Combination box/switch - two wires only The original owner of our house had this wired apparently and the outlet has never worked. Plugging a device in turns off the overhead light. Wife wants me to use vacation time off to fix, but I'm confused with the diagrams I've pulled up as they don't match the two wire setup nor the switch.

1)The black wire is connected currently to the first dark screw.
2)The white wire is connected to top screw with wire going around to the other side, bottom silver screw.

The tab seems in tact between dark wires. Light switch works, but the outlet does nothing, but if you plug in a device, turning the device off/on turns light off/on.

I just need outlet to work, doesn't matter if the has to be on. Thanks.

There doesn't appear to be a grounded (neutral) conductor in the box.   Looks like it's a simple switch loop, that somebody tried installing a combination receptacle on. It looks like the black wire is an ungrounded (hot) conductor, and the white wire is a switched ungrounded (hot) conductor.

There's no way to add a receptacle here, unless you pull a grounded (neutral) conductor to the box.

The top black screw on the device (middle of side one), is the ungrounded (hot) conductor going to the switch.  This screw is connected to the bottom black terminal via the copper tab, which provides power to the receptacle. The top black screw is also connected to the upper brass screw through the switch. When the switch is closed, electricity can flow "in through the black screw and "out" through the upper brass screw.  This supplies switched power to the light fixture.

The middle screw on the other side of the device, appears to be a grounding screw.  The lower screw is where the grounded (neutral) conductor should be attached.  This provides the grounded (neutral) connection, which is required to make the receptacle function properly.


How can I add a "C" wire to my thermostat? So, the spiffy new wi-fi thermostats want power on the C wire from thermostat, but the old thermostat doesn't have a C wire at it.  What's the easiest way to add the C wire/24 volt to the thermostat location?

More than you've ever wanted to know about the C wire:

Lets start by explaining what the C wire is, and why it's needed.

Ye olde thermostat

In the olden days thermostats were simple switch devices, that used Mercury Switches to complete the circuit and turn on the heat/AC.

  Mercury switches were commonly used in bimetal thermostats. The weight
  of the movable mercury drop provided some hysteresis by moving the
  bimetal spring slightly beyond the point it would normally assume,
  thereby holding the thermostat off slightly longer before flipping to
  the on state and then holding the thermostat on slightly longer before
  flipping back to the off state. The mercury also provided a very
  positive on/off switching action and could withstand millions of
  cycles without degradation of the contacts.
  Source

Because of this, there was no reason to run a return wire to the thermostat. For example a thermostat that only controlled heat, would only require 2 wires.

Welcome to the future

Newer thermostats that offer clocks, backlit displays, WiFi, etc. are controlled using circuit boards and integrated circuits.  These new circuits require a path for electricity to return to the source, and so require an extra wire.  This new wire is known as the C wire, or Common wire.

How do I get a C wire?

If you're lucky when you upgrade to a newer thermostat that requires this connection, there will be an extra (unused) wire in the cable at the thermostat.  If you're not, you'll have to run new cable to the thermostat.

If you have heat and AC, you'll have to pull an 18/5 cable. If you have just heat you can get away with pulling 18/3 cable, but you may want to pull 18/5 anyway to make adding AC in the future easier.

What do all these wires do anyway?

There are no standards for wire color, so any wire could be used for any purpose.  The most common color code would be (note: this is for forced air furnaces, heat pumps and other systems may be different).

Red - R - 24VAC
Red - Rh - 24VAC (dedicated to heat call)
Red - Rc - 24VAC (dedicated to cooling call)
Green - G - Fan on
White - W - Heat call
Yellow - Y - Cool call
Blue or Black - C - Common

Alternative Solution

This solution is illustrated in this video from Honeywell. With this solution you lose the ability to manually turn on the blower fan, but the fan will still run properly in the Auto position.

WARNING: This procedure involves modifying the wiring in the furnace, and may not be approved by every manufacturer. Check with the furnace manufacturer, and all local codes before attempting this procedure. Make sure the breaker for the furnace is OFF before you begin.

Make sure the breaker for the furnace is OFF.
Start by removing the access panel on the furnace, and locating the thermostat wires.
Remove the wire from the G terminal, and connect it to the C terminal.
Using a short piece of 18 AWG wire, make a jumper and connect it between the Y and G terminals (this is only required if you have both heat and central air).
Replace the access panel.
Remove the thermostat from the wall to gain access to the wiring.
Remove the wire from the G terminal, and connect it to the C terminal.
Replace the thermostat.
Turn the furnace breaker back on.

A bit more about transformers and C wires.

A transformer uses coils of wire, magnetism, and a bit of magic to transfer energy from the primary side of the transformer to the secondary side of the transformer.  Usually during the transfer, the voltage is either increased or decreased. In the case of our furnace we're likely talking about taking 120VAC, and transforming it into 24VAC. Once the voltage has been reduced, we can use the lower voltage and a thermostat to control the furnace.

Now that you know even less about transformers than you did before, lets look at a diagram.

This is an actual wiring diagram from a furnace, but you'll notice I've highlighted a few things.  First, in red I've highlighted the 120V primary side of the transformer. I've also highlighted the secondary side of the transformer in a couple shades of blue. This was done to illustrate that one side of the transformers secondary winding (light blue), is attached to the R or power terminal. While the other side of the secondary winding (dark blue), is attached to the C or "neutral" terminal.

Locating transformers

On a schematic

On a schematic or wiring diagram, a transformer will look something like this.

Often you'll see a number written on each side, which denotes the expected voltages on each side of the transformer. Notice in the schematic above that the top side lists 120V (120 volts), while the bottom lists 24V (24 volts).

In the real world

When actually digging through HVAC equipment, a transformer will look something like this.

Notice the rectangular middle section, flanked by a bulge on each side. These are the typical physical characteristics of a transformer.

Volt-Amperes

Transformers typically have a volt-ampere (VA) rating, which can be used to determine the amount of current that can safely flow through the transformers coil wires.  To determine the maximum current, simply divide the VA value by the voltage.

For example, a 120V/24V 40 VA transformer would be capable of 1.66667 amperes on the secondary.

40VA / 24V = 1.66667A

and .3333 amperes on the primary

40VA / 120V = .3333A

Normally this is not a problem, since the only things supplied by the transformer are switches and relays. If you install a thermostat that draws more current than the transformer can carry, you're going run into problems.  So in this case, you'll have to upgrade the transformer and any fuses that protect it (since the fuses are sized based on the VA rating).

What about systems with multiple transformers?

In some systems, there will be separate transformers for the heating and cooling systems. In these situations, you'll have to check with the thermostat manufacturer, to determine which system should provide the C wire.  In the case of Nest and Honeywell (and probably others), their thermostats expect the C wire to come from the cooling system.

When you're connecting the wires to the thermostat in these systems, you'll have to remove any jumpers between the R terminals.  You'll wire the R wire from the heating system, to R or Rh, and the R wire from the cooling system, to Rc.  Then you'll have to wire the C wire from the cooling system, to the C terminal of the thermostat.


MWBC exists, use for bathroom? I am finishing my basement. The previous owner had ran a MWBC to the area that will be the bathroom. In the panel it is two 1-pole 20amp breakers. My questions are:

First to confirm, it seems I should split/fork the MWBC into two circuits. One for the lights and exhaust fan, and the other for receptacles. On the receptacles circuit the first outlet should be GFCI. Correct?

I am very unclear on if the two 1-pole breakers is considered safe or even to code. Should I be replacing the breakers with one that is combined, simply add a handle tie, or just leave it as is?

Relating to the last question, my understanding is its best to have two separate circuits in a bathroom. This way if the receptacle circuit blows when using a hair dryer, the lights also do not go out. For example, by using a handle tie don't I loose this -- won't both circuits go out? Should I instead split the MWBC and use one circuit for the bathroom receptacles, and the other for lights in the other part of the basement? (This way if the breaker trips you aren't left in the dark in the bathroom.)
Thanks!

Ed Beal's answer covers the core matter.
The handle-tie is mandatory, period.  So that's the end of that inquiry.
You're right that with handle-ties, one will probably trip the other.  However FYI that's no guarantee*.
However, I agree with keeping bathroom lights off the receptacle circuit.  What you might be overlooking is that a) lights and fan are quite small loads (less than 1 amp together)... and b) there are NO circuit restrictions associated with hardwired bathroom loads.  They can be on any circuit**.
Since presumably you have basement lighting already existing, you can simply tap the basement lighting circuit for the hardwired bathroom lights and fan.
The only gotcha I see if that if you have lighting or fan inside a shower stall, it must be GFCI protected.  However basement receptacles are also supposed to be GFCI protected, and you could always place the shower stall light/fan on the GFCI-protected "LOAD" side of a basement recep circuit.

* Factory 2-pole breakers rated for common-trip actually have an unseen internal mechanism which guarantees common trip. Handle-ties are not enough, because of breakers' "trip free" feature: they will trip even if the handle is held/locked in the "on" position.  The handle moving to the tripped position is merely a courtesy indication; if a handle-tie were to tram or bind, the tripping breaker would just trip anyway and fail to trip the other breaker.
** Except for circuits reserved for other stuff, e.g. dedicated circuits required for kitchen, laundry room, garage, and bathroom (though see the 210.11(C)(3) exception NoSparksPlease mentions above).


House shakes violently at least once a day Summary:
Our house shakes and sways for an instant almost every day (it feels like a car just ran into it) and we're worried it may one day collapse.  Any suggestions as to what it could be? How to get it to stop? or how to find out what it is?
Details:
Our house shakes/trembles quite drastically almost every day accompanied by rattling windows, and what sounds like a loud thud on the walls.  On the second floor, you can feel a brief (and notable) sway.  It honestly feels like a car just hit the house; and then nothing.
It is an instantaneous, one-time thud/shift/tremor that is the closest thing I've felt to the minor earthquakes we used to get in Texas (but we live in Northern Maryland and don't get them here).
We live in a somewhat rural neighborhood on 1 acre with neighbors reporting similar (but possibly less extreme) shaking.  There are no mines nearby (probably not blasting) or fracking and you cannot hear it from outside the home as far as we know.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what this might be and how to stop it? We've lived here for 5 years and it has always occurred.  We are worried our house may one day collapse.  There are lots of new paint cracks on adjacent wood pieces from the original remodel 5 years ago, likely from the shifting.
House info:
We have a finished basement and the foundation (I believe) is poured concrete.  The house is a 2 story + attic 1996.

