How do I make a fire break around our chimney? We've purchased an older house built in the 70's, and one of the two chimney's lacks a fire break, meaning that you can see direct from the basement up into the second floor. There's a gap of approximately an inch between the flooring and the chimney, and when we had our chimneys capped the contractor recommended a fire break or fire stop but wasn't able to install it at the time.

My question is whether this is something I need a chimney professional to install or something that I can handle myself. He mentioned a part, unspecified, that was $25 or so, and I'm not sure what that is or where to start.

Any suggestions?

Prefabricated chimneys have specific firestop spacers that must be used to maintain the terms of their listing, though they are often just sheet metal with a hole cut in it.

For constructed chimneys such as those like yours of masonry units, use firestop foam to fill the gap between framing and the masonry at every floor and ceiling level. This stuff is made by many of the same companies that make other materials used in construction. It's typically much like expanding polyurethane foam used as a sealant to fill gaps in construction, except it contains chemicals so the material will not support a flame, the stuff just chars. Regular foam will support a flame and puts off noxious fumes when burning.


Armstrong Ultra SX90 Furnace problem We have an Armstrong Ultra SX90 Furnace that the fan stops running when it's on cool but constantly runs when it's on heat. We have tried everything but replace circuit board. Any help wd be appreciated. Thank you.

Even though HVAC is not my specialty (electrical is), I have worked on HVAC controls for Energy Management Systems. As far as I know all heat units have a cool down cycle so when the heat turns off the fan continues to run to softly cool down the unit. This could either be a timing relay or thermo sensor which tells the fan it can shut down.

So that's where I would look. My thinking is that this devices is bad and faulted to a normally on position where the fan is running all the time. As a DIYer I don't think it wise to get into HVAC controls unless you had some experience and are good at following schematics and finding part numbers for replacement. I am suggesting a qualified HVAC mechanic should be doing this repair.

Good luck and stay safe.


How to install a GFCI? I would like to replace a regular plug with a GFCI plug. The current plug has:

Ground (green in picture)
White
Black
Red (connected on the same side than the Black with broken tap)

The breaker is "double" (see picture)
To the best of my knowledge, there is no switch linked to half of the outlet.
Thank you!

Multi Wire Branch Circuit
You have an MWBC. It provides 2x the power with 1.5x the wires (3 wires instead of 4). The catch is:

If wired to a typical double-receptacle, you need to remove the tab for it to work properly
Neutral (white) must be wired in a way that removing a device from the circuit won't affect other devices
Must have a double-breaker or handle-tied breaker

Your old setup has all of that. What it doesn't have is GFCI protection. While with an ordinary single circuit, you can install GFCI at the point of use (a combination GFCI/receptacle) or in the panel, with an MWBC the usual solution is in the panel. You do actually have an alternative, but it is more work and only makes sense if you also want to have more receptacles:

Replace this receptacle with a combination GFCI/receptacle. Do not remove the tab. Connect black to hot, white to a pigtail to neutral.
Add a new combination GFCI/receptacle in another location (could be another box right next to this one or could be on the other side of the garage, whatever you want). Do not remove the tab. Run a new cable 14/2 (or 12/2 is OK) and connect the existing red wire to the black wire of the new cable and connect the white wire of the new cable to the old white/pigtail (i.e., don't chain it through the receptacle). Then wire up the new receptacle standard black/hot, white/neutral.

That will essentially split the MWBC into two separate circuits, each of which can handle a full 15A load. If you want to use two large tools in one place and nothing else, then the existing receptacles (plus GFCI in the panel for safety) makes sense. But having 4 receptacles (2 on each of 2 circuits) can be very useful.


How do I even out a tile floor to properly support a dishwasher? I'm remodeling my kitchen and I have tiles under the dishwasher. Unfortunately the transition between tiles is not even and 2 tiles are lapping EXACTLY where the dishwasher back wheel is. This makes the dishwasher unstable.

I was thinking that there must be a floor mat out there that I can use that will even out the irregularities? This will have the added benefit of reducing vibrations as well. I made an extensive web search for such mats but I just can't find anything specifically made for dishwashers. I know there are mats out there for washing machines and driers but not dishwashers.

Actually that's not entirely true, there is this one sketchy website that sells some floor mat for dishwasher for an awful lot of money (like $80 for a 24x24 mat). Is there no reasonable alternative that I can find in some retail store? Would a washing machine mat work, provided it's not too thick (dishwasher is under the counter) and rather firm (can't allow for bouncing as dishwasher will be screwed under the counter I think)?

"Most" kitchen appliances have adjustable feet that "should" be able to adjust to take up a 2-3" difference in flooring heights.  Your other option is to measure the difference and fill the gap with an appropriately width piece of plywood.

Check out this Image I found on http://www.dannylipford.com/how-to-install-a-dishwasher/


How can I level a transition in a floor before gluing a vinyl tile? I'm going to glue vinyl tiles on top of existing sheet vinyl floor, in my bathroom. However, in one small area, near the sink, there are some ceramic tiles on the floor, therefore there's a small "bump" in the floor level, 3-4mm I think:

How can I "smooth out" that transition so I can glue the new vinyl tiles right over the whole floor?

I'd rather not remove the tiles, since they go under the sink cabinet.

The simple answer is you don't transition here.  Any type of transition you try to put on that edge will be just as awkward or even more awkward than the already bad transition.

I would try to get some thin plywood and lay it over existing vinyl and try to match the height that way.  You will need a metal L to protect the edge of the vinyl next to the tile.

(Actually I would never do this.  I would lay tile next to existing tile or take tile out and vinyl the whole floor.  I think you are causing yourself more work by trying to do the job quicker.)


How to connect lighting fixture into ceiling junction box? I’m trying to connect a simple lighting fixture with ground, white, and black wires into a ceiling junction box as shown below. When I removed the cover plate, there were 2 black wires, 2 white wires, 3 green wires, and 1 unstripped yellow wire

I connected the lighting fixture according to the instructions by connecting white to white, black to black, and ground to green. When I turned the breaker on, the light fixture was permanently on and I couldn’t control it with any of the switches.

Is this related to the yellow wire being unconnected? How should I be connecting a lighting fixture to this setup?

I don’t know if it’s relevant but there are two nearby switches with yellow wires connected to them as well (shown below).

Look for a switch with a yellow wire that doesn't seem to control anything. That will become the switch for the light fixture.

Connect your light fixture green to green, white to white, and fixture black to ceiling yellow.


Should I add Floetrol / XIM Latex Extender to my Exterior Acrylic Latex Paint? I painted my front door (metal) with Sherwin-Williams Emerald Exterior Satin (Acrylic Latex) and the result is not super. The paint dries so fast that I ended with multiple brush marks and roller marks. Because of panels on the doors, I have to use a brush and a roller.

After some online research, I found out about paint additive (e.g. Floetrol, XIM Latex Extender). According to what I read online (mostly online reviews...), those additive help getting rid of the brush and roller marks and makes it easier to apply.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Flood-Floetrol-Interior-Exterior-Paint-Conditioner-Actual-Net-Contents-32-fl-oz/3376244

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Flood-Floetrol-1-qt-Clear-Latex-Paint-Additive-FLD6-04/100198078

Have you ever tried to add Floetrol / XIM Latex Extender to your paint? Does it really help? If it helps so much, why Sherwin Williams does not add it to its paints? Thanks!

Rules that I live by for painting doors:

always paint in the shade, and not when it is too hot (>75°F)
always remove doors and lay flat for painting
always brush doors, no rollers (unless "back-rolling" after brushing, for texture)
do not skimp on paint when applying
always maintain a "wet edge"
always use professional grade brushes- emphasis intentional, this makes all the difference

You purchased top grade paint, there should be no need for additives at all.


Wiring a ceiling fan with remote (5 wires) to 2 wall switches I replaced my ceiling fan (pull chains for light and fan) to a  TroposAir Starfire ceiling fan.
My house has 4 wires coming from the box, white,red,black and green.  There is 2 switches on the wall that controlled the fan and light independently.  Now with this new fan that goes through the remote it leaves one switch as a dummy as there is just one master switch that controls the main power and everything goes through the remote, with young children this is not ideal.  How to I wire this so the light and fan have their own switch?  The remote has 5 wires going in, 3 for the motor and 2 for the light.

The fan you purchased isn't designed to be wired with separate switches. It's designed to have an always hot hooked up to the remote unit in the fan that controls everything. If you want a fan and light to be controlled by the wall switches then you need to get a different fan without the remote unit since you can't just bypass the remove unit. There are smart devices out there that allow you to do both but you have to make sure they are compatible with your fan... and they're not cheap.


3-way light switch mysteriously works, then stops working, then starts working again I have a three-way light switch that is exhibiting really odd behavior.

Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. For example, just now the following happened.

Lights are off. I go to switch A and flip it back and forth. Nothing happens.
I then go to switch B and flip it. The lights come on.
I then return to switch A and flip it twice. The lights first go off, then come on again.

For about a week, neither switch was working and lights just stayed off.

It is very strange. What might be the problem here?

Note that these are dimmable lights and that there are a lot of light switches in the house so it is possible the circuit is tied into something else. Can you have a 4-way light switch?

Normal 3-ways are wired like this

Your first part suggests a 3-way circuit where one of the switches is miswired.
There is such a thing as 3+ switches on a 4-way circuit.  Thise switches are added to the middle, and take 2 yellows on one side and 2 yellows on the other side.  They either send them straight through, or swap them.
I use yellow for travelers because they are a matched pair that are interchangeable.  Practical 3-way wiring with cable forces you to use 2 of the 3 available wire colors for travelers, and it can be different on every wire run.  As such, I recommend removing all uncertainty by marking them with yellow tape.  It makes complicated things dog simple.


