How to create dim cosy lighting I am trying to create dim lighting at my lounge. The problem I am facing is lack of knowledge or understanding of the light positioning, intensity and light reflection. I made a few experiments but failed miserably.

I would like to create enough light at the couch, so I can read a book, but at the same time I don't want to have a bright source of light as it will mess the ambient atmosphere. I tried using halogen bulbs, but looks like I need to use a dimmer with them.

I have a single ceiling light and 3-4 floor and table-standing light sources with no built-in dimmers. I was trying to use low power bulbs, but that just create irritating lighting - semi darkness.

Could anyone answer or recommend books/blogs on how to create dim cosy lighting?

There are numerous plug-in dimmers that can be used with floor or table lamps, for example

These can be used with incandescent or halogen bulbs.  If you are considering CFL or LED bulbs, you need to select dimmable versions of the bulbs and a dimmer specially designed for those type bulbs.

You also might consider using a wall mounted dimmer replacing the existing switch for your ceiling light.

This would allow you to set a level and turn it on or off, maintaining the same level.

In general, when trying to create a cozy atmosphere, people tend to use indirect lighting and multiple, low level sources rather than a single source. This obviously is a much bigger project, but something to consider. Also, using lampshades on floor and table lamps that are opaque and only cast light up and down (not sideways) helps to create an atmosphere.


Can two kitchen disposals share a circuit? I'm in California.

Current code, AFAICT, requires a dedicated circuit for dishwasher. That means that, by default, the disposal (being under sink) would also have its own circuit.

In my kitchen renovation we're intending on two disposals. One in a primary sink and another in a prep sink. They will be on different receptacles, on opposite sides of the room.

Can these two disposals share a single 20A circuit or must each disposal have a dedicated circuit?

Which code are you referring to? I am not aware of any requirement in the NEC that requires a dishwasher or a disposal to be on a separate circuit. However it is considered good practice.

Since you are asking about two disposals, we are talking about two motor loads. 2017 NEC Article 220.18 (A) Motor Operated and Combination Loads, states that the calculated load of motors or loads, shall be 125% of the largest motor and the sum of all the other motors and loads. HP to Amperage conversion can be found in NEC Table NEC 430.248.

For example if you are installing 2 disposals that are both 1/2 HP the required amperage would be 9.8 amps, 9.8+9.8+(25%*9.8)= 22 amps. So that would be too large for a 20A circuit. If the disposals where 1/3 HP it would change to 7.2+7.2+(25%*7.2)= 16.2 amps, which would fit on a 20A circuit.

This example shows that it would not be wise to put any disposals on the same circuit. Since even though you might install 2 1/3 HP disposals or less, someone in the future could change them out to larger HP later and overload the circuit.

Remember I said it was good electrical practice. A good electrician will always size a circuit to handle all future loads, not just the ones present at the time.

Good luck with your project.


Piece of brass in air compressor tank -- problem or no? I recently inherited my first air compressor, which had a broken brass drainage valve. While attempting to remove it, I further broke the valve and lost a piece inside the compressor tank. I've tried tipping the tank around to roll the piece into the drainage hole, without success so far.

After initially giving up, I put a new valve on and ran the compressor up to ~50psi.

Is there any risk of running the compressor as is, with a loose piece of brass knocking around the tank? If not, what can I do to retrieve it?

Is there any risk of running the compressor as is, with a loose piece of brass knocking around the tank?

I dont think a loose piece of brass will be any issue.

  If not, what can I do to retrieve it?

Depending on the style you could perhaps de-pressurize the tank and remove the compressor or compressor discharge tube, giving you access to a larger port in the tank where you might be able to dump the loose piece. This can also lead to problems with leaks on the compressor discharge though... I think you are better off leaving it be.


Double sink with disposal - water shoots up when disposal runs I have a double sink with a disposal on the right side.  The disposal joins the left sink drain via a slip joint baffle tee below the left sink then the drain goes to the P-trap and out.  It was installed by a licensed plumber.

Every time the disposal is turned on water shoots up into the left sink which is where we like to keep a dish drainer.  What can be done to stop the water from shooting up?

My instincts are inline with the comments by MonkeyZues and Solar Mike. The impeller design of some disposals accelerates the discharge. A partially plugged trap will send water up, following the path of least resistance (and still let the sinks drain). If the discharge from the disposal swept down (with a swept tee) the discharge would be directed down instead of splashing into the vertical-side of the straight tee. Both ideas are simple and inexpensive - cleaning the trap and swapping the tee.


Making cement look glossy I'm trying to paint my porch, but I was wondering how to make the cement kind of glossy. I want it to look like marble. What can I do?

The most important thing you need to do is prepare the surface properly, which means removing all existing coatings and/or foreign material from the concrete surface then etching it with acid. if you are comfortable undertaking this yourself, there is a lot of online information and tutorials. Follow the preparation instructions for the coating you choose to the letter.

After thorough prep you would use epoxy concrete paint. It is a specialty coating requiring special application techniques. There are concrete paints available that are designed to look like marble when applied properly. Use your Google-Fu, check this link: marble floor coating kits, then go to a reputable paint store to gather even more information.


