Will removing the insulation from an unfinished basement cause it to be a lot colder? We live in upstate NY and the house has an unfinished basement.   It's waterproofed with cinder block walls and a concrete floor. There is no framing, no drywall.  However someone put up this hanging batting insulation with a white vapor barrier over it and it is just nailed to the cinder blocks.  It's awful looking so we really want to take it down.  We can't afford to frame it and insulate it properly since it's just for storage and laundry.
So my question is:
-If I take off this current insulation is the basement going to be a lot colder?  Is it a bad idea to get rid of it even if it hideous?  If so is there a cheap idea for insulating without framing?

Good question. Under the circumstances, I feel you would be better off leaving the existing insulation alone, or simply cover it with a more attractive plastic sheet or some inexpensive fabric. perhaps a curtain type wall over the insulation?  If you remove it without a plan to replace the insulation, the basement will be somewhat cooler. There are several ways to insulate the walls without framing, but adhering rigid foam insulation is expensive, up to $80 per 4X8 sheet, and spray on foam is more expensive than that and should be professionally applied.


What are recommended clearances for a portable electrical generator? What are the recommended clearances for a gasoline or natural gas powered portable electrical generator, on all sides and top and bottom?  The generator is about 5,000 watts.

The general advice seems to be

3 feet (1 meter) from buildings, equipment, and combustible materials.
10 feet away from bystanders, children, and pets.

But the only way to know for sure, is to read the manufacturer's documentation for your specific unit.

This service manual says "Keep the generator at least 1 meter (3 feet) away, including overhead, from any structure..."

This owner's manual says "Operate generator at least 3 feet (1 meter) away from buildings and other equipment."

This operator's manual says "Keep the generator a minimum of 3 feet away from all types of combustible material."

and also says "Keep all bystanders, children, and pets at least 10 feet away."


Hard wiring light bulb socket onto whire/black wires -- small shock when touching housing I tried to wire up a light bulb housing (just the part with the socket for the bulb) by connecting the neutral (white) wire to the silver screw and the hot (black) wire to the brass screw.

I should also mention that this is coming off of a 3-prong outlet.  The outlet is broken out into green (ground), black (hot), and white (neutral).  I need all three prongs for a fan which is adjacent to the light (the fan has a grounded chassis), and figured I could tie in a light bulb as well (light socket has only two ports).

It works, but when I went to touch the housing of the light bulb I got a shock.  It was not too bad, but bad enough that I feel it is unsafe to use as it currently is.

Did I somehow mix up my neutral and hot wires when connecting to the lamp socket?

EDIT

I just went and out measured with my voltmeter the hot and neutral wires with reference to the grounded chassis of the fan.

It doesn't look like I mixed up the wires.  How can I be getting a shock from the light socket?

EDIT2

I just checked electrical continuity between the leads ... apparently there is a short internally between neutral + hot.  So I will be replacing the socket.

EDIT3

So, I removed the socket and tested it alone.  There is no short.  I guess the continuity checker sees the parallel fan (turned off) and since an off fan looks like a short circuit, beeps.  But there is no short through the light socket.

I also touched the light socket again in the same place as before; I got no shock.  I have no idea what caused it initially or why it is gone now...

I have included a picture of the setup.  Let me know if there is something wrong with it.

Here is a picture to a very similar socket as the one I am using (mine is from an old lamp).  I have the socket suspended with zip ties from a grounded metal chassis.

Go and get a lampholder/socket that is touch safe -- yours is old, and bad, and was never designed to be placed in a position where it could be poked when turned on.  In fact, yours is bad enough that it leaves the screw contact (neutral) exposed instead of having any sort of shell around it.  No wonder you're getting bit by it!


Open windows to help condensation problems in winter - good or bad advice? I live in a Victorian gable end terrace which is classed as 'hard to heat' and sufferers from mould/ condensation . I have taken all the insulation measures I can afford & treated all obvious sources of damp and leaks. In winter I have no choice but to close off some rooms as I cannot afford to heat them  - not ideal I know but I check them daily for damp and mould & clean off if necessary .

My question is on a typical wet winter day in England ie currently 9 degrees centigrade with a Relative Humidity of 70 % , dew point 2degrees, and an internal room temperature in an unheated room typically a 3 -4 degrees higher , is following advice to open windows likely to help or create even more condensation? Also , same question but is it better to constantly leave windows opened just a crack  , bearing in mind temperature drop to 0 degrees and even higher relative humidity during the night - or just open once or twice during the day?

I have tried to research this myself but cannot find a straightforward answer ( least one that I can understand ). I do understand that this is good advice for kitchen and bathroom whilst cooking / showering etc.

Any advice appreciated

Ok, basic gas laws.  Warm air can hold a lot more water than cold air.  (That's why it rains on windward side of mountains).  We define "relative" humidity as the percentage of water air can hold, at its current temperature.

Fill a trash bag with outside air at 9 degree C 70% relative humidity.   Bring it indoors and let it warm to 25C.  The relative humidity goes down - and becomes so "dry" that it's uncomfortable, even though it's the same air and it didn't feel dry when you were outside.    Your indoor air is wetter than that, because of exhalation, bathing, cooking, and water penetration through floors and roof leaks.

Take a bag of your wet 25C indoor air, outside - at 9C the relative humidity will go over 100% and water must condense on the surface of the bag.

That is what is happening in your closed-off rooms.  Warm, wet household air is leaking into those rooms.

So the advantage to opening a window is mixing in the dry air from outside.  However that is only competing with the internal leaks between the room and the rest of the house.  You'll need to open the window (or seal the room) enough to win.  Of course then, you will have water ingress whenever it rains, and that water will add to the problem.

The American way is to run a dehumidifier, retrofit insulation, or just heat the house anyway.  But then, the American way is to pay 20 pence per litre for oil.


Adapting an outside wall outlet to suface mount conduit? This was a previous question with some great answers.
How can I adapt a wall outlet to suface mount conduit?
One answer was: "There are collar boxes available that have conduit KO's (knockouts). Just install one on top of the existing device box and run your conduit."
I was wondering if there was a way to do this while maintain weather proofing of the outlet for outside applications? Is there a gasket box extender that could be used? I have a plug I would like to adapt to conduit that is on a partially covered porch. It would not be exposed directly to rain or weather but could potentially get wet.

The appropriate extension box will look like this. Hole plugs in unused openings then conduit can be run on the surface for an additional outlet with a weather tight box.


Light switch timer for outside lights We just moved into a house that has outside patio lights controlled by 3 different light switches.  I want to replace one of the light switches with a digital timer. What type of light switch timer do I need?  3 pole?  4 pole?  And does it matter which light switch I decide to replace in the circuit?

It matters which one you replace, because that will determine which type of timer you need. One of those switches is going to be the "middle" switch, between the other two circuit-wise. That middle switch is a four-way switch, the two outside switches are three-way switches. You can determine which is which visually is you don't know the circuit layout - the three-ways will have three wires plus a ground, the four-way will have four wires plus a ground attached to each switch.

This is a simplified and idealized example of the circuit you're dealing with:


Why does single pole light switch have 3 wire cable when source is at the switch? I'm moving a light switch to a different wall and have found that the cable from the switch to the light has 3 wires but I don't know why. The 2 wire source feeds to an adjacent switch for a different light which then feeds this switch with 2 wires. The switch in question is a single pole. From it, there is 3 wire cable that leads to a light which then connects to other lights controlled by their own switches. There's no three way set up and this isn't a switch loop either. Plus, The two black wires are using the same terminal.  What's going on here?

This circuit is being fed forward from this location.

The two blacks are constant hot, the red is switched hot.

If you follow the /3 when you get to the other end of it, the red is switched hot, the black is constant hot.

Edit to add:

If this switch is feeding a ceiling box, this is a common configuration so that the light switch (red wire) only controls the light portion of a ceiling fan, allowing the fan itself to be controlled separately by the pull chains.  If there is currently just a light fixture, then they only used the Red switched hot wire, and capped the black.  The circuit could also, optionally, continue forward from the ceiling box using the black-constant hot, and white-neutral.


How often do I need to replace the home water pressure regulator? While having my plumber determine what to do about a leak in my water main (city water supply), he mentioned that I should probably replace my house water pressure regulator if it hasn't been replaced in the last five years or so. I don't understand why age matters.

He did a static pressure check and the measurement was 65 PSI. With a faucet open, it dropped to 35 PSI.

We checked the pressure on the landscape plumbing, which is unregulated, and it was 125 PSI, static.

I'm always leery of being upsold beyond what I need. Is there anything to his statement that a regulator over 5 years old  should be replaced? (He actually said 3 to 4 years old, I think, which is a red flag for BS, in my opinion.) I think this one is nearly 25 or 30 years old. Does the water pressure test suggest that it needs to be replaced?

If it should be replaced, it should probably be done while the main line is repaired, since it looks like the work will all be around the same section of pipe.

(My water is not very hard. by the way. I never find much in the way of deposits in any repairs I have made. I have replaced short sections of copper pipes a couple of times.)

Age matters because the unit has springs inside and the springs can lose tension over time, also your seals can fail.

All of that said - you can take the 5 years thing with a BIG grain of salt. People say the same kinds of things about torsion springs on a garage door. Usage Matters.

With a faucet open OF COURSE your water pressure is going to drop - hey you have running water - the water follows the path of least resistance - it is not running into your gauge any more - but into the drain.

What you are seeing is normal pressure drop with an open faucet. You probably should lower your pressure a little as 85PSI is probably at the high end.

Here is a video on adjusting the water pressure.


