Securing a large screw hook in drywall without an anchor I have a large-ish screw hook in some drywall that is only supporting a dustpan and hand brush. The hook is not in a stud. As-is, the weight is not too much and the solution works. However, I am always afraid of ripping out the hook when I remove or replace the dustpan, and I can see that the hook is rather wobbly in the wall.

I would like to somehow make this more secure. The issue is that I cannot find any anchors large enough to fit the screw hook. Is there some alternate way of making this hook more secure? This is a garage, so I am open to solutions that might be considered unacceptable for interior use.

Cut a 1"x 4" board just long enough to fit between the wall on the right and garage door on the left.

Attach each end with 2 1/2" screws into the studs of said wall and door frame.

Screw hook, ( or hooks ) into the board.

Other wise like i said in the comments, take it to the store to size and anchor, i have seen ones big enough for that size hook.

Be aware that an anchor may loosen up over time as well from repeated hanging and removing of the things suspended on it.


Mix a bag of 25KG self-leveling concrete with 6L of water? I bought a 24L bucket to fit the mix of 25KG of self-leveling concrete (Thomsit DD+) and 6L of water. Now, visually inspecting the thing, I can't really tell if it's large enough to handle the amount. It seems to be but not totally sure.

Can anyone tell me if the volume fits or should I aim for a larger bucket? I'd rather not drop the bag of cement dust in the bucket and realize it's not large enough and then have to move it around.

UPDATE: This is the procedure. And their bucket size is close to mine.

Lacking a specific brand from your question, I went and looked at

http://www.screwfix.com/p/mapei-ultraplan-self-levelling-compound-grey-25kg/4959f

Which states that it will cover (mixed) 6 square meters at 3mm thick.

I make that 100cm x 600 cm x 0.3 cm or 18,000 cubic centimeters. Last I checked, 1000 CCs was a liter, so you have 6 liters of free space.


Meter and service panel separate from house I am renovating a farmhouse that has been unlived in for 8-10 years and has had power disconnected for that amount of time as well.  The previous owner in order to test a well without changing/fixing the wiring inside the house had a meter and main service panel placed on a pole 20' from the house.  It has a single grounding rod at the pole.  There is currently no line running from this to the house.  When I reconnect the house to power will I need to move the main to the house?  Do I just have to reconnect to the old service panel (In the middle of the house) or will I have to replace/move the panel to where the power will be connected to the house.  Will I run a new set of grounding rods?

This is a question that only your AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction, aka local inspector) can answer for you. There is no specific NATIONAL code violation in doing so, but there could very well be local codes prohibiting this kind of setup, having to do with life / safety issues, fire fighter access, maybe even utility requirements.

If it IS permitted, you would NOT install a new set of ground rods at the house, you would run the EGC (Electrical Grounding Conductor) from your service entrance ground connection back to any local "sub panel" that you install at the house. Likewise with your Neutral conductor, and in this case, because the main is where the Neutral is ALREADY bonded, you would NOT bond the neutral again at the house.


Can you have a GFCI breaker protecting a GFCI receptacle? We have electrical outlets in two bathrooms on the same GFCI breaker.  I would like to put a GFCI outlet for the only outlet in the guest bathroom so it can be easily reset if tripped.

Can this be done with the GFCI breaker?

Yes, it can be done. There is no problem having a GFI fed from another GFI. The only down side is troubleshooting. If something is causing a trip you have to isolate one first to see where the problem is.

My advice is to replace both receptacles with GFI and install a standard breaker. You get the same protection but more convenience. All for only a few dollars more.


Christmas lights haunting me Every year I do Christmas lights I run into the same issue over and over...and I'm just tired of it! :(...It's probably due to the fact that I am electricity stupid - I just don't know enough about electricity to know why this is happening.  In any event I cannot understand how others deck their entire house, bushes, and every other thing on their lot with lights and I cannot seem to do the basics.

Here's my issue...I've got non led (I know I should invest in getting LED but I haven't yet) Christmas lights in the form of nets, which are basically the same as just the string of lights however they come in the form or shape of say a checker board all tied together.  I also have just some regular lights...all in all we are talking about 30-40 lights across my bushes and in my trees.

I have one of those devices that come with a remote that allow you to sit in your house and press a number (1-3) to turn on the bulbs.  Great so I start by placing the item number 1 "Remote Control Plug" into my main outdoor electrical socket, that way I can hook up a surge protector directly to it allowing me to simply press my #1 remote and all turns on.  Fine, I add about 3-4 extension cords to my surge protector each piggy backing about 3-5 light sets.  This is a GFCI outlet by the way that goes back to my basement.  Then I take another remote control plug and place it in another electrical outlet in my garage (#2 this time) that way all I have to do is press 1 then press 2 and bam all my lights go on.

I run a heavy duty extension cord (pretty thick) from my garage under the garage door back outside to about 5 lights that piggy back each other, as well as another extension cord to support 3-4 more.  Note this one doesnt have a surge protector as I dont really need one here.

Great 2-3 hours later I am done and I turn on my lights an all looks well...go back inside and within 10-15 minutes I'll look outside and either #1's set are all turned off or sometimes #2's sets are all turned off, other times both.  I havent blown any fuses and I Dont even have to look at my circuit box.  Sometimes the reset in my surge protector has been suddenly clicked off, forcing me to turn it off and back on and the lights go on again.  Other times I Just use my remote and turn them back on...

Am I just using too many lights?  I decided to head over to home depot and the representative tells me ahh I know your issue.  Get rid of #1 and #2 and plug your surge directly to your outlet for one, and plug your heavy duty extension cord to your garage outlet for #2.  This eliminates the cool I am inside a warm toasty house and can turn on the christmas lights from my house.  I thought fine Ill open my front door and flip the switch to turn on my power strip, then Ill go to the garage and plug in my heavy duty extension cord and all is well.  Within 10 - 15 minutes again they are off with the power supply reset switched flipped off again!

So that doesn't appear to help...what gives and what can I do to keep my house blinging with christmas lights?

It sounds like you are right at the current limit for your power strips and your remote control switches. If you look at the plugs of the lights, you should see a rating that says how many Amps it uses. Add all of those up, and make sure you're not exceeding 80% of the rating on your power strip or your remote control switch. So if your power strip says 15 Amps, then make sure your lights don't add up to more than 12 Amps.


Plumbing Vent - Proper service? Which professional should I call to correct a plumbing venting drip issue that is in the attic?

I have an older home, where the newer plumbing vent is coupled the older after entering through the roof. The coupling is made with the old roof's vent pipe flashing and not too surprisingly leaks.

Option 1: You are going to need a roofing specialist to come and replace the flashing so the pipe has a snug fit around the pipe.  This is a pretty easy job if you have asphalt shingles.

Option 2: I had the same issue and fixed it by getting some roofing caulk and sealing the gaps around the pipe

Good Luck!


Tankless Electric water heater Electrical interference I recently installed a Rheem Retex-18 tankless electric water heater. When I turn the heater on I experience many electrical issues around the house:

Sense home energy monitor freaks out and turns off
Smart thermostat exhibits a loud buzzing
Breaker panel buzzes loudly.

More information:
The cable run is about 40 ft, and uses two 8AWG cables and 2 40A dual pole breakers. The heater operates normally, and I even notice that there is very little flickering from lights when the heater is on. I measure a <2VAC drop when the heater is under load. The breakers do not get hot. I checked the ground connection and it appears to be fine. The house has a 200A service, and I live in an area where most houses have electric baseboard heating, so I expect that the service is sized appropriately. Walking the street it seems like every pole pig is serving 3 -4 houses.  I tested this both when the temperature outside is hot, and when it is cold, so my local load does not seem to be an issue. I checked to make sure that the cables are not reversed on the heater and they are not. Both elements are receiving each phase in the same order. I tried turning everything in my house off, and just turning the heater on and still experienced the same issue, even with a flow rate low enough to only pull 10 KW. The connections to the breaker, and the breaker to the panel seem to be sound. Panel type is a Eaton CH.
Any idea what is causing this?

From the Rheem website for this model:

  "Most advanced self-modulation, adjust power to meet hot water
  demand."

Most likely, that means it is using an SCR based controller (solid state power controller) to do variable power control of the heater elements and the phase-angle firing of the SCRs is causing extreme line noise and harmonics that is affecting other devices when it is on. Not a lot you can do about it, but in small doses as a HW heater would run, it's not particularly harmful. If it is causing severe negative effects that you can't stand, you could try having someone install a Line Reactor or an Isolation Transformer ahead of the HW heater. That will not be inexpensive though.


Transition between casing and baseboard? Transition between casing and baseboard. How to do a nice transition. Just use blocks?
The upper side will be mittered.

At least where I work, it's typical to run the casing to the floor and butt the base into the casing. If you're replacing casing, I'd go that way.

If you don't want to change the casing, then yes, blocks are the only reasonably elegant solution I can think of.


Sealing Pet Odor on Balcony Floor We recently purchased a condo that used to be a rental unit and balcony reeks of pet urine. I cannot completely tell the type of material used for the flooring but  it looks like it’s epoxy sand or small pebble that has been paved over the plywood.
To hide or mask the smell, I was thinking about going over it with Kilz primer and then installing tiling over it. However, I wasn’t sure if primer could be used over this type of surface.
Would this proposed idea work for hiding the smell or would I run into issues with the primer adhering to this surface?

In my experience there is no product that either removes or seals in pet (or other) urine.  the only solution that I've found is to remove ALL the contaminated materials and replace them.


extension cords: length vs amps My Ariens snowblower engine manual has this to say about using an extension cord for electric start:

  Use appropriately
  sized extension cord (a minimum of 16 gage, 3-wire, 13 amp, no longer that 25 feet, and suitable for outdoor use) to prevent damage to electric starter.

I would have thought that, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters (apart from the "outdoors qualified") is the amp capacity of the cord.

I have a 3-wire cord rated for 15 amps, but it's a lot longer than 25 feet.  Can I use it in this instance?

