How to determine the correct driver bit for screws? I am going to use this screw to join 2x4s together.  How can I select the correct bit size for this screw?

Product image from homedepot.com (linked above)

That's basically a #2 PSD2-2 drive. It's designed for relatively high torque driving that would make a normal Phillips drive cam out while minimizing the chance of stripping that you'd have with a square drive.  Wild (and cynical) speculation, but I'm guessing the manufacturer calls it "Unidrive" because Phillips holds a patent on it.  I'd get a #2 PSD2-2 driver (also called Phillips-Square drive, etc.):

Image courtesy of fastenal.com
They're common enough that most of the big-box home improvement stores carry them, but oddly uncommon enough that a lot of the time the screw manufacturer will sometimes include one in the box.


What does the Plumbing Code say about securing a bathtub faucet to the studs? My son is renting an apartment.  It looks as if the bathtub faucet (spout and valvehandle) are only secured by the grout of the tile and haven't been properly secured at all to the studs.  I know that most counties have their own amendments to the International building Code, but what is the bare minimum?  Should the faucet be secured by more than just tile grout??

Can someone point me to the code section that would define this?

Take a look at item 2, from section P2705 of the 2006 International Residential Code.

  SECTION P2705 INSTALLATION

  P2705.1 General.

  The installation of fixtures shall conform to the following:

  Floor-outlet or floor-mounted fixtures shall be secured to the drainage connection and to the floor, where so designed, by screws,
  bolts, washers, nuts and similar fasteners of copper, brass or other
  corrosion-resistant material.
  Wall-hung fixtures shall be rigidly supported so that strain is not transmitted to the plumbing system.
  Where fixtures come in contact with walls and floors, the contact area shall be water tight.
  Plumbing fixtures shall be usable.
  The centerline of water closets or bidets shall not be less than 15 inches (381 mm) from adjacent walls or partitions or not less than
  15 inches (381 mm) from the centerline of a bidet to the outermost rim
  of an adjacent water closet. There shall be at least 21 inches (533
  mm) clearance in front of the water closet, bidet or lavatory to any
  wall, fixture or door.
  The location of piping, fixtures or equipment shall not interfere with the operation of windows or doors.
  In areas prone to flooding as established by Table R301.2(1), plumbing fixtures shall be located or installed in accordance with
  Section R324.1.5.
  Integral fixture-fitting mounting surfaces on manufactured plumbing fixtures or plumbing fixtures constructed on site, shall meet
  the design requirements of ASME A112.19.2 or ASME A112.19.3.


How do I dehumidify a season cabin in the winter My Aunt has a seasonal cabin in NH. At the end of the fall we shut the water off and close down the cabin. Last year we had to gut and re-do the entire cabin due to a mold problem. Part of the problem had to do with water getting in the half basement and then mold forming, but even before that problem, it always had a mold issue. It's my understanding that it's probably the late fall early spring that causes the issue, but that is just speculation. I am interested in putting a de-humidifier in the cabin, to ensure that it stays fairly dry, but I'm concerned about the fact that it will soon get below freezing. Perhaps there is on that has a frost shutoff? or perhaps I can rig something that will turn it off when the temperature goes below a certain value. I'm looking for recommendations on how to tack this problem.

You are correct that dehumidifiers typically do not operate below freezing temperatures.  In fact, many do not operate well if the temperature is below 65F.  Certain high performance units are rated to operate down to temperatures a little above freezing.

If the goal is to suppress mold growth by maintaining indoor relative humidity below 55% during cold temperatures, then the obvious answer is that both a high performance dehumidifier and a heater are needed.  Looking at the psychrometric chart for moist air, 56F air at 55% humidity has a dew point of 38F.  With a high performance dehumidifier and a heater set to maintain an air temperature of at least 56F degrees, the RH of the air in the cabin could be maintained at or below 55%.


What is this texture called and how can I match it? I repaired a 2' x 4' section of our ceiling, and I'd like to match the surrounding texture.

Is this a sprayed texture like orange peel, or just some kind of roller stipple?

Assuming it was orange peel, I tried matching it with a Homax spray gun.  I did get a decent orange peel, but it's a lot more 'blotchy' than the one I'm trying to match, which has very small raised bumps.

I've tried various combinations of mud, pressure, etc.  My last attempt was joint compound thinned 4:1 with water, 70 PSI, and a 4mm tip.  I'm using a Porter Cable C2002 (6 Gal 150 PSI) compressor.

Note that the gun needs 7CFM @ 25PSI, which is probably more than the compressor can do - the C2002 is rated 3.5 SCFM @ 40PSI.  But I'm not sure if that's the problem.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

For such a small area, you might consider the ceiling texture in a spray can with an adjustable tip. Get whichever one says 'orange peel'. (Note that there are water based ones that dry relatively slowly and other ones that dry more quickly.) You'll be able to get a credible match. An exact match is tough, so don't beat yourself up too much over it.


Add more Polyurethane to recently refinished hardwood flooring? Back in February 2016 I refinished my own hardwood floors.  I had a couple guys come in at the end and do the staining and polyurethane because I was spent...

We have a few areas of high traffic in the house that I think need some more polyurethane to protect the floors.  They also seem to scratch rather easily.

What is the best approach to only adding poly?  Keep in mind that I have 1200 sqft of hardwood and there is no way I can do all of it at this time so it will just the kitchen and main corridor maybe 500 sqft.

My plan is just to hit the floor with a fine grit screening pad on a flooring buffer.  Then sweep, lightly mop and apply the same poly used previously.  I think it will blend nicely since it is low sheen satin.

For anyone reading this I did as I said and it came out really well.  Process was to get a 220 grit screening pad and hand sand all the edges.  Then I cut a piece to go on my finish sander and hit the whole kitchen lightly.  Then I swept and mopped.

Painted on semi-satin polyuruthane with a brush.  I used Semi, because I was informed than for a satin finish you only want to do a satin base coat or else it will come out milky.

The kitchen looks much better now and I will repeat the process on the rest of the house when I have time.


Putting in GFCI outlet where none existed I'm replacing a pool light and opened the junction box displaying the wiring for the light. I see one white wire and one black wire (Line side) connected to the black and white wires to the light. Also, there is a red wire in the box capped off and a green ground wire attached to the back of the box. Since there is no electrical outlet, I want to put in a GFCI outlet so that I can use the outlet to plug in things. I understand that the black and white line wires will go in the line side on the GFCI outlet. How will the new pool light wires connect to the GFCI outlet, into the load terminals?

Florida

I think I understand what you are asking.

My understanding is that you are not needing this light to be protected from the GFCI receptacle (since it wasn't before). You would just like to add a GFCI to the existing circuit.

It sounds great that you have figured out that the wires going to the light are "line wires". However I think you might be using that terminology a bit different than most electricians would. To us "line wires" are generally wires that are constantly hot. As in not switched power. This being a light I presume that the hot wire is actually switched power. Do you need to turn on a light switch for these lights to come on?

So the question is. Is it switched power going to your light?
If the black wire going to your light is switched power, is the red wire switched power? You might need to trace back to where that red wire is fed from to see if you can get constant power from the previous box on the red wire to bring to this current box.

Basically you will end up with one of two scenarios.

Scenario 1 - Either the GFCI will only work if the light is on (because the hot is switched). Which you can still wire up. You will take the black and white "feed" wires in your box, and attach two pigtails on each wire. One of the pigtails will go to the light, and the other one will go to your Line side of your GFCI (for the black and white wires). You do not need to put all the cables on the GFCI or use the load side. Since you don't actually need anything protected by the GFCI.

Scenario 2 - You are able to get in your box a "switched hot" a "constant hot" and a neutral. You will wire your light up like before, and take the new "constant hot" you might have just found and put it on the line side of your GFCI and the neutral and also put on the line side of your GFCI.

Enjoy


Where to find this kind of bolt? We have a system of shelves that we brought with us when we moved to a new apartment now. However, some of the bolts broke and now we're having a hard time buying new ones. These are not from Ikea.

Please see the image below.

The length is about 1 cm and is used to support some other metal holder below the shelf. I can provide more exact measurements or pictures if need be, but somehow I'm not able to find anything that looks like it in stores or online.

Thanks.

EDIT:

I do apologize about the low quality of the first image, it's all I had at the time. Now that I'm home, here are some more pictures of: 1) the initial bolt I was asking about 2) The thing it is supposed to support, installed already on the shelf. 3) Another type of screw of this system whose head I do not recognize.

Pictures of 1)

Pictures of 2)

Pictures of 3)

That is the pin or dowel that go to a cam lock for furniture.

Here is website i found  that has some. If you do not it find there you can check in the furniture parts drawers at you local hardware store or search for furniture parts online.

You will need to measure its length, i would think most are going to be classified in the metric system,  mm or cm.

Keywords: cam lock dowel or pin, Quickfit Style Dowel Pin Cam Lock Fasteners Furniture Connectors


Three-way switch puzzle I have an outdoor light controlled by a pair of 3-way switches, A and B. The switch B is much closer to the light.

Here are the behaviors I observe.

During the day:
A: Up     B: Up or Down    Light:ON
A: Down   B: Up            Light:ON
A: Down   B: Down          Light:OFF

During the night:          Light:ON (regardless)

Also, believe that the light comes on at a certain hour. So it must be on a timer and not on a light sensor. However, I cannot locate the timer.

The wiring on switch B is attached.

I'm assuming I'm correct that the timer is involved. However, I still cannot make sense of the wiring and so I cannot figure out how to change it to make the three-way switches act normally during the day.

UPDATE: I've disconnected the wires and here's what discovered. The power comes via one of the 14/3 wires. The black is always hot. The red is hot during a few hours of the night (but not dusk to dawn. More like 1am-4am). Does this confirm that there's a timer somewhere along the way? What could it possibly look like?