The Maryland Geological Survey, a division of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, operates the Maryland Seismic Network in cooperation with several colleges or universities. The tremors you're feeling are unlikely to be natural earthquakes. However, if they're strong enough to be detected by seismology stations, there's a good chance the operators of the network may have already identified the origin of the tremors so that they can remove or ignore that data in their sensor readings. Try calling the Survey or the seismology department at the schools and find out what they know. If they haven't already identified the origin or didn't know about the tremors you might pique their interest or at least get some semi-local tips to assist your sleuthing.


Will running AC on low fan speed cool room faster? As I understand, the basic function of an indoor air conditioning system is to pass air through cooled surface (tubes) which makes air cooler and hence it reduces room temperature.

So my question is, will running AC on low fan speed cool room faster? Since air is slowly circulated around cooling surface and gets more time to exchange heat.

Energy transfer (aka pulling heat out of air) depends on the temperature difference.

So you quickly fall into diminishing returns when you try to cool the air down those final 2° when in the same time you can cool the same (warmer) volume of air by 15°.


A hanging lamp makes buzzing sound when on As in the title, I've got a lamp hanging from the ceiling, with a regular E27-screw bulb attached. When I turn the light on, there's a quiet, buzzing noise.

The lamp was installed a couple of weeks ago and I am not sure whether the noise was there from the start, as the lamp was not used often.

While the noise is there, the light keeps still, no flickering.

I've tried 2 other bulbs and the problem persists, which tells me it's either the lamp itself, or the way it was installed.

What do you think this is?

Photos of the lamp and the base:

Does this lamp have a florescent ballast inside?  This type of lighting will make that hum you are describing.  If so, you can replace the ballast.


How should I connect a three-wire transformer in a panel with no neutral bus? I am installing a three wire 16v transformer. My 1960 20 circuit breaker box has only two connections, hot & ground.

What to do with white neutral wire?

Some things don't make sense here. Standard low voltage transformers should have a hot, a neutral and a ground wire. They are single phase and should be installed into the side of a standard junction box through a 1/2" knockout. Then you just match the wires to the circuit wires. The low voltage connections are then on the outside of the box.

Low voltage transformers aren't normally attached to the main circuit panel since their wires are usually too short to reach the connections. There is nothing in the Code saying you can't, you might just have to extend the wires.

Even in 1960's, houses in the US were built with split phase three wire services. The main panel would have two hot legs attached to the breaker bus bars a neutral and a ground bar. At the main panel the neutral and ground wires can be mixed on the same bars. If you choose to attach it to the main panel, the neutral and ground wires should be attached to one of those bars.

The National Electrical Code prohibits the use of course-thread self tapping screws for ground connections. The threads have to be fine enough to engage a minimum of 2 threads in the material of the enclosure. See 2017 NEC 250.8(A)(6).

Good Luck!


Which 50 amp breaker do I need for my old Eaton panel? I have an old Eaton panel in my house with a 200amp supply. I need to install a breaker for a 14-50R receptacle for a car charger.
The breakers in the panel look different from anything I see in the stores.
Here's a couple pics. What kind of breaker do I need ? Will a Square D work ?

The box also says Cutler Hammer and the breaker mounts are metal hooks

Eaton has two breaker lines:

the residential grade (cheap) one, BR
the industrial grade (good) one, CH.

This is CH. It is an excellent panel. Hold onto it!

BR will be placed more up-front because it's more popular.  If you stop there and give up, that's the trouble.  Most likely the store also carries CH.  Look for it: the narrow package and distinctive beige handle is the giveaway.

Expect to pay under $12 for this CH240 or CH250 breaker, which should be readily available.

You asked about other brands of breaker.  You cannot put J. Random brand of breaker in your panel, even if it seems to fit because it doesn't actually.  You must use breakers either manufactured by the OEM for that panel (e.g. Eaton), or competitor breakers that are UL-listed (technically, UL-classified) for that panel. I'm not aware of any classified breakers for CH.  It wouldn't save you any money, and the beige wouldn't match!


Room lighting using LED strips only We're starting renovating our flat and are kinda lost in terms of lighting.  The flat is well a flat... made of hard concrete on all sides. Nothing in straight especially the ceiling so we need to cover the whole ceiling with drywall. The size of an example room is 5.3m x 3.5m with 2.6m height. The problem is that the top of the window opening is just 18cm from the ceiling so we can't make deeper ceilings. I could make lighting like below
but it feels too much and I'm not sure if lighting would be sufficient in the middle 2m*3.5m part of the room. My spouse really like LED lighting with the LED strips like:

However I can't find any reliable information whether rooms of this size could be illuminated using only led strips?  Sure enough that would look a lot cleaner since all the ceiling would be flat, with the LED strips sunk into the drywall with an opal cover that would make the strip look uniform. My problem with this is that I can't find any information or guidance how to place LED strips to achieve an acceptable lighting across the room.

Any tips?

Most architectural designers recommend a mix of lighting types (ambient, task, accent) to give a room balance. You should research design ideas.

I would think that your LED strips would be used for ambient lighting, and as such there are some standards to follow regarding minimum lumens for a particular room type (like, 20 lumens per square foot). Since you already have specific strips in mind, calculate total lumens needed and design your strip layout to meet that. Then you can add accent and task lighting depending on room function and layout.


Should AC coolant pipes be mounted on the exterior? Contractor recently installed a new AC unit and mounted the copper pipes running up the wall on the outside. This is in California, plenty of sunlight and hot days.

Besides looking unsightly, are there any safety or reliability concerns with this?

Would sunlight impact the efficiency? Rain will wear out the insulation and tape?

Is it worth pushing them to redo it and route the pipe from the inside of the wall?

This is the way it's done many times. In new construction they may be put underground but if they fail, they are replaced up the exterior wall and through the attic. I must say that it's a pretty sloppy job though. The installers could have made a better effort to keep them straight and up against the wall the entire way. There are shields that are usually placed over the pipes to hide them and further protect the insulation from the elements (see below). The safety and reliability won't be affected by this installation.
Picture from Metal Roofing Screws.


Tub surrond caulking question My contractor just completed replacing the tub surround. the walls are tiled from the tub to the ceiling.

A few things I'm not too sure about, and would like to get some opinions.

The contractor did not silicon caulk the edge between the upper tile wall and ceiling. Just grout it. Granted, due to some shifting walls, the ceiling needs to be repainted in spring and you can't paint on silicon caulking. Just wondering if the lack of caulking would cause issues.
The silicone caulking was applied to the tub edges while the grout was not fully dry (he did it about an hour or so after he finished grouting). It has been about 8 hours now, While all the other grouts have dried and lightened, the ones under the clear caulking is still dark. Would the calking interfere with the grout curing process?

Thanks.

Number 1

It could cause a problem, however it it unlikely. Use the shower a few times, and see what kind of condensation settles on the wall above the tiles. If you can see visible droplets of water beading on the wall, you will have a problem over time. As your house settles, and expands/contracts over time the grout will develop fine cracks. These droplets will over time go behind your tiles, and weaken the structure of your wall. If it was cement board it probably wont even matter, and we are talking decades before damage here, but why take the chance for a $5 tube of caulk? There are several brands of caulking meant for the bathroom that can be painted.

Tip - when you apply caulk and run your finger over the caulk to get a smooth surface, make sure your finger is wet first. Makes a huge improvement to how the caulk spreads and looks.

Number 2

The silicone will affect the drying of the grout, and you will probably find it takes well over a week to match the color of other grout. Depending on how good the seal is (i.e. is the grout exposed to air or a porous surface underneath), it could take a very long time. I wouldn't worry about it other than for cosmetic reasons.


Replacing Door Sweep in Track from House to Garage? There is an anomalous door sweep/pad (I'm not really sure what it is honestly) in the door track leading from our house to the garage. (I would call it the garage door, but this might lead to confusion)

It recently cracked from nearly 23 years of use and needs to be replaced soon.

What is it and how can I replace it? Images below:

Some threshold cover strips are replaceable.

Try to gently pry up on it with a flat bar or putty knife, usually they are pressed into a groove, then take it to you local hardware store and look in the door threshold area to see if you can get a match. If you know the manufacturer of the door you  may be able to contact them and see about a replacement.

Even it you can not replace it, it is not a big deal to have it missing, you can get a door sweep and attach it to the door to cover the gap. You can get the kind, like this, as it can be adjusted down. It appears your door has similar fins that are missing pieces.


G9 LED Won't Fit In Socket I am a little embarrassed that this question might be ridiculous, but I feel like I'm losing my mind.

I purchased this wall sconce and added in a toggle switch because there's no wall switch on the circuit.  The finished product came out pretty well:

However, now that it is installed on the wall, the issue I am facing is that the included G9 LED bulb refuses to fit in the socket.  I have tried pushing it with a fair amount of force, but it refuses to go in.  Here is a close-up of the socket:

And here is a close-up of the base of the bulb:

You can see some scuff marks in the center near the bottom where it appears to have been scuffed as I tried to push it into the socket.

Is it possible that the vibrations when I was drilling for the added switch loosened the small metal pieces that would grip the bulb?  Or is this a common issue with G9 LEDs?  Or am I simply being overcautious, and should just add force until it gets in there?

Looks to me like the spring retainer in the socket is bent outward so the end is hitting the edge of the bulb base. It looks to me like the end/tip of the spring retainer should be recessed into the slot. I would try pressing it into the slot with a flat screwdriver and see if it remains in place..