(note: this post assumes that by "gauge" you mean AWG)

I expect the biggest issue with longer leads is likely to be volt drop, especially during startup when motors can draw substantially more than their normal running current. Volt drop during startup may cause slower startup or even failure to start which in turn can lead to overheating.

I would suggest that if you need to use a longer cord you should aim to keep the resistance of the cord no greater than that of the cord the manufacturer recommends. So if you double the length you should also double the cross sectional area (which in american terms seems to translate to reducing the AWG number by 3).


Hanging lights from a gap? I live in an apartment complex with a small-ish patio. Every year they have a decorating contest, and I always try to hang some lights using command hooks, but they never quite hold on to the concrete, so after a few days, I'm left with a mess.
Near the edge of the concrete, there's a small gap - about an inch wide and about 3/8" deep. I was wondering if there's some kind of expanding clamp (I have no idea what I'm searching for, so this is how I've been conceptualizing it) that I could put in the gap, tighten, and use that to hang lights from? I don't know if such a product exists, or what it would be called, so google is failing me.
I've attached a picture of the gap.

I think a bolt with an expansion nut (or coupling nut) would kind of give you the "expansion clamp" behavior you're looking for
Alternatively you could try "hardwall hangers", they nail into concrete fairly easy.When you're done you can pop them off with a screwdriver and the holes are small enough that I don't think it would cause any issues with your apartment complex


Replacing light bulb in an external light I recently moved into a new rental house, and we have a porch light by the front door. It hasn't worked since we moved in, so I'd like to replace the light bulb which is completely enclosed by a glass cover, as shown below.

I'm assuming that the cover should unscrew, but try as I might (even wearing rubberised gloves for extra grip) I've not been able to remove it. I don't want to use excessive force, for fear of breaking the light fitting.

Can anyone suggest how I might remove the cover?

It should unscrew, CCW of course. And, before you screw it back in, put wax from a candle on the thread of both the glass and metal part and tighten with little pressure.


Mild Electric Shocks in Bathroom I have been subject to mild electric shocks in my bathroom for years. It's probably a good time to figure out the problem (I'm still here), so I have check the voltage across the shower valve and the drain (drain is cast iron throughout house.) When the meter is set to ac, it reads 24 volts. When set to dc, it read either +11 or -11 depending on lead used. I then shut off the main breaker, and disconnected the cable line from the house. (We have no hard wired telephone line in the house - it was disconnected at the pole) I unplugged the only ups system in the house. Voltages remain the same! I check it other locations in the house - and even tried a copper pipe to a screw driver pushed into the earth - and found the same issue.
The main panel is grounded the the copper piping and a ground rod that appears to be driven horizontally through the foundation wall about 6 feet below grade. Any ideas?
Chris

Sounds like you have an improperly bonded neutral somewhere. If it isn't easily identified at the main service panel, you'll want to do a couple of things:

Call your electrical company and request (or if necessary demand) that they check to make sure the incoming neutral wire is grounded correctly on their side of the service.
Make sure that the water service to the house has a grounding connection to the ground bus of the panel within 5 feet of entering the house and before the meter.
Install new grounding rods to ensure that they are providing an adequate ground.
Install jumpers around any dielectric connections in the plumbing.

If none of these steps solves the issue, I'd start opening things up and make sure that you don't have a crossed neutral and ground somewhere in the house.


Voltage Fluctuation in house Near my house there is a small industry which uses welding machine because of that i'm getting voltage fluctuation.When there is no work there is no issue.My doubt is that they have used 3 phase line  and mine is single phase.If their connection is a 3 phase one will such issue arises or its bcoz of the problem of the main transformer.Can anybody tell me how to overcome this.If any device is available in the market to overcome please suggest it would be a great help

All you can do is complain to your power provider about the power quality issue caused by the other customer.
Your single phase is going to be one of the 3 phases - there's no separation between them in typical distribution, you just don't get two of them delivered to your house.
You can use a UPS for sensitive loads, but it's not generally practical/affordable to have one that will supply the whole house.


How can I prevent a wooden bed frame from creaking? Our wooden bed frame is three years old. At first it was perfectly solid and silent. But lately it's started creaking whenever we get in or out of it, and it's become unbearably loud.

The noise comes from the the corner, where the horizontal piece of wood at the side of the bed joins the vertical corner piece. They're bolted together and I assume the bolt had worked loose.

I've investigated tightening the bolt, which only helped a little bit temporarily. Also the bolt has started to wear down from repeated tightening, and I don't have the right tools anyway. I don't know if just making it really, really tight would actually solve the problem as I've been told it shouldn't need to be tightened very much.

My question is: How can I prevent the actual noise of the wood slipping against itself and creaking? I've read about using oil or talc... Or should I take it apart and fit something in between the two pieces of wood?

If you can disassemble the frame, separate the siderails from the head and foot boards. Use a crayon or candle to wax the mating surfaces of the wood. This will help eliminate the squeeks. If the bolt has machine threads apply a small amount of thread lock (Loc-tite) which is available at the local hardware store. Get the smallest tube you can as you literally need four drops. One drop for each bolt. If the bolt has wood threads get some chair-lock. It is a glue designed for assembling chairs. Again apply a drop to each bolt. It also is available at the hardware store. While at the hardware store pick up the correct tool you need to tighten the bolt. Assemble the bed tightening the bolts until no movement is felt at the joints. If you can allow the bed to sit unused for an hour or so your adhesives can set.


Concrete foundation crack Two storey home, 14yrs old.  Concrete foundation.  Ground is mostly clay.  Steel I beam crossing the middle of the basement ceiling to distribute load.  The I beam is inset into the top of the concrete foundation.  The outside foundation wall appears to be failing where it meets the steel beam, but just on one end of the house.  However, the inside appears non-stressed.  How much trouble am I in (if any)?  Is this just cosmetic?

Pleasesayyes.

Outside view

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bxo3SkpN46OaV28wZHkyNlpaVG8/view?usp=docslist_api

Inside view (no visible cracks)

(I have more pics, but it wouldn't let me post more than 2)

3 months later...

Just for closure... I followed the given answer and seem to have had success.

@Jason Hutchinson  that would've been a good idea, but I ended up using a 5 pound sledge and busted out all the loose concrete which was pribald for the best.  It looked sandy inside the like the concrete may have had a nugget of unmixed sand or something clumped at that spot.  After the loose concrete was removed it exposed some rebar I was able to wrap wire around and bind in some huge metal spikes and long bolts I had on hand to give my planned patchwork more to hold to.  I bought a 80lb bag of fiber-laced anti-crack concrete mix, and a piece of melamine shelving from lowes to act as the outside form and give the smoothest finish.  Drilled some holes in the melamine.  Rigged up some of the wire around the rebar work and poked it though the holes... and used the wire though the holes to draw the melamine tight to the wall (twisting the wire around more bolts on the outside of the melamine till it tightened up).  It finished well.  Dark at first, but it has now lightened to (mostly) match the surrounding concrete. I think an inspector will pass it by.

Seems that steel beam is sitting on a wall which is sitting on a footing so at best I would think you want to mix up some mortar and cover that crack so the inspector does not see it because it seems to be cosmetic to me. It looks like the house settled and you need to keep water out now


Integrated LED sconce turns on and then immediately turns off I just moved into a new home which has two bathrooms with identical LED vanity lights, https://www.minkagroup.net/p5217-077-l.html. In each bathroom, when you flip the switch for the vanity light, it briefly illuminates and then immediately turns off and does not turn on again. If you flip the switch off and on again, it will flash on and off again. This happens to both light fixtures in two different bathrooms.
Since we just moved in, I don't know how long the problem has been going on. We had the buildings electrician come and he just recommended replacing both lights. But it seems to me since this is happening with two lights in two bathrooms the issue may not be with the integrated LED lighting and may be voltage or something else?
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!

There are 3 types of LED fixtures:

Cheap junk. These can actually make sense in some cases, particularly if easy to replace when they die. A significant percentage will die early, but most will last quite a while and the price is right.
Well-designed from major manufacturers. These make sense for most situations. They might cost on the order of 2x the cheap junk, but they will on average last much longer. More importantly, they are (in my experience) far less likely to have early failure. Anything can be dead-on-arrival - you return it and swap for another. If a light fails after 4 years instead of 5 years, not that big a deal. But if it fails after somewhere between a week and a year, it becomes a royal pain (been there, done that). The major manufacturers are not interested in getting lots of warranty returns and they (generally) build these things to last. (The cheap ones either build a lot of returns into their cost - which tells you the true value of the product! - or disappear before the warranty is up.) This is the best choice for most permanent installations. Unfortunately, I can't post a list of "major manufacturers" here, but it isn't too hard to figure out. If a company has been making light bulbs or electrical equipment for over 100 years, they probably have some idea of how to build things to last.
Designer/"fancy" stuff. This is where it gets tricky. And this is what you have. In the old days, a designer fixture would still (most of the time...) take Edison base bulbs, either regular base or chandelier base. The rest of the fixture, provided it was built to UL/similar standards really didn't matter. It was a base for a bulb and some wires - all totally standard - inside a fancy case that looked really nice (subjectively) and as long as fire safety was accounted for (i.e., not enclosed too much, made from metal/glass, etc.) you could make it look like anything and, after initial installation, there was never any need to go back to the manufacturer. Even if the bulb base or wires went bad somehow, they could usually be easily swapped.