UPDATE: Mystery solved:

If you look at the screws on the switch (if it is a new switch) there will be two silver screws and one black or gold screw. The silver screws are for the travelers and the black screws are for the line voltage coming in and the load voltage going out.

Start by shutting power off and taking the wires off each switch, separate the wires so they don't touch, then turn power back on and find the wire that is hot. If you don't have a meter you can get a tester at the hardware store.

Next attach the hot wire to one of the other wires from that switch and test the voltage on the other box. Then attach the hot wire to the other wire and test the voltage at the other box. These will be your travelers.

Cut the power and attach the travelers to the silver screws. This will leave on wire in each box that is your line (source voltage) and load (going to the fixture). Attach those wires to the black screw and you should be good.


Adding subpanel to transfer switch I have a transfer switch that connects one of the line sides directly to the main electric meter breaker. The load side of the transfer switch goes to the interior in cement main service panel.

Due to space limitations and distance, I'm thinking of using polaris connectors for the 2 pole lines and neutral from the transfer switch load side (which also goes into the home) to mount a sub panel for a few extra circuits.

The main electric meter breaker, double pole double throw transfer switch, and interior main service panel are 125 Amps. The main cables from the meter are 2 AWG. The ground and neutral are bounded together on the main meter electrical panel.

Would this setup be ok to add a 125 Amp Subpanel on the load side of the transfer switch? I'm concerned with the neutrals in this setup.

Go ahead and do that

A subpanel downstream from a transfer switch is generally an expected thing to have in a standby power system.  125A is a fine size for such (since you likely aren't going to be putting nearly that much load on the standby system), and a 24 or 30 space unit would be not at all out of place here, either.

As to neutrals? It's the transfer switch's job to deal with any neutral shenanigans that may be going on.  Since you are using your generator mainly for backup, I'd pull the neutral bond and put a clearly visible, indelible label on it saying that the bond was pulled and referring to the correct section of the manual to reinstall it if I were in your shoes, by the way -- this means you can have a solidly bonded neutral in your transfer switch, which makes life far easier when it comes to transfer switch selection.


Is it OK to caulk around an outdoor electrical panel or meter base? I've heard that you shouldn't caulk the outside perimeter of the meter base or an outdoor electrical panel (sealing it to the house siding), because the panel needs to "breath" on the back. I haven't been able to find any specific code reference for this though. Is this code or hearsay?

Do you have siding installed behind the electrical panel?
If there is siding behind the panel, then do not caulk it to the siding.

If there is no siding behind the panel, then you can caulk the outside perimeter of the panel. If you have vinyl or steel siding, then you should trim it with J-channel and caulk the J-channel to the electrical panel. If you have any other kind of siding, then you caulk the top and sides but usually not the bottom of the panel to make sure you don't trap any water behind it.


How can I hide wood stain on painted drywall? This weekend when making a built in cabinet, I accidentally got some wood stain on my painted drywall. (Yes, I know I should've taped...). Now, I have to touch up the wall. However from what I have read online, there isn't a sure fire way to make it work. I was wondering if anyone here knew how.
Here is the situation:

Wall is painted with a latex based paint.
Stain is Varathane Classic penetrating wood stain

My goal is to be able to touch up the wall, and not damage the wood. They are butted right up to each other (roughly 1/16" space).Is there a better primer that works for this kind of thing? Or would sanding it be the better option? I have not tried anything as of yet, as this was last night...and I will resume working on the project today after work. So we have a clean slate to work with.

You don't sand painted drywall. Hit up your paint store and ask them what stain-blocking primer they recommend. Apply that per the instructions, blending it out to prevent hard edges, then paint. If the paint on the wall is more than a few months old you may need to paint the entire wall to get good color uniformity.
You might use a soft cloth and a bit of paint thinner to try and gently scrub some of the stain away so it's less likely to bleed through the primer.


What are my options to replace this window? So, I've got these short 11x32 inch windows that are original to the house, there's five of them. They're metal, single pane, and have large gaps between the frame and window. I've tried going to the big box stores to have some custom ones made but the smallest size they can make is 12" tall. We really dislike the look of glass block and even then, they aren't optimally sized at 4", 6", 8", or 12". I had bought some plexiglass to glue to the window frame and then I was going to clean them up, paint them and add a bunch weatherstripping. But, I'm doubting that plan now. I should mention that I do care about looks since we are about to finish the basement.

Any ideas? Here's photo of the current windows.

The window frame shown in the picture looks like it would clean-up, paint, and trim-out to leave a clean finished appearance. I'm guessing that the existing window opens and the lever, at the top-center of the window, is for locking the window closed. If that's the case, the window design is allowing for light and for controlled ventilation in a very small opening.
If the window shown in the picture is the metal, hinged, swing-out opener that I'm familiar with, I know that they are expensive and a desirable solution for small basement window openings. The metal components can be much narrower than wood or vinyl window frame components, maximizing the basement's small wall opening for light and air.

I wouldn't advise sealing-up the basement window/vent openings with glass block or any other material. Ventilation can be important for a basement.

If the existing windows are simply a no-go, reach outside of the local big-box home supply store. A handful of 800 calls will give you a good idea whats available in custom order. If you have a non-typical design in mind, talk with some local tradesmen.


Can I use three phase existing wiring for a single phase a/c unit? I am replacing an old 3 phase a/c unit with a new single phase a/c unit. Can I just use 2 of the three legs at existing unit disconnect to power the new single phase unit? Is that done by capping one wire or maybe removing one wire from breaker?

Yes, a new single phase system can replace an older 3 phase AC system! However there may be problems.

With 3 phase there will be a need to increase the wire size when going to single phase, so if changing to single phase your wiring may be 1.73× smaller than that required for single phase. Other than this it depends on the cost of the system and available voltage/ phases.

Last year I installed a shaved ice maker that required 208V. We only had 480V but the transformer was much cheaper than changing the compressor. It's still working to my knowledge and was making the ice at a rate that it was supposed to.


Using wood glue instead of fasteners for raised bed garden I need to rebuild my rotten raised bed. This time, I want to use 4"x4"x8' lumber to make a bed in 16' long and 12" tall. But I'm thinking to use Titebond 3 Ultimate wood glue instead of metal fasteners. The reason is fasteners put too much stress at one point but blue will distribute the stress to all surface.
But with Pacific NW weather on the west cascade, I don't know if TB III Ultimate will hold up or not since I haven't used it on any projects that constantly exposed to moisture.

You're not building a deep space probe where you need to optimize everything as much as possible.
Screws and nails are plenty suited to the job. We've been building buildings with screws and nails for thousand of years.
If the wood is rotting, solve that problem. It won't matter what means of joining you use when everything is rotting anyway. Use good pressure treated lumber and good screws and your garden bed will hold up fine.
Titebond 3 or epoxy will work, but it will take much longer for no advantage whatsoever.


Problems with crossed hot & cold water lines on shower My contractor installed a brand new Grohe universal rough-in box, and a Grohe universal pressure balance rough-in valve with diverter. Right after the rough-in box was installed, and before everything else was done, we started experiencing low temperature of the water in the entire house. In addition, cold water will sometimes flow from the hot taps.

We first thought that it was a problem with the water heater and had it inspected. The water heater guy wrote that there is no problem with the water heater, but that hot and cold pipes were crossed somehow and that that needs to be fixed.

My contractor then went and closed the pass thru valve in the rough-in box and explained that the pressure of the cold water was so strong that the cold water was passing though this valve and making its way back into our hot water supply. Closing the valve seems to have resolved the problem with cold water coming out of the hot taps in the rest of the house.

However, when the shower installation was complete with pbv, diverter and the trim, I notice that the trim dial is switched: that cold water is coming from the hot water indicator, and vise versa. I also noticed a significant reduction in pressure of the main shower head in comparison to my original 20 year old shower head that was replaced. Furthermore, I see that if the trim handle is set to the limit of 'Cold', which displays as 'Hot', the water barely drips. On the other hand, if it is set all the way to 'Hot', which displays as 'Cold', there is strong pressure. This does not make sense to me, as I believe the cold water should have the strongest pressure.

So my questions are:

Does this mean that there is a cross connection between the hot and cold pipes?
If that is the case, what kind of problems will it cause?
Is my low pressure related to this crossover?
Should I make the contractor to open the walls and re-connect the pipes to the correct hot and cold connections, or it is ok to leave it as is and go with his suggestion of adjusting the cartridge and just changing the trim to point to the right way?

Demand the manufacturer's instructions so you can review them. Then respectfully insist that the plumber (who you paid to install it correctly) return and make all needed corrections. It's not right for the plumber to expect you to do anything unless you agreed to up front.

He should be correcting the piping if necessary, he should be adjusting the temperature stops, he should be adjusting the cartridge, he should be ensuring the trim is oriented correctly.


How to make a 8 inch hole through a brick wall for venting I am planning on Installing a Vent hood the manufacturer recommends 8 inch duct work.

I am looking for options to make this hole.

1) Diamond hole saw.
I couldn't find a diamond hole saw in 8 inch.

2) Core Drill
 But I will get a clean hole. My question is how do I measure the thickness of exterior wall. I have brick which is about three inches. I measure the wall thickness near my garage with brick it comes to around 10 inches. Is this correct ?

1 Roto hammer (rent from local tool rental company)

1+ Chisel bit(s)

1 8" circle drawn on the surface you wish to cut through

1+ hour of tedious, annoying, possibly painful labor

After you get your hole and ensure the vent fits, be prepared to seal any gaps with concrete caulk, or exterior vinyl caulk, or whatever suits your fancy.


Refrigerator is not cooling, but freezer is working fine I have a Whirlpool refrigerator model WRF560SEYM04 (bottom freezer). The refrigerator is not maintaining temperature, but the freezer is working fine. I cleaned the condenser coils, which were fairly dirty, and went to check the evaporator fan motor operation. When I removed the back of the freezer to get to the evaporator fan, the upper right side had a big ice chunk around the two copper pipes going up into the actual refrigerator. Using a hair dryer I melted the ice. When it was plugged in again, the evaporator fan activated. I reassembled the freezer and plugged everything back in again.

