Protecting PEX/UF-B/Ethernet from gophers with hardware cloth? I have a well house and some outbuildings that will need some water. I am running 1" PEX underground in 30" deep trenches to these buildings, as well as 10/3 UF-B and some ethernet cable for cameras.
I live in far north central Texas and I am worried about gophers. My soil is sandy and VERY rocky with hard sandstone about 6-10" deep. It's like concrete, but I still see gopher bulges all over the place.
My plan currently is to first drop in 1/4" 23ga mesh galvanized hardware cloth, then the pipe and cable, fold over, and bury the whole smash. There will be no joints or splices underground, and I figure the wire mesh will be locatable by a metal detector.
I already have the pex and cable and cannot return it. I've crossed that Rubicon, and the die is cast, so to speak.
I am looking for opinions as to whether this is overkill, or a bad idea, or what ...
Thanks in advance for any guidance

23 gauge hardware cloth strikes me as something that won't have a long life when buried in the ground.
I'm no gopher expert, but taking your word for it that some protection is needed even at 30" depth, I'd think about encasing the PEX and cables in something else:

solid-core SCH40 or even SCH80 PVC conduit or pipe. Not SCH20, class 200, nor foam-core pipe.
EMT electrical conduit
steel pipe

This is a little bit.. weird.. because it's not entirely obvious to what extent electrical code rules apply. A UF cable does not have to be in conduit, but if it is, then conduit sizing rules should apply. Inside a building a low voltage data cable cannot be in a conduit with a power cable. Few would even ask about putting a water supply in conduit with a power cable. Those all can share a building space (the cavity of a wall, for example) -- so can they be buried together outdoors encased in something, anything, that provides physical protection but is neither "earth" nor "conduit?" Is it OK if that encasement happens to be labeled as a conduit? Are there rules about shared non-conduit encasement? I'm not sure.
Electrical code requires a conduit system to be fully built first; wires or cables are pulled through as a second step (ie don't slide conduit onto cables/wires and build-as-you-go). I'd suggest that if you do choose to protect those direct-bury rated items inside pipe of some kind, that you size the pipe large enough and use pulling junctions so that the PEX and cables can be pulled into the pipe after it is assembled. In the case that a gopher does chew through the protection and damage the lines inside, you'd have a fair chance at pulling them out of the encasement and pulling in repaired or replacement items. You'd also be able to measure the distance to the damage point and dig in exactly the right spot to repair the encasement if desired.


A celling vent does not stay in place I have a vent in the ceiling that no longer stays in place. I think it is drilled into dry wall but the drywall is too corroded to keep the vent in place. Any suggestions on how to fix this? Do I just use ordinary spackle? It seems like a simple job.

Yes, any spackle will fix that. Carefully check the metal vent box and you should find some screw holes for the vent. From the picture it looks like there might be a double drywall installation and the screws don't reach into the metal vent box. If that's the case, get some longer screws from your home store.


How can I trim veneer edging? I've been applying some adhesive-backed veneer to some shop cabinets just to get some practice since I've never done it before. Didn't have much trouble getting it on, but trimming it has been another story.  I've tried going nice and slow with a utility knife with a new blade, and then I tried one of the double-edge trimmers that you squeeze and slide along the edge. Both have had terrible results. Even when I'm not getting tear-out or splintering the resulting edge has a distinct waviness to it (ok, just the tear-out and splintering when using the trimming tool). How can I get results I can stand to look at?

You really need a router.  Either a laminate router (the are small and easy to handle) or any router really.  Next you need a trim bit.  They have MANY different types.  Flush cut, 45, 25.5, finish bit.  The finish bit will leave a 1/16 laminate left to sand/file, or you could set the 45 bit to get almost flush.

Another way is with a sharp blade in your knife and a piece of wood.  Take a scrap piece of ply 4" wide and how ever long you need.  Place flat on the "face" of the cabinet and let about an inch hang over the edge.  We are using the wood as "backer" when we score the laminate.  Now take the knife and score the underside of the laminate a few times pressing the knife to the laminate and the lam to the wood, using the edge of the cabinet as your guide.  Do this on a practice piece to get "a feel for it".  Either cut all the way through, or score enough and just snap the lam.

* Edit *
If you do use a router, apply 3/4 masking tape (or blue tape) to whatever surface the bearing will ride on.  This will prevent any marks the bearing will leave, mostly a "shiny" line.


Clothes Dryer electrical 240v between hot and netural, 0 between other hot and neutral I had to move around my dryer to do some work in my laundry room.  When I plugged it back in, it wouldn't turn on at all.  None of the buttons would even make the lights come on.

I unscrewed the end of the cord from the dryer and checked it with my multimeter.  120v (ish) between each hot and the neutral (3 conductor no ground) and 240v (ish) between the hots, as expected.

When I screw it back on to the dryer and check the voltage on the screws, however, I get 240 between one hot and the neutral as well as between the hots.  When I check between the other hot and the neutral, I get 0v.

I can't fathom how this can happen without a hot being shorted to the neutral.. but the breaker isn't popping and nothing is getting hot.

What the heck is going on?

It sounds like the neutral connection is bad, but not totally open-circuit.
As I understand it american driers normally have the high-power stuff connected between the two hots and the control system connected between one hot and the Neutral.
With the dryer disconnected, the bad neutral is enough to give you correct voltage readings on your high-impedance multimeter, but when you connect the driers controls. it drags the neutral up to the same voltage as one of the two hots.


Can I leave my home's water shut off overnight without damaging the heaters? We were trying to do a job ourselves and don't have what we need to finish installing a new vanity in the bathroom.  Shut the water off to install new sink and now can't turn it back on because we don't have what we need to connect the line to the sink correctly.  Are we ok to leave the main water line shut off overnight or is this going to mess with the hot water or gas heating systems?  help!

Since you mentioned gas I would turn the water heater to pilot. Turning the water heater to pilot will keep it from running and when you are ready turn it back to the temp you want. I think it may be fine just over night to leave it on but why take a chance.


Replace breaker For hot water heater My tankless hot water heater went out & is on, I believe, a double 60 amp breaker. My plumber says the new one needs a 50 amp breaker. Can I just swap out the 60 amp with a new double 50 amp breaker?

You can breaker down but not up, so yes, you can just replace the 60 with a 50, the wires should fit. Before you do that though, check with the installation instructions to verify what your plumber wants you to do. The instructions  will specify what size breaker you need to have and changing those directions can void any warranties you might have.


How to *cheaply* repair scratches in plexiglass window I have a plexiglass window that is surrounding a window air conditioner.
There are a few scratches in it.
I watched a video on youtube where they instructed to wet sand with 600 grit and rubbing compound.
I do not have rubbing compound and am not sure if I should especially buy it for one PG window.
Is there a cheap way to buff out these scratches? Toothpaste? I know it's used to clean up car headlights.
I want this plexiglass to last for a long time.
Thank you and have a great day!
EDIT I  have scratches  NOT CRACKS!!

Some people will run a very low temp blowtorch or heat gun across it. Supposedly this melts high spots and makes it clearer.  It can also burn, so YMMV.


My front door frame doesn't support installing a storm door Please see attached picture. Notice that there isn't any brick molding at the top of the door frame and the jam is not deep enough space to mount a door closer on. What are my options ? are there jamb extension kits simple enough for DIY ?

install a brick mold on either side of the door frame and paint to the color of your choice. the brick mold must be flush at the top of the door jam to accept the drip edge from the storm door


Use existing 200A panel as temporary sub-panel off of new 320A service panel Currently I have 200A electrical service that's brought to my house above ground and into the basement on the right side of the house, which feeds a 200A panel. I'm in the process of getting my service upgraded to 320A, which will be brought in underground and on the opposite side of the house.

It's an old house with mostly knob and tube wiring, so I will be eventually upgrading the electrical wiring throughout the house. But for the time being I need to complete this 320A upgrade (I'm working with the local electrical utility company, and have a permit which expires in a few months), while maintaining my existing electrical wiring. Since the new service will be on the opposite side of the house, I cannot simply re-wire all circuits to the new panel. What I'd like to do is temporarily use the existing 200A panel as a sub-panel to the new 320A/400A panel. The 200A panel obviously has its own 200A master breaker, so in theory it seems quite possible to wire the 200A panel as a circuit off of the new panel, assuming the correct gauge heavy duty wiring is used.

Is this temporary use of the existing 200A panel as a sub-panel possible? What steps would be involved to do this correctly?

Thank you!

Yeah, that's actually pretty routine and we often recommend it as a permanent configuration.

Presuming the old panel isn't a dangerous pile of junk like Zinsco or Federal Pacific or full of Challenger breakers, or fine but obsolete panel like Pushmatic.  Then feel free to replace it with a modern panel, and if you do that, that is the time to think generator.

Since both panels are in the same building, the "main breaker" on the old panel is superfluous.  The only exception is if you fed it more than 200A, but that's unlikely so I won't comment further on that scenario.

Nowhere is it written that you must supply 200 amps of feeder to that subpanel.  What is written is that the wire/cable from main to sub must be protected by a breaker sized to protect the wire.  For instance if you ran #6 wire to feed the subpanel, its run would need to be protected by a 60A breaker in the main panel.

So you have the option to save some $$$ on breakers and fat wire if you don't really need 200A down there.

On the Knob & Tube wiring, there is nothing wrong with K&T per se.  Slap an AFCI breaker on it to catch the usual failure mode (arc faults) and I wouldn't worry further about lighting circuits.  Focus on modernizing receptacle circuits, since modern loads can pull pretty hard.


How would I replace this light bulb in the pic enter image description here

How would I replace this recessed light with clips?

That whole plastic base pulls directly out. That is a compact fluorescent bulb, be careful not to breathe any powder/dust that comes out of the broken tube(s), not good for you.


What is the right way to strip power wires? I've been working with electrical circuits as a DIYer for years, including electronics and powerline work.  But one thing I always feel like I do a terrible job at is stripping wires: both the outside jacket and the insulators from the conductors...

