DIY solution for open ground wiring where electronics need to be plugged in? Although many of the original two-prong outlets in a rental property (built around 1958) have been replaced with three-prong ones almost none of them are actually grounded (the couple that are grounded appear to be in a non-original addition to the property), as our outlet tester indicated an open ground on these outlets. We would like to plug electronics like TVs, game consoles, etc. into some of these outlets. I understand there to be a risk of ESD damage to the device if we were to plug in the electronics into the outlet as is, in addition to the increased risk of electrical shock by a metallic malfunctioning device.

So what kind of DIY solutions do we have to choose from, and in what order of preference should we opt for one solution over another? Since this is a rental, we would like to stay away from expensive solutions like tearing down walls or having the entire house re-wired.

Possible solutions I've seen suggested: (apparently some of these solutions may or may not be good ideas?)

Check for unused grounding wire, and connect if found (great option, but I suspect we will not find such wiring based on the age of the building)
Replace receptacle with ungrounded GFCI outlet
Connect a ground wire from the outlet plug to it's box (presuming we discover the box is metal not plastic) and use the box for ground
Ignore the lack of proper ground and cross our fingers none of our electronics get damaged
Run an extension cord from a properly grounded outlet in a non-original part of the house to where the electronics will be?
Something else?

Check for unused grounding wire, and connect if found (great option, but I suspect we will not find such wiring based on the age of the building)

This is the only option that will actually provide equipment grounding, assuming you find an equipment grounding conductor in the box.

  Replace receptacle with ungrounded GFCI outlet

While this will provide ground-fault protection; which is good, it will not provide equipment grounding.  In fact, when you do this you have to add a label that reads "No Equipment Ground" on each receptacle protected by the GFCI.

  Connect a ground wire from the outlet plug to it's box (presuming we discover the box is metal not plastic) and use the box for ground

This only works if the metal box is connected to an equipment grounding conductor, otherwise it offers no grounding at all.

  Ignore the lack of proper ground and cross our fingers none of our electronics get damaged

This is probably the most common solution. Though most people aren't ignoring the lack of grounding, they simply don't know they need it.

  Run an extension cord from a properly grounded outlet in a non-original part of the house to where the electronics will be?

This is a temporary solution, but you'd have to protect the cords from damage and use the proper size cord.

  Something else?

There's really not an easy solution here, the only way to do this is to run an equipment grounding conductor.

Other useful questions:

Is it OK to borrow a ground wire from a different circuit?
Can I run a ground wire of a single circuit to the panel outside the house?
How can I determine if my outlets can easily be grounded?


How can I figure out why my light won't turn on? My home electrical system is single phase, two wire (live + neutral; grounding is short-circuited to the neutral). I have no schematics as to how it is connected. However, there is a separate circuit breaker for the lamps.

Today the ceiling lamp in the living room stopped working. The lamped is controlled by a two-way switch.

After conducting a series of experiments, I concluded that the neutral connection is faulty. Namely, a light bulb lights up when connected to the output of COM2/live input of my ceiling lamp and a reliable neutral, but stays dark when connected to the same output of COM2 and the ceiling lamp's neutral.

As can be seen from the schematic above, there is no junction box in between the lamp and the central electrical box (or I can not find one). Somehow, somewhere, there are more lights, connected parallel to this one, for the next room. Some of them stopped working too.

What should be done in this scenario? I would like to avoid bringing down my whole ceiling - maybe at least to know where to cut.

It doesn't sound like you can yet definitively conclude that the neutral line is bad, however an easy way to verify a bad neutral connections would be to test continuity between neutral and ground at the light.  You can do this even using a cheap voltimeter by setting it to a low resistance setting.  More advanced voltimeters may have a special continuity check that will beep when it detects 0 resistance.

Since you have neutral and ground bars connected at your central box, you should show near 0 resistance between neutral and ground at the light.  If it is 1 or a much higher number than you have infinite resistance meaning that your light is either not grounded properly, you have a disconnect somewhere on the ground wire, or you have a disconnect somewhere between the neutral wire and the neutral bar in your central box.

NOTE: You describe a two way switch, however this diagram shows what is called a three way switch in the United States.  The load from the central box or from another receptacle on the circuit is either entering at one of the two switches or to the light itself.  Identify which of these wires carry power and inspect the wire connections at the light for ground, neutral and hot at the switch boxes and at the light.  Neutral's should be connected directly and not switched.

If these connections seem good then perform more continuity tests between ground and neutral at all locations to help identify if a wire is bad.  More than likely the disconnect is a loose crimp or wire nut at one of these three locations.

If you still cannot find anything wrong at all three locations then the problem is likely at a receptacle or luminaire further down the circuit, as you mentioned that you are also experiencing problems with lights ahead of the circuit as well.

CAUTION: Many European single phase systems operate at a high voltage.  As always be extremely careful and take your time when handling electricity!


What are some methods to get rid of and prevent pink mold in the bathroom? I have some pink mold on the seam where the bathtub connects to my wall tiles. There's also some on the grout on some of my tiles.

I've tried to clean them with ajax. It doesn't get it all off. I've also tried to spray the tub and the tiles with a 50/50 solution of vinegar/water and that didn't fully get rid of them.

How do I get rid of the pink mold? Once I get rid of it, how do I keep it off?

The pink stuff is a bacterial biofilm. Cleaning agents containing bleach work well to kill the stuff.


Separating 12-3 wire from panel to feed a bathroom fan and light I am replacing an existing heater, light, night light, exhaust fan unit with a new unit that only contains a light and exhaust fan.  The existing wiring has a 12-3 coming straight from the panel with red and black on separate circuit breakers. The existing 12-3 is too short for me to pull it down to the switch box.  My plan is to install a metal junction box in the attic and the run a 12-3 wire to the switch box. In the switch box I plan to install 2 switches.  The first switch will be fed by the black power source to control the light and the red power source will control the fan.  I will run another 12-3 wire to the fan/light unit and tie together the neutral wires.  I know this is over kill but I don’t want to leave a unused hot wire in the switch box if I don’t have to.  I will install a handle tie to the existing 2 breakers.  I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions.

You're using the word "wire" to describe what is actually "cable".  12/3 is a cable that contains 3 conductor wires plus a ground wire. This matters here.

First, find all the other multi-wire branch circuits

OK, this is priority one.  You need to get inside the panel, and search the panel for more circuits like this one.  You stated they are on independent breakers; they need not to be.

They need to be on 2-pole breakers, which is a double breaker which fits in 2 spaces (or straddles 2 spaces, as in GE Qline and Crouse Hinds).  The most important feature of this breaker is that the two handles will be factory-tied together.

This is to provide common maintenance shutoff, but it also assures they are on opposite poles of the circuit. That is to say, there must be 240V measured between the two hots.  If there is 0 volts, that will overload the neutral wire.   A classic blunder is to free up space by moving these from a 2-pole to a tandem breaker (note handles not tied).

Further, anywhere both hots are present, the neutral wire must be pigtailed. That way, any device can be removed without breaking the other half of the circuit.

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, Multi-Wire Branch Circuits are rather wonderful, in my opinion, and a great way to get 2 circuits almost for the price of 1.

Option 1: Cap it off and don't use it

In this case, you simply stop using the red wire.  Cap it off on both ends, stick a wire nut to cap it off, and tape the wire nut on the wire (they tend to fall off when put on a single wire).

Don't cut it - for one thing, it is hard to insulate a wire that's been cut back to  the sheath, and for another, the next resident may want a heater and wouldn't that spare wire be a nice Christmas present for them!  Or, your wife could get sick of the hair dryer and curler tripping the breaker constantly, and look at that! Spare circuit right up in the ceiling!

Use the spare half-circuit for something else

You can't have bathroom receptacle loads power anything in any other room.  That restriction does not apply to bathroom hardwired loads.  Since half the circuit only powers bathroom light and fan, you have loads of capacity on the black half-circuit and 100% capacity on the red half-circuit.  You can get 20A out of both of them!

So add 2 circuits to anything you want.  It could be more kitchen countertop  receps.  It could be 2 bedroom circuits.

Heck, you could bring them both down to the bathroom receptacles and now you have 3 circuits for bathroom receps. That takes care of the curling iron + hair dryer problem!  Honestly, 3 circuits in a bathroom is a little excessive, even for me, so I would then liberate the original recep circuit for something else.

Do the Harper Shuffle

If routing makes this feasible, I would do a swaperoo.   I would dedicate the MWBC to bathroom receptacles, so you have 2 full circuits for receps.

Then, I would take the original bathroom receptacle circuit, and use it for lights, fan and room for heater. Because in the modern age with LED lighting, a whole MWBC is overkill for that. A plain 120V/20A circuit has 1920W of provisionable power; a heater takes 1500, a fan takes ~150, and LED lights won't be near 270W.

And -- this solves the problem of hair dryer overload killing the bathroom lights.  A receptacle overload will most likely trip both half-circuits; but since the lights  are on a totally separate circuit, non-issue.

If you abandon the MWBC, you could still do the recep.

Suppose you decide to cap off the red wire and just not use it. You still have well in excess of 1500W of usable power on the lighting circuit, that's just being wasted.  You might as well bring that down to a receptacle and let someone use it!

However, you don't want them overloading that circuit and killing the lights, so I'd arrange it so there's only a single receptacle socket available to them. (plug-in devices are UL-restricted to 1500W).  They make 1-socket plain receptacles, but you'll need GFCI protection for a bathroom recep.  That's a bit harder, but they do make combination GFCI + receptacle + switch devices, with 1 switch and 1 GFCI-protected socket. Perfect, and you can even put the switch to good use!

Also, once any part of the MWBC has a bathroom recep on it, the other half can't be used for anything outside that bathroom. So this depends on you abandoning the other half of the MWBC (or using it in this bathroom).

Remember, this is the 2010's oh wait. You need switch neutral.