Not any more! It is more efficient, and provides more design options too (since you don't have to provide as much space for actual bulbs) to include integrated LEDs. That includes a driver circuit (which converts from 120V AC to low-voltage DC) and the actual LEDs. There are electronic components, small wires, etc. that can all go bad. Done right, a good LED fixture will last for many years. Ideally, by the time the lights stop working you are ready to replace the fixture anyway for a new design, because you can't just replace the bulbs. The problem is that sometimes the fancy designers are not lighting or electronics experts. That didn't matter in the old days. It does matter now.
My hunch is that the fixtures were designed with relatively low-quality driver circuits. Over time, they fail. And since they are the same model, they fail in the same way.
Replace the Fixtures
Anything else - trying to tear them down to find loose wires, replacing driver circuits, etc. - will be a waste of time/money.


joist bridge for hanging porch seating Want to build and hang a "bed/sofa" 64Lx32W on PT deck w/PT 7x2x10' rafters 16"oc.  Spacing of rafters wrong for hanging.  I can cut down size of the seating, but it defeats objective.  QUESTION:  can I place 4 "bridge supports" (for hanging bed @ corners) between the rafters using PT 2x4? 2x6? 2x8? along w/the appropriate hangers nailed into the rafters and ends of each 16" bridge (rafters are blocked)?  Thanks for help

I would be installing 4"x4" joist hangers between the rafters and set in  pieces of 4x4 P.T. lumber. If you are hanging the bed with chains, I'd drill through the 4x4's at the appropriate spot and insert bolts with washers and nuts on top. Good luck.


Running ethernet under ground to another building I'm trying to run ethernet cable about 250ft underground to the garage. It is going through a hard plastic/rubber tubing under the yard and into the garage. Is there anything I should know before doing this? UTP/STP? cat 5e/cat 6? If a location of where to buy decent cable is allowed, I would be interested in that as well.

Fiber would be ideal, but...

Bear in mind that terminating fiber is more exacting and more expensive. It requires special equipment and special skills. You can't just cut fiber with a pair of wire snips and crimp a plug on the end of it. The ends have to be angled and polished, and it sucks when you poke the little fibers in the ends of your fingers, etc. What I'm saying is that you won't be terminating the fiber yourself, you'll be hiring it out.

Equipment considerations and cost for fiber

I was going to make a statement about the cost of fiber GBIC or SFP modules, but those seem to have come down in price. I'm even seeing modules from top-shelf enterprise switch manufacturers online between $45 and $200, presuming they aren't fakes. If you're willing to go with non-enterprisey brands, I'm seeing some SFP modules between $40 and $100 each, and switches with SFP ports that might work with those modules starting around $150 each. You would need at least two such switches and two such modules (alternatively, you can find Ethernet switches that have fiber ports built-in). If you already have top-shelf switches, you're going to want to buy modules from the same manufacturer. Some of the top-shelf switches simply expect to find GBIC/SFP modules from the same manufacturer plugged into them, and in fact some recent switch firmware upgrades will disable off-brand modules that worked prior to the firmware upgrade (presumably because somebody somewhere had issues with those modules not working properly).

Practically speaking, Ethernet over copper is fine

I would do it. I would rent a trencher and bury PVC conduit (schedule 40 or 80, or liquidtight) at least 18" deep, then pull direct bury rated Cat-whichever cable through the conduit. This way, your Ethernet cable is both protected from physical damage (sch 80 is better for this than sch 40), and you have an additional electrically-insulating layer between your wire and the lightning. Caveat: lightning is weird; no guarantees.

250 feet is just fine for Ethernet. The spec is 328 feet (100 meters). But that doesn't even mean the signal suddenly stops working at 100 meters. It means the cable conductors are sized, twisted and sheathed such that, presuming competent termination, installation that respects minimum bend radius requirements and non-defective equipment, you will get full performance at 100 meters.

I would look for real copper cable, and not copper-clad aluminum (so-called CCA). If you bargain hunt really hard, you'll find CCA cable a lot cheaper than pure copper, but caveat emptor (buyer beware). On the one hand, there's a skin effect and most electrical conduction happens on the skin of the wire, which I admit is where you find the copper in a CCA wire. On the other hand, aluminum is a poorer conductor than copper, and there are also chemical breakdown issues over time with aluminum and copper in contact with each other, which means your signal quality could degrade with time if you use CCA.

If you bury conduit you can pull more or different cable later. That could be another Cat5e run or two so that you can do LACP trunking (Etherchannel in Cisco-speak, or "teaming") to combine multiple Gbps links into one higher bandwidth link. Or you could pull Cat6/6e/7 or fiber later.

Use grounded Ethernet surge protectors on both ends and make sure you bond the ground wires appropriately.

If you bury the cable reasonably deep, in PVC conduit, and take extra pains to add surge suppression and adequate grounding, you should be as safe as you can reasonably expect. In the case of a lightning strike, an Ethernet cable can only transmit so much current, which the surge suppressors stand a chance of absorbing/diverting. If that happens and somehow destroys the cable and both surge arrestors, you just pull new cable and buy a couple of new surge arrestors.

As an extra precaution, only plug the buried cable into Ethernet switches with grounded plugs, and ensure that they're plugged in to receptacles with functional grounding. Or at least make sure the switch has a grounding lug on it, and connect it to ground. Note the grounding lug on the left side of the back of the switch in this picture:

Also, data center (including wiring closet) standards call for a grounded solid copper bus bar mounted on the wall, and better network and telco equipment will have a ground lug on it so you can hard-wire it to ground.

Bear in mind that as weird as lightning is (and it is weird), it is seeking the earth. There's a massive static electric charge built up on the clouds, and the voltage potential is between that and the earth itself. It's a static discharge between clouds and the earth, through whatever conducting medium presents the least resistant path. Although, lightning is weird. Take ball lightning, for instance.

Also bear in mind that you have a cable modem or DSL modem (more than likely), which is directly plugged in to a coax or telephone cable which runs for miles underground and for the most part that works out okay. Of course, both your telephone line and your coax line are grounded where they enter your house, right?  :-)

Here's an Ethernet surge protector, for example, good for up to Gigabit Ethernet for under $20:

I have definitely heard and seen issues with buried network cable and lightning in the past, but honestly that tended to be in situations where (I'm not kidding) somebody had done something like direct-burying 1000' of RG9 in a 3" to 6" trench under a gravel parking lot.


What can I use to glue acrylic sheet together? What can I use to glue acrylic sheet (Plexiglas) together?
Also is it easier to cut and shape Plexiglass or real glass?
Thanks

If by Plexiglass you mean acrylic sheets, use acrylic cement. It formulated especially for that. Old way to dissolve small pieces of plastic in dichloroethan, but it is more toxic. Cut plastic easier than glass.


How do you expand an existing patio while retaining look, structure & level? I have an existing Brick patio that was put in sometime around the time of house construction. There is a small attached garden that has a tree which has since died and I am thinking of expanding the patio to take over that section of the garden (primarily as a place to keep my Grill).

Without a lot of trial-and-error how do I expand into the garden and keep it at the same level as my existing patio?

Use a level, and compact the base to the correct level so that when bricks are placed on it the resulting surface will be level. Choice of levels ranges from surveyor's total station on down to water in a clear hose. The aim is the same in all cases. Note that the patio may not really be "level" - it should have a very slight slope away from the house to aid in directing surface runoff, as should the new section.

Your title but not the body of your question mentioned retaining the look - that may be the hardest part - finding brick to match old brick is a challenge, particularly if your home is relatively old. You may be able to find a construction materials salvage yard with old brick.

As for maintaining the structure, dig down and see how the old one is built, and match that.


What is the best product for repairing expanding gaps in a brick wall? I am trying to do a structural repair to a brick wall that has some large gaps - 1-3" between some of the bricks due to some foundation movement over the last 300 years. The gaps are essentially vertical cracks where the mortar has broken loose and the bricks are separating.  I know that any foundation movement will cause more cracks but I want to at least stabilize the cracks so that the wall does not collapse.  I am thinking that a mixture of something like sand or pea gravel and a strong adhesive will provide the support I need.  I have tried Gorilla glue in matrix material but the foaming and expansion just doesn't work well.  I think a tube adhesive with a high tensile strength will work, I just have little experience with the new ones out there.

Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated.  I always do a "proof of concept" before going full scale so I can try several ideas.

Three inch gaps seem quite large - even for a 300 year old wall.

You just need to use a good mortar mix (sand and cement) on the narrower gaps.

Clean out all the old, lose material first to make sure that you get good adhesion and then push the mortar right into the gaps as far as it will go. Work on a small area (1 m2) at a time.

Adding pea gravel to give the mix more "body" might work on the wider ones.

However, I'd get a professional to have a look at the wall first to make sure you're not going to have to redo this work in a couple of years time. If the foundations have gone it might need something more substantial work doing.

Is the wall part of a house or just a garden wall? If it's the latter then dismantling and rebuilding might be the best long term option.


Drilled into studs, light flickered momentarily but everything else seems fine now - should I be worried? I was installing shelving in my closets, when drilled a hole into studs, the lights flickered momentarily for 2 seconds.

I stopped drilling, and everything else seems fine now. The circuit didn't break and the lights are no longer flickering.

There doesn't seem to be any sockets around the switch.

Should I call an electrician or is there anything I should test?

So you stopped drilling and it got better. Of course, if you put in a screw it might get worse in a hurry.

Best bet is that you nicked the insulation on a wire or wires - either from drilling too deep, determinedly drilling though something that was supposed to prevent you (or warn you by being difficult to drill, compared to wood anyway) from drilling into it, or because it was installed improperly (too close to the surface, without steel protector plates.)

As such it would be a very good idea to turn off the breaker for the affected circuit, open up the wall, have a look, and call an electrician if you are not comfortable fixing electrical things yourself.


Does our main air intake need an electrostatic filter if our furnace already has one? We have an electrostatic filter on our furnace right where in main air intake connects.  We recently had our ducts cleaned and they told us we also needed to have our main air intake cleaned (an extra charge) and we needed an electrostatic filter at the opening to the main air intake vent (also an extra charge).  Is this true?  Do we need a filter in both places?

Question of whether you can do it depends on the static pressure load your furnace is already dealing with.  The nameplate on your furnace will specify the maximum static pressure allowance.  This is basically a measure of how much resistance the furnace blower feels when pushing air.

Whatever you do in whatever configuration of filters including allowances for dirty filters you need to stay below this limit at all times to prevent potentially serious problems including cracked heat exchangers and frosting over of AC coils.  The fancier pleated/electrostatic filters with high ratings for dust collection significantly increase overall static pressure v. cheap fiberglass.