I wasn't expecting to find the ice chunk. Is that something I should be worried about?
Would the ice have caused the initial problem of the refrigerator not maintaining temperature, but the freezer working?

The ice chunk is an indication of a low Freon charge, or a evaporator that has a restricted air flow. Some units only actively cool the freezer and use fans to move cold air to the reefer making sure these vents are open and clear may show the problem if the refer has its own coil I would expect a low Freon charge to be the problem. Most refredgerators don't have ports to recharge but one can be added and the Freon topped up. R134a is very common and r404/410 are other types that are common with a few oz added the system will work like new if there are no other problems.


What could cause a shower to give warm water for a few seconds, then only cold water? The house has four bedrooms. The 40 gallon gas water heater is about 60 feet from this
shower. The house is a one story house in flat terrain. I have already changed the mixing faucet for the shower, using a new Moen faucet. It does the same, the problem was not solved. The house has hot water everywhere (kitchen, dishwasher, washer, and in all the fixtures of the other three bathrooms). In the last bathroom (65 feet from the water heater) there is hot water in the sink, but no hot water in the shower. What can cause this problem?

I already have spent a lot of money on several plumbers that just could not make it work.
I desperately need your help, please, any thoughts? If you need more information please request it.

Update: I discover that when the water is running cold from the hot water at the max., if I open the cold water in sink of the same farthest bathroom, the water in the shower start coming warm, for a minute or so then it continues cold. Does this give a hint to diagnosing the problem?

Your water supplies may be pre-mixing. That is, mixing cold and hot water even when no faucet is on. This may happen if you have any fixture where hot and cold water handles/valves are left on but a third valve that is used to regulate flow and is shut off. You, or a previous owner, might have made this configuration so that the temperature never has to be adjusted at that fixture, for example. The hot and cold water may be mixing in the short length of pipe/faucet behind the third valve. This reservoir of mixed water then begins to extend out into the supply pipes. If so, you might get this pre-mixed, warmish water from a second fixture nearby, even when you only turn on the cold water at this second fixture. After a few seconds, the pre-mixed water is flushed out of the cold water supply pipe and pure cold water comes out the faucet. This may explain the initial burst of warm water from the shower.

Edit: To (hopefully) illustrate the above pre-mixing scenario, imagine this. You have hot and cold supply pipes leading to your bathroom. Each junction, one leg going to your tub+shower and one going to your sink (ignore the toilet for a minute). The sink's hot supply goes to the hot faucet handle. The sink's cold supply goes to the cold faucet handle. Nothing hinky there. Now imagine the hot and cold supply goes to a tub with its own hot and cold faucet handles. One old tub fixture I've seen had two additional valves (in addition to the two from the faucet handles). One to control the flow of the tub faucet and another to control the flow of a shower head. Now let's say both the tub and shower flow valves are turned off so no water is flowing but the cold and hot water faucet handles/valves are turned on and left in position so that the mix/temperature doesn't have to be adjusted. What may happen in this case is that the hot and cold water supplies become connected and open to one another in that little length of pipe that sits between the hot/cold faucet handles and the tub+shower valves. So the hot water slowly bleeds into the cold supply and vice versa. After some time the warmish water in the cold water supply spreads back to the supply's junction and then further down the pipes toward the sink faucet. Then when you turn on the sink's cold water the first burst is warm rather than cold, all because there is a wonky fixture configuration somewhere nearby that opens the cold and warm supplies to one another. Now this particular configuration is old and probably very rare (and poorly designed... and don't wrack your brain too much trying to visualize this faucet/valve figure, just the idea of pre-mixing) and it doesn't describe your configuration but I mention it just as a possible clue to follow. Check nearby fixtures and appliances (laundry?) that may be either misconfigured in such a way to broken and thus pre-mixing the hot and cold water even when the fixture/appliance is not on/running.

As for why the shower ultimately produces cold water when the handle is turned to hot, it almost sounds like the hot water supply is connected to the cold stem on the back of the shower flow/temp adjustment valve, and the cold supply connected to the hot stem. Try leaving the shower valve adjusted to cold for a while and see if the water gets warmer. Also verify that the connections at the back of the valve are not reversed.

Also, try to collect more details on when the hot water pipe gets warm and gets cold. If the hot water pipe between the shower faucet/valve and the nearest junction is ever getting hot that suggests that hot water is actually flowing through the faucet. If it gets cold when the faucet is on that suggests that the cold water pressure is overwhelming the hot and pushing its way through the shower mixer into the hot supply pipe.

Hope some of this helps.


Converting 2 lamp ballast to a one lamp I am repairing my parents old single lamp (lamp F30T12-CW) ballast (old ballast was a GE 6G1075) with a two lamp ballast ( Phillips Advance B134SR120M-A) but only connecting one lamp The new ballast has 2 blue, 2 red, 2 yellow plus black hot and white common... what wires do I connect to the tombstones?  Thank you

You don't, unless the ballast label or data sheet  says you can.

In your case the ballast label says "For 1-lamp operation, individually insulate the yellow leads for 600V" - that is canonical.  Further, it makes sense.  They need to be capped off from each other because there is preheat voltage on them.

Since you need 4 wires and there are 4 wires left, do the obvious.  The red wires go to the same end, because they provide lamp preheat for that end.   That's what makes it a rapid-start ballast and not instant-start.  Despite the names, rapid-start is better - it starts more reliably in the cold, and lamp life is much, much longer - because it starts the tube using its preheat feature as intended.

This does not mean you can do this 1-lamp trick for any rapid-start ballast.  Many do not support it.  You got lucky, don't chance it again - check the label or data sheet. Labels typically list some of the tubes supported; data sheets list every one.


How can I repair uneven tile grout? I had ceramic installed in my kitchen about a year ago. In 75% of the kitchen the grout is not level with the rest do I have to remove all the grout and start over or can it be floated to fill in the low places

All the existing grout won't need to be completely removed but you'll need to use a grout removal tool to cut into the existing grout so that your new grout has a little more to grab on to.


If the power is not working in a circuit , how do you determine which breaker controls it? If the power is not working in a circuit, how do you determine which breaker controls it?

So you have a circuit that seems dead?

Confirm whether the lights work - this shows if its a power cut.
Check other sockets in the area using a known-good appliance or plug-in tester - this helps identify if its one bad socket or the whole circuit.
Locate the breaker box, open, and look for "work in progress" lockout tags.  Could be someone is working on your circuit and failed to communicate.
Sniff.  Really - the nose can be an excellent tool for identifying issues.  Is there a burny smell at any point.  Smell is also a non-contact check.
Look for breakers which are in the wrong position.  Do remember that for various reasons a breaker might be installed upside-down, so read the label and don't go by switch left/right position
Labels - Depending on the age of your install, it may be well labelled, or not.  Read them and look for a label that matches the room you were in.
Fuses - some areas of the world still have fuseable links rather than breakers or cutouts.  These tend to be inside ceramic or Bakelite housings which need to be pulled with some tug to be checked.   Pulling a fuse will stop a circuit, so warn other people, and once you identify a fuse, do label it clearly.

Points not covered, MWBC, US 220V lines, etc.

Lastly, don't ever feel bad about getting a professional to come and do electrical, (pr anything with which you feel uncomfortable)   I personally can't stand plumbing given the possible damage.  There's no shame in knowing your limits.


Removing lower section of an old chimney? I know that removing an old unused chimney from a house is done from the top down.

I'm just wondering if it's even thinkable to remove a mid-section from the chimney, while reinforcing under the first removed layer of bricks taken out (would be at the ceiling of the "top floor" on the diagram) (as it's being taken down) to support the top part of the chimney, around 10 feet of it.

The chimney is not structurally tied to the house.

Is this something that's ever done or am I crazy?

Have you the faintest clue what 10 feet of chimney weighs? "reinforce here" to WHAT exactly, that's going to hold up 10 feet of bricks?

This is a bad, terrible unthinkable idea. Take it down from the top, or hire somone else to take it down from the top, or far enough from the top that you feel comfortable working on it.

Don't kill yourself, or someone else in your house, or do massive expensive damage to your house even if you somehow manage not to kill anyone.

Houses of a certain vintage sometimes have "stub chimneys" that start in the attic, with stovepipes below, but they were structurally supported from below before they were built.


Exterior Door Width is Shorter than Jamb I have an exterior door with a large gap to the strike-side jamb. When closed I can see a 1/4" inch gap from top to bottom. Fortunately the dead bolt works but the latch bold is just hanging in there. It's as basement door and I am need to fix it before casing it.
I was thinking of adding 1/4" strip on strike plate side to make jamb smaller but not sure if that right way to do it. Try to search on line but was not able to find answer for my specific issue.
Also, thinking about weather strip that I may need to take out and replace it back on top of new 1/4" strip and what about outer side. Do I need to add the strip on outer side too?

Unless I am mis-understanding what you are calling the door jamb.  The door jamb is the vertical strip nailed to the door casing to provide the door stop when closing.  It would be easy to replace the jamb with a thicker piece one (about 3/8" thicker).  I would not shim the jamb.
Weatherstrip is normally added on the exterior side of the door.


Removing old thermostat when replacing electric baseboard heaters We're renovating a 30 year old home in the US and replacing three 240 volt electric baseboard heaters with new, modern heaters.

Currently, each of the three 15+ year old heaters are wired into their own "dumb" analog thermostats on the wall. We're looking at possibly replacing these with "smart" heaters like these which have an onboard thermostat, and then can be centrally controlled.