What kind of repairs are prudent for a ridge board damaged by a falling tree? The limbs of the tree punctured the roof in at least two spots, so we're already looking at repairs. Upon closer inspection within the attic, I noticed that the ridge beam is just slightly splintered near one of the puncture spots close to the apex.

Click on photo for full size

I'm working on documenting everything to present to the insurance claims adjuster. I've dealt with tree on roof damage before; my previous experience was not great so I'd just like to get all my ducks in a row regarding what must be repaired.

How important is it that this fractured ridge beam gets repaired? Does the whole beam need to be replaced, or can it be "patched"?

As this is a 1x board, I take it this is a ridge board and not a true beam. If this is in an attic and there are ceiling joists below the rafters making a triangular structure, the ridge board has little structural value, it just serves to tie the rafters together, it does not support any vertical loads. In that case, nail/gluing patch blocks on each side will suffice as a repair.

If this is a true load bearing beam, (unlikely since it appears to be a 1x board) it would have needed to be replaced in it's entirety unless a licensed engineer could design a proper repair to the beam.


What is this white sheet behind the insulation? Was in a house this weekend with a little bit of insulation. Behind it was a white sheet that i haven’t seen before. Is it a vapor barrier?

It's a vapor barrier, but a poorly installed one... maybe just because of the window. This room looks like it's going to be a bathroom of some sort.


Can a 240V circuit be split to make two 120V circuits when 240V is no longer needed? I have a 240V circuit that is no longer needed. Can I split it into two 120V circuits?

Short answer - you can easily convert to a single 120V circuit but you can't convert to two circuits, you have two wires and you need three or four.

Your 240V branch circuit is supplied by two wires originating at a two pole breaker in the panel.  You could remove the two pole breaker, install a single pole breaker, land one wire on the breaker and the other on the neutral bar, and you have a 120V circuit.

To get two 120V circuits, you have two options:

two separate circuits wired with four wires
a single multiwire branch circuit with three wires - two hots and a shared neutral

If you're wired with conduit and have the space, it's usually pretty easy to add one or two wires from the breaker to the outlets.  If you're wired with cable - either nonmetallic / romex or armored MC / AC / BX, it's more of a project.  But it's not a simple conversion.


Can I use a two-pole single handle breaker for mwbc? I have a mwbc with two 20A breakers with their handles clipped for common trip.

Can I replace this ensemble with a single two-pole 20A breaker with just one handle?

New panel in CA.

I'm unsure whether the single handle will trip if the sum over both hot lines is 20A, versus the current setup will allow 20A on each hot line.

I suspect I can because if this were not a mwbc but 240v the breaker would tolerate 20A on each hot leg.

The 2-pole 20A breaker is correct for an MWBC.

The only difference between a 2-pole breaker and two 1-poles handle-tied is that the 2-pole breaker guarantees common trip, and the handle tie does not.

Yes, a 2-pole breaker will let you flow 18A on one leg and 19A on the other.  The breaker has no connection to neutral and does not know or care what current is flowing on neutral.

MWBC does not require common trip, only common maintenance shutoff.  Nonetheless, we recommend a 2-pole breaker, because they are available everywhere for 2x the cost of a single... rather than 2 breakers with a handle tie, because listed handle ties are often difficult to find and add unnecessary cost, and we don't want you using a nail or nothing at all indefinitely while "get a handle tie" sits on your D-list of priorities.  2-pole is also the only reliable advice when double-stuff breakers  are involved.


Why do some free-standing ice makers need floor drains? I am about to begin a bar installation project. I need an ice maker. There appear to be two kinds of free standing ice makers - those that do and do not require drains.

Why does one type need a drain?

Are there other differences between these two types?

Are there any definitive advantages of one type over the other?

Is there standard placement for floor drains, or do I need to purchase and have the specific unit on hand before the plumber places the drain?

Most commercial-grade ice makers don't maintain freezing temperatures in the actual ice bin; the ice itself keeps the temperature cold in the bin, and the refrigerator coil then only has to freeze the ice tray. This strategy has several advantages:

The "cold" side of the refrigeration coil can be placed inside the bin, right against the tray, so it makes ice faster than your "frost-free" kitchen freezer icemaker, without needing to be defrosted (because it doesn't have to maintain freezing temperatures, it defrosts itself automatically between batches).
The coil and overall refrigeration system is thus more efficient at what it does (making ice quickly).
The ice is easier to scoop as it doesn't melt and refreeze when exposed to the bin door opening and closing.
The ice is "warm ice" which, again, won't try to refreeze after it melts in your drink (forming that big ice ball you get from cubes or crushed ice from your kitchen freezer.)

But, the downside is that the ice is continually melting and must be replaced with new ice, and the melting water has to be drained. Commercially, the amount of water lost to melting is usually pretty low because the ice is consumed relatively fast, but there is some and it does have to go somewhere. Your kitchen freezer, at about 0*F, can maintain hard frozen ice indefinitely, so it doesn't need a drain and it only has to replace the ice at the rate it's used, which is a good thing because the ice tray relies on ambient air temperature to freeze the water, instead of active transport of heat by the clooling loop in contact with the tray. Similar "home-grade" ice makers are smaller in size and keep the ice frozen. These are good for the occasional large party, but they just don't make ice fast enough for a drink station at a restaurant or concessions stand.