Are multiple wire runs in conduit allowed I plan to run PVC conduit underground from house to shed. Primary purpose is for a sub-panel in the shed - 4 wires for this. I would also like to run another set of wires "back" from the shed to the house to allow for operating a generator in the shed during power outages and bringing that power to the house. Is it allowed to put both of these wire runs in the same conduit as long as I don't violate the 40% fill rule?

Yes, when dealing with single-phase or split-phase power, you can run up to 3 large circuits in a conduit without needing much math.  But aside from all the other amp restrictions, your THHN or THWN-2 wires also cannot exceed this amp restriction:

Copper:  6AWG-60A.... 4AWG-76A... 3AWG-92A... 2-104A... 1-116A... 1/0-136A... 2/0-156A... 3/0-180A... 4/0-208A...

Aluminum: 4AWG-60A... 3AWG-68A... 2-80A... 1-92A... 1/0-108A... 2/0-120A... 3/0-140A... 4/0-164A...

Except you are allowed to round up to the next larger available breaker, so #1 Al is allowed for 100A since they do not make 92A breakers.

As long as a split-phase circuit has 3 live conductors, it counts the same as simple 2-conductor circuits.  That's because neutral carries only differential current - any current on the neutral means one of the hots is carrying that much less than its rated current.


Adding a (series) switch to a timer I have an existing porch light on a (spring-style) timer. I would like to add a switch for more convenience, so that the light could be manually turned on for a few seconds or for several hours.

The function of the 3 way switch would be to turn the light on directly or transfer power to the timer (in series). Would this be an okay (code compliant) way to add a (simple) switch to a timer?

Another part of the reason I ask, is because a digital timer (with simple on/off button) is like $30 in my area, whereas a 3 way switch is like $1.50. And the timer just happens to be in a box with an outlet switch that could easily be eliminated (meaning, I don't have to buy a remodel box or anything else).

Edit- New picture for clarity:

A three-way switch is not necessary. You can connect a single-pole single-throw in parallel with the spring timer.

EDIT: Future readers should note that this is electrician-safe only because both switches are in the same gang box. With the switches in separate boxes, someone working on this circuit in future might be surprised to find voltage on what he thought was a load wire that he had just switched off.

Also note that this is equipment-safe only because a simple mechanical spring timer can tolerate hot voltage on its load terminal. (In fact the spring timer probably does not have "LINE" and "LOAD" labels.)

If anyone ever wants to cobble together a similar setup with a timer that (1) doesn't have an "ON" setting, and (2) may not tolerate hot voltage on its LOAD terminal, then he will need a three-way switch. But it can't be wired according to your proposed circuit. Instead, the timer must be wired between the mains power and the three-way.

Here the three-way selects between the always-on hot or the timer switched hot. It never feeds power back upstream.


Connecting braided water connector with 1/2" female connection to 3/4" male tub inlet I'm currently using a 3/4" x 1/2" bell reducer and 1/2" nipple to connect my tub faucet's inlet flare (I think that's the right word?), but no matter what I do, I'm getting leaks on both ends of the reducer. Per the picture, I'm using PTFE tape.

Is there a way I can directly connect the braided connector to the inlet flare? The faucet also came with a riser nut with a washer inside which I'm currently not using.

You need special adapters built for older tubs that use the old style bathcocks. If you go to a plumbing shop (not big-box hardware store) and ask for "claw-foot tub faucet adapters" they will probably know exactly what you are looking for:


Burning smell in my clothes dryer There is a burning smell inside my clothes dryer  after it runs. Does anyone know what that could be? There is no smoke (thankfully) but it definitely has a mild to medium smell or something burning. I think its a gas powered dryer (its hard to get to the back too look) but the smell is closer to burning lint than to gas.

My first response was to clean out the area under the lint collection basket. We clean the collection basket before each use but the area under that had collected a fair amount of lint and so I cleaned it after we first smelled the smoke. I also checked the exhaust hose that connects to the wall but there was no lint in there. I then ran the dryer again after this cleaning and it still smells of smoke. Is there another place to clean? Do I just have to let it run some to let it air out? Or, is there something else I should do?

I am fairly handy myself but don't have any experience with troubleshooting dryers. Is this something I could probably remedy myself or is it something more serious that requires me to call a repair person?

I had this issue with my electric GE dryer. The plate on the inside had trapped lint that was turning brown and causing the burning smell which smelled like sulfur or burning rubber depending who you talked to. It required unscrewing 3 torx bolts and removing the back plate on the inside of the dryer. I then cleaned out the lint with a vacuum and some wet wipes. I laid the dryer on it's back and put the 3 screws in and voila! Done. 5 minutes of work no more burning smell. Other manufacturers require taking apart the back to access the lint behind the plate. I hope that this helps someone.


Plastic-on-plastic lubricant that wont leave a residue? I am working on an outdoor LED lighting project where I'm making my own rope lights to hold up to the elements. I am using waterproof LED strips which are surrounded in a plastic "jelly-like" material and I am enclosing them in clear, plastic tubing. This means that I intend to slide the LED strips inside the plastic tubing and it's a slow go because I'm getting plastic-on-plastic rubbing. To put this in context, the strips are 6 feet long and about 3/8" wide and I'm putting them in tubing with a 1/2" inner diameter.

So, I think I need some sort of lubricant to make sliding them in easier but I also need it to not leave a residue so that it won't interfere with the clarity of the tubing and wont affect the electronics of the LED strips. Any suggestions?

Polydimethylsiloxane meets almost all your requirements. PDMS is non-conductive, optically clear, inert, non toxic, non flammable, and extremely slippery. It's typically an ingredient in silicone oil, but you can probably buy it separately somewhere too.

Other than PDMS, mineral oil would also work. Much easier to get too.

There will definitely be reside, if you want to call it that though. Neither substance will evaporate, so it's going to be there forever. On the other hand, that property will help you disassemble them if you need to repair it in the future.

Maybe just use as little as possible? Probably just on the contact surfaces.


Should I upgrade 2x6 attic floor joists by sistering some or all with 2x8s? Our 1938 cape cod has an attic that was converted to master suite (who knows how long ago), but we've been living there for over a year. We have since decided to gut the entire upstairs and put in a bathroom. In doing this we realized they built the "attic" on 2 x 6's. They are 16" OC apart. They go across the room probably 6 feet and then are screwed into another 2x6 to continue the rest of the width of the room. We don't want to say goodbye to our whole project. Would you recommend sistering the joists in the bathroom with 2 x 8s and leaving the rest with 2 x 6s? Or should we just had more 2x6 joists throughout the entire upstairs? Do both? We weren't planning on putting in new flooring, but if we have to we will. We won't have a tub in this bathroom. It will be a small, tiled shower, vanity, and toilet. Would love to hear any thoughts!

I suspect where they are screwed together, they overlap and there's a load bearing wall beneath.  Is that correct?

You say the span of the joists is "probably 6 feet" but that the critical measurement.  If they're really only 6' long, 2x6's at 16" on center are fine, in fact they'll go a bit further under normal conditions.

If they are older dimensional lumber, back when a 2x6 was actually 2" by 6", they'll go even further.

Have you noticed any deflection (bounciness) or sag?


Wire layout attic conduit I'm running a pretty heavy circuit from my sub panel to the adjacent wall in the garage.  I'll be pulling 6awg THHN wire through smurf tube, and then switching to PVC tube and running it down the wall.  This could use anywhere from 25-35 feet of wire.

The question is, is there a best practice to routing this wire/conduit, or can I just angle it across the trusses above the ceiling, or do I need to make it run in right angles?  If it doesn't matter to just route the thing however I please in the shortest way possible - this means less materials.  I know this will "work", but does it seem, you know... "shitty"?  :)  The 6awg stuff isn't cheap and I'll be running 3 conductors and a ground.  This is in a basic attic above the ceiling, no usable space, simply in the trusses.

I would vote to run it the shortest distance, within reason.  It's in a non-functional space and the extra length to make it "pretty" is just going to add resistance.


How would I troubleshoot a faulty GE electric oven? When in bake mode the bake element will start to function by heating up, but after a brief time, there will be 2 audible clicks and it will shut off well before reaching the designated temp. It basically short cycles and will repeat without the oven ever getting warm.

It could be the element, to test it you would need an ohm meter. here is a link to the repair clinic with parts and additional testing videos


laminated flooring vs OSB I'm considering the option of using OSB(10mm+ thick) in stead of laminated flooring, the floor is currently just concrete, on top of which there's linoleum on top of which there's a carpet.

What I'm envisioning:

concrete
insulation(5mm+ thick) -- as used under laminated flooring
OSB
carpet on top

Reasons:

OSB cheaper than same thickness laminated flooring
super-fast to install(one sheet of OSB is 2500mm X 1250mm)
easy, cheap & fast to replace about 3 sqm of a damaged sheet
unless there's subfloor heating, the floor would be cold anyways, so at minimum a carpet is a must

My question is:

what are the pros and cons to my thoughts(most likely others considered this option...)?

Note: I'm not looking for the so called "best option/solution", I'm interested more in the cons of using OSB as opposed to laminated flooring.

OSB is fine for this.  It comes in various grades.  I wouldn't use the stuff used for siding.  It doesn't hold up to moisture.  But the subfloor grade (typically 23/32" thick, sanded flat on one side, tongue and groove on long edges) is good.

Test your subfloor for moisture.  Tape a square of thick sheet plastic to the floor for 24 hours and see if there is any condensation on it.  If you are in a winter climate do this test during the mud season after all the snow is gone.  This is generally when foundations are at their soggiest.

If there is, I would both seal the surface AND put down a layer of 6 mil polyethylene under the OSB.  (I'd do that for any floor if there is moisture.

Other options.

I live in a climate where I know my basement is going to flood.  There's plumbing down there.  I have had two sump pump failures where I ended up with a quarter inch of water over half my floor, and one leaking drain that put a 3 foot puddle.  No big deal on a concrete floor.

Our floor is painted.  We wear socks if we are down there in winter.

Look at thick area rugs or an area rug on a slightly smaller pad.  easy to do, and you can just take the rug to the cleaners if the sewer backs up.