As I understand it, these new heaters should not have a thermostat in the wall; they should be connected directly to the breaker box. And I believe that currently 240 volts run from the breaker box to the thermostat in the wall and then from there to the heater. If that's correct, can I simply remove the thermostats, connect and cap the wires, and replace them with blank panels? Or would I need to run all new cable directly to the new baseboard heaters?

Your plan to connect the wires bypassing the old thermostats is a good one and it is code legal.

Make sure to turn the breaker(s) off and test to be sure both legs are off.  I have found some 240 volt units that the thermostat only opened one leg.

Make sure to use the proper size wirenut or insulated crimps for the size and type of wire.  If aluminum wire is installed, make sure to use deox / noalox or some other type of inhibitors and the connectors rated cu/al for the size wire.


How should one size ductwork for a new air return duct? I recently had a contractor build a wall which split one room into two.  The new room is an office with two computers, and four monitors.  It gets very, very hot, until the air conditioning turns on, then it gets very, very cold.

My contractor does not seem to know that much about sizing ducts.

There are two ways we can run a duct to that room.

Option A - The most direct way would be to run a four inch duct (the only size that will fit in that route) approx 20 feet with four right angles.

Option B - The other option is to run a duct (up to 12 inches) 60 feet around the basement up through the house and through the attic, about 60 feet with three right turns.

I think that Option B is the way to go, he seemed to think that a four inch duct would be fine for a small room (about 90 square feet).

Is there any way that a four inch duct would actually do anything over that distance with that many angles?  Neither one of us has any ideas on how to size ducts (but at least I am aware of my ignorance)

It is difficult to properly cool two spaces with vastly different heat loads and only one thermostat.

Assuming typical computers and monitors and two users, you probably have about a kilowatt of heating or 3400 BTUs per hour.

Rather than run ducts, have you considered a dedicated cooling unit for your office? You can go with a small window unit. Even the smallest one is 5000 BTU and only uses about 500 watts when running. That's just a few pennies per hour and even that is offset by the reduction in load on the main unit. With the thermostat in the same room, its load response will be much better and the temperature extremes you have been suffering with will be eliminated. Plus you can turn it off when no one is there and save energy that way.

Lately my thinking is that ducts are basically parasites and efficiency goes up when the heater/cooler is in the same room as the load. In the past, the equipment cost was lower with a shared unit but operating costs (energy) have gone up a lot (and will continue to go up) and that could change the equation on selecting shared or dedicated equipment. Comfort will always be superior with dedicated equipment.


What could be causing an earthing fault in a specific socket? When I connect a device to one specific plug socket, I get a current in the device body. When I connect the device to any other plug in my house, then the device is normal, i.e no current in the device body.

To rule out device fault, I connected different appliances to the suspected faulty plug. All the appliances got a current in their body, but were normal with the other plug points in the house.

I renewed the socket with a new one to rule out socket fault, but the problem persists.

What could be causing this, and how do I fix it?

I just had a similar issue. Chances are a wire in the outlet is shorting another wire. You probably can't see it in that outlet because the short is from another outlet. Ie. Where the outlet is fed from. With a multimeter check the outlet and you will likely get strange voltages or as you said full line voltage on the ground. Check the voltage on the steel electrical box itself, it should be zero but it sounds like that will have power which is not good. Now go to the next outlet in the chain / circuit and check the voltages again. Keep going to each outlet in the circuit until you find the issue. To find out which outlets are part of the circuit, turn of the circuit breaker and check power throughout the house. Alternatively you can guess when you remove the outlet and look where the wire is going behind the drywall.


Direct USB Charging Battery I currently have a spare phone battery that I am using to power my child's mobile. My question is how can I add a useful way of charging the battery without removing it? Is it possible that I could solder a female USB port to the battery and mount this inside the mobile and then using a typical USB mains charger, charge the battery up that way? The mains unit only outputs 5V at 2.1A.

I'd rather ask instead of blowing a Li-Ion battery!

I did something similar for my kids' rocking swing, only I bypassed the battery. Find one of the 64 old phone chargers you have around that matches the voltage and current requirements of the mobile, and connect that to the battery box. (You did save all those proprietary Motorola and LG flip-phone chargers for hobby projects, right?)

You can either solder directly to the terminals, or solder to a couple metal plates that you hold in place with a battery-sized dowel. This way you can use batteries again later if you like. Consider installing a fuse inline with the positive wire for added safety.


Can I reuse a live rodent trap? After finding, what turned out to be squirrel scat in my attic, I set a live a trap to catch the animal in question.  I didn't know if they were caused by rats or squirrels, but my suspension was squirrels (I do research on rodents for a living).  I will note that there wasn't a lot of scat, and I couldn't find a nest to speak of.

I have no problem setting killing traps, and I will set some out, but I'm wondering if any one has had any experience using the same live rodent trap in the same area with presumably the same population of animals?  I'm wondering if the other squirrel stuck in the cage and therefore avoid it.

The reason I used a live cage this time was to have a fresher specimen to sac and preform a necropsy on (to check for pathogens I should care about for my family).  I've already appropriately cleaned the scat where I found it with bleach.  My reason for setting it a second time would most be to have one more trap up there (though I might do another necropsy).  I would also vote up any experience with rats or mice.

Most commercial live traps are made of metal or plastic materials. If you have concern about the scent of previous animals keeping others from entering the trap you always have the option to wash down the unit with a bleach/water solution. This could be applied with a spray bottle and then washed off with the garden hose.

My past personal experience with a home brew box trap that I made out of plywood and wire mesh, used to catch racoons, was that the human scent needed to dissipate and not the animal scent. That took a day or so before food in the trap would lure in additional animals.


How can I replace cast iron sewer drain that goes through the basement wall? I have a 4" cast iron sewer drain going through my basement wall. I want to replace all the cast iron drain to PVC pipe. If I would to cut the cast pipe pipe going through the basement wall flush with the wall, is there a fitting I can insert into the basement wall to fit new PVC pipe. I was told by one plumber, is to actually go through the wall to replace it with new PVC pipe. On the outside of the basement I had all new PVC pipe replace with the exception of about 3" of cast iron that was used with a coupler to hook up with the new PVC pipe.

are you talking about an outside wall?  I only see one semi question relating to flush cutting the existing pipe.  Fernco or similar fittings can make the connection, but they need a portion of the pipe to make the connection


Do I need a nailing edge around the perimeter of my room for my new AdvanTech subfloor? I have torn out the original flooring from by 1910 Victorian so that I can level the joists and install new sound subfloor. I'm using 3/4" AdvanTech T&G subfloor, glued and screwed to the new sisters.
What I'd like to know is if I need to install blocking to provide a nailing edge around the perimeter of the room where the joists deadhead into the brick walls. The original floor had no nailing edge. Installing blocking will be pretty easy in some places, but there are mechanicals that make installing it a challenge in others. There are places where I can't fit a nailing edge within 6" of the exterior wall.

Some things I'd like opinions on are:

If I don't install a nailing edge, is it likely I will have a noticeable bounce?
If I should install a nailing edge, but can't fit a full height joist in place, will a 2x4 add enough rigidity to be worth the energy to install?
If I should install a nailing edge, but can't get one within a few inches of the exterior wall, do I just install one as close as possible or is that just a waste?
What would your typical contractor do in this scenario?

For you old house lovers who want to yell at me for chucking the old growth pine planks, please know that I did everything I could to try to salvage the original floor. For a wide variety of reasons, it just wasn't in the cards.
Update: Just as an FYI I did not install blocking around the perimeter. 5 months later and there is no noticeable difference between the rigidity of the floor system between the middle of the room and the perimeter. Thanks for you help!

I did it both ways in a laundry/powder room I completed last year.

Along the one wall, I installed the nailing plates your described.

Along another wall, I didn't, in part because the sole plate for the wall had to be down before the subfloor, in order to run the plumbing. Also this area holds the washer/dryer & a utility sink, so no foot traffic.

In any case, the inspector was satisfied.


Ventless vs nonventless We are remodeling a bathroom. Currently it has an exhaust fan vented through the attic.
We purchased a Broan roomside series surface shield. (No attic access required with ezduct connector, no attic access needed).
Is this as efficient as what we already have?
Should we take this purchase back and stick with an attic vented exhaust?

The Code requires all bathrooms with bathing facilities to provide mechanical ventilation and it shall exhaust directly to the exterior. (See ICC M1506.4)
The capacity shall be 50 cfm intermittently and 20 cfm continuously. (See a ICC Table M1506.3)
Note: I remember the old code allowed an operable window in lieu of a mechanical vent.


240 V outlet is not delivering 240 V I recently moved into an apartment with a 3-prong, NEMA 10-30 outlet. It looks like this:

I bought an old dryer that I confirmed was working before purchasing it and hooked it up and unfortunately the dryer never heated up. I suspected something was up with the outlet, so I busted out the multimeter and measured each connection. I used an Etekcity MSR-R500 and had it set to the AC 500 setting and measured the following:

Y to X: 0 V
Y to W: 120 V
X to W: 120 V

Based on my research it would seem that Y to X should have read 240 V, not 0. However, the other two connections are both reading 120 V correctly. I'm wondering what this would typically indicate - bad wiring? If so, what would be a good next step to either fix the issue or confirm the problem? Or at this point is it time to call an electrician?

I bet if you go to your service panel, you're going to find a completely full service panel, and a unique creature we call a "double-stuff breaker".  Quite likely the landlord does his own electrical work or pays a dumb handyman (naughty naughty).  He's out of space in the panel, so he resorted to those double-stuffs.

He moved the dryer from a 2-pole breaker (which takes 2 spaces) to a duplex breaker that takes only one space.  As my link discusses, one space sees only one pole, so you get what you saw.  Any proper electrician would notice a "red flag" where the duplex sides can turned off individually, making it unsafe for dryer use.