What kind of wood is this What kind of wood is this? It is made of a patchwork of wood pieces.

From the worktops I have seen that is likely to be beech.

Upside is the surface is less likely to warp over time.


Ceiling fan stops running after a while I have a ceiling fan fixture with lights.  The fan runs fine for a few hours or so and then suddenly seems to lose power and slow to a stop.  The switch stays on and the circuit breakers are not tripped.  I have to toggle the switch repeatedly to get the fan to work again.  The fan worked fine for several years so I don't think it's a wiring issue.  Any ideas what could be wrong?

In case it's relevant, the fan switch is on a wall panel of three switches.  There is one switch for the fan lights, one for the fan itself, and one for a wall outlet in the room.  The outlet switch stays on 24/7 and both the outlet and the lights work properly.

The fact that you have to toggle the switch to get it going again leads me to believe you've got a bad switch or maybe it's wired by utilizing the backstabs.

Try switching the light and fan switch to see if the problem "moves" to the lights or stays with the fan. Don't disconnect anything until you've taken a few pictures for reference. Also, turn off the breaker before you do anything.


Silicone or plumbers putty? Replacing my tub.

Below the tub is the PVC drain and it comes with a rubber gasket.

Then the tub-drain unit screws into the drain from inside the tub to make the connection.

I watched a video that said silicone was better than plumbers putty.

I've always used plumbers putty...Is silicone really better than plumbers putty?

I assume the silicone would never go on the PVC drain rubber gasket.

Do I still use Teflon tape on threads if using silicone?

Neither. The rubber gasket replaces both. Plumber's putty is mostly obsolete these days (almost everything comes with rubber or neoprene washers) and can stain fixtures, and silicone is never a good material for joining water-bearing plumbing components.

You could use PTFE tape as a secondary measure and a thread lubricant. Be sure to wrap it the correct direction.


How can I protect my fingers while using a band saw? I intend on using a band saw to cut out large meeples (the wooden pieces from the board game Carcassonne) from a 2x4 board.  I'm worried about cutting my fingers.

What tool can I use to help keep my fingers out of harm's way?  I've noticed push sticks, but the only ones I can find are push sticks that help you re-saw boards with a band saw.  Is there a similar tool to help protect your fingers as you guide the board to cut out shapes?

Do not wear gloves while using a bandsaw (or any powered saw, drill press, or planer for that matter). The gloves will give you a false sense of security and do very little to protect your hands. In fact, they may end up getting your fingers pulled into the blade if the material catches. Which would you prefer: a cut fingertip, or a mangled hand?

The best way to protect your hands is to be very deliberate about every movement you make around the saw, and keep your hands away from the blade by using a push stick or push block. If the cuts you are making are simple straight lines, get a miter gauge that slides along the miter slot that is present in most band saw tables.

Assorted Push Sticks:

Miter Gauge:

EDIT:

After a clarification from @ArgentoSapiens, I realized you're looking to cut the smaller person-shaped game pieces and not the board tiles. The way those are most likely cut in the factory would be with a router table and specialized router bits. Stock would be fed through to create one very long "extruded" meeple which could then be cross cut into many smaller pieces that are only 1" or so thick. You could probably do this with just a few router bits if you've already got a router and a table. This would be a much faster and safer way of doing it.

If you don't have a router and router table, then I suggest using a band saw or scroll saw as you planned. However, don't cut the stock into roughly "meeple" sized pieces first. Plan on wasting a lot of wood for safety's sake ($3 for another 2x4 is well worth keeping all of your fingers intact). Keep each work piece attached to a larger chunk of wood that you can use to safely feed the rest of it into the band saw. Then when you have all the detail work completed, finish up by making one last cut to sever the finished piece from the larger chunk of wood.


How to choose a kitchen faucet compatible with old sink and new counter top? I need to replace my kitchen faucet which just broke. However, we're already planning to have a new counter top installed in about 3 months (I was hoping the old faucet would last).

I want to buy a quality faucet now and move it to the new counter. The existing sink is a typical (here in US) stainless steel "rim on top of counter" mount. The new sink will be an under the counter type. The sink has 3 holes on 4" centers.

What do I need to consider to ensure the new faucet will work in both situations? Is the difference in thickness from the old sink to the new mount on the counter a problem? Can I safely assume the new counter fabricator/installer can make appropriate holes for any faucet that fits the current sink?

Faucets are standardized, and should be able to be installed in either situation. Anything you buy will almost certainly work with your new counter top.


Is it common to not find water when digging a sump pit in a basement? Quick background on my situation.  We bought our house 23 years ago and the basement was partially finished.  Over the years we've had issues with water in the basement during strong/prolonged rains.  The house was built in 1964 so no sump pump was required and none added, until now. The water enters on the finished side, where the walls are finished, so all we ever saw was water coming out from under the wall, right at the floor.

We've finally decided to "gut" the finished side and start over, but the first thing I wanted to do was install a sump pump, so we wouldn't be refinishing the basement just to have the same issue.  So I broke out the floor and dug the hole for the basin, but never hit/found any water.

I've always heard stories about people trying to dig a hole for a sump pump and how it keeps filling up with water. Well, that wasn't an issue. Now I'm beginning to think we might have cracks in our foundation wall that is allowing the water to get in, and not a ground-water issue and that I wasted a good deal of effort and time unnecessarily.

So my question is, how common/uncommon is it to not hit water when setting a sump pump?

Thanks!!

It is very common to not hit water in the dry season. Some homes have sump pits because the walls allow water in through cracks and there is not a true high water problem, this is common with block walls. I have poured several basements and sealed them from the outside and installed drains and backfilled with rock; no leaks no pit needed.


Can I add another cable to this 3-gang electrical box? I have a 3-gang metal (ca. 1980, three boxes with removable sides) electrical box that currently has 4 NM cables entering it; at least 3 of them are 12/3, the 4th is either 12/3 or 14/3.  All four cables have grounds as well.
There are two 3-way switches in the box (a third has been removed and the two cables involved joined with wire nuts).

I'd like to feed a new nearby box with a 12/2 fed from the black and white wires of the two cables that are currently wire-nutted together (and then on to a new light fixture).   Would this violate the maximum fill of this box?   If so, I can pull that pair of cables from this box, and join them in a new box (this is in a garage, so an awkwardly placed box is not an issue).

What size box is it? It should either have a volume printed on it, or will be a standard size. Without knowing the box volume, we can't give you a definitive answer.

Assuming it's all 12 AWG, it's at least (12 (current carrying conductors) + 1 (grounds) + 4 (device fill)) * 2.25 = 38.25 cu. in. currently.

Adding another two conductor cable with ground would require an additional 4.5 cu. in. For a total of 42.75 cu. in., not counting any clamp fill not mentioned.

As long as the box is larger than this, you'll be okay.

Note that if you put the third device in, you'll have to add another 4.5 cu. in.

See this answer for more detail on box fill calculations.


What's the best way to fill in some uneven cracks in my garage and level it out so that I can paint over it? I have a big crack on my garage floor.  I need to fill it and level it out so that I can paint over it using that garage floor epoxy paint.  Basically, I'm selling the house and I want to make the house look as presentable as I can.  So, what product(s) should I use to fill the crack?  Just a concrete repair kit?  Cement?

The paint may cause you trouble, as most want concrete to have cured for 30 days, so make sure that the brand you use will work with your timetable.

The concrete repair products are best for cracks up to 25mm and similar depth. Larger than that would require a concrete patch 1st, filled to within 25mm of the surface. Then the repair patch (just a sanded mortar type) or a refinisher patch product, which can be troweled paper thin.

A concrete bonding agent (usually a latex based product) is used first, especially if any sealing was done previously.


Can corroded terminals cause occasional power flickering in house? My house power sometimes flickers at same time (but not always.. like only once in two days at night). All the panels, breakers and connections were tightened to the component torque standards. Since the flickering is entire house, then it is either the POCO (Power Company) connections or the corroded service breaker outside which has been exposed to the rain and sun for nearly 20 years.

It's difficult to replace this because it's live and it will take so long process for city hall to give us permit to cut the electricity to the entire townhouse compound with 5 houses. I bought it used 10 years ago. The following are the details of the lugs and terminals from another breaker of same model I replaced inside the house:

I need to know something. The wires connected to it in the exposed breaker in first picture above was AWG 1 copper. When exposed to the elements (sun and rain). Can either the copper or aluminum rust or corrode (see the blue arrows)? Can this cause flickering? Isn't it that flickering is only caused by loose connection, and it's not loose? Perhaps only dirt covered the intact connections underneath it above (in the first picture)?

If the flickering is not caused by it. Then it's the POCO transmission lines or source that may be the problem (at least I need to know). I'm sure it's not inside because the panel and all connections are not loose and even torqued to exact specifications. Thank you.

Yes, that is a very serious situation.  You have a breaker in direct weather that isn't made for that service, and worse, you have aluminum wiring in and out, which is vulnerable to corrosion from weather.  That needs to be looked at every year or two to clean up the wires and lugs and refresh the No-Ox.

Yes you can de-energize it.   You need to pull the electric meter that is before it.

However, when you call up the electric company to have them do this, they will probably inform you that you have a smart meter and they can shut it off remotely by typing a few things on a keyboard.   So do that.

And then, do something about all that gear being exposed to weather, because that is the root of the problem.