Heater tripping off outside breaker I have a Payne AC/Heat unit outside my mobile home. When I turn the thermostat to heat, it runs and blows air for about 10 seconds and then trips the outside breaker at the meter... From the meter I have two double breakers, one to the fuse box in the house and the other, two connected 60amp breakers directly to the ac/ heat unit. I run my ac just fine no problems, but turn on the heat and it continues tripping the breaker... Any ideas or suggestions.... thanks

First the heater needs air flow prior to turning on the heat. If the blower is working then the contactor pulls in and energizes the heating coils. Since it is tripping the breaker at this point I would be looking for a broken nichrome wire in the heating element that is touching some metal or shorting to ground. Many times a visual inspection can find the problem a broken coil of wire or a hole in the metal where you can’t see the actual wire.


What is the cheapest way to make well water with 800ppm TDS suitable for bathing and washing dishes? I have a 200 foot bore for water in my home. The Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) value of that water is around 790-800ppm. I want to make this water safe for bathing, dish-washing and clothes washing. I don't need to make this water ideal for drinking.

What are the cheapest possible solutions for that?

There are three basic non-snake oil devices that one might use: sediment filter, RO filter, and water softener.

A sediment filter doesn't remove dissolved solids.

An RO filter is not suitable for high volume uses like bathing, dish-washing and clothes washing.

A good water softener is the right product for your needs.

But you might add an RO filter in the kitchen to supply water for drinking and cooking also.


why did our fridge stop working? Why did our fridge stop working?  It built up with ice (not the freezer, but the fridge) then started beeping, then just conked out.  We defrosted it - took 24 hours to do, even though it's a self-defrosting model, and then it started to work again…but why?  What's wrong with it?

PS…yes, we DID turn the temperature down to a mid-range.

Ice build up on the coils limits heat that can be removed, causing the pump to run longer, in addition to the colder temperature requirement. That much is known. This is speculation: The pump running longer possibly caused the motor to overheat.

Electric motors of this size usually have thermal overload protection, they simply shut themselves off if they get too hot.

It's best to adjust temperature in small increments, verifying with a thermometer, and waiting overnight to allow the new setting to stabilize before making another adjustment.


Installing WiFi Light Switch - No Neutral Hello I am trying to install a WiFi light switch that requires a neutral line. I could look at the Lutron but I figured I would ask about this possible solution as I have these switches elsewhere. I have read many threads and I think I can resolve this on my own. I’m fairly competent but certainly not a professional.

From my front door I control the driveway light pole. There is a junction box in the garage that the light pole comes into. From what I can tell the junction box is also tied into by the garage interior and exterior lights. There is a large bundled group of neutral lines in this junction box as well.

My problem is that the from the junction box to the switch they ran a line and with no neutral. I don’t know if there was a specific reason. So my question is can I replace this line from the junction box to the switch with a new one with a neutral line? And can I connect the new line to the bundle of neutrals in the junction box? I have read that it’s better to go back to the panel but I think I am good to connect to neutrals in the junction box in the garage?

Again, I am fairly competent but also know that something like this can be a borderline call an electrician task.

Thanks,
JDW

Option 1: Steam or smart switches, cable change

Replace the cable run between garage junction box and switch.  To wire this old school, you need three active wires in the cable:

neutral (neutral must be white, white isn't necessarily neutral)
always-hot, so the switch has something to switch, preferably black
switched-hot, the output of switch, ideally red

And voila, /3 cable contains those exact colors.

When buying cable, look at the breaker on that circuit.  15A breaker: 14AWG is acceptable. 20A breaker: must use 12AWG.

Option 2: Certain specific smart switches, no cable change

In this scenario, you re-task the black and white wire to the switch to actually always-hot and neutral.   Switched-hot is no longer in this cable.

At the switch, you install a smart-switch "remote" that is designed to communicate wirelessly or via power-line signaling.  It needs only always-hot and neutral.  In the garage junction box, you install a smart-switch "master" (or faceless module which does the same thing) and pair it to the remote.   The master takes always-hot, neutral, and switches a switched-hot or load output.

Shopping assistance or product recommendations are off-topic here, so I cannot advise you on any particular models.


painting process for outside wrought iron I have just purchased new wrought iron rockers for my front porch.  They will get morning sun so sun probably is not an issue.  I want to add color to the rockers.  What do you suggest?  I'm sure something is needed to prevent rust.  Not sure what to do.  Thanks, Rhonda.

If they are new, then they are not wrought iron. Wrought iron doesn't rust. Nobody has made wrought iron in almost 80 years.

I assume the rockers are made out of mild steel. There are special acrylic-based paints for outdoor steel. You have to use a metal primer.


Can I use ratchet straps to lift a dolly into a truck bed? I may be moving a 200lb appliance without help.  I have some 1" width strap ratchets rated at 500lb from home depot (4pack).  Could I stand in the bed and ratchet up the dolly backwards? Anyone done something like this and tips?  I also have some 1000lb pulleys available.

Having had to manhandle quite a few appliances on my own I would do this. Put the truck tray down. Tip the appliance over until the top just rests on the edge of the tray. Lift the back of the appliance and push forward. Use cardboard under it if you don't want to damage the side. Once it is all in, stand the appliance up. This way you are never deadlifting the appliance, more pushing and rotating it. You can use rachet straps like lifting straps to get better purchase if you want.


How to ground a 3prong outlet for a cloth dryer? Can I run a grounding from an outlet next to a 3 prong outlet to convert it to a 4 prong outlet for un electric cloth dryer?

You can retrofit just the ground. However you need to run the ground in #10 wire either back to the panel, back to somewhere that has a #10 ground coming out of that panel (e.g. a water heater), or to metallic conduit coming out of that panel.  A #12 ground path is not  adequate.

You may also not use water pipes, since they might be part of the grounding electrode system, but they are not part of the equipment safety grounding system.

There is a legal exception that allows  you to not ground a dryer.  However the exception tells you to bootleg ground off of neutral - exactly what they tell you not to do anywhere else, and for good reason.  Any flaw in the neutral wire will result in the dryer's chassis becoming electrified at 120V.


How to prevent batteries leaking out in devices? Is there a common method of preventing batteries from leaking out and destroying the device?  Why does this happen in the first place?  I have laid another head lamp to waste because it was sitting in my truck unused for several months.  Could it be because of the lack of use?  In that case, should the batteries be taken out in anticipation of less use?

Acid cell and Alkaline Batteries function by a process of controlled corrosion of two different elements which creates a voltage potential and a current if the circuit is completed.

This process is in continuous motion from the day of manufacture, while it sits on the shelf in its packaging, while installed in the equipment during off/idle periods. It accelerates with higher discharge rate during use, and continues after the cell is unable to produce useful power to run the device

Alkaline batteries have a sealed container that serves as one of the electrodes. While it undergoes a lot slower corrosion than the case on the old Acid cells, it still corrodes. It is part of the process that allows the battery to function. You don't prevent it.

Dead batteries should never be left in equipment, their process is nearly complete and the shell is close to breach.
Live batteries have a date on them for a reason. Chemical reaction occurs even if the battery is live and able to run the equipment. Often with today's LED technology, for example, the batteries will corrode through and start leaking long before they become too weak to run the flashlight.
Prevention is worth a pound of cure. Remove batteries from the device when not in use for extended periods of time. If it is part of a crash kit where you need batteries with the device at all times for emergency use, store them in a separate ziplock bag and check their dates periodically as well as for leakage.
Don't mix different cells in a device which takes more then one cell. Alkaline cells tend to leak when a potential voltage is applied, i.e. when you try to charge them. This can happen in devices with more than one cell in series if some of the cells have less capacity than others. This is why one should never mix cells by type, brand or age in devices where the cells are connected in series (which is virtually all devices that take cells in the same compartment).


3 way swing arm wall mount lighting Looking to buy a wall mount swing arm lamp, and it has a 3 way switch in it with a 60 watt minimum rating to 150 watt maximum rating. I understand the reason for maximum rating but not minimum rating ? I want a lower low setting around 30 to 40 watt but mfg. said 60 minimum....Why

A standard 3-way bulb consists of two filaments (or light sources in non-incandescent bulbs). Low is when the dimmer of the two are on, medium is when the brighter of the two is on, and high is when both are on. So, you'll find that the high wattage is equal to the low plus the medium wattages.

Take a look at Amazon's stock of three-way bulbs. There are lots of 50-100-150 bulbs, plus smaller numbers of 50-200-250, 30-70-100, and 100-200-300 bulbs. In each case, high = low + medium, and generally the medium wattage is twice to four times the low.

If you want a very low low setting, then that has to be the same as the difference between the brightest and the next-to-brightest setting. So, let's say you want a 150W bulb whose lowest setting is 10W. To get that, the bulb will have a 10W filament and a 140W filament, giving you a 10-140-150 bulb. They don't make such bulbs, because the high and medium would be indistinguishable, and consumers would complain.


How do I clean up a brick chimney running through the inside of my house? A portion of my house is from 1937. I've got an old chimney that is currently being used for the gas furnace and water heater. However, it's terribly stained, has cracked bricks, a spot that an old stove used to vent into it, and pitted/sloppy mortar. It runs clear through my dining room. Is there any way to clean it up a bit without tearing it up? A little wear and tear is cool and good character but there's parts that are straight up an eyesore.

I don't want to damage or remove/replace. It runs through 2 floors and an attic.

Would sanding it do any good? Filling in the mortar cracks with fresh mortar?

For an initial DIY approach I would plastic off the surrounding area and scrub the heck out of it using a warm water and TSP solution in a bucket, with a stiff scrub brush; you will be surprised how much better it will look.


LED lights "popcorning" (flashing on and off randomly) My church installed some recessed LEDs connected to a Chauvet DMX-4 dimmer pack. The pack is connected to an Elation stage setter dimmer console so we can control from our sound booth. When turned off, the lights begin to flash on randomly then immediately off then repeats continuely(popcorning).

Your dimmer and LED lights are incompatible.