Please help to find grille clips My husband and I bought a home a few months back and a lot of the window grilles are falling off the window. The clips that hold them are broken. Its a beautiful log home and the window looks better with the grilles in them but I can not find the clips anywhere. We were told they were Pella windows. They are not. I contacted Pella and Anderson and they both said they were not their windows. I now have a picture of some numbers in the lower part of one of the windows but I don't know how to find out what brand they are. Also I have a picture of the clip I can attach to see if anyone else has them or knows anything about them. I do know the house was built in 2004 we are in Hazle Township Pa 18202 if that info is needed. They are wood windows with wood grilles. The window pulls in from the corners to clean but it is not that easy to do, you have to pull them out of the frame. If needed I can attach a picture of the window as well.
Thank you for any help you can give me.
numbers I finally found on one window:

another view of the numbers found on the same window

the clip which is flat and lays flush against the window. there is no lip on the other side

all wood window

I searched for SGC 2176 +glass and the results included a site for SGC network which apparently makes glass. You may be able to ask them about the numbers and they may be able to point you to a manufacturer.


Material on this deck - what, why, and how to cover? I recently purchased a house that has an upper-floor deck above the front porch, with a shingled roof above that:

The upper floor deck, i.e. the part you can walk out on from the upper floor, has a dark black dusty material applied in sheets:

I thought I was looking at a thick rubber membrane intended to be the deck surface. However, after putting some plastic chairs on it on a hot day, I discovered it's actually more of a tar-like substance that smears and deforms under pressure, as you can see here from where the chair legs pushed it up into little mounds:

I believe this whole porch/deck structure was modernized/ refinished around 2012.
I have three questions about this:

What is the most likely material that I'm looking at on that upper deck?
Why would a material like that be used? To my untrained eye, after seeing the damage from the chairs, it seems to be a waterproofing rooftop material like Bitumen or tar or some such. Is it typical to put that down on a deck ppl are supposed to walk on? If so, is the assumption that something else is put on top to protect it?
Most important: how should I cover this so I can use this deck? Three thoughts I had were a) heavy outdoor carpeting/ area rug with thick rubber underside to protect it, b) interlocking deck tiles, or c) place strapping perpendicular to the face of the house to allow run off, apply press board over top and paint it. I'm most inclined toward the deck tiles but wonder if the plastic ridges on the underside will damage this roofing material.

It looks like rolled roofing to me because of the tar like substance. We normally would not walk or put furniture on rolled roofing. It may have been put down to keep water out of the walls and possibly a Sheetrock ceiling below when it rains. On the decks like this I have done, we overlaid flooring to protect the seal.
Today more people use membrane roofing to seal things like this and still add a walking surface. I would want a interlocking tile or another rigid surface so chairs won’t punch through.


Light switch sizzled I had maintenance turn off my breaker and fix the pull tab on my ceiling fan. Then turned it back on... Few minutes later.... I turned on a light switch and it made a sizzling noice! Maintenance came back and flicked it off and on about 20 times and said it was fine and could have been a power surge! Is that true or should it get replaced??? Also i might fix myself..... But the wires are confusing.... What would happen if I get them mixed up?

Shoot photos of the wiring and let us walk you through it.

The usual place people get derailed is in 3-way switches; they count on the screw positions or wire colors meaning anything at all.  The screw positions vary on every switch, and the colors are worse than random in 3-ways. I even recommend you mark the travelers with yellow tape; doing so makes things easy.

Even on a 2-way you sometimes see more than 2 non-ground wires; almost always two always-hot wires  and the installer just used the switch terminals as a lazy way to splice them.  More logical is a pigtail; but a novice switch replacer usually does not have the supply of wire,  wire-nuts and stripper needed to do a pigtail.

But the #1 complication is dumbth; people not being conscious that they have outranged their skills and thinking they can just blunder about and get lucky. It's less of a risk on switches, but on other things, experientation can lead to many combinations that work but kill you later.  Skills are so easy to acquire that I advise to do so.


Does anyone recognize what this kind of hinge is for? I have a set of these hinges (at least, they seem to be hinges) but I'm not sure what they're for.

They measure about 1.5" (3cm) in the longest direction.

Here are some odd features:

No obvious way to attach the parts on the left with the one on the right!
Setscrew in U-shaped piece (second photo)

I assume these would be surface-mounted, they seem too thick to mortise into anything.

Hinge?

I look at that and see a clamp to assemble two panels at right-angles which is designed for easy assembly or disassembly and flat-packing.


replacing toggle switch on furnace red-green with thermostat currently my furnace is connected to a two wire red-white thermostat. the furnace has comon, red, green, white, and yellow terminals. red and green are connected to a toggle switch on the side of the furnace.

when should the red-green toggle be on or off?
if I get modern thermostat should I remove the toggle and connect all five wires to the thermostat?
what does the green fan circuit do?

The toggle is your fan override, a function today's thermostats have built-in

Originally, gas furnaces didn't have fans, as they relied on convection and gravity to circulate heat through massive ducts, and as a result only required a two-wire control scheme: "should I heat the house or not?"  When air-circulating central fans were added to the picture in order to tame duct sizes, in order to maintain backwards compatibility with two-wire thermostats, gas furnaces controlled the blower themselves using a thermal switch in the plenum (a "fan limit" control).  Newer furnaces still needed to provide a way for the thermostat to turn the blower on themselves without calling for heat, and provided a G (green) terminal for that purpose.

What happened is the last furnace installer put in a newer furnace, but didn't change out the old thermostat or wiring.  Yet, they still wanted you to be able to to turn the furnace fan on to circulate air through your house, so they put a toggle switch on the side of your furnace, connected between R and G, so you could manually do that.

However, since you're finally putting a new thermostat in, and running new thermostat cable, you can get rid of this switch, as your new thermostat will provide a way to turn the fan on manually that you can use instead.  By the way, when you're buying thermostat cable, buy the fattest thermostat cable you can; having spare wires in the wall is a huge boon for when the next HVAC upgrade happens to your house.


How can I determine if I have cracked drain pipes under the basement cement slab I have a wet wall (just efflorescence and wet spots) on the wall as showed in the picture. I suspect that this is because of a patio that was incorrectly sloped toward the house. That is fixed now and I was told by someone that it will take time till the wall gets dry. Somebody else told me the contrary that the wall should get dry shortly after the source of humidity is gone AND that I might have cracked drain pipes under the cement slab that makes the floor of the basement.

Before I start digging or looking closer to this can anybody tell me if there is any way to rule out this possibility without actually digging?

The interesting part of this is that the wet spots and the efflorescence are stronger away from the supposed source of humidity (drains) represented in the picture below. In winter I have no problems (the light smell is gone from the basement-the spots remain on the exterior wall).No visible signs of humidity in the basement (finished basement)

For more info about this case please see my other posts around here. That will also explain some elements in the picture

If you have some idea about what pipes may be broken, and they can be accessed from somewhere, you can check the pipes with a camera. It's like an endoscopy for your house.

Some plumbers offer this service, search for it online.


Compatibility of aluminum fittings with brass rough-in valve I am wanting to add a permanent electronic temperature sensor to a brass rough-in shower valve.  For this particular rough-in valve, I can thread a thermowell into the outlet that is normally used for the tub spout, since no tub spout is used.

I can easily turn and thread an aluminum thermowell with my lathe, but I want to ensure that the aluminum and brass will be compatible (i.e. no corrosion) in this application.  I have not been able to find any data on using these two metals together in a potable water application.

The reason is I'm trying to avoid having to purchase the more expensive brass stock, and utilize my existing aluminum bar stock instead :)

Thanks!

It will corrode quickly. The Aluminum will break down.I recommend that you put a non-metallic barrier between the two. If you want to do it on the cheap, and If you have some Never-Seez or even some PTFE tape laying around, do it. Check it in a few months, replace the barrier, check again later.

Galvanic Corrosion happens because of the different in electrical potential. The amount of difference (and the environment) that determines how fast one metal will corrode.

Aluminum has an anodic index -.9
Brass has an anodic index of about -.4

A difference of .25 is acceptable, in harsh environments (heat, salt water) the max is .15.

http://www.fastenal.com/content/feds/pdf/Article%20-%20Corrosion.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosion


What are some cheap (and landlord friendly) ways to fix a drafty flat? The worst affected seems to be my room. It is the end of the turret with a massive vent (now gaffa-tape sealed) I will be sitting by the wall and actually feel the freezing cold air against my neck from the wall. The radiator seems to do nothing to help matters.

I have put tin foil behind the radiator (not sure if it has helped yet because the weather is warmer than what it was before I did it), but the radiator is on a different (and much less breezy) wall.

I took some steps to solve the draft in the flat (still a way to go mind), but I am at a loss on how to fix the back wall in a cheap way. I thought about tin foil but then I very quickly realised I would not be happy to have tin foil on my wall.

The landlord said he was sympathetic about cold but that they don't like vents being closed because of worry about damp/black stuff growing on walls. I did notice that some wallpaper came away from the wall when I closed the vent but at the same time it is in a stupid place if ever there was one.

Would stapling a decorative material help matters? Or maybe I could get away with hiding tin foil behind some decorative wall cloth so it does the job but looks half decent too?

Note about rental: I think I can get away with a bit of stapling/nailing but I cannot do anything to permanently alter the wall.

If you have a draft then the best thing is to seal the source of the draft.  If this is a window, then as DA01 mentioned, you can install temporary plastic covers.  If it is around a door then you should look into replacing the weather stripping.  Also check visible gaps in the wall, floor, electrical and cable outlets - if they are drafty you can spray in expanding foam (e.g. Great Stuff) around the box (not inside).  Check outside too for visible gaps around openings.

You mentioned you closed up a vent - hopefully this was not a cold air return.  If the vent is the source of the problem then your best bet is to fill it in with rigid foam and seal the edges of the foam with caulking.

If the root issue is a lack of insulation in the walls then there is little you can really do that doesn't involve tearing up the walls.  Hanging long thick curtains along the wall might help a tiny bit.  I doubt tin foil will do anything besides making your friends suspicious.