If the guy has no clue what the static pressure of the system is and did not have a manometer to check it with both filters installed I wouldn't go there.  I know my system couldn't handle it.

On question of should you.. I suppose having filters would protect return ducts from new dust not already filtered out of the air by main filter.


electrical GFI replaced old plug Old plug worked and light work. no breaker blown.

Installed new GFI and nothing works.

Isolated hot line, reset GFI and used only hot line in and GFI blows.

Connected wires together to bypass outlet, and light works fine.

See how the power comes in via Cables?  Each cable has 1 black wire, 1 white wire and probably a ground wire?

One of those cables is supply.  The other one is onward power to your light or whatever.

I see no reason a light needs to be under GFCI protection.  The LOAD terminals are not for using, unless you know exactly what you are doing and intend to GFCI-protect the onward loads.  Protecting hardwired lights is silly, that's ground's job.

Place both blacks on GFCI "LINE" brass screw.

Place both whites on GFCI "LINE" silver screw.

Most GFCIs allow 2 wires in back-wires directly under the screw; if not, then pigtail the 2 black wires and 2 white wires.  Crank the screws down quite hard.

Now, check other receptacle sockets that lost power during this situation.  If they are in a place where GFCI is required, do a GFCI test on those. If it trips a GFCI (maybe this one), mark the socket "GFCI Protected". They make stickers for that purpose. Otherwise make sure to fit another GFCI there, or revisit the "know what you're doing/intend to protect onward loads" thing.


Hot water faucet handle stripped Is there anything I can pack into my reproduction bathroom sink hot water faucet handle to stop it from slipping/spinning? The teeth are stripped and I'd really prefer to not have to replace it.

There are manufactured solutions for your problem that will work way better than glue/epoxy or a bunch of work with saws and stuff.

Use a "fit-all" handle arbor that attaches to the stripped stem with set-screws. There are dozens of handle styles to choose from.

Will it prevent you from having to find a replacement stem or replace the whole faucet? YES

Will it work way better than other options and still be aesthetically pleasing? YES

Is it simple and easy and quick and relatively inexpensive? YES

Will you need to change both of your existing handles/knobs? YES


Why would my gas heater have blow back, but not every time? My furnace turns on, and sometimes, has blow back through the tube leading back to the water heater, causing condensation on top of the water heater, blowing out the pilot light. Then 9 out of 10 times, the furnace vents out properly. I don't understand how this can happen.

The HVAC repair men are stumped also.They replaced the old water heater that was doing the same thing. Then they changed the vent shaft from a "y" to a "t" connection leading to the vent to the roof. It works 9 out of 10 times perfect, then the furnace turns on, and the vent leading back to the water heater gets hot all the way back to the water heater, and the top gets soak and wet, and the pilot goes out. Frustrating as hell. The vent on the roof seems clear as the steam is clearly coming out .

As Harper says, I think you have an atmospheric problem.  Some times just lengthening the vent line 3 or 4 feet will fix this.  Sometimes you need a power booster to overcome the down draft. P.


GFCI with 2x 20 amp 1 pole breakers I had a 15 amp 1 pole breaker connected to a gfci in my backyard.

Now I need more juice. I decommissioned this 15 amp circuit.

I fished a 12/3 from a 2 x 20 amp 1 pole breakers thinking I was connecting a regular outlet outside as I've got 2 hot wires now.

I thought the GFCI would connect like a regular outlet until I remembered the load/line and my mistake.

Could you recommend a solution for this kind of situation. I would rather not install a double box and 2x gfci. I would like to have a single receptacle with 2x 20 amp and be able to gfci it somehow.

I could fish a new wire. Else, I ran out of idea.

It's a Nova panel 200 amp. 1985 I guess. I use Eaton cutler-hammer DNPL breakers.

The double breaker fits bottom right. Not installed on the picture yet.

You have the wrong breaker for what you want to do here

The Eaton DNPL (aka BRD) type of breaker is a tandem or double-stuff breaker, that has two circuit breaker mechanisms inside it that share a line terminal, but have separate load lugs.  These are used extensively to "cram" circuits into a panel, as we see in your panel.

However, since both of the breakers in a double-stuff are connected to the same leg or phase of the service, you cannot use one to feed a multi-wire branch circuit (like the one you propose) without overloading the neutral, since the hot wires in a MWBC must be on different legs or phases to allow only the difference in loads to flow down the neutral, rather than the sum of the loads.

If this were a regular branch circuit, you would need to replace the bottom rightmost DNPL1515 and the empty slot with a DNPL152015, then land the wires from the old DNPL1515 on the two outer poles and the new 12AWG wires on the two inner poles.  However, this creates other problems, so read on for details.

You don't have the space for a GFCI breaker

The bigger problem for what you want to do though is that you need a two pole GFCI to protect a multi-wire branch circuit, and those only come in breaker form.  However, there is no such thing as a double-stuff GFCI breaker to begin with, as the electronics required to make a GFCI work take up too much space to be fit into a single breaker package along with the two breaker mechanisms.

So, you'll need to put the GFCIs somewhere else -- this could be a "spa panel" placed inline with the circuit with a 2-pole GFCI breaker in it, or a pair of GFCI receptacles or deadfronts at the "end of the line" for the MWBC in that you would have to have the two "sides" of the circuit have separate neutrals from that point on to avoid confusing the GFCIs with improperly divided neutral currents.  In this situation, you'll still need to use the DNPL152015 quadplex breaker in the main panel, as described above.


Why Would Hot Water Arrive at Faucet Faster Than Before? I live in a 26-year-old second-floor condo with a 13-year-old hot water heater.

Historically, it would take several seconds from the time that I opened the faucet for hot water that I would actually get hot water.

For the past few days, though, hot water has arrived much faster. While most people would be pleased by this, I am worried about why hot water is arriving in just a second or two.

It is the sort of behavior that I normally associate with having used hot water recently, which has not always been the case during this period of faster-than-usual hot water. Since this is a second-floor condo, I do not have direct access to most of my pipework, which is mostly copper. And I once did have a pinhole leak in the pipes, though fortunately that was just under the sink and so I found out about it quickly.

So, I'm worried that I might have a hot-water leak somewhere that I can't see.

Is there another explanation for why I might be getting hot water at the faucet faster than before?

And, any suggestions for how I might determine whether or not I do have a hot-water leak?

The first thing you can do is verify if the outgoing hot water pipe is hot or warm when you are not using hot water. If that is the case then you have a leakage somewhere.

You can also verify your watermeter. If you do not use any water then the meter should not move. If the meter rotates than you can be sure that you have a consumer, in fact an unwanted leakage somewhere.


Electric Range: no 220v funtionality Frigidaire FED355 Electric range. Oven and stove-top in use, heard loud 'Phump', and it all goes dead, clock, lights, etc. Warm plastic aroma. Reset breaker. Range top lights, clock, timer now work.

No fault or error codes.

Can set oven temperature or broiler high/ low, relay clicks, but no heat on either element.

Voltage at elements shows 120v to ground from each leg, but 0 between the two legs.

Also, any sources for diagram to remove board? I've pulled most every panel, sides, top, rear, but can't remove front control panel. Thanks.

A common problem with ranges is the control board relays fry taking out some of the range functionality. I fixed one that just the oven did not work another that everything was dead. I would start here with the range unplugged look at the the control board there are usually several larger plastic covered relays look for damage on the board. since you mentioned the plastic smell it would be a good starting point. I found the parts for 1 range for 50-60$ the self cleaning convention oven was over 200, that was cheap compared to 1300 for a new one. here is a link to a utube video on how to do it. Added, The relays switch both legs of the 240V if 1 leg of the relay fried (the noise and burn smell) you would read 120 to ground from both ends of the element.


Bistro lights for wedding structurally sound? Hey guys and gals, 1st question here. I’m having my wedding in my backyard and my fiancé insisted on having a light canopy of bistro lights in my back yard. Of course I obliged, but the quotes I got for temporary lights were 4 -5k, so I decided to set up permanent ones myself.
I've only cemented in the posts, which are the blues dots, and the green and red lines were my plan until my neighbor said that it won’t work. I believe my design is sufficient, but your input would be appreciated.
Design:

Blue dots: 13 ft 4" galvanized steel square posts, 3ft deep and 18 inches wide concreted in
Green lines: guy wires for lights
Red lines: lights with guy wire

The photo has the measurements of the yard, the light run is over 55', probably around 65' since it’s running at a diagonal.
I'm considering putting posts in the middle of the green line if necessary, but I'd prefer not.
Thoughts?
Update: I do have two extra posts, I didn’t want to add them, but would be a more feasible set up?  The yellow dots are the additional posts.

This will work fine, with these caveats:

The posts will certainly be strong enough. The question is whether the soil surrounding their concrete bases will give, allowing the posts to tilt. Worst-case scenario you add guy wires down to the ground as support.
Your primary (perimeter) wires should be 1/8" steel wire rope, at least, but light enough to not add to the challenge. You'll need as much as several hundred lbs. of tension on them (with the cross wires in play) to reduce sag far enough. Synthetic winch rope could also work well, but won't be cheap.
Your cross wires will also need to be able to handle 50 lbs. tension or more. Picture wire might do, or 1/16" steel wire rope.

If you can accomplish all that I think you'll have a fantastic wedding scene. Good luck, and GOOD LUCK. ;)


Round hole, rectangular junction box I am installing a new light fixture into ceiling. There is a round hole there right now (from a recessed light that I removed).

The problem is this round hole is just short in diameter of standard junctions boxes (octagonal ones). A rectangular junction box will fit through the hole however.

The question is: are there any code regulations that I cannot have a rectangular junction box in a round hole?

I am in Ontario, Canada.

Why not use a standard round junction box? They come in several widths and depths, for example

If the space is very shallow, there are round pancake boxes as well

Two safety issues:

It is imperative that a fixture be solidly mounted, so, if it attaches to the box itself, the box must be attached to framing members or an adequate brace.
Small round boxes have limited space, so you must be careful about overfilling them with wires and attachment devices. If there is a single cable with two or three wires, you will usually be okay, but pancakes generally cannot handle several cables.