As far as placement, the drain line can pretty much be anywhere and go anywhere, as long as it goes into the sanitary sewer and obeys all other code regarding slope, length to the nearest vent stack, etc. There is a big difference between your basement floor drain and the one in a professional kitchen; the one in your basement was designed to drain relatively clean water either from a plumbing failure or from weeping through the basement walls. It ties into the municipal storm sewer, an "open" sewer designed for precipitation, which will dump any water you put in it directly to the nearest creek. Professional kitchen floor drains tie into the sanitary line, which is the "sealed" sewer that carries food and bodily wastes and cleanser residues from most of your interior drains out to the wastewater treatment plant where those wastes are removed. So, if you buy an ice maker that needs a floor drain, you will need to have a drain specially installed that feeds into the sanitary line. The design is pretty standard; a 3 or 4-inch line, with or without a grate over it, that drops straight down about a foot into a J-trap, and from there to the main sanitary trunk line. This drain will need a backflow preventer on it.


Are there clips or "cotter pins" which can't get knocked out by accident? My tractor has several R-clips, like this one:

These are used in various places. The problem is that they tend to get knocked off by branches or longer grass / brush and get lost.

I've tried orienting them both ways (or multiple ways if the pin they attach to can rotate) but to no apparent benefit.

Is there some other kind of clip or pin which would be available in a similar range of sizes (varied... but all are 2" / 5 cm or less, roughly) but be more resistant to coming off?

I've looked around my local hardware store and the options don't obviously seem any better. They have something like this:

which seems to me just as likely to have the same problem.

As a backup I may replace some of them with bolts, but obviously this sacrifices the convenience of adjustment that these removable clips are meant to provide.

Our lawnmower shipped with pins that look like this.

I took them off because I thought they were used because they were cheap (somebody at Sears was laughing all the way to the bank over the 1" less of spring steel rod they use per fastener.  I switched to the proper kind, the ones you show in OP.

They fell off at such a rate that I soon ran out of them, and was forced to go back to the original (here above) kind.  They have been reliable.

Hard to take off, but that appears to be the necessary compromise.


Converting from a Trane XT500C AC Thermostat to Honeywell TB8220U1003 VisionPro 8000 All,
I am trying to upgrade my Thermostat and am very confused how to connect the wires correctly (Florida house built 1991, AC and heat strips, no furnace):
As is, Trane XT500

Blue to B
Red to R
White to W
Green to G
Tan to O (I think this is supposed to be Orange)
Yellow to Y1
Jumper W to X2

On the Honeywell:

There is B/O not B and O as separate connections.
There is no W.
There is no X2.

Available Connections are:

on Left:

Y2
L
A
W1
S1
S2

on Right:

RC
R
O/B
Y
G
C

I would greatly appreciate any help!!!! This should be easy, but I don't want to guess.
Here is the Trane (before) image:

Here is the Honeywell Replacement (VisionPro 8000 TB8220U1003):
 As you can see we ran the wires from what seemed obvious/reasonable, but didn't know what to do with the white wire. Also, we connected the Blue and Orange (tan) wires together into the O/B slot. Don't know if that is good or bad.

![mid wiring diagram
]8

Trane nomenclature's a bit different

Trane decided to be different (and a bit difficult) with their heat pump thermostat nomenclature: while O is indeed the reversing valve connection, they called the common B (blue) instead of C (for Common).  So, your correct wiring is:

White (W on the old 'stat) goes to W1 on the new 'stat
The jumper from W to X2 on the old 'stat gets discarded (X2 was emergency heat, but the Honeywell is smart enough to mux that onto W1 in heat pump mode)
Red (R on the old 'stat) goes to R on the new 'stat (the R-RC jumper stays put)
Tan (O on the old 'stat) goes to O/B on the new 'stat (some other people designate the reversing valve terminal as B, but Trane went and used that for the common terminal instead)
Yellow (Y1 on the old 'stat) goes to Y on the new 'stat
Green (G on the old 'stat) goes to G on the new 'stat
and Blue (B on the 'old stat) goes to C on the new 'stat (not to O/B where you have it now)


Garages and Gas Water Heater Vapor Elevation I just had a Rheem gas hot water heater installed in my garage. They put it on the floor and said that it doesn't have to be elevated as per code. Were they full of crap?

According to the manufacturer's installation instructions, Rheem gas water heaters with FVIR can be installed directly on a garage floor, without the normal 18" stand. This allowance is only if local codes do not contradict:


Deciphering an Asian Bladder Pressure Tank + Pump I have a bladder pressure tank + pump combo, and I'm trying to figure it out. It came with no manual, was bought in Cambodia, and is being used on the second floor of a home using city water (which is low pressure). It supplies an LPG water heater, which requires better flow. I want to make sure that the bladder pressure tank is properly charged, but I have no clue to know what the pressure ranges are to make sure it doesn't cycle (it currently cycles a lot).

Does this label contain that information? How do I interpret this label? If this information isn't provided, what can I do?

The unit looks like this:

That label describes the motor specifications, not the pressure tank.
Single Phase, 220 Volt 50 hertz, 1/2 horsepower (.5 HP), 2850 Revolutions Per Minute (RPM), Continuous Service (SERV C), Suction 9 (possibly BARS).

I'm not sure what the other abbreviations are, but they could be related to the pressure tank.