Jennair JES9900BAS20 keeps blowing infinite switches on right front "custom control" element Original infinite switch (p/n W10185286) failed so I replaced with a new switch. Worked for a day or so then nothing. Replaced with a second switch. Worked at initial test, then neither element would work after reassembling everything and sliding range back in. Have confirmed continuity through both sections of the element. Checked wiring btw switch and elements and could not find any damaged/burned wires. No visual or audible indications of arcing, no burned smell at switch or anywhere else. Other elements work fine (they use different switches and are tapped off same incoming 110V legs). Multi-wire connections at blown switch are made with plugs so no individual wires are swapped. Switches are ~$100 each so I dont want to keep buying/blowing switches until I can eliminate the cause of them failing. Any help would be greatly appreciated - thank you!

I agree with Ecnerwal’s comment.
The element may ohm out good. 6-12 ohms or whatever the value but have a path to ground that you cannot see with a common ohm meter. In this case we would check the element hot to ground using a megger. A megger is a high voltage ohm meter I would be checking a heating element at at least 1000v. I would double check the wiring from the switch to the element.
As a megger will probably cost more than a element I would probably start by replacing the element itself if the wiring looks good.


Distributing load in electrical panel I am in the process of rewiring my house. The house was built in 1950 and even though the service panel was upgraded in the early 70's to a Square D 200 amp service, the system is ungrounded and will not handle today's electrical load requirements. So I am replacing all of the wire, switches, receptacles and placing the wire in non-metallic conduits.

My question is what is the best practice for separating the different loads into various circuits. I am putting the microwave on a dedicated circuit, but how should I separate the rest of the loads in the house. There are no other high power loads in the house.

Apart from what code requires, there are various things that you might choose to do, depending on your mindset, that are not code required (nor do they conflict with code.) For instance, I prefer to keep all lighting circuits completely separate from any outlet circuits, having basically never had  light fixtures blow a fuse/trip a breaker, but having stumbled though the dark to the fusebox (yes, literally, fuses) too many times once upon a house when outlet overloads took out combined circuits (I think there were a total of 6.)

i.e. you have chosen to give the microwave its own outlet. I prefer that the refrigerator also not share (I don't recall if code does that), code requires two separate 20A countertop outlet circuits, and I'd also put a separate light circuit in the kitchen (that might share with other rooms' lights, depending on load.)

Likewise code has some specific language and requirements for bathrooms, primarily hair-dryer-driven.

Remember that code specifies the minimum you must do; it does not limit what you do beyond that, so long as what you do meets it.


Can I use a 4x4 concrete post holder to install a gate? I would like to install a 10' gate across my driveway to keep my 16 month old from running his tiny butt into traffic. The gate I intend to purchase is this one, with some PVC lattice to prevent climb-through:

Basic details from retailer's website:

6 bar economy galvanized tube gate

Made from 1-3/4" round high-tensile strength galvanized tubing with superior continuous- welded saddle joints

All material 20 gauge

Vertical galvanized "z" braces

Comes complete with hinges, hinge pins, and 22" snap chain

50" high

Can I use a 4x4 post holder that relies on concrete anchors to install the 4x4 pressure treated post I intend to hold the gate? I would think the torsional strain would pose a problem, and the driveway is rather uneven in sections so a "gate wheel" may not always be able to take the weight.

No. Those holders give virtually no torsional support. Your gate will tear it right down. Plan on robust posts in a substantial concrete footing to carry that torque load.

Either that and do what I did and run some snow fence on a pair of 1/4" vinyl-coated cable. The gate won't contain a toddler, and the snow fence wouldn't either, but it gives a visual barrier and slows them down. That's the main goal. The rest is handled by good parental discipline.

You're going to find the toddler years whisking away in no time. Do you really want that big gate there anyway?


Can I wire a smoke detector so that it disables my furnace if smoke is present? I have a standard Johnson Controls Unitary Products TM9V*MP board in my furnace wired to a nest thermostat. Can I wire my duct smoke detector so that it splices the R wire going from my furnace to my nest. When the detector trips and breaks the R circuit, will that adequately shut off the furnace?

Unfortunately, with a gas furnace, that's not quite enough
The bad news for your situation is that opening the 24V R wire to the thermostat may not do what you need it to do.  Your furnace, according to pages 36 and 37 of its installation manual, and like most residential gas furnaces on the market, can and will run its blower autonomously if the plenum (fan) limit switch opens up without the thermostat calling for anything.  This is a self-protection behavior designed to limit overheating damage to the furnace's heat exchanger should it fire uncommandedly; however, it would defeat the intended operation of your duct detector were you to wire it in the way you propose.  You'd need to cut either 120V or 24V power to the furnace control in order to shut down blower operation altogether.
Nests don't like getting their plugs pulled on them, anyway
Furthermore, like most smart thermostats, the Nest assumes that its R/Rc line provides a steady supply of 24V power, especially when a C wire is provided to the thermostat.  As a result, it's liable to throw error codes, lose track of time, and otherwise behave in awkward and annoying ways if you wire the duct detector to shut off the furnace control (or even just the thermostat, as you propose).
There's just not much good a duct detector can do in most places you'd want to use a residential furnace
The final rub is that a duct smoke detector is not a substitute for other forms of smoke detection, due to inherent detection delays compared to a smoke alarm or spot/area smoke detector in the room in question.  This is stated outright in NFPA 72 17.7.5.2.1:

17.7.5.2.1 Detectors that are installed in the air duct system in accordance with 17.7.5.1(2) shall not be used as a substitute for open area protection.

Instead, they're intended to be used to shut down air-handling equipment in order to keep it from actively spreading smoke.  However, this is only generally a concern for equipment that can move more than 2000cfm of air (the figure is from IMC 606.2.1), something that even the largest model in your furnace's product line has to strain mightily to achieve.
Nonetheless, if for some reason, you have a requirement to fit duct detection to this furnace, you can do it by cutting the 24VAC "hot" wire from the control transformer to the connector on the furnace control board and re-routing it to a NC auxiliary contact on your duct detector.  This keeps the current draw within limits of the duct detector contacts and prevents the control board from overriding the detector's decision to stop furnace operation, but does have the drawback of confusing the thermostat if the duct detector ever has to operate in anger.


Testing a transformer I have a Comfort home control system. This takes 15V AC via a transformer (from 240V). It's been working for years, but last week the fuse blew. It's a 250mA fuse on the mains side of the transformer.

With power off I checked the impedance on the 240V side of the transformer and it shows about 80 Ohms. Is that too low? By my reckoning that would mean 3A, which would blow the fuse. I'm guessing that insulation in the windings could have broken down and caused a short. Does this sound reasonable or am I misunderstanding how the transformer works?

Your understanding of transformers is a bit off, but the root cause may be as you suspected...

A transformer (usually) consists of two coils of wire, a primary and a secondary, wrapped around a ferromagnetic core.  An AC voltage applied to one coil creates a changing magnetic field in the core, which induces another AC voltage in the other coil.  The ratio of the primary voltage to the secondary voltage is determined by the ratio of the number of turns in each coil (the turns ratio).  When AC is applied, the impedance across the primary coil is that of the load circuit multiplied by the square of the turns ratio.

An ohmmeter applies a known DC voltage to the circuit being tested and measures the current flowing into the circuit.  Because it's DC, the magnetic field in the core doesn't change, so there's no voltage induced in the secondary coil.  What you are measuring is simply the resistance of the primary coil, which should be low.

Barring some unusual circumstance like an electrical storm causing a surge or a teenage son turning everything up to 11, you probably have a problem somewhere in your system.  I think I would call in the service people at this point (I'm not familiar with your system, so don't know if it can be serviced by end-users), but if you're up to troubleshooting, and if you can disconnect or turn off everything on the secondary side of the transformer, you could try replacing the fuse and re-applying power.  If the fuse blows again, you know it's the transformer at fault.  If not, reconnect or turn on devices one-by-one until the problem manifests again.


Can I shut off the water to my house and safely leave the water heater on while I'm away on vacation for a week? I plan to shut off the main water supply to my 2 story house before leaving for a week on vacation.  I have an AO Smith gas 'powervent' water heater in the garage that I would like to  set to 70*F rather than turning it off.  Since there are no issues with freezing pipes here in  the SF Bay Area, I wasn't planning to drain the water lines within the house. Would the cold water feed on top of the water heater need to be turned off also?

I would turn the water heater to pilot if you turn the water off, pilot will keep a small amount of heat there and unless it gets crazy cold would help prevent freezing. I grew up in that area and rarely will it get cold enough to freeze pipes inside the house even if you turn the heat way down,

I never recommend turning the furnace totally off as that can cause cracking of joints if Sheetrocked.

If you turn the water off the water heater should be on pilot or turned off.  I have replaced a few water heaters over the years that were damaged from cycling with no water.


Can I use a vapor barrier paint instead of polyethylene sheets to encapsulate my crawlspace? I was looking into "encapsulating" my crawlspace by some manner or other.  From what I can tell the way to do this involves (primary) some thick poly (.15  or more) along the the soil and up the walls.  The poly is then sealed to the walls.

Currently my crawlspace is vented.

Whilst I was doing my research I stumbled upon a  vapor barrier paint.  Would this paint be a suitable substitute for a poly barrier?  Or should I not even worry about that and just use a poly barrier?

--Update
My crawlspace floor is dirt and is almost entirely below grade.

Check out information on basement and crawl space strategies on the buildingscience.com website.  Also, check your local codes.  Some jurisdictions still require methods that are not scientifically correct, and some have requirements related to storm surge and flooding.  If you dig a little, some have work-arounds for both scenarios that are more energy efficient.


Trouble matching a screw - are there sizes I may be overlooking? I am trying to mount a new light fixture which has a decorative head for the screws that hold the fixture to the plate.
One of the screws is too long for the existing fixture, so I attempted to look for the same screw but 1/4" in shorter.
I took the screw and decorative nut to the hardware store to try matching the size.  I am 99% sure the screw is 32 threads/inch by comparison with an 8-32 screw at the store.  However, the 8-32 screw is barely too large for the decorative nut, and a 6-32 is too small.
I looked into metric screws, and M4-0.70 is too large and M3 too small.
What might I be missing here?  My other option is to just cut the existing screw, but I'd rather figure out what's going on first, just in case.