SUPPLEMENT: As to the question about a square box in a round hole, NEC Section 314.21 says

  Repairing Noncombustible Surfaces. Noncombustible surfaces that are broken or incomplete around boxes employing a flush type cover or faceplate shall be repaired so that there will be no gaps or open spaces greater than 3mm (1/8 in.) at the edge of the box.

Section 314.19 also says that flush fixtures have to be have to be completely enclosed at back and sides, so gaps around a box behind the fixture would probably be considered to violate that as well.

That said, it is routine to apply spackle and other noncombustible fillers around junction boxes that have gaps where they meet the wall. But it is critical to ensure that whatever box is used, it is securely mounted to underlying structure.

Finally, cites are to NEC which may or may not be applicable in your jurisdiction, but is generally viewed in North America as standard practice.

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


How can I connect a 120V compressor to a 3 phase WYE 208 electrical system? I have 4 cables from a power supply which are 3 phase WYE 208 volt. so if I measure between neutral and hot I get 120V.

The problem is that I need to hook up a compressor for 110V single phase (just normal wall socket) to this particular combination.

Question 1: Is this just a bad idea to begin with since the phases are 120deg apart instead of 180?    If it is is there some gadget I can buy to convert correctly?

Part 2: My attempt:
so I tried to hook it up and I soldered the neural to the ground of a cut 3 prong extension cord, the I soldered a hot wire to the small and large hole of the plug.
This was a bad choice because after I ran the compressor I triggered the circuit breaker. Then i realized that i was feeding it 240V instead of 110V.

Question 2:   Do you think I should try to leave the ground on the prong open and instead solder the neutral to the small hole and one of the hot wire (does it matter which) to the big hole. This way I would supply the compressor with 110V?

As far as I understand, it doesn't matter now that the phase is 120 between the hot wires, because I am using neutral to hot, right?

In a 208Y/120 4 wire Wye system, you'll get 120 volts between either ungrounded (hot) conductor and the grounded (neutral) conductor.  So if you're trying to connect a 120V appliance, all you need is one ungrounded (hot) conductor, one grounded (neutral) conductor, and one equipment grounding conductor.

The ungrounded (hot) conductor will connect to the brass colored screw terminal on devices (the small hole/blade), while the grounded (neutral) conductor will connect to the silver colored terminal (the larger hole/blade).  The neutral conductor should never be connected to the equipment grounding conductor, or equipment grounding terminal on devices.

Notes:
Since it sounds like you're a bit over your head, you should probably contact a local licensed Electrician to finish the project and for any future electrical projects.

While you can solder connections in house wiring, it's not a common practice anymore.  You'll also want to insure that you are using solder that is rated and labeled for the use, and that your solder joints are strong and insulated.


Coast 3-way -- does this conform with Code? For those who aren't familiar, the California or Coast 3-way switching arrangement  is a method of wiring a three-way switch circuit that is used when both a switched and an unswitched hot are desired at both ends of the circuit, as seen in this image (taken from the Wikipedia page on three-way switches):

However, it requires two travelers, a hot, a neutral, and an EGC all in the same cable -- and 12/4 or 14/4 NM is a recent invention, as I understand it.  Has 14/4 been around for longer than I think, or were Coast three-ways installed with 14/3 and a separate (or no) neutral running with the travelers?  If the latter is true, wouldn't they violate 300.3(B) (and a few other Code sections) due to the wayward neutral conductor?

Perhaps I could be wrong on this but when I worked as an electrician in California many years ago, the coast 3 way switching was developed for the following reason. Many homes and offices were wired using steel flex (aluminum came later). Most cities in California at that time had their own electrical code, governed to some degree by the state code and NEC. There were some rules that did not allow you to pull four wires (Conductors) in a 1/2" flex conduit unless one was a switch leg.

By using a coast 3 way the conductors were as follows: one point wire (Common) one switch leg, one Hot and one neutral, with no travelers. Plus of course if you needed a hot plus a switch leg and a neutral at each end, you would have them available. On a standard 3 way switching you would have two travelers (In the UK these are called Strapping wires).


Under Cabinet exposed NM/Romex The original builder (USA, ca. 2006) ran exposed NM/romex between the fixtures. Maybe this is a nebulous question, but is that within code?

You can look up NEC at NFPA.org-  free registration required.

Comments in parens are my rewording.

334.10 Uses Permitted
Type NM ('Romex')....shall be permitted in 1 and 2 family dwellings, and multifamily dwellings of types III, IV and V construction
(and other buildings, but must be concealed)

A "For both exposed and concealed work in normally dry locations" (except buildings other than 1 and 2 family dwellings, and multifamily dwellings of types III, IV and V construction.)

334.15 Exposed Work

A To Follow Surface

Cable shall closely follow the surface of the building finish or of running boards

B Protection from Physical Damage

..."where necessary" (describes which types are acceptable)

Which means if the electrical inspector thinks the wire is exposed to physical damage.

So bottom line, this is "exposed" but
"closely follow(s) the surface of the building finish" and doesn't seem "exposed" to significant physical damage, unless the inspector thinks so so it is code compliant if not elegant.

It seems unlikely the residents will poke sharp objects up there.

Article 320 is 'Armored Cable' Type AC, which says,
"320.10...shall be permitted...in both exposed and concealed installations"

"320.12 ...Type AC cable shall **not be used...where subject to physical damage**"

In this situation, AC is allowed exactly the same way as NM in a 1-2 family house, which I'm assuming is the situation..

For the LED jumpers, you'd have to look at what kind of wire they are.


Should I hang doors before or after drywall? Should I hang doors before or after I hang drywall?
What are the pros and cons of each choice?

There's a huge amount of mess and potential for damage during the hanging, taping, and painting stages. You wouldn't want some of your most expensive and vulnerable woodwork hanging around through that.

Also, the hangers will likely use rotary cutters to zip around door openings. You make that much harder for them if even bare jambs are in place (and again increase the chance of saw or knife damage).

Then, there's a huge amount of moisture in the air during taping and painting. You don't really want your woodwork in the building at that time due to the chance of warpage and joint movement after installation.

Finally, you want to hang your doors with respect to the finished face of the walls. Sometimes slight misalignment of framing, heavy tape joints, and other variance means that you'd shift the jamb slightly from center of the wall for a better outcome.

Hang the doors after painting, after hard flooring, and before carpeting. There are no pros to hanging doors before drywall.


Isn't range hood with filter top fan better? My Toronto, CA condo has Sakura R727II range hood (Installation Guide).

I saw this an other Sakura range hood on Google Pictures. Please answer questions 1 and 2 in picture.

Isn't range hood with filters or slats better?

Fans and fan blades on my 727II are sooo greasy! Why 727II not have filters or slats? If it did, then fans and fan blades not so greasy?

The slats are louvers which cover the entrance to the housing and prevent the blower from accidently ingesting things like paper towels or hands stuck up there. The small knobs on them are spring loaded levers which allow for removing the three panels for washing. Filters, in the sense of actually cleaning the air are uncommon because you wouldn't want a flammable substance like foam or paper catching grease. Instead there's usually some metal mesh or trap to catch grease which periodically needs cleaning.

In your particular case, the second model is superior. Grease is going to be mainly confined to the louvered panels which can be removed and chucked in the sink. (Possibly dishwasher if you're adventurous.) It probably also uses a blower rather than radial fan for higher airflow. I imagine the first is cheaper.

To answer your final question the fan is above the panels, but it's probably inside a large plastic baffle which reduces the rectangular opening down to a smaller round hole. It's along the same lines as a vacuum cleaner, which has a large square opening to clean with and a smaller round exhaust at the bag, with a fan in the middle. The difference being that the fan and exit in this case are still several inches in diameter. (The "fan" may be a centripetal blower too, to provide better airflow. Think leaf blower rather than desk fan.)

Incidentally, your existing fan also requires internal ducting because it can be installed with either top or back exhaust. The difference is that the fans are in the front of the ductwork.


How to release this accuride drawer slide? I have tried everything, and looked all over the web.
This slide lacks release levers that I can find/see!
Other than unscrewing the plate from the drawer, is there a way to get teh drawer out?

I have tried:

pulling hard (nope, it is a hard stop)
lifting it out
searching for a release

You push the black tab in to towards the side of the drawer. Then lift up the front edge, making sure the black tab fits through the slot. Once the black tab is clear, you can pull the drawer out a tiny bit to unhook the hook towards the back.


Repainting rendered exterior walls My daughter is painting the exterior of her house. The walls are rendered and were painted some 15 years ago. She used a Karcher pressure cleaner to clean the walls and there is no paint flaking.

To repaint, should she use a white sealer paint (primer) first? Then check the wall for any imperfections and fill them if she finds any? After that, she would do the first coat of final colour and wait a day. Then, finally, she'd apply the second final colour coat.

Would this be correct?

Yes, your plan is a good one. As suggested by Damon using a brush to apply primer will best insure a bond to the wall. A roller may do well to in the larger areas. I would not concern yourself too much with a high build primer though since the paint is intact. If there were bare spots, that would be a different story. Primer has to just get on the surface, not fully color the wall the primer color. Although if the wall will take a drastic color change, the primer can be tinted to help change it. The main thing is getting the primer on a clean sound wall, grips onto the existing surface and allows the finish to grip onto it, no matter how thick the primer goes on. Once primer "wets" the surface and dries, its job is done.

Since this is the time for a good visual inspection on the outside of the house, now is the time to really scrutinize the wood trim that is typically around doors, windows and roof overhangs. When the paint finish begins to fail in these areas, there are small cracks in the paint at the joints in the wood or at the ends. The ends of the wood are highly susceptible to taking on moisture. since the nature of the tree is to draw in water when it is growing. Seriously, it does not change after it is cut. Capillary action is what at work here. Spot check to make sure these areas are detailed with cleaning and scraping if needed and recaulk to seal the joints to seal water out.