You mentioned running a single 12/3 down to the switch. Nuh-uh.  Consider the wires that need to be at the switch:

Always-hot (to supply switches obviously)
Neutral (as of NEC 2011; to be available for smart switches; however, this also makes it available for the receptacle I mentioned)
Switched-hot/Light: hot when you want the light on
Switched-hot/Fan: hot when you want the fan on

Further, you're up against a different rule, that says Currents must be equal in each cable or conduit. So you can't just use two 12/2 cables.  There are several ways to skin this cat.

Use one fat cable with enough conductors. They do indeed make 12/4 cable, and even 12/5 cable (to provide future option for the heater or using the other hot).
Use conduit, and run individual wires as needed; it's what I'd do.
Run two switch loops. However, due to the 2011 rules, both switch loops will need to use 12/3 cable, so you'd run two 12/3 cables.  Each loop needs its own neutral; you can't shortcut and use a 12/2 for the fan, because if someone installs one of those pushbutton timers that needs neutral, it is not allowed to poach neutral from the switch 12/3 (that would make currents unequal in each cable).
Extend always-hot power from the fan box, down to the switch box (say, in a 12/2 cable, or a 12/3 if you wanted the option to bring down the other hot, say, for receps).  Then, use a second cable (12/3) to power fan and light, in the usual way.   However, this means you have two different things going on in the ceiling box: extending the supply cable, and supplying the fan and light. These should be separated 100%, i.e. extend the supply, then lay a piece of saran wrap in there to encapsulate that wiring since you won't touch it again, then wire the fan/light normally.  You will need a deep box for this since you'll add a bunch of cubic inches for all that splicing.


How should I use fiberglass batts to insulate between floor joists over a stone basement? I have an old home built on a stone foundation.  The stone foundation is solid, as well as the floor joists. I run a dehumidifier in the basement full time, to keep the air moisture low.  There is never any water in the basement.  The floor is dirt with a covering of gravel. There is currently some fiberglass insulation between the floor joists (installed incorrectly, paper backing facing down), and a foam insulating board nailed to the bottom of the floor joists.

I was advised to flip the fiberglass over, so that the paper backing is facing the living space, instead of facing the basement.  If I am going to do that, should I do anything else with the fiberglass at the same time? Should I put plastic sheeting in? Should I wrap each length of fiberglass in plastic, tape it shut, making a bag of insulation in each floor joist void?

Buildingscience.com has a decent article that covers a very similar situation with floors over crawlspaces

The two key points with this:

One vapour barrier, so as not to trap moisture. Essentially, drying happens on both sides going in the direction away from the vapour barrier, and if you use two barriers you're trapping moisture which leads to mold and rot.
Condensation happens when warm meets cold. When you're using batt insulation, you want the vapour barrier on the warm side so you're not getting condensation (and thus water) on the insulation.

The situation that most closely matches what you're talking about recommends this:

The rigid foam on the bottom of the joists is your vapor barrier: it must be impermeable and this means that the connections between sheets and around the edges must be sealed too. Even though the vapour barrier is essentially on the outside of the batt insulation, because the foam has an insulating value (unlike 6mil plastic) you don't have warm meeting cold here and won't get the condensation problem.


Can I run PEX directly into my clothes washer? Aside from the difficulty of finding the right fitting, is there a specific reason I need to connect my clothes washer to the taps via a hose instead of directly via PEX?

I ask because hoses are regarded as a poinit of with a high likely hood of failure.  Given PEX and PEX fittings tolerance to bending, freezing, and their ease of rotation around a joint, it seems like PEXing directly into my washer would be preferred vs spending $100+ on fittings, valves and hoses to do it the traditional way.

My thought was to T off a supply line and use two elbows to ensure flexibility in all directions.  After the 'T', I'd have 2.5 feet of PEX that I won't strap down to allow flex in the 'y' and 'z' directions, and then an elbow and another 2.5 feet before the shutoff valve to allow flex in the 'x' and 'z':

Fittings

If it is okay to connect directly, is it okay to use a plastic elbow? (the male connection on my clothes washer is plastic) such as the sea tech one pictured below, or should I use brass only?

Aside from the fact that I don’t think it would be allowed by code it would be inconvenient and if there was ever a problem with the mechanics inside your machine and water started spewing out all over your floor you wouldn’t have a way to shut it off or disconnected easily.

Trying to save money now may cost you more money in the long run.

Buy stainless steel braided hoses and if you’re still worried get an auto shut off water detection system.

Do it right once or do it wrong once and then do it right the second time.


protect drywall from self-leveling cement pour? I'm finishing my home basement, and I made the mistake of installing the drywall before deciding to level the concrete floor.

So I'm trying to determine whether or not I really need to protect the drywall from the new cement as it dries.  The internet is giving me mixed answers.  Anyone know?  (I'll be using Henry 555.)

Yes, protect the drywall!

www.constructionprotips.com
thefloorpro.com

Nah, don't worry about it!

www.theartofdoingstuff.com (implied)
This installation video from the Henry company (implied)
Polmaster Construction & Tile Ltd. (implied)

Kind of ambiguous:

Home RenoVision DIY
In an email with Henry customer support, they said that have "no official recommendation" on the topic. I couldn't decide if that was code for "Yeah it works but don't quote me because we don't want the liability."

Notes

In most places the drywall is two sheets of 5/8" type X, with Green Glue in between the sheets, so I'm strongly against removing it prior to pouring the self-leveling cement.
I'm not worried about the possibility of the cement passing underneath the drywall and ending up in some other room. That wouldn't be a problem for this particular project.

There is probably not a clear answer. If you want to be on the safe side cut off an inch or two (maybe more) of the drywall with the saw and use concrete expansion foam (comes in rolls) where the drywall was (glue it on). The kicker board will cover later everything.


Furnace Defective Vacuum Switch The furnace in my house is having a problem.  The furnace overall works well and heats the house fine.  The problem is that it cannot turn itself on.  There is a Nordyne vacuum switch on it that is supposed to test whether or not it is being ventilated properly.  It works by itself about half the time, but other times I need to go down and connect the two wires that come out of the vacuum switch with a jumper wire.  Then it makes the furnace think that it has the necessary vacuum power and starts up.  However, when it is bypassed, after it reaches the desired heat on the thermostat it goes off but will not turn back on until I unhook the bypass wire.  This makes sense and is not really what I am asking about, it is just what I do.  I have gone through three vacuum switches of the same model and they all have the same problem.  Here is a basic routine of what happens every time:

The temperature in the house goes below 67 degrees, and the thermostat tells the furnace to turn on.
The exhaust fan on the furnace turns on, along with the red LED on the main board.
It runs for about 10 seconds.

This is where a few different things happen.  If the switch wants to work, then this happens:

The furnace makes a click, and then the glow plug starts up.
The glow plug heats up.
The furnace clicks again, and the gas kicks on.  A yellow LED on the board turns on as well.
A few seconds later, the blower turns on and starts to heat the house.

However, if it is completely not working, then this happens:

The red LED on the main board of the furnace starts flashing a pattern like this:  On, Off, On, Off, On, Off, On, Off, and then stays off for a few seconds and then repeats.  Here is the pattern visually with 0 being off and 1 being on:  1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0.  This loops forever until I turn off the furnace either with the main power switch on the back or by telling the thermostat that I do not want to heat the house anymore.

Another thing that happens sometimes is the switch kind of works and kind of doesn't:

The furnace waits more than 10 seconds, usually around 20 or 30, and then starts the glow plug.
The glow plug heats up to maximum power.
The furnace clicks twice like it is trying to turn on the gas, the glow plug goes out, and the burners do not turn on.
This sequence repeats without getting anywhere.

As I said, I have tried 3 vacuum switches, and the same thing happens with all of them.  The furnace was put in when the house was built, so about 13 or 14 years ago.  I have tried a lot of different things and some researching, and I could not come up with anything.  I don't know if it is the vacuum switch that is giving me the problem, or maybe the circuit board or one of its relays, or maybe the ventilation pump.  I am really hoping to be able to fix it without needing to replace the whole thing.  My question is if it seems like I have defective vacuum switches, if the board is bad, or if there is something else I need to check on.

(Note, I will try to get some information about voltages and things when I get a chance, and maybe a picture of the inside of the furnace.)

Edit 1:  The label inside the furnace says the model is a "Nordyne FG6RC 080C - 168"

Edit 2:  The problems have been happening for about 5 years.  Last year the two inch pipe for air input was replaced with a three inch pipe.

First make sure that you vents are clear, short and as straight as possible. Both have to be clear, short and straight.  And that have to be the right diameter..Too small--Bad.  And grading. They need a good slope back to the furnace; no sags.
2 As the draft inducer gets older its efficiency drops off.  The fins on the blower wheel have to be clean and sharp.  With just a little bit of tarnish on the wheel it just won't develop the vacuum need to close the vent switch. Also the bearings in the inducer motor dry out with time.  It is subjected to very hot conditions.  High temperatures destroy lubrication. If the inducer assembly is aged or suspect in any, replace it.
Then look at #3:
3 Does jumpering the vac make the furnace work every time.  If it does then you can buy an adjustable vacuum switch.  Dial this in to meet your own needs.
Keep in mind the vac switch is there to keep this furnace safe.  If you defeat its purpose with out meeting its criteria, you could jeopardize the health of the people living in the house.P.


Use existing cat6 wiring in apartment for data We just moved into an apartment that has cat6 wiring, with 2 available jacks in 3 separate locations.  There is a service box where cable comes in (I have cable internet) and a board that distributes cat6 cabling to all 3 locations.  The board is a Suttle SAM-V8.
My current setup is cable modem and a ubiquiti edge router.  Currently I have internet plugging in directly to the edge router - no issues there.
My question is how can I tie into the wiring that is distributed to the jacks in the apartment.
I know how to create my own patch cables based on the T568A and T568B standard and it doesn't look like these cat6 cables are wired according to these standards.

Does this current setup support data?
There is a line in on the Suttle board, can I put an rj45 jack on the end and plug that into my router?
Do I have to rewire each of the 6 lines to an ethernet standard on the board?
Can I use this board or do I need to disconnect the lines and put an rj45 jack on the end and into my router?