If your located in the States or Canada most light fixture screws will be SAE or imperial measurements. The most common screw size used for fixtures will be a 8/32. The next sizes closest to this are the smaller 6/32 and the larger 10/24.
Why not shorten the original screw? Thread the nut down the screw to below the length yyou want it to be. Cut the shaft to the desired length. Unthread the nut so it straightens the cut hreads. Voila!


White stuff coming out of my wall when dry We painted my wall two times already first was a dark blue and some white powdery stuff was spreading after the paint dried, now we painted it again now in purple and it still has the white stuff when dried.

This is a picture that I took left side is the dry one and right side I sprayed water on it that's how it should look like but this white stuff keeps coming back when dried

Other pictures

That would be efflorescence on a concrete wall. Efflorescence is when water passes through the wall and evaporates on the surface. The minerals contained within the water can't evaporate, so they stick around, usually looking like a fine white powder on the surface. You can see the same thing with hard water that evaporates from a kitchen sink. It's not harmful to the wall, but it is ugly and will eventually ruin the paint, because the paint is likely impermeable to moisture (if it is acrylic, latex, alkyd, or oil-based), so it will bubble and peel over time as the water in the wall tries to escape.

The root cause is moisture movement through the wall, or, simply put, the wall getting wet. To prevent this, keep the wall from getting wet. Typically this is the job of the roof, but the wall itself can have its own protections. If the wall is simply a monolithic concrete slab with no finishing on the outside, that would contribute to the problem too. Broadly, what you want to do is to keep water out of the wall's core while letting water already there escape to the exterior side.

The cheapest solution would be to paint the exterior side of the wall with a breathable, vapor-permeable paint (e.g. a silicate mineral paint--NOT a typical paint!). The more complete and permanent solution would be to cover the exterior side of the wall with some type of breathable, vapor-permeable weather barrier substance (e.g. liquid-applied water-resistive barrier material, housewrap, asphalt-soaked paper) and then put up bricks or some other decorative covering.


Is it permissible to have exposed mains conductors in holiday lights? I've just had a holiday lights company install some outside tree lights, and I found they had done it so that at several places the prongs of mains cable plugs had been left exposed, and carrying mains voltage. I've put a couple of pictures here: https://tinyurl.com/tk-wiring-pics (In the one with the voltmeter, that plug is just as it was left lying on the grass by the installer -- I didn't have to unplug it to get to the pins.)

Is that permitted under the US NEC?

I know there is provision in the NEC for temporary (up to 90 days) installations, and the installer has told me that their setup is fine because of that. But that sounds a bit dubious if it implies you can leave 100V+ lying around in the grass for some kid to stand on.

Also, I think I found the reason it has happened, and that is that the installer has made up some of their own cables, and one of them has a plug at both ends (i.e. instead of a plug at one, and a socket at the other). As a result they have in a sense "reversed the direction" of plug-to-socket, and so instead of the usual power going into plugs and out of sockets, they have a big section of our yard lights where power is going into sockets and out of plugs (several of which are then exposed to the outside).

Seems very unsafe to me but, again, is that actually allowed by NEC under the temporary installation allowances?

You are correct in assuming there should not be any live connections exposed in any situation. I suppose it should be said that this is a dangerous situation and could be fixed fairly easy with a set of wire cutters and some appropriate wire nuts. So call the installer and see if they want to make the repair. If they give you any static I would report it to the AHJ in you area and let them deal with it.

Regardless I would not recommend you turn these lights on until a repair was made. As I said before this is a potential fire and shock hazard.


Deadbolt door trim guard? So I have an outside door w/ a deadbolt. Someone left the deadbolt extended but the door open and went to shut it and as a result the deadbolt dented the heck out of my interior door trim (inswing door).

What is the name of, and where can I procure, a "plate" that I'd install on the inside trim to protect from deadbolt strikes?

How about a door edge guard? These door edge guards are constructed of solid brass and come in a variety of different  finishes. These door edge guards are used to protect the door trim from being dented or damaged by swing bar type locking hardware. They feature an adhesive backing that provides for a quick and easy install, together with the assurance of a strong and permanent hold. These types of edge guards are designed for use in both residential and commercial applications.

You can get them at Walmart or Amazon.


Wiring through attic I want to run a new 240V eletrical line to the garage as in the picture below. The dark blue one is the panel and the light blue is the garage. The problem is the roof is very sloped so it is almost impossible to get to that corner through the attic. I do have a hole going up from the panel to the house, but how could I fish something from that corner? do I have to open an area of ceiling from inside to do so? I really don't want to patch drywall (and painting)..

There is also an existing conduit that carries a 240V from the panel to the kitchen. It's about 1" in diameter. It does have space to have another 8/3 wire, so one option is to somehow break the conduit in the attic, and separate the two lines with a junction box. Is this something safe?

Alternatively, I considered to let the wire:

Go through crawlspace
Go directly through outside
Enter the attic from a vent, which is not far from the panel

They may work...but I still prefer to have it go through attic directly if possible. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Edit: I measure the conduit using caliper - the OD reads 1 7/32. It's plastic. There are 3 wires in it - 2x hot 8 TW, 1 neutral 10 TW, no grounding)

Easy peasy.  This is what conduit is for.

I propose putting 2 circuits in it.  However, there are strict rules on conduit fill, and putting 2 cables in a conduit is impossible to do legally. So don't even try  - switch to THHN individual wires. Now you have plenty of room.

Yes, you'll need to find an appropriate point to install a junction box.  Now, if you do any splicing in this junction box, any at all, you'll need to do the cubic inch math.  However if all wires simply pass through the box, and never will be spliced, then you can treat it same as a conduit body and any common box with enough physical space will suffice.  I'm a big fan of that one, so I advise running 2 separate ground wires - one for the range circuit and one for the garage circuit.  That way you don't have to splice in the box.

If I wasn't splicing, I'd use a 4-11/16" square deep box.  This box must remain accessible, it can't be mudded or plywooded over.

The oven circuit needs a #10 ground wire. It really should have been put in at the time, and you'll have a chance to fix that now. Its neutral also needs to be #8.

I know you're familiar with 8/3 cable, but you cannot use 2 cables in a conduit - the only way it works is individual THHN wires.  You're not obliged to use conduit all the way - you can transition to 8/3 cable at any junction box with enough cubic inches to handle the splice.  But if you do run conduit all the way, you get to run a higher ampacity: #10=35A #8=50A #6=70A.

The range needs a #10 ground (use bare to save conduit fill) and the garage circuit needs a #10 also.

The #8/#8/#10/none wiring to the range was (well, is) incorrect.  It needs to be #8/#8/#8/#10.   Further, if somehow it is cable, it needs to be switched to THHN wire because of the conduit fill problem.

Even if they are individual THHN wires, you need to pull them out of the conduit.  You cannot modify the piping with the wire in it. Code prohibits this, and you'll nick the wire - trust me.  Put the range circuit back with a #8 neutral and #10 ground.  I don't care if you convert your range connection to 4-wire (removing ground jumper) today, but I hope you do it soon.

I've run the numbers and the biggest you can do is
- a #8 circuit to the range and a #6 circuit to the garage
- #8 circuits to both range and garage, with space left over in the pipe for up to 2 additional circuits!

A #6 cable to the garage could carry up to 70 amps if the whole run is THHN in conduit.  If you switch to cable for part of it, then you're limited to only 60A.   A #8 cable is similarly limited - 50A THHN-in-conduit, 40A if any cable is involved.

Or you could go with a big subpanel!  You could potentially pull three #3 copper THHN wires (#8 ground) to the garage, and fit a subpanel there.  The #3 copper wire would allow a 100A subpanel.   That would fill the pipe, however you wouldn't have room for any more wires.  You would then have to double back from the subpanel to serve the range.

* If you can't avoid a splice in a box, here are the gory details on the cubic inch math: Each #6 wire needs 5.0 cubic inches.  Each #8 needs 3.0.  Each #10 needs 2.5, #12 needs 2.25 cubic inches.  One #10 ground can be shared among all circuits. For cubic inches, you only count the largest ground once, and all other grounds are "free".


Is there any benefit to using vented aluminum soffit over solid wood soffit? I'm wanting to cover over my home's old solid wood fascia and soffit probably with aluminum fascia and vinyl soffit. There's an option to have either vented or unvented soffit.  Since my current soffit doesn't factor into my attic's ventilation, does vented soffit provide any benefits to the wood/structure underneath?

There would be no benefit other than aesthetic if you are matching the design of another part of your house. The common strategy is to cut out a strip of the plywood soffit before installing the vented aluminum soffit. This would allow you to use the airflow in your attic ventilation.


Is this drywall cracking a structural problem? I have a multifloor condo, with garage first floor, living space second floor, bedrooms third floor. At the corner stairs from second floor to first floor, the drywall is cracking (and seems to be increasing in size and width over the last year).
Is this indicative of a structural problem needing serious attention? What causes this type of cracking at this junction in the condo?
The HOA has reviewed the photos and wants to repair the drywall, but I'm concerned of the possibility of overlooking a more serious issue.
What are the most likely causes and prognoses?
July 2020

March 2021 (0.5mm - 1mm wider)

I'm not a structural engineer but I do have a fair amount of experience in dealing with drywall cracks of this type. First of all, there really isn't any way to be 100% sure of the cause of cracks such as this one short of bringing in a structural engineer. Having said that, be assured that in 99% of instances with minor drywall cracks the cause is not structural but cosmetic.
Over time houses and condos move and flex internally with expansion and contraction due to fluctuations in temperature and externally with shifts in soil around the foundation caused by expansive soil or changing water tables. The good news is that homes are engineered to withstand these stresses structurally although we will see the ocassional cracking in drywall or a door that starts to stick.
With structural damage you will usually see significant foundational cracking and major shifts in structural integrity around windows and doors.
Based on the description and the pictures provided it looks cosmetic - have the HOA repair it. However, for your peace of mind you might want to ask the HOA and neighbors  about other similar incidences in your community. If there are structural issues it would probably fall to the HOA to deal with them.