Perhaps I'm being over paranoid, but if I nick the insulators when I'm cutting the jacket, or if I nick or scrape the insulator I will cut back past this injury and start over.  I want something that an inspector would give the thumbs up, because I might as well do it right while I'm doing it.  But, this always tends to take a while to cut just through the insulator and not any further.  I've tried tools from knives to sharp wire cutters to duller wire cutters to specific wire strippers.

My current mechanism is to just use a knife and be extremely careful while cutting the insulation or jacket, but it is fairly time-consuming and error-prone.  Some jackets I get lucky on and there is a ground or nylon string in it that I can pull on to tear the jacket up to where I need it, then just clip it off.  But some appliance cords that I work on have quite beefy 20A cables and those can be a bear.

Any hints or words of wisdom on what an inspector would red-flag me on?

This is the stripper I use:

It's got cutouts for 14-2 and 12-2 NM cable sheathing and inner conductors, and a decent set of sharp bypass cutters near the hinge for cutting wire.  It works better than anything else I've used for 14-2 and 12-2 Romex -- just squeeze, give it a little wiggle for good measure, and the sheathing pulls right off.  It's almost impossible to nick the conductor insulation inside.  For 3-way wire it's not so foolproof -- I use the cutter blades close to the hinge to score around the sheathing and then pull it apart.  Probably as good as any other method and is still faster than doing it manually with a knife.

They also make a 12/10 gauge version and possibly others.  I got mine at Lowe's.


Gate hinge position/location Which side of this cabinet/gate hinge should go on the cabinet door? I believe the long-side.

https://www.natman.com/detail/841-ornamental-reversible-t-hinges-n881-904

Further, should the hinge pin be located right over the space where the sides meet the cabinet door? I designed in a 1/8th inch gap around the door to prevent rubbing.

Sorry if these are basic questions, I've only got one shot at this.

The long side of the hinge needs to be fixed to your cabinet door, align the hinge pin flush with the end of the door like the picture below

Make sure hinge faces the side you want the door to open to.


Can I feed a sub-panel from a sub-panel? here is what I have.

On the corner of my house, I have the main breaker box.
I also have a 2nd sub panel that was installed later on the other side of the house which has 240V ac running to it. This panel has one breaker for a 120V ac light. That is it. Nothing else is connected.

I have a undeveloped area (about 140 feet away from the sub panel) that I would like to run 240V ac service to via underground conduit so I can use a 240V ac electric stove for outdoor kitchen.

My question is: Can I install a new sub panel from the undeveloped area utilizing the existing sub panel or do I need to go directly from the main panel? If I can then can I just run 2 wires from the panel and install a ground rod at the new area?

[additional pictures from OP's link added in:]

Yes, you can. The systematic computer programmer in me even thinks it's a good idea, allowing a "star" topology for electrical distribution.

You will need 4 wires, as others have mentioned.
Keep the ground and neutral separate in the subpanels. The only place they should be bonded is in the main panel.
You will need ground rods at the new location. Yes, it's redundant, but it's still required.
The wire feeding the new subpanel must be protected from overcurrent by an appropriately-sized breaker. It can be at either end - in the old subpanel or in the new subpanel - or at both ends. It's up to you, but if only using one, I slightly prefer the upstream location, so that I can easily kill power to the feeder wire. If using both, 1 must be sized for the conductor, and the other can be that size or larger -- convenient if you buy a panel with a 100A breaker preinstalled.
While there are wires rated for direct burial, it's good that you're planning to use conduit. Oversize the conduit for ease of pulling wires, and minimize bends. While you have the trench open, run a second conduit for future expansion (ethernet? gas? macerator?). May as well run a water line, too, so you can have a sink.
Most electric kitchen stoves are installed on 240V/50A circuits. If you're installing something like that, then I suggest a 60A subpanel. That gives you plenty of headroom to install lighting, a small point-of-use electric hot water heater, and some convenience receptacles. Those will come in handy when doing maintenance in the area.
Aluminum wire is usually much cheaper than copper, but harder to work with. It's stiffer. You must use 1 size larger than with copper. The ends must be protected from corrosion with anitoxidant goop. The lugs must be torqued correctly. Some people think you should retorque the lugs on some schedule. Last time I bought wire, I wanted 8ga copper, but 2ga aluminum was 1/2 the price, so going with Al was worth it.


Trying to wire my inverter output into my RV panel I really want to wire my inverter AC output into my RV distribution panel. I have all of the wires run where they need to be. My Idea is to be able to flip the main breaker for shore power to "Off" and then flip another breaker to "On" therefore switching from shore power to inverter power. I am running into a problem where I have a hot wire coming out of the male plug at my inverter. So, I tried to isolate both hot wires with a breaker switch.... only to find out the ground wire is providing the power. I've double checked everything! It has power even when every breaker on my panel is OFF. So confused. Do I have a faulty ground somewhere???? I don't show any voltage on the ground bar or continuity between wires. Is the 3 prong plug I used connected with the ground to the neutral?

No.  You can't wigger-jigger it like that.  I've been saying this a lot today, but if one thing is broken and wrong, it's best to fix that first - the other problem may take care of itself if you do.

You need a proper interlock so that it is physically impossible for any of the prongs on any plugs to get "lit up".

If your breaker panel lends itself to interlocks

You're on the right track with breakers where only one is on at once, but you must have physical interlock to make "both on at once" impossible.

Some models of breaker panel have very simple, inexpensive options for interlocks.  Such as Square D "QO" and Siemens/Murray.  (Keep in mind you must not mix-and-match breakers and panels; use only breakers listed or classified for that panel).

If this is not feasible, there's another way.

Use a plug/socket as an "interlock"

Presumably your RV has either an inlet, or a short cord-and-plug, which you plug your extension cord into in order to reach shore power.

OK, so you build a virtual "extension cord" from your inverter to that inlet/plug.  On shore power, you plug the RV into shore power.  On generator, you plug the RV into the inverter instead.  That's pretty simple, isn't it?

The trick is, you build this "extension cord" right into the RV, using in-wall wiring methods.  One end is a plug-and-cord going into the inverter, obviously.  The other end depends.

If the RV has an inlet, then you have a cord-and-socket which is just long enough to plug into the inlet (and too short to worry about it dragging on the ground).
If the RV has a short cord, then you have an outlet within reach of it.

Either one simply goes straight to the inverter.

Now the procedure is simple: whenever you unhook from shore power, you connect that cord so you are looping over to the inverter.

Use 240V, 4-wire connections

I hear you saying you're using a 3-prong connector with a ground. That doesn't make any sense unless the RV is very small and uses a TT30 connector.  I expect your RV is 120/240V split, and needs 2 hots, a neutral, and a ground.  I suspect you have inadvertently connected neutral or ground to a hot wire, and that's why it is lit up.


Removing the concrete from the top off a concrete column I have a number of 12" square concrete piers reinforced with 10 * 16mm rebars. The rebar extends to around 4m tall, while the concrete has been poured to a height of 3.3 metres.

This an error because the intended height of the bottom of the upper floor is 3.3 metres; however, as a 40cm concrete beam is planned to support the upper floor, this means that the height of the poured concrete should only be 2.9m, to allow for a 40cm beam on top.

So I am considering chiselling 40cm of concrete off the top of the pier and placing the rebar there. Does that pose structural concerns for the strength of the pier?

You almost certainly do NOT want to cut off the rebar in the columns as suggested by @EdBeal - that should be tied in and/or bent and tied in to the rebar in the beam.

I'd think long and hard about just raising the upper floor by another 40 cm rather than chiseling all those columns - but if they are freshly poured, you may find that they will chisel easily, as the green concrete is still going to be relatively weak.


Improve weatherworn, stained rubber saddle on outdoor playground toy I installed a rocking horse for our kids. (saved from a neighbour's trash).

The black rubber saddle on it looks weathered as can be seen in the photos below.

I am looking for a way to make it look better (cleaning it didn't help, it's in the rubber).
Obviously I can't use paint that can stain clothes or skin since children will sit on it.

Any ideas? I was thinking whether there is any kind of paint that gets absorbed by the rubber and can't go out (?). Or some special rubber treatment oil? Googling around myself didn't help me.

Did you try using some Armor All or other silicone based treatment, typically sold to dress up tires and car dashboards? It will eventually rub off, but the silicone is relatively inert and harmless. There is a petroleum based vehicle suspension with it to make it spray-able that will evaporate relatively fast, so just keep the kids off of it for an hour or so. You will also have to re-apply it periodically.


What should I do about streaks in my finish? I just stripped, sanded, stained & then applied fast-drying oil-based polyurethane to my hardwood table. All went well until I sanded the second coat of polyurethane with 220 grit sandpaper. The scratches did not cover with the third coat & streaks are visible.

Should I sand well now with 220 grit sandpaper & apply another couple coats of poly? I hope I don't have to strip it again!

You shouldn't need to strip unless you scratched through to wood.

The problem with polyurethanes is that they are hard films that don't blend with the previous coat.  Other finishes will 'melt into" the previous one (lacquer, shellac, tung oil)

Your sanding, @220, was too aggressive.  Intercoat sands should be at 320 - 400.

You will have to sand back to a common level that eliminates the scratches and lines.  If you leave part of one coat and part of another coat, there will be a "witness line" .  You can wipe down the area after sanding with a soft-mineral spirits cloth and look for the lines.

Be sure you are allowing enough time between coats with the poly.


Creaking / Clicking noise coming from wood / cardboard Feel like I'm starting to lose my mind with this one.

I'm regularly hearing a noise in at least two rooms of the house, which I can best describe as a creaking or clicking. I've listened to recordings of deathwatch beetles and it's definitely not that. It sounds almost exactly like a door creaking gently except very faint.

When present, this noise repeats in intervals of about 5 seconds. It's barely audible, just on the edge of hearing - so much so that it's almost impossible to pinpoint it to one place. I've tracked it down to above one of the cupboards in the kitchen, behind a set of shelves in the study (possibly IN the shelf) and bizarrely, an old box of tea bags.