In the off position the dimmer is leaking a small current to the lights, this is enough to charge the smoothing capacitors in the LED drivers, once charged to a sufficient threshold, the circuit is able to drive the LEDs and drain the capacitor and the process starts again.

See answers to other questions about LED Blinking

See

Dimming LED lamps with ordinary dimmers - Big Clive
How to FIX Flickering LED Lights & LED lights that won't Turn Off with Dimmer Switch - Vince


Does liquid aerification work? I have terrible soil in my yard, because the builder scraped off most of the topsoil and sold it.  I need to aerate the yard and get some more nutrients in it.  Has anyone tried any  of the liquid aerification products?  I tried Aerify Plus, but it hasn't been long enough to judge if it is helping.

Liquid aerification doesn't really sound like a good idea to me, but I quite honestly know nothing about it.

What I'd do: Rent an aerator, spread compost and/or some good fertilizer, and water the yard. Repeat at least once a year. If you don't have any grass growing currently, bring in some compost and mix it in with the existing soil with a tiller (or something bigger).


Where does ground of wall socket actually go? Where does ground of wall socket actually go? Like maybe a nail in soil beneath building? Or maybe high voltage power grid utility has it's own ground, which connects to a power plant, and our building's ground connects to it? A lightning once struck a power tower, and burned my desktop PC. Does this suggest that power grid ground connects to buildings? And once power tower ground is struck by lightning, it burns electronics in buildings?

It depends on your country, some countries do it slightly differently.
The North American approach is that the power company supplies hots and neutral.   You establish ground right at the house with 2 "nails" as you say, that are 2.5m long.  (8 feet).   Also, neutral and ground are bonded to each other at the main service point ONLY (the service disconnect aka main breaker)... so if a lightning strike comes in from the power company, it should take the bond over to the aforementioned grounding rods.
Of course in fact, lightning goes everywhere.
Further, power distribution lines in lightning country are supposed to have a "ground" wire running along the very top, above the main conductors, that is supposed to catch the lightning.  Also, the 3 hot wires (distribution uses only 3 hots, no neutral yet) are supposed to have lightning arrestors (VBO devices) that insulate normal voltages but conduct lighting to ground.   A lightning arrestor is an arrangement that brings the conductor close to a ground conductor, and the gap is wide enough that service currents won't leap the gap, but lightning will.


Tempered Glass Requirement - Bathrooms I'm aware that based on the 2018 Residential Code tempered glass is required around wet surfaces (i.e. bathrooms).
However, could someone tell me when this tempered glass requirement went into effect?

THANKS!

It appears to have changed in the 2012 IRC when the requirement for hot tubs was also applied to bathrooms and wet areas

Here is information that references the change and a screenshot is provided below.

Significant Changes to the International Building Code, 2012 Edition via Google Books


What power and type of in-line bathroom extractor fans should I be looking for? We had some mould appear in our bathroom and I suspected that our inline extractor fan was underpowered. As it happens the extractor just stopped working, so I'm in the market for a replacement.

I have a few questions:

What is better - centrifugal or induct? It looks like the centrifugal ones have best throughput but are they as reliable etc?
What rate is good? I can't find info on my old induct 23W fan's rate, but I assume it was in the range 80-100 m^3/hr - does that sound about right? Would going up to a 220 m^3/hr be excessive?
Does power affect anything other than the rate?

A few notes:

The inlet in the bathroom is in the ceiling
I don't really want to take out the old ducting & fittings, so if it was a round, 125mm fan that would be great. Also 100mm would work I guess as I could still make the ducting fit.
Fan needs to have an adjustable timer on it so it stays on after the light is turned off - there is a permanent live circuit available.
Bathroom is approx 1.6m x 2.5m x 2.2m (i.e. 8.8 m^3) Using some recommendations from another answer, this would mean 70 m^3/hr would be fine... but it's not worked out that way before. Perhaps the timer wasn't on for long enough? Or perhaps I can double the throughput and halve the time?

In the end I went for a mixed flow (which I think is both cetrifugal & radial or something), has about double the throughput that is recommended for the size of room (240 m^3/hr vs 110 m^3/hr). Doesn't have a timer on it, but it seems to be keeping the steam down when we shower anyway.

Here's a link to the fan I bought in the end.

Thanks for the pointers.


What's a good sound proofing material to fill an old aperture? Our bedroom has a disused aperture that looks like it was once for an extractor fan. Both ends are covered with a simple plastic grille.

We have serious a noise problem because of this vent. Short of filling it in with concrete, what would be an effective and easily available material to quickly and easily fill the hole in the wall?

Rigid Foam Insulation Cut to fit the gap, use as many layers as needed, cover with the grille. If you determine that you will never need the hole again, take off the grille and finish the wall with a drywall patch or (if the wall is made of some other material), paint the foam directly (many types can be painted) or (lazy way out) hang a picture over it.


Where should I connect my modem in this ethernet junction box? I am trying to figure out where I would attach the Ethernet cable from my modem to distribute to rest of the house. I'm assuming the blue is the data cable and white is phone but there are two sets of white with one set having 4 wires (phone?) and one set to the left having 8 wires (data?) But why 2 data cables?

I think I would run a cable from the modem to the bottom junction box where it is labeled "from source"??? Not sure how to connect it without tools. Does it require a special tool?

You can't use those black boxes. They are for distributing telephone lines, not Ethernet.

You have two options.

The first is to put RJ45 connectors on the ends of the blue cables. You'll need to buy (or borrow) an RJ45 crimp tool and get some RJ45 connectors. You can crimp on the connectors to all of the blue cables, or just the ones you intend to use. Make sure the connectors you use are compatible with solid core wire.

PROS: Probably the simplest method.
CONS: Doing an acceptable job of crimping on the connectors takes a bit of experience.

The second is to buy a small patch panel rated for Cat5e. A patch panel looks similar to those black boxes you have now, except that next to each place where the blue cable is connected, there is an RJ45 jack. You'll need a punch tool for this. Some panels or bags of jacks come with a small plastic punch tool which works just fine, but it takes a bit of extra work.

PROS: Arguably easier than crimping on connectors.
CONS: Takes up more space.

Once you have completed either of the above, you can then connect the cables or the patch panel to your modem or a small Ethernet switch.

Also, you will need to examine the wall plates. The jacks the blue cables are connected to will need to be Cat5e rated or better, and the blue wires need to be connected properly. Frequently this is not done correctly by the initial installer.


How much sanding do I need to do to refinish a wood floor? I'm planning to sand a hardwood floor, restain it and apply a clear coat.

I tried using a random orbital palm sander and a 40 grit sand paper on an inconspicuous location. The sander does remove material, but I am not sure if enough material has been removed for applying a stain.

Is there a rule-of-thumb or a test that I can perform to ensure the quality of the sanding?

EDIT :

Thank you all for your  comments. I rented a random orbital sander from a hardware store and these are the results :

What I did :

Used a rented random orbital floor and used 36,60,80 & 100 grit sand papers
Used a floor edger with 36(big mistake) , 60 , 80 , 100 grit
The floor edger ate up a lot of wood. I had to rent a square buffer floor sander and used 60grit and 100 grit papers.

The buffer helped feather out the edge with the rest of the floors. I'm hoping this does not become a big issue when I apply the finish. I'm applying a dark finish.

You'll probably want to rent a proper floor sander. A small random-orbit will take ages and you'll probably burn through most of its useful life.

The sander should come with a variety of paper grits. As with any woodworking project, start with the heaviest and transition to the finest. The final should be somewhere in the 100-120 grit range.

More information

How far you need to go depends partly on the stain color--is it markedly different from the current color? Is it dark? Dark stain is more likely to compound if it's not completely removed. You'll see the old stain through the new as dark streaks or patches.

If you go the route of renting a sander, the work will be easy enough that you can get through the old stain without much effort, and you'll be confident of achieving a good result.


Would it make sense to peel off paint from peeling bathtub The paint in our tub has been developing air pockets under it for a while, and this morning a big chunk ripped off.

As far as I can see, the layer underneath is undamaged except for the stains. Might it make sense to strip off the rest of the paint and live with the stains until I have the time and money for a better repair?

For those wondering how such a big chunk came off, last night I took off the non-slip mat which was suction-cupped to the tub and scrubbed the tub (non-abrasive cleaner, but rubbing pretty hard). This morning I stepped in for a shower, and the area where the mat had been detached.

I'm not sure if there is a correct answer. Stripping off all the paint would be a job, especially where it may be well adhered.  I think you would be well served to remove any loose areas as they develop until you are ready to do a complete refinish. When you do the refinish, then it will be necessary to strip all the paint and etch the original porcelain before proceeding.
.


What is this kind bracket called? I am looking for a bracket that will attach a 2x2 support to the underside of a bed. The support needs to be attached to the headboard and footboard with this bracket at each end. What is this called and where can I find one?

The closest you're going to get is joist hanger brackets.

There are some short versions that may be adaptable.

All kidding aside, there are stainless steel hanger brackets for 2x2 made for Macaw and Parrot cages similar to your item shown. Probably a little expensive.

The item shown is an OEM bracket made specifically for the furniture manufacturer.


How to determine phase and neutral on a wall outlet? I live in EU and an outlet at a home has two holes (230VAC), no common ground.

I want to determine what hole is phase and neutral. Is it possible to do that by using a multimeter?

When I measure the AC voltage with the multimeter, it does not show the polarity, I used test stick screwdriver, but the led is turned on both holes. Do I need to use a different measuring device to determine it?

Quickest way is to turn off the mains and unscrew the socket and determine the polarity by the colours (Blue being NEUTRAL and brown being LIVE).