Plumbers are replacing cast iron piping with pvc and water lines with Pex. Anything I should know? Here's some pictures of the work done from last night, in an imgur album:

http://imgur.com/a/87eIw4E

They had to jack hammer through my floor and concrete to get to the piping to replace it.

They said that they're going to pour 6 inches of concrete to ensure that it's reinforced and sturdy when they pour concrete. Currently have 4 inches there.

They pulled permits and are working with the county inspector as well.

Anything else I should know? Will the pvc and Pex be safe under the concrete like that? I live in Ohio, it gets pretty cold. Don't want it to crack or burst.

The PEX should probably be sleeved where it passes through the concrete so that it's free to expand and contract with changes in water temperature and pressure.

There's no need to worry about freezing: it's under a heated building, so the ground here will stay above freezing.

Make sure the backfill is done well, meaning that it is compacted well. Don't just dump native soil into the hole and pour concrete over. A sand, small gravel, or road base might be best particularly to provide bedding under the PVC drain pipes. It probably makes sense to fully fill the hole with the same material rather than carry in soil to finish the job.

I don't see any reason why pouring 6" thick would be beneficial, except that it reduces the amount of other fill needed!

I might consider adding dowels. This involves drilling holes horizontally into the surrounding concrete. A "dowel," or short piece of steel rebar, is inserted into each hole so that it's partly in the old concrete and partly exposed to become encased in the new concrete. Dowels help prevent movement at a concrete joint. Here dowels would give you some insurance against future movement of the concrete turning into cracks appearing in your new tile floor. But I'm no expert on this: maybe there's enough surface profile in the broken edges of the old concrete already and dowels would be unnecessary. A tile contractor should be able to give a good assessment.


Basement foundation wall repair After we poured some concrete outside of our east wall, we noticed some cracks along the foundation wall. I guess due to the weight of the new foundation, the foundation wall crumbled. One of the cracks made its way to a window well. The horizontal crack is about 4 ft above the concrete.

I talked to a couple of contractors. One of them recommended carbon fiber fabric, which looks like band aids, and another one recommended steel beam foundation reinforcement. I read some negatives about steel beam foundation reinforcement. Due to the cost of anchors or piering, I have to rule them out.

The house is located in Denver, CO. which has a dry climate. It can get extremely cold. I also had some issues with rain water making its way to my basement. I hired a company to install a french drain inside to address the water problem. I also want to address this wall issue before it is too late.

I am leaning towards band aids, but I am not 100% sure. Does anybody have any experience with this application? If so, what was the end result? We have quotes from a couple of contractors.

Edit: This picture shows the outside on the other side of the foundation wall.
Notice the window well on the lower left, which is on the other side of this crack.

You may want to consider a third repair on how to repair block walls. It involves drilling an opening through the wall at a pre-determined angle and sinking a large all-thread rod with an expanding head (like a toggle bolt) into the soil. The expanded end anchors the rod making it rigid and un-moveable. The other end projects from the basement wall. It now has large heavy-duty washers installed followed by a hex nut. The nut is tightened until it forces the wall back to plum. The rods are spaced accordingly along the length of the damaged wall.  I can't attest to how well this option works (although it looks feasible), but it is another choice that may work for you.


Why does the blower in the attic vibrate during heating when it is really cold? We have a Carrier heat pump system in our home, and the blower is located in the attic. When it is especially cold, the blower runs on high (there are three levels: high, medium, low). During this time, the blower vibrates the upstairs walls and doors so that we hear constant rattling noises. Is it possible for a technician to adjust the blower so it can't run so hard? Or is it possible that the ducts are not big enough to handle the air flow? (This is a system that replaced the original one a couple years ago) We can temporarily resolve this problem by removing the air filter at the return air vent, but that is not ideal. We do not have this issue during cooling.

Have you tried placing a clean fresh filter? Probably, but I have to ask. The real problem is the blower isn't well balanced and other issues exacerbate it. I've not heard of anyone balancing blowers, but I don't know everything.

Another possible issue is the blower anchorage is loose. Some are mounted through resilient mounts. The rubber may have perished, fresh mounts could help solve the problem.

An under sized duct system could be a contributing factor, addressing that would be quite expensive. Be sure all your registers are fully open. There may also be balancing dampers in the ducts, you shouldn't mess with those unless they look almost fully shut. Or it could be the blower is over sized and you do not need that much volume.

Sometimes the speed can be adjusted. If it's truly over sized, you may get by with only medium speed. Depending on your system, an inappropriately low fan speed can be dangerous. Be sure a qualified technician is making the decision to lower the speed.


One shower runs out of water in 7min.. Other stays hot forever! I live in an apartment complex where the rooms/bathrooms are identical, and there is one gas water heater for each unit. My shower will stay hot as long as I want it to, but my roommate has to rush through her showers just to keep it lukewarm. We don't shower at the same time or run anything else that uses the water at the same time. Can anyone help us figure out why this is a problem with only one shower?

So this is happening in separate bathrooms that is supplied by one water heater?  You'd be surprised how quick you can go through 38 gallons of hot water especially with a high flow shower head.  Newer shower heads are usually rated at 2.5 GPM, while older ones were much higher.  Also check the timer on the heater.  One other question, is the hot and cold water tied into one shower valve? Or is it two separate valves for hot and cold?  If it's only one valve that ties the hot and cold together, that may be the problem. They use rubber parts that get swollen and wear over time and the valve may be the problem. That would explain lukewarm showers due to the 50/50 cold and hot mix.


Framing around depressed area of floor: a good plan? I'm installing a grandfather clock in my house. Problem: my first floor ceiling is 88" high, and the clock is 94" high. I can't modify the clock, so I'll have to modify my house.

The solution is fairly simple: lower a small area of the floor by 7".

The existing floor is 13/16" x 2 1/2" red oak boards on plank subflooring. The outside blue rectangle shows the edge of the area to be cut and rebuilt (26" x 15"); the inside blue rectangle shows the final footprint of the clock. I've figured out the joists (I'll have to cut a joist and add a doubled header) and the rest of the framing. My final problem is how to finish the edge of the hole.

I'll be cutting the existing flooring in-place, as it would be a can of worms to pull any of it up and then replace it. That means the edges won't be perfect, so I can't just butt new framing boards against the old without leaving ugly gaps. I'd also like to properly define the edge of the hole so that things don't always roll into it. So, I'm thinking to do the equivalent of an overlapping stair nose.

I couldn't find the exact molding I'd need, so I'm planning to cut it from 1" oak stair treads which have a rounded edge and are 12" wide. I'll cut 3" boards from the rounded edge and then shape them further with table saw and sander. There will be a 1/2" x 3/16" tab on the edge of the board to cover the edge of the existing flooring. I'm also thinking to stain the new oak boards to match the cherry wood of the clock; sides of the depression will be 1x pine painted trim white, and the bottom will be the remaining oak tread material finished with polyurethane.

Does this sound like a good plan? Any concerns about that 3/16" thick tab being overly fragile?

EDIT: This question is NOT asking whether it's worth modifying my house to fit this clock. Even if that wasn't clear to me, it would be too opinion-based for this site. Just presume that there's a really good reason for me to do so.

EDIT2: There are good reasons why I'm going into the floor rather than into the ceiling. First, it won't look as good; the focus of the clock is the top, and that will be hidden from view, or at least in a dark nook in the ceiling. Second, I can't tip the clock into place; it must be vertical when the mechanism is installed. That means that there must be room to slide the top case forward and off the clock while it is in place, which means the plaster hole will be substantial. Add the joist modifications and the hole gets even bigger. Final problem: it's a swirl-textured ceiling, so the repairs would be obvious unless I replaced the whole ceiling.

the 3/16 x 1/2 overlap tab is a little thin in oak, but it will probably be fine given the other structure you propose.

i will offer this though: you are mental!!!

it seems like your plan is well thought out, but wouldn't it be much easier to just make a hole in the ceiling?  then its just plaster and paint?  if you ever decide to not have the clock or you move out, its far easier to patch a ceiling than a floor.

if it was me, i would just cut the clock.  to remove 8" or so out of a grandfather clock may be impossible (style of cabinet, length of pendulum, etc).  however, many times, the casework of the clock is just a hollow carcass with what is essentially a baseboard and legs bolted to the bottom.  if you can do what you propose, surely you can build a modified bottom for the clock?

or sell the clock and buy a shorter one???

however, its your clock and house and i am sure you have your reasons.


What type of caulk can I use between the furnace vent pipe & flashing on a roof? Looking to seal a gap between my furnace's vent pipe & the flashing on the roof, specifically here:

I'll have to check if there's a missing storm collar too, but should I use High-temp silicone, or go with the Big Box's recommendation of roofing asphalt (sounds burny).

I'd recommend Not using any petroleum-based sealant on any surface subject to heat (it will soften and melt). For a positive and weatherproof seal use any 100% silicone caulking (Dap, Owen-Corning, etc.). For an even better and longer lasting seal against water go with any exterior Urethane caulking. Well worth the slight cost increase, but is U.V resistant and stays pliable indefinetly. And there is no need for a high temperature rated sealer. Unless the area you are sealing is in close proximity to the heat source. Than you will need some type of refractory-type caulking.


Can I use the cutout for a drop-in sink to install an undermount sink? My daughter has bought another home with granite counters and a drop in sink.  Can a professional put in an under the counter sink  in the existing  hole with some modification by him or is this just simply impossible?