That last one is what really throws me, but I'm 100% sure. The box was on the counter, and I was able to put my ear right up to it, and the sound was very pronounced. I was sure it was some kind of audible woodworm or something, but now that I've found it in a tea bag box I'm unsure. I emptied that tea bag box and found no bugs or insects.

The sound appears to be organic in nature, because if I make a disturbance in the area, the sound stops. In the case of the cupboard and shelves a sharp bang or shake, in the case of the tea bags I just lifted the box.

I have quite sensitive hearing and my wife can't hear the noise. She's starting to look at me funny when I talk about it. The only recording equipment I have is my phone, and that's not sensitive enough to pick it up.

I'm going to see if I can find an old laptop with a mic port and record it next time I hear it, but until then has anyone got any ideas what this could be?

NOTE:

It's definitely NOT a mouse. I know what a mouse sounds like, and there was no mouse in my box of tea-bags. This is something much, much smaller. Something small enough to live inside cardboard.

Update

finally managed to capture the noise on my phone. apologies for the low sound quality. There's a lot of background noise from just the electronics in the phone. The house was completely silent last night.

https://soundcloud.com/roryok/weird-noise

You'll hear it four times in all. I've edited the track to reduce the waiting time, but the sounds were about 20-30 seconds apart

Update 2

I've since found out the bugs are called "paper-lice" and are quite fond of eating cardboard / paper (hence the name). No idea how to get rid of the little buggers but at least I know I'm not going crazy.

Here are two photos of the bugs in question:

The two giant yellow things are popcorn kernels!

zoomed out slightly, so you can see the scale properly. These guys are tiny

I hear the same noise and have done in a few houses. After years of chasing sounds round rooms I'm pretty sure the culprit is a tiny brown beetle I've found a few times, 1-3mm max. I'm struggling to identify it. My ex wife could hear it so I knew I wasn't going mad! It can really keep you awake for such a quiet sound!

I live in West Wales in the UK.


What kind of bulb is this? How to remove it? I have a few burned out bulbs in my rental unit, which need to be replaced. Have never seen bulbs like this, cannot find any labels, and can’t even figure out how to remove it! Does anyone know what kind of bulb this is, or know how to find out?

If that's the kind I think it is, it pulls straight out; it's just held in place by friction. Use a towel or something so if it breaks you don't slice your hand, and wiggle it back and forth a bit along the long socket axis.

EDIT: These are called a Glass Wedge Bulb.


Retaining wall next to tree--how to fix or rebuild? I have a small, roughly 4' by 4' retaining wall adjoining my neighbor's yard (see photos) that is leaning over and needs to be fixed or replaced. We think it has moved not because of pressure from the soil, but because of the roots of a nearby tree (visible in photo).

The neighbor is rebuilding the wall across his property that once connected with mine, so now is the time to fix the wall between us. However, we don't want to kill the tree. Could the wall be pushed back? If not, is there way way to build a new wall that minimizes the footer depth (eg use blocks?)? Or would it be less invasive to insert posts at either end and put in timber or concrete slabs to hold the soil?

The question was bumped, so this has probably been overtaken by events.  But I'll add a couple of thoughts for anyone else in a similar situation.

My first thought is to question the tree root cause.  That's a pretty massive concrete wall.  If it had proper footers, I'm not sure roots could tilt it.  The growing roots would expand in the easiest direction, which would be into the soil.  I doubt that the roots could directly push the wall out of plumb.

Tree roots do create channels in the soil for water, and it's common for roots to result in the supporting soil being eroded.  If the roots are the cause of the tilting, that seems more likely.

If you really want to retain a concrete wall in that area (as opposed to say replacing it with a section of wooden fence to match what's visible in the second picture), there are a few ways to do it.  One is to re-support the wall with helical piers.  Another is to jack the wall back into position and get some good footers under it.  Since you don't want to damage the tree roots, that can require a creative solution based on exactly where the roots are, so it wouldn't be practical to speculate here.


In-line fan installation Can an In-line bathroom fan be installed horizontally or just vertically ? Been searching all over but no manufacturer specify that on their guide. Thank you

Typically or by default "in-line" means either orientation is intended. One advantage to vertical is bearing wear. The fan won't be fighting gravity & its own weight. Other than that, call or email a few manufacturers & see what they say or if they have specific or better models for your application.


Mounting computer to a particle board I recently purchased a standing desk and attached a top from Ikea that has a particle board core.
I've ran into the issue where cable management is really annoying when my desk goes up and down so I want to mount my PC to the bottom of the particle board. However, I'm really unsure if the particle board can hold the weight of my pc.
I am planning to use this as a mount.
My PC should weigh no more than 15kg (33lbs) but it might be a little more.

I don't think it would be an issue.  Just make sure to pre drill holes the correct size and use screws with a coarse thread.  Make sure the screws don't penetrate the other side as well.
I mounted a computer on the side of a similar desk with multiple Command™ strips once.  It was fine structurally.


Nest E Y1 cable cutting power to thermostat I am trying to connect a Nest E thermorstat on my HVAC unit that runs heat and AC.
 i have yellow-y1, G-green,White-w, red- R. When y1 is connected i get the error No power to R, i see the C wire on the cable, i connected the blue to C and make sure is connected to C on the furnace and AC but i get no power. I have to disconnect C and Y1 for heat to turn on but no AC. temperature in Connecticut now is 60F its not to cold to get those errors. Should i just buy a 24 AC wall transformer and connect it to the R and C cables to the thermostat? Nest tech support tells me C wire is not grounded, but i see it grounded on the board.

You will need a wire going from the C on the thermostat to the C on the furnace, 5 wires total. R to R, W to W, Y to Y, G to G and C to C.  At the furnace there will also be a second wire on the Y and C and they will go to your condensing unit.  I can not tell from your pictures but it looks like the blue wire on the furnace C is probably going to the condensing unit.


New water pressure regulator doesn't change water pressure I checked the water pressure to my home a few weeks ago, it read 120, and was unable to change the pressure when I adjusted the bolt. I figured the regulator went bad, so I bought a new one.

I installed it today, and I'm having the exact same problem. No matter if the bolt is all the way in, or all the way out, the pressure still reads 120 PSI.

As I turned the water off, I watched the meter drop, so I don't think it's a bad meter.

Anyone know what might be going on here?

I found the problem: I had installed the regulator backwards. Leaving this post up in case any others decide not to read directions, or disregard common sense, and have the same problem. Look for the water flow arrows on the regulator.


11/16 OD Toilet shut off My house is 1920s, New England. its been upgraded and added onto a few times.

2nd floor toilet shut off was leaking.

I cut off the valve as I was unable to safely get a torch on it to un-solder it.

I shut off hot and  cold water to the 2nd floor as the faucet and tub have mixing vales.

The supply ID is 1/2" so I got this  1/2 in. Nominal Compression Inlet x 3/8 in. O.D. Compression Outlet 1/4-Turn Angle Valve

To my horror, the OD of the pipe is 11/16 (maybe brass? older copper?)

As I understand, 1/2" copper is 5/8 OD so my part doesn't fit.

.

What part(s) do I need to button this back up?

Here is what I determined after some research

Some (many) people seemed to think that this was caused by water freezing in the pipe and expanding the tubing but others debunked that because it tends to split the pipe and there would be other evidence of the freezing. I also don't believe that it was a freeze cycle.

Pipe and tubing sizes were set in the early 1900's BUT apparently Westinghouse supplied an 11/16" pipe which was more commonly installed on the west coast but can also be found throughout the country. Some plumbing supply houses carried fittings through the 1980's until they were considered obsolete and unnecessary.

The problem was solved in a couple of ways:

use a swage tool to sweg it out to receive a 1/2" pipe soldered on to it
have couplers made out of copper stock on a lathe


What is the proper way to run ethernet cable along walls and doors I'm living in a two bedroom apartment. The cabling from the ISP enters the house in the living room and this is where my modem/router hookup is.

The problem is that I have trouble getting decent internet speeds in one of the bedrooms. I'm not sure if this is due to the router I'm using (this one) or the layout of the house, but I've decided to try to run an ethernet hookup from the living room to the bedroom. The problem is that I'm renting the apartment and my landlord wouldn't be too keen on me doing anything to the walls or floors to run the cable discretely.

The only other option I can think of is to run the cable exposed along the walls and floors. However, I need some way to protect the cable from being stepped on, chewed by the dog, etc. The section of exposed cable would probably only be around 15ft. I'm thinking about using some cord covers like these to cover the cable up. Has anyone had experience with these? How are they?

I have used those cord covers.  They are pretty easy to use and fairly stiff so they protect the cable.  The adhesive they come with sticks pretty well.  I'd try to keep them on the baseboards and moldings rather than the drywall so you can clean up any adhesive residue when you remove them.

I don't think they have the fittings you need for corners, angles, etc.  They don't help at all if you have to cross a floor.  For your application you'd be just as well tucking them in by the baseboard as suggested.

It's really unusual that you can't cover an apartment with one wireless router.  It may be as simple as repositioning the router up high on the wall.  I'd see if you can fix the wireless before bothering with the raceway and all.


Fix drywall around electrical box I decided to replace my kitchen backsplash only to damage the drywall behind it.
How do I fix the drywall around electric box so that it is not flimsy and it is safe?

I would demo the entire back splash area removing all the Sheetrock.
Trying to save 10$ (about a sheet) makes no sense to me because the Sheetrock gets damaged or has residue on it. I would rip& strip the tile and Sheetrock out and then if replacing with Sheetrock use green board or if tile use backer board to replace the Sheetrock.
Replacing a large piece will look better in the long run and save a lot of time. For the cost of 1 maybe 2 sheets.
If you cut just above the tile this can help keep the strip narrow but I usually go close to the cabinets as seams up there are the easiest to hide as they are not in direct view.


What can I do about a hole for a dryer vent that was cut too big? Our basement dryer vent was cut too big. There's a gap of approximately 2" all the way around. We want to fill it (crickets, and cold air in winter come in).  I bought a can of spray insulation but am worried about using it. Is there a flat cover/collar that would cover the excess hole?  Or should we make one?

