by heater.
20A Multi-wire branch circuit:

receptacles 1
receptacles 2.

20A Multi-wire branch circuit:

receptacles 3
tub bubbler or other heater etc., or receptacles 4

20A simple 120V circuit, lighting only. Or feed lighting from lighting circuits in adjacent rooms.

I avoid MWBCs and replace them with simple circuits unless they're absolutely needed to slide under the 4-circuit limit in conduit or bundled cables.  MWBC is a pain.

MWBCs must be on a 2-pole 240V breaker or handle-tied breakers, never never a duplex/twin. Shutting off one must cause the other to be shut off using a method approved by the manufacturer (no nails).  There must be 240V across the two hots.


How can I move sink supply lines from the floor to the wall? So before I make any cuts into my subfloor and wall I wanted to ask anyone with experience in this area on what my best course of action would be.

Basically, I would like to have the pipes you see coming out of the floor actually come out if the wall so when I get my new vanity I won't have to deal with hiding them/ having the vanity moved out about 6 inches. This is a second story bathroom so no access from below.

Main Questions

Should I cut the floor and wall to get a better idea of what is in there? or
Should I just contact a contractor/plumber to do this cause it's going to get to that point eventually?

Here's my setup:

If you have access to the space below this floor the best course of action would be to re-route these water pipes so that the riser portion comes right up under the center of the thickness of the wall that you show here. Then you would just be opening the drywall here to put elbows on the pipes to bring them out of the wall.

Opening the wall first from this upper side would be a good thing anyway because it looks like replacement of the wall board that was behing the old cabinet could be a good thing depending what it is that is causing the dark brown and black spots.


Tobacco smoke smell from utility closet I'm in a condo with neighbors on both sides. utility closet is in the basement.

It smells like old stale cigarette smoke in my utility closet, like somebody has been smoking cigarettes in there for years almost.

I'm not a smoker, and I noticed a faint smell of cigarettes in the past but thought it came from neighbors outside. I've been working from home during the pandemic and realized the smell is definitely coming from the utility closet after following my nose (sniffing all around the house lol) to the source.
I don't smell it anywhere else in the house or from any of the ducts. It's just inside of the utility closet really. There's a hot water heater, the air handling fan/heater/evaporator unit, and circuit box in the utility closet.

Also, when I first moved in 2 years ago I never noticed the smell in the utility closet.

I'm not 100% sure, but it almost seems like the smell comes when the heat turns on. Is this possible?

Could the smell come from one of those? or could it be from the neighbors through a hole in the wall somewhere? If it's from a neighbor, how can I find and plug the holes?

If smell comes when heat turns on, could it be the dust filter?  Have you ever replaced the dust filter associated with the fan?

If you have, does the dust filter smell like cigarettes also?

If you have not can you please post an image of dust filter when you take it out?  Just for prurient interest.


How to enter surface-mount main panel from back w/ a 1/0 Al SER cable? I need to bring a 1/0-1/0-1/0-2 AL SE cable from a 2x4 wall into the back of the main service panel (it is a new subpanel feeder).
The main service panel is surface-mounted on the outsde, on the siding. The wall is 2x4, wood T111 siding, drywall inside (garage) and can be exposed/accessed easly from inside.
It seems the 3.5" of space in the wall is rather tight for the 1/0 AL NM cable to bend.

is it possible (to code) for the cable thickness to fulfill minimum band radius (MBR)?

what fittings to use? (do they need to be liquid tight as the connection to the panel is kinda on the outside (well...panel-on-siding wall but there is no waterproofing there)?

any ideas and advices to solve this problem?

I was thinking about using a conduit right angle fitting to ease the bend (strip the outside sheathing from the SER to ease MBR, after it enters the fitting) but not sure if code/inspector/sanity allows it and how to secure the cable to the fitting?
The new cable is labeled: ALUMAFLEX AA8178 TYPE SE STYLE SER TYPE XHHW-2 CDRS 600V
BTW, There is already an existing, in-service sub panel feeder which enters from the rear via a regular NM clamp connector. The old cable is "thinner" so the bend was easier (though still 100A breaker). This must have been inspected as it was installed when new 200A service was installed so a non liquid-tight was ok?

On a seemingly unrelated topic, I like to see houses have LOTS of spare breaker panel spaces.  Spaces are cheap, and in the future stuff always comes up, and nobody has ever said "Oh no, I have plenty of breaker spaces available, whatever will I do?"
Hold that thought.
Now, given the thickness of the cable, I do not see way to make that bend.  What I advise doing is installing a LARGE junction box on the inside of the garage wall. Now your SE-R cable can enter that box vertically, transition into individual wires, and go through a conduit nipple from this inside box to the outside box. At that point we're only concerned with radius of individual wires, and that's no problem.
Now let's price that.  Splices of large wires require very long, tall boxes.  We also need splice connectors for 1/0 wire (four of them)... Hold on a minute.  What's a LARGE box that comes with big lug connectors, that's cheap?
Why a subpanel, of course!
So if extra breaker spaces wouldn't be useless, the best answer may be to fit a large subpanel on the interior of the garage.   "Large" because you want full width, and enough height to handle the large wire bends. A 14" wide psubpane gives you
And that's exactly what I'd do. Select a 200A-bussed, main-lug but convertible subpanel of 20+ actual spaces (not circuits).
I'd arrange the new panel back-to-back with the existing panel, using a "nipple" to connect them that is as large as the knockouts allow.
Downhill from there.
If the SE-R cable's internal conductors have their own markings (as XHHW conductors) then you can enter the new subpanel with a grommet/cable clamp, then pass right through the new sub and into the original panel - at that point you're just using the sub as a giant junction box.


Make a wooden swing with material constraints I'm going to make a swing as a project with my kids. I'm constrained by the timber available and wondering if doing the whole thing with 4 by 4's will be ok rather than a thicker top bar. Or if I could double up on the top bar?

Ten foot high and close to that wide is my plan so far, all legs concreted into the ground 50cm, but I want 2 swings on it, rather than just one.

Will an a-frame bolted together with 4 by 4's be safe? Would I need to double up the top bar?

Yes, two 4x4’s would work fine to support two swings, provided 1) lumber is “Select Structural” grade and 2) fastened so they don’t rotate.

1) Make sure there are no large knot holes so that it is of the highest grade of lumber.

2) The “beam” is strongest when the 4x4’s are stacked on top of each other.

To test my calculations, I’d try testing them out on some short blocks with a couple of children standing/sitting on them.


What kind of joints are best used for a loft bed? I'm specifically referring to the design seen here.

It's quite hard to view how the corners are joined together. I found a couple of other designs that are similar, it kind of looks like a butt joint and then some lag bolts to hold the horizontal boards but I cant be sure, any ideas?