I found this but I don't think it answers my questions.

How can I use the existing structured wiring panel to get internet throughout my house?

I've attached some pictures with annotations that I hope are helpful.  Thanks in advance for the feedback.

What you have here is a "voice distribution panel", and it is just like a big dumb junction block for all the cables that are punched down onto it.  What this does is allow you to plug in a phone to any of the jacks in the apartment, but it is NOT usable for data.

So, you can use those cables for data, but you will have to pull them all off that distribution block and terminate them with RJ-45 jacks or a patch panel and use short patch cables to connect to your switch.  It looks like what I described is one of your questions written on a picture, so yes, you can do that.

Since it was wired for voice, the wall jacks may also need to be rewired.  You'll have to open up the jacks you would like to use and see how they are terminated.  My house was punched down to a T568 standard, but the apartment I was in only had 1 or 2 pairs connected like you would for 1 or two phone lines.  Depending on how the jacks are wired, you could terminate the cables the same way in this box and not have to change them.

Keep the pictures that you took, and I would go ahead and punch everything back down the way you found it when you move out.


Best way to paint Ikea metal brackets? I'd like to paint in white my Ikea shelves's brackets (described thus: Aluminium, Nickel-plated, Clear acrylic lacquer).

What would be the best (but hopefully cheap) route in terms of products I need to buy for this job?

Prep is the key

You can make it look good for 3 months with a rattle can.  If you want it to look good for 10 years, paint prep is called for.  Prep has 2 components: de-gloss(microscopically roughen) the surface so paint can bind to it, and cleaning the surface to remove contaminants.

A 3M Scotchbrite pad, green pots and pans style, for scuffing the surface to remove gloss. Even if it doesn't seem glossy now, give it a rub.  The objective is to degloss the chrome surface, not blow through to the aluminum layer.

Common bathroom alcohol e.g. Isopropyl, with a double cloth wipe, to remove contaminants.

Rattle-can spray primer such as Rustoleum 7779 rusty metal primer.  Take the time to learn to apply paint competently.

Nickel and aluminum are a challenging surface for Rusto metal primer, but I gather a mil-spec aluminum primer (the green stuff on unfinished airplanes) is out of the budget.  (It doesn't come in cans because it's 2-part; you mix the 2 parts minutes before you apply it.  Also, the B-part is toxic until it cures, so, not a thing they want in the consumer marketplace.

Rattle-can spray paint for your paint layer.


Light switch won't turn off after fitting a new light bulb Thought installing a cheap "smart" light bulb would be a harmless operation. Here's what I did:

With the light switch off, removed the old light bulb
Installed a new light bulb and flick the switch on
The fuse box switched off all our lights, so I unscrewed the new bulb and put the fuse box switch back on

Now, the light switch on the wall won't turn off (like it won't "click" into the off position).
Here's the old working bulb:

Here's the new candle "smart wifi" bulb (I used their supplied B22 Bayonet Adapter) which caused this issue:

Can anyone explain what has gone wrong? I'm also intrigued into the (protection?) mechanism of the light switch which means it cannot be turned off anymore. More importantly, how do I fix it? I'm in the UK.
Bulb specs: They both say 220-240v on them. New bulb which caused this issue is 5W, the old working bulb is 15W.

Since you mentioned the switch would make an audible "click" sound before the replacement and afterwards it doesn't, you should investigate the switch further.
This is easy when you use some sort of instrument that tests continuity. Use a Digital meter set to Ohm's or assemble one by wiring a battery in series with a flashlight bulb.
By connecting a lead to the switch terminals both instruments will show if there is a continuous flow of electricity through the switch. If they don't the switch is bad.


Safety about windows The house which I rent and am living
in has a kitchen on the first floor,
where there is a window facing the
yard with its lower half covered by
security bar and screen, like this one .

Is it safe
to keep the lower half window open
at night during sleep?

The top looks like not easy to be
pulled down.  Is the top half window
usually fixed to the top of the window?

I am hesitating to close and lock
the window, because if the window is
closed during the night, I feel the
air in the first floor especially near the
kitchen will become a little worse
gradually. I guess maybe it is
because the gas normally  leaks a
little from the range, and the
pilot fire is kept on?

So shall I close the window for
safety or keep it open for air? Note that except during the coldest day, we don't turn on the central air system.
For window of bedrooms on
the second floor, do people usually close them
at night during sleep for safety?
I was wondering if the security bar
usually only cover the lower-half of
a window,
and if it is enough or covering the
whole window will be a better
choice?

For reference, I am living in a city in the United States, where safety is usually a concern.

First, get your possible gas leak checked out right away. Call the gas utility company that services your house and ask them to come and check for a leak. Most gas companies will do this for free and quickly, because it is not good for business when their product kills people. If you suspect any gas leak at all, you should get it checked.

Second, whether your security bars are actually secure depends on how they are installed. Are they fastened securely? If you have a sash window like the one in the picture, usually both sashes can be moved up and down, but it's possible that in your installation the upper sash was not designed to move or has been fastened in place.

Regarding closing windows on upper floors for safety: usually only ground-floor windows need to be secured, as thieves tend to look for the easiest opportunity, and the challenge of climbing into an upper story window probably isn't worth it. Take a walk around your house, think about the top few ways you might get in if you lost your keys, and secure those things first. And let yourself enjoy a little fresh air at night. :)


Where can I find a bathroom fan that will fit in a 5" cylindrical space? The fan in the master-bathroom of my house recently stopped working.

The old fan is in a 5" cylindrical housing in the ceiling and the housing is not going to come out without major work on the ceiling.  Unfortunately all of my local hardware stores only seem to be stocking bathroom/vent fans that fit into 6-7" square housings.

Does anyone know of a place where I can find a smaller size fan?  I'm open to other suggestions as well but I'd prefer to not tear the whole bathroom ceiling apart.

I lived in a condo built in the early 50's with a super cool looking chrome bathroom exhaust fan.  The original motor finally died after 54 years of service... so I went looking for a replacement fan/light unit.

Unfortunately I was unsuccessful as well since the original fan housing is not the "standard" (read: newer) bathroom exhaust fan size.

Anyway, I was able to find a replacement motor for the exhaust fan assembly and it worked beautifully.  If the motor has any nameplate data on it - odds are you can probably find an equivalent replacement.

I bought mine from this place Replacement Bath Vent Fan Motors - just remember it doesn't necessarily have to say "bath vent fan motor" in order to work, so long as the motor nameplate data (volts, amps, HP) are similar.

Good luck!


Why don't bookshelves come with wall mounting screws included? I was assembling an IKEA bookshelf, and one of the most important steps to ensure safety is the installation of the L-bracket to secure the bookshelf to the wall. All the parts, including the bracket and the screw for attachment onto the shelf, are included (see below). To my disappointment, however, the long mounting screw for attachment to the wall is evidently missing. So now, I find myself unable to complete the project due to the missing mounting screws.
I don't think this is a special case for the bookshelf or for IKEA. Why don't furniture manufacturers include wall mounting screws in the package for convenience?

Source: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/assembly_instructions/billy-height-extension-unit__AA-982217-8_pub.pdf

From the linked assembly instructions:

Screw(s) and plug(s) for the wall are not included. Assess the
suitability of the wall to ensure that it will withstand the forces
generated. Use screw(s) and plug(s) suitable for your walls and the
intended load. If you are uncertain, seek professional advice. Read
and follow each step of the instruction carefully

If they included default hardware, customers would use it without thinking even in cases where it was not appropriate for their wall construction, presumably leading to a potential liability for Ikea. By not including any hardware for wall attachment, they put the liability on someone else to get the right kind of hardware for however the customer's wall is built.
This is some speculation about Ikea's reasons based on their instructions. I imagine the situation is similar for other furniture retailers.


Do circuits with #12 wire need 20A receptacles? In one of the bedrooms all of the duplex receptacles are 20 amps. Do I need a 20 amp switch?

Also, I have a garage which is about 30 feet from the house and the wire that goes underground is either 10 or 12 gauge. Do I need a 20 amp switch for that? I always thought that if you have 12 gauge wire the receptacles or switches should always be 20.

Also since my garage is all 12 or 10 gauge do the switches in the garage have to be 20 amp? I know NEC makes exception to this rule, but what is the correct thing to use?

Due to a special exception (NEC 210.21.B.3), you are allowed to use 15A receptacles (plural) on a 20A circuit.  In order to be UL listed, all 15A receptacles must prove they can handle 20A in all respects (except 15A to any one plug, since that still means 15A).

Almost every 120V receptacle is a duplex (double).  If you have a simplex (single) 120V/15A receptacle, that is special. As Ed Beal notes, since only one thing can be plugged in and it must be <=15A, the breaker must be 15A.  NEC 210.21.B.1.

if you switch a hardwired load, the switch only needs to be rated for the hardwired load.

If you switch a single receptacle, the switch must be rated for the maximum of that receptacle (perhaps 15A).   If one switch controls two or more receptacles, you could plug anything in there, and the switch must be rated for whatever the breaker is rated for.


New GFCI outlet won't reset after tripping when load wires are connected I'm attempting to replace the outlets above my kitchen counters after doing some remodeling. The old outlets were likely from the 1960's and I'm replacing them with 15 amp GFCI outlets.
We have 3 boxes above the counters plus one for the fridge on the same run:

Box A: 1 outlet
Box B: 1 outlet
Box C: 2 switches (undercab LED's, professionally installed and working before this, old florescent above sink) and one outlet.
Box D: 1 outlet for refrigerator.  Appears to be downstream from Box C which has black & white pigtails.  I unplugged the fridge before doing any of this.