A good solution would be to make a collar/cover of a material that would fit visually with the outside wall, and would provide a reliable seal to prevent water, air, and pest infiltration. Then to support a good seal, use spray foam to insulate around the duct.

The appropriate material for the collar depends on the wall you're going through. If it's a masonry wall, you can use mortar or a concrete patching compound. If the outside is vinyl siding, a small sheet of vinyl could work, with the appropriate trim pieces to terminate the cut vinyl boards (you may want to cut them square so this looks better). If the outside is wooden shingles or clapboard, a painted piece of pressure-treated plywood or cellular PVC trim board would look OK.

Depending on what exactly was cut, and how much, you may want to replace some of your sheathing to support the siding or collar pieces.

Make sure to use the appropriate trim and caulking to seal the collar to the exterior wall. This is really important to seal out water. Consider how water would flow onto and off of the surface - you want gravity on your side. So if you're doing this with wood shingles, make sure the shingles overlap your collar piece on top, and your collar overlaps the shingles below. You don't want a situation where if your caulk wears out you are funneling water behind your siding.


Would an old bad main meter panel wear out a newer panel and breakers in house? lights flickering,temporary power loss last few weeks. Scheduled main meter panel upgrade in a few days. This am half of house lost power w/o breakers tripping? Can the old meter panel wear out the newer breakers and disable the tripping? Getting nervous..
Again scheduled main meter panel upgrade this Friday but very nervous til then..thanks!

Call your power company and report an outage
There's a logical hazard called "target fixation".  You are focused on panel and breakers, because you have deemed the existing panel to be "old" and have already bet several thousand dollars on a panel replacement.  You haven't identified the panel, but I seriously doubt that's it.
Your symptoms sound like a very classic problem on the supply side, and 95% of the time this is in the power company's wiring between the pole and your weatherhead, which the power company is responsible for and fixes for free. That is a carrier wire which doubles as the neutral supply, and two insulated hot wires. Those whip in the wind for years, and eventually, break.

If a hot wire breaks, power on one half of the circuit will be weak and weird (it's leaking backwards through the water heater, range, etc. The best tests are: a) if you turn on range and dryer, the power improves on the wacky circuits. b) If you shut off all 240V breakers in the panel, the wacky circuits die entirely.

If a neutral wire breaks, then both legs of power will function but with bizarre voltages, and half your circuits will get a voltage well over target 120V. In this case it is urgent you shut off all 120V loads at once - the equipment can take damage if you don't!

The power company will fix both problems for free, PDQ, on a Sunday night.  Call them and report an outage. Do not complicate your story by editorializing about how it "sorta works" or how "you're replacing your panel".  We have had reports of power company phone reps using such admissions to "blame-shift" the problem back onto the consumer to avoid rolling a truck.
... And if the truck roll fixes it, add photos of your panel and we can tell you whether a a panel replacement is a waste of money.  There's nothing wrong with "old" if it's the right "old"....


How do I tell if my house is brick or brick veneer? I live in a brick house, and am interested in understanding whether it is brick or brick veneer, as a way to understand what kind of risks it (and we) may face during an earthquake.

I hear that brick veneer is essentially a wood frame house with a brick facade and fares better in earthquakes than a pure brick home.

Our house is in the Pacific Northwest of USA, was built in the early 1930s, and is a 1½ story home. Any advice on how I would know one way or the other?

The foundation is bracketed to the wood framing that sits on top of. I assume this means it's a veneer, but would love to confirm.

One way is by looking at the bond of the bricks. Your bricks are arranged in a running bond or stretcher bond, which is always one brick thick:

To be a structural brick wall it would have to be more than one brick thick, or have multiple wythes, and you would see headers, like this:

It's likely your walls are wood-framed with single-wythe brick veneer on the outside. But to really know what was on the inside, you would have to see inside them. The easiest way is to remove some outlet covers and look behind the electrical box. If you see an open void, it's a wood-framed wall. If the area around the box is completely solid, you might have concrete blocks making up the structure of the wall.

Beautiful house, by the way.


Bosch Drawer Microwave causes ARC Faults I have a brand new Bosch Microwave (model: hmd8451uc) installed as the only device on the entire circuit. Anytime I use the Microwave on this circuit, it triggers the breaker's ARC Fault. Breaker (Murray MP-GAT2 20AMP).
I bought one of these guys (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PMDRHXB) and pushed it into the socket where the microwave is plugged in, and everything passed. I was also able to test the ARC Fault mechanism, which seemed to work just fine.
After some research, I found the following Q&A Why does my microwave trip my AFCI only when it's mostly empty? So I tried the method that was described adding a full glass of water, it improves the problem slightly, (the microwave will last longer on), but sometimes it'll still trigger the breaker.
Seems like some people in that Q&A above had luck switching out the breaker to a different model or brand. Everyone in that thread had Siemens + Panasonic, I have Murray + Bosch so I'm wondering if my issue would be fixed by switching out the breaker.

Seem like the afci breaker you have right now affected by the microwave frequency ,try to replace the afci breaker.

But before I spend more money on switching the breaker, I want to understand how a certain "Microwave Frequency" can trigger an Arc Fault and if there is any safety issues with ignoring this issue and just switching a breaker to a different brand? Also, it's unclear from the previous Q&A, is this specific breaker faulty or is the breaker brand not meshing with my microwave.
I've been eying the Leviton Smart Load Center, to just replace my entire panel, which I don't mind doing, but want to be sure it'll fix this issue in the process.

Edit: image of breaker:

Dealing with the problem now:
One of the first things to try is just swapping the breaker with an identical one in the same panel. In my experience, there's a lot of individual variation in the exact behavior of both AFCI breakers and appliances, that sometimes you can get the problem to go away just by using a different combination of individual components. It's harder to swap the microwave (typically), but you can also try exchanging the oven at the store to see if a different one (even if the same make and model) would work okay.
That said, the only real solution to this problem is to have the breaker replaced by the manufacturer. It is almost certain that you have no actual arc fault, and that the breaker is being tripped unnecessarily.
You can also report the problem here: https://www.afcisafety.org/home-owners/unwanted-tripping/
I have been struggling with the same issue, for several years now, in a newly-constructed home where AFCI breakers were required on almost every circuit due to relatively new code requirements. It has not helped that the electrician who did all the work for the construction shows little to no interest in doing anything to investigate, never mind fix the problem. But the one thing that has, for the most part, helped is to replace the breakers. It seems the manufacturer (Square D in my case) updates the AFCI logic in the breaker over time, to reduce the number of false positives.
Since the latest attempt by the electrician to deal with the problem by replacing the most problematic breakers, while they introduced a whole new problem (breakers tripping randomly even when there's not even any load on the circuit), almost all of the appliance-related tripping has been eliminated.
(The one exception is that now we have a breaker for the furnace that trips the instant the furnace blower motor turns on, but only if the utility power is out and we're running on the generator instead. As you can see, it's a bit like playing whack-a-mole.)
You or your electrician need to work with the manufacturer to report the problem, telling them the exact make and model of appliance that is causing the problem, and get updated breakers that will work. If possible, that is…this is hit or miss under the best of circumstances, and it requires that the manufacturer (and any electrician that's involved) are willing to be cooperative and support the breaker and installation.
Why does the microwave trip the breaker?
As far as how the microwave can cause the tripping, it's simply due to the switching of electricity that occurs in the appliance. Motors with brushes are among the worst (fortunately, more and more appliances are being designed with DC brushless motors), but other things like plasma screen TVs (which use tiny arcs to generate the plasma discharge that lights the pixels), higher-end toaster ovens (we have a Breville that modulates the heating element intensity in a way that can trip the AFCI), and yes, microwave ovens, can all have similar problems.
In the case of the microwave oven, it will depend on the individual design. But ovens have motors (which are a possible problem, depending on the motor), for the carousel, ventilation, and the "stirrer fan", and the switching on and off of the magnetron can also create signals that would fool the breaker.
I can't tell you exactly what component in the microwave is causing the false tripping, but it's not surprising that something is. And because of the chaotic nature of the AFCI behavior, you may or may not get the exact same behavior from a different individual breaker or oven, even if the same make and model, never mind if you tried a different manufacturer for either.
Why bother using the web form to report the problem?
Note that by reporting the problem on the form linked above, you can at least give the manufacturer a chance to investigate and update the design of their breaker for that particular scenario. It doesn't necessarily help your specific issue right now, but it could improve the situation for you and everyone else in the long run.


Running multiple camera cables from outside to indoors, do I use bushing and wall plate? I'm installing a security camera system.  The DVR will be inside, connected to 8 cameras outside.  All cables will terminate at the DVR. I have a picture of the cables below.  I'm going through a stucco outside to drywall on the inside.  I'm really not sure how to manage this many cables like this.  I've done coaxial TV cable, which uses a coaxial bushing on the stucco side and anchors to a wallplate on the drywall side.  But with 8 cables like this, do I use a single bushing on the outside stucco wall?  I can add a standard wallbox like the one in the picture, but what kind of a face plate would I use since I'm feeding the cables all the way through?
Thanks, if somebody knows the right way to do this.

I have installed several camera setups the way you are describing for friends and my house.  I use an outdoor 90 degree outdoor junction box like these to bring the wire into the house.  I use silicone sealant in the hole in the stucco and the back of the junction box.

you insert 1 plug at a time through the hole.  I use a short 1 1/2 " pvc pipe through the wall.  The pipe in the back of the junction box can be inserted into the pipe that goes through the wall.

On the inside, I use a plastic electrical box and drill a large hole in the back for the wires to pass through.  For the cover on the inside, I use the plate with the large hole in the middle or take a blank cover and cut the hole to the size you want.

See diagram below:


Natural Gas Tankless water heater condensate volume I'm looking to install a Natural Gas Tankless (condensing) water heater (likely Navien 240).  I am planning the drain line (which will have a neutralizer on it to reduce the acidity). The installer & distributor say the condensate will be 2 Gallons per hour (which seems to be the manufacturers maximum number).  I live in a desert area with a very low humidity (<15% normally) so 2 GPH seems excessive to me.