The joints in the design you referenced are actually plain lap joints held together by lag bolts or lag screws. If you wanted to get a bit fancier, you could always use half-lap joints or one of the other variations shown below. These will require a bit more work, but all but the dovetail lap shown below can still be done with just a circular saw and a chisel. The advantage of a half-lap joint is that the lags are no longer holding the weight of the assembly in shear. The wood of the column under the joint is supporting it in compression, while the bolts only hold it together.

(Image Source)

Either way, lap or half-lap joints are a plenty strong design, although the former lacks a little bit in aesthetics. If you're okay with the look, that will probably be the easiest method of construction, especially if you plan on disassembling it at some point (which you'll have to do if you ever plan on moving it out of the room!).

A butt joint would be if the two boards formed a T. These are used for the legs/vertical columns in the design you reference. For these, I'd use wood glue and wood screws to hold them together.

Wood glue will help strengthen all permanent joints. So I'd recommend gluing all subassemblies that won't need to be disassembled for transport. This will also help reduce confusion when reassembling later.

(Image Source)


how to "float" a large desk (3000mm x 720mm x 40mm) between walls I am setting up a home office at the moment in a 3m wide room and like the idea of having a desk "float" from one side of the room to the other. I am basing on this guide.

For my desk I'm going to buy a 3000mm x 720mm x 40mm beech kitchen worktop (so all one piece). I'll be using 2x4 to make a solid frame attached to the studs like this. But I really don't like the L-brackets.

I am hoping there is some way to support such a long, heavy piece of wood without using brackets. I was thinking of mounting a couple of metal support beams to the sides and running them all the way along, but I can't seem to find a sturdy thin bit of metal that would work. I've also seen the brackets that can be mounted along the studs inside the wall so the support would be the only thing visible, but I'd rather not cut holes in my wall for a weekend project!

Thanks!

A solid wood plank 40mm (1-9/16") thick probably isn't stiff enough to span that distance (just under 10' for the Yanks) without substantial bounce. It'll be strong enough, but you would get seasick working on it and it would sag over time and with heavy loads.

Now, if you made it thicker, say 55-60mm, and you beveled the front edge to give the illusion of a thinner surface, you'd have something workable. You could support it solely on the rim cleats you describe and have a fairly stiff top.

The alternative is to go with your 40mm thick dimension and bolt several steel angles to the underside, back just far enough that they aren't conspicuous. I'd suggest a 50mm angle. Start with two and add more if needed. Steel is fairly flexible itself, so quantity is in question. These would not need to rest on the wall cleats to serve their purpose if they're securely fastened to the top. They could end just short for convenience.


Can you replace a shower handle without replacing the valve? My wife and I have been slowly remodeling our out with the linoleum and laminate, in with tile and granite. Part of that has been slowly replacing the fixtures with those of a different finish -- including the shower head and handle. I've found set on amazon that I believe would look nice, but it comes with it's own valve body. I'm not keen on ripping out the wall to replace a functioning existing valve body; can I just use the handle and facia off of the new handle, while keeping the body from the old handle?

It depends on what valve you have. What you're looking for is called a shower trim kit. When homes are built and the plumbing is done the shower valve is installed. Later the customer/homeowner picks out a trim kit which is the plate, handle and shower head. Depending on what valve you have there may be a good selection of trim kits or none at all. There is a bit of savings with the trim kit because you're not paying for a valve.


Low Ice Maker Water Line Pressure I've been puzzling over the problem for a couple of hours now, where my fridge   has very low water pressure at the outlet of the ice maker supply line.

The line is 1/4 in copper and uses a 1/4 outlet on the sink cold supply as its source, with an in-line 1/4 needle valve (no saddle valve).  The line presumably runs through the attic.

Water pressure at the sink is fine.
Water pressure on both sides of the needle valve is fine (I replaced it anyway because the seals started leaking when I fooled around with it).
Water pressure at the back of the fridge is almost nothing.

What has me puzzled is that if I disconnect both ends of the copper line, water seems to flow out of the line without much restriction.  I'd expect it to dribble out, but it seems to flow normally.

After hooking the line back up... no pressure.

What am I missing?

Update:  I replaced the fridge with a new unit (due to a presumably unrelated compressor failure) and the problem persists.  Looks like I need to run a new line.

When you talk of bad flow at the refrigerator ice maker I am assuming you are looking after the fill valve of the fridge .. because an open ended copper pipe should flow plenty of water - if the pipe has no restriction (clog or kinked).

If that is fine and you are checking at the fridge valve:

Fridge Valve is defective partially sticking.
Fridge Filter Cartridge is bad or defective.


How to switch an HDMI cable through and existing wall (hole)? This is my challenge: I have a 60" 4K UHD TV, Home Theatre System, 4k Blu-ray player, and cable box. The guy who installed them ran all cables through the wall. I need to switch one of the HDMI cables because it is not 4K compatible. Unfortunately,  it goes from the surround system (output) through a hole in the wall, to another hole to the TV (input). I tried to tape them together. But as I pull the cable, it does not move easily, as if it were fastened down.

you can try to tape the new HDMI cable to the old one and fish it through the wall. Hopefully you wire isn't stapled to anything.


How many wires is too many for an outlet? I keep finding outlets in my house that are wired in ways I've never seen.

Today's find is an outlet in a bedroom with 4 hots and 4 neutrals. All connected to one outlet using the push-in connectors. It's not a switched outlet, so all one circuit.

Is this bad? Acceptable?

If acceptable, how should I put in the new outlet but not have to rely on push-ins? Can I twist two of each together then attach those pairs to each post? Should I pigtail?

My hunch is that this particular outlet is being used to branch circuits into the bathroom next door.

The receptacle manufacturer should document how many wires can be put where. In general, if there are screws, you can use at most one wire per screw. For quickwire/backwire holes, you can only use one wire per hole, and further, that one wire can only be 14 gauge. Previously, 12 and 14 gauge were allowed for quickwiring, but not any more. The only kind of receptacle where you can directly attach a whole bunch of wires are those where the screws tighten down a bar onto another bar. Then, you stick stripped wires between the two bars and tighten the top one down to clamp them between the two bars; you can run quite a few through there.

Another limiting factor is box sizes. Boxes have a fixed wiring volume, and there are rules for working out the minimum volume box needed to accommodate a given number of wires, devices, and clamps. Assuming you're working with 14 AWG grounded cable, I'd expect the box to accommodate 4 hot + 4 neutral + 1 device + ground wires, so 10 wire volumes, and 14 AWG is 2 cubic inches per wire, so you'd need a 20 cubic inch box. That's a bit on the large size for a box holding a single receptacle, but there are boxes and box configurations (box + mud ring) that would accommodate that many wires, so it's not unreasonable.