Most pressure tanks work based on what you want your target pressure to be.

In english, my large 80 gallon pressure tank keeps my household water pressure around 60PSI (~4 BARS). In most cases, the bladder in this tank would probably be set to a similar pressure (size of the tank shouldn't matter, pressure is pressure).

Your tank looks a little small for a water heater supplying a shower or something using a similar volume, so you can expect it to cycle more often, and in fact, because of the CONTINUOUS rating, it's probably designed that way for on-demand pressure.


Looking for suggestions on securing floor tiles I have an 8"x8" ceramic tile floor in my kitchen.  It was not well installed.  There is no backer board.  A few months ago, the water supply to the ice maker in my fridge leaked, the plywood underlayment and subfloor expanded, a lot of grout cracked or separated from the tile, and a few tiles cracked, too.

Most of the broken tiles were in a group in front of the fridge.  I had someone replace them.  He chiseled out the old tiles, got up some of the old thin set, put down new, and fit in the new tiles.  Two weeks later, some of the grout in one small area is cracking and the tiles move up and down when I press on the edge.  I think these are tiles next to where he worked.

I can get a lot of the grout out from around these tiles but to save them I need to get something rigid underneath, filling the gap and supporting the side of the tile.  Any thoughts for something I can inject at the edge and force under the tile?  Epoxy and thin set are too viscous and/or grainy.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_217371-68-37584_4294729418__?productId=3024887 seems worth a shot.

Nothing really bounds well to small pieces of loose thinset.  The problem is that the thinset that is adhered under your tile isn't in one stable piece.  Meaning that even if you add more thinset to a band of loose thinset it probably won't hold long, it certainly won't hold long term.

I suggest you cut your loses.  You have had someone replace the tiles.  I hope they told you they wouldn't last.  For one I would have never just replaced your tiles.  It is just too obvious that there would be issues really soon, since you are doing the same thing that just broke.  I suggest demoing tile and doing it right.  By the time you try to do 4-5 rounds of touch up you will be at the same amount of time than just redoing the floor.  I mean there are instances where a plywood subfloor for tiles would conceivably work and may last years but you know that yours is not this case so why bother gluing the tiles down?  They will come up, more tiles will come up, you will have grout crack everywhere.  [And I am not a big demo and do it perfect to last 200 years Mike Holmes type]


What's the difference between pottery plaster and plaster used on interior walls? My wife is an artist, so when we needed an interior wall plastering she did it, using her pottery plaster (not plaster of Paris). When we told a friend he laughed and suggested we get some wall plaster from a shop. What's the difference? Just cosmetic/cost/ease of use, or is it actually a bad thing to have on our walls?

Up until the turn of the twentieth century, lime plaster was always used for interior applications. Gypsum plaster, which is what plaster of paris is, was only used in decorative applications, but gradually replaced lime plaster as it was much faster to put a house up with it. Lime takes some time to cure, as it cures by chemical reaction with the carbon dioxide in the air. Gypsum cures by evaporating moisture (drying).

Lime is by far the superior material. Gypsum plaster has neither the beauty of lime plaster nor the durability, nor the alkalinity to repel mold, mildew, and other house ailments. If you cover it with latex paint, you can't tell the difference, if you want something truly gorgeous use lime wash to color it. An unpainted lime plaster wall feels like polished marble and is very hard. Gypsum is very soft.

Now to more directly answer your question, compound bought from Home Depot, etc. has a lot of binders, drying agents, and other material in it. Straight gypsum does not. I'd not expect it to last very long.


What is permissible for a breaker box cover? We're doing some remodeling in our kitchen and unfortunately the breaker box is right in the middle of a wall we are going to cover with tile.

My current thought is to replace the existing metal cover (which has a door) with a flat steel panel and then put the tiles on a removable board over the panel.

Thoughts?

Overcurrent protection devices must be Readily Accessible. The NEC defines Accessible as...

  Accessible (as applied to equipment). Admitting close approach; not guarded by locked doors, elevation, or other effective means

  Accessible (as applied to wiring methods). Capable of being removed or exposed without damaging the building structure or ﬁnish or
  not permanently closed in by the structure or ﬁnish of the building

  Accessible, Readily (Readily Accessible). Capable of being reached quickly for operation, renewal, or inspections without requiring those
  to whom ready access is requisite to climb over or remove obstacles or
  to resort to portable ladders, and so forth.

If you can achieve this with your plan, then it shouldn't be a problem. Keep in mind, however, if you have to remove screws, nails, or other fasteners to access the breakers. This is no longer Readily Accessible.

Also, hiding the panel could be a bad thing if you ever sell the house. So you'd have to find a way to make it obvious that the panel is there, so people can locate it easily if they ever have to access it.

EDIT:

Forgot to mention; as @lqlarry points out, the cover also has to be Fire Rated.


Wiring a fan/light/Bluetooth fixture I am wiring a fan with a white/black/green wires. The cable going to the switch box to fan has an extra red wire that was twisted with the black. I capped the red and connected the matched colors to the fan. At the switch box there is a light switch that is for the vanity light and one that controlled the old fan. The new fan switch has two black wires (one for fan and one for light) and a green ground wire. It is a 5 setting dial type switch. I tried a couple of things but couldn't get it to work. The box has several white wires twisted together, red and black together. Black wires together and a couple of black jumpers that were connected to the old switch I removed. What am I doing wrong? Should I re-connect the black and red at the fan and do the same for the switch or use just the Reds???