Does anyone have any perspective on likely actual condensate volume?
I'm planning on piping it away from the heater closet (on outside of house).  If it is going through a neutralizer, is there any issue with letting the water flow into landscaped areas to water plants?

Humidity will have little to no effect. The condensate is a combustion byproduct, and will be determined almost entirely by how much the heater runs - when the heater is running, expect pretty much the rated output. When the heater is idle, expect none. As such, volume per day will depend on your hot water usage.
What, if any, treatment is required before irrigation use will depend in part on your local conditions. I know some desert soils are very alkaline and might neutralize acidic condensate quite well themselves. Beyond that, some experimentation is likely called for. A small reed bed filter (see virtually any permaculture reference book/website) or the like might be beneficial before feeding to more sensitive plants - condensate is often a bit weird due to minor combustion byproducts other than water.


Floor Joist Tolerances What is an acceptable tolerance for floor joists (subfloor not laid, yet) over a 4 ft span in an old home? How far out (in height) is acceptable?

maybe 18.  hard to tell without knowing how many monkeys and typewriters are needed.

for the love of god, phrase your question intelligibly.  what tolerance are you asking for?  width? height? span?  material? youngs modulus?  what on earth do you mean by how far out in height?

garbage in, garbage out


How do LED light fixtures accomplish multi-spectral (switch-selectable) color temperature capability? This is more of a technology question perhaps - I was wondering how the LED light fixtures that feature switchable color temperature work.  Do they contain multiple sets of LED's that emit different color temperatures, or are there now LED's that can alter their color temperature based on some input or control signal?

That is correct.  They contain both cool white and warm white elements, and they  dim/blend between them.  You only really need two color temps - 2700k and 5500k - to cover the gamut with dimming/blending.


Painting oil base over latex paint using a latex primer Repainting my shed (wood siding/trim), the prior owners left behind old paint. The paint they left was oil base, so I went out and bought oil base paint. But I'm concerned that they possibly repainted using latex paint. I read that you can determine the paint type by rubbing the old paint with a Q-tip dipped in alcohol, if paint come off it means you have latex. I did that and the paint came off.

So here are my questions:

Is there a better way to determine if my shed has oil base or latex?
If my shed has latex can I use a water base primer over the latex and then top coat it with the oil base paint I bought?
Am I better off just buying new latex paint?

Alkyd over latex is touch-and-go - well, it works or it doesn't.  That depends on several things.

First, is the latex paint new?  If it's less than a year old, forget it - it will not be happy being overcoated with an alkyd (oil based) paint.

Second, you can do an adhesion test.  If it passes the adhesion test, you are all set - you can use that paint.  Google's not much help here because everybody wants to sell you elaborate paint-test equipment. You only need a razor blade, packing tape, and a cotton ball. And this procedure explains it.  The test is fairly over-wrought, but you can shortcut down to what matters to you.  I've bolded the parts that I'd do.

Find an area which is concealed and won't show too badly, but is intact.
Make a cross-hatch of razor cuts through the first few coats of paint.
Clean it carefully. Don't leave any soap residue.
Do a tape test: stick tape firmly to the crosshatch area, and pull it off, folding the tape back nearly 180 as you pull it off (not straight out). These first few steps are documented in this video.  Also it's better to use packing tape.
Tape a cotton-ball to the cross-hatched area, and wet it in the paint's reducer (i.e. paint thinner).  Use very long runs of tape, as the thinner may try to dissolve the tape goo.
Wait 30 minutes, remove it and see if the paint has softened or dissolved.
Wait til it dries.
Do the tape yank test again.
Sand, wipedown and prep the crosshatch area same as you plan to prep the house.
Paint it with that paint.
Wait til it dries.  Look for problems.
Do the tape yank test again.


Changing out an old light switch Some background on this: the house is old, 1960's, and the previous owners loved having multiple switches run a single light.

I am changing out a light switch inside the house that runs an outside light and this light has two switches, one in the garage and one in the dining room. Yeah very odd spot.

The new switches I see have 3 screws on them, 1 for the hot wire and two for travelers. But the old switch has 2 white wires coming in and 2 black wires. One black wire is hot and one white wire is hot. How on earth do I wire the new switch?

In the pics below I tapped the hot wires.

and second pic

Assuming the rocker on this switch doesn't say ON and OFF, this is most likely the middle switch in a "4-way" arrangement.  This is when three or more switches control a light.  The switches on the "end" of this setup will be the three-way switches you are used to.  The one(s) in the middle will be 4 way switches with 4 screws.  Rather than connecting travelers to a common screw like a 3-way, they flip the connections of the two travelers, so there are two travelers in and two out.

You might say that there are only two switches controlling the light, and in that case one of the three ways on the end could have been removed over the years.  You could try and diagnose that and figure out what all the wires do, but the simplest thing would be to get a new 4-way switch and use that.


Is it okay for a Microwave to be off balance, not level on counter top? we just bought a new counter-top microwave to replace our old dead one & found that when in the exact same place, the new one is off-balance, rocks back'n'forth a bit. after discovering the little feet don't screw/unscrew, we fixed this by putting a little pad under one of them. we just want to know if this is okay or not. we're probably being overly paranoid, but am concerned the unit may be bent or something. it does seem to work just fine. there are no rattling noises. we are ok to live with the pad under the little foot as long as the unit can function normally for a long time, but if there's any valid concern about it, we'll take it back. i did call the LG customer service, but they were clueless. any advice is appreciated.

It's not really surprising that an example of the lightweight sheet metal that passes for an appliance these days is askew. I'd have done just what you did, assuming that there are no signs of damage or faulty assembly. As long as the turntable functions smoothly there's no concern with it being slightly out of level, if it still is.


RV sub panel on main feed I want to add an RV subpanel to our cabin, but the location where I want it is very close to the main service switch, but pretty far from the circuit panel inside the cabin. Currently, there is about 100' of underground wire (I think it's MCM 250 aluminum) feeding into the cabin. What I want to do is put in a subpanel, but connect it to the main supply feed (but after the service disconnect switch).

I was thinking that I could use a tap to pull a 6ga wire off of the MCM 250 inside the service disconnect and run that (through underground conduit) to the RV sub panel. I'm having trouble finding out if that is legal though. I was going to put a 4x4 pressure treated post in the ground and mount the sub panel to that, and run the 6ga wire underground through the conduit to it.

Here's a picture of what I have in mind:

You can ignore the generator part of the diagram for now, unless you want to comment on what I have in mind (putting the ATS right below the service switch about 20-25' from the generator).

Is what I have in mind here kosher? Or do I need another main cutoff switch before the RV sub panel?

One of the main questions I have is if I can tap on the switched (after the main 200a breaker) side of the main service switch using something like a "Morris 97643 Multi-Cable Connector", then run the tapped wire off to a sub panel. Since the main service switch would switch off both the circuit breaker in the cabin as well as the sub panel, I'm wondering if that is ok.

Yes, you can tap into the conductors in the cabinet.  As long as it meets...Chapter 3,  Article 312  cabinets and cutout boxes. ( Installation 312.8 )  Over current enclosures taps,and feed through conductors 75% fill. And taps may run up to 25 feet..240.21  wire is a least 1/3 the size of the conductor. your tapping into


What's the right way to sand/shave/reshape particleboard? My second bedroom has low ceilings. I bought an IKEA closet, but somehow botched the measurements when I was seeing if it would fit. So, instead of having ~10cm of room for the top of the cabinet, I have 2-4mm on the high side. I got lucky that they fit at all. :)

However, the ceiling sags a tiny bit, such that one corner of one wall of the closet does not fit between the floor and the ceiling. I'd guess that it's about 2mm too tall. It seems like I should be able to shorten the wall by minimally sanding/shaving/sawing exactly where it strikes the ceiling.

The question is: This cabinet is made of particleboard. It seems like particleboard doesn't cut well, as it's already so soft. What is the correct and safest way to shorten this cabinet without causing structural or aesthetic damage?

If you don't have a lot of material to remove, you could use a belt or palm sander to gently sand it down.  Be very careful not to press too hard so you don't damage the wood, if you take your time it should work just fine.

If you have to remove a bit more material you could use a circular saw, just make sure you get a saw blade with lots of teeth.  For materials like this the more teeth the better, as it will give you a smoother cut and minimize chipping.


Main Panel with separated neutral and ground A customer of mine had a friend wire his basement. He did a neat job, but when I opened up the mailnpanel to add a circuit, I noticed he had installed ground bars and separated them from the neutral bus bars. The neutral and grounds are not connected at all (like you would do in a sub panel). I talked to the guy about it and he said, "it is an isolated ground system which is better for electronics." I cannot find any info on where this is legitimate. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

This isn't what "isolated ground" means in the NEC

What your customer has is not an isolated ground -- it's an ungrounded system, which is only permitted for specific industrial applications in the NEC where electrical system availability is critical and ground-fault detection can be provisioned separately. In an ungrounded system, there is no neutral wire, just hot wires and an equipment grounding wire -- this doesn't work well with the split-phase neutral system, so 120/240V split phase services are required to be grounded (neutral on this type of service is grounded at the transformer anyway, for that matter).

An isolated ground system, on the other hand, has a normal neutral/ground bond, but runs a dedicated ground wire to the receptacle ground contact from the main bonding point, perhaps via isolated busbars on its way, but not bonded to the main equipment grounding system; likewise, the receptacle ground contacts on isolated ground receptacles are isolated from the receptacle yoke.

As to fixing this...

Go to your local electrical supply house and ask them for a Square D 4028345850K, as per this FAQ entry, then, with the main breaker turned off, install it into the mating screw hole on the loadcenter's neutral tie bar (the metal busbar behind and below the main lugs or main breaker load connections that connects the two neutral bars together).


Wall mounting to 300 (w) x 200 (h) VESA specifications I'm trying to mount my new LG C7 which has VESA 300 (w) x 200 (h).

I purchased this wall mount which clearly states it is compatible with said VESA mount.

https://www.invisiontvbrackets.com/invisionr-tv-wall-bracket-mount-double-arm-tilt-swivel-24-55-hdtv-dl

However I cannot find any arrangement of the arms in which I can achieve this. I can get the width but not the height, or the height but not the width - never both.