As for wiring everything together, you should pigtail everything and then hook up the pigtails to the receptacle. The pigtail presents a single wire for slipping under the screw terminal. Remember to wind the J-hook you'll slip around the screw in the direction that you'll turn the screw to tighten it, so down on the left side and up on the right side.


Cutting already installed tile? I am planning on installing floating laminate flooring in my hallway among other places in my house. I wanted to take out the tile on the outside of this small bathroom and I wanted to wait to replace the tile flooring in my bathroom until I could replace the toilet, vanity and molding inside the bathroom at the same time. I am not sure how thick this tile is but it seems to be fairly sturdy. I was wondering, is it possible for me to make a cut in this tile at the door jamb where the laminate transition will go and cleanly take out all the tile outside of the bathroom while leaving all the tile inside the bathroom without chipping it? Thank you in advance.

You're going to need two tools to do this and two specialty blades. A diamond cut-off disc to make the majority of the cut attached to a grinder. And you'll need a diamond (if available) or carbide-tipped oscillator bit and the corresponding oscillating tool ( sometimes called a multi-tool). For the majority of the cut you will use that diamond cut off disc with a wet sponge, a very wet sponge touching the blade obviously being very careful. Due to the diameter of the diamond disc you can't get right into the corners that's where the oscillating tool comes in handy. The oscillator will allow you to complete the cut right to the edge and then you can remove the tiles as required.

If you don't own these tools they should be available for rent but as a do-it-yourselfer both an oscillator and a grinder are essential.


Repairing a notched floor joist Situation

I was running some new gas pipe and I notched one floor joist and drilled a hole in another. I have now learned that this is not appropriate. This was in the forbidden zone of the middle 1/3rd of the joist.

The joist is 7 inches tall and the notch is 1.5 inches tall. I think the wood is redwood. The span is roughly 100 inches. This is an old house, built in the '40s.

Here's a photo from the day I made the notch:

Here's a quick sketch of the situation:

I went back a few days later and took a close-up picture. There are some horizontal cracks. If you look very closely in the original photo, these cracks were pre-existing to some degree.

Here's a close-up of the cracks

This joist is close to the foundation (as you can see), and the notch is under a bedroom closet. I'm not sure if the closet wall is load-bearing.

Questions

I've heard that I can glue/screw a 2x4 to the bottom of this joist
to make it an upside down T shape. Will this restore enough tensile
strength?
Otherwise, does this need to be fully-sistered (with the
pipe relocated)?
How urgent is this repair?

Note that I've seen other questions about joist notching on this site. I believe my situation is sufficiently different to merit its own answer.

Good on you for leveling up your knowledge and learning where not to drill or saw on joists. On that same note, here's an excellent summary from BuildingAdvisor titled Guide to Notching and Boring Joists:

Don’t make any holes with a diameter greater than 1/3 the depth of a joist.
No holes closer than 2 inches to the top or bottom edge.
No holes closer than 2 inches to any other hole or notch.
No notches in the middle  1/3 of the joist, but holes are permitted here.
No notches deeper than 1/6 the joist depth.
No end notches (where the joist is supported) greater than 1/4 the joist depth.
The length of a notch should not exceed 1/3 the joist depth.
Do not make square or rectangular cutouts. Also avoid square cuts in notches — angled cuts are better, as shown. Square cuts tend to start cracks.
No notches are allowed in the top of a large beam (greater than 4 in. thick), except at the ends.

  I've heard that I can glue/screw a 2x4 to the bottom of this joist to make it an upside down T shape. Will this restore enough tensile strength?

A glued and screwed 2x4 fastened to the bottom of the joist would increase the tensile strength. Enough? You shouldn't trust anyones advice on that but a structural engineer, and I'm a different type of engineer. That's not among the fixes I've seen employed in the building trades.

  Does this need to be fully-sistered (with the pipe relocated)?

That's one option. There are others.

Sister the first unaltered joist, making it a trimmer. Then, temporarily support the 2nd and 3rd improperly altered joists, cut them off on either side of your steel pipe, and run new double 2x8 joists (aka: headers) from the rim joist to your sistered trimmer. Add in the requisite joist hangers, remove your temporary supports, and you're good.
Add flitch plates to the cut joists.
Add a support beam beneath the two cut joists, near the cut. Voila, now the holes/cuts are no longer in the middle third of the span and the span is roughly half.

  How urgent is this repair?

Unless you're planning to park a fridge in that closet, this is unlikely to be urgent.
It looks like your 2x8 is wider than 1-1/2"
A modern 2x6 would suffice for your span, which is what you made your 2x8 into.
Your subfloor looks like 1", those boards will help distribute loads across joists.
The cracks are normal. No big deal. Search on "Checks and Splits in Lumber" for details.
The closet walls are unlikely to be supporting. Supporting walls are atop framing that carries loads down to footings.
Try a deflection test. Have a helper eyeball the floors deflection as you jump above the cut and uncut floor joists. Does the floor feel more squishy above the cut joists? Does it deflect more?


Letter's found at new construction sites I realized that for along while when arriving at new construction sites, mostly residential, I see the same 3 capitalized letters spray painted on the road directly in front of the work zone. What do the letters "U S A" pertain to in regards to the construction industry?

Marks the location for having utility lines possibly crossing the construction area found and marked with painted lines.  This is required anytime excavation takes place in an area the utilities might be.  One of the common companies that does this, or at least a phone hotline to these people is called USA digs.


How to seal swamp cooler ducting into house siding? My swamp cooler enters the house horizontally through an exterior wall.  What is the correct way to seal this interface to the wood siding?  Should I just use an exterior caulking around the edges?

Stick closed-cell backer rod into the larger gaps. Then caulk over everything (small gaps as well as the backer rod) with a good exterior-grade caulk that looks good color-wise when connecting them.


Should I install tamper resistant receptacles When changing out receptacles should I be installing tamper resistant receptacles?

It seems that the 2008 NEC requires these devices to be installed for any new install, should I be installing them when I change out old or damaged receptacles as well?

I doubt it's required for existing construction and repairs, depending on where you live; some states have not yet adopted the code but it looks like most (pdf) have;

The incremental cost is small and if you have small children, it'll save having to buy those plastic inserts. And since I'm one who vividly recalls being a toddler a long time ago getting his first lesson in electricity after finding out that a metal coat hanger fits nicely in a wall socket, I think it's not a bad idea.


Are 15A receptacles safe on 20A circuits? I recently got a circuit added to my spare room to grow some tomatos, the lighting I am going to be using is 8amp on each plug, I noticed the electrician didnt install a 20A rated receptacle with the side blade but installed a 15amp instead. I am wondering if this is safe, it is the only receptacle on the line. Pretty simple fix to swap it out if need be

That is fine. If there was only a single receptacle then it would have to match the 20A circuit. With a duplex, 15A is fine on 20A circuit. It matches your usage perfectly as each receptacle will use less than 15a and together more than 15 but less than 20.