I started by identifying line and load and working my way around, testing one by one.  I wired up Outlet A, tested reset & with a lamp.  Wired up Outlet B, tested reset & with a lamp.  Wired up first switch in box C (undercab lights) and tested.  Wired up second switch (florescent) & tested.
Now I had read old refrigerators and florescents can trip GFCI breakers so I wanted to test that.  I knew the florescent worked so I turned it off, plugged in the fridge, and waited for it to kick on.  That worked fine.  With the fridge on I then attempted to turn on the florescent - it tripped the GFCI outlet in Box A.
I unplugged the fridge and turned off the switches and attempted to reset the GFCI - it wouldn't reset.
I slowly worked my way backwards, unwiring everything I had done in reverse order and attempted to reset the GFCI outlet each step - same thing, a quick flash of the red LED and it won't reset.
I got all the way down to Box A and proceeded to disconnect the the white & black load wires from the outlet - it allowed me to reset and the green LED came on.
I don't understand why having the load wires simply connected to the terminals while nothing is active (or even wired) downstream would trip the GFCI.  I even proceeded to completely disconnect the florescent and undercabs despite the switches being removed.
Any tips would be appreciated, thanks.

If I'm understanding, your circuit runs from

Service panel -> receptacle A -> receptacle B -> switches and receptacle C -> fridge D

In a perfect world, we try to use one GFCI device per circuit when it makes sense to protect the whole circuit.  In this case, it does not.  The farthest thing from the service panel is the fridge, and it's desirable to avoid as long as possible putting GFCI protection on a fridge. (I can't tell you to violate the law, but the requirement for fridge GFCI in new work implies a new fridge which is built expecting to be on GFCI.)**

I understand the lighting at C is also not playing nicely with GFCI.

There is no way, given existing wiring, for a GFCI at A to provision GFCI-protected power to B and the C receptacle, but not the fridge. The wires are not there.

Given these constrictions, the most correct way to install this is with GFCI receptacles at each of A, B and C.   On each receptacle, you would pigtail to the LINE terminals only, and cover up the LOAD terminals.  The result of this is the lights at C and the refrigerator at D will not be on GFCI.

To assure nobody tries to plug a second thing into the fridge receptacle at D, I would change it to a single outlet (just one socket).

If at some point you want to repair the lights at C and move them to the LOAD terminals of the GFCI device at C, that would be fine.  Normally, when you don't have a fridge at the end of a string, you save a lot of money by learning to properly protect downline outlets with the LOAD feature.

There is no reason to tolerate an "old fluorescent" anywhere.  First, find a T8 bulb that fits the fixture, then get a modern electronic ballast that is correct for the T8 bulb.  Change the ballast and enjoy state of the art, hum-free, flicker-free lighting.  Or you can defer it; code doesn't require lighting be GFCI.

**  A GFCI trip on a fridge results in spoiled food.  Bad, especially if not detected by the food preparer - and before anyone tells me "the chef will detect this", baloney.  Try having a senior citizen with homecare aides coming in and out.  I assure you, food given to the senior is never tasted or even looked at closely. They will pour a bowl of cereal with sour milk and never know, and then coach the senior to eat it.  Seriously.


What could cause low water pressure in tub and no water coming out of shower head? Water pressure in tub has suddenly dropped and water will not come out of shower head at all. I can hear what sounds like water running up the pipe to the shower head when I have the tub faucets on, but when I pull up the diverter for the shower, no water comes out of the shower head.  Fixtures are about 20 years old. Will I have to tear out the tub surround to find the problem?

It sounds like one of your valves is not working correctly.  It could be that the handle is slipping or that the valve is clogged.  Does it feel like the handle is turning the valve, or is it slipping? If its slipping you can probably just tighten the screw.

As far as replacing it, you might get lucky and find a replacement valve, but in the event you don't, they make remodel plates which allow you to relatively easily replace a 3 handle setup with a 1 handle faucet.  The remodel plate covers up the area in the wall/tile you'd need to remove to swap it out; you don't have to tear out the entire wall.  If you can get in behind the shower you can probably do it without the remodel plate.


How can I reduce the sheen of Osmo Polyx hardwax oil? I put on a first coat of Polyx on my fir floor. I am regretting the choice of Satin instead of Matte. I can see it is quite shiny already on the harder/denser parts of the boards and I imagine that the softer areas are going get shiny after another coat.
Short of sanding out the first coat I just did and starting fresh with matte, are there ways of dulling the shine on hardwax oils?

I would try lightly sand the first coat (normal anyway to get a key for the second) and then continue with the matte oil for the subsequent coat or coats.
Having to thoroughly sand back the first coat would be more work but likely a surer outcome...


What is the part called that chainsaw bar flange nuts screw into? I have a Ryobi RY3716 chainsaw. I lost a bar flange nut and replaced it with a non-Ryobi part (something like this one).

The new nuts didn't fit exactly, but I forced them on, causing damage. Now I can't remove them without removing the bolt they screw onto. I want to replace the nuts and the bolt with Ryobi parts, but I can't figure out what the bolts are called.

The parts manual is here. The flange nut is 678339003.

They are generally called "bar bolts". These bolts are often pressed into the chain saw housing from the back side, it can be a complicated repair requiring significant disassembly of the saw.

Also, I do not see them on the parts diagram. This doesn't mean they are not available, but to find out you would have to call Ryobi customer service and explain what you need.

check out this video


White neutral wire wirenutted to black hot I have three 14/2 wires coming in to a box. The wire on the left goes to the garage door opener outlet. The bottom right goes to a single light switch and connects to the light as well. The other wire goes to a junction box that goes to some of the outside lights and their switches.
Why would the light switch white wire go into the wire nutted black wires? (Not understanding that at all).
I was basically planning to add an extra outlet to garage and was going to add one more wire in here but now I’m confused. Also they used that one terminal for two screws which seems like a no no. (This is  a prior homeowners contractor work or maybe original).

It's White, not Neutral, and it's probably (almost certainly, really) a switch loop. (So it's Hot.)
Per current code it should be remarked with red (my preference) or black or any other "hot color" at the ends, but it's common to encounter switch loops that were not so marked, either from before the code change or from workers who ignored the code change.
Additional pictures confirm it's a switch loop. Save some future pain and pull/twist/poke a pin in the holes of that switch to remove the wires from the "backstab holes" that go bad, and put them on the side screws that don't go bad.
Cut a short piece of white wire and connect it to the two white wires (that are Neutral) on the one screw of the lamp fixture with a wirenut or other suitable connector, and connect the free end of it to the screw on the fixture - it is indeed incorrect for that type of screw to have more than one wire. If you are planning to add an outlet, go ahead and add the neutral from that outlet to the bundle.
Since this appears to be an open/accessible garage situation, one option you might want to consider would be to go ahead and replace the 14/2 to the switch with a 14/3, thus bringing that switch box up to current code. You are not required to upgrade "grandfathered" work that was acceptable when installed unless making major revisions, but if it's easy to do, you might at least consider doing that. You could re-use the 14/2 for your new outlet.


White specks on framing lumber I'm asking about advise\idea\help.
I'm new home buyer in Austin area TX.
I bought a new home in the foundation stage. Now it's in the framing stage.
I found that some lumbers (about 4-5) on the first floor have some strange white dots.
How I understand,  it's "white speck". Wood is solid.
Should I be worried about this? Is it common\acceptable in the new construction?
Video: https://youtu.be/FbykXVZIKgs

That's insect damage from when the tree was still in the forest. It's not really a problem now since the board has been cooked in a kiln. Any insects have leave the vicinity or been destroyed by heat. A few such boards are common with any unit of lumber, but if you see more than maybe 5% like that I'd be questioning whether your builder is buying from a reputable source.
That said, boards like that tend to be very soft and shouldn't be used in critical locations. They include wood that was probably dead at the time of harvest and is partially decomposed. For a common stud, not a concern. For a header or other specialty bit, it's to be avoided.


Should I repair floor joists that have cracks or holes? The floor joists in my unfinished basement of a 1950s house  have nails that the previous owner probably used to hang items on.  Many of the nails have caused the floor joists to split.

I've been removing the nails because I'm not hanging stuff from the ceiling.

Should I bother to repair the joists or fill in the nail holes?  If so, what should be used?

Nail holes in a joist wouldn't concern me unless it affected a significant proportion of the joist. You can safely drill a hole 1/3 of the width of the joist in the middle for running wiring.

Cracking or sagging that is allowing the home to go out of level/plumb is a concern. It's best to get a structural engineer to evaluate this problem. The standard solution is to sister a second joist next to the failing one, and possibly add some support columns to a footing in the floor. You would first remove any blocking that's interfering with the new joist, jack up any low points on the old joist until things are level, install the new joist so each end is supported, glue and bolt the new joist to the original joist, install new blocking, and remove the jacks.


How do I make a bulk holding tank for fire trucks to fill, using 3 different tanks of different sizes and different elevations? I need to make a reserve of water for a fire truck to come and suck from.  I have 3 tanks on my site that I plan to pipe together, to make one location to suck from all the tanks.  Problem I have is that the tanks are at different elevations, so I will empty the highest tank and then the tank will draw air, and not draw from the lower tanks.  Or possible that the upper tank will end up filling and flooding the lower tank.
60 cubic meter upper tank, 72 cubic middle tank that is at the same elevation as the draw point, and 36 cubic lower tank.
Note that I can not use electrical items in the system, as it is a emergency supply water and I need to pretend there is no power.
The photo shows the connection point, which is a existing concrete tank underground where tank #1 is already connected.  Tank #1 is the easy tank as it is uphill to the connection point.
Tank #2 to the left is level with the connection point, and tank #3 is down hill from the connection point.

It comes down to, how do I take water out of all the tanks without the fire department sucking air, or running one tank empty?
My connection is both filling and unloading the tanks with water.  I expect if I fill tank 1 uphill I can always fill the other tanks from that tank.
One other thing, I agree with all you have said, is there any way to eliminate the valve on each tank, by maybe putting some kind of a gravity or float ball to stop the flow when the water gets to low.
In my cad picture you can see I put a back flow valve to keep water from backing up into the lower tanks, but then when you want to fill all the tanks, can just open the valve.