Vinyl Tile Crackling Noise When Walking On It I recently installed standard self-adhesive vinyl tile in a section of my basement.  I cleaned the painted concrete and the surface was generally flat but it isn't perfectly smooth.  There were some small pock-marks and generally a little roughness to the surface.

When I walk on the tile now, it makes a bit of a crackling noise. I assume this is from small sections of the adhesive backing pressing down fully onto the floor and then lifting up it again.  Is there a simple method to fix this?

I see that some sites recommend you use a roller to push the tile down.  I didn't use one originally but I did shuffle my feet across the tiles to help assure they were pressed down fully.  Would a roller help?  It's been a few days since I installed it, so is it to late to try this?

The problem is the small voids below the tiles, if it was flat this would not be a problem a roller will do the same as walking on it, possibly heating with a heat gun may help but it may damage them as they actually need to melt a bit to drop down , if you want a pro job with no noise or problems the tiles will need to be removed and a leveling compound added, if it has not been long and you can get the same tiles you may be able to remove the bad areas , level and replace with new tiles, I was able to repair a large basement with a few areas that had problems because the owner had an extra box of the same type, I leveled the areas that had problems , applied the new tiles and it looked funny 4 areas that were lighter, I actually added some dirt and scrubbed it and the color was much better match. , if you don’t have some extra you may be able to get a close match and blend them in with some “dirty scrubbing” . Years back I used to think those tiles were a waste but if properly applied I have found them to hold up quite well in dry areas. If the noise bothers you or a few tiles come up try leveling then if needed a dirty scrubb.


Central air winterization and insulation Do I need to insulate the skinny copper line on the outside to keep it from freezing and bursting during the cold winter months?  Anything else I need to do winterize the a.c. unit?

No. There's nothing that really needs to be done, as the units are designed to be outside.  The refrigerant in the lines will not freeze, so you don't have to worry about the lines bursting. Wikipedia lists the melting point of R-410A at -247°F†, so it would have to get fairly cold before you'd have to worry.

Some folks like to cover them, but that's not recommended. Covering the units can give mold and mildew a lovely place to grow, especially in the spring when temperatures begin to rise.

If the unit is in a place where snow thrown by shovels, blowers, or plows will hit it. Then you might want to build something to protect the unit. Just make sure anything you build allows adequate air flow, while also providing protection.

† Melting point is at atmospheric pressure.


Roof Ridge Venting - When in 2012 did roof venting become required instead of standard roofing codes? In what month of 2012 did roof ridge vents become code, as opposed to standard roofing when roof ridge venting was not a requirement? I ask because I need to present as evidence to the BBB (Better Business Bureau).

Each state “adopts” the new Building Code after it has been reviewed, changes made, and approved by the State Building Codes Office. Adoption occurs on October 1, (start of the new fiscal year/budget,) with amendments adopted throughout the year.

Little known fact is that the Code is divided into two parts: 1) construction, additions, etc., and 2) maintenance.

You don’t need a Permit for “maintenance”, (I.e.: painting, carpet replacement, etc.) Re-roofing is often placed in the “maintenance” category. Each jurisdiction makes their own determination regarding re-roofing.

However, roofing (initial installation) is usually in the construction category and needs a permit.


Refrigerator Water Shut Off Valve We are getting a new refrigerator and just found out that the shut off valve has to be on the same floor/level as the appliance. Our current fridge water shut off valve is in the basement-my question is, is this a fairly simple job to add a shut off valve to the existing water line, behind the refrigerator??

It should be a simple task to add a shutoff valve to the existing line. You probably have 1/4" copper tubing or polyethylene tubing. There are shutoff valves available for either type and they don't require soldering. Cut your existing line where you'd like the valve and take the piece to your home store or a plumbing supply store to get the proper valve. Remember to shut off the line in the basement before doing any disassembly.


Can installers inside mount thick insulating cellular shades over our uneven, decorative trim? We have a 1924 craftsman home with 8 original double hung windows still intact:

We want to preserve them, but they're crap when it comes to insulation so we're going to purchase double cell cellular blackout shades, which are pretty thick.

My question is, can they be fully inside mounted (flush with the exterior) over our decorative interior trim.  We don't want to pay installers to come measure and everything, only to find that they can't or won't install this way over our windows, but that perhaps other installers can or will install this way.

I've only been able to communicate with sales people, and their answers so far have been that we should mount them on the exterior or that they won't be flush.  But there must be a work around that installers have?  or at least something we can do to prepare the windows for the install so that it will work.

As the windows are right now an inside mount would have the shades hitting the top of the lower sash.

I also like the look of a inside mount much better so I recommend a small modification of the window trim to accomplish this.

Remove the trim indicated by red arrow. This will leave a flat plane indicated by yellow. To this flat plane add a 3/4 board about 2.5-3” wide around the window.

Then it’s just a matter of measuring the width inside your new boards to get shades cut right.


Need extension cord with toggle for 2 lamps Wife bought 2 lamps to go on mantle. There is a plug above mantle but lamps too high to reach rotary switch on lamps. How can I construct an extension cord from wall plug above mantle to plug lamps into and then add toggle switch that can be reached to turn both lamps on? Or anyone have a better remedy?

Try one of these, available at your local hardware shop:


How To Fix Leak Under Sink (Pic) This pipe under my sink just recently started leaking at a very slow drip. The knob doesn't budge either way, at least not with my hand.

Best way to address it? I was thinking I could simply get some plumbers tape and maybe a cap to just close it up? Or is that not good practice?

If a cap would work, can anyone eyeball what size that it is so I can find it online or ask for it at the store?

Thanks.

The rubber/neoprene washer on the end of the valve stem needs to be replaced, a very simple cheap fix. If you choose to go the route of a cap for the spout will work too. Search online for a brass 3/4" threaded hose cap


Wiring Confusion - 3 Phase Line to a Water Level Controller? I have a borewell with a 3-phase submersible pump that I want to control with a water level controller (when the overhead tank is empty, it should start the motor and when the tank is full it should stop the pump, automatically).

On the advice of the sales staff, I purchased a controller rated for 415 volt which (according to the staff) was the most suitable for my 3 phase pump. (Technical info of the GIC Water Level Controller here - PDF file).

Now, I am confused as to how to connect the mains to the controller. The circuit diagram for my requirement shows -

Neutral being connected to A2 terminal and Line to A1 and 15 terminal in the controller.

But since my controller is rated for 415 volts, should I instead connect the 3 Lines (RYB of 3-phase) individually to the A2, A1 and 15 terminal, as otherwise the single phase (neutral and line) will provide only 230 volts?

FYI: Single phase supply in my country is 230 volts and three phase is 240 / 415 volts at 50 hz.

(The service engineer who can clarify my doubts is not reachable for a few days and hence my post here).

MORE INFO:

Page 186 of the technical sheet of the controller has this connection diagram:

which clearly shows that the input supply should be 110v / 240v / 400 volt (+ or - 20%) depending on what the controller is rated for. As I said before, the sales person insisted that the 415v rated controller is what I need for a 3-phase pump.

The controller has this printed on its side:

This input supply of 415 volt is the source of my confusion as residential single phase supply in my country is 230 volts only. (And that is why I assumed that I have to use more than one phase as input to provide the 415v).

Am I misunderstanding something very obvious or did the sales person give the wrong advise and I should have got the 240v rated controller?

Since some of you have asked about the motor controller - the unit has a contactor, relay and single phasing protection relay (SPPR - SZ5). Circuit Diagram:

I was advised to remove the loop between D1 and D2, and connect terminal 18 (of the water level controller) to D1 and connect terminal 16 (of the water level controller) to D2. This would ensure the water level controller would automatically start or stop the pump through the motor controller.

I certainly don't see any reason why not.    All the heavy switching is done by the contactor.  The controller couldn't care less what kind of current actually powers the motor: 3-phase, Japan 100V, hydraulics, pneumatics, Lackawanna 3000VDC, 4-phase early 1900s power, Detroit street lighting DC, clutchable drive shaft, warp plasma, or any darned thing you can find a contactor for.

The contactor fully isolates the controller's voltage from the power that actually runs the pump.

You do not hook multiphase mains (or air, or warp plasma) to the controller normally.  But in this case, you seem to have specced a 415V controller for some reason.  The only way to get that is to connect 2 phases line to line.   For that connection you will not use the third phase.

-

You actually have a problem here.  All the other wires here are phase wires.  The circuit from 15/18 to the contactor needs to be <=250v otherwise you will exceed the rating of the relay.  That means you must use single-phase line to neutral (or really, anything the contactor can use, as long as it’s less than 250V).

Now in this drawing, they have inelegantly shown taking the neutral from the pump mains supply. This is wrong in all cases and violates the "currents must be equal/balanced" rule.  As you know, current flows in loops, that is a very bad loop!

Normally I would say "The contactor coil should get its neutral from controller supply, e.g. from A2 on this drawing".   But in this case, your controller will need 415V line-line, and so neutral will not be present.

If this is "wye" power you may be able to bring over neutral.  If it is "delta" power simply use a different circuit.

If the relay coil is 415V you cannot use iqt because 415>250. Regardless, you need a 3-pole contactor, because it's 3-phase.

* to those who believe all 3-phase delta is "240V wild leg delta" with neutral centered on a leg, this is Europe and there's no such thing.  Also even in America not all 3-phase delta is that.


Is there harm in using a GFCI outlet as a switch? I have a GFCI outlet in my garage which is about 4 feet off the ground. I have a couple work lights plugged into it which can only be turned on and off by plugging/unplugging them. I have recently just been using the "Test" and "Reset" buttons on the GFCI outlet to turn the lights on and off. It's a lot easier than unplugging both plugs and later having to bend down to pick them up off the floor and plug them in again.