How does this basement window open? These are steel basement windows on a 1968 house and it appears they open.  I'm sure things are rusted & will require some "persuasion".  I'd rather not break the glass, so knowing how they open will tell me where to tap with a block of wood & hammer.
You can see the handle at the top of the first pic (middle top of window).  The second pic shows the opening mechanism.  The third pic shows a rivet which could be a pivot point for the opening mechanism (red arrow).  The last pic shows a drawing of how I think this window would look from the side when fully open.  Does anyone have this kind of window and could tell me how it opens (what it would look like fully open)?
Second question:  someone replaced the glass in one with an aluminum adapter for a dryer vent hose.  The home inspector flagged it & said I should replace it with glass.  It would be nice if I could take the window pane out to do this, rather than try to do it "in place" because a washtub is in the way.  Can the pane (easily) come out?  My gut says "no way", but it can't hurt to ask...

I know someone will ask:  the brown & gray stuff at the top of the first pic are plastic bags that I temporarily stuffed in to fill the gaps (air was flowing in & you could literally see outside in places).  The sheet at the bottom is a temporary "storm window" to help cut the breeze.

Got it open:  I soaked everything with penetrating oil (inside & outside).  Then I gently tapped the latch until it moved and the top opened up a bit.  After a bit of wiggling, it opened.  As you can see in the first pic, it's like drawing B.  However, you can pull it out and get something like drawing A, but once everything is fully lubricated and working properly, I'm not sure it it'll stay put.
Also, there's a "keyhole slot" in the hinge to allow you to take the window pane out (see second pic).


Does concrete sealant slow the growth of moss? Does sealant like Thompson's WaterSeal slow the growth of moss on concrete?  I live in the rainy Pacific Northwest and moss and mold are regular problems.

In a way it does. It's a lot like Rain-X makes water bead up on glass, masonry sealant will make the water tend to bead up and run off of brick and concrete. However, much like Rain-X, it wears out every once in a while -- probably more often in the PNW where it'll get wet all the time.

The moss grows because there's easy moisture to be found within and on top of the brick. However, the sealant won't prevent moisture that's deposited on the brick by fog / mist or dew from collecting -- all three things are common in the PNW due to the relatively high humidity. Therefore, it'll help a bit, but it's not a total or even ideal solution.

Although -- the Thompson's sealant is not the best on the market by far. Look at the Behr stuff.


Reducing Heating Costs - Old Brick Apartment, Space Heater vs Central In preparations for the colder months, I am looking into ways to reduce heating costs in my apartment. I just moved to it in July, so I am not sure how well it handles the colder months. One of the central issues is using space heaters vs a central unit.

I have done research on the topic. The problem is that, in a nutshell, it seems the opinion is that space heaters work for a few small rooms, while central heating is best for large areas and many rooms. However, the set up of my apartment is somewhat unusual. There is a very large living area ( I would estimate it is at least 20 x 20 feet), with approximately 14 ft. high ceilings. This is the room I spend most of my time in, so keeping it warm is important. However, there is also a bedroom that my sister uses - it probably is about 12 x 12 feet - that we also need to keep warm. Additionally, these is a kitchen and bathroom. We would like to keep these warm, but they are secondary to the bedroom and living space.

With this scenario, which option would likely prove more efficient, space heating or central? What form of space heaters would you recommend.

Thanks.

It depends on the type of central heat you have. Gas is usually cheaper for heat. A heat pump is more efficient until real cold weather then it starts using electric makeup coils. Space heating is less safe than central there are fires every year where a space heater gets moved two close to combustible materials like curtains and furniture.
A small room or space can be heated by a space heater and reduce cost but with the larger rooms and keeping the majority of rooms warm I would use the central system even if it is straight electric for the safety.


How to replace just a few boards in hardwood floor I want to replace a few boards in our pre-finished bamboo hardwood floor. After i take the damaged boards out and put the new boards in, how do i get the last board in? How do i get the existing floor board fit into the groove of the new one?

The last board is always the tough one. A trick that usually works is to cut off the lower half of the groove. Now that last board will simply lay down in place.

The problem is then to get it to stay down. For that you may need a few well placed finish nails, set into the board. Then use some putty to hide the small nail heads. A bead of glue along the tongue may also help to hold it in place.


Close up drafty gap between wood beam and concrete wall? Lots of cold air coming through a variable narrow - about 1-2 cm (0.5 in) - gap between a wooden beam and the concrete wall in the basement (image 1 below).

What can I fill it with? Worried about moisture collecting and eventually ruining the beam.
Noticed that on another beam a similar spot was treated with something (picture 2); there is even a solidified translucent amber-like drop clearly visible on the picture. What can this material be?
Right next to it there's aluminum ducting going into the same wall treated with expanding foam; there is a layer of wood on top of the wall so concrete itself is not visible (picture 3). Can I just fill the gap with similar stuff?

The amber stuff looks like construction adhesive. Particularly Liquid Nails.

If the void is not load bearing and protected from moisture, then you can fill it with just about anything. The foam filler is a good choice since it's easy to use


GFCI Outlet Hard Fail I have an electrically powered Drop-shade that is hot-wired to the load side terminals of my GFCI.  The GFCI is a dedicated circuit there are no other outlets daisy chained to this GCFI.

It worked fine for a month or two then fails and is not able to Reset. The Reset button can be depressed but does not give that detente click but just springs back.

I have had 2 of these GFI's fail. I called Levaton they said the load terminals cannot be used to connect a direct load but only are there to connect downstream non gfci outlets that need gf protection.   This seems counter intuitive as any load connected to a downstream outlet is directly connected to the load terminals on the parent GFCI.

Maybe there's something else in play that I don't know about  but if I replace the non-functioning GFCI with a new one it probably will be like watching  the same movie again and i am hoping for a different ending.

Any thoughts

Yeah, the Leviton rep didn't understand.  Perhaps you should change that to a deadfront if it's a dedicated circuit as you say.

But congratulations, you have overcome the usual GFCI fallacy: "The GFCI must be defective! MY appliances don't have ground faults, those only happen to other people!"

Indeed, I would follow SOP when chasing a GFCI trip: first remove everything from the LOAD side, see if that clears it.  If it does, divide and conquer the LOAD side appliances and wiring until it clears.  What you narrow it down to is faulty; you can either try to fix or replace it...

... or determine that GFCI is not required or useful for that device.  Which is what you do with refrigerators or freezers.