You appear to be setting this up to fail. Don't do that.
If you have three tanks at different elevations, your fire truck fill point is the bottom of the lowest one.
Your system fill point and vent is the top of the top one.
If the two lower tanks won't hold pressure (typical concrete tank that does not really have a tight seal at the top) you'll need float valves on the pipes that fill them from the higher tank so the water does not just leak out the top.


Why is lots of water bad for septic, and how can I take long showers without hurting it? I recently bought my first home that has septic, after 26 years of living with sewers. I've heard that putting lots of water down the septic all at one time is bad for the system, but I'm confused as to why. As I understand it, the septic tank pumps liquids and other broken down material into the leach field, so the water should go right through into the field.

Due to a chronic pain condition as a result of a car accident, I routinely take 2 hour hot showers to help be able to use my neck for an entire work day. With a standard shower head, this means I'm running about 250 gallons of water through the septic system. (And a low-flow showerhead isn't going to get me the pressure I need to help with my neck.) From an environmental standpoint, I'm not too concerned -- after all, I'm basically pumping the water out of my well and putting it back into the ground 100 ft away in the backyard, so the ecological impact shouldn't be too bad -- but I'm worried I'm somehow damaging my system.

Is this going to hurt the septic system? If so, is there something I can do (perhaps by modifying my plumbing and doing something else with shower waste water) to avoid damage?

It is similar to changing the water on a tank of fish, not quite but the best comparison I think of on the spot. Your septic system works by natural decomposition aided by bacteria, surprising similar to your stomach. Putting that much water into a septic field at once can disrupt decomp process by "shocking" the system or flooding/shaking it and moving the bacteria away from their food source. There are companies and even apartment complexes using septic so it all depends on the size of your system and if/how much you feed you system bacteria (there are quite a few products for this). If you find yourself needing to pump out your septic too often, or at all depending on the system, then I'd look into supplementing it with some products.


Easy Chair Long Screw needs to be tight I have an easy arm chair that I bought from Ikea. Recently its extra-long-screw that used to be on the sides of the chair got loosened somehow. I tried to tight it by force but it is like super loose and it seems like there used to be something that holds the screw to the chair. How can I tighten it? The screw used is given below:

That's a Poang.

The longer bolts (not screws) need a nut that has probably fallen out and got kicked under the sofa

The shorter bolts, used at the top of the armrest, probably screw into a threaded insert.

If this is problematic you can probably fit a T-nut (likely to be a metric thread)

While you are fixing this, you should tighten up the other bolts (as Ikea advise you to do periodically) or apply some non-permanent thread-lock fluid.

I have a couple of Poang disassembled in my garage, so I may be able to find out more later.


Can I disconnect a neutral whose hot is disconnected? I was replacing a light switch, and in the junction box there is a romex that comes in where the hot was cut and shoved back in the back. The neutral from the same romex wire is connected to the other neutrals. In our attic there is 3 feet of blown in insulation so it's impossible to see where that line goes, but I was wondering if there would be any reason that this neutral being disconnected would cause any harm, any danger, or affect anything else? If the hot wire is not connected, I don't know why they would have the neutral still connected. (We just moved into this house and there are countless electrical jerry rigging done throughout.
Can I safely disconnect the neutral that matches with the disconnected hot wire?

Be very careful.
If you disconnect the neutral from a device while the hot is still connected then the disconnected neutral conductor will become live.
Hots and the corresponding neutrals are normally supposed to run together and neutrals for different circuits are supposed to be kept separate. However just because something is supposed to happen doesn't mean it always does happen.
What I would personally do is turn off all power (not just the circuit you think is involved) and disconnect and cap-off the rogue Neutral. Then turn the power back on and go round the house to see if anything stopped working.


Surface Main Panel over Smaller Original Flush Panel Main Service Panel Upgrade Question.

I have a 1950s stucco home with a 100A flush service panel with meter; the panel does not have a main breaker. I would like to upgrade to a 200A service with a main, but a new 14.4 wide panel will not fit in the bay where the original panel is located. The original panel is 12” wide and so is the bay (it is close to a corner and all other bays are 16” O.C.).
One idea is to install a surface mount panel over the smaller original flush 100A panel. But if I do this the mast head conduit would be left attached to the original panel and the service conductors feed into the new 200A panel from a knockout in the back.  Would this be a NEC violation? The service conductors would be replaced and continuous from the new panel to the mast head.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

I would consider the old panel a gutter or wireway at since it is no longer used (no connections in it) at that point it would be legal be sure to install an insulated bushing in the knockout hole and it should be good to go.


Differentiating Between Latex vs. Oil Based Paint: Is smell alone enough of an indicator? Newbie painter here. I have been given a lot of paint cans, but most of the labels are obscured. I am trying to figure out if each can is oil-based or latex (for the purposes of cleaning the paintbrushes afterwards, as each type requires a different cleaning solution). I am told that the rancid smelling cans are the oil-based paints. Is this a hard-and-fast rule?

Normally, latex paint is water soluble while oil paint isn't, so trying to dissolve a drop of paint in water should give you an indication. Don't put water in the paint bucket; if it turns out to be oil base you'll ruin it.


diagram of a double p-trap for a double kitchen sink have a double sink in my kitchen and the water run back and into the empty sink. can I put a double p-trap in and will it stop the back rain

A separate trap won't solve this problem when the water backs up through the trap it will do the same thing. The trap is there to stop sewer gas from entering the home.


Return plenum too big for air handler? I am currently in the process of changing the air handler and heat pump in my house. I am working with a friend's father who does HVAC for a living. He came over and looked at my HVAC system and gave me a list of items to buy. I opted to go with a Goodman 3 ton split system. For the air handler I chose a Goodman ASPT - 3 Ton - Air Handler - Multi-Position - ECM Motor model #ASPT37C14. I saw that the dimensions of the air handler cabinet was 21 by 21. I also was told to get a UPFLOW FURNACE FILTER AND SUPPORT BOX - 21.5" X 28.5 for the return plenum which will sit underneath the air handler. I wanted to know if my return plenum was too big and he mistakenly had me buy one that was too big.  Unfortunately my friend's father is on vacation and not answering and since he is putting my system in as soon as he gets back, I was wondering if I needed a smaller return plenum.

Photo of plenum:

You do want your return larger this will not be a problem and allows room to install it then sheet metal or a flexible seal can be added. If things are two close it makes it tough to sweat the fittings


Extreme cold: Pipes seem ok, except hot water for bathtub which only trickles, despite being closest to water heater. Can it be frozen? Burst? Situation as described in the question. We have a peer & beam foundation. I already went under the house to check for a possible leak. The bathtub pipes are impossible to get close to, but from about 6-8 feet away I couldn't see any signs of a leak, nor could I hear any water drip or squirt or anything. The hot water pressure on the bathroom sink, which is downstream from the tub, has always been weak but seems normal.

Any ideas on what is likely to cause the lack of hot water for the bathtub?
Should I keep running the hot water trickle, in the bathtub and the bathroom sink? Or should I rather shut off the main and try to drain all pipes?

Unfortunately, I can't access the 5 or so feet of pipes where the problem has to originate from.
Thanks for y'all's advice,
Hannes

If it's frozen the water will not trickle.  It may be PARTIALLY frozen in which case running the water should eventually melt the ice and clear the line.  Run it slowly so that you don't dislodge the ice and have it block elsewhere.
Any water that is running in your pipes will be > 32F (0C) and should melt any ice it runs past.


How big should a gap be between a built-in oven and a shelf for mounting a microwave? I want to put a microwave on a shelf above a built-in oven.

What gap should I leave between the top of the oven and the shelf?

All appliances should list minimum clearances in the technical specifications, make sure you follow these.  There is no general rule of thumb as each appliance is different.  Some don't require any clearance and others requires a lot more then you'd expect.


What is the most affordable means of storing 3,000+ gallons (11,000+ litre) of rain water? I'd like to setup some rainwater storage, collecting water from the rainy season, so use later on the garden. The hardware stores sell water storage containers, but to store 3000 gallons (11,000 litre) would require $5000 of containers. In prehistoric times, people just built a pond-like reservoir nearby my house, but I believe the water would just evaporate. Is there a cheaper alternative for storing water? I have a 50 ft by 50 ft (15 metre by 15 metre) area of land to use.

Single large tanks
They sell plastic water tanks in the $1000 range for 3000 gallons (11000 litre).  Two such tanks were famously seen in Breaking Bad season 4, as the repository for both the magic “methylamine” they needed, and also for the (spoiler alert).
Figure on 8 foot (2.4 metre) diameter x 10 feet (3 metre) tall.
These tanks are absolutely enormous and come on a flat bed truck; the trucker will expect you to have a backhoe and rigging necessary to pick the tank off the back of the truck.
You could probably fetch one yourself, e.g. if you found a bargain on Craigslist; but to move it we’re talking a big 8 foot (2.4 metre) wide 2-3 axle trailer with a Reese hitch, and a big macho vehicle to pull it.  It’s not the weight, it’s the wind resistance - you don’t want your trailer or tow vehicle tossed out of control or flipped over entirely!

Arrays of small tanks
Country folk have a single “go-to” container: the  “intermediate bulk container” or IBC Tote. These are pallet-sized (40 x 48”, 1 × 1.2 metre) and hold usually 275 or 330 gallons (1040 or 1250 litre; note: multiples of 55-gallon / 208 litre drums). They are 4-5 feet (1.2-1.5 metre) tall.
Now, you can buy these new if you really, really, really want to... and I’m sure factories get quite a good price on them by the trainload. But the people proffering them in single quantity really stick it to ya - they’d brazenly charge $4 for a 2-liter soda-style bottle. (You can get ‘em full of soda for $2).
On the other hand, they’re usually single-use containers, especially food-grade ones, so industry winds up with a whole lot of ‘em.   Now, some clever people on Craigslist will clean them out for you and sell them to you for $35 to $75, but your best bet is call around to industry and service providers, and see who has way too many of them and will let you have em for nothin’.
I recently had a need for one, and a friend immediately offered me one from his workplace’s overstock, and driving through the local sawmill I saw another 30 or 40 piled up.