I hate to be a wet blanket on this one, but you are not going to like my answer.  It will be very difficult to find someone that will attempt to do what you are asking for an in place, already installed granite counter top. Since you have a drop in sink, the cut out is probably not polished and the cut edges are not routed. In the fab shop, they use lasers and computer aided cutting tools to get perfectly shaped holes. Cutting in the field is hardly ever done. The process of attaching the under side bowl is not as difficult as the cutting and polishing, but will require some type of custom support to hold the bowl in place while the epoxy cures.

Depending how large the counter is, it may be cheaper and safer to have it taken out and done at the fab shop.


One room colder than the rest My sons room on the second floor is colder than the rest. It is on the southwest corner and is the furthest from the furnace. I have hot water baseboard heat which is warm to the touch. His windows actually have some ice build up on the inside. House is 14 years old.

Corners are more difficult to heat since they have two outside walls. They should have more baseboard length to compensate.

In the short term, plastic window film kits would be highly advised as a quick fix for windows icing up on the inside. Run the tape on the side (and top, and bottom) of the window frame next to the wall and wrap the film all the way over the frame, then heat shrink and trim. Window replacement might well be on the menu, but that's next summer, not today. Film you can do today.

If, as is common, there is only one loop (circulator and thermostat control) for the heat, or one loop per floor, you need to work to balance the heat delivery. The circulator pumps warm water around until the place where the thermostat is gets to temperature. For rooms that are not where the thermostat is, adjustments may need to be made to the "flaps" on the baseboard that control air-flow (and thus heat delivery) to adjust relative heat delivery. Thus, you may need to close (partially or fully) flaps in some "warm enough" rooms to get enough heat into the "too cold" room with its flaps fully open, so that heat delivery near the thermostat is less, and the system runs longer to deliver heat to the colder room(s) before heating the thermostat to the point of shutting off.

You might also want to check for air bleed valves and make sure that there are not trapped air bubbles, which can reduce water flow rate significantly.

While a 14 year old house should be adequately insulated, that's worth checking and considering retrofit for as well. It should have adequate windows, too.


Replacing my light/fan/heater/timer with a light/fan/nightlight in the bathroom, with another light just to make things interesting I have a 3-gang box which I will label A, B, and C, and Timer that I will label D.

A operates a light over the sink.

B operates the light on another fixture that includes a light, fan, and heater.

C operates the fan.

D operates the heater.

I am replacing the light/fan/heater unit with a light/fan/nightlight. I have no use for the timer. Since A controls an entirely different fixture, I am only concerned with B, C, and D for the new fixture.

This is the link provided in the instructions, however the instructions speak to a multi-function switch. There's probably a couple of different ways to do this, but what I would prefer is that B remains controlling the Light, C remains for the fan, and D gets dedicated to the Night light.  I am not married to this set-up, but thought keep the switches arranged in deference to habit seems best.

Update: forgot to mention (duh!) that I have four (4) cables running into the 3-Gang.  As I said, I am open to suggestions, so if you think it is best to purchase a multi-function switch, I can run out and get one, and I am not opposed to throwing in a GFCI as one of the 3-Gang.  I am attaching a couple of images, but my apologies, as there is poor lighting with the breakers off.

Gang together all the white wires loop the hot wire to bottom of all switches and you should be left with three wires to attach to the tops of each switch


How can I fix a door that is leaning into my bathroom? My bathroom door is leaning into the bathroom. The bottom of the door will touch the frame before the top does. Not sure what is causing it.  It looks like a 2-3 degree tilt into the bathroom from the bottom to the top of the door.

If it's a wooden door, the door leaf could have warped/twisted. Quite often you can (if you have the space e.g. a workbench) cramp the door up so that it is twisted the opposite way, leave it for a few days and then when you release the cramps the door will spring back to a position where it is (substantially) flat.

If the door is already flat, then it may be that it has been hung incorrectly and you would need to recut the hinges most likely.


How to route pipes through an already tiled wall? I would like to add a heated towel rail to my central heating system. There is a radiator on the other side of the stud wall I'd like to put the towel rail on so would like to feed some piping through the wall then install the towel rail on the other side.
The wall is tiled. Is the easiest option going to be to remove the tiles or is there a clever way to drill a pipe hole in situ.

Thanks

They make tile cutting hole saws. they can be expensive but a good hole saw in say 1/2 inch pipe diameter will do the job, the trick will be keeping your drill straight against the tile and keeping the tile surface wet - PATIENCE is your friend here.

A couple links but not an endorsement .

Wet Or Dry Hole Saws

Diamond Hole Saws


Professional advice during self-build I am planning to self-manage a construction project (single-story extension), with the work being done by independent tradespeople who I will contract individually on a job-by-job basis, completing different parts of the project as funds become available, while keeping overall costs low and under control. I have got full plans and permissions already in place. I am far from an expert in construction, but I have some experience, and I am mostly confident in my ability to do this self-management (although I'm sure I'll learn a lot along the way.)

Occasionally, during this process, I would like to pay a professional to come on site and survey overall progress, answer any general questions I may have, and warn me about any important features of the build that I may be overlooking. I would of course be prepared to pay by the hour for this service. I have asked some local architects if they would be able to do this for me, and they are not interested (perhaps unsurprisingly, since they want to be managing the whole project.)

What sort of professional can I engage to provide me this service? Perhaps some sort of independent chartered surveyor? The problem is I'm not really sure who else to ask, apart from an architect. There must be someone qualified who's prepared to take my money.

I am in the UK.

You are acting as your own general contractor, which is not unusual at all.

The role you are describing sounds like a project manager.  I know of just one person that provides project management services as a third party for owners on small projects.  Project managers are generally employed by a general contractor working on larger projects.

You basically need someone to provide part time, short term project management services.  If you can't find someone providing this service, you might find a project manager that is seeking full time employment that is willing to work part time short term;  you might find a working contractor, maybe a one man shop, that's temporarily unable to work due to injury.  You may find a retired contractor that's willing to provide this service.


Continue with Back Wire on GFCI when the wire keeps coming out? Having trouble with the back wire on GFCI's popping free. 20amp, 12 gauge wire. When I fold the wires into the box, they like to come free of the back wire hole. I suspect this is due to the difficulty bending the 20 gauge wire to fit into the box.

I've read this which suggests I should be using the back wire on the GFCI. A few other web sources say the same thing.

Earlier, I had a problem with just being at the conductor fill limit of what could fit inside the outlet box because I was using two GFCI outlets. I was unhappy with this and am rewiring so each box has one GFI and one normal 20amp outlet downstream. The GFCI is pigtailed. The regular outlet is side wired to the GFCI outlet so it protects the standard outlet.

I feel like I should side wire the GFI outlets because they keep popping out from the back wire, BUT numerous sources say that GFCIs should use the back wire. This is a proper back wire that gets screwed down, not the "Quick Wire" push in wiring. I'm hand tightening as much as I'm able.

I suspect it's the process of folding the wires into the box, with the 12 gauge being so stiff, that causes the wires to come loose. However, on the outlets I've done so far, I was able to eventually make it work. But in one case, I was getting an error with the GFCI tester, and it was because the neutral wire had popped out. I fixed it, but concerned over the long term if they might work their way out.

I'd have to suspect that you are perhaps not always getting the part where the wire actually ends up between the plates right - to Quote @shirlocks answer "Just be sure to tip the device so the grab plates open before inserting the wires." If the wires are in the right place and the screws are tight THIS flavor of back wiring is VERY secure (as distinct from the push in springloaded that I will never use.)

It is generally advantageous to prebend the wires a bit before stuffing into the box, but there's no way the wires should come out if they are clamped correctly.

If the wire is not between the plates (so it's sitting outside them) it's not going to be clamped very well at all. Grab one, (out of the circuit) and look at it carefully under good light with the screws open as you move it around, and you should be able to see what's going on there, and have a better idea of what to look for when putting the wires in.


Can I add a separate neutral wire to my cooktop/range circuit? I replaced an old double wall oven and an electric cooktop with a range. Those were both on 30 amp breakers with 10/2 ungrounded. I bought a 3 prong plug and 6/2 wire with the range. Anyway I just ran the wire to the electrical box and that's when I realized I need 6/3 and a 4 prong. The 6/2 has been cut so I'm not going be able to return that now.
Can I use one of my old 10/2 wires, sister up the black and white at the box and at the plug and use this as my neutral? Or do I have to crack open the wallet to buy 6/3, I'm in the middle of nowhere and have to special order anything thicker than 12 gauge.

That "sistering" is called paralleling and you can't do that, as a lot of bad things can occur, including a fire.
Further, you cannot run just a separate neutral wire even if it was the right size. That's in NEC 300.3 -- all related wires must be in the same cable.  There's a very good reason for that -- electric wires kick massive EMFs, and as long as the wires are together, those EMFs will cancel each other out.  If current is going in a loop (out one cable back the other), then anything between those cables (e.g. cable staple) becomes the core of a transformer, and heats up. It also causes vibration (the F is for Force) and vibration causes metal fatigue, cracking, overheat and arcing, which starts fires.

I'm sorry you did not install the proper cable, but you also did not read the instructions.   NEC 110.3(B) says you must install the equipment according to the labeling and instructions, which obviously implies that you gotta read 'em LOL.
Unfortunately my best suggestion is to chalk the wire cost up to "tuition expense", buy the right thing, and proceed from there.
If you can't sell the 6/2 on Craigslist, I would advise leaving it in the wall in case "the next guy" decides to go back to separate oven/cooktop again.  Ovens need 6/3 for the oven light, but cooktops generally only need 240V so 6/2 is plenty.


What do I need to know for wall-mounted desk I'm trying to build a rather large desk that's going to hold 2 computers 2 monitors and accessories associated with them, and well, 2 humans working all day long and occasionally resting on the desk.

I've already picked the countertop, which is a 2000mm/600mm/28mm in size made of highly compressed chipboard but it's still relatively heavy.