Can doing this a couple times a day do any damage to the GFCI outlet or to anything plugged in to it?

Certain GFCI+receptacle devices are rated for this purpose.

Use one of those.

There are GFCI devices whose buttons are specifically labeled Off/Test and On/Reset.  The reason the "off" and "on" are there is because these devices are built and rated to be on/off switches using the GFCI function.  The difference between these and regular GFCIs is these are made for many, many cycles.  However, these are difficult to find (especially on the Web, where plain GFCI results bury them) and you will probably need the assistance of an electrical supply house to locate them.  One example is a Leviton 8590-RB, however that's a deadfront and you'd want one with sockets.  Leviton calls it a switch-rated GFCI.

src

If you're fitting a deadfront GFCI to gain this functionality, just mount a box next to the receptacles and put the GFCI there, using the LOAD terminals on the deadfront to feed the receptacle(s).

Far easier to find is the GFCI+receptacle w/ switch device.

src

Typically on these, the switch is two pigtails.  The GFCI+receptacle uses all 4 terminals (LINE hot/neutral LOAD hot/neutral) plus ground, of course.  In this case you would not use Test/Reset to turn the load on and off, you'd use the switch.  The switch and its load can be placed on the LOAD side of the GFCI protection (carefully).


Smart Switch Compatibility I’m looking at purchasing some smart switches to replace my normal switches. But before I do I wanted to ensure they would be compatible with what I’m looking at. Below is the image of the wiring for the new smart switch and the other is how my wiring currently looks at home. It appears I’m missing one wire. Will I still be able to use it without one of them? I’m not too familiar with wiring but I believe it’s missing the neutral wire...

TL;DR Switch Loop, No Neutral
You have a switch loop. With a switch loop, power goes from panel to fixture to switch, instead of panel to switch to fixture. That is perfectly safe, but the problem is that you end up with no neutral at the switch. A neutral is simply unnecessary with an ordinary switch. But a neutral is required for many (not all) smart switches, timers, motion detectors, WiFi switches, etc. Current code requires a neutral (or an easily added neutral in conduit) at most switch boxes. But older houses (like yours and mine) have plenty of switch loops.
White is usually neutral. But in the case of a switch loop using standard /2 cable, white is permitted to be used as hot or switched hot. Actually, it is supposed to be hot, not switched hot, but that is irrelevant to this discussion. Since your switch has black and white wires connected, it must (unless there was some major code violation going on) be a switch loop. If it was not a switch loop then it would have two non-white wires (typically both black, but not always).
End result: You will either need to run a new cable or find a smart switch that specifically does not require neutral. A smart switch needs power. Short version: it can get power from battery (needs changing), capacitors (very limited), leak through hot (works great with incandescent bulbs but not with most LEDs), neutral (ideal, except when you don't have neutral at the switch!) or ground. You can't simply use ground as neutral - it will probably function but it will not be code-compliant and is therefore not a good idea. There are some switches actually designed and listed to use ground for power, but the amount of power is limited and this capability varies by brand - and by model within each brand.


Combine/merge 2 light switches into 1 I have two light switches that I would like to combine to one. See image. On the left is my existing setup, on the right is what I am thinking of doing (apologies, I never learned proper electrical diagramming). Both light switches are on the same circuit breaker.

What I gather from a similar question is that I can just cap one of the incoming wires, which I assume, is either A or C? This would mean that my idea (right diagram) is incorrect?

If that were the case, would I also cap the ground and white neutral wires from the same line?

EDIT: So I have since learned after testing the wires, that only A is hot. C was a separate light switch in another room, so it needed an uninterrupted line going to it. This still makes my diagram work.

I figured it out. I tested which wires were hot and it turns out that only the black wire in A was hot. C is going to another light switch in another room so it needed an uninterrupted line.

My diagram on the right worked!


How do I diagnose a defective switch in a 4-way setup? The split-level entryway in my house has a light that is controlled by three switches. Let's call them A, B, and C. A is a 3-way, B is a 4-way, and C is a 3-way turn-knob dimmer.

As long as switch A is in the "up" position, the other two function as expected. But when switch A is down, the light will not turn on at all from either of the other points. I have looked at the connections on all three switches and they all seem to be okay.

Am I right to assume that if one of the switches itself is malfunctioning, switch A is the culprit? I think it could be C as well, since they appear to be connected (there is a red wire in the boxes and A and C, but not at B) and one of the traveler wires on those could be bad.

EDIT: I am not sure the dimmer switch C is wired correctly at all, but there is no label or anything to go on. It has two black wires and one red. I tried switching what I think are the two travelers and it behaved exactly the same way, and I tried switching the two black wires, which resulted in even fewer combinations working correctly.

I agree with gregmac that is probably a wiring problem. If it isn't a wiring problem it's probably the dimmer and the dimmer itself may even be the wrong type. You might think about getting another three way switch and replacing the dimmer for test purposes only. If it works with the 3 way switch you know it's the dimmer. If it doesn't work then I would bet the dimmer was miss-wired when it was installed and I would start to see if the carriers and the line/load conductors are on the right terminals of the switch. If that isn't the problem then you probably need on site help to troubleshoot the problem.

I am assuming that most of us don't want to answer this question is because it takes quite a bit of work to try and explain how to troubleshoot the circuitry. Not that it's hard but as my instructors told me "it's easy once you learn how to do it."

Hope this helps.


Concrete slab at a brick wall I want to build a concrete slab (upon which a deck will be build later) at the foot of a brick wall (by foot I don't mean the foundation foot, I just mean where the brick meets the grade level).  I hear that you can't make concrete and brick stick together.  How do I deal with it?  Do I leave a gap?  What about water in that gap?  Do I put some flashing?

Edit: There are also some practices about joints:

http://www.cement.org/tech/faq_joints.asp

This means have a joint but seal it, basically.  What do you think?

Note that I'll have a slight slope from the wall.  I'm still puzzled what to do.

You can leave a gap of a about 3-4 inches (70-100 mm).

Fill the gap with gravel - you can go from coarse to fine as you go. This will ensure that there is a route for any water to drain away. If there is a lot of water you may want to go as far as installing a French Drain which has a pipe for removing the water rather than relying on percolation.

Another route is to make sure that there is a slight slope away from the wall.


Cut the skirting in around my new fireplace, scribing, fixing etc I have just had a new fireplace installed. When the skirting was put in I had my carpenter cut me 2 pieces in preparation for the fireplace.
I would love to improve my wood skills so a small project like this seems perfect (I have 2 fireplaces)

Should I just measure all the different lengths and try and draw it onto the skirting or should i scribe it on? I am unsure how would I scribe something onto a piece of wood that cannot be shortened on the left afterwards... Can you please explain?
What saw would you use to make the mains cuts? (I have a jigsaw, will that do?)
What saw would you use to cut around the gas pipe? would you make this a circle? a drill bit perhaps? how would i drill on the edge of a piece of wood without making a mess?
I assume I would use wood glue for the mitre cut, but What glue would you use to fix the skirting to the wall?

Thanks so much for your help!

I would begin with a cardboard pattern. You could measure each distance, lay them out on the right edge of the cardboard. Or you could use  profile gauge such as this one.

I would then do a rough cut of the cardboard, lay it into the corner, and trim to precision. Do not cut the left edge until the end. Then transfer the profile onto the molding.

On the actual molding, I would also leave the overall length a bit longer than the pattern, maybe by 1/8 inch. This gives you room for tweaking and the mitre cut is easier to shorten than the profile.

A jigsaw is fine to cut the profile. You should back cut the curve, that is, trim off a bit more on the backside than the front. This makes fine tuning easier and avoids the chance of seeing the cut face in the finished piece.

 Images and links are for illustration only, and not an endorsement of products or sources.


Can a bathroom fan be vented just outside the bathroom? I belong to a housing cooperative in the arctic and the temperature drops below -40 C. We are having problems with mold on the ceilings in the bathroom. The buildings were built in 1984 with an air ex-changer that is suppose to take air from the bathroom but they do not work well or for some not at all. There are no operable windows in the bathroom. I live along and washed my ceilings done in 2006 with Javex and painted, I leave the door open and the mold has not reappeared. Some of our members are worried it is black mold and demanding an exhaust fan be installed. We are hesitant at putting in a fan to exhaust to the outside as it will draw a lot of warm air outside and cause an escalation in heating costs. My question: can the exhaust fan be installed to draw the steam from the bathroom just to the outside of the bathroom into the hall area? Would this cause any problems? We live in a very dry climate and I thought perhaps the moist air from the bathroom would be good for the rest of the house. Many thanks for your help with this.

We have dry cold winters as well, -35C, but not arctic. We exhaust bath moisture outside, but our fuel costs are pretty cheap. It would be worth estimating just how much extra heating costs are incurred by exhausting outside, it may not be that bad. Or a good argument why not to go outside. Excessive fan use can be limited by installing timer or occupancy switches.

I suspect the air exchanger doesn't work well because it ices up. It's worth investigating the cause though, in case it is just a clogged filter. A direct exhaust ices up outside around the outlet instead of inside the exchanger. The ice build up can be dramatic after many weeks below freezing and no sun. Another reason against outside exhaust besides being inefficient.