Can I install a service panel on an exterior wall? Is it within code to mount the breaker box on an exterior wall (not exterior but on a cold wall within the apartment)? The building inspector says insulation needs to put behind the box but there is old construction with 2x4 walls so no room plus box and wires are already installed.

I have never had an issue of a panel on an exterior wall infact over 95% of panels I have installed are on exterior walls or basement walls. If the inspector is concerned about condensation ask if he would allow a small device for dehumidification or low wattage fire rod would be allowed, many years ago I started putting low wattage fire rods in outside panels close to pools or water sources this keeps the panel just warm enough to not condense the moisture and extends the panel life.

But as I know of no direct code reference I would ask the inspector to cite the code reference that requires insulation.

I do know inspectors that try to pull crap on home owners and when I moved to a new county I had not worked in I think the inspector had 4 write ups and one would be considered a red flag (power down) I asked him what the code reference was because I had not touched that part of the structure, he stammered and said it was always that way I grabbed an older code book that I had at home and flipped it to the section and said no you are wrong and we can call the chief electrical inspector is you want to keep any of your opinions on the record. He then asked what are you an electrician and I gave him my number he wrote up a new inspection report with all items passing. So I know they do it maybe not all but in my location they do.


How to prevent the slats coming off the side beams of a baby's cot? Recently somehow our son's cot was broken and I had to take out the frame to see and it had loose slats and other parts coming off.

How can I keep the slats in the side beams and make sure they are tight?

You can see that the slats have glue on the ends. It was applied sloppily and the bonds let go. Get some good wood glue (Titebond, etc.) and use a cotton swab or similar to coat the entire inside of each slat socket in the rails. Also coat the slat ends lightly.

Assemble the railing (one or more helpers make this easier) and use rope or elastic straps to keep it together while the glue dries. Be sure that the rails are the correct distance apart to mate with other parts of the bed.

Use a damp cloth to wipe away any glue that squeezed out. Allow 24 hours for drying and reassemble the bed. Check occasionally for more leaking glue.


Can re-closing a circuit-breaker be dangerous? I have a circuit breaker that keeps tripping. When i try to reset (close) it, it immediately jumps back to the open position with a noise that sounds a little scary.

I have now stopped trying to do this and will get an electrician in to find and fix the short, but I was wondering whether re-closing a circuit beaker like this can actually be dangerous.

When it first trips, you should first eliminate any causes for it to trip before resetting it.

A standard circuit breaker (not a GFCI or AFCI) will trip because too many amps are pulled. If this is powering outlets, then unplug everything on the circuit. If it still trips, then either you didn't notice the fork stuck in one of your outlets (I had an exciting childhood), the problem is with a hardwired appliance, or there's a short, and you should get an electrician out to diagnose.

If it doesn't trip with everything unplugged, then it could be an overloaded circuit, which would still require an electrician to run a new circuit. However, overloaded circuits often take a short time to trip, and it would more likely be a faulty device that you can detect by plugging things in one at a time until the breaker trips again. Note that if any wires or extension cords are worn or frayed, then they are a fire and electrocution hazard and should not be used.

If the breaker is a GFCI (typically seen with outdoor or bathroom/kitchen outlets), then in addition to triggering on amps, it can also trigger when current is going to a ground. You can try the same diagnosis as above, but realize that this is a significant risk of electrocution if you become a better ground than the path the current has already found.

If the breaker is an AFCI (typically seen in newer homes to bedroom outlets), then it can also be tripping because of a an arcing current, either from a short in the wiring, a frayed wire, etc. This is an immediate fire risk rather than the slightly slower fire risk you expose yourself to by overloading the wiring with too many amps.

In all cases, if you can't isolate it to a bad device that you can unplug, get an electrician out to diagnose and repair. The risk of fire or electrocution is too great.


Removing light switch permanently I have a light switch that powers an outlet when it's turned on. I want to remove the switch, connect the wires and make the power in the outlet permanently on. In that case, what am I supposed to do with the ground wire that goes into the switch? The outlet is already grounded so can I just cap off the ground wire that goes into the switch?

With the light connected to the outlet it would violate code not to have the switch, if you added a ceiling lamp that was switch controlled then this outlet could be wired hot without violating code.


Replacing 4 Way Switch Trying to replace  which has 2 white wires, 2 red wires, with , which is labeled with in and out holes.

This is not correct, but I am not sure which way it should go or which wire is which! Any help appreciated.

3-way and 4-way circuits are simple. But they're made really strange because of the circumstances by which household wiring is done.  They're actually quite simple - forehead-slapping simple.

How hard is that? Switches line up, light comes on. This one's off, by the way.

Now a 4-way just goes in the middle between the 3-ways.  It either sends the yellows through straight, or crosses them.  Simple as that.   So what does that look like in actual wiring?

Disregard the color of the passing-through wire.

Notice the colored screws.   On 3-ways, there are 2 brass and the travelers go to them; black is common.   On 4-ways, there are 2 brass for one group of travelers, and 2 black for the other group.

How do we tell which travelers are in the same group?  Easy!  They came out of the same cable or conduit!

Colors: the real devil here

Now I notice you're not using yellow for travelers. Actually, you're using red and white because houses are wired with this stuff:

Which only comes in the one set of colors - black red white.  And of course you entered this deal thinking wires were color-coded for purpose.  You were thinking the red/white meant something.  Nope. Installers are stuck with the colors that come in the cable. Sometimes it "works out"; but often - and always in 3-way circuits - color coding goes right out the window, and it's catch as catch can.

They're only color-coded for purpose if you code them. That's why I own 10 colors of electrical tape :)  Mark wires religiously, both ends at the same time.  I'm fond of yellow for travelers since they are interchangeable (as you can see from the top drawing) and there's no need to distinguish one from another.


Gaskets for tap/faucet for drinking water Because a tap in our kitchen (used for drinking water) is dripping and the gasket* is old, I want to replace it. I find numerous gaskets on the market that would fit, but it always says on the packing "for household, but not for drinking water", or nothing at all. Not only in the internet, but even asking in several specialized stores, the reaction after asking for "drinking water approved gaskets" is astonishment.

*) Since there seem different translations and this was asked in the comments: by "gasket" I mean the "seal", the (usually black, sometimes reddish) rubber-like ring that prevents leaking, see image. Please correct my wording for this if necessary (just looked it up in the dictionary).

Questions:

Is there (as I believed) something like drinking-water approved gaskets (Germany: "KTW-Zulassung für Trinkwasser", "DVGW", "DIN")? Otherwise at least drinking-water appropriate, and how would I recognize that? (sth. like the Canadian http://www.canadarubbergroup.com/safe-materials-for-drinking-water-gaskets/)
Probably I am not allowed to ask for companies/distribution partners, but maybe someone has a hint on an appropriate search terms (German market). So far, my searches find products that are NOT driking water compatible (but contain all search terms plus a "not").

This puzzled me. After some looking, I think this is referring to the NSF 61 standards, or a similar European/German standard. If that's the case, the phrase "for household, but not for drinking water" would mean that the product has not been approved for use in an industrial system that processes drinking water, but should be acceptable for household use.

In that case, I'd recommend just looking up the possible materials, and buying a gasket that uses a material you like the look of.


Which windows work with which automated window openers? I need to replace all the windows in a house. In planning to do so, I'd like to preserve the option of eventually (not necessarily simultaneous with the new window installation) installing some kind of automated window opener like this one so that when home-automation technology is more fully mature, I can add some kind of window opening/shutting device that would communicate wirelessly with a home automation server and allow me to do things like open all the windows in the house from a remote location via my Android phone or tablet.

But it's clear to me that not all windows work with all window openers.

So does anyone know a good resource with a comprehensive list of automated/electric window openers and which windows they function properly with? Or perhaps a list of windows and which automated/electric window openers they work with?

Why would you want to do this? Home automation technology is a terrible idea IMHO. The stuff is expensive, there are no standards to make things work together, and it will all break in a few years and have to be replaced. Having been in many houses with this kind of equipment in them, I cannot honestly say any of them really added value to the house, made their owners' lives any easier, or saved anyone any time at all. Do you really have so many windows that you actually open and close frequently enough that walking around your house to do it yourself is a hassle?


Dryer wiring start problem I just moved into first house I bought. I buy a 4 prong dryer wire for my new whirlpool dryer. I used a 3 prong at my last residence and it started fine. But with 4 prong now when I hook up the neutral wire to pair it with the other neutral in the middle terminal, and put the ground wire hooked to the ground. It wont start. I've been reading you dont hook up the neutral with the ground, well I tried it that way just to see and the dryer started up... any suggestions? Hope I described this right for yall!

This wiring is insane.  It's so wrong it's not even funny.

They used 14/2 cable, which is half the necessary size, and will start a fire if used to power a dryer.

They also wired it up simply matching colors to colors. It is obvious that the person who wired it never actually tried it, and good thing too.

I get the impression that they did this to meet some statutory requirement, such as a buyer demand/seller commitment to fit an electric dryer outlet.  Either the seller DIYed it in a hurry without even thinking about the four terminals, or intentionally faked it to get to closing.

However, if they were exceptionally dumb, they may have put 240V across hot and neutral, which would have fried the dryer's motor and controls.

If the unit was used at all, it may be that someone had a gas dryer that someone had installed a NEMA 14-30 plug onto (which is wrong to do), and then they moved here, and put this in to match the weird wiring on their gas dryer.

Regardless, this is entirely unfit for service for an electric dryer.  The receptacle is salvageable.  The cable is not.  It will need to be re-pulled with a 10/3 (black white red bare) NM (Romex) or UF type.


Pros and Cons of opening wall between kitchen and dining room we have a wall between kitchen and dining room. We plan on making an opening about 5' x 3' in the wall.
Below the wall will be kitchen sink.
What are the pros and cons of making such opening ?

Having an open layout will make the home feel larger and less constraining.
Before opening the wall:

make sure you dont have any plumbing, electrical, water in the area you want to open or else you'll have to move all of that to the side which involves lots of work.
check to make sure its not a weight bearing wall (you might have to install a header if it is).