Since this is a rental, you can't fix any of this.  Most jurisdictions require commercial work be done only by licensed electricians, and rental properties are considered commercial. You can't, he can't, his handyman can't.  A pro electrician is required.

Given this level of incompetence, I would not advise trusting that circuit.  The obsolete and dangerous 3-prong connections absolutely rely on the neutral wire being intact and not broken.  If neutral breaks, the chassis of the dryer becomes electrified and can kill you, especially as you are handling wet things and touching both dryer (electrified) and washer (grounded).

But since he must fix it, he should consider bringing in someone competent, and upgrading the circuit to modern, safe NEMA 14 standard.  This will require you change the dryer plug (back to what it was shipped with), but will be much safer for your family.


How to find source of leak in heating pipes under concrete / glued floors? Update 2021.01.11
In case this helps anyone - I was able to trace the leak and make the repair in the end. Steps were this:

Locate leak as closely as possible by isolating areas of the heating system as suggested below. Fortunately I already had to isolation values that separate the upstairs from the downstairs. With the valves closed, I confirmed that the pressure leak was still present, confirming the leak was downstairs.

I next bought a thermal camera attachment for my phone and a cheap borescope. The thermal camera was useless for this task. It was not the x-ray vision I’d hoped for. As soon as the source of heat is any distance behind another object, the heat dissipates quickly. I could see the warmth from the heating pipes under the floor, but there’s no way it was going to make a leak this size obvious. Maybe where the leak is closer to the surface (like underfloor heating) this could be useful.

Next I tried the borescope. This was a hit. I was wary of drilling holes blindly into the floor, fortunately there was some space by some down pipes going under a suspended wooden floor. Even more fortunately, many of the heating pipe connections were close to these down pipes. Even more fortunate than that, I was able to move this non-articulated borescope around in such a way that I got a visual on the leak.

Next I used some old photos of when I was laying the floor along with the pictures I got from the borescope to workout what part of the floor the leaking connection was under (counting joists etc).

With a good idea of where the joint was I used a hammer to tap and locate the joists under the floor.

I then cut a hatch out with a circular saw (having drilled a pilot hole to ascertain cut depth), and used an oscillating multi-tool to help get nice(ish) corners to the cut. It wasn’t as clean a job as I hoped though and the piece of floor I pulled out had to be thrown away.

The plumbing fix was easy, just replaced a plastic push-fit joint that had not apparently been done up properly.

To complete the hatch, I used some sheets of ply to make up the depth and some of the engineered oak boards I had from the original job, and got some trim for the inner and outer edging.

I have an issue where the pressure on my boiler is dropping to zero after re-pressurising over a period of about 15 minutes. The Heating Engineer(s) that have visited under a home emergency insurance scheme that I have have tried replacing pressure release valve (PRV) and have concluded that the leak must be in the pipes elsewhere in the heating system (which is not their problem as the policy only covers the boiler it's self).
There is no obvious escape of water, which makes me think that the source may be on my ground floor beneath a concrete floor in my kitchen or underneath a glued engineered oak floor in the other two downstairs rooms. Also, after shutting off isolation valves that isolate the bottom and second floor heating pipes, the pressure continues to drop.
I have used a thermal camera with the heating running to try and find the source of the leak, but as soon as the pipework goes below the floor, all that can be seen is vague blurred areas of warmth where the pipes follow under the floor.
I think I can hear water running, when I put my ear close to a vent in the glued wooden floor near some pipework. It sounds like water running not in a pipe, so the issue could well be there but it's impossible to be sure. The system is getting a lot of air in it, presumably because of the leak which is causing some extra noise.
I have tried using an endoscope around the vent area of the floor but there is no clear path to give me a good look around under there.
What are my options for determining the source of this leak? Is there a way I can avoid pulling up parts of my floors or using a specialist leak detection team?

Split the system into major parts:

disconnect the pipework that goes underfloor and test.

test the boiler...

One will show a slow or more rapid leak then you know at least which direction.
If its the floor, then you have to get to the pipes somehow...


Why do anti-mold products avoid stating it kills mold? I've noticed almost all products for treating mold/mildew say something like "mold stain remover", rather than indicating they can actually kill the mold/mildew.

I'm wondering, are these products generally reliable?  I imagine the product is intended to kill mold/mildew, but they have to avoid stating this specifically to avoid litigation for damages.

Or are they misleading shams that do nothing more than remove stain without actually doing anything to treat the mold?

I am avoiding naming specific products, since it seems a pretty common pattern in these products.  I would imagine there's a broad reason for this pattern in how they describe their product.

Usually if I evaluate an off brand medicine, I would look at the active ingredient and do some searching on that ingredient to determine its efficacy, and that clears up any doubts about what it actually does.

Products that remove mold stains are generally cleaning products, not designed to deal with the mold spores. Killing the spores, in a meaningful sense, involves specific products to kill spores (like this one).

The reason why you need a spore killer specifically, is that cleaning surfaces (like with bleach) can kill the mold on the surface, however it does not prevent mold regrowth. So you can bleach a surface and still have mold come back and be just as bad as it was before.


Water hammer - where to place arrestor I have a mixer tap in our kitchen sink. When you close the cold valve, there is a bang from underneath the house. Tracing the banging, I can feel it from the mixer-tap pipe all the way through to the hot-water system (where the cold water inlet is). I can't feel it in any other pipes. All the pipes to both the kitchen and hot-water seem secured. Is this water hammer? If so, should I get a water hammer arrestor? And finally, does this belong near the kitchen mixer tap or near the hot water cylinder?

If it is only the mixer tap that causes the issue then fit it close to that.

It is not surprising as those short action lever taps shut off the flow quicker than the taps requiring a turn or two to stop the flow.

If two taps cause this then either you need two arrestors or one where their supply pipes combine. The only issue with this is that any length of pipe between the tap and the arrestor is subject to the pressure pulse that causes water hammer and, if it is weak, it could fail.

Had a situation where a large valve (6" pipe valve) could cause water hammer if it was shut too rapidly (supply to a water turbine) but the surge protection could not be close to that valve - it had to be 60 yards before the valve... So that pipe had to be stronger just in case.  The surge protection was a vertical pipe of 32 feet, which would provide a big shower if the valve was shut too rapidly.


Is it ever safe to have 14 gauge wire anywhere on a circuit protected by a 30 amp breaker? I was doing some work in an old house I recently moved into, and found that my dishwasher and garbage disposal (and some outlets near them) are on a 30 amp breaker.  However, some of the electrical wiring going between the disposal and the wall switch is yellow, which implies 12-gauge, 20 amp-rated wire (right?).  How dangerous is this situation?  What should be done, if anything?

If the #14 or #12 wire is a branch going to specific loads, then it is "safe" with respect to that load.  It won't overload that wiring regardless of the breaker capacity use (or even if the breaker is bypassed entirely).  However, this is unsafe in the context of changes in usage.  The electrical code focuses on safety and rightly prohibits this.  The circuit breaker is required to be sized to protect all wiring in the branch circuit it feeds to (and the receptacles, too).  This is because someone could overload the circuit (for example plugging in a 12 amp appliance in one outlet and another 12 amp appliance in another outlet on the same circuit, which should trip a 20 amp breaker and would not trip a 30 amp breaker).

In USA, all 15 amp receptacles are actually rated at 20 amps (just not configured to accept a 20 amp plug).  So if you have 20 amp wire (usually #12 if the special cases requiring derating do not come into play), you can use a 20 amp breaker (one more exception in the code is if the branch circuit has a single dedicated outlet, it must be protected at the outlet designated amperage).

Since the normal type of outlets don't have a 30 amp capacity, you can't use a 30 amp breaker on them even if you have 30 amp wiring (usually #10), and meet the electrical code.  The receptacles can overheat, too.  You may need to split circuits if this branch is pulling too much current.


Fixing the slope of a flat roof I consider myself pretty handy, but when it comes to roofing I have very little experience.  I have re-shingled a couple of roof's but that's it.

My home is a 1915 victorian home built with a roof sufficiently sloped to not require gutters.  At some point someone put a flat roof sun room on the back of the house.  The rain pours off the main house on the the flat roof and pools.  It is leaking in multiple places including against structural components of the original house.  I know I should probably add gutters, but right now I'm more concerned with stopping the pooling water.  It seems that the overall pitch will need to be changed.  Does anyone have any experience with something like this?  I'm not exactly sure where to start.  I tried half a dozen contractors and nobody even wants to look at it.  I'm sure it's less than fun work, but I think I need to do it.  I don't mind doing it myself I just need to know how to get started.

I see two solutions: 1) add slope to your roof, and/or 2) install a tank liner roofing

1) Adding slope can be done two ways: a) cut tapered wood members and install new roof sheathing and a new roof. This can be done on top of the existing roof sheathing or remove the existing sheathing and sister in sloped joists. Either way it will be difficult. b) install tapered insulation on top of the existing sheathing. Then install a low slope roofing. You can buy rigid board insulation that starts at 0” height and increases 1/4” per foot. It can slope one way or two ways (with a ridge or hip).

Either alternative has consequences. You’ll be increasing the slope so the roof will get higher and could encroach on the upper roof.

2) Tank liner roofing is basically used to hold water. So, the ponding water you’re experiencing is not a problem. However, tank liners are not made to resist ultra violet rays from the sun so it will decompose in a few years if not protected. I’d install a painted roof coating that reflects the suns rays. You’ll need to reinstall every few years due to wear.


Should the bit in my impact driver have free play? I bought a cheap impact driver and I noticed that the bit is moving inside the chuck, like back and forth. Is this normal, like part of the hammer mechanism, or should the bit stay fixed?

It's normal

If this is an impact driver (see below)

then it uses a 1/4" hex chuck. Most use a simple ball-detent system to lock bits in place, which allows for some slip, especially forward and backward.

If you got an impact wrench (see below)

then it would be a problem, but if you were getting an impact wrench, you likely wouldn't be asking this question.