Foundation water seepage? Recently purchased a new home and am noticing that there appears to be what seems to be an issue with water seeping through the foundation in the basement. Shortly after a decent rain the wall will start to look damp, after longer periods without rain the wall will dry out until it rains again (I have cleaned the wall and efflorescence will return). Interestingly, the water seepage is isolated in only one area of the basement behind the front porch steps, with the width and height of the efflorescence corresponding with the outside grade and width of the porch.
The front steps have a concrete foundation and I have tried digging a ~2.5 foot (deep) ditch starting at the corner of the steps/house and running out on both sides of the steps to help drain water away, but this doesn't seem to have helped, water does not pool in the ditches after it rains so it is flowing away there.
I'm located in NJ and the soil is very clay-like, which I know can also create drainage issues. Additional notes: House was built in ~1980, unfinished basement, does not have an active sump pump or other built in drainage, the sprinklers in the below pictures are shut off, when digging out one of the ditches I found a chipmunk den (know that can be a water highway..).
I'm wondering if I should try digging out more along the sides of the front steps (perpendicular to the house)? Could there be a 'pocket' under the stairs that is allowing water to flow in from other areas? Any suggestions?

If diverting the rainwater away from the house doe not stop this problem, potentially the problem is caused by the fluctuation of the groundwater, or there is a spring near that corner of the house, provides the basement wall wasn't adequately waterproofed. Unless you don't mind wasting your money by trying some fixes, the proper way is to involve a Civil Engineer to pinpoint the source of the problem and find a feasible, yet durable and economical solution.
As a homeowner myself, I might be tempted to grout the block wall solid, wait and see before resort to hiring an engineer. Also, you shall keep the basement well ventilated. Good luck.


How do I remove a stubborn exterior threshold? I Am trying to redo my threshold due to the fact that my floor has been raised like 2". I cannot find any screws and I have been working on it with a crow bar. I have been looking on line and the consensus is that the threshold is typically screwed down. IS it being held in by the door casing. I am going to have to cut it anyway but I wasn't sure how this strip is being held down.

That threshold is part of the entire door system. It wasn't added after the door was installed. It's screwed upward into the jamb sides and may have extrusion fins that engage slots in the jamb. Ordinarily a threshold doesn't wear out before the door system does, so it's rare that a person would try and remove it without replacing the door.

You'll need to figure out how to cut those screws so you don't tear out chunks of jamb. It's made from soft pine and would splinter fairly easily.


Replacing 3-Way Light Switch with 4 wires I'm trying to replace an older style 3-way switch with a newer one. When I pulled the older one out, the wires weren't clamped down very well and 3 of the 4 (yes, 4) wires popped out of place before I had a chance to look and see what was where.

So, here's the situation.  I have 1 White, 1 Red, and 2 Blacks (we'll call them B1 & B2).

With the circuit breaker on and very carefully measuring voltages across each of the wires, I get the following.

W  <- 120V -> B1
W  <-   0V -> B2
W  <-  24V -> R
W  <-   0V -> Ground
B1 <- 120V -> B2
B1 <-  90V -> R
B1 <- 120V -> Ground
B2 <-  24V -> R
B2 <-   0V -> Ground
R  <-  24V -> Ground

And also very carefully, if I touch the 2 black wires together, the light comes on.

So, my obvious question is, how do I need to wire these up to the new 3-way switch?

Thanks!

==============================

Update

When I flip the other switch and re-check the voltages, they change to...

W  <-  24V -> B1
W  <-   0V -> B2
W  <- 120V -> R
W  <-   0V -> Ground
B1 <-  20V -> B2
B1 <-  94V -> R
B1 <-  24V -> Ground
B2 <- 120V -> R
B2 <-   0V -> Ground
R  <- 120V -> Ground

=========================

Update #2

View of the back of the box

View of the sibling switch.

===========================

Update #3

Added Measurements above for all wires to ground for both above positions of the other switch.

Identify the travelers

First, the partner switch is the power source.  You can tell because its common terminal is hooked directly off a dual receptacle.  Unless the receptacle is switched, that must be the supply.  The other two screws on the supply 3-way are the travelers and there is a black and red wire on them.   That is also consistent with the lamps being at the far end; since neutral would be present then, neutral must be white.  So that all jibes.

Your testing reveals that when you throw the switch, B1 and R wires alternate which one is hot.  So confirmed.

I am a big fan of marking wires with tape to indicate their function. I prefer to use yellow wire for both travelers, since it isn't useful to distinguish them from each other.  I would mark both travelers at both ends thusly.

There would be no use for any other wires to land on a traveler terminal.  The only remaining terminal is the "common", and assuming this is a 3-way, the remote common is the switched-hot wire going to the lamp.

I see a /3 cable (containing the travelers and a white) and a /2 cable on the left side of the switch box.

Loads

Now, in the back of that box I see plain separation between the wires to the left switch, and the wires to the right switch.  With one exception: one neutral crosses over from this group to the other side. That shouldn't happen:  currents should always be equal in each cabLe, and that means a second wire would need to cross over too.  The house may be miswired.

Obviously B2 goes to the lamp.  But its partner white should be going to the white from the other 3-way, and that's not the case.  Now it would be proper if:

the lamp was powered from the other box: in that the white wire from the /3 cable will tie to the common terminal, and carry switched-hot back to the other box, where it's tied to a cable to a lamp.  Or
The /2 cable in this box went on to power a lamp, in which case the black wire from the /2 cable goes to common, and its white wire ties into the neutral brought over in the /3 cable.  (because of the equal currents rule, the neutral should not be poached from the neutral bundle in the right side of the box).

My working theory is that both of the above are true.  W carries switched-hot back to the other box in the /3, and the B2 is the hot from the /2 cable going on to a different lamp.  This circuit powers 2 lamps fed from both boxes.  Or did.  Since W is being used as a switched-hot, B2's partner white cannot return to it; instead they bootlegged neutral from the clump of cables serving the switch on the right. This is bad wiring and should be corrected one way or another.

If you don't see  where this second lamp would be, look for switched receptacles somewhere in the room.


Convert section of radiator pipes from rigid pipes to flexible pipes I am looking to purchase a treadmill to use in my basement hut the location I want to use it has radiator pipes in the way. I am wondering if it would be possible to replace the pictures section of pipes with ones that are more flexible / smaller that would keep them out of the way.

You don't want to decrease the size of those pipes. The correct solution is to re-route the pipes to be closer to the ceiling or inside the joist bay. You probably don't have the tools to do this yourself, and it's not really a DIY project anyway, unless you happen to be a pipe fitter (in which case you wouldn't be asking this question).


Messed up the wiring in a 3 speed box fan, how can I fix this? I am trying to convert a 3 speed box fan into an air cleaner. I took it apart, and accidentally pulled wires out of their wingnuts, and don't know how to fix them.

I tried my best to draw the diagram of what I have, but let me put it in words as well:

My fan motor has three wires coming out of it: orange, red and grey.
All those of those go to the speed switch.
I also have a CBB61 capacitor with two black wires coming out of it.
Finally, the wall plug itself with a silver wire and a copper wire.

There are three wing nuts, but I have no idea how to reconnect everything together. I'd appreciate any help, and here's the diagram.

Do you have a multimeter? Specifically an ohm meter to measure continuity and resistance? Motor wires not necessarily color coded. But we still can find out.

If you have it you may follow these  steps:-

Out of 6 wires, see which one is directly linked on metal casing of the motor. This is the protective earth wire. This must go to the ground terminal of the mains plug directly. You should read zero ohm between this wire and motor body.

Now you have 5 wires left to work on. Prepare paper and pen to take note the resistance readings.

Select one wire as reference and measure the resistance of all other wires against it. Tabulate your findings on paper.

After few rounds of measurements, you should be able to see each wires having different resistance which can matched up with wiring diagram such as this below.

Take note higher speed wire having lowest resistance and lowest speed wire having highest resistance.  The wire designated for capacitor, its resistance depends on motor horse power. This wire is connected to the condensor coil of the motor.

Your capacitor should have the capacitance marked in microFarads (uF). CBB51 not telling anything. Higher the uF, lower the resistance of the condensor coil.


Septic tank concrete flooring Does septic tank need to have concrete flooring? If so, why? Will the concrete flooring affect the decomposition of waste?

Thanks!

A septic tanks purpose is to allow the anaerobic bacteria to break the effluent down and also allow the aerobic bacteria to die.  This takes time so a septic tanked should be sized based on the inflow to allow a slow enough change over (in days) for this action to happen.  Then, in the drain field, the anaerobic bacteria dies off when it meets the soil and aerates.

For this to process to happen septic tanks also need to be completely sealed; this is critical otherwise the effluent does not spend enough time in the tank for the bacteria to work or die.

Concrete septic tanks are not simply concrete but concrete with a coating to make them impermeable to water because concrete by itself allows water through it.  This means effluent and its aerobic bacteria could immediately enter the soil before it had a chance to die off and continue to possibly thrive.

Further if you had rocks at the bottom you would not have a septic tank you would have a cess pool.  These are a health hazard due to the fact the aerobic bacteria is not "dealt" with all and can proliferate through the soil into ground water and such.

Point is a spectic tank should completely contain the effluent; no leakage at all.  This is why sealing cracks if found after time in tanks is important as well.


New LED flood lights give off quick flash when turned off I just purchased 6 new LED Flood Lights for my kitchen, my kitchen has two light switches that turn the lights off and on and neither of them are dimmers so I purchased non dimmable LED lights.

One thing I've noticed and this doesn't happen every time but on ocassion when I turn the lights off they will provide a flicker once I hit the switch, I was wondering what is the cause of this and will it cause damage to the LED bulbs?

This is probably the LED driver inside of your flood lamp enclosure discharging any charge that is left in its circuitry. I couldn't imagine this being in issue, especially is its a very short flash


Grounding a switch that has no ground screw or wire I have a timer switch (see photo 1) that has No Grounding Screw and ** No Grounding Wire** protruding from it.  It is to be installed into a plastic gang box and replace a switch which is currently grounded by a wire.

The power source for this switch comes from a GFCI circuit.