The only con I could think of is that the 5' x 3' opening is pretty small and would make it look like a service window at the local DMV. Making the opening wider/taller would create the open space that pretty much all builders do now-a-days. If you post a picture of both side of the walls and possibly a layout, we could give our two cents.


humidity level in a basement We have a small rec area, metal die cast tractors( about 8 bookshelves and 3 glass cases with a pool table and a concrete floor. What humidity level do I need to set my dehumidifier s on?

Generally between 40 and 60% is considered "ideal" for a controlled humidity environment. But you can set whatever you like; if "mold prevention" is a primary interest, "Below 70%" is suggested by this document from Florida Solar Energy Center. 60% might well prove more comfortable for people...but it will require more energy input to remove additional water.


How do I know when concrete needs replacing rather than just mud-jacking? I have a concrete driveway and path to my front door. Much of it has become unlevel and I'm contemplating having it mud-jacked. However, before I do, I wanted to know how I could easily tell when a piece of concrete was too far gone to mud-jack and just needs replacing.

The key criteria is how stable the ground beneath the concrete is.

If the ground is stable you can patch and mud-jack your driveway efficiently. Otherwise patches of any kind are a waste of time - after you patch the pieces won't be perfectly attached to each other, so they will come apart again in no time. If that's the case you have to remove the concrete, remove a layer of  ground beneath it, put a layer of crushed stone, ram the crushed stone thoroughly and then put the new layer of concrete. That will stabilize the ground and you'll have the driveway with decent lifetime.


How can I properly secure these tarps? I'm in the process of building my home and need some way to temporarily cover the garage door openings. I purchased a couple of tarps and secured them from the inside using some #10 ½" wood screws. This didn't stay up long due to the winds. I also tried securing the tarps using the built-in rings, but those also got ripped off.

Wrap the edges of the tarp around a 1x2 and then screw through the 1x2 and into the garage frame. The more times you can wrap, the better.

EDIT - just saw the last photo. You could screw a 1x2 against the side of the stud that the tarp is currently wrapping around.


How can I install a water inlet for a dishwasher? I am trying to figure out how to add a cold water inlet under the kitchen sink. The easiest thing seems to add a tee joint. Here is the picture of the cold water pipe going into the sink

 I seem to need a Washing Machine Tee Valve

But the part I am not sure about is how would it fit into the current joint correctly. Would I need an adopter of some sort?

Added:
The dishwasher only takes in cold water and has plastic end which can fit right into the valve or the single end of the Y joint. The current white flexi pipe is going in to the sink. I also have this strange stop valve type thing on the middle white pipe, what is that? Can it be used?

Where does the hose in that image currently go? Is that an existing dishwasher inlet or does it go somewhere else like a laundry closet or to a sprayer/sink?

Also, we need to know what type of fitting the dishwasher inlet will be. Most that I know of are threaded flex hose.

The part you show does not look like what you want, if you just want to screw it into your existing fitting. This part designed to be inserted into the middle of an ordinary copper pipe using compression fittings that join to an unthreaded copper or nylon pipe end, providing a ball-valve connection in the middle of that pipe suitable for a washing machine. You CAN use this, especially since you have a shutoff valve (which appears to have been installed in much the same way), but you must permanently alter your plumbing by cutting some part of the pipe in half to put this fitting in.

What you probably want is a male-male-female NPT equal tee or Y fitting, allowing you to screw in a second hose exactly like the one you have now. Something like this (from the same site) may fit the bill:

If you can find it in nickel-steel, it'll last a little longer, but this plastic fitting should be perfectly fine. Simple, near tool-less (just a pair of slip-joint pliers or a small strap wrench to tighten down the hoses), and undoable.


Where to check for neighbors stealing power? I recently bought a 900 sq ft house (84m²) and the electricity bill is insane, saying I'm using 4000 kWh per month. Winters are mild, the temperature floats to around 25°F (-5°C) at night, not much lower ever.
I'm examining all possible reasons; one potential is that a neighbor is stealing power. When I bought the house, there was zero landscaping, only bare dirt, so running a cable and kicking dirt over it would be easy, no need to repair any lawn.
I checked the area around the power meter and cannot find anything except cable TV and satellite TV cables. There is only one exterior outlet. Are there other potential places an electricity thief could plug in to steal power? Could they connect, for example, at a back-alley behind the house?

Understand how much power you are using
4000 KWH per month... 720 hours per month... that's 5600 watts on average all the time.
This is the equivalent of a dryer running continuously... 24 x 7...
If this was heating water, that is enough energy to heat nearly 1 gallon per minute continuously - nearly a low-flow showerhead.  A pretty big leak in the hot water system would do that.  A big leak!
If someone tapped an outdoor circuit, the most they could draw is 1800 watts or about 1/3 of your draw. That wouldn't explain this.
Since you don't have gas, the #1 probability is your heat. Resistive strip electric heat is CHEEEEAP to install and expensive to run.  (However in many locations where electric heat is popular, the power company often offers special electric tariff rates to make electric heat beneficial - so talk to your power company about rate plans).
To give you an idea how much heat this is, this is 19,000 BTU/hr continuously on average.   That's about right for heating a house.


Panel breakers are alternately 90 V and 140 V Everything in the house is acting up. The fridge has melted ice, the radio is acting strange, etc.

I multimetered the panel box and each breaker is either 90 V or 140 V alternately.
I have a plan to upgrade the box from 100 A to 200 A as the meter shows the system is set for 200 A. But meanwhile everything is acting up.

Call the power company NOW and report a power outage

The fact that you've worked on your panel is unrelated.  Given the testing you just did and the results you got -- you have a power outage at the meter pan or before.  It could be where the neutral service wire connects to your neutral bar, but that's the only place it could be on your side, and super easy to check.

To be more precise, the type of outage is a "Lost Neutral".

Loss of a supply wire at or before the meter pan is a power outage.

If the dead supply wire is a hot, half your panel will work.  If the dead supply wire is a neutral, your 240V loads will work and your 120V loads will have scary weird voltages on them.

It's still a power outage and should be treated as such.

As long as you are confident in the quality of the connection between your neutral service wire and your neutral bus, you should button up the panel and there's no reason to show it to the power company.  Everything they'll care about will be at the meter pan or their side of it.

DON'T procrastinate this or try to work around it by balancing loads etc.

Seriously, unless you plan to shimmy up a pole with a set of Allen sockets, every possible path ends with you calling the power company and them fixing their service-drop issue.  Which they will do for free, same-day and probably 10 minutes up on the pole.  And then you'll be like "darn it Harper, why didn't you lead with 'Call the power company', why send me in circles doing all that other stuff first?"


How to leak proof roof? I'm working on converting an external garage into an office.  I've removed the original flat roof and replaced with a pitched roof.  I designed and built the roof trusses myself.  I then put underlayment on the timbers and tiles until the job was complete.  The tiles overlap and are screwed to the woodwork.

The problem is that the pitch of the roof is such that when the rain is at an angle, water gets in at a few spots.

The question is, what's the best way to resolve this?  I don't want to redo the roof, so I was thinking of using Marine plywood secured inside immediately under the tiles with felt on the plywood, creating a run off to the bottom of the roof and to the outside.

Would this work? Is there a better solution?

Another thing I was thinking of was using expanding foam instead between the tiles to seal up any gaps or places where water could get in.

[edit] Please see below a screen shot of the roof structure taken from 123D Design:

The trusses are 462mm apart, each truss is made from pressure treated timber 38mmx63mm.  The root is 4840mmx4226mm.

The underlay is from Jewsons, http://www.jewson.co.uk/search-results/?keywords=roof%20underlay

The tiles overlay at least 2 inches.  The underlay overlaps approx 3/4 inches.  There is nothing under the underlay except the trusses.  There are at least 2 leaks.  The pitch of the root is approx. 30 degrees.

Hope this is the required information.

You have either, too flat of a pitch in your roof or installed your roof tiles incorrectly. Just accept it and move on.

It's going to have to be redone. You would be wisest to tear it all out, then get someone who knows how to do it correctly in to do it. If you half-ass it now, it will just come back later, usually after causing structural damage for years.

Sorry, I know the truth hurts, but it's better you know now.


How do I replace the cartridge on this tap? I have this specific tap
https://www.screwfix.com/p/seaford-basin-mono-mixer-tap-with-pop-up-waste/853fv
On my bathroom basin. It is leaking from the cold water stem when turned on, so I believe I need to replace the cartridge on that side.

I have consulted several articles and videos and it's fairly clear what has to happen, but I cannot figure out how to remove the handle.

I have several theories, but nothing wants to budge (probably in part because of 10 years of hard water) and I don't want to apply the level of force required to turn a jammed 10 year old part unless I know I'm doing it the right way.

So does anyone know specifically how to gain access to the cartridge on the above linked tap?

Unfortunately that seems to be a discount "unbranded" faucet; in other words it is likely mass produced in the far east or is an unlabeled version from a more common manufacturer. As such, finding parts diagrams to help with disassembly will probably be just as difficult as finding any actual parts.

I will say that the cartridge for this style is commonly accessed by removing the chrome "button" at the top of the handle, then removing a screw underneath that holds the handle on. Once the handle is unfastened and removed (which may require a handle puller tool if it's stuck), then the threaded chrome collar is unscrewed anti-clockwise (when looking from the top). Then the cartridge can be pulled directly out.


How do I keep my house cool especially my terrace during summer? I live in Bangalore in an apartment on the top floor and during summer, my terrace (built of concrete) absorbs a lot of heat. When I come home and switch on the fan, it ends warming my room and it is not cool throughout the night. The sun doesn't shine through windows or the walls much since there are trees in my apartment which help, but it is the terrace that takes a lot of heat especially during afternoons. Can anyone give any simple DIY approach on how I can keep my terrace cool. (I am not looking to install any kind of air cooler.)

Some options I thought of were:

Hang a cloth on some poles to cover the terrace.
Keep plants on the terrace (not something my
    association will approve)

Does any one have any ideas?