You said

  At the switch box there is a light switch that is for the vanity light and one that controlled the old fan.

So you are removing this switch and replacing it with the new one?
It isn't exactly clear what you are trying to do. A drawing or pictures would help.

If the new fan has a light in it then you need to use the either the black wire for the fan or the light and the red for the other. The new switch should be fed with a "hot" wire (one that is energized all the time) and one of blacks goes to the light and the other to the fan.

Hope that helps.


Can i use Existing Light fitting to power video doorbell? ---UK HOME---
I have the feeling the answer is going to be no but let's see.
Currently i only have a light switch and ceiling light in my front porch and no power socket.
I want to install a video doorbell that i want hard wired and need a power source for it. So i was thinking to use the power adapter that came with doorbell and connect the live and neutral wires to it.
The adapter inputs in 230v and outputs 24v AC to the doorbell.The pins for outlet are removable and interchangeable for different outlets in different countries. So I was thinking to take it off and attach wires to the Live and neutral contacts to give it power. t
Theoretically getting power from it in parallel from the ceiling light. Essentially I want to connect the adapter parralel to the live and neutral wires going to the light fitting. It looks unlikely this would overload the circuit as the adapter is only pulling 24v

Then I will cover whole thing with some wood or plastic casing.
Sounds like it may work, but I'm no expert. So can this work or any other ideas that might work for this situation?

This has great potential to become a hokey fix-up DIY bodge, but try not to be tempted into cutting all the corners.
BTW, you said it's "only pulling 24v" which is incorrect. It's pulling 240v, but only 0.2A
That's actually less than half the power consumed by a 60w light bulb, so even if your ring is running a chandelier in the hall too, it's unlikely to be anywhere near maximum capacity, which is 5A.
Right. That settled, onto the bodge…
Is it to building regs? No.
Is it actually going to hurt anything if you do it properly? No.
Would I do it? Yes.
You're going to need to wire it in parallel above the drop to the light switch unless you only want it to work when the light's on*. Don't try to wire it in above the light itself. That's a no-no.
Late edit.
I feel I ought to clarify this, reading back.
The ring main runs round from light to light, not from switch to switch, so directly above the fitting you can get to it - but it's in the porch, so it's not weather-proof enough for a cheap switch-mode power supply. You have to find another segment of the ring indoors to wire from (not the drop to the switch, that's not in the ring.)
End of edit now read on…
Do not place it outdoors, even in a porch, no matter what you box it in. That it has air-vents tells you it needs some airflow, so you cannot box it up tight enough to be placed outside the main building. It will get just enough airflow placed in the ceiling so long as it's placed in free-space.
To get it closer to building regs, if not absolutely to spec, you really ought to put an old-style 5A socket on a joist in the ceiling space & plug it to that - that way anyone who finds the socket in the distant future won't expect it to be on the ring main at 13A. That would also allow you to correctly earth the socket. At a push, put a 13A socket in & label it 5A Lighting.  Use correct boxes at any junction you need to make - no insulating tape, no free-floating terminal block & no solder, thank you very much.
Of course, by the time you get up into the ceiling space, you might find you're close enough to a regular ring main to just run a spur off that, legit, kosher & above-board.
If there was any part of the simple terminology I've used in this answer that you don't understand, get an electrician ;)
*That's kind of a joke… don't do that.


How to Hide Expansion Gap around Oven I'm getting ready to float a bamboo floor in my kitchen. I know I need to lay the flooring underneath the appliances, and I'll need to leave an expansion gap next to the cabinets and walls. The trouble is that there's not really much room between the cabinets (about 30" apart, which seems standard?) and the oven.

More or less everywhere else, I've been adding a quarter round to the baseboards to help keep that gap covered. I should be able to do that with the refrigerator and perhaps the dishwasher, but I suspect it won't fit around the oven. The gap is about half an inch, and the quarter round that matches the cabinets is 3/4" on both flat sides. Is there another way to cover the gap? Do quarter rounds typically fit, with this being a bit too tight a squeeze?

Closeup image of gap, which is about half an inch:

Base shoe is more common these days, partly for this reason. It's only about 1/2" deep, and generally fits alongside appliances without a problem. Still, I'd bet 3/4" quarter will fit along and under the fridge body from what I can see here.

Worst case scenario you may need to lift your appliances slightly using a rear wheel shim and the front adjusters.


Is this door closer okay, maladjusted, or broken? The entrance door just below my room used to slam hard when being closed by the door closer, branded TELESCO. Some days ago, upon my request, there have been attempts to fix the device. Indeed, at first things were better. But now again, it slams, though perhaps not (yet) as hard as before.

With an ancient camera in low light, I recorded the closing operation. Quality is abysmal, but I think the sounds tell what's going on. Watch the video on Vine.

Mechanics:

I can imagine this is hard to judge, but what do you think: Is the door closer OK? Is it just maladjusted? Or is it broken?

Finally, out of curiosity (I'm not the maintenance man): How can the issue be solved?