I don't think exhausting from one small space to another is a good idea. If your idea is to work, it would need to exhaust into the largest space. Perhaps above a heat source. I think some will find this objectionable, it's a bit unsanitary sounding. Sort of like using your roommate's damp bath towel. Nothing really wrong with it, yet quite unappealing. Especially if someone used the fan to remove odors instead of moisture! Eww. It's also possible that despite the dryness, heavy moisture load may just be too much to be dispersed within the dwelling.

You should focus on a workable air exchanger solution first. It is the only solution that is both energy efficient and fully sanitary. A direct exhaust may turn out to not be overly expensive, but it's still inefficient and should be avoided. Moving the moisture around inside may work, but should be the last resort, it just sounds a bit unsanitary, and it may not even work in all cases.


Has anyone heard of or have experience with a reverse pressure radon mitigation system for your home? We purchased a home that had one installed during construction.  I'm just wondering if people have had a positive experience with this type of system and can explain how it works.  We just had a radon test completed and it came back above 4 and would require mitigation to sell.  The monitor on the tube shows that it is "working" as the pressure is not equal. Anyone have this type of system and any problems with it?  Thanks!

Background

Radon is a byproduct of radioactive decay.  You don't have to live on top of a uranium deposit; there are trace amounts of radioactive minerals in common rock, like granite.  So virtually anywhere you live, the soil slowly releases minute amounts of radon.

Outdoors, the wind disperses it.  What seeps into your basement tends to accumulate.  Your HVAC system will circulate some, and the exchange of outside air will get rid of a little.  But radon is heavier than air and basements usually aren't well-ventilated, so the basement is usually where you see the highest concentrations.

Because radon is heavy, it also tends to remain in your lungs when you breathe it, and being radioactive, it's a source of lung cancer.

The 4 pCi/L threshold isn't a magic number below which you're safe and above which you die; it's somewhat arbitrary.  Any amount carries some risk, and the government had to weigh risks and costs in order to pick a number at which they recommend doing something about it.  They may just have picked 10x the average outdoor level of 0.4, perhaps because inexpensive technology can typically keep a basement below that level, and that represents a minimal health risk compared to other things people are exposed to every day.

So if you do a radon test and it comes back 4.2, the risk to your health isn't substantively different than if it came back 3.9.  If you don't spend time in your basement, the risk to your health is relatively low.

However, you would likely need to mitigate it when you go to sell, so you might as well do what you can do cheaply now, and benefit from it yourself.

Negative pressure systems

The negative pressure systems are a pretty simple mechanism.  There is a layer of gravel under your basement slab that has air filling the voids between the stones.  The radon collects there.  A pipe is placed in that space.  The pipe contains a blower that sucks air from the gravel and vents it at roof level.  This removes a lot of the radon before it can migrate into the basement.  The pressure indicator shows the relative pressure.  As long as the pressure in the pipe going into the gravel is lower, it will theoretically be exhausting radon from under your house.

What can go wrong?

The system relies on a few things to work:

A "normal" level of radon.  The level of radioactivity in the soil varies.  If your house is located over veins of uranium, this kind of system may not be enough.
A working blower.  Like any mechanical device, the blowers don't last forever.  If it completely dies, the pressure indicator will show no pressure difference.  But before that point, it may become less efficient, and less effective at removing radon.  If the system is old, check how much air is being exhausted.
An unobstructed pipe.  Anything that reduces air flow in the pipe will reduce its effectiveness.  Check for anything that shouldn't be there at the exhaust end.  Obstruction at the intake end will leave the pressure indicator showing a pressure difference but little air being removed from the gravel.  Water in the gravel would be an obstruction.  The gravel can also accumulate silt if there is a water problem.  The amount of air being exhausted will be a clue.
Air in the gravel.  If the foundation has a water problem (high water table, rain water collecting, broken sewer pipe, etc.), the gravel voids can fill with water.  This won't reduce the release of radon, but it will prevent the abatement system from removing it (and the pressure difference will still look like the system is working).  Dampness or water in your basement will be a sign of this.  If you have a sump pump, the basement may be dry even with water in the gravel, but that will provide a path of easy access for radon.  If there is water under the slab, it will, at a minimum, reduce the effectiveness of the abatement system.

So those are a bunch of things to check.  Beyond that, there is a general process of the abatement system degrading with age while the basement becomes more permeable to radon.  The foundation settles, concrete and mortar develop more cracks, etc.  If the basement has a large footprint, a radon abatement system at one end may be challenged in exhausting radon from the entire area.

If there is no obvious cause for the system not achieving levels below the threshold, one solution may be to install a second system at the other end of the basement; they are relatively inexpensive.


Is it possible to install pocket doors in the cavity of an external wall? Is it possible to install pocket doors in the cavity of an external wall, it will be an internal door as it's between a room and a conservatory. The cavity does have foam in it though.

One thing that comes to mind is that the pocket would not be very well insulated and so you might have heating/cooling issues with that wall (depending on how the conservatory is used).


What does this diagram mean, in English? I'm trying to figure out what this means, particularly regarding how to treat the red and black wires coming out of the switch.

The switch box I have has red, black, green, and white wires.  The part of this diagram that confuses me is the line with "switch/black <- switch/red".  What does this mean?

There are two separate text labels there, which apply to 2 separate wires.

One of the labels is "switch/black" which seems wrong. It seems like it ought to be describing the switched-hot wire going up to the fan, and black is at best a guess which color it might be; red is likely.   The other label is "switch/red" which seems right.

The symbol is not part of the text labels, it is part of the diagram.  It  is meant to be a wire nut.

The labeling and instructions are part of the UL approval which results in a UL listing, and it's a surprise to see such an amateurish mistake.  Are you sure this thing is actually UL-listed (or CSA, ETL or other comparable NRTL; note that CE is not one). There is a lot of cheap Cheese junk being offered on Amazon Marketplace, eBay, banggood and other purveyors of the junk from Alibaba; most of this has the ill-reputed CE mark if it has any markings at all.  These cannot be attached to mains wires in the US or Canada, NEC 110.2 "Equipment must be approved" (by UL or other NRTL).


Is frost build-up normal at the ingoing/outgoing pipes to the freezer evaporator? Our freezer and fridge got worse and worse at cooling over the last week until yesterday I had to throw everything away.

I opened up the freezer and fresh food evaporator compartments. Both evaporators are doing some cooling. The fans for both are working.

The only thing that looks abnormal to me is this frost build-up in the freezer. But it's only at the incoming/outgoing evaporator pipes, not on the fins.

Is this normal?

This can indicate a few possibilities:

1: You are low on freon - this means you have a leak.

2: Dirty Coils - bad cooling- causes the pipes to freeze up like in your picture. Check your condenser coils.

3: No Airflow - your fans on the evaporator inside are not working causing this same condition. Also check your fan from Fridge to Freezer ..

Check items 2 and 3 First.

EDIT

As was pointed out - I did not answer the question directly.

The Op Asked  Is this normal?

The direct answer: No this is not normal.


Sump pump automated battery backup I have 1/3 horsepower sump pump currently plugged into my home's 120 volt outlet. I have a 105 amp hour 12-volt battery and a 1200 watt pure sine inverter ready to go when the power goes out.

The only issue is if the power goes out, I would need to be home to physically unplug the sump pump plug from the wall outlet and plug it into the power inverter and also switch the power inverter on which is connected to that 12 volts 105 amp hour battery.

Is there a switch of some sort that I could get to automate the process where the inverter could be switched on and the sump pump automatically get power from the battery without me having to be home to physically move the plug over?

Another answer by Fresh Codemonger suggests having two pumps, one on regular power and the other on your inverter.

I would like to suggest a similar option that I think is more efficient.

As the other answer says, you should have a second pump. However, instead of connecting it to your inverter, your second pump should be one that is designed to run directly from 12VDC and have a battery charge controller. That way, the pump itself maintains the battery charge and automatically turns on when needed. That removes the need for the inverter, resulting in a simpler and more energy-efficient setup.

There are also a number of sump pump companies that actually make a 2-in-1 pump which has both a 120VAC pump and a 12VDC pump in the same unit. It automatically switches between them as needed.


what is the design load limit for a jack stud and header plate? Assuming an over-strength column composed of one jack and two king studs - how much load can a single jack stud support - assuming #2 stud grade SPF for the header and jack.

I've found a table that has SPF compression values : Fc perp of 425 psi, and Fc parallel of 1320 psi.

If the header, jack stud contact area is 3.5 x 1.5 (5.25 in^2), then is the maximum load on the SPF #2 header 5.25in^2*425 psi = 2231 lbs?   Does this calculation have a safety margin?  If not, what then is in practice maximum load on the jack stud?

All structural design is done by one of two methods: 1) Ultimate Design, or 2) Working Stress Design.

1) As you might guess, ultimate design is based on “failure” of the material. When that method is used, a safety factor is then used based on the members importance. (Usually 20% to 100%...based on the designers experience and code minimums.)

2) Working stress design has already accounted for these safety factors.

The values you list are a bit confusing, because for compression perpendicular to grain for “working stress design” is 385 psi for Douglas Fir-Larch and pine and Spruce are much less, (they list 425) but compression parallel to grain for “working stress” is 1500 psi maximum.

This is all based on many factors, a) species, b) grade, c) use (repetitive or single use), d) size of member, etc.  I suspect they have given you a safe number to use.

So, to answer your question: the maximum load for your 2x6 jack stud (I call them trimmers) is: 1320 x 1.5” x 5.5” = 10,890 lbs.

However, it sits on a plate and the header sits on it in perpendicular compression, so the maximum load it can support without crushing the plate is: 425 x 1.5” x 5.5” = 3,506 lbs. (neglecting the nailing into the king stud.) Note: I used their value of 425. You can substitute 385 if necessary.