Otherwise if you have an EARTH connection nearby (copper pipe for instance) use that to determine which one has the highest RMS voltage from EARTH. Neutral shouldn't be that far off EARTH while LIVE should be 230V (ish)

(this is also why I like the British mains plug)


How do you make flush cuts to a precise depth? I'm renovating a small shed that was built with 2x4 wall studs on top of 2x6 bottom plates, for some reason. I'm realizing that this will create a problem once I get to the drywall and flooring stages, as I will need to either raise the subfloor, thicken the walls, or cut down the bottom plates to match the 2x4 wall thickness. Raising the floor or thickening the walls present substantial complications and additional costs, so I feel like cutting down the bottom plates to 2x4 thickness to match the existing wall makes the most sense. However this would require making flush cuts at the exact height of the bottom plates (1.5") to avoid damaging the subfloor and floor joists below.

How do I make flush cuts to a fairly precise 1.5" depth as required here?

A circular saw wouldn't do because I can't make a flush cut with it, and a sawzall with a flexible blade would damage the subfloor and joists below the top plate. Could an angle grinder work with some kind of flush cutting blade? Would one of those fancy Japanese pull-saws work?

Since you're insulating and dry walling this "shed", you may want to treat it as an additional room, where extra insulation would go a long way toward your comfort.

Although it's possible to rip 1.5" off the edge of the 2x6 with an oscillating saw, you're likely to burn through several blades, and possibly a saw or 2 doing it. It'll be much easier to add 2x2 furring onto your 2x4 studs to make up the thickness. If you're insulating and dry walling, this would also let you add more insulation for a more comfortable room with only minimal cost and labor.

For more strength, in addition to insulation, if you have 2x6 top plates also, you could sister in 2x6 studs or add offset 2x4 studs between the existing ones for a double- stud wall.


How can I pull/push a PVC pipe closer to the wall? I live in an apartment building, and recently I had to uncover some pipes which were covered with dry wall. I want to replace the dry wall, however one of the pipes (120mm diameter - for rain water draining) is now sticking out about 10 milimeters (I think some of my neighbors have done some repairs, and now the pipe is bent outwards)

Initially I was thinking to put some wood wedges where the pipe enters the apartment (2.5 meters distance), however, this doesn't push the pipe back enough and the force required to push the pipe is quite big.

Another alternative is to put a holder around the pipe, but I don't have access on the back of the pipe, and in the back it's a thin concrete wall (around 20 mm)

If I simply push it back and mount the drywall, can the drywall be damaged ? The force needed to push the pipe back in the point it contacts the drywall is quite small. After further consideration, I don't think this is viable, the force isn't that small.

Any other ideas to push/pull this pipe ?

You could use plumbers tape to try and restrain the pipe but if the force required to move the pipe is significant and you already have the wall torn open you might want to just fir that wall out before reapplying your drywall.

After seeing the picture you will probably want to just drywall around the protruding bit, which is almost certainly a clean-out. It's bad karma to bury them anyway and there are these sharp looking clean out covers made specifically for the job. It will save you miles of heart ache.


Why does my oven temperature keep rising? I have an old gas oven that is having a temperature problem. When it's turned on, the temperature keeps rising and rising, not stopping at the set temperature. It gets up to 500+ degrees.

This trouble started after we moved the oven from one house to another, and didn't use the oven for a year. I'm not sure if either of those facts could have caused the problem.

The oven has had a bad thermocouple before, which we replaced, and it was working well for 5 years before it was moved.

Can a thermocouple die in 5 years and cause this problem? Is there something else that could cause it?

The thermocouple insures that the flame is on, it's used to shut the gas off if the flame goes out.  Your problem sounds more like a thermostat.  The thermostat measures the temperature of the oven, and is used to determine when to turn the flame on and off.  Check the manufactures documentation for thermostat troubleshooting and replacement information.

Components in the range could have been damaged while being moved, if the range was not handled with care.


Is there a trick to opening a tube of caulk? Is there a tool especially designed for opening a tube of caulk, silicone, or construction adhesive?

Yes! the tool is called a caulk gun. Use the spout cutter for cutting off the tip of the tube; then use the seal punch tool for poking holes in the foil seal.


Remodel Condo: Where to start and finish I'm preparing to remodel my condo and need an idea of where I should start. This is important because I will be living in the condo as I remodel and cannot do it all at once so to speak. My condo is two stories and each flour has about 450 square feet.

I'm thinking I should start with the main floor first beginning with the downstairs bathroom, then kitchen, then dining/living room. Once that is done I figure I can move my bedroom and office furniture downstairs and begin the upstairs remodel.

What is the best practice; should I have the guts of my condo inspected first? Thanks, any help is appreciated.

Check with the Condo Association (if any) for their possible needed approvals & outside requirements...noise levels & when you're even allowed to make noise, windows, doors, shutters, porches, siding, roof, etc. They usually just care about the outside aesthetics. But, they could kill the whole plan with a simple little guideline like, only professional licensed & bonded contractors...so you don't burn everyone down.

But absolutely, consult with a Plumber, Electrician, Carpenter, General Contractor or Design Builder if it's a "Remodel" where you plan on moving or removing walls & their utilities or even just utilities. Opening walls means being required to update the utilities to today's standards.

If it's a "Renovation" where you're not opening any walls floors or ceilings all the way to the structure & just re-painting & replacing tiles, cabinets, appliances & fixtures to not move a single utility, then have at it.

Otherwise, do you just want a dumpster at the start for demolition or removing the old stuff & then another dumpster at the end for all the new stuff's scraps & errors. Or, will you just call 1-800GunkJunk (for example) when the pile fills the room.

Do you have any experience in anything you're doing or do you have any problem with following manufacturer's instructions to the letter. If you're just going to wing-it, then be prepared to rip out what you did wrong & re-buy everything to start over.

This isn't a few weekends here & there situation for either the Remodel or Renovation scenario. You need a lot of tools, strength, stamina, positive attitude & the ability to live in filth for a year.


Plumbing next to a grill I am installing a outdoor shower on the exterior wall of my house to go with my new pool deck. I have a built-in grill that has an enclosed cabinet underneath.

I have a way to run a hot water and cold water line for the shower, but I would like to run this line through one exterior wall into a cabinet area for my grill and then out the perpendicular exterior wall to the shower (see image it'll be clearer).

My question is this: that water line will probably be only six inches from the grill and the grill obviously gets hot.  I'm thinking CPVC will not work because it would melt, but would copper work?   Should I do some sort of insulation to try and block the heat and if so what?

Oh and for clarity - obviously I could just run the pipe alongside the entire exterior of the wall around the corner, but my wife would prefer it be "hidden" if possible hence the question.

Thanks in advance!

If it's going to get that hot in there you should be insulating the pipe regardless. Foil and fiberglass would do.

If it gets hot enough to damage pvc with water in it you have bigger problems. Have you ever seen the styrofoam cup with water experiment? Granted, you don't want the water in the pipes to be the only thing saving your pipes, but if the space inside the cabinet gets hot enough to melt pvc you're putting your entire home (and its occupants) at risk.


20 amp circuit breaker for sylvania sb10(20-20)c panel I have an old Sylvania breaker panel. There is one slot left and I'd like to run a 20 Amp circuit for a few outlets. I don't know which breaker fits the panel. Can you suggest ? Thanks in advance.

Your panel accepts Eaton BR circuit breakers
If you look in the third box down of the center column of your panel's labeling, it describes exactly what breakers you're allowed to put in it.  The difficulty here is that all the companies mentioned are out of business -- but before they died, they sold their breaker lines to other companies, so while the original companies don't exist, the breaker lines still do.  Your panel is listed as accepting Type C breakers (which originally were Challenger brand), and Type BR breakers (originally Bryant) if they're rated for switch duty (SWD), which all new ones are.
Today, Eaton makes breakers that are compatible with this panel, as they now own both the Challenger and Bryant panel lines.  Eaton Type BR breakers are also listed as Type C, so they are completely compatible with your panel's labeling.  It's also a modern, fully-supported breaker line, so you can easily get AFCI, GFCI, and other newer breaker types as needed.
A basic Type BR/Type C 20 A breaker looks like this (via Lowes):

Original Challenger Breakers Are A Problem
I notice your panel has some original Challenger brand breakers in it.  These breakers have proven to be unsafe over the years, and have caused many fires.  As such, it's highly recommended that you replace them with Bryant or Eaton breakers, which do not have that problem.  See here for more information.


How do you connect tap lines to the water line? I bought a new bathroom tap with braided lines and it has the same end connectors as the end connectors coming up out of the floor, meaning both are female instead of one male and one female.

How would I connect the tap line to the water supply line?

Water supply lines are standardized now and connect to a shutoff or supply with a compression style fitting.

Are the supply lines coming out of the floor a bare copper pipe or PEX?  Or is there a shut off valve?  If there is a compression ring and nut on the water supply, then that needs to be removed.

If there is no shutoff valve, then you should install one on each supply line (hot and cold).  Unfortunately, builders stopped installing these some years ago to save $$ on the unseen costs of a house (which they perceive adds no value to the new home purchaser).

You can get the shutoff valves in straight (when coming out of the floor) or 90 degree - from the wall and for various supply line types (PEX, copper).

If you are not confident in your soldering skills, you can get a SharkBite valve that does not require soldering.

Assuming you have copper supply lines, and are not confident in your soldering skills, this is what you do:

Turn off the water to the house, and relieve the pressure by opening taps at or below the level of the supply line.
Have a bucket and some cloths handy.
Disconnect your current faucet.
Cut off the top of the water supply pipe with a  - to use this kind of cutter, position the cutting wheel where you want the pipe cut and tighten the knob.  Rotate the cutter twice, tighten a bit more, repeat until the pipe is cut through.
Install your new valve - like this
Make sure the valve is turned off, then turn the water back on in the house and check for any leaks.
Install your faucet, connect it and check for leaks.  Don't forget the teflon tape on the threads before you attach the nut.  Wrap the teflon tape around the threads in the same direction as you turn the nut to tighten it.

Use the cloths to mop up any water that comes out of the pipe as you cut it.  Put the wet cloths in the bucket to contain the water.


How to get sticky residue off plastic-covered furniture? We have wooden dining chairs whose backs were wrapped in plastic (to protect white tufting) for the past 15 years. We want to remove the plastic now, but the plastic left a sticky residue on the wood. Is there any effective way to clean this residue? The finish is a glossy dark mahogany. Otherwise, we may dump the chairs.