There are a few adjustment that are pretty easy to do, once you figure out which adjustment screw does what, That can be sorted out by trial and error. There should be one on the other end too. One is backcheck, which I could never figure out what it really did, and the other two are closing speed, which is good in the video, and the last one is latch speed which is supposed to slow the door down so it does not slam from the closing speed. That appears to need adjusting if anything. The door could stand silencers too (jamb mounted door bumpers).

Oil on the hinge pins would be a nice touch too.

To answer you question, yes it is correctable, usually with an adjustment on either one of the three screws you will see. Two of which you have pictured.


Is it worth repairing this spigot? The hose spigot on my house leaks from the handle end, as you can see here:

When I took it apart, the lower washer looked intact:

However, I could not disassemble it any further to inspect the upper washer (which I assume is there, but who knows). It looks like the handle and the valve with the washer on it might be one piece (but, again, who knows).

The house is seventy years old, and I'm assuming the spigot is original. The questions are:

Repair or replace?
Either way, is this a reasonable DIY job for a plumbing novice?

I have rarely found a faucet I can not repair. Yours needs a new valve stem packing no problem even if you cannot get the handle off.
Move the nut as far as you can to the handle.
I use expanded goretex rope for valve stem packing, some has graphite and is easy to install. 1/2 a dozen wraps of this will solve most valve stem leaks. I replace the washer when I do this screw the valve back on then tighten the jamb nut, if it still leaks you can loosen the jamb nut and put more wraps of packing, in a pinch I haven used the Teflon tape quite a few more wraps are needed but it will seal. Tighten the jamb nut and turn the water on again. I have repaired valves that were over 100 years old doing this 5 minute repair procedure.


Best way to build floor above blacktop I am wanting to finish out my garage into a living space. The garage is a converted carport and the ground is still blacktop, despite there being walls up around it. What's the best way to handle the floor? Should I be framing something on top of the blacktop? Thanks!

To deal with just the blacktop you basically need to jackhammer up some holes in the floor so that you can pour footings.  You can frame out the area much like you would a deck.  This is given that the walls of the garage are above proper footings.  How many footings you need is dependent on how big your garage is.  How deep the footings are, is dependent of your climate.

Also I would try to match up the floor to the floor in your house.  But all inspectors I know want ceilings to be at least 7 feet.  How close you can match these areas up is depended on your garage ceiling height and what you local town lets you do.


How can I remove studs and screws from the inside of drywall when installing a pocket door without needing to do paint and patch work on both sides? I'm planning on taking a few weeks off to do some DIY in the fall, and one of those things is replacing the standard-hinged door in my walk-in closet with a pocket door. This is a non-load bearing wall, so I don't have to worry about that at least!

I'm researching how to do this, and most of it seems pretty straightforward. Cut out the drywall on one side, cut out the studs, put the pocket door frame in place, liquid nail the inside wall to the pocket door frame, hang the door, liquid nail the drywall patch to the door frame, mud, paint.

I'm familiar with most of this, however I'm stuck at cutting out the studs. I know I can use a circular saw set to a very specific depth to cut the studs, but the opposing  wall should be screwed to the ~6' section of the studs I want to pull out. Am I just supposed to rip out the screws and patch the other side as well? Is there some other way I can cut the screws without damaging the opposing wall?

I would go ahead and open the wall from the side you are planning on replacing.

Once you open the wall, you might find out that the drywall has been glued to the studs, in which case your best bet would be to make a clean cut and plan on replacing both sides.

If there isn't any glue, you could proceed two ways:

Use a magnet to find each screw and back them out. Done carefully, this would leave a small hole to patch and paint for each screw. Done un-carefully, there will be an ugly chunk of joint compound to patch.
Once you have access to the inside of the wall, you may be able to use a vibratory (or "oscillating") saw to cut the screw heads between the studs and the drywall. The cutting motion on the screws might still cause the paint and joint compound on the screw heads to crack and fall off leaving holes to patch, but you might get lucky and end up not needing to patch and repaint EVERY hole.

Personally, unless there is something unusual about the wall you're trying to save, with special wallpaper, wainscotting, etc., I think it would be quicker to just cut out and replace the drywall on both sides. Drywall and joint compound is cheap; having a professional come out for a patch on both sides of the wall will not be much more than just the one side. Even if you do the drywall yourself, the time spent in trying to save the wall will be longer than just replacing it.


Why am I getting a reading of 119.7 volts neutral to ground? el. contractor has left (residential house) - checking the branch outlets:
Hot to neutral: 118.8V // Hot to Ground: 0V // Neutral to Ground: 119.2V??
How come? should I be getting such voltage perhaps on Hot to Ground and Neutral to Ground some fractions, perhaps 2V or less?? Briefly looking into the breaker panel box - blacks wire (hot) to breaker - white (neutral) to side conn.- green (ground), above white wire connectors to a similar connector?
Did they switch somehow hot for neutral? Maybe I mistakenly believe that the right hand opening in in the outlet is neutral? (although black wire goes there?

Hot and Neutral reversed - as the "hot to ground = 0V" reading confirms.

The Brass-colored screw gets the black/hot wire, the Silver-colored screw gets the white/neutral wire, and the wider blade looking at the outlet is neutral. That's left if the ground is down, right if the ground is up.