It's going to be wall-mounted to a red-brick wall that has some plaster on it but I intend to use dowels with steel screws (black ones) and 3 triangle shaped steel corners positioned at both ends and in the middle.

Thing is, I don't know what length the screws should be and currently I have trouble finding steel triangle that goes at least 300mm in width and to me it feels like the whole thing would just be unstable. The countertop is sort of heavy. It's not real wood but it still weights something in the ballpark of 10-15kg (could be wrong, just feels very heavy)

I also noticed the stores sell L-shaped corners but I don't know how they distribute weight to the wall.

Eventually I considered using table legs but you know ... the desk would lose it's wall-mounted spirit, but even with that I think of using at least 1 leg in the horizontal and vertical center of the plot.

I'm not an engineer nor an architect and I'm wondering what maths should I use to calculate things properly to get a stable and sturdy desk. Sure I won't sit on it, but my guests could and it has to hold 2 Full-ATX computers and screens to them.

Is it even possible to have this wall mounted or I'm better of with 4 legs (although it's an issue finding legs with the height I need so I guess I'll have to order some custom ones, which is expensive).

Thank you for any advice.

EDIT NOTE: On the diagram, the triangles are 180mm not 18mm !!!!!

Side diagram:

EDIT: I was considering adding legs and make it as a combination but do I add 2 or 3 legs? The material doesn't bend much, if at all, it's a work countertop but I don't know. And If I get 3 legs, first, my chair is going to bump into it sooner or later and second ... if I get 3 legs ... why not just go for 4 legs. I mean ... 4 legs is going to cost less than 3 legs + 3 steel braces. Minus the issue that I can't find legs with the height that I'm looking for.

This is perfectly feasible, but you need different brackets. They should extend at least 2/3 of the way to the front edge of your table and be about 2/3 as tall as they are deep, at a minimum. There are a number of similar questions on DIYSE which may give useful details, but the gist of it is to use heavy-duty brackets and robust fasteners.

I don't know what "black screws" are, but I recommend 8mm (5/16") lag screws in purpose-built anchors, carefully placed in solid portions of your wall and penetrating at least 5cm (2"). For a 2m desk I'd use four or five such brackets, with all provided holes filled with screws.

You'll  need to fasten the top through the brackets as well, particularly at the rear, to prevent tilt. Use thick screws that penetrate about 3/4 the depth of the top, and pilot appropriately for them. A wrap of tape on your drill bit to indicate depth will prevent catastrophic mistakes.

If either end of the desk contacts a wall, install cleats to carry the load there. They'll add considerable stability to the top. Keep the front ends back a few inches so they don't show, and you can taper the end cut back as well.


Hardware for suspending wood beams from a wall I have an idea for some external decor feature on my home. In order to execute on it, I need a special kind of fastening hardware that I couldn’t begin to guess the name of.
The closest thing I’ve found is a hanger bolt or a stand-off screw, but what I would really like is something that has built in washers or “platforms” as pictured.
The hanger bolt has neither and all the stand off pins or screws I’ve found don’t have the kind of depth I would need to fasten those beams down (I’m looking for about 3/4” worth of depth).
I’ve illustrated the needed hardware in this image:

I made a cedar hand rail and came up with a stand off to set it off of the posts by a couple of inches.
I used a carriage bolt but you could do it with a lag bolt or machine bolt.
Lag into house, washer, sleeve, washer, lumber with recessed/counter sink hole, washer, lag head.

Edit: Since people are interested, here is another photo.


Multiple GFCI with two hot wires and shared neutral I learned about wiring multiple GFCIs with 12-3 wire from this post: How do I install a GFCI receptacle with two hot wires and common neutral?

And a I have a related question as to why this circuit (shown below) doesn't continually trip the GFCIs.

My Question:
Here's an example--a toaster is plugged into the 2nd receptacle from the left, drawing 5A. I assume that 5A will then flow through the neutral. Therefore, 5A is on ALL the neutral wire in the diagram, because they're all pigtailed together.

If that's true, now the 1st GFCI from the left will sense a difference of 5A and should trip because no current is flowing through its ungrounded (red) wire, but 5A is flowing through its neutral.

So, why doesn't a load on any one of the GFCIs trip all the other GFCIs? Why does this work? I know this is correct because its published, but I don't understand why.

And yes, I've read this post: https://diy.blogoverflow.com/2013/07/demystifying-the-mystifying-gfci/.

A GFCI can only sense a difference in currents which flow though that GFCI.
In your example, the current for your toaster flows through GFCI #2, but completely bypasses GFCI #1 (and #3 & #4).

The other GFCIs are not 'aware' of this 5A toaster current, because current flowing in the neutral wire doesn't flow through these GFCIs.


What's the best way to lay out sheathing around a doorway? Does it matter how you sheath around an exterior door? I think it would be stronger to break the sheathing over the door than at the corners, but I'm not sure.

The wall is not load-bearing. Studs are 24" O.C.

The wall is framed like this:

Option 1:

Option 2:

Option 3:

This last one may require some extra cripples at the ends of the header, as a nailing surface.

For extra credit, describe how to sheath around windows, too. (The main difference is that there's sheathing under a window, which a door does not have.

Option 1 is probably the best and 3 is the worst. Similar to drywall, you don't want a seam at the corner. This is where the load causes the most stress and therefore cracking.

For windows, it's the same. You install a full vertical piece as if the window isn't there, and make sure the seam isn't in the corner. Use a chalk line to mark the edges of the window frame, and then you cutout the window with a circular saw.

Note that if you install your sheathing before raising the wall, be sure each corner has the sheathing extend out to overlap appropriately. I like to stagger the joints so there isn't a direct path in the corner. Installing the sheathing before raising the wall makes it heavier, but allows you to completely square the wall first, and it's much easier to nail.


How can I protect the soleplate when framing basement walls? I plan on finishing my basement and I have a specific question about framing the walls and protecting the soleplate.

I plan on framing and setting up the walls BEFORE laying the subfloor, but that means I need to protect the soleplate from moisture. I plan on sealing the entire basement (thankfully it's fairly new and there are no cracks in the floor), but when I anchor the soleplate to the floor, it will obviously break this seal and potentially allow moisture to seep up around the fastener.

Should I do any of the following?

Put caulk/glue under the soleplate where I know I'll be anchoring it
Use washers or some other inorganic spacer to elevate the soleplate off of the concrete
Use a pressure treated soleplate

I would rather not lay dricore first and then frame on top of it as that makes the dricore much harder to remove if there is ever a flooding issue. I'd also prefer the walls to be more stable than if they were anchored to dricore subflooring.

Any framing that directly contacts concrete should be pressure treated. So option 3. Sealing is an optimistic concept at best, .vs. ensuring that there is proper drainage outside the basement, but you could certainly put construction adhesive on the bottom of the soleplate, it won't hurt.


Why does my washing machine leak only during the tumble dry cycle? My Bosch Washer/Dryer WVF2402GB/01 Has started leaking a lot of water when tumble drying.
If dryer is left off it works normally.
Any ideas?

Some condenser washer/dryers have a receptacle that you remove and empty. Check your machines user operating instructions for this system at first.


Mend scratch in laminate flooring While moving, I scratched the vinyl flooring. It is a "wood" laminate flooring, where the planks support material with a wood print veneer (as mentioned in Can/Should I seal laminate "wood" flooring?). As far as I have been told the flooring is design "Life 710670003" by https://www.project-floors.com.

The scratch is running perpendicular to the grain. It measures about 1 metre in length and about 1.5 millimetres in with. I have no idea how to measure the exact depth. Apart from a few millimetres, the veneer is not ripped apart, only pushed into the base material.
The landlord is not amused since the scratch is located in the middle of the room, it is well visible and it can be felt when walked on. I want to try to fix the floor visually and structurally as much as possible. At minimum, I would like to level it out to avoid dirt accumulation.

Ideally, one would replace the affected planks. However, there are no spares available. As it turned out, this flooring has been discontinued altogether. Hence I cannot purchase replacements either. Divot replacements (like discussed in
Divot repair in laminate flooring) are out of the question, too.

The producer Project Floors does not provide the technical details of this particular flooring (due to discontinuation, probably). For this reason, I do not know with what materials I am dealing with exactly.

Most flooring patching methods are geared towards flat-colour PVC and are not applicable to my case. There are repair methods involving fillers and/or hard wax, but they seem to apply exclusively to hardwood flooring.

Is there anything I can try or is this 'bout a scratch, but ultimately a lost cause?

Nothing is going to make it disappear 100%, but with a little artistic talent you can hide it pretty good.

You're looking for a Laminate touch-up kit (or the cheap version). Essentially you fill the crack with hard wax, and then paint it to match the 'texture'. The better your knack for colors, the better the result.


How can I easily fix or replace the broken knob handle on bathtub faucet control? DIY amateur here. The single handled plastic knob that controls the bathtub faucet recently fell off, along with a screw from its interior and a cap covering the screw. I wish I could post a picture, but the site isn't letting me upload them yet -- even though I have plenty of reputation on the other stack exchange sites! (UPDATE: I now have the reputation to post pictures! See below).

A metal square receptacle remains in the center of the knob-less handle (I guess where a long screw affixed the knob), and the faucet itself still works fine; temporarily, I've put the old broken knob on the fixture and control the water flow. Of course, it keeps falling out.

I'd like to know if there's a simple fix I can do, or do I need to replace the entire fixture. If the latter, how difficult is this to do? I don't want to have to break tile, etc.

Depending on the manufacturer, the stem should be a free replacement.
It's fairly trivial to replace.

Turn off water. (IMPORTANT!)
Remove the large hex fitting on the face of the controller
With vise grips, pull and wiggle the stem out.

If it's a common manufacturer, you should be able to exchange the stem at your local big box store or plumbing supplier.

Reinstalling is simply the reverse.

While picking up the stem, get an appropriate bolt to fit, and you're good to go.