How to pour concrete for curved walkway to prevent cracking? The front edge of my home slab is about 37 feet from the street. There is a 12*4  feet landing pad next to street and a  7*4  area next to front door.  Originally there was a 33*4 rectangular walkway connecting the two. It has been removed and I want to rebuild a walkway in its place.

I am wondering if a curved walkway design resembling a tall trapezoid with curved sides and a wide base close  to 12 feet and a narrow top  close to 5 foot will be practical and good looking.

In particular I am concerned if the curved design is more prone to cracking and what to do to minimize it.  How are spacers and rebars are to be placed?

Curved concrete drives and walkways are no more likely to crack than rectangular. I have a semi circular drive and a curved walk. The drive foundation was well packed and it has 1/2 rebar on roughly 18' centers ( we had some left over from the house) , it has handled 10,000+ lb. trucks, no problem . The walk, not so well packed and used only mesh : It has hairline cracks at some decorative brick inlays. So with good preparation and rebar you can make any shape you want.


How long should a heat pump last before needing repairs? We have a Goodman heatpump Model: SSZ140601 Model Desc.: 14 SEER HP, 5 TON Mfg Date: 6/3/2010

First of all, we did not register the unit so that cut our warranty in half.  Two weeks ago, our compressor motor went out and we had it replaced.  Now, our air handler motor (not sure if I am saying that right) went out.

I thought heat pumps were suppose to last 12 to 15 years.  I am very disappointed in this system.

Is this normal?

According to the NAHB, the average lifespan of heat pumps in the US is about 16 years.

A Google search seems to reveal a wide range of opinions about Goodman heat pumps in particular.


Dishwasher was tripping the fuse box, but now appears to be working? We noticed that our kitchen appliances weren't working because a switch at the fuse box was off. It would not turn on at all, the switch would just trip back off every time we tried.

We turned off and unplugged all kitchen appliances and wall fuses which allowed the switch at the fuse box to turn back on. We then worked out that it was the dishwasher causing the problem.

Every time you would plug it in and turn it on the "kitchen appliances" switch at the fuse box would trip again. We also tried it with an extension cable from the living room and the whole house electricity went.

Therefore, we concluded it must be the dishwasher. However, the electrician is coming tomorrow so we thought we should test it again to be certain. Weirdly the dishwasher has now turned on and is currently running a cycle with nothing in it.

Questions:

Why could the dishwasher now be working?
Is it safe to use, or should we just leave it off?
Could there be a bigger problem or fault with our fuse box?
Any other ideas as to what is causing this?
Should we just call an electrician?

First it is NOT safe to use. You're GFCI, AFCI, and overcurrent protections (Breaker) are in place to protect you from shock and burn hazards. If they are tripping it means something is wrong and could be dangerous. So turn off the breaker and do not use the dishwasher.

An intermittent trip means you dishwasher is not safe under certain circumstance. In this case I would guess that during a cycle something is leaking water and shorting out. So when you allow it to dry out you can reset the breaker. Understand electrical problems do not fix themselves. It was smart of you to call out a skilled person to investigate the problem.


How can you program a Liftmaster garage door opener when there is no "B" button? According to the Liftmaster manual, to program the garage door opener, which is required if the LEARN BUTTON was held down 6 seconds or more and ERASED the stored code, one must:

Remove the cover from the Lighted Door Control
Press and hold the button on the hand-held remote that you wish to operate your garage door.
While holding the remote button, press and hold the "A" button on the Lighted Door Control.
Continue holding both buttons while you press the "B" button on the Lighted Door Control (all three buttons are held).
Release buttons when the motor unit lights blink.  It has learned the code.  If light bulbs are not installed, two clicks will be heard.

PROBLEM:
The code was erased, so the above procedure must be followed.
However, the original Lighted Door Control broke apart last year and was replaced by a simple non-lighted doorbell button that has no "B" button.  There is no Home Depot or equivalent anywhere near where I live, so I cannot run out and buy a new Lighted Door Control.
QUESTIONS:

How can I Program the Liftmaster garage door opener and remote without a Lighted Door Control that has both an "A" and a "B" button.
Can more than one hand-held remote control the same garage door opener?

I just installed a new Chamberlain opener. The only difference between Chamberlain, LiftMaster and Crafstman brands are the color and the name printed on them. (i.e., they're all made by Chamberlain.) Having a program/learn button on the wall-mounted, wired remote was a novelty for me, as neither of my previous 2 openers had that.
As jay613 noted in his comment, mine also has programming/adjustment buttons under one of the light covers on the motor, just like both of my old ones did. I'm quite certain that yours will, as well, and you can use those buttons just like you would use the buttons on the wall-mount remote.
Once you figure out how to get the first remote programmed, (check out their website for your model, or, if necessary, hit up their online chat - they're quite helpful - they'll even wait while you run from the computer to the garage to try their instructions), programming additional remotes is exactly the same process. You can program wall-mounted, battery-powered numeric keypad remotes (you know, mount it outside the garage door, enter a code, garage door opens); visor mounted 1-, 2- or 3-button remotes; you can even program it to respond to the HomeLink buttons (usually) on the sun visor of your car (if it's so equipped). I'm sure there's an upper limit to how many remotes it will respond to, but I'm at 5 and haven't hit it.


Converting switched outlet with 2 black and 1 red for a smart switch At present we have a switched outlet for a floor lamp. I would like to replace this with a Kasa smart switch.
When I pulled the switch out I noticed it had 2 black wires and 1 red wire:

The red wire is back-stabbed into the switch, and one of the black wires is back-stabbed while the other is attached to the screw terminal.
Looking at some threads (e.g. Changing old light switch 2 black wires and 1 red) and some other research, it looks like for that use case the recommendation was to create a pigtail.  But because this is a switch for an outlet I'm not sure if the same approach would apply.
The smart switch I have calls for 1 neutral (white), 1 green (ground), and two black wires.  But I have 1 red, 2 blacks, a neutral (not shown), and a ground (not shown; wired to the box).  What the approach for this be to cap the two blacks and create a pigtail, and connect that pigtail to one of the black wires for the smart switch?  And then connect the red to the other black wire on the smart switch?
old switch                new switch
=================         =================
black --+
        |---pigtail-----> black wire
black --+
white            -------> white
red              -------> black wire
copper (ground)  -------> green (ground)

Thank you.

You're pretty much right on target. Wire nut the two black wires in the box to one black wire from the switch. Check to make sure the switch instructions don't specify "line" and "load" on the wires. One of your black wires in the box is your always hot and the other one is a tap off the hot to another location, probably the always hot on the outlet. The red wire in the box gets wire nutted to the remaining black wire from the switch and then the neutral, white, and grounds get hooked up.