The Green-colored screw gets the green/bare ground wire.

A $5 or so plug in outlet tester (might as well get the GFCI-Testing version) will confirm these things easily without needing three tests and without potential for error in what is supposed to be what.


How main bars are placed in this picture? Paralle to traffic or perpendicular In a deck of simply span bridge of 24ft length and width of 34ft

Anything that big and carrying a load (you said "traffic") is deep in the "licensed structural engineer" category. Don't ask about it on the internet, find someone with a suitable university degree, license from the local authorities, and quite a bit of experience building bridges.

No, this person will not be cheap. But neither will that bridge.


Name for a T-shaped piece of hardware with a screw hole in a "shaft" What is the name of a hardware piece like on the drawing, with a thread in the hole?

I need it to mount a guide wheel for a sliding door, like on the picture below:

UPD: replaced the picture with a drawing.

There is no common name for what you describe; it is not a standard type of hardware.

Product and equipment manufacturers custom make all types of unique and specific parts, not all of them have common names. That's why the supplier in your link used a self-describing name ("T Shaped Shelf Support Holder Bracket") instead of some common term.


What's the most economical way to remove a wood stove? I just bought a new house and my insurance company is upset that I have a wood stove in the dining area.  They insist that it be 3 feet from all walls and a foot and a half above the floor.  Alternatively I could just remove the thing.

I don't have a budget to have a contractor come out and remove the stove for me, so I was thinking about removing it myself and capping off the round hole in the ceiling where the pipe is.  I'm fairly ignorant on the actual terms/lingo used in this kind of project, so my googling has been futile.  What would I need to purchase to cover this hole?  Can someone point me to a page that sells this product?  Is there any harm in leaving the chimney in there or should I eventually get it removed and have the roof patched?

The pipe is likely held together with sheet metal screws. You don't want to leak heat from your interior to the attic, so that section of pipe should be removed, preferably from above.

The section from attic to above to roof might be useful as a vent, if it is in good shape and not leaking.


Would it work if I prime only a partial height of a painted wall? I'm looking into repainting a classroom in an NGO facility (can seat about 80). Due to both time and budget constraints, I don't have freedom of spending too much time priming and painting the entire room. I suspect I can readily prime half the wall height and paint the whole room within the allocated time.
Would I create an odd mark on the wall if I only prime up to about head height? I plan to use a dry roller between the primer and bare walls to even out the edge so it doesn't get a sharp bump.
The rational for priming half the room is because the marks on the walls are all chest height and lower. I've already used a power sander and lightly sanded all the marked areas, and have sanded all repaired sections of the wall. I'll want to put primer on the repaired areas and the marked up areas to help with paint adhesion.
2020-09-01 Update: Wall material mixed. I can tell there is concrete and dry wall, with a layer of wall putty. Region is Hong Kong, which is typical to simply do Putty + Surface paint, skipping the primer. I know this doesn't work well and high humidity = putty failing, and paint peeling off.
Sanding wise, it is light sanding. It isn't past the paint layer. It is mainly to get the surface scuff marks off so the primer can attach better to the existing paint (instead of some random material). Any deep gouges are filled with wall putty and sanded flat.
If I had more time, I would sand past the paint and putty layer, and do a thicker sealer/primer layer onto the material. The current paint is not showing any major area failure, so I think it'll hold a repaint.

Just to answer a rather odd question the way it was written...
No if you plan on going to specific height and stop right there all the way around.   You will create a paint seam and it might take a few coats to make it less noticeable.
Yes if you kind of go to a height and taper off randomly on both side of the height with less paint/pressure as you go up.
My advice would be to cut corners, in the corners (and to get more people to help).   You can prime pretty quickly - and paint - open walls.   If you are not worrying about the ceiling or edges painting is twice as fast.   I would suggest you prime to ceiling but start tapering off as you go up and the top 6-8" need very little.


Repairing a hole in a door I now have a wonderful hole in a bathroom door, as a result of door-stop not being installed in the proper place, and the door being shoved up against a towel rail (picture attached).  As can be seen, this door is of the cheap variety and consists of plywood (right name?) front and back.

My options at this stage are:

Replace the entire door (expensive);
Replace the entire back of the door (big job, and possibly pricey);
Some "localised" fix (ugly, but maybe there's some "magic" of which I'm not aware).

Any advice would be appreciated.

You can try something similar to the fix for a drywall hole, just with glue instead of screws due to how thin the material is:

Cleanup and smooth the opening and make a replacement piece that fits the hole.
Install a small piece of wood across the back side of the opening.  You need this to attach your patch to.  Use a strong glue (liquid nail perhaps) to have it stick in place.  Because of how thin the material is, you may want to install a few pieces to provide support at the edges.  If you don't have a small piece of wood, pickup a paint stirrer at the hardware store, they're usually free.
Glue the patch in place.
Wood filler or spackle around the edges.
Sand.
Prime and paint.


How to tie the optimal cordelette in this specific 7 point scenario? This is a followup to this question: How to fasten one end of a rope to multiple points so as to distribute load equally?

Specifically, I'm following this answer's advice about using a cordelette. Here is an informative article that shows how to tie a cordelette.