PIR Insulation installation between joists UK based.

Looking to install PIR insulation between ceiling joists in our attic. Cold attic space. The ceiling is that immediately above bedrooms/stairs landing.

Joists are 100mm depth and 600mm centres.

We currently have sub-recommended depth fibreglass wool between the joists (only around 100mm thick as is a 1970's property) that I'd like to completely replace with the likes of Kingpass, Celotex etc. 100mm panels.

The ceiling plasterboard panels are directly attached to joists.

I'm looking at buying foiled PIR as it's got the vapour control built in.

My question:

Do I have to leave any air gap between the ceiling plasterboard and the PIR?

I.e. Can I simply take out the old wool -> cut the PIR -> push between joists so it is flush with top of joist -> aluminium tape where boards join -> done?

No, you don't need air gap between the ceiling and the insulation. You do need ventilation of your attic space, however, which unless there is some other form of ventilation you need to have an air gap between the PIR boards and your eaves.

That said, unless you need the space, it would be more cost effective to supplement your existing glass fibre with additional rolls laid across the top (preferably across the joists rather than along them, in order to minimize gaps). That would also remove cold bridges that are currently formed by your joists. If you need boards in the space, you can buy plastic supports that hold the board 170mm above the joist to allow space for insulation.


How to avoid orange buildup on shower tile grout? Once a month, I have to use an old tooth brush to gently remove the orange buildup on the grout between our shower tiles. I don't have to use any solvents or chemicals. A little water is all that I use. What can I do after each shower to minimize this buildup? Using a tooth brush after each shower would be too time-consuming of course. I prefer natural remedies. For instance, would a watered-down white vinegar spray on the areas help without damaging the grout? Thank you for your time.

Orange?
Filter out the iron in your water supply.


Replace handle on main water shutoff? My main water shutoff valve currently has no handle.

Is it possible to replace the handle?  If so, what type of handle would I need?  I don't see any obvious way to attach one.

Or would the entire valve need to be replaced?

The valve is currently open.  I haven't tried to close it, so there's a possiblity that the valve may need to be replaced anyway.

Consider adding ANOTHER valve
Many years ago when my plumber was doing some work (I think water heater replacement, with no separate shutoff valve for the water heater), he found that the existing old main shutoff valve would only cut ~ 90%. So he turned off the water at the meter (which also only worked around 90%) and then, with a relatively slow flow of water coming through, cut the pipe and installed a second valve, something like this 1/4 turn ball valve.
In my case, the old valve and new valve are both inside the house. Since your existing valve is outside you might want to install a new valve inside if there is an accessible location before the pipe splits off to different parts of the house.


Spacing when transitioning tile size I'm putting down my first ceramic tile floor. I need to transition from 18 inch to 6 inch tile for part of my design.

I've been installing the 18 inch tile with 1/4 inch spacing for looks. I'd like to keep the same 1/4 inch of grout every third tile, basically making a a 3x3 set of these 6 inch tile act like one of the 18x18.

How do I do that? I'm sure it's just a matter of finding the right spacing.

Edit: true sizes at 5 13/16th and 17 13/16th.

At a glance, this might work... you'd line up the outsides of the 3x3 grid with your 18" tile. You'd have about a 1/8" grout line inside the 3x3 grid. You'd maintain the 1/4" grout line around the 3x3.

Don't take my word for it, though: lay it out on the ground and see what you (and any other people with veto power that have to live with it) think.

Oh, and depending on the grout you choose, you might have to switch from sanded to unsanded. Just check the instructions.


How do I add a C/ Common wire to my "Specific" HVAC system? I just bought a new WiFi thermostat that requires me to add a C-Wire at the furnace. I have read the questions related to my issue but would like a suggestion on my particular (incredibly OLD) furnace. I have run 18/5 wire down to the furnace and just need to know where the C wire would go in my particular case.

It looks like the transformer is the thing on the bottom, with the red and yellow wires attached. You'll need a multi-meter to verify this as you go - I wouldn't make any assumptions here, especially since it's older. Mis-wiring could cause something to break, and there's a chance finding a replacement will be very difficult.

Use a multimeter (on the "VAC" setting), and you should be able to measure 24V AC across the red and yellow wires whether the furnace is on or not.

Next, you need to figure out which power wire (red or yellow) is already going to the thermostat. Turn the furnace power off (you should now measure 0V AC on the red/yellow wires) AND the thermostat itself off, and use the resistance meter (Ω) on your multimeter to figure out which one of the red or yellow wires goes to the thermostat. You should measure 0Ω (or <1Ω anyway) between one of the wires of the thermostat and either red or yellow. Test both thermostat wires against both. The others will be infinite (not connected). If it's red, then the yellow is your "C" wire, or vice-versa.


Ungrounded outlets, what are my options? I'm currently in a lease on an apartment as a tenant.

I've done quite a lot of small-time electrical work on places I've lived in the past: changing out outlets, switches, two-way switches, etc. I'm not uncomfortable at all with opening up a wall outlet and changing it out.

At my current apartment after changing some of the outlets due to old age/weak springs in the outlets, I discovered (unfortunately) that none of the 10 outlets I replaced are grounded. It's not likely that any of the outlets are grounded.

For my expensive equipment, I'll likely run a UPS with a really good surge protector in front of it to prevent it from damage in the case of a fault.

However, what are my options for fixing the problem at the source? Is it possible that the breaker box itself is grounded with the outlets and switches ungrounded? Does being ungrounded mean that the only solution is to run wires and hire an experienced electrician to install a ground rod? Would replacing all outlets with GFCI adapters help?

Update

I have just tested an outlet using a wiring tester and things look okay:

The lights indicate that the wiring is correct. This tester is a bit old and decrepit so I'm going to order another one and try it again to be sure. Would something like this be able to tell me that I am, in fact, grounded?

Update 2

Many of the outlets were wired in this way:

Both the hot and neutral wires are wired in this way on many of the outlets, which I thought was really strange.

Typically, I've seen wire endings attached to the outlets, not the middle of a wire stripped and wrapped around the screw on the side of the outlet.

This is a good question which can have a variety of answers depending on the exact case. I would open up the breaker panel and see if there is a ground running to it. It is very possible that the breaker panel is grounded and that the neutral is grounded but the outlets and lights aren't. If you don't know how to tell if the panel is grounded, you could take a picture of the panel and post it here and I'll edit my answer.  Many surge protectors don't work at all if they aren't properly grounded, and those that do are much less effective. When you moved in, were the outlets two prong outlets or three prong outlets? If they were two prong outlets then you can't upgrade them to three prong without making sure the whole system is grounded properly. If they were three prong outlets when you got there then you Landlord is liable and he must get it fixed. Ungrounded three prong outlets are a real hazard.

In any case, I would try to find out what is really going on and then approach your Landlord. Since you don't own the house, it is neither your responsibility nor your right to do anything major without approval from the landlord and in this case since it could is a safety issue, and it is definitely an upgrade on his house, your landlord should pay for it... or at least pitch in.

No, a GFCI will not fix the problem. A GFCI does meet code [210-7(d)(3)] and is better than nothing but it is a last resort.  It is my belief that it only satisfies the NEC because they knew that some people would not do it right and they figured that the GFCI outlet was better than nothing.

Edit after Your Uptdate

You may want to make sure that they didn't use any "bootleg grounds." Those testers are easily tricked by these false grounds but these "tricks" are not safe.


How can I prevent bluestone mortar from degrading so quickly? We live in Milwaukee, WI.  Our front porch has a combination of bluestone pavers as well as brick on the stoops with mortar joints.  We have had repeated problems with presumably water/expansion in the mortar joints causing cracks/loosening of the joints and subsequently the pavers/stoops over years.

We have taken the whole porch down to the concrete block and rebuilt it.  We have also tried tuckpointing a few times, etc.  However, every 2-3 years the issues come back.  We have had it sealed a few times as well, though not done every year.  The porch is not covered, so it is exposed to all of the elements year round.  I am very careful to not get driveway salt on it however.

Is there any "permanent" or longer lasting solution that you think is worth trying?  I have looked into the idea of concrete stamping so as to eliminate the issues with the joints/mortar. However, in reading about this, I have also read that the stamping will also crack and can be slippery when it is sealed (not good on a front porch).

Should we just go the tuckpointing route again?  Is there a type of mortar to use that may last longer?  Should we seal the porch every year, and if so, what product works best?

I don't anticipate covering the porch, so regardless of which option we choose, it will still be exposed to our summer/winter conditions.    We are tired of spending thousands of dollars on this porch every few years and would really value your opinion. Thanks very much in advance.

I find using an add mix in the mortar strengthens and some brands even help waterproof mortar. When I lived in Ohio I used a clear epoxy sealer that was sanded it worked quite well to protect the mortar but I did not like the semi gloss sheen, the epoxy did make the stone work much easier to sweep though.


Gutters overflowing! My gutters always overflow during even moderate rain. I have large roof sq. footage and steep angle. My gutters are standard 5". I'm thinking i need at least 6". Will this help? Will 7" be even better, or is that too much for a residential home?

Larger gutters and screens will not help. Your problem is trees/leaves.Regular cleaning of the gutters with a garden hose may help.


Did I make a mistake with this fluorescent light installation? I bought a fluorescent light fixture with 2 light bulbs. I wanted to test if the light bulbs where good before mounting the fixture to the ceiling. So I simply plugged the cable to a 120V outlet. I heard a spark and only half of one fluorescent light bulb is on.

Did I burn them by doing this? I thought there is no difference whether it is 120V from an outlet or a ceiling.