Am I missing something blindingly obvious here?

The diagram attached will help someone cleverer than I figure this out hopefully.

I contacted the company directly - for anyone who has this issue in future it requires this configuration:


Why is my fuse board buzzing when I'm using the shower? I have used an electric shower for years no problems, but all of a sudden my fuse board started buzzing when I use the shower. I replaced the shower with the same size unit and it still makes a buzzing noise.

I have checked all the wires and they are tight and well connected. I changed the old cartridge fuse for an mcb 40amp fuse, and still it makes a buzzing noise.

Is this a sign that my wylex fuse board needs changing?

Any time you have buzzing coming out of a fuse panel or breaker panel, you need to get a qualified electrician in immediately to find out what's going on.

These things contain large buss bars and depending on your local electrical code, unfused power entry. Any minor loss of connection integrity that causes a loose connection anywhere whether it's inside a breaker, where the breaker/fuse attaches to the buss bars, broken buss bar insulation stand-offs or in the cable connection to the bars can unleash an arc in the 8000-10000 degree F range that burns through metal and instantly sets fire to any wood surrounds that heat gets transmitted into.

The best demonstration of the power of 220V (which did not blow the 50A range fuse) was a cook stove that had a weak spot develop in the element. It glowed bright orange in the break, burst into arc and burnt through the muffin tin my mother threw on it to contain the arc flame. The ion plume reached the ceiling and scorched a 3" dia area black. A water heater pulls enough current to cause such an arc wherever there's a loose connection.


If walls and floors aren't exactly perpendicular, which side should I align tile with? I'm getting ready to tile my bathroom floor and tub surround.  Our house is older (about 45 years old) and the walls/floors aren't exactly perpendicular.  With that in mind, I'm wondering if I should align the tile to be exactly level with the floor/tub or align them so they're exactly level with the wall side (and slant slightly against the base).

Apologies if this doesn't make sense.  I'll try to get some pictures up but the difference isn't major here so it might not be noticeable in a wide angle picture.

I think what you're saying is that the walls and the tub are not perpendicular and that you are going to tile the wall.

You want to know whether you should match a wall or the tub.

In situations like this my recommendation is usually to tile  in a diamond pattern or to use smaller or subway or mosaic tiles such that long, contiguous grout lines are not obvious.

However, if you are going to have long contiguous grout lines I would start by leveling them to the tub and the ceiling, possibly splitting the difference. Consider that a grout line that get slightly wider or narrower as it progresses is less obvious than a tile line that slants upwards or downwards dramatically.


HVAC Supply and Return Re-routing We are planning a rehab of our first floor (2-story home). The furnace and air handlers are in the basement for the whole house. The supply and return for the 2nd floor run STRAIGHT up to the second floor into the attic from the air handler.  We would like to re-route the lines that go to the 2nd floor about 8' from where they are presently. Can this be done without moving the air handlers (which are huge)? I guess my concern is the loss of efficiency when adding 90-degree angles to the path. I am obviously just a homeowner and do not plan to make these changes on my own, but would like some information to help us in the planning process. The inability to move those lines would obviously affect the plans. Thanks.

Depending on where you live, yes, moving the return air duct can affect the efficiency.

If you “heat” mostly each year, then the efficiency of the unit is increased if the return air grille is located at a high point in house. This allows the unit to return the “warmest” air to the unit, it reheats that air and then redistributes it throughout the house.

If you move the return air to a lower position, cooler air will be returned to the unit and therefore need to be heated more before redistributing it throughout the house.

Likewise, if you cool your house more each year, the location of the return air can increase its efficiency by relocating it to a new location.

BTW, one reason the SUPPLY ducts are run directly to the attic is because they can be “run” to each room easily in the attic.

Back when we all had radiators and baseboard heat, we liked them to be installed low so the heat radiated and rose up (often drying out condensation on single pane windows). Now, we can “push” air so vents don’t need to be “low”. In fact, having a dresser on a vent opening will greatly reduce its effectiveness.


Can I shut off pump, stop chemical maintenance on pool that's going to be drained and refaced in 6 months? I live in temperate climate (Northern California) and have an 40 year old outdoor gunite pool. Currently we have a pool pump running 24/7 and use a service to maintain chemical balance weekly.

I plan to have the pool acid-washed and refaced in about 6 months and won't use it before that. Do I need to keep the pool pump running or continue with ph maintenance until repairs? If so, why?

Thanks!

Your best bet would be to drain the pool, flush your plumbing and then blow it out. Then leave your drain open for rain, etc... Resurfacing your pool with algae or other nasty stuff would require more steps to remove then first to make a clean surface.


What type is this switch? This switch has 3 screws, but 4 stab-in holes on the back. Is this a 3 way or a 4 way switch? I'm having quite a bit of trouble re-wiring the new switch (got a 4 way, but wondering if this is some type of 3 way - I stupidly didn't take a photo of the wiring beforehand).

The box has 4 wires being used, plus the ground. The top two stab-ins in the photo are labeled "common" (the top right one cracked when removing the wire). Any idea what kind of switch this is?

Take the switch you bought back and get a 3-way

That switch is a 3-way switch (the term "common" as part of the labeling for the terminals is a dead giveaway).  Unfortunately, using a four-way as a three-way will probably confuse the next person to work on it, so it's better to take it back and just get a 3-way instead (it'll also get you some of your hard-earned money back as a return credit).

P.S. when you wire the new switch, use the side-screws not the back-stabs. It'll save you a bunch of trouble in the long run.


Easiest fix for crooked door frame This particular door has 3 problems:

Door sticks to the stops, due to layers of paint, this post provides couple options.
Top door corner rubs against the head on the latch side when closed
Neither jamb is plumb, which results in the bottom width being 1/4" wider than the top. Unsurprisingly, there's a gap along the bottom half the door when it is closed.

I'm tempted to drop the hinges 1/4" (there's a 1.5" gap between the door and floor), as it'd allow me to fix both #1 (per linked post) & #2 (and since the strike is already too low, I don't need to do anything to it). This leaves me with #3, and I'm wondering if I could just bend the bottom hinge knuckles to close the 1/4" gap although that seems like a lot.

I'm a bit wary of trying to move the door jamb, especially with the hardwood floor there (see picture below). This seems like the better way to fix #3, but doesn't address #2 and seems like a bigger project than I'd like.

Looking for advice, thanks!

First, be sure your door leaf is square. Old doors (the actual door leaf) tend to sag, where the hinge side top gap is correct but the latch side gap is wide. Also, you'll see the latch strike is low on the jamb's strike plate.
To verify your door is square, measure both diagonals. The corner-to-corner measurements should be identical. the top hinge corner to bottom strike plate corner measurement will be longer on a sagging door.
If the door is out of square, you can re-square the door, or you can re=hang the door frame to match the out-of-square door.
You've noted neither jamb is plumb, which means it is very much vertical. You should re-hang your door. You'll find lots of great instruction on hanging a door. Here are one I like:
https://www.familyhandyman.com/doors/repair/fix-sagging-or-sticking-doors/


How to clean a paint brush? How do I clean the brush after painting? How do I wash it?
Can I wash it in the sink? Probably not cause sink will be tainted with the paint.
Basically, practically speaking how do you clean the brush after painting?

First I "paint out" the brush (try to paint scrap material, cardboard etc.) until the brush is too dry to paint.  Then:

Latex paints

Assuming I have flowing tap water on site, I rinse the brush with lots of water, we're talking gallons.  Then when most of the paint is out of it, I start working in whichever hand or dish soap is convenient, both the clean the brush, and also my hands, and also the sink.  Fair play to use the brush to clean the sink.  Then I thoroughly rinse all the soap out.  Then I hang the brush.

Oil based (alkyd, enamel, varnish etc.)

First, do I expect to continue painting in the next few days?  If so, I wrap the brush tightly in plastic, and double wrap it.

I put 10mm of paint thinner into a soup can, and momentarily dip the brush just to re-wet it, and repeat the "paint out" procedure above.  Several times, until it seems like a lost cause.   Then I mash the brush around in the thinner, working the thinner throughout the brush especially the heel (where the bristles go into the ferrule).  You do not want paint accumulation there.  If there's a safe space to splatter, I whip the brush around to use centrifugal force to throw thinner out of it.

If I want it really clean, I get a clean can and put 5mm of thinner in the bottom and repeat the above.  Then I hang up the brush to dry.

2-part epoxy and urethane "paints"

I wrap the brush in plastic, and throw it in the trash.

Why?  Simple rule: Don't spend $5 in thinner to clean a $3 brush. Epoxy and urethane reducers tend to cost a fortune.  If you don't pay for the reducer, ask the person who does.

For throwaway brushes I like Redtree Fooler brand, they are a cut above, and sanely priced if you buy wisely.

If I expect to continue painting in the next few days, I will wrap the brush in plastic and throw it in the freezer (a dedicated fridge for this purpose).

When I say "hang the brush" I mean dangle it by its hole in the handle, on a nail, hook or wire, over somewhere where dripping won't do harm.  That way the bristles dry straight.


How do I cut plastic duct? I need to cut a few bits of 6” plastic duct, is there an easy way to do this?

(Trying to get the ends squared using a freehand hacksaw does not look easy.)

If you're going to use a hand saw, you need a mitre box really. It's way too hard to cut square by hand, because if you start at even a bit of an angle, the saw is going to want to follow that cut.

If you have a mitre saw that is big enough, that's definitely the easiest.
A table saw may work in a pinch, if you use the sliding guide rail.
Make a couple marks using a measuring tape, then draw a line between them. Using a square is probably easy, or using a chalk line or piece of string can work too. You should then be able to use a jigsaw to follow the line and make a pretty even cut.