Generally one experiments with various cleaning products and escalates when the initial choices fail to work. i.e. neither you nor we know exactly what the residue 15 years of plastic wrapping has left on your chair's finish is, so we start with things that are normal for cleaning and unlikely to damage the finish, then move on to products that are generally "more aggressive" but which also require testing to be sure they don't damage the finish.

Furniture polish
Spray cleaners
Cleaning wipes

Solvents in no particular order (test on a part of the chair that won't show to be sure they don't damage the finish - for instance, alcohol will dissolve shellac, but shellac is rather unlikely unless you have seriously antique chairs.)

Denatured alcohol
mineral spirits/paint thinner
naptha
lacquer thinner


LED TV connected to CCTV DVR through HDMI cable is causing a problem I have connected an LED TV to my CCTV DVR through an HDMI cable and the picture quality is very good, but it is causing a problem. Whenever any electric switch is turned on or off, the picture goes for few seconds and then comes back again.

After a few days the HDMI port is fried and also the DVR is burnt. I changed the HDMI cable and put in a new DVR; the same happened: after a few days the DVR is burnt again, and this time the TFT connected to the VGA port has also gone (the card burnt).

Any ideas on what could be causing the problem or how it could be fixed?

Something is seriously mis-wired.

There are so many things it could be that there is no way to determine that from here.

You should call an experienced electrician to check out the wiring in your house before something catches fire and someone gets hurt.


How do I replace a porch light that’s mounted to a surface-mounted junction box? I recently bought a house that has a porch light that doesn’t work. The porch light is mounted to a junction box that is installed surface-mounted to a vinyl mounting box. The junction box is loaded with silicone but I’m sure it’s still not weathertight and probably the reason for the light not working. My question is how to replace the light and ensure it’s weathertight. Do I need to drill a hole to recess the junction box within the wall, or can I still surface mount a weatherproof box with weather gaskets and silicone between the light fixture and the junction box?

Provided there is only 1 cable in that box, I recommend replacing it with a pancake box like this...     https://www.homedepot.ca/product/iberville-ceiling-pan-1-2-in-deep-ko/1000106180
Once the new fixture is mounted and working,  apply caulking to make it weather resistant.


Old Rheem rhqa 1000 to thermostat wiring help I cannot figure out how to wire my 30+ year old AC to my lux dmh110a thermostat,  I do not have the old thermostat to reference.

It seems to be 4 wires coming out of the air handler and to the thermostat Blue, Red, Orange, and White.

I have been looking at the schematic but doesn't seem to correlate to anything that works.

Here are some pictures of how it is wired at the air handler.

Thanks for any help.

So, reverse engineering this...

From the schematic, we can at least tell that your air handler has no heat strips, just a fan and a direct-expansion (DX, aka evaporator or indoor) coil in it.  As a result of this, and the fact that your heat pump appears to be a fairly simple unit with only a reversing valve and a compressor contactor, this is actually not a terribly complicated system to reverse-engineer.

From the wiring photo you showed, we can tell that the current thermostat is wired using the black, red, orange, and white wires.  If at all possible, you'll want to strip back a bit more jacket, extract enough blue wire from it to strip and wirenut a connection onto, and then use a jumper wire (a piece of 18AWG TFFN will do) to attach that stripped blue end to the existing junction of the thick yellow wire from the transformer (the whatzit in the middle with wires coming out both sides), the thick red wire going to the fan relay (black lump at the top right), and the thin red wire going off to the heat pump outdoor unit.

With that done, we can tackle the rest of the wires.  We know the red wire to the thermostat is R because it's connected to the other yellow wire to the transformer, first off.  From there, we can look at the fan relay and trace its white wire over to the black wire from your thermostat, which makes that black wire your G wire.  This leaves your white and orange wires, which both go off to the heat pump outdoor unit.  Conventionally, orange is used for the reversing valve which determines whether your heat pump is in heating or cooling mode, so that's your O (or O/B) wire, and that leaves the white wire as the Y wire that turns the heat pump compressor on.

So, in short, your wire designations go as follows:

Red - R/Rc
Black - G
White - Y
Orange - O/B
and Blue -- the C wire we just added

Your W/W1/E/AUX terminal will remain unconnected, unless it's hooked up to a different system altogether.  Also, you'll want to make sure that the O/B setting on your thermostat is set for O when you first program it, so that your thermostat energizes the orange wire when cooling and leaves it de-energized for heating. (Unless you have a Rheem or Ruud outdoor unit that is, where you'll need to set the O/B setting to B to begin with instead.)

If things don't quite work right

If your system heats when calling for cooling and cools when calling for heating, then you'll need to flip the O/B setting on your thermostat. (You'll only likely need to do this if your outdoor unit is a Rheem or Ruud, though -- they're the only units that commonly do things the other way around.)  If your system will not change over (i.e. heats when calling for both heating and cooling, or cools when calling for both heating and cooling), then your orange wire will be your Y wire and your white wire will be your O/B wire in that case.


Insulating near a breaker box In remodeling my basement I have so far finished installing R-10 2" XPS insulation against my block walls.  My question is:  How close or how far away from the circuit breaker panel can I place the insulation?  In other words can the XPS foam board go all the way up to the side of the panel, or do I need to allow some room between the panel and the foam board?

My question is due to the fact that foam board is flammable and I wonder if the foam would cause the box and breakers to overheat if the foam board was tight against it.

Foam board should never be exposed, it should always covered with a fire retardant layer like drywall. So if it is installed correctly, your breaker box would never come in direct contact with the XPS and you don't have a problem.  If it is exposed, then you have a larger problem then just the breaker box making contact with it.


Polyamide roller nap Is there any advantage in a polyamide vs polyester roller nap? I'm generally aware of the differences between polyamide and polyester: the former is more elastic and retains more water; it feels softer in hand. Is a polyamide roller just a marketing gimmick (to justify a higher price) or is there some concrete advantage in using a polyamide roller nap?

Apparently they hold most paint for a given nap size. I came to this conclusion after looking at Purdy Colossus. The downside seems to be that polyamide cannot quite be made lint free (even by Purdy). The ones I purchased (not by Purdy as it was not available locally) kept shedding fibers which was annoying.


Theory: How do thermostats without a "C" common wire get powered? My simple question is: When a thermostat has four wires: white, red, green, and yellow, the red is for 24V (AC?) and the white/green/yellow are for heat/fan/cooling. The role of the thermostat is to close red/24V to one or more of the other wires. The thermostat has 2 AA batteries, but given that the closing when "active" seems to be through relays, I don't see how those batteries could have any reasonable lifetime if they were powering the relays. How does the thermostat derive power from the available input wirings? Does it sink "milliamps" from the 24V and contact wires, but at a low enough current level to not trigger the relays in the furnace control? Or is something else going on there?
If I have an answer to this question, I'm happy!

Long background, relevant to the underlying problem I'm trying to debug:

I have a three-zone, single-stage, forced-air heating-and-cooling system installed in 2007. Zone 1 and 2 dowstairs. Zone 3 upstairs. For the longest time, I had problems with zone 3 (upstairs) heating when it's not supposed to, and not cooling efficiently when it was supposed to. The original installer wasn't really available for later service, but was low cost (ahem.) We had a more reputable service company come out and service the system, but they didn't find a problem. Finally, trouble-shooting this myself, I found that the damper for Zone 3 was wired backwards -- it would close when activating cooling for Zone 3, thus the cooling wouldn't be effective. Looking at the damper (three-wire, red/green/white,) the "red" wire went to the terminal labeled "G" and the "green" wire went to the terminal labeled "R." I switched them, and it seemed to work fine after that.

Two days ago, I noticed that the system would open the damper to zone 3 (the upstairs) if any zone called for heat. Because the downstairs is a lot cooler, it now calls for heat in the winter (we're in California,) and the upstairs ended up with 85 degrees heat, even though the thermostat was set to 65. When both downstairs zones called for nothing, the blower turned off and the damper closed for zone 3. I disconnected the thermostat wiring entirely for zone 3, and this behavior still holds today. My guess is that something has gone wrong in the programming for the microcontroller on the controller board, but I'm going to measure this system in full and verify everything before I start looking for replacements.

The control board is labeled "2002 Research Systems Corporation," and matches a very old manual scan I found online for an Aprilaire Model 6203. The current manual for that same model number does NOT look the same. The furnace is a Tempstar SmartComfort (no discernible model number.) The thermostats are White-Rodgers "Classic 80 series."

Researching how heat/cool works here, I'm surprised how much of the smarts are in the thermostats. With a microprocessor board controlling the furnace / blower / cooler, I'd expect the thermostats to just be a temperature sensor and level setter, but apparently the wiring is plug-compatible with systems built in the '50s... The thermostats even do timing of purge and such, even though that's all re-done by the control board.

Final question: If I end up having to replace this system, is there some more modern system, where the thermostats speak something like RS-485+power over 4 wires, and the central unit is responsible for timing? And, ideally, perhaps the central unit has some wired IP-based read-outs? (but no cloud bullshit?)

First things first: I'm happy to see that you, too, yearn for IP-based control of things without those things caving in to the pressure to cloudify. Oh that more devices would offer a cloudless local network only option, and leave it to the user to implement VPN or other means for remote operation.

Anyway, in days gone by, thermostats were simple switches. It could literally be a toggle switch you'd manually throw to turn the heat on and off, or it could be an automatically-operated switch where a bimetal element or spring caused the switch to open and close based on temperature. Things were simple. The switch completed the circuit and the transformer's voltage was applied to the coil of a relay. Then came electronics.

Battery-powered thermostats can play a variety of tricks to extend the life of the batteries. One is the use of latching relays. One applies a current only to change the relay's state; it then keeps that state forever with no power consumed in the coil. Another current through the coil can cause the relay to change state again. Another trick is to steal power from the control circuit. As you noted, some amount of current must flow in order to make the relay in the furnace activate. A power stealing thermostat can let some nominal current flow -- not enough to activate the furnace relays -- and use this power for part or all of its own operation. This might be accomplished with an input current limited switching power supply of some sort.