You shouldn't have any issue. Alot of ballasts are rated 120v/240v. A regular wall outlet is usually 15a 120v. Which you should be fine. Is this a t8 t5 or t12 fluorescent light fixture. I mean it is possible that you have a bad ballast that is only providing the proper power to the socket for only the bulb that lit. Try taking the bulb that is lit out of that side and switch it to the side that isn't lit. That should give you a rough idea that something is wrong. Check the connections at the socket of the side that isn't lit make sure the wires are actually in the socket. But again test the other side with the good bulb. sounds like a bad ballast in my opinion. But again no...plugging it in shouldn't have hurt anything. Getting power that way isn't really any different than hard wiring it.


Join two furniture panel - T joint I have a built-in wardrobe without internal panels. I am planning to add some panels in it.

I bought 18 mm furniture panels with melamine coated.

How can I attach a horizontal panel to a vertical panel  (T-Joint) ?

Should I used some wood plugs ?

The usual method is to use a jig to drill rows of holes,

then use plastic clips that press into the holes and support the shelf.

There are many variations, including metal versions, some including holes for screws.

You could use dowels but that would look slightly less neat perhaps.


Shower in one bathroom causing moisture in the second We have two bathrooms side by side on our second floor. They both have the same exact layout (about 6'x7'). Both have their own separate exhaust fans (Nutone, 80CFM, 1.6amps), but share the same vent to the roof through a Y-shaped connector and flex 4" pipe. When we take steamy showers in bathroom A, paint from the ceiling of bathroom B is showing signs of moisture and paint is peeling in one area of the ceiling. We even noticed some condensation on the tile wall of bathroom B.

What could be causing the problem in bathroom B and how can we fix it?

If both fans are venting out the same exhaust port, i would check you have back-draft Dampers (one on each section before the presumed Y connector).

Its possible your first extractor is just blowing the damp air into the second bathroom - a damper should add enough resistance to the flow of air to make the damp air "prefer" exiting via the exhaust port rather than going through the second damper (and in to the second bathroom, causing the damp), without restricting airflow noticeably.


How best to join 2 layers of sub floor? I have had to raise the subfloor in multiple rooms of my house to bring everything up and level with my kitchen floor.  The worst discrepancy is the 1" between the kitchen and den.  To level off I will be raising the den floor with 2 layers of 1/2" fir plywood.  How should I best fasten these layers of plywood to the old plywood subfloor?
My current plan is to apply lepage PL400 in lines 12" apart and on the edges, use 2 1/2" flooring screws and screw into the joists (12" apart), fill seams with floor patch on each layer, and criss-cross the plywood so that no seams align.
I have read elsewhere that the fasteners for additional layers of the plywood subfloor should not penetrate into the joists, but I could not find a reason why this shouldn't happen.  Is my method here out of line?  Wouldn't affixing the plywood layers to the joists reduce squeaks?
Thanks

What is the flooring going on top of the subfloor?
To eliminate squeaks with the joists add more screws to the bottom layer into the joists.
The reason to keep them separated and not screwed into the joists is to allow independent movement of the layers due to expansion/contraction, especially for install of tile which is most susceptible to deflection and seasonal shifts.


Electrical power to a detached shop, 60 amp panel, 80 feet of wire, what size wire do I need? I am running power through a conduit to a detached shop, 80 feet of wire, a 60 amp panel.  What size and type of wire do I need?

If the entire run is in conduit, you need individual wires rated THWN, THWN-2, or XHHW-2.

The size of wire is 6 AWG in copper or 4 AWG in aluminum.  Either one is rated 55A but you are allowed to round up.   Also you are allowed to use bigger wire than strictly needed; if you use #3 copper or #1 aluminum you could increase amperage later to 100A.

The panel is required to have a shutoff switch because it is in an outbuilding.   The cheapest way to get a shutoff switch is use a panel with a main breaker.  The main breaker can be any size, since it's only serving as a shutoff switch.

When your subpanel has a main breaker, that means the subpanel can be any size.  We strongly recommend a significant number of spaces, many more than you immediately expect to use. Spaces are dirt cheap when you are initially installing the panel, but it is rather pricey to replace a too-small panel.  Panels with more spaces tend to be larger than 60A, but it is fine to have a 60A breaker feed a 125A subpanel.  It can't do any harm.


Why do I detect voltage on my ground of surge protector? Renting an older home and upon moving in was saddened to see outlets without grounds (two prongs). So, for one of the outlets I bought a 2 to 3 prong with ground clip and ran the ground to some vent duct work (resistance was less than 20 ohms per recommendations I've read).  After plugging in surge protector (ground light turns on) and plugging in a two pronged TV, everything works, however, I was surprised to find that my voltage detector picked up energy on ground. It's not 110V, but its something, not 100% sure how much because my meter is broken.

Is this normal? Is this just the surge protector should bring extra fluctuations down the ground? The strange part is this only happens when I actually plug a device into the surge protector.

More information needed.

What do you measure "energy on  ground" RELATIVE TO ?
If it was a hard ground you'd see 100 VAC from lobe to ground. If it is a low resistance ground your meter resistance will affect the result.

For a metwer connected from Vmains to "ground"
Vreading = Vmains x Rground / (Rground + Rmeter)

Some testers measure to local capacitive ground - sometimes the user touches a rear contact as a reference and their body capacity to "ground" is used as a reference. (Try not to "test" 10 kV circuits using these )

You say vent duct work resistance (to "true" ground?) was 20 Ohms. How do you know?

Be aware that by adding a low quality local ground you may INCREASE the risk of electric shock. See my answer to How does earthing work when earth is dry? to see why.


How far can I move ceiling joists up? The second floor of our house has a fairly low ceiling, perhaps 6'8" or 6'10".
The width of the structure is only about 16' with standard construction and the ceiling joists running parallel to to the gable walls.

I am planning to remodel the bathroom upstairs (complete gut job) and this gives me the opportunity to access the joists in this section of the structure. I would like to move the joists up 12" to create better head room (I'm 6'3" so the shower in the short ceiling bothers me).

I am thinking that if I move the joists one at a time by cutting them loose from the top plate and the roof rafters and then shortening them the appropriate length, they will move up nicely without affecting the structure at all.

There are no trusses, this is all an old stick-framed, farm house. I would even be willing to gusset the portion of the roof rafter that spans between the ceiling joist and the top plate if needed.  The walls are balloon framed, but I don't think that makes a difference.

Edit:

Hmmm....I went up to get a picture, and I realized that there is no ridge board! The vertical piece exists between each ceiling joist and roof rafter pair. This makes me a little more hesitant.

Click for a larger view...

OK, lets start by correcting some terms. The structural members you want to raise are not rafters, they are ceiling joists. You are right that because you have balloon framed walls, that has no effect on the top layer of ceiling joists. Changing these joists have no effect on the balloon framed walls.
The thing you have to determine is if the ceiling joists are tied to a load bearing partition somewhere near the center of the house. If you have full roof rafters with a ridge board, it is very unlikely that the ceiling joists are tied into any down supporting bearing wall. Raising them should not be a problem if you plan for support of these joists if there is any center resting point,  via a knee wall on the center resting support.  If these joists span the entire width of the structure, then you can safely shorten them and reconnect them to the roof rafters.  They serve two purposes. First a ceiling joist, and second, a collar tie for the roof rafter. I think you will be fine, however, I'd love to see some pics of the attic area with the joists.   Good luck.


Can I use a plastic basin positioned near joists to compensate the lack of slope in a ceiling condense drain? Is this a design that is acceptable?
Basically I am building a small box that will collect water pumped up by the condense drain. I will put this up in the ceiling in the furnace room just between the joists. The pump will pump the water in the box. If the 1/2" does not have a proper slope this will compensate for the lack of it; as the water level increases in the basin it will force the water to drain through the pipe.
This is intended to reduce the stress on the water pump which is currently having to push twice to push the water surplus through the existing setup. This is partially because I went all the way to main drain with a 3/8" PVC tubing and I think that is bad. When the pump stops the water trapped on the vertical segment between ceiling and joists level has nowhere to go and it drains back in the pump collector box.
That in turn makes the pump start again and the cycle repeats till sufficient amount of water is finally pushed through to stop this even when the water is coming back.

The alternative, in case I manage to give it a mild slope is to use this setup

Update:
NOt sure what is causing the water backflow that I am seeing at the bathroom end where the drain will be (for now I am using a bucket to test this)
The pump seems to have a backflow preventer as there is water in the vertical segment

Update2:
I think what is happening here is this. When the pump stops there is a hump at point ❶ in the last picture. That water will flow back and it creates negative pressure and that is causing the water movement that I am seeing in the tub despite the pump having a backflow valve

no you can't do that. if it connects to the sewer it needs need to either be sealed or have a trap.
Use a fatter pipe eg: (inch and a half) , support it properly and fit a proper trap on the end.  the flow rate is low enough that your run can self-vent
but you will need 1:100 slope
maybe find somewhere else to discharge the condensate. it's basically pure water, it doesn't need to go into the sanitary sewer.


Water running from off shower head I have a shower only setup with an handheld shower head. I find that it sometimes drains water from the shower head long after the water has been turned off. It doesn't happen all the time but just randomly. Any ideas why?

A possibility is that following a warm shower as the metal water pipes cool after shutting off the valve, the tubing contracts more than the water in it, and some water is forced out the shower head.

If you want to prevent this, let the shower head hang down for a time after you turn off the water so most of the water in the flexible connecting tube drains out.


Why is there condensation on a pipe near my furnace? My AC says it is trying to cool to 73 but is reading 75.  I changed the filter, which didn't help.  I looked in the closet, and apparently the installers were supposed to install an "auxiliary shut off switch to a/c condensation line to prevent water damage in case of main drain failure."  I have water condensation dripping down a long white PVC pipe and water collecting on top of the unit.  What is going on with my AC?
Picture 1 shows condensation and the top is just spewing cool air.

Picture 2 is the whole unit.

Picture 3 is condensation.

Picture 4 is condensation running down the PVC pipe to the floor of the closet.

Picture 5 is water pooling on top of the unit where there is green.