How can I repair this damaged air compressor? I have an 8 Gal CH air compressor (HM700099AV). Purchased about 3 years ago. Used for a few months, then stored behind other items in a shed and never drained until a year later. At that same time, the bottom twist valve (underneath the tank in the center - it's an upright tank) broke off at the stem. I used another smaller tank since then but want to try and fix the 8 Gal tank now. Air leaks out the hole in the bottom of the tank now where a broken valve was.

The bottom twist valve broke off and I think a thin rod about 12-15" long came out. I don't recall as it was a couple years ago and I had 5 kids running around that day. I put the tank aside again, but am taking a shot at it today.
 It was about $160 new and worked great when it was cared for properly.

If a rod did come out, what parts do I need to fix it?
Is it possible that this not worth it to repair?

I'm not sure what the rod might have been, the inside of an air tank is pretty simple.

Replacement drain valves are available in a variety of configurations, and generally they thread into a nut welded into the tank. It's then just a matter of finding an appropriate replacement valve (relatively easy) and removing the old one (probably much harder).

To help get the frozen valve out, you could (should) try penetrating oil to free what are almost certainly frozen threads, but you may need to step up to using a torch to apply heat to help break the part loose.


Cement board as paver base? I'm planning a DIY patio paver project. The site is down a steep hillside only accessible via steps, where bringing in large amounts of base rock would be back breaking work.

I found this product called Brock Paver Base which purports to eliminate the need for the 4-6" layer of base rock. It is used in conjunction with a bed of sand directly over bare ground. However this product is quite expensive for what is essentially a piece of plastic with holes in it for drainage.

www.brockpaverbase.com

It seems to me that interior cement board with holes drilled in a regular pattern would accomplish the same effect of distributing the paver load over a larger area, at a fraction of the cost per sqft.

Has anyone heard of this being done, or see any obvious problem with it? Other cost effective base materials (outdoor carpet? vinyl flooring?)

Edit: This is in coastal California where frost is not an issue.

While they do make exterior cement board your issue is really going to be that of loading and exposure to other elements.

You will have pavers and then a person standing on them you may exceed the loading (although they are used as a base material for underlayment of ceramic floors there is additional support across the board - your ground may not provide that support.
Further you will also have the elements at play here chemical composition of various components of the soil and rain water (is your rain water alkaline in nature or acidic) and what other contaminants will be in it as it washes the board over time.
You will have issues with shear over time as people walking on the top of the pavers, ground movements from vibration of nearby roads, perhaps trucks or trains - also your ground might be subject to subduction.

Please look to the following for more information:

See page 141:
https://www.usg.com/content/dam/USG_Marketing_Communications/canada/product_promotional_materials/finished_assets/cgc-construction-handbook-ch04-cement-board-construction-can-en.pdf
See Page 2 and up:
http://www.usg.com/content/dam/USG_Marketing_Communications/united_states/product_promotional_materials/finished_assets/durock-cement-board-system-guide-en-SA932.pdf


How to raise this floor transition joint? I have this transition joint:

that I need to install between a section of floating floor and a section of vinyl floor.

Unfortunately, the height between the two sections is too high and the joint can't sit happily on both sides: there is a gap.

What can I do to 'raise' the joint?

I though about gluing Popsicle sticks with carpenter's glue under the join, but I'm not sure it's going to be solid enough (I assume that the sticks will break under the pressure at some point).

You need to take into account three issues: Pressure from the top (someone standing on the strip), lateral pressure (someone knocking or stubbing the trip forwards or backwards), and moisture (what goes under the trim when mopping the floor).

To address each of these issues:

Place support under the flat surface of the trim
Ensure some of the bracket is still available, and
Use wood that is tolerant to moisture

I had a similar problem (with an identical piece of trim) and this is how I fixed the issue.  It's not perfect, but you'll hardly notice!

Use a chisel to remove the small rectangle of wood that the strip connects to. (The X in the picture)
Cut the floor strip to remove the right side of the plastic. In the picture below, it would result in the plastic strip looking like an uppercase letter L.
Dry install the strip and the transition.  You may find the strip is too tall (i.e. the 'back' of the L) to let the transition sit flush with the floor. If so, shave down the strip.  Be careful, these guys shatter easily. A file may be best.
Align and install your strip.
Find a piece of wood (perhaps a water resistant MDF) that is the right height to place under the transition.
Install the spacing wood. Personally I would screw it to the floor.
Apply construction adhesive to strip and top of the spacer. Your connecting  strip is compromised - be generous with the adhesive.
Leave to dry, best of luck with your project!


What type of motor do I need for my attic fan? My attic fan motor appears to be on the fritz (makes a buzzing sound and the fan tries to turn but won't make it more than 1-2 revolutions without sticking).

I'm trying to figure out what type of motor I need. Here are potentially relevant bits of info about the fan/motor...

14-inch blade/housing
120V
2.1A
60Hz
1/5HP

I'm having trouble finding a motor that meets all of those numbers and wasn't sure which of those numbers actually mattered.

FWIW, I have a ~2500 sq/ft attic space.

Here are potentially relevant photos (sorry for the poor quality, obviously bad lighting)...

My dad had to replace one of these at his house a while back and it wasn't much cheaper to buy the motor separately than it was to just replace the whole whole unit with one from a big box store.   If you can get a deal on the motor it may be cheaper though.

If you do find a motor, the thermal protection is important.  If you have a heating and air conditioning place nearby, you may see if they have some similar ones in stock.

If you type the model number into google (dow motor model d-xin-psc-6p1), you can find several of the exact same motor with different amps. I'm not sure how important the amps are, but it seems like the higher amp units have bigger blades.

Lowes has a replacement that has higher amps but is obviously made for a similar fan.

A lot of these seem to be made by 'Air Vent Inc.', Amazon has some too.


Broke plaster anchoring electrical box I put a little too much pressure on my electrical box when tightening down a new switch.  It was previously anchored by what I believe was overhanging tabs on both the top and bottom of the plaster, and the plaster on the top tab broke through.

What are my options for repairing this?  If there are no DIY options, what kind of expert would I need to bring in?  Electrician?  Plasterer?  Carpenter?  All of the above?

There are plastic shims expressly for the purpose of supporting plugs and switches. They come in a strip and one tears off as many as needed and folds them accordion style and slips it over the screws to allow the switch to be screwed hard to the box parallel to the wall and the right distance from it.

Edit, Addition

In the present case, if I understand the querant's comment correctly, the box is loose in the wall. If he wants to avoid replacing this box, a clamp is required on both sides of the  to secure the box and the switch. The switch cover plate can supply the clamp onto the wall cavity side of the drywall (or plaster).

One such clamp is a pair of grip-lok sheet metal clamps. The grip-lok clamps could result in the box being positioned a little way back into the wall. If that happens then some of the spacers might also be required to get the switch positioned properly. But if the box ends up perfectly in the plane of the room side of the drywall, then no spacers would be required.


Where is the "labyrinth plate" of a dishwasher? I am trying to diagnose an intermittent error message with a Fisher & Paykel DW920 Dishwasher.
I found the diagnostics manual, and in the section on checking the operation of the wash pump it recommends that I "check labyrinth plate".

(Click to enlarge; see box in bottom right corner, second from right.)
I don't know what that is. I have been unable to find a description. The closest I have come is someone trying to sell me a replacement.
What is the role of a labyrinth plate, and where can I find it to make sure it is properly serving that role?

The part is the PUMP INLET PLATE.  It acts as a filter and has a tortuous path for fluid and can become clogged. It is attached to the Impeller assembly


what is the likely cause of a single fluorescent tube not working in a light fixture with a ballast that supports two tubes? So I've got a warehouse with many fluorescent tube fixtures.  We are slowly transitioning piecemeal to LED as we run out of replacement ballasts and bulbs.

I've got a fairly simple troubleshooting technique:

Are both tubes out?  Probably the ballast.
Test the fixture with a known-good tube.
If known-good tube works, then the ballast is fine.  Replace both tubes.
If the known-good tube doesn't work, the ballast is bad.  Replace ballast or retrofit to LED.
Is only one tube out?  Then the ballast should be fine (???).  Replace the bad tube.

So here's where things are weird.  I've got two fixtures now where one tube works, and the other one doesn't.  But even when I replace the bad tube with a known-good tube, it doesn't work.

I've checked the wiring and it's fine.  On one fixture I even saw the tube "burn out" - and that fixture has been chugging along for years without any intervention.  It would be weird for it to suddenly develop a wiring problem out of nowhere.

I guess my question is, is it possible for a ballast that supports two tubes to fail on one tube only?  I didn't know this was a failure mode for electronic ballasts.  But maybe it is an internal wiring problem...

I buy most of my ballasts on ebay for a couple of bucks, they are new pulls (seller bought new fixtures and immediately converted to LED). I combine them with the newest 90+ CRI tubes ($2 each) and the light is amazing! Don't look at the fixtures, look at the stuff the fixture is lighting up.

ALL fixtures can take electronic ballasts, I have converted some 1940 era fixtures (after giving them a trip through the paint shop). Those old fixtures are well built.  The only exceptions are very cheap fixtures with weird unobtanium tombstones or no space to fit a ballast.

If the ballast is instant start, it is possible for an electronics failure to take out one side.  But it's more likely a tombstone problem (or wiring).  A bag of spare tombstones (60 cents ea. at 1000bulbs) is essential even if converting to LED.

I dislike instant start ballasts and prefer rapid or programmed start when obtainable at sane price.  You want programmed start for hard to reach locations or frequently cycled lights e.g. Bathroom or on a motion sensor.

Tubes don't "burn out", they get dimmer, scorch their ends and then flicker or barely light.  An abrupt failure is tombstone or ballast.


How do I pump up water pressure in my shower? I have a well system that generates approx 35 psi of flow to my shower. How can I pump up pressure to the shower?

I would start with new Shower head. You make have a low pressure model or it may just be clogged/hardwater build up.  If that doesn't work check your water filter it may be clogged and needs to be replaced. Many have a bypass so you can see if there is any difference. It is possible you have partially clogged pipes or your shower cartridge/valve  could be blocked with dirt in the screen.  You can replace the Pressure Switch with a 40/60 psi.