It sounds like you have enough electronics background that you'll be able to sort out what's going on with the existing equipment if you're so inclined. It's possible that your zone controller may have failed, but based on what you've said of the system, I won't be surprised if it and/or the dampers and other equipment just never has been correctly installed/configured.


Replacing flourescent with LED Any electrician's out there? I have taken down an old fluorescent and the light fixture and this is what I have found. Only thing wired was the white wire. There is a pink one in there that was just untapped and no wire not. The blacks were all nutted together and they have multiple grounds taped together. I have put screw nuts on all of them following my buddy Bubba Osborn to always be safe. Unsure what to do here. Usually can simply take a fixture undo white, black and ground. Chris Ewell calling out to you as well.

The red wire should be the switch leg coming back from the switch.

The whites are all connect d so that appears to the neutral as it should be. Grounds are good. The two blacks should be one hot from the panel and one feeding the switch.

Take the switch apart and verify it is fed with a black and has the red on the other side of it. If so then connected your new light to the white and the red.

You should get a meter and verify your wiring if you are going to tpdo electrical work.

Good luck and stay safe!


Can I power a single pole switch from the end of a 3 way? I've done the imaginable and forgot to run one more line to the gang box.  Is there any hope I can pull power from the other 3 way switch also in the box?  I've attached the diagram of how its currently wired and what I'm hoping can happen.

Unfortunately, no. You need access to the white wire (neutral) coming into the first box from the load center and continuing to the existing lights. Since that is not in the second box, you have nothing to connect to the return from the new light.


Is it possible to patch concrete stairs? At my church, there is an old set of stairs made of concrete.  They've begun to crumble on the top to the point where the treads are no longer flat and smooth.

I've not seen any material that has fallen off of the stairs so I can't tell you if it's flaking or crumbling off.  (And I'm not sure if it makes a difference or if there is a difference.)

Is it possible to patch these concrete stairs or would the new concrete not bond well to the old?  If so, can I just use some 2x10s and quickrete?

Up to this point, I've just ignored it since it would be far worse to have a giant chunk of concrete fall off (from a bad patch) than to leave it as is.

You can't just slap down new concrete. It will never bond. Some options:

1) They make bonding agents for this. Not sure how well they work.

2) vinyl patching compound. Probably your best bet for damages stairs. Not as good as new concrete, but might hold you over for a while.

3) Epoxy. probably the best for small repairs. I use it quite a bit for small cracks and pits.

Without seeing pictures, I'm guessing #2 is maybe what you want to try first.


How can I replace this lamp socket? I am trying to replace a single switch lamp socket to a 3 way switch but I am having trouble getting to the wires on the original socket. The terminals where the wires are attached are not visible and there are no visible screws. Is there a way to get to the wires on the socket in the attached pictures?

They are most likely "quick-wired", like the back-stab connections on the back of cheap receptacles.

WITH THE CORD UNPLUGGED, look to see if there are small holes or slots next to where the wire is stuck in. Open a paper clip and insert it into those holes/slots. This should release the wires.


Can this closet header be removed? I started tearing down a pantry closet. Can I take down the header? I just want to take front wall off. The two sides would remain.
Note that the drawing is reversed from what was actually built.

You really need someone to look at this in person, not through an internet straw. Some notes that may help...

Builders almost never use 2x10 for non-load-bearing headers. They're expensive and it's wasteful. That doesn't prove anything here, though.
The drawing shows the primary bearing wall being at the back of that closet. That doesn't prove anything, though.
You don't report seeing or hearing settling when you removed the header support studs. That doesn't prove anything, though.
You could investigate the headers over the adjacent hallway and along that plane to see if they're load-bearing. That doesn't prove anything, though.
You can examine the lower level to see where loads are transferred through the basement walls or posts to the footings in the foundation. That doesn't prove anything, though.

It's the accumulation and analysis of such clues in aggregate that leads to a reasonable and safe conclusion. We can't do that from here without a protracted and cumbersome conversation. That's not really what this site is for.
Good luck.


Painted sample areas have different sheen than the rest of the wall I recently finished my basement.  Had the drywall textured.  Painted three sample areas of different paint colors I was trying to decide on.  I decided on one and got the paint from a different paint store than the samples.  I primed over the samples with two coats and then painted three coats of paint on the walls.  When dried I could see the areas that I painted the samples were shinier than the rest of the wall.  Any one know why this is or how to fix it.  Thanks!

Did you just apply primer over the paint sample areas? If so, the primer left the wall in that area with a different surface preparation than the rest of the area where you applied the top coats. The different sheen that you see is probably mostly due to how light reflects off the wall in that area.

One fix that may be possible, particularly if you had painted with a egg shell or low luster type paint, is to repaint with a flat paint.


How can I stop birds from hitting my sunroom windows? Over the last three days, I have probably had over a dozen birds try to fly through my sunroom, only to be stopped by the 72"X52" sliding windows; three of the birds have died.  What can I do so that the birds realize there is a window there, therefore, preventing them from flying into them?

There are two reasons birds fly into Windows, either they can't see the glass or they see a reflection in the glass.  The only real solution, is to make the window more visible or less reflective.  Unfortunately, making the window more visible to birds also makes it more visible to humans.  So the solution may not be exactly... um... fashionable.  You'll have to put decals, tape, paint, marker, or some other type of markings on the windows.  You could also try hanging wind chimes, or other decorative items inside/outside the window.  Some sources recommend decals in the shape of birds of prey, stating that the birds will be afraid to fly towards the the "prey bird".

Another solution that seems to be successful, is to hang fine mesh over the windows.  The theory here is that the mesh will reduce the reflection on the windows, so birds will be less likely to fly into the window thinking they are flying into whatever is reflected in the window.

The good news is, you may only need to do this during migratory seasons.  So you could pick up a window paint marker (~$5.00), and draw lines, squiggles, or patterns on the windows during migratory seasons.

You could try making up some detachable screens for the exterior of the windows, and put them up during the migration season.  This might be a less noticeable solution, while also being temporary.


Need snow shield ideas for photo eye case We have two automatic bay doors at our carwash. These doors are operated (open, close) by photoeyes. When installed they were installed diagonally to each other instead of horizontally. One of the eyes on both exit doors was installed pretty much right on the ground in metal square cases. Problem is that when it snows because one is so close to the ground snow covers the eye and the door opens. I've got to work and the doors are open and things are a little froze. I'm looking for ideas on how to build something around it to block it from being covered. I've thought about raising it a bit from the ground, but I'd have to raise the other one as well. I've got a couple pictures attached. Let me know if anymore are needed. Thanks

place the lower eye in a larger clear or windowed box with the window vertical or overhanging slightly.


How do I best display LED strips so the bulbs are hidden from sight? I want to put this LED strip in my room, which is a box shaped room with white walls.

I am sure I am supposed to hide the LED strip lighting, but I am at a loss on how to make a suitable coving or box to hide the messy strip bit.  How would I do that?

Cove or crown molding that is below (free from) the ceiling by 2-4 Inches will give a subdued look.  I would place the strip on the wall just below the aperture of the molding (that slit exposed by lowering the molding).  Some installations I've seen use a separate wall trim that angles the light strip up..IE attach a wooden strip behind and below the crown, attach the LED strip to the 45 block.


What type of saw to use on a wall of windows, removing glass but keeping wood framing 1950s home has a wall of windows, was initially exterior now within an addition added before we bought the house. We want to remove the windows but keep the look. I started the project, then testing of adhesive around the windows says there is asbestos in it. The adhesive is very thick and hard, so getting windows out does produce dust.
If I go forward, seems my choices are:
a) have an abatement company take the entire wall of material away, then pay a carpenter to recreate the look without windows.
b) remove windows only, then trim in the surfaces where adhesive remains.
c) remove windows only, then slice the outer portion of the framing so that adhesive can be completely disposed of.
My question pertains to option c. The wood framing is 2-1/4 x 1-5/8 from the window surface. What type of saw would make this job possible? Or is it nearly impossible?

That looks like regular dried-up old glazing putty. If it was me I would soften it using a heat gun while scraping it with a putty knife or similar tool.
Then I would rig a guide on my router and remove all remaining putty (and maybe a thin bit of the wood) with the router. I might use a paintbrush to soak it with mineral spirits prior to routing, to reduce dust.
If I were worried about asbestos exposure from this job (I wouldn't be...) I would wear a P100 respirator and tent the area with plastic to contain dust. Risk would be low with this short-duration job, especially considering that the bulk of the suspect material will have been removed manually prior to using the power tool / dust machine.


How can I fill this gap between the plasterboard and window architrave? The framing on my house is warped in such a way that I have several places where I have large gaps between the window/door architraves and the frame and the plasterboard just flaps around. I also get the feeling that whoever hung the plasterboard thought that screws were really expensive.

This one window already has a some gap filler in it, but the gap has widened.
Two options I can think of are to insert wedges to push the plaster back then use more gap filler, or pull the plasterboard forward and glue it to the back of the window frame.

Or is there a better idea I can't think of?

I am having a bit of a problem understanding why plaster board or sheetrock would be finished to door and window jams without a casing/molding frame. In the few instances I have seen flush fitting walls to doors/windows, the wall covering is a thin, finished edge panel of some type, not 1/2" rock. In your case, the pic looks like the edge of the was was simply finished with some type of caulk or sealant to the jam, and either the jams have cupped or the caulking has shrunk over time causing the gaps to appear.

My first option would be to case the doors and windows with a molding. This would cover the gaps and secure the "flapping" wall board.  The second option could be to use an elastomer paintable caulk/sealant to fill the gaps. I might use some finish nails to tighten the wall board and counter sink the nails slightly and fill and finish the holes. Hint: cover the jams and edge of the wall board with blue painter's tape before applying the caulk. Smooth the caulk into the gaps with a putty knife, then immediately remove the tape, leaving a nice crisp, straight line.