Pure concrete hollow cylinder My intention is to build a hollow concrete cylinder for a fire pit like this:

There are a few people who have done this by using steel sheets bent in to shape with supports between, but I would prefer to use just pure concrete.

The only trace I can find of this having been done is that picture from Pinterest, but there's no link to the build, so I'm reaching out to you guys. My idea is:

2 Concrete column formers (I think they're called sonotube in the US), 1 approx 600mm diameter x 500mm length and 1 approx 400mm x 500mm length
Place smaller one in bigger one
Pour concrete
Peel off the column formers
Cook food, drink beer, hi five.

A few questions that the UK suppliers can't answer:

Is 200mm thickness enough to support its own weight and contain a fire?
Can I actually use column formers in reverse (i.e. the inside one)? I'm not as concerned about the finish on the inside, but do want a perfectly round shape
Is there a simpler way to achieve this shape?

The simple way to "achieve that shape" is, of course, to buy it precast, which is almost certainly what the picture is - depending on size, it's either a section of well-casing, drainage pipe, or a manhole extension.

@BrownRedHawk is correct that it may (indeed, probably will) destructively deteriorate if used as direct fire containment - the interior should be lined with firebrick or castable refractory cement. The picture is clearly of the first time the thing in the picture has been fired, as it's remarkably clean as well as being intact - it probably has not held up well to the use, but pictures of that won't likely be forthcoming.

It will also burn relatively horribly unless some air inlets are made near the bottom.


Four transfer switches do not seem sufficient to control numerous appliances through 120v panel breakers I am trying to hook up Honda 7000 to a Reliance transfer switch (just using their manual at the moment). The setup requires balancing the 120 volt loads among 3 transfer switches for each side of the generator. Two switches are ganged together to get 240v for my water pump leaving only four 120v. transfer switches. It appears that 2 switches on each side can be used to balance the left and right sides of the generator (22.9 amps, 5,5K watts @ 240v is maximum total output). So there are 4 switches left to handle all the 120v appliances, receptacles etc. Each switch seems to be wired to one 120v breaker in the house panel. Unfortunately, there are NOT four 120v breakers in the house load panel that are house-wired up to all the things I would like to run.
****Additional Info:
Wow. Did not expect answers so quickly. Great answers. I have not actually purchased a transfer switch yet. I downloaded a Reliance 31406CRK manual and was tracing out how it might work. I got more and more concerned that it would not work very well for me. Then i found this website. Glad I did, although it will take a while to become familiar with it.
For over 25 years I have ignored the admonition to not back feed the generator through the panel. I have clearly marked the panel to "switch the power company switch off before doing anything." Then, hook up the generator and flip the breaker for the generator. The power company has done work up here and they have seen the generator (even changed their meter) and never said anything about it.  It has worked perfectly many times until last month I had to have the 3 hp water pump replaced. They put a pump saver device on it and the next time I used the generator the pump would not run. My Devilbiss 7000 generator was putting out 268v. for some reason (another problem to solve) and the pump saver said NO.. I had to turn on several "burners" on the electric range to get the generator's rpm down to lower the voltage and the water pump took off. In the mean time I bought a Honda EU7000is.
I thought, maybe with the new generator, it would be safer to have a transfer switch interlock in case someone else has to engage the system. In my internet search I did not see the interlock device of which someone sent a picture (I can't see who at the moment, but much thanks). That device would provide considerable protection against any confusion. I will have to rearrange my breakers a little, but fantastic solution.
It seems as though two people responded to my question if I am reading this right. I thank you very much for your time and thoughtful responses.
It is still not clear to me how the two 120v phases from the two halves of the generator (to make 240v) end up balancing the full power of the generator by distributing what is left from the 220v water pump to the other 120v breakers, which may be on or off depending. I am hooking a watt meter up to each leg. Maybe that will show what is going on.

NO, you can't do that. That would cross connect circuits which could lead to overloading the neutrals.  While you haven't said, I think the type of transfer switch you have is something like the pic below.
We hate to say it here, but those aren't all that great. They are expensive and limited in capacity. Many here prefer a power inlet for the generator, wired to a breaker with a mechanical interlock with your main breaker on your main panel. The obviously vary by panel but you can get a rough idea from the 2nd pic.  Taking this approach allows you to pick and choose which circuits to run off the generator by turning off or on various breakers.   It's code legal and safe, convenient and not expensive.
EDIT: Thinking about this for a few more minutes, your idea is a really terrible one. You'd have cross connected circuits and the end result is to do any kind of maintenance you'd have to turn off multiple breakers to depower a circuit. PLEASE don't do this. Others have commented just now saying a mechanical interlock is best and ironically, least expensive.  As 3ph said, please shoot us a pic of your main panel to better help you.


What's the standard for specifying power and voltage characteristics of domestic appliances? I'm planning to buy a space heater with the following electrical specifications:

Power : 2000 W
Operating Voltage : 220-240 V

Many of the reviews say that the heater requires a 15 A socket to work efficiently, whereas most of regular sockets have 5 A capacity.

In India, we get 230 V at 50 Hz.

I'm confused about the power specification. Is it root mean square (RMS) power or peak power?

P = V * I

If we assume 2000 W as peak power, the current capacity for socket comes out to be:

I = 2000 / 230 ~ 8.7 A

However, if you take 2000 W as RMS power, the current capacity for socket comes out to be:

I = 2000 / (230 * 0.707) ~ 12.3 A

What's the standard for specifying power and voltage characteristics of domestic appliances?

I'm sure that the voltage specified is peak voltage, but I'm not sure whether the power specified is peak power or RMS power.

What's the standard for specifying power and voltage characteristics of domestic appliances?

RMS is used to make calculations easier for consumers.

Some UPS devices express power as VA, but most consumer appliances used in homes specify Watts.

  the voltage specified is peak voltage

RMS, not peak.

I haven't been there and measured it but I am sure the mains voltage in India is near 230V RMS (I would guess it is nominally 240 V RMS but I expect in some locations the electric power companies fail to keep voltage levels up because demand exceeds what their plant can supply)

  the heater requires a 15 A socket to work efficiently

No, it requires a 15A socket to work safely. This isn't about efficiency.

A 2000 W appliance is likely to present a too-low resistance to a 5A outlet and will likely cause the wiring inside the walls to overheat and may set fire to your home. The sockets themselves may also overheat and be damaged, possibly presenting electrocution hazards.

If Indian homes are wired to the equivalent of BS546, you only have a choice of 5A or 15A outlets, you should choose a 15A outlet for a 2000W appliance.


Will two 2x10 beams carry a a 2500lb floor for a tree house? I am wanting to span between 2 trees with 12 to 15 foot beams. I will have one beam on one side of the trees and another beam on the other side. The beams will be supported 1/3 in from one end and 1/3 in from the other. They will rest on metal plates on that will be about 4" long screwed into their undersides. The plates are mounted on tree bolts. So those will be the support points. I believe I have found that this wood will support 1200lbs each, but that is one long span. This is more like 3 spans. The beams will be about 20" apart (the width of each tree). I want to then build an 8x10 or 10x10 standard floor joist system and build a treehouse on top of that.

Including people, snow load, and the weight of all the wood and materials, it will be under 2500lbs. Will my 2 beams be enough? Could I use 2x8s? Do I need to double them up?

The drawing below is close to what I am wanting to do. My trees are straight and the overhang on the left and right is more. There will be around 1/3 of the beam extending beyond each mounting point and the floor will extend out there too.

There’s several issues with your plan: 1) support 2500#, 2) connect platform to beams, 3) differential loading on cantilever beams.

1) Yes, 2 - 2x8’s spanning 4’ or 5’ can easily support 2500# depending on the species and grade of lumber. However, a 4’ or 5’ cantilever is excessive for either a 2x8 or 2x10 and will eventually fail depending on how much of the 2500# load is on the cantilever beams.

2) The platform could exert a force of over 600 lbs. due to rotation on each H-1 connector by having the live load and dead load on the cantilever. The Simpson H-1 clip is only rated for a resistance of 400# to 500#, depending on the species and grade of the joists and beams. H-1 clips are not suitable for this installation.

See: https://www.strongtie.com/resources/product-installers-guide/h1-installation

3) Structures like this will not have uniform loads distributed throughout the structure evenly. A more detailed design and structural analysis should be done by a structural engineer (not civil engineer) or architect if you decide to stay with the extremely large cantilever design.

Btw, there are many videos about how to connect beams to a growing tree for a tree fort.


Do I need to change my wire? I am not an engineer nor an electrician but I just installed an Atmor 5.5kw water heater with a 12mm wire and a 30amp breaker at 220 voltage.

I install it separately with plastic molding outside my house from my bathroom at the attic because there is no outlet for the water heater down to my main panel.

This is a single phase only but I observe that the wire is getting warm whenever I turn on the heater.

Is this nothing to worry? Can the wire tolerate the resistance of my water heater up to it's highest point?

I am guessing you are in the Philippines, in a postwar development with Euro-style 220V/neutral power.

12 square mm is not a common Euro wire size.  Philippines use American Wire Gauge so "12mm" is actually 12 AWG. This is too small for your job.  You need 10 AWG.

The early electrifications were done to the American standard of 120/240VAC split phase.  In newer areas, they use the more efficient 220VAC single phase, still 60Hz, which allows sourcing appliances from nearby neighbors.  However AWG remained the standard for wire size. In America, NEC allows 20 amps on 12 AWG, and 30 amps on 10 AWG.