Can I run a propane generator under my house? I recently bought a propane generator to use during the periodic blackouts we get in California now.  I have a large crawlspace underneath my home and it would be fairly easy for me to place it down there and run a cable up through my floor to my house.

My question is - will this be safe?  I know that generators produce carbon monoxide and I don't want to... kill everyone in my house.  Would it be safe to run it under my house or should I look for a location outside?

CO production is certainly one concern, and you'd need to ensure that the exhaust system is properly ducted away.

But equally important: any fuel-based generator (internal combustion engine) is a major fire hazard and should be placed something like 2 meters away from any structure -- in all directions.  I do not know the local code where you live, so that number may be different, and quite probably a non-flammable material may need to be placed covering  a wall between the generator and the house proper.

All in all, for the cost of a few dozen meters of power cable, I would recommend installing away from the house and running a conduit into/thru your crawlspace.


How do I run an Ethernet cable through a doorway in a Mexican house built with brick and mortar? I want to run an Ethernet cable from my DSL gateway to my room. My desk is about 10 meters away from the DSL gateway, and I need a way to run the cable through my room's doorway.

But here's the catch: I live in Mexico, and like most Mexican houses mine is built with brick and mortar, specialized DIY solutions are rather hard to find (if you can't find it at Home Depot you're pretty much toast), and my doorframes are a tiny, little, contemporary and minimalistic strip of wood affixed to the doorframe's structure. Googling in English turns up results that assume I live in an American house made out of wood and drywall with standard doorframes; googling in Spanish turns up nothing.

I am also pretty bad at handling cables. So much, that this was literally the reason why I got fired from my first job.

Any ideas on how to pass a cable through a doorway?

Any ideas on how to pass a cable through a doorway?

Don't.

Drill a hole through the wall nearby and fit 8P8C (RJ45) outlets connected by solid (not stranded) UTP cable. An SDS drill will make this easier.

If necessary, chase channels up the wall (or down to trunking inside or alongside a baseboard/skirting) using tools designed for that job. You can use a hammer and bolster but there are power tools you might be able to buy or hire, including channeling chisel bits for SDS drills.


Reinforcement for Ledger Board on Bearing Wall I'm helping a friend remodel an old addition on his house. We've uncovered a construction technique that may have been normal 60 years ago, but isn't up to the standards of today. I'd like to know if there is a simple remedy.

We are looking at a 2x4" (actual dimensions, not 3.5x1.5) ledger board that is face nailed in to the exterior wall studs, which are also 2x4". The ledger is not let in at all.

There are 2x8" floor joist for the 2nd story that are resting on the ledger. What this means is the entire weight of the 2nd story is effectively being loaded on the old nails that attach the ledger to the 2x4s! Talk about some sheer strength!

We've considered adding a wall directly below the ledger to help support the weight, but there simply isn't enough room to make that happen. We've also looked for some sort of Simpson Strong Ties that might add additional support, but found none. Even after calling the manufacturer.

Do any of you have any bright ideas that might help us out of this pinch?

The 2x4 ledger is sufficient to support your 2x8 joists, but it needs 4 or 5 16d common nails per stud at 16" on center to be able to carry the load if it is only carrying the floor load and no roof load. Typically the framers would have also nailed the side of the floor joist to the side of the wall stud so the the ledger isn't carrying all of the load, but I'm not going to assume they did that.

If you are concerned about it and want to replace it, first add a temporary support (build a temporary wall) to support the floor joists, next remove the 2x4 ledger, and then replace it with a 2x6 ledger.

Fasten the new 2x6 ledger to the wall with two Simpson SDS25312 1/4" x 3-1/2" heavy-duty screws into each wall stud. Put the top screw 2" down from the top of the 2x6, and put the bottom screw 3/4" up from the bottom of the 2x6.

I'm suggesting to use a 2x6 ledger to give yourself more room for the new SDS screws to work at their full capacity. If you have the room and want to overkill it, then upsize to a 2x8 ledger and put 3 screws into each wall stud.

If it's hard to find those specific screws, you can use any other 3" to 4" screw if it is rated for 350 or more pounds of shear strength.


Can somebody help me understand this door chime wiring? I have this inside an old door chime which seems redundant. (UK)

I plan to decommission this door chime, but would like to understand the wiring first. Particularly if it is connected to the mains somewhere.

These wires runs deep into the house and I can't trace the end of them. There were batteries inside too, but they were flat and show signs of leaking.

I can't get any voltage from them with my multimeter (but as I said, bell is dead anyway). What would they likely run to? What does the colour coding mean?

Since the batteries were there it probably did not have mains power connections. I have installed a few battery chimes and they last amazingly long time. Yours looks like a 2 location version (front door back door). I have not seen a chime that uses mains power that also required batteries , they may be out there but if you have a front door button and back door button I would bet that’s all there is no mains connections.


Central Air and Hot Bedroom We have central air in our house and with summer quickly approaching I am looking to address how hot our bedroom gets even with the AC running.

We keep our bedroom door closed and I am guessing that since there is no air return to the unit (air return for the whole house is located in the hallway off the living room) that this could be the issue.

Am I on the right track? If so, how best to try and address this other than sleeping with the bedroom door open?

Absolutely add a vent above the door's HEIGHT (explained at the end) instead or on the ceiling. If the hallway connects to other rooms, then add vents to them too. This would turn the entire hallway into a return duct of negative pressure & should've been done PROPERLY from the start.

Meaning, the vent should NOT be a hole straight through both sides of the wall. The vent on either side of the wall should be offset from each other by a minimum of 4-feet, for soundproofing or privacy. YOU (being the one stuck with the dilemma) would drill holes through wall studs or the wall's top-plate stud to "connect" the inner & outer vents.


What is this12"x12" metal box in my basement floor? I have a 12"x12" metal box that was under some 30+ year old tile in my basement. Does anyone know what this is here for, and should access be maintained to it? Under the metal it is definitely hollow based on the sound from knocking on it, but there doesn't seem to be a good way to open it (and I'd prefer not to without some idea of what it could be).
The house is in Ohio and was built in the 1960s. The box is about 3 feet from the pipe cleanout & water regulator. It is flush with the slab other than the rust which is flaky and slightly above the concrete slab. There is a ~1mm thick layer of black tar that presumably used to cover the whole thing but is now only present in the top left corner.

Edit

Based on comments, I decided to pry up the metal plate. It was covering a metal grate the appears to just lead to pea gravel. Anyone know if pouring pea gravel and cement to fill the hold is acceptable? I'd like to put flooring over this.

From the size and location, it's most likely a sump for ground water drainage, where someone had a sump pump at one time. If your basement has never flooded, it might be that someone fixed whatever hydrological problem required a sump and pump, so they covered it over once it was not needed any longer.