I believe you may have a charge related problem. When ac systems start having icing issues they stop effective cooling a low charge can cause ice to form on the evaporator high moisture in the air you see , sometimes with severe icing it takes hours for the ice to melt, the system may run ok for a short period of time then start icing up. A simple recharge can solve this very common problem , if a R22 system note the cost of this refrigerant is very high +100 per pound a 5 ton system usually has 11-13 lbs and will need 5-7 lbs in most cases.


Will it damage my batteries? I have two solar arrays which totals close to 2 kw that I use to charge a 24 v 450 amps flooded lead-acid battery bank using 2 mppt charge controller of 30 and 40 amps.

Will it damage the battery by charging it too fast?

Those MPPT controllers seem appropriately sized compared to panel capacity.  The panels might output slightly more under absolutely ideal conditions, but those are rare.

70A into a 450 amp-hour battery means you would recharge them from zero in 6.5 hours (which you should not ever do, allowing lead-acids to fall anywhere near zero, that is).

So your charging rate is 0.1555 "C", which is high, but still within limits for lead-acid.  It may tend to heat up a bit given the fairly fast recharge rate, which may cause high water use.  Be careful; use distilled water for makeup water, because if you're frequently adding water, that means any impurities in the water get concentrated fast.


Chamberlain B550 - How to use a relay to open/close door? I have one of these: http://support.chamberlain.com/articles/How_To/Chamberlain-Models-B550-B750-Owner-s-Manual

On my old door, I wired a relay in to the same terminals the push-buttons (like doorbells) on the wall used to open the door.  The new opener uses 2 wires (in fact the same wires the old switches used) but they have lights and programming and opener buttons on them.  They must be doing some magic on the circuit to tell the door what to do.  How can I get my relays to work again?

I do not see any places to put push-button switches into the unit on the ceiling.  Any suggestions for how to do this?  I'm controlling the relays with a Raspberry Pi via the Internet, and the open/close sensors are working fine.

EDIT

I tried .1, .2, .5 and 1 second and nothing works.

Called Chamberlain and they said I have to buy some hardware and have a "partner agreement" with them to have my own software work with it.

Boo Chamberlain, next time I'll be buying something else.

Your existing setup will still work even with the new magical control panel that works with 2 wires. A relay wired in parallel that momentarily closes the circuit will activate the garage door. The most likely cause is that your relay is staying closed too long, so adjust it so it's only closing the circuit for 0.2 seconds. You can test a few timing values to find the best one, it might work best as quick as 0.1 seconds or as long as 0.5 seconds.

Test this first by shorting the terminals on the back of your control panel for a split second to verify that this action activates the garage door.

If the test works and the relay still doesn't work, make sure that you wired it in parallel and not in series.


Why does my front loading clothes washer stink? I have a front loading washing machine which smells really bad.

I have also had the brown sludge problem which I've managed to clear with hot cleaning etc. I've noticed I have to empty the filter of smelly water every time I use the washer.  Also, this coincides with having a new kitchen and dishwasher installed.

Is this dodgy plumbing or does the machine need repairing?  Any ideas?

As one of the comments already mentioned, a common problem with front loaders is mold in the gaskets. The easiest way to avoid this is to leave the washing machine open after you're done using it.

There are special cleaning detergents you can use to help get rid of the smell and mold (they are basically bleach in puck form).  One product I have used with good results is Affresh (I have no affiliation with this product or company).

Some front loaders have a special cycle to run with these.  Check your owners manual for any specific cleaning instructions or cleaning product recommendations.


How can I trace cable through floors and walls? How can I work out where an electrical cable runs through walls/floors?

I am building a circuit map of a 1941 house with unfinished basement. I shut off all circuits at the main service panel, switch on the circuit I wish to trace, and track the cable from the panel and through the basement till it disappears into the floor above, then run upstairs and see what's powered and tag it. 2 cable runs I have tracked to where they disappear into the wall/floor leaving the basement and lost there. Checking outlets (switches/receptacles/luminaires) throughout the house indicated none were powered by the circuit.

Is the only option to start cutting holes in the wall and hope I can pick up the path of the cable run from there?

EDIT: Would an analog tone and probe kit work? I guess I would switch off main breaker, pop the service panel, and hook up the probe directly to the start of the circuit within the panel, then chase the tone through the walls?

Pick up a middle of the road tone generator and probe kit from a company you've heard of. No need to buy the most expensive model you can find, it will likely have features you'll never use.

I've used this one Gardner Bender Wire-Tracker Wire Tracer, which can be purchased from Home Depot for ~$40.00.

It's not the best model on the market, but it worked very well for me. It was sensitive enough to accurately trace cables through both walls, ceilings and floors, and was able to attach to a variety of cables.

Make sure the power is off before connecting the tone generator. Some models can work on hot lines, but it's still safer to kill the power.


Is it safe if the neutral lead is exposed and disconnected? I think I’ve found a potential design flaw in an extension cord. It allows you to plug in the hot blade, while leaving the neutral blade out and exposed. Obviously you shouldn’t try and use the cord like this, but is this actually safe, as in you won’t get a shock from touching the exposed pins?

It seems like I could complete a circuit to ground by touching the exposed neutral blade, which obviously I don't think would be great for my health.

I'm in Canada, the outlet it's plugged into is wired correctly, and there's no GFCI on the circuit.

No.  In this condition, the exposed plug blade will be deadly.

Every load connects hot to neutral.  It does so through some level of impedance, but that impedance is not enough to protect you from shock.

If you have a GFCI/RCD device somewhere protecting this load, that will intervene to prevent injury in this case.

One detail: Current wants to return to source, not ground. For man-made mains current, source is the supply transformer, and hot power is seeking neutral.   It will be happy with ground, because back in the main service panel there is a neutral-ground equipotential bond connecting them, so it will go via ground to get back to neutral.


Double gang outlets with more than four outlets I can find adapters for single gang outlets with up to six receptacles.  However, I can't find any way to get more than four outlets in my double gang outlets.  Does anything like this exist.  My wife needs more outlets in our bathroom.

Use a "surface conduit starter box" on top of the 2-gang box.
Something like Legrand Wiremold will suffice.
Then, run surface conduits to any number of new receptacle locations.


What AWG should I use between a 200A main panel, a generator switch and a 100A sub panel The 200A main panel, generator switch and a 100A sub panel are all located two feet from each other so I'm thinking a 4-4-4-5 cable should do the trick but I'm not sure.

The exception for using #4 on 100 amps only exists for the service or feeders that carry the entire load of the premises.

310.15(B)(7) 120/240-Volt, 3-Wire, Single-Phase Dwelling Services and Feeders.
For individual dwelling units of one-family, two-family, and multifamily dwellings, conductors, as listed in Table 310.15(B)(7), shall be permitted as 120/240-volt, 3-wire, single-phase service-entrance conductors, service-lateral conductors, and feeder conductors that serve as the main power feeder to each dwelling unit and are installed in raceway or cable with or without an equipment grounding conductor. For application of this section, the main power feeder shall be the feeder between the main disconnect and the panelboard that supplies, either by branch circuits or by feeders, or both, all loads that are part or associated with the dwelling unit. The feeder conductors to a dwelling unit shall not be required to have an allowable ampacity rating greater than their service-entrance conductors. The grounded conductor shall be permitted to be smaller than the ungrounded conductors, provided the requirements of 215.2, 220.61, and 230.42 are met.

I added the bold print emphasis in the article.
You would have to use #3 for the feed. Notice the last sentence if you want to downsize the neutral. Check those articles first.
Good luck and stay safe!


using hollow wall anchor in double plasterboard I'm trying to put up a wall-mounted wine rack. My house is terraced and the wall on which I'm trying to put it on is the one between the two houses. On the internal side of the wall there is plasterboard and then some insulation.

Initially I thought that this would be the typical 1/2" thick plasterboard (as it is for the internal partition walls in the house) but it turns out it's 1.25"-1.5" thick. After closer inspection I noticed that there is a 1/2" thick plasterboard and then another thicker sheet of plasterboard (?), so the two sheets together end up being 1.25"-1.5" thick.

I have already put a hollow wall anchor which is for 1/2" thick plasterboard, so I understand that the metal sleeve will have expanded into the second, thicker plasterboard. Can this cause any kind of problem? Is it safe to continue putting the rest of the hollow wall anchors the same way?

If the first one is already set in place I would probably leave it alone, especially if the additional anchors will be sharing the load.

I would not continue using additional anchors of the same type, they are not designed for that wall thickness. You should procure some appropriate anchors, such as toggle bolts or long molly anchors:


What kind of Ethernet cabling would I need for through the attic - And what cat? I'm putting in an ethernet cable in my attic to reach from my modem in my library to my room, where I have my computer and an extra router (for better WiFi). Currently, I get internet in there from Powerline extenders.

I plan to run 2 cables, one for my PC and one for the router aforementioned.

My main question, is what type of cables and connectors should I use?
Is there any type of special cord I'd need since I'll be running cables through a wall and an attic? (If it matters, it won't be going through any exterior walls) And what type of plug should I use? (If there are types)

One more, what would be the best cat type to use? I was thinking about Cat 5e but my friends are telling me to run Cat 6 because it'll last longer and with improved speeds.

Thanks for any help.

You should only need one cable for the router. Your computer, printer and any other wired devices  can all connect to the router.

As far as cable type, I would install Cat 5e but you could future proof a bit more with Cat 6. Just a question of cable and jack costs - the work is the same.

I normally use plenum rated cable everywhere but I do commercial installs. That may not be necessary for your attic.

The most important thing is to wire jacks instead of putting connectors on the ends of a long cable. A little extra work but far more professional and reliable. You will need a jack (Cat 5e or 6 to match the cable) and either a wall plate and electrical box or box eliminator or a surface mount box on each end. Get a 110 punch tool and you're all set.