What does it take (and how) to build on a 'land conservation' parcel? I came across a post on Craigslist that was selling x acres of land. It was titled as a Land Conservation.
What does that mean exactly as far as what can and cannot be built on it?

If it is possible to build a home on it, who pays for laying down the utility lines to a residence in a secluded rural area?

I am interested in Massachusetts in particular but is it the same for all states?

In Massachusetts, you cannot convert conservation land to commercial use unless you pay commercial taxes on it for FIVE years first.

So, for example, let's say it is 50 acres of land that would be worth $15 million on the open market, but its owner is willing to sell it to you for $1.5 million because it is conservation land. You want to build a house on the land (commercial activity). To do this, you must convert the land. To do this, you have to request a commercial assessment, then pay taxes on the assessed $15 million commercial value for FIVE years. At the end of that time the land will be converted and will no longer be conservation land and you can do what you want with it (assuming it is not a "wetland" or something, in which case the Federal government becomes important).

If you want utility service somewhere in the middle of nowhere, usually the developer (you) has to pay for it. That is what a "land developer" does.


Remove old ceiling pancake (pan) junction box, or how to work around bolt in that box? I'm having a difficult time removing an existing ceiling junction box/pan. There was a nut holding the bolt in the center.

I thought the nut was holding the box in place, but even with the nut gone the box won't come out. There are no screws or other hardware I can see holding the box in place.

I want to replace the box because the nipple on my chandelier mounting hardware butts right up against that bolt in the center of the box.

The gap between the bolt and nipple is very slim and (so far) impossible to feed the wires through.

I was hoping to replace the box with a newer one that doesn't have that bolt in the middle. There is some space between the bolt in the junction box and the chandelier nipple, but the clearance is really small.

I could pre-thread the wires through the nipple to make it simpler to get the wires through the gap, but I'm also concerned about the wires getting pinched and damaged. It's a tight squeeze, especially when I actually screw the bracket in place.

I've seen other questions with ceiling junction boxes like mine. Unfortunately, those other examples aren't quite like mine. Either those examples don't have that bolt in the middle of the box, or if they do, they aren't having the same problem where there's a nipple that's colliding with that bolt.

I do not have access from above and there are no visible screws holding this in.

How do I get this box out of there?
Is there another solution I could persue to deal with the issue where the nipple and bolt are butting up against one another without needing to replace this box?

You don't need that bracket

The bracket you depict in your photos is intended to provide a mounting stud if your box lacks one.  Since your box has a stud already, the thing you need isn't that bracket, but a piece called a hickey that screws onto the existing mounting stud and then provides a place for the fixture nipple to screw into, allowing the wires to exit it:

Oh, and make sure to put that nut back on the fixture stud, by the way, so the box doesn't wind up putting excessive stress on the conduits in the ceiling.


Why do my under the cabinets lights dim after they are on for a short while? I bought a house that has under the cabinets LED lights.  One of the units go on normal and bright but after about 10 minutes begins to dim.  they never go completely off (or I've not let them on long enough to do so).  I turn the unit off and later turn it on and it is bright but begins the same cycle.

The internal power supply, probably a 120V to 12V stepdown transformer, is starting to go. It is probably located at the end of the fixture and it's doubtful you would be able to fix it. Best bet is to replace the fixture.


Using old roof footings for a ground-level deck I had a 40 year-old, asphalt shingled, hip roof (14x18) over a concrete patio that had 4 posts w/footings that supported it in a line opposite the house.  The footings, that are still there and were not disturbed in the roof demolition, are about 6' apart.  Could I use those footings to support a beam for a ground-level deck?

The ledgerboard will not be attached to the house but just will lay on the concrete patio (which is very stable).  Then there's a significant slope to the footings (8" over 12').  My thought is to lay a beam on short blocks across the footings to raise the outer edge of the deck in order to get a less drastic slope.

Then from the beam, I'd extend the deck another 6' and use pier blocks to support the outer edge of that portion.

Does this sound like a good idea?  Any and all comments are welcome.

Thanks!

Using the old footings sounds fine, so long as they've done their settling or were poured off kilter to begin with, it's those new ones I'm not too keen on, that will just sit on the ground. If you are going to use pier blocks, you might as well use the old questionable footings; can't be any worse then just using a rock.

You mentioned frost which means 3~5' down for the footings, at least where I live. For reference and how to do it right (in its entirety): Chicago Deck Code (footings: p. 48 and 49)

I will admit that it not being attached to the structure and not being a fire escape, you could say meh to some of the more colossal building techniques contained therein, but don't be surprised when it sinks those pier blocks into the ground and ends up looking like your sloped patio.


What type of sub-floor is suitable for laminate flooring? I'm planning to put laminate type of floating flooring on a floor.  The floor has a sub-flooring of 3/4 inch planks and a sheathing of 1/4 inch plywood.  I would like to remove the plywood because its thickness will cause a bigger lip at the junction of the room and the hall.  Is it ok to install an underlayment of thin foam and the floating flooring directly on the sub-floor planks (assuming they're pretty level)?

The 1/4" plywood is likely luan. It's used to level the floor, often for a vinyl floor. For a hardwood floor, the main reason to have luan is shore up the floor and reduce any pitting or other slope issues. Whether you can remove the luan depends on the quality of your subfloor. If it has any imperfections, I would keep (or replace) the luan.


How to properly seal/cover an unused chimney? We recently replaced an ancient chimney-vented boiler with a direct-vented one. This boiler was the only thing using our chimney. The chimney is brick and sits in the center of our 120-year-old house. On top, it has an old, rusted rain cap (now closer to a funnel than a cap).

The heating contractor sealed the old exhaust opening in the basement using a metal plug and concrete patching compound. (There is also a cleanout in good condition in the basement.)

What's the right thing to do to seal or cover the top? Masonry cap, cover with sheet metal, regular chimney cap, or something else?

The answer is going to depend on whether or not you intend to ever use this flue again. If it is never going to be used, I'd seal it up with a solid cap, mortared down.  if you think you may need it again, then a simple rain cap with a vermin screen would be fine.


Why is it okay for a Lutron timer to have an 18 gauge ground wire? I am installing a new light switch and changing the fan switch next to it for a Lutron timer for the fan.  The old switch had no ground, but the ground wires are available in the enclosure, so I will run an appropriately sized 14 gauge pigtail from the new switch for the 15 amp circuit.  But, the Lutron timer has an 18 gauge wire for the ground.  Clearly this must be okay, but can anyone tell me why?  There is an old an often asked question here and in other sites where people have the old 16 gauge Romex ground wire of whether it is acceptable to use the 16 gauge ground on a new device.  I just wonder what is special about the Lutron timer that lets it get away with an 18 gauge wire when I need a 14 for the new switch.

This happens because UL has different rules for device parts
The timer's ground pigtail wire is the same as any other pigtail that is part of a device, and thus governed by the applicable UL standards instead of falling under NEC wire sizing rules.  You'll notice that the current-carrying pigtail wires on your dimmer are likely 18AWG or 16AWG, and this is true for devices such as light fixtures and fluorescent ballasts as well.  All of this uses the same logic in that UL-governed stuff can be tested for temperature rise explicitly at the device's rated nameplate load, and also can use different wire insulation temperature limits due to UL's adult supervision being involved.


Do dryer sheets interfere with the dryness sensors in a dryer? I have always used dryer sheets, specifically, to remove the static from my clothes.

I purchased a new High Efficiency Dryer/Washer combo from LG, and they sate that if you use Dryer sheets, you void the warranty.

I read somewhere that dryer sheets interfere with the dryer sensors of the machine, therefore, causing them to not work properly.  Apparently, they have a residue that gets on the sensors.  I also read that the sensors work by checking the static levels and I am assuming if their is static detected, maybe that signals the clothes are dry and dryer sheets interfere with all this.  Are the above statements true?

Yes.

The dryer sheets shed tiny bits of its fabric.  They sometimes coat the sensor.  Causing the dryer to work harder, thereby shortening the life of your dryer.  This could easily be fixed (if there was an issue) with soap, water, sponge...  The same thing goes with the lent filter.  Even if you clean out the lint, the very small particles from the dryer sheet can get stuck in the cross-hairs.  Also can be fixed with soap, water, sponge...

This is comparable to saying does soap cause tiles to get dirty.  Yes but you need to use soap in a shower and can clean a little.


How do I re-wire a ceiling-fan to reverse its direction? One of the ceiling fans at home was spinning in the opposite direction (clock-wise) and so was sucking up the air rather than blowing it. I live in a hot climate so we always have the fans spinning in the counter-clockwise direction all year round. I need some guidance on safely correcting the direction of this fan. It's been 8 yrs since I last studied Electrical maintenance and honestly do not recall the wiring diagram.. :)

Below is an image of the wiring of another fan that correctly spins in the counter-clockwise direction:

Observations:

Input power supply: Yellow wires to the right
Capacitor: White wires on the left
Black: ?, Red: ?, Blue: ?

Below is the wiring of the fan that spins in the clockwise direction:

a. Observations:

Input power supply: Indicated on the right
Capacitor: White wires on the left
Black: ?, Red: ?, Yellow: ?

[UPDATE]
b. Observations:

Swapped the red with Yellow.
Fan remains stationary.
Fan will start to move at constant speed in the direction I apply force in.