How to repair a bulged exterior door threshold? A newly installed door has become very sticky at the bottom. Inspection shows the bottom portion of frame is bulging up. My guess is that the wood used to prop up the door threshold has swollen due to rain. Wood was a pressure treated type.  Or it could be foundation issue.
Should I remove the wood and use some other material?
How do I flatten the threshold  of the door?

Step 1: Properly size the support lumber
What we see there looks like more than just swelling to me. It seems like someone jammed a full-thickness two-by in there out of haste. Swelling was just the final straw that caused rubbing.
You'll need to remove it. Use a reciprocating saw (Sawzall) to cut any fasteners running through it, then pry it out.
Then flex the threshold back into shape. Support the ends when you do--you don't want to tear it from the jamb sides.
Use a dry piece of lumber to fill the void. Cut it to the correct size (thickness and length), and use construction glue or silicone caulk to set it in place. If there's room you could toenail a few screws from the front.
Step 2: Flash the area properly
None of that wood should be visible. Fit a piece of aluminum stock or other water-repellent material under the threshold and down the face of the wall. Tuck it back under the bottom board if possible, and caulk that seam, or leave a short flange protruding outward from the wall and caulk under it. Caulk between the threshold and the flashing and along the side casing as well.
_________________________
_________________________|<-- threshold
                      --*--
                         ||
            top board    ||<-- flashing
            _____________||
                         ||
                         ||
          bottom board   ||
_________________________||___
                            *<-- caulk beads (here and above)


How can I better control temperature differences between floors in my two story home that has two HVAC systems? We have 2600 sq ft on the main level and 800 on the 2nd floor.  To the 2nd floor, there is a staircase and with a door on the bottom floor.  We have our master upstairs and don't use the room at all during the day.  Also, each floor has it's own HVAC.

My question is: 1) should we keep the door in place for efficiency purposes? (we keep the upstairs warmer during the day than at night) I was told that removing the door would be best...but doesn't make sense to me...  2) what temp settings are good between the two floors?  I read one person's answer saying to keep both systems at the same temp and several others advising to keep the bottom floor 2-3 degrees cooler than the second level.

Help!  Our energy bill is through the roof and we are trying to save any way possible.

Leave the door - first and foremost, for fire safety, second, to keep from having all the cold air run downstairs and all the hot air run upstairs and then going nuts trying to keep any setting on either floor, especially if there isn't (would not expect with separate systems) a duct to circulate air between floors. If you have a door, you can let the lower floor warm up at night in cooling season, for instance, rather than needing to keep it "a few degrees cooler" to prevent warm air from rushing upstairs.

As for efficiency, heat or cool the part you are in when you are in it, and let it float warm in summer/cool in winter when you are not in it; just figure out how much the "lag time" is to get the place to temperature and start conditioning the space from your "warm AC" or "cool Heat" setting for when you are not there to the temperature you want it at when you are there far enough in advance so it's ready when you are.


Replacing a double wall switch and I am confused by the wiring I am replacing a double set of single pole wall switches. One switch controls a ceiling fan and another controls the fan lighting.

There are 4 runs of romex terminating in the box, 1 from the fan/light and the other three from other parts of the circuit.

The fan switch has the black wire from the fan stabbed at the top of the switch and at the bottom there are two black wires, one is stabbed in and the other is stripped in the middle, wrapped around the terminal screw and then run to the other switch.

The light switch has the red wire from the fan's light fixture stabbed at the top and at the bottom the black wire from the other switch is stabbed in and the third black wire is hooked to the screw.

Does this make sense? Why would the electrician have run the black to one switch and then the other?

I cannot use the backstabs in the replacement switches as they don't accept 12 gauge wire. I had a couple of ideas on how to rewire these:

Use an Ideal In-Sure 5 port connector and run two pigtails one to each switch terminal. These don't seem to be sold at home stores and they are quite pricey.
Using an Ideal In-Sure 4 port connector connect the 3 hot wires and a single pigtail which would run to an Ideal In-Sure 3 port connector where two pigtails would then run one to each switch terminal.

Neither of these options seem like great ideas, can anyone provide some advice?

Whoever wired this was trying to cheap out on wire nuts and pigtails in a sloppy/cheap way instead of doing a proper pigtailing job -- "through wiring" a terminal screw like that is not considered proper workmanship and also violates the device's listing.

What I would do is use a 6-port push-in type connector (Ideal In-Sure, Wago connector, or equivalent device) as the unused port is finger safe, and then pigtail to each switch terminal.  (The 6-port type seems to be much more commonly stocked than the 5-port is.)


Can I drain a dehumidifier in my basement with these? I'd like to put a dehumidifier in my unfinished basement. I see these pipes down there, which I think are there in case we want to add a bathroom or sink.

Could a plumber easily use these to set up a dehumidifier to drain?

It looks like a drain on the wall and a toilet drain and possibly a shower but I can’t make out if it has a trap and the placement is a bit strange (if it is for a shower you just need a cap with a threaded hole in either case This would be a good diy project.

You could add the trap for less than 20$  you might have to cut the cap off I see primer on that pipe in the front so they may be glued. You can purchase the parts at a big box or a plumbing store, save some $ and have a project done on your own. If you only need a threaded cap it might be about 5$ , (small can of glue and the cap)

If you discontinue using the dehumidifier make to seal the trap up or put some cooking oil in there just enough to cover the water it will keep the trap from drying out the oil floats on top even with a trickle going down the drain & oil lasts a long time with out drying out.


Front door frame increasingly out of square My house was built about 2 years ago.  The front door has been adjusted multiple times to get around problems where it didn't latch (deadbolt hitting too high on strike plate) and/or wedged against the frame:

At inspection, it was not latching.  Some adjustment was made to fix that (I believe they just filed the strike plate).
A few months later, the deadbolt was sticking because the top surface was wedging against wood in the frame.  I fixed it by hogging out more wood to square up the area behind the strike plate.
Before the first year was up, the door stuck shut completely.  The original installer (via the builder, via the included homeowner's insurance) came out to fix it.  He indicated that side-light doors were tricky to install (no ability to pull the door around because it's framed by glass).  He ended up completely removing the frame and re-hanging it.  To fix all the issues it's actually installed in a slightly different plane than the wall (one top corner is flush with the wall, and one is inset in the wall).  The trim carpenter did a good job of hiding this.
Now (about 9 months later) it's stuck against the frame again and possibly headed toward completely stuck.

The door is basically level (it doesn't tend to swing open/shut on its own, and it measures pretty level).  There's no cracking in any of the surrounding drywall, even though the above sequence of events seems like it must have moved one side of the frame by at least 1/2 inch.

Looking for recommendations.  I let it go this long hoping it would stop moving so the next fix would "stick", but I'm not sure the rate of change is slowing down.  I can't tell what is actually moving.  The only thing that I can think of is that the concrete stoop is dragging it down, but I don't see evidence of that against the outside of the house.