Caveat:  Figure out the manufacturer and call first.


Periodic Standing Water in Dishwasher Disclosure: I am not a plumber but I called a plumber and am unsure about his plan of action to fix my problem. I am hoping to bounce some thoughts from you all here. I have a dishwasher that I do not use but that gets periodic standing water on the bottom, which stinks to high heaven. I have a farm sink, a disposal, and a high loop under the sink (the line that connects from disposal to dishwasher). The disposal is attached to the pipe in the wall with an accordion pipe (put in by previous owners). The plumber has told me that he is very sure that the issue is that the disposal sits too low and that the pipe is too high, causing the standing water issues because it's fighting gravity. His solution is to cut into my cabinet on the bottom and move the pipe connection to the ground, so that the pipe is not fighting gravity. I asked several times how this translates to the water in my dishwasher, but he couldn't explain, just kept saying that the water was fighting gravity. So, does this sound likely? Again, the hose that goes from the disposal to the dishwasher is in a high loop. He went straight to what I feel is the priciest of all solutions, that is, moving the pipe in the wall.

Looking at your picture, the disposal unit is improperly installed.

Have a look:

That white bendy straw looking flex pipe in the red circle is trapping water inside the disposal unit. The U shaped trap thing should drain strait into the waste pipe. What's happening is the flex pipe has raised the water line in the disposal unit. When you go to use your sink, the water is building up in that drop. This creates a little back pressure which the drain water has to overcome to fight past the water trapped in the flex pipe. Now have a look at that thinner white tube in the yellow circle entering into the disposal unit near the top. Notice how close it is to the high water line. That's the dishwasher drain line. Dishwashers have very simple plumbing to keep cost down so there is nothing keeping dirty sink water from overflowing into the dishwasher drain. This is where your standing water is coming from.

To fix this, a plumber would have to break that wall under the sink and lower that waste line eliminating the flex line and allowing the water to properly drain.


re coating a patch of wooden flooring my lease is about to come up and i have to patch up my floor if i want to see my deposit back.  the coating on the floor feels like polyurethane, or a thin lacquer, i cannot tell which.
you can see the spot in the picture.
the spot  (area B in the picture above) was caused by a wooden chair without proper footing scrapping against the boards.  the area you see is where the wood feels raw and unsanded, with the coat of finishing gradually coming on around said area.
can i doctor up this one patch?  will i need to pry up the floor? How do i accurately tell the kind of coating on the floor?  if i can fix just the patch,  how would i go about doing that?

In an attempt to try to answer your question there are a couple of important additional pieces of information needed. This request for clarification is being put in answer space because there is no provision for showing a picture in the comment space.

First off need to know what caused the damage in the first place. Please be accurate as possible.
Secondly the photo shows a surprising number of defects in the floor which I have labeled as A to F in the picture below. What area are you thinking needs fixing?

Answers to these items are going to greatly inform useful answers that you are likely to get.


Light entering from sides of blackout curtain I have installed a blackout curtain in my bedroom. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of light entering from above and below the curtain, as you can see in the picture below. Is there anything I can do to make my room darker (while still keeping the curtain operational --- I need to be able to open and close it)?

Unfortunately "get a longer curtain" is not an option, because there is a radiator right below the window, and a longer curtain would block it out and reduce the effectiveness of heating. Ideally, I'd need to put some more cloth horizontally at the top and the bottom, somehow.

I still have some of the blackout cloth used for the curtain; I wonder if it is possible to make some sort of attachment with it (but I am also open to completely different ideas).

There are already shutters on the outside of the window, but they still let a lot of light through.

We have this issue in both kids bedrooms that face west.

What I did was, below the blackout curtains, fix a blackout roller-blind against the window, and add thin strips of wood down the sides which the roller-blinds fit underneath, this stops all light bleed at the edges, and because the blind comes right down to the bottom of the casement, it stops bleed from the bottom as well, which seems to be your main issue.

Or, you could also look at adding black blackout material to the back of your curtains, which will drastically reduce the reflected light bleed (but increase the amount of heat radiated into the room - having a secondary blind helps with this, as well)


how to paint over wrong paint I have damaged the paint on my door a little and decided to repaint:

I ended up painting with the wrong paint:

How do I fix that? Can I simply go buy white paint with a primer in it and repaint over the creme? Will it show?

Thanks for you kind help in advance.

By the way, if you're interested to know how I ended up painting with the wrong paint... long story short, on the can that I had from the original paint job it said "Ultra pure white...". But on the top, on the sticker it said "creme". I didn't know you're supposed to look on the damn sticker and not on the can!!!!

[

You could chip a small piece and take it to the paint shop like Sherwin and ask them to do a match for you.


How to set up a basic single-zone irrigation system I am thinking of installing a very basic irrigation system (one zone) to water the area but I do not know where to start.
Below is a basic diagram of the area I want to water. I want the irrigation system to be connected to the hose bibb in my backyard. I cannot lay a pipe in the area where the shrubs are since it is beyond my property line (the shrubs are in a green belt and they were planted by the previous owner). The red line in the diagram below shows where I would like to bury the pipe.
What would it take with things I can buy at Home Depot? Should I go with PVC, pex, etc.? Can I simply bury a PVC pipe, connect the sprinkler heads and then connect to pipe to the hose bibb?
Thank you!

Home Depot has an entire section dedicated to irrigation. They have a neat little DIYer setup called orbit. It uses 1/2 pvc tubing and barb fittings. My nearest Home Depot sells pop up heads that will shoot water 15'.

Here's an idea of what orbit irrigation haswww.amazon.ca

Here's a bit about the orbit pop-up
Model # 91561 Store SKU # 1000743815

  Orbit's Voyager II Professional Gear Drive is the best in class of all gear drive pop-up sprinkler heads. It is the #1 consumer choice for medium to large area gear drive sprinkler heads. It's versatility allows coverage from a 25 ft. up to a 52 ft. radius in a part- to full-circle spray pattern. The gear drive rotor ensures even and complete water coverage as well as a quiet spray. A filter protects the nozzle from clogging and is easily accessible for cleaning. It is compatible with all major brands of gear drive rotors including Rainbird, Hunter, and Toro.
  www.homedepot.com

You could probably do the whole yard with 2 or 3 of those.


Outlets not working in laundry room. GFCI nonreactive. What should I do? The washer in laundry room was working fine.  Then it quit working.  Anything plugged into any of the outlets in the laundry room do not work.  Went I put a voltage detector in the outlet it tells me there is voltage.  The breaker is not tripped.

There is a GFCI in the laundry room and when I press "test" or "reset" nothing happens.

But that does not explain why the other outlets in laundry room do not work.

Help please.

Other outlets may be connected to load terminals of GFCI's - and depending on your layout, that may not be the one in the laundry room. Or it may be the one in the laundry room, and its failure to reset either means there is a fault, or that it has failed. If anything is plugged in to any of the outlets, try unplugging it before you try resetting again.

It is certainly possible (not what I would do, but possible) to have two GFCIs where one is fed from the load terminals of another, and the other is not in an "obvious" location to the items disabled by it.

It's often worth switching the correct breaker manually "off" and back on, as trips are not always as obvious as we would hope.


What exactly is this fiberboard-looking sheathing? My house appears to be sheathed in some kind of fiberboard product with a black paper facing on the inside. That rock-looking thing poking through is stucco. The house was built in 1972. Anybody know what exactly this material is? Good or bad? Is it evidence of shoddy, terrible construction? Can this stuff be expected to hold a screw if you wanted to screw something to it? Am I the one who's screwed? ;-)

The material you have there is what I was taught to call celotex. There is a manufacturer that has the same name that may have been the original maker of this product.

It is pretty much the equivalent of loosely packed sawdust drawn into a sheet and held together by binding agents and tar, I believe on the outside surface. Research on ther internet may show it is made up of something else, never the less it is not that strong, and would not work as windbracing on its own. Many, many home have this under their siding.

It will not hold a screw, it is used for sheathing only that I am aware of in all my years. You are not screwed for having it, just like any other sheathing, you don't want it to get exposed to water, especially this stuff.


Switching propane bbq to natural gas I have a small propane bbq. My last home had a propane tank for home use (mainly fireplace), so I had a line installed from the home tank to my deck so I could utilize the unlimited propane supply. I remember having to change out a valve in the bbq, and I believe also use a different hose. I now live in a house with natural gas with a line to the deck. My question is will I need to make further changes to the bbq for this to work? My sense is that, even though it was a "home supply" of propane, it's still not the same as a home supply of natural gas but I've tried pretty extensive googling and all I can find is in relation to switching a small propane tank bbq to gas ... I can find nothing about the difference between home propane tank hook-up and natural gas.

Just like with kitchen cookers (ovens, hobs, grills), which have a different set of jets for lpg or natural gas, using inappropriate jets won't work properly. Obviously your bbq is jetted for lpg, and works well on that. However, since most gas bbqs are designed for lpg, you probably won't find jets for natural gas that will fit your bbq.
Also, the regulator will possibly be producing a pressure that won't do the job. Best to question the manufacturers/retailers of your bbq - you may be lucky, but somehow, it's doubtful. Bbqs are usually designed to be portable/moveable, and being fixed to a gasline from a house isn't envisaged.


Install plastic between drywall ceilings and rafters? We are building a new house and are getting ready to install the drywall on the ceilings. We have installed a 6 mil plastic barrier on the underside of the rafters to act as an air & moisture barrier. The barrier will be sandwiched between the drywall and the rafters and under the blow-in insulation. I talked with another insulation guy that said he thinks it might trap moisture in the house and cause problems with the ceilings. He thinks we should tear out the plastic before we install the drywall ceilings.

Does anyone know if the plastic barrier will help or hurt us?

the plastic will trap moisture in your sheetrock and can cause black mold
some areas require hazmat teams for black mold removal, Ran into this a few years ago and it was quite expensive for the home owner.