Product: Crompton Greaves Ceiling Fan - 220/240 V 50 Hz A.C.. SWEEP 1200mm (No lamp).
Wiring diagram: Could not locate the same. Kindly share any wiring diagrams that could help me better understand the same, Thanks..!
Kindly note: This is an Indian fan and the color codes are different from the US standard.
Color Codes: Phase: Red/Yellow/Blue, Neutral: Black, Ground: Green.
I tried checking with the manufacturer on this, but haven't received a response.. Not all single phase AC motors can reverse direction. [1][2]
Latest updates: We finally got a new fan and the old one was sold to scrap.. So while I am no longer able to test your solutions, I definitely look forward to technical explanation of the problem and possible solution(s). Thanks!

With another clockwise fan from the same maker, I was able to reverse the direction by interchanging the yellow and black wires as some answers here indicated. The explanation as I understood is that the rewiring changes the winding with which the capacitor is in series and hence the starting direction is inverted.

In 3-phase motors, each of the three stator windings carry a current out of phase with others and the phase difference generates the rotating magnetic field required to cause the motion. With single-phase ones, a phase difference is engineered by splitting the single phase current into two stator windings and putting a capacitor in series with one of the windings so that there's a 90° phase difference between the currents in the two windings. This page on electric motors explains the concept with illuminating animations.

The following figure shows my guess, based on the above information, at the internal wiring of the clockwise spinning fan whose image is posted in the question, for clockwise and anti-clockwise rotations.

A point to note here is that single-phase AC itself produces a changing magnetic field - though a pulsating one, not a rotating one. But this pulsating field can be resolved, as per the double field revolving theory (the link has an excellent video of the workings by the way), into two revolving fields rotating in opposite direction to each other. These two fields produce an equal but opposite torque. On a static rotor, they'll cancel each other out. But an initial rotation makes torque in one direction greater than the other and starts up the fan.

This is what, I believe, happened when the OP switched red and yellow wires on his fan. The result was that the capacitor was in series with both windings => there was no phase difference in the currents in the windings. When he added a slight initial
rotation, the fan continued spinning in the nudged direction.


Why Can't I Drain My Hot Water Tank? I have sediment built up in my hot water tank.  I'm trying to flush it, based on instructions I've found on the internet.  I've turned off the tank completely, attached a hose to the faucet drain and shut off the cold water input line.  I've also turned on the hot water in the kitchen sink and bathroom.

But...every time I shut off of the cold water line, within a few seconds, the water stops flowing (both to the kitchen/bathroom and to the drain).  By turning the cold water on and off, I was able to get a fair bit of sediment out, but I don't understand why I can't get all of the water out of the tank?

Can anyone tell me what I'm missing here?

Open a hot water tap to relieve pressure and plug the drain valve into your garden hose. Turn on the hose for a second (no longer; you don't want to push sediment into the fixtures) to loosen up the sediment.


Wooden deck butting up to retaining wall not square My husband built a deck from our house out toward our retaining wall.  The wall is not square with the house.
We are on a budget and want to make this aesthetically pleasing now, and will redo the retaining wall later.  Looking for some inexpensive ideas for covering the gap between the last deck board closest to the wall and the wall itself.  Virtually covering the hole between the deck and the wall and attempting to make it appear square. Thought about building a box up from the deck and half a foot over the flowerbed, to mask the uneven wall.  Would like to keep the flowerbeds but get rid of the rotten boards on the wall. Any other ideas?  Thanks in advance.

Use a table, circular, or other saw to rip the deck boards to fit.


White lithium safe to lubricate a dryer? My dryer is squeaking something fierce. It is a GE gas dryer, approximately 10 years old (model DBB3300GA2WW, U.S.). The noise is so bad that with it being in the corner of the basement, and me being on the first floor with multiple closed doors between us, it is still loud and annoying. The noise repeats itself approximately every 1.25 seconds, which is the rotational period of the drum as opposed to the motor or impeller which are the other two parts that frequently are at fault for noise issues.

Today I replaced the drum bearing after googling indicated that it is the first part to wear out and cause excessive noise. While I had the drum removed I also lubricated the motor pulley and the tension pulley with silicone. I turned it on, and the loud squeaking immediately came back. The noise will stop every once in a while for a few seconds, then come back again.

I have had good success with white lithium grease in automotive applications, not surprising given it is designed for metal-on-metal lubrication. However, I am unsure if this would be a good idea to use in the dryer.

Is white lithium grease safe to use in a dryer? My two concerns:

The dryer gets hot, captain obvious. The spray can states to keep it away from heat, however, it reads that the can should be kept away from heat, not the grease after application. Will the heat in a dryer ignite or otherwise cause problems with the grease?
The metal parts in the bearing assembly are right behind the diffuser, meaning that hot air is being pushed past them and into the drum. If I spray white lithium grease on those parts, is it feasible that the hot air blowing past them will dislodge some of the grease and cook it into my clothing as it dries?
Does it even make sense to use white lithium on the bearing assembly since it is plastic on metal?

NB: I am not asking for general advice on how to stop dryer squeaking, that is too broad. My concerns are specific to applying white lithium grease to dryers to stop the squeaking, specifically the safety as it relates to heat and getting it in clothing. Also, links are to the specific products I own/used.

I think you have or had same problem I am having which is not a bearing at all. It is the glides (small plastic strips) that the outter drum rides on have either dried out or in my case 1 is missing.

I came here looking for the same answer you were about the silicone due to the amount of time it takes to deliver parts and the fact that the family is going crazy.


Removing old baseboard heaters and thermostat I read some of the other responses to similar questions.  But I also need to know about the thermostat that controls the heaters I removed.  Is it acceptable to cap the wires to the thermostat and tape them with electrical tape and push them into the wall?

I will assume you mean the thermostats that are on the wall separate from the baseboard heaters, not the ones built into the heaters. These should be installed on top of an electrical box.  You can remove the wires from the thermostat, cap them with wire nuts, tuck them into the box, and install a blank cover plate over the box.  When selecting wire nuts, read the instructions and find wire nuts that are rated for a single wire of the size you're capping.  Put a wrap of tape on there for good measure.

Hopefully the baseboard units were installed on top of boxes - sometimes they are installed with the wire coming through a hole in the drywall secured in the heater.  You shouldn't just cap these wires and tuck them in the wall, if there's no box I'd install a box just to hold the decommissioned wires.

You can also disconnect the wires from the breakers in the panel if there's nothing else left on those circuits.  You can cap the wires the same way in the electrical panel.

Some would say that if the wires are disconnected from the breaker, you don't have to worry about capping the wires in boxes, but in my opinion it's better to cap them in a box and maybe use them in the future, and if someone does connect them to power in the future, you don't create any hazard.


Any words of advice on dealing with termites? I have confirmed today that I have a termite infestation in my house. We found a recent tube build through the crack in the foundation and some termite activity outside.
Any words of advice on treatment options?

I already heard that the two major options are a liquid "perimeter" defence and bait stations that kill termite colonies. The latter seems the preferred choice of a couple of contractors I talked to. Pros and Cons?

If you dealt with this problem before, I'd like to hear anything you'd like to share.
I will post updates as I get treatment estimates and proceed with exterminating the colony.

We just went with a pest control company after we found a bunch of the critters. Very scary when you live in a log home!

They put down poison to get a beachhead and then went with bait stations since. It seems to be working. No new damage.

Some other advice those guys gave is:
 - Do not use wood mulch right up against the house.
 - Make sure not to pile dirt up anywhere near the top of the concrete foundation of the house.
 - pick up any lose wood or dead brush laying around the yard. You want the minimum of wood-to-dirt contact anywhere near your house as possible, otherwise you are attracting the suckers and feeding them.


Two check valves in a series on discharge pipe Is there any downside to having two check valves in series?  I'm installing a new sump pump that came with a new check valve. Several feet from the sump pump, there is an existing check valve on the discharge pipe.

Unless there's a reason not to, my plan is to install the new check valve lower on the discharge pipe leaving the existing check valve on the same discharge pipe.

The check valve is there to prevent backflow from the discharge pipe (which is usually vertical as it leaves the sump) from filling or partially filling the sump well back up.

There are two main failure modes for a check valve - stuck closed and stuck open.

If the check valve is stuck closed, then the sump pump will not discharge the water when it runs.  Worst case the water will just circulate continuously and the sump pump will run continuously.

If the check valves fails stuck open, then the pump will discharge the water in the sump, but what remains in the vertical portion of the discharge pipe or the downward sloping (back to the sump) part of the discharge pipe will flow back into the sump pit.

So with two check valves in parallel, you protect against the stuck-closed scenario (as it is unlikely that both check valves will fail in the same manner), but are actually more likely to have a stuck-open fault, since if either check valve fails open the discharge water can flow back into the sump well.

  EDIT 1

OP changed his question to mean two check valves in series, not parallel.  So what Jack said.


What is cheap rug backing I bought some rugs from walmart. I used one under an office chair. After a few  years I lifted up the rug and it had a ton of "powder" under neath it as if someone spiled a can of baby power under it. It was the rug backing, It seems the chair wheels pulverized the backing of the rug.
I want to buy a new rug but I do not want to have the same problem. I'm sure the dust was very unhealthy to breath too.
What is this backing called and is it just for very cheap rugs? It is hard to tell on some rugs if they have this backing from the limited pictures they give. I'm trying to find a good rug that isn't too expensive to protect the hardwood floor.
Best I can tell is that these types of rugs are called tufted rugs and the backing is latex and this is what the powder was.

I believe your investigation is correct. Jute fibers hold up fairly well but are coarse, so they coat them. The powder you found is probably latex. I don’t know if I have seen many small rugs that are not coated, but some of my larger area rugs are not. It may be a size thing to keep the smaller ones from sliding or just to hide the coarse fibers maybe both.