Should I ground the timer switch by wrapping it around the screw attached to the yoke like the second photo.

Black Hot
White Neutral
Blue Load

I called the company, they didn't seem very knowledgeable. Since the yoke is metal and would be grounded if installed in a metal box. I went ahead and grounded it as between between the box and yoke with the top screw.


How can I install ceramic tile over vinyl tile? I'm trying to install ceramic tile in a friend's bathroom, appox. 45 sq ft.
The current floor in the bathroom is vinyl squares over the base cement.  There is no subfloor or anything like that. The bathroom is in the basement. I tried pulling off the vinyl but it's leaving a thick yellowish glue behind.
What's the best / easiest process to install ceramic floor over the existing floor?

Is the glue residue hard and rough or soft and gummy? If it's hard, a 6" floor scraper should break it loose, maybe with a heat gun or some boiling water to loosen it a bit. If it's soft and gummy, the scraper should get it by itself, or you can try some acetone or mineral spirits to dissolve it (make sure you ventilate the area well, and take frequent breaks).

Either way, tiling directly over a vinyl floor is not going to be ideal. The thinset will not key well to the smooth vinyl (and trying to rough it up will basically just get you to the point where you might as well scrape it all off anyway). Vinyl floor should NOT be considered a "floating underlayment", either, as a few posts I've seen have indicated. It's too thin, and actually MORE likely to result in cracking as tiles break loose and try to shift.

You really need to get that stuff off. It will not be an easy job, and if he's not paying you for the time he should be.


Outlets are dead, but electricity is coming into the box I have three outlets in the bedroom that are not working. No breakers are tripped(all have been shut off and turned back on, just to see if something has been tripped someplace). No GFCI are involved.

I took the cover off an outlet and used a tester. I have electricity coming to the outlet off the hot (black) wire, but the ground I had to use to get the tester to light was the ground wire off the green screw. I looked at each dead outlet and they all test the same way. The white wire or screw on the side of the receptacle would do nothing to light my tester.

These are the only outlets not working in the house.

What you describe says that the neutral (white wire) is broken somewhere upstream from these outlets.
Try to trace the wiring back along its path and I'm certain you'll find a bad/broken/loose connection on a white wire somewhere.


Recommended screw fastener length Is there an industry standard for recommended screw lengths to fasten to pieces of material together?  For instance, if I need to fasten a piece of 3/4" plywood to a vertical brick wall, how long should the Tapcons be?  What about screwing 1 1/2" pieces of wood together vs. something like, say, a decking board?

What makes sense to me is that the screw should extend the same distance into the receiving material as the thickness of the item you are attaching.  So, for example, the screw length for a 3/4" piece of plywood should be 1 1/2".  However, everyone seems to suggest using 3" deck screws to fasten decking boards down.  I'm sure there are exceptions such as decks, since decks are exposed to weather and wear and tear but is there a "standard" or general rule of thumb to go by?  I always struggle with choosing which length of screw to use.

I will to try to give a few numbers you may find useful based on what I have found over my years of connecting one thing together or the other.
On Tapcons, Philcons or Con-certs or just good old concrete screws, 1" embedment into is the typical depth I see referred to. The screws are sold at those lengths with that in mind. 1 3/4" for 1X material. I checked the website and it is mentioned that the depth can be as deep as 1 3/4" bury into masonry. In my experience, in hard concrete, or brick, a screw will break after 1 1/4" into a hard surface. If you are setting it in the joints of the brick or perhaps cinder block or a soft brick like older handmade brick that are not real dark, 1 3/4" into the material is pretty easy to do. There are 2 different diameters to chose from too. That can be as simple as the judgment call of "this thing is really heavy and I don't want it to move so I will use the bigger diameter one" or, "This will not be too tough to set, so the small one will do." If the item you are going to secure is going to vibrate, I strongly advise against using concrete screws, unless glue can be used in some way to help keep it together. Wedge fasteners may be a better choice for that, or better still an anchor bolt with expansive concrete set into a drilled, cleaned hole will hold the most reliable if strength and resistance to vibration is what you are looking for.

When fastening wood, once the piece to be fastened is gone through, generally I find 1" into the second, or the piece you are fastening to is enough to hold. Of course, there are variations on this, depending on the circumstances. On deck boards, IMHO, 3" screws for a 5/4  deck board is way over kill, 2 1/2" is plenty for that. For 2X deck boards, 3" is a good fit. I have also seen 3/4" or less, work well in thin material that you may not want to go all the way through, but there may be need for many screws needed in a given area to have a strong hold. When screwing into oak or other hardwoods, 3/4" will hold very well. When fastening a piece to the end of another, as in making a corner for a box, I heard a long time ago the screws needed to be 3 times longer than the piece you are fastening, because end grain does not hold a screw as well as going into the wood perpendicular to the grain. The part about end grain not holding a screw well is true, but I find the screw does not need to be that long at all. A 4 1/2" screw to hold 2X together?? A bury of 2" works pretty good in most cases, in a joint that does not have much stress applied to it. If the screw can be slightly angled, instead of going straight into the end grain, what it can hold will be greatly increased. Whenever possible/practical, it is best in any case to use pilot holes in the piece to be fastened, to reduce or eliminate splitting. There will be cases where the pilot needs to be in the other piece as well to prevent splitting. Oak is a good example of needing properly sized pilot holes in each piece. I might add more to this when I get more time, or depending on the comments received, if clarification is needed.


2 Bulb Chandelier not lighting up anymore I have a 2 light bulb chandelier that recently stopped working.  I thought it may be the bulbs so I put in new bulbs.  Still not working.  I then tried resetting the electrical breaker.  Still not working.  Any ideas?

Most of the time sockets just go bad.  Though your issue is more likely a lose wire connection probably in the canopy because you did not mention any flicker from the bulbs.

Unfortunately most people have dimmers on chandeliers and dimmers are very sensitive to anything that might go wrong electrically and often go bad.

So on top of a lose wire connection you could also have a bad dimmer, and not totally ruling out bad sockets.

So, something as simple as bulbs not working could very well be quite complicated, and not to mention dangerous depending on if the house is wired with outdated wiring and standards.


Can I flush 1 toilet while the other one is being fixed? I had to remove the full toilet in our downstairs bathroom to replace the wax ring and flange. Unfortunately I had something come up and was unable to finish the job tonight.

I did put some shop towels in the hole so nothing fell down the pipe until I can finish the job after work tomorrow.

But in the mean time, are we able to use the upstairs bathroom and flush the toilet without it causing any issue with the downstairs one?

The house is almost 100 years old so plumbing might be wacky.

Unless you are having other problems (e.g., sewage blockage), this should not cause a problem at all.


How to connect router to patch panel in new home I recently moved into a new home (new build).

Comcast installed my internet, but was of no help getting my ethernet working.

My builder told me the modem needs to be connected in here and then the router needs to be connected to the patch panel for the room I want to have ethernet access for.

I have connected the cable modem and router. Wifi works fine. I connected the ethernet cables from the port on the back of the router to the patch panel, but I get no lights on the router as you can see and I get no ethernet access.
Not sure what I am doing wrong?

enter image description here

Adding new pictures.

enter image description here

I suspect this question belongs in a different Stackexchange, but then again maybe not :) - Welcome to Stack Exchange.

Firstly, and this is just a guess because each manufacturer does their own thing, the wiring in the 568A punchdown block looks like it may be wrong (swapped).  You should, if a new build, call the contractor and ask them to confirm the wiring order to the specific patch panel they used.

Assuming your yellow cable is good, and this cable is connected to a room with an actual device plugged in, AND the yellow cable is plugged into a LANport on the router, you should be all set.

Check your cable, make sure it is a good cable.
Check the end point, try a different room and jack. Ensure the wires trace out right.
Call contractor or rewire the patch panel and RJ45 jacks as needed, if needed.

Here is the link to the product install guide for the punchdown block. It looks wired right. Are the wired tight? (Use a flashlight, look close, see if the sheathing of the wire has a blade cut through on it to ensure good electrical connectivity):
https://icc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/MSR-0411RevJ_DataModuleCAT5eCAT6_Installation_Instructions.pdf

Here is the wall jack end Datacomm product:
https://datacommelectronics.com/products/keystone-inserts/category-5e-jacks/


Can I combine elements in my three-phase oven and feed them from separate mains? I have a oven with 9 elements of 660 watts each element. Therefore total wattage just under 6KW. It is wired 3 phase. I do not have a 3 phase supply. Can I wire three elements together i.e. 1980 Watts X 3 and feed them each with a separate domestic 13 amp ring main?

Wired for Europe it is probably wired for 3-phase "wye" (like a Y).  Each leg of the Y has a triplet of heating elements, with all of them tied together "in the middle" at neutral.  The neutral may not be properly wired back to the neutral wire.

Where they all join in the middle for neutral, that would have to be eliminated.  Each triplet must return its neutral to the same branch it gets its hot from, and the neutrals cannot mix.  You could keep the triplet of elements together though.  So each triplet would need to be isolated from the other neutrals.

It could be run on less than 3 circuits, but would not get as hot / would take longer to reach operating temperature.

A commercial machine would be built for this kind of reconfiguration; it is common.

Your bigger problem is the lack of certification-agency listing on  the machine.  If there's an accident, your insurance company may not pay out, and the authorities could hold you liable.


How do I tighten/loosen this recessed nut and bolt? My bed has a nut and bolt that are recessed into a piece of wood.

The only tool I have that fits it is the tiny toy spanner that came with the bed.

The spanner does not grip the nut tightly enough to be able to turn it.

But a larger adjustable spanner/pair of grips does not fit in the hole.

How could I tighten this nut?

Update: The toy spanner did work up to a point, but now it just slips off the nut every time, as if it's too loose.

Don't underestimate what that little wrench will do, or how much torque you need to hold the bed rails together. With the lock washer, it only needs to be compressed, plus maybe another half turn at the most. The force created by the threads drawing through the nut create an incredible amount of pressure on the joining faces.