Im not sure what building codes or home owner's restrictions there may be but this is a common solution:

There are many types of variations that are tied to houses, stand alone, etc. It is basically a set of posts (or house attachments) with a top plate and vertical boards (pressure treated of course) affixed. This example then has cross bracing so there will be less warping over time. The key is to align the tall boards East to West so that as the sun rises its angled rays do not penetrate to the patio. The height and spacing of the vertical shade boards is based on sun angle mid summer since that is when the sun is highest. Do it right and there should only be sun on the patio when the sun is lower in the sky (winter, spring, fall) as well as possibly early morning and late evening.


What are the pros and cons of sash vs. tilt and turn windows? I've lived in both Germany and the US and one of the biggest construction differences is the style of windows used. In Germany, the most common window design is tilt and turn. In the US, a variety of windows are used, but I would argue that in private homes, sash windows are the most common. I have never seen a tilt and turn window in the US.

Here's an illustration of the different types for those who haven't heard them described by these names before.

In words, tilt and turn windows can be opened in two ways: (1) on a hinge at the side of the window similar to a casement window, and (2) on a hinge on the bottom of the window similar to a hopper window. The position of the handle determines the direction in which it opens. A sash window slides up and down in its frame, in the US sash windows are often called double or single hung windows depending on whether both halves of the window can open.

I have found no source comparing tilt and turn to sash windows. The arguments that I have read in favor of sash windows in general cite 2 main reasons to prefer sash windows

Aesthetics i.e. people like the way they look
Ventilation i.e. you can open either the top or bottom half of the window without needing to prop the window open

But tilt and turn windows arguably have similar advantages

Aesthetically, you can have a larger uninterrupted piece of glass or you can use several panes to get the same visual effect as a sash window.
Because you can open the window in two ways, you can control the amount of ventilation
Additionally, because the window opens all the way horizontally, you can easily clean both sides of the window. There are modern sash windows that allow the window to pivot for cleaning, but this is not part of the basic design.

Other than historical reasons, i.e. tilt and turn windows were first adapted in Germany, sash windows were first adapted in England, why are tilt and turn windows not more common in the US? Are there other pros of sash windows and cons of tilt and turn windows that I am overlooking?

I think this probably has more to do with regional building habits than any systematic optimal decision. I agree, what you call "tilt and turn" windows seem to be more common in Europe. In the US (and elsewhere?) a similar style is a "casement" window, although it's not as functional (doesn't open as far and doesn't offer multiple ways of opening).

I have seen "tilt and turn" windows used in the US in basements, since they can satisfy emergency egress requirements. Perhaps they are less common in general use because they are more complicated / expensive? The latching and hinging mechanisms are much more complicated than a sash window, which typically is just held in place by friction.


Shower pan drain leak After a nice shower today I went downstairs to see water running out of my can light below the shower. I rand water down the actual shower drain and the other upstairs showers for about 15 minutes so I concluded the leak was from the pan drain(down the sides of the pipe). When I went to go fix it though there is no nut like I have seen before. Just the abs pipe coming up with a rubber ring around it. Can I just replace that ring or using silicone around it? I am redoing the bathroom but not for a few months so need a temp fix

Usually the rubber hub seals on the pipe. Since it appears it is not sealing I would clean it and give it a try with silicone.


Looking for NEC reference on resizing main panel that will feed a new panel for 2nd unit I've replaced several meter panels and subpanels over the years but I never had to figure out amp ratings for a new dual meter main. Here is what is existing:

125A meter main panel feeding house

1 1/4" pvc underground pipe to garage feeding 50A sub

Here is a description of the finish product:

Main panel that feeds front house is replaced
Garage is converted to a single family dwelling unit, will now call it "rear unit"
Rear unit new 125A sub panel is feed on its own meter from new dual meter main panel at front unit

Questions:

How do I size the main panel? 200A or 400A?

Does the optional ampacity calculation in the NEC give a more reliable answer?

What is the best formula for converting the total wattage of the front unit to find the amp rating for this new main panel?

Power: Electric houses just need a lot

Generally speaking, all-electric houses get 200A, 320A or 400A service.   Now you are adding a second dwelling that's also all-electric. So we can definitely disqualify 200A (for both) as inadequate.

Therefore your best bet is a 400A meter-main.  Even if the power company won't provision that much, they could upgrade the service later if your usage warrants it.

The size of the main breakers will be decided by the power company.

Subpanels: Think big

As for the subpanels, **the single most important thing about panels is to provision enough spaces. 40 spaces per panel is not too many, especially in an all-electric house where many loads will be 240V and gobble up 2 panel spaces.  30 spaces is a bare minimum that will likely cause you trouble later, but it may be suitable for the auxiliary dwelling.  Given the small cost to upgrade to a 40-space, there's no reason to paint yourself into a corner.

We certainly do not want you back here later going "my panel is full, how do I add this breaker?"

And double especially, don't make the most common mistake I see: chintzing out on the panels, and then spending a fortune on copper wire when aluminum is the right stuff, and 1/3 the price.

You may be accustomed to using "double-stuff" breakers to economize on spaces. These are no longer practical, due to the need for almost every breaker to be AFCI or dual mode AFCI/GFCI. These are not made in double-stuffs.

You mentioned a 125A subpanel, and that will surely be much too small in terms of numbers of spaces. The subpanels can be any size you please; that is merely a current limit for the buses and it doesn't need to match the official main breaker in the meter-main.

If the subpanel has its own main breaker, there's no need for it to match either.  So you can feed a 225A subpanel from a 125A or 200A main - no trouble at all.   The panel in the house doesn't even need a main breaker since it's in the same building as the meter-main.  If it's not attached (e.g. via a breezeway), the auxiliary dwelling would need a "main breaker"; actually what it needs is a main disconnect switch, but using a "main breaker panel" is usually the cheapest way to do that.


Are the indoor unit's fan suppose to stop when set temperature is reach for Dakin mini splits? I have a Daikin ductless heat pump with 3 heads. When the set temperature is reached, no heat comes out and the fan stops? Is the indoor fan supposed to stop after reaching the set temperature? I don't remember seeing this behavior when running on cooling mode this past summer.
Thanks.

I can't speak to this specific unit, but in general forced air HVAC systems have two modes for fan:

Auto = Fan runs whenever the heat or air conditioning is running - i.e., to circulate the hot or cold air

On = Fan runs all the time.

Most often I see "Auto". Occasionally people prefer "On", especially in the current pandemic as constantly circulating air means it passes through air filters more frequently. (On the other hand, most HVAC air filters aren't all that great and it also means you circulate the germs...so who knows what is best. As with so many other current "recommendations". But I digress.)
Arguably, fan "On" in cooling mode makes sense as circulating air, even if it is not "cold", helps you feel cooler. Same idea as ceiling fans, though less forceful.
Anecdote time:
I had a commercial customer (computer hardware/software, not HVAC). They got a new HVAC system with a fancy thermostat. They ran a nearly 24/7 operation, at least from 4:00am Monday to 6:00pm Friday - sales & accounting during the day, order processing/shipping through the night. They wanted the fan "On" all the time. The HVAC people tried but couldn't figure it out even though that was their job.
I read through the Chinglish manual and figured it out. The thermostat wanted to divide every day into "occupied" and "unoccupied" times. During the occupied times, fan On vs. Auto worked as desired. During the unoccupied times, the fan would always be in Auto mode. That actually made sense for a typical user - if you have substantial time where a building is unoccupied, it makes sense not to run the fan since nobody is there to appreciate the cooling effects (in the cooling season) and/or just not have the air feel "stale".
The solution: Set the unoccupied times to 2 15-minute intervals (e.g., 7:00pm - 7:15pm and 8:00pm - 8:15pm) and the rest of the time (23-1/2 hours a day) the fan would stay on as desired.


Does a thermocouple need to be screwed in to work? I'm recently having trouble with a water heater. The pilot light with ignite just fine, but will go out after releasing the reset button, even after holding it for over a minute. That makes me think the thermocouple is bad.

In addition to that, the hole where the brass nut that holds the thermocouple in place is stripped out. I cannot get the nut into the hole. I tried holding the thermocouple in place with my hands and also with strands of duct tape and the pilot would still not stay lit.

But would the pilot stay lit if the bolt were not in place, or does the bolt serve a purpose other than securing the thermocouple that allows it to function?

To be clear for future searchers: the nut is critical, it provides half of the electrical connection.

A thermocouple requires two wires to function: electricity is generated at the junction of two different metals and two wires are needed for current to flow.  While some thermocouples have two wires, the original poster is talking about a model with one wire.  The case of the thermocouple must firmly contact the frame of the furnace, to complete the circuit.  Consider buffing the furnace frame with steel wool to remove rust and scale.


I have 2 identical overhead projectors with bad diodes, but the diodes have different numbers. How do I find the right one that works? I have 1 overhead projector that blows a new lamp right away. The correct lamp is rated 82Vac and 360W. I have 120Vac to the lamp, which makes sense why the lamp is blowing immediately. The only items in front of the lamp in the circuit are a fuse and a diode. Similar problem with my second projector except my voltage to the lamp is 24vac. I believe I have 2 bad diodes, but each diode has a different number even though they look very similar. I don't know which one could be the right one. The manufacturer can't tell me because they don't sell parts for these, they just warranty them out with full replacement. I don't qualify for direct replacement unfortunately. Does anyone know how to figure the right diode for what I need in this circuit? I'm an electrician but I don't work with electronic components. All I know is diodes allow current flow in one direction.....

That link looks like the same question I agree.
 We really don't need a photo of the diode just the numbers will work. Diodes are rated on the ammount of current they can rectify and the peak inverse voltage (for general purpose types). The normal failure is the junction shorts until enough current is available to blow the junction open. The diode failure in this case is probably due to excessive current not the PIV, installing a diode with a higher current rating should do the trick. Make to note the stripe on 1 end of the diode and install the new one the same way so the polarity is correct for any wave shape or starting components that may be part of the circuit to get the lamp started.