This could be a case where your home has been built on soil that moves with changes in moisture content, such as an area with expansive soil. There are expensive and intrusive methods for reducing the effects of soil expansion, but you can't really eliminate it.

A 2 year old house should still be under a warranty of some sort, I would procure blueprints and foundation details from the builder and call a home foundation specialist to ensure that the underlying structures were built appropriate to the soil type.


How do we keep a porch with a fiberglass roof cool? We have a clear fiberglass roof on our enclosed porch.  We just recently put it in.  Sun pounds in and by afternoon in the summer, it is SO hot in there.  We used to just open the windows and it would cool the house.  The old roof was tinted green and we never had this problem before.  What can we put on the new roof to cool off our home?

Replace the new roof. Clearly you chose wrong in a transparent untinted roof. It is possible that a stain/dye of some sort (applied to the underside of the roof) might be able to block some sunlight, but I expect that it will bleach out far too quickly from that sunlight.

If replacing the roof is not acceptable, then you might need to add vents to encourage more circulation.


Wet basement: is the gas pipe the culprit? My basement gets water in it when it rains heavily, seemingly originating in one corner in particular. The plot it sits on can get swampy in a heavy rain. I've tried a couple of the easy solutions (extending the gutters, adding a couple yards of dirt to grade the lawn away from the house), which didn't change much.

My home is older (1950's construction) and has a block foundation. I repainted the basement last year to, with the knowledge that the paint might peel where the water was coming in. The only major peeling spot is immediately below where the natural gas line comes in. This is also the corner that gets water. I feel like if the pipe wasn't sealed correctly on the outside, water could be flowing through the hollow blocks and into my basement. Is the water coming in by the pipe, or is this a red herring?

The foundation might not be waterproofed or the builder might not have installed a perimeter drain.  There are some general solutions that don't require excavating your foundation.

The first thing to check is grading and rain gutters.  The soil that was excavated for your basement had compacted naturally over eons.  After the basement was built, it was dumped back, often with construction debris.  So it is generally more permeable, plus it settles, losing the slope away from your house.  Surface and subsurface water then have an easy path to your foundation, and the block walls are porous.

Grading: Your lot may have a grading problem that flows water toward your house.  If so, solving that isn't something that lends itself to an answer here.  The house, itself has a big footprint and all of the rain water falling on it gets dumped next to it.  Verify that you have a nice grade for a good 10' or so from the house.

If not, put down sheet plastic for about a 6-8' perimeter around the house and up the foundation wall to the height you will need to add soil to achieve a good grade.  Then add soil to grade the area.

If you have shrubbery around the foundation, make sure none of it has deep roots or has the root ball close to the house.  If you have trees within about 20' of the house, their roots may have grown to the foundation because of the water supply, providing a water channel for ground water (or worse).  Note, though, that some trees, like Weeping Willow, are purposely planted to act like a sponge because they suck up ground water in problem areas.

Gutters and downspouts:  Verify that you don't have any rain gutters that have pulled away from the roof.  This allows rain water to run off behind the gutter and collect close to the house.  Verify that the gutters are clean and the downspouts are not clogged.  Add extensions to the downspouts to channel the water well away from the house (a good 10' or so).

Internal solution:  If the external solutions don't solve it, finding the specific sources of leakage can be a challenge, and hermetically sealing the interior wall is very difficult.  Another approach is just to recognize that hollow blocks collect water and use that to get rid of it.  There are systems to do that that involve minimal "destruction".

They generally involve drilling drain holes into the block cavities at floor level and channeling the water to a sump pump.  One system uses a plastic channel sealed to the wall and floor to capture the water and direct it to the sump pit.  You still need to cut the floor to install the sump pit, and cut a hole in the wall for the outlet pipe (and pipe that well away from the house).  Once water in the cavities has a place to go, you can use waterproofing paint on the walls to keep the interior surface dry.

Gas line: You've noticed some specific clues, like water around the gas pipe and wet ground, so that might be a specific issue you can address, but I wouldn't ignore the rest (there is a reason why the ground is so wet, and the pipe entrance might be a convenient channel for water but not likely the only one).

The right way to fix that would be to carefully excavate that location and seal and waterproof it properly on the exterior.  Short of that, you could look at replacing the material used to seal around the pipe on the inside.


What's the suggested standard gauge wire for a given current? I'd like to see a reference to an US or EU standard that lists in a table the suggested wire gauges for AC/DC and volts / amps.

I cannot speak for the US system. In Europe there is not one system, It is not a continent wide electrical code. Every country has its own wiring regulations and code. With that said there has been large efforts to harmonize systems from country to country. Also in Europe we do not use the AWG (American Wire Gauge) cables are graded/categorised by there cross sectional area. i.e 2.5mm or 4mm etc. The following is directly from the BS7671 which is the wiring regulations code for the entire of the U.K while other European countries may be slightly different it would be very similar.

http://www.batt.co.uk/upload/files/table4d1abs6004bs6231bs6346_1220253954.pdf

I should also point out it is very hard to have just one table as there are literally 40 pages of tables. Because you have to take into a large amount of factors including. Conductor material, Type of sheath composition. Thermal abilities of the cable and the environment it will be in. The type of containment/fittings. and then there are applied factors such as correction for heat and density of cables and voltage drop. The lists go on and on.


Connecting a thermostat to air handler and cast iron boiler I have a 4 zone system. I want to put 4 new thermostats on the system. I wish I looked at the wires before I removed them all! So dumb. Anyway..

There is an air handler in the attic.
A compressor outside.
A cast iron oil boiler for the 4 loop radiant baseboards.

Would these 2 statements be correct?

Each thermostat will have 2 (18-5) wires coming out of it. One of the wires will lead up to the air handler and one of the wires will lead to the valve that opens for hot water.

Each thermostat will need a "power" wire from either the air handler or the boiler.

Thank you!

If you originally had 4 thermostats, each controlling 1 zone, then the normal way for wiring was that a thermostat opened and closed each zone valve and when the zone valve opened an end switch made and allowed the boiler to fire. Zone valves can be either 2 wire or 3 wire hook-up. Most are 2 wire but there are some 3 wire available. AS I said, that is the normal way. How yours were hooked up is anybodies guess. Now for the air-conditioning system; one of the thermostats could control the A/C, or there is a separate thermostat for that. Does the air handler have a hot water coil mounted in it or is it just for air-conditioning? Check each thermostat you removed and determine how many wires were hooked to each thermostat. You may have to trace all the wiring to see where the wiring went and how the connections were made. I would suggest that you consult an HVAC company in your area that has a good reputation to help in case this is above your area of expertise