The included wrench has 2 distinct ends, one has the legs of the wrench equal lengths more or less, the other end has a shorter leg on one side. Because of the shape of the wrenches, I will assume there is little or no space to get a box end wrench around it, if there is any room behind it, then a box end wrench can be ground down enough to fit around it. A rail bolt wrench may work too, they are made to fit into even a deeper, hole. They are used for handrail assembly.

Back to the offered wrench, the one end with the short leg, in my opinion is the workhorse, the short side is always on the leading side of the turn, as in if you are turning to the right, or clockwise, the short side is on the right side. That side is shorter so it does not bottom out as quickly in the shallow hole the captured nut is in. The wrench with the equal lengths are for the nut when it is in the midway point, where the nut is being turned where the legs of the wrench will still clear the bottom of the hole. As soon as one side of the wrench touches the bottom of the drilled hole, turn it around, and use the end with the short leg to complete the turn, so to speak, then swap ends again, turn that a little, then change ends of the wrench, and repeat.

You may have tried these techniques already, but it wasn't stated in your question to what extent you tried to work with the wrench. The picture of the wrench only shows a little distortion on the short leg of the one end that would occur if the wrench is turned the wrong way. Even though there a slight distortion, having the proper orientation of the wrench to the nut, that won't matter.


Why are loop (Chicago) vents typically built with three elbows? Loop vents, for use where direct vents aren't feasible (such as in kitchen island cabinets), are typically drawn, built, and described as comprising three elbow fittings--two 45-degree elbows and one 90. This results in a peaked shape that approximates a single U-bend.

image source

What's the importance of this shape, and why are they not simply built with two 90-degree elbows and a squared top, or two 90s joined in a U?

From the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) "Uniform Codes Spotlight" archive from February 2018:

  The configuration of the return bend using 45 degree and 90 degree elbows purposes to maintain a vertical angle (see Section 224.0, Vertical Pipe). This is to protect the return bend from accumulating waste and to prevent waste from flowing down the return side of the bend if a blockage occurs.


How to diminish the appearance of a stain on hardwood floor? A few years ago, some liquid (red wine or water from a plant) leaked on my hardwood floor (cherry). It took several months before we noticed it because it was under a carpet. This little incident left us with a very dark (almost black) stain of 4" in diameter (spawning across 3 planks).

Is there something I can use to diminish the appearance of the stain? Can I use some kind of bleach?

I would carefully try some oxygen bleach. By carefully, I mean not very long. Its not that caustic. If it looks like its going in the right direction, go a little longer. The kind I use is called StainSolver. The manufacturer recommends it for decks. You can find it with Google.


Kitchen sink: what is the difference between left and right section? My kitchen sink consists of two parts. Each of these parts has its own drain (marked A and B on the picture below). Each of them has also an own stopper (C) / stainer (D).

Why are the drains different and what are their purpose?
Similarly, how are the stainer/stoper used?

P.S. I moved from Russia to the US relatively recently and many aspects of life differ a lot. That's definitely not the last question about how are the things done here.

(A) is to save you from composting. It's a Garbage Disposal, it's just for food & food scraps & you only turn it on when the water is running down its hole. It grinds everything up into little bits, so never put your hand in it or leave any utensils or other hard objects in there, they can damage it & be damaged. Turn the Water on, turn the Disposer on, drop in your waste & wait until it sounds & looks like it's done grinding & everything's washed away & clear.

There should be a light switch to activate (A)'s device very close to the sink on the wall. (C) is to cover (A) when it's not in use as a regular sink or as a Disposer. (C) keeps things from dropping in & also seals out odors from its ground-up residue.

(B) is our typical kitchen sink with a built-in Strainer that makes sure large items can't get down & clog-up the plumbing. (D) is rarely used by most people & just gets tossed under sink into that cabinet. It acts as a finer Strainer & as a Stopper so the sink can be filled up with water. The slot in the center (B) corresponds the bottom peg of (D). Turn (D)'s peg to fit into (B)'s slot & it's a Stopper. Turn (D)'s peg perpendicular to (B)'s slot & it's a Strainer.


How to Level Concrete for Sliding Patio Doors? I'm replacing an outdoor sliding patio door set with a new one that has almost the exact same dimensions - luckily the previous homeowner (family) did not go with custom-sized doors.

The issue is that the door will reside over three concrete slabs - the patio itself was installed piecemeal through the years, so toward the inside there are two slabs that meet 2/3 of the way through the jambway, and on the other side is a brand new slab that I poured last year myself (Quikrete, replaced a set of about 15 thin patio stones on top of dirt).

While the concrete that I poured is passable (isn't completely level), there is a big gap at the meeting of both slabs (the corner of the one seemed to break off - so about 5 inches from the gap there's a tad of a hump).

The new patio door set I ordered has about a 4" jamb, so that's about how wide I'd need to level. How do I level this so my new doors aren't all cattywampus?

set your door with available shimming it in place then use a 4000 psi rated NON SHRINK grout this will harden and will not allow the door to move .be sure its non shrink use a small trowel  to push to grout under the jam  don't try and get away with only using your hands the trial will help you make sure you have no air bubble so there will be no room for water to fill small voids and freeze causing separation good luck


Flat PVC Cap to fit a 3" PVC pipe I'm looking for a flat PVC cap for 3" PVC pipe. I ordered a few 3" PVC DWV Schedule 30 Caps Amazon that were too small.

I've measured the 3" PVC pipe, and it appears the outer diameter is just over 3.5", so the cap's interior will need to be that size.

I've found some in the local hardware stores (Lowes, Home Depot...etc) that fit, but are rounded on the top. I need them to be flat. I know they exist, but can't figure out what they're called, or how to find them for sale anywhere (online or other).

Question:

What is the name of this PVC product and how/where can I find them for sale?

I use Female threaded couplings with a flat cleanout plug... a bit of overkill but good and flat


How do I remove this faucet handle? Does anyone know how I can remove this handle? There's no setscrew and it appears to be 1 piece. I tried to pry it off. The drain says it's a Kholer, not sure the drain matches the faucet.

Inside the end where you removed the handle extension there is a brass hex nut.

Loosen that with your hex wrench and you should be able to pull the handle off the stem.


Joist hanger too low? I'm in the process of replacing the joists in a room in my 100 year old house (original members were too far gone with termite damage to do sistering). Original joists were true 2x8s with a 12 foot span - I decided on using 2x10s, but they sit below the 6x8 beam. Should I have used a different hanger instead of this one? (Truss hanger?) That bottom nail seems pretty low. Of course I'm using the Simpson 3.5" 16d into the beam face and 3" 10d nail into the 45° holes.

Okay, thanks for the extra pic. I'll be honest, it looks like a lot of weight for that particular style of joist hanger. If it was my job I'd drill at least one extra hole higher up in the hanger to reinforce that lowest one.

One caveat, this counts as 'modifying' the hanger, rendering the manufacturers specs/guarantee etc. void (probably). I'd be talking to the building inspector or even the hanger manufacturer to be safe.

The hangers we have in my area have loads of holes...

You could up the specs of the cross nails by changing them to long construction screws...


Lock type for a door on a large box I have this large wooden box (2x4's and plywood) that I am making, with a single door (blue) on the front, hinged at the bottom. It might not be clear from my crappy sketch but the door is the full width, the sides (pink) are behind it when it is closed (it rests on the front edge of the sides).

This box has a top but it isn't shown; the top is also a hinged lid, and can't be latched to the front door, it needs to stay independent.

I need a locking mechanism that I can use to hold it shut (doesn't need a key, just needs to hold it shut). The problem I'm having is that due to this box's construction, the sides have an inch or two of flex in them (red arrows), they don't naturally line up with the door. This is OK but it means that I need a type of lock that can not only hold the door shut, but can also prevent side-to-side movement of the sides when it is locked.

Also because the sides of the door are flush with the faces of the side, the lock pretty much has to be mounted on the side. So basically I need a type of lock that can hold two surfaces flush and prevent them from being separated. That is, I need a lock that I can mount on the side that constrains movement in both the red and blue arrow directions in the sketch above.

The edge of the door is 1.5" wide.

Is there any type of lock like this? The locks I've seen so far are:

Barrel bolt lock: Won't work on the side since the bolt just slips right out, these can't prevent motion along the long axis of the bolt. Although if one existed that had pins on both sides...

Hasp lock with a twisty thing: Won't keep the sides flush with the door edge when locked:

Hook and eye: Pretty much the same problem as the hasp lock:

Gate latch: I don't think this would work, they aren't really designed to prevent movement along the long axis, and even though I might be able to find one where the ball on the end is big enough to not slip through the hole, it would have some play in it so wouldn't hold the door closed tightly, plus it would be super awkward to open and close:

Sash lock: The closest thing I've found to what I want so far, but even this doesn't quite work, it only prevents movement along one direction of the red arrows. Plus, they tend to be on the small side, being designed for windows, and so I'd be concerned about the mounting screw being so close to the edge of the wood:

I don't really know what other types of locks there are. What can I use for this?

I'm not too concerned about cost; I only need two of them (one for each side). I also don't need ultra high strength along the red arrows, the box won't really be holding anything that puts any amount of stress on the sides. What I do care about is longevity; the door won't be opened or closed particularly often but it does need to last for at least a few years.

I hope I've explained this clearly.

Edit: I think maybe something along the lines of this sketch could work, I'm not sure if there is a lock type like it that I could purchase, or maybe I can piece together some hardware. This would involve a barrel bolt lock on the front that slides through the hole in the tab:

Maybe something like that could work? As long as the slot for the tab is wide enough to account for the curved path of the closing door. I'd be concerned about the red arrow movement ripping out the screws holding the tab in place over time but if it was a T shape with a wider mounting plate and more screws, that could work.

Right Angle Hasp

(source)

This type of right angle hasp would negate the need for guide pins, but would be inside the box.

(source)

Flexible Hinge Hasp

(source)

My first idea, before I thought of those hasps.

Barrel locks on the inside that are thrown into holes that are drilled into the sides (shown in green on the left).

And doll rods or guide pins to prevent side-to-side movement (shown in green on the right).