Where to attach clamps when using a mitre saw? I am thinking about buying my first mitre saw/compound saw. Maybe not this model, but something similar to this:

I note that some models come with a built-in material clamp that presses the work down, some come with a built-in material clamp that presses the work horizontally towards the fence, and some, like the one pictured, offer neither. (It doesn't seem to be related to the price.)

If I bought the model shown, I can't see how to conveniently and safely clamp the work before cutting. The fence has plastic catches behind the fence (to allow it to be turned), so clamping there will be a fiddly matter. There is very little space underneath the base to slide a G-clamp or similar to allow a vertical clamp. If there are holes that are intended to insert a clamp, I can't see which they are.

Are there clamps that attach to the side extensions? They seem too flimsy.

I fear I am missing something that will seem stupidly obvious when it is explained to me.

If you want clamps on your saw, buy a saw with clamps.


Range manual asks for 40A while label states 26.5A Running a new 8/3 Wire (75') for my Samsung dual fuel Range. Was about to use a 40A circuit breaker, but the difference between the installation manual (40A) and the label on the appliance (26.5) makes me wonder.

Is it ok to have what's looks like an oversize breaker in the box?

Many thanks!

A 40 amp breaker is not oversized for #8 wire. It is just right.

The National Electrical Code requires a minimum of a 40 amp circuit for ranges of 8 3/4 KW or greater.

Here is the pertinent part of the Code:

  210.19(A)(3) Household Ranges and Cooking Appliances.  Branch-circuit conductors supplying household ranges, wall-mounted ovens, counter-mounted cooking units, and other household cooking appliances shall have an ampacity not less than the rating of the branch circuit and not less than the maximum load to be served. For ranges of 8 3∕4 kW or more rating, the minimum branch-circuit rating shall be 40 amperes.

The label on your range would indicate it only draws 6.3KW which could be fed by a 30 amp circuit but if the manufacturer is recommending a 40 amp circuit you should follow that recommendation.

Besides the next range you buy may need more power.


option for hot sunroom floor i have a  sunroom, summer time sunroom can be hot over>100 F degree, laminate or vinyl planks which one is better and can tolerated hot weather?

I would suggest that you review the manufacturer's specifications for the products you're interested in installing. Nobody will know the products better or have tested them in more conditions that the manufacturer. They'll be able to tell you the environmental constraints, like minimum and maximum temperatures and water resistance.
If you can't find these items listed on the spec sheets, use the "contact us" link that's bound to be somewhere on their web-site to send them a question to ask specifically.
As to which one is better - that's a personal opinion, and we can't answer that for you, especially since you haven't defined what criteria you're interested in measuring to determining "better".


Removing cabinets and matching Ceiling knockdown underneath My husband and I recently pulled out some upper cabinets in our kitchen. I want to DIY spray texture the knockdown but the problem I ran into after priming the area is there is a ridge in the ceiling texture where the cabinets used to be. I tried spraying over the ridge but it shows right through. What can I do to make it not look like there was cabinetry there? (I tried to add a picture but it won’t let me :/ )

One way to reduce the visible ridge effect is to use sandpaper to taper down the old knock down material along the ridge to smooth it out some. This job will be a bit harder if the old material has coats of paint on it. When I have sanded like this in a similar situation I used 120 weight sandpaper on a hand sanding block.

Note that there will be the urging desire to perform this sanding with a power sander but this is generally not recommended because it is so easy to sand too far and end up tearing up the paper covering of the drywall.


Is there a benefit to painting concrete floors? In every place I have ever lived, I've seen cement floors painted (unfinished basement and garage). In every case over time I've observed the paint flaking, peeling and creating a terrible mess. I would love nothing more than to remove all floor paint from my current property.

What I would like to know is if there's a practical reason this is done? Does the paint do anything beneficial for the protection of the concrete surface or is this simply a cosmetic finish that could be removed without consequence?

It's a cosmetic finish that can be removed without consequence. Makes a lot more sense to pretty up concrete with something other than paint if longevity is a concern. Acid stain, sheet vinyl, engineered hardwood, tile, stone…


Are my cabling and bonding plans correct for a new subpanel? I want to make sure I have this right, as it will be inspected and I'd rather not have to redo anything.

Current service: 150A, panel is in an interior hallway and the main disconnect breaker is outside. Currently ~1150sf, 3BR, 2BA, gas appliances. Adding an in-law suite - ~768sf with an additional bath and kitchenette (gas appliances there, too).

Rather than running the new circuits all the way back to the current panel (an additional 40' of cable for each run), I'd like to install a subpanel in the new laundry room adjacent to the addition. It would service 4-6 20A breakers.

This is what I'm thinking:

New double pole 60A (type QP) from the house panel to something like the attached in the new laundry room
6/3 stranded copper Romex (<50')
Remove tie bar between ground and neutral in the new subpanel

Does that sound right? As mentioned, I'm pulling permits for all the work, so if there's something anyone thinks I should be aware of, feel free to let me know.

BTW: The existing panel is a Siemens, fwiw.

Thanks in advance!

Go for it -- just don't starve new the panel for slots!

You have plenty of headroom on your existing service to add the new feeder (the 220.82 calculation for your existing house comes out to a mere 45A, assuming your kitchen receptacles are on 2 circuits and your A/C is reasonably modern/efficient as I used a representative 13 SEER for calculation purposes), and a 60A feeder is more than enough for your guest suite, as NEC 220.82 pegs it at a mere 29A (given that it doesn't have its own laundry facilities -- even if it did, it'd be only 35A).

The wire's fine, too.  Even though 6/3 NM is only rated for 55A, you can't get 55A breakers, so the 60A breaker is fine as per 240.4(B), and the Article 230 provisions for service sizing don't apply to feeders.

One suggestion I will make here, though, is not to starve the new subpanel for slots -- something like a Siemens P3040L1125CU would be ideal here, even if it seems like massive overkill at first.  That way, there's ample space to arrange your load across circuits how you see fit.  Pulling the tie bar on the new subpanel here is precisely the correct move, as well -- neutral and ground never meet again, after all.


Can I replace a microwave with a range hood exhaust vent without doing carpentry? My fairly small kitchen has a standard (30") four-burner slide-in gas range, and above it a microwave with a built-in vent. All over 10 years old.  The vent exhausts to the exterior via a duct that goes up into the cabinet above the microwave.

I've read that, as vents, microwaves ovens are pretty good ovens. Consumer Reports indicates that some are less mediocre than others. Their latest rating is not very up to date.

If I pull out the microwave, will a pure vent drop into the space left behind, or am I likely to be looking at carpentry?

Having recently done the exact same thing you are mentioning, here are my tips and observations. For reference, this was the range hood I bought.

Make sure to buy a range hood that is the same width as your
microwave. This wasn't an issue for me since the microwave was a
standard size for most range hoods.
The only "carpentry" work I had to do was creating/adjusting the vent
hole in the bottom of the cabinet. The new range hood should come
with a nice template to show you were the vent cutout needs to be.
You may get lucky with being able to use the existing hole but I was
not this lucky. This was the ONLY cutting that I had to do.
The new range hood was super easy to install under the cabinet (4
screws!) with the included brackets. The exception to this is that
you may need to buy the cable that plugs into the outlet and directly
wire it to the hood.
You may have an unsightly backsplash area from where the microwave
was previously installed. I didn't have any paint behind the
microwave so there was a bare patch that I had to repaint. I also had
to fill a couple holes in the wall that were used to secure the
microwave.
You may need to get different ducting if the new range hood doesn't
include the appropriate adapter/connection for your existing duct.

Hope that helps!


Replacing rotted shed flooring without changing foundation I realised recently that part of my shed floor had sunk. When I pulled up the carpet I found that the wooden floor had rotted away. After pulling away some of the rotted wood it looks (to me) as though the underlying support is still in tact.

I don't know how old the shed is. The property is around 20 years old, so the shed will be less than that.

My question is - to fix this can I simply rip up the rotted wood on top and replace it with new wood?

See below 2 pictures to help explaining. The orange dot in the 1st picture indicates the placement of the shot in the 2nd picture.

The purple speech bubbles indicate what I believe to be support beams just from where the wood lines up and the sound made when knocking the floor.

Edit

Below is an image the shows the interior wall as well as the issue.

Yes you can simply replace the plywood floor, but you really need to investigate why it rotted to begin with.


Dug up an outlet- how to safely fix it? I bought a house from an older lady last summer with a pretty elaborate backyard. I noticed in the evenings, lights would turn on around the perimeter and shine on some of the trees. Then after a few months I noticed they stopped coming on. I recently went out to investigate and found all the lights lead to a few boxes mounted to the fence with an extension cord powering the boxes. I followed the extension cords to an outlet that was by this time completely buried. I dug it up:

There was no protective sheath around the outlet so I presume rain water made its way in and tripped the GFCI breaker but I don't really know. So my questions are:

How do I determine exactly what happened and fix it?
How do I protect the outlet so it's safe and this doesn't happen again?

Thanks!

Sounds like your assumption that water penetrating the box is correct no need to figure out any more than that. These boxes are not made for direct burial. (Pretty amusing actually. I will be using your picture as a teaching tool.)

The conduit and wiring the box is attached to needs to be extended upward I would say a minimum of 12" above grade. It also needs to be attached to something to support it. It cannot "free-float". Perhaps you could attach it to that pressure treated post in the corner of your picture.

Extending the conduit, if it is PVC, is just a matter of gluing more conduit on to the existing. However, extending the wiring will involve pulling new wire from the last existing junction box or the panel. Wire cannot be spliced inside the conduit.

If these lights are temporary, such as holiday lighting, they can be cord connected. The receptacle needs to be GFCI protected either by a GFCI breaker or receptacle. Also, the receptacle needs to be weather resistant and tamper resistant. Finally the cover needs to be an "extra duty, in-use" cover to protect the connections while the cords are plugged in.

If these lights are permanent, (and it sounds like they are: landscape lighting and accent lighting) then a permanent wiring method should be used instead of cords. So, you could still extend the receptacle for a convenience receptacle, but you should hard-wire all the outdoor lighting.

Good,luck!