These two images from the linked article illustrate the general idea:

This image illustrates a multi-cordelette scenario:

In my case, there are 7 points available amongst which I'd like to equalize the load. They are arranged in a complicated way, and I'm wondering if I can indeed use all of them or not.

Offhand diagram of the potential fixing points' arrangement; notice the area where no rope can pass through:

Color-coded diagram illustrating possible cordelettes:

In the second diagram, the points are numbered 1 through 7, and their connections with the cordelette's knot (marked X) are color-coded. Green is good, meaning I am fairly certain they will help with equalizing the load. Red ropes are bad, either because they go through the no-rope area (rope 7X), or because their V-angle (explained in the article) is too steep, i.e. more than 60 degrees (ropes 1X and 3X).

It's the orange ropes that I'm unsure about. They go around other fixing points so as to reduce the V-angle, but they also increase the load exerted on those go-around points.

For example, the orange 7-6-X rope that goes from 7 to X through 6. Obviously fixing point 7 then takes on part of the load, but since this rope is pulling on 6 as well, load on it is increased as well. The question is: does the 76X rope add more load to its go-around point than it takes off? Same question applies to all three orange ropes in the diagram.

If the orange ropes increase the load on go-around points (6 and 2) more than they reduce it, it's not worth it.

To sum up, the question is: how to tie the optimal cordelette in this scenario? If going by my illustrated idea, would the orange ropes increase the load on points 6 and 2 more than decrease it?

Honestly I think you are over thinking this. As long as your anchor point spread out too far you shouldn't have a problem you don't really need to worry too much about transferring load because there is only one load on it. If you plan on swinging in your hammock that's a different story. On the other hand you don't have to worry about plummeting to your death either.

You could try something like this
Using six of the anchor points that you have outlined you can easily make adjustments to the load-bearing points by adjusting three lengths.

Test your anchor points

Start with your best anchor points. Fix a rope in place at a comfortable height for you to hold on to and do a pull-up and then bounce a little. Use your judgment to figure out the quality of the anchoring. I often mount things over people's heads and the best of field test I've come up with is to hang off an individual anchor effectively quadrupling the load it would possibly see.

perhaps this is a more accurate representation of what you need

Once you have one or two decent anchor points the rest are just insurance.  with this setup always make sure the two best anchor points are together.


Hooks for floating shelves I'm planning on drilling into my wall and putting screws into hang a floating shelf I got from Ikea. It's fairly small (about 30cm x 30cm) but I would like to leave about 10 text books on it.
http://www.ikea.com/aa/en/assembly_instructions/lack-wall-shelf__AA-200208-9_pub.pdf

The problem is that I'm in an apartment and the wall is plasterboard/ gyprock. How can I safely drill into it--or, alternatively what would be a strong stick-on hook that I can use?

For that much weight, I would try to drill into the studs. You can find them using a studfinder, or sometimes knocking and listening for the change in pitch will be enough. If in doubt, find several, and assume they are evenly spaced. Make sure the drilled holes and screws are long enough to penetrate well into the stud, say at least 2 inches.

Of course, to do this, you need to be able to adjust the distance between the screws to match the distance between the studs. If, for whatever reason, this isn't possible, you can use a small board as an interface. Cut a narrow board long enough to span the studs, or the length of the shelf, whichever is longer. Screw it into the studs. Then use short screws to attach the shelf to the board.


How to reduce a nut from 32mm to 9.8mm I am trying to build a lamp with a metal pipe (32mm thread, left side of image) and an e27 socket with a 9.6mm screw (right side of image). Any ideas on how to reduce the size of the nut? I have found some nut reducers but nothing that works for my project. I am open to any options.
Thanks!

Modifying Paul Logan's comment, use a close nipple  and cap , but instead of drill and tap, just drill a hole large enough in the cap to insert the stem from the socket - tight but don't damage the threads - then take a nut that fits the stem and attach it from the inside of the cap. If it's hard to tighten it, fiddle around with some washers sized appropriately.

You could also lock it down by using 2 nuts. Put the first one on all the way next to the one holding the stem onto the socket (in your pic), insert the stem into the cap, put the 2nd nut on getting it as far as possible inside the cap - finger tight is fine - then then tighten the first one on the outside. And bobs your uncle.


Filling deep gaps at corners of maple flooring I have fairly new natural maple 3/4" [about 4" wide] flooring installed. The installer was sloppy and where the flooring butted against doorways (no doors, just open frames), he should have side cut the vertical door moldings and placed the planks under, but he just straight cut and I have gaps. In the worst case I have an L shaped hole, 3/4" deep, 1/2" wide and about 3"x3".

As a result food from the adjacent kitchen, and water and anything can get in these spaces. I've though of filling with white silicon caulk to match the white moldings, or maybe beige to try and match the floor.  But I'm thinking that 3/4" deep is too much for that.

I have matching planks, so I could cut possible cut a couple of 1/2" pieces for the big gaps, but that won't work for the narrow gaps. I'm skilled in woodworking.

Patching with the scrap flooring where you have a big enough gaps seems the best idea.

You also could use small shoe or stop molding around the base of the door jamb and casing (assuming the casing is not too complex). Paint it to match the trim. It will largely disappear.


Repainting my lanai floor I'm painting my lanai floor and it has been painted last year but changing the color. Did one area and let it dry 24hr. and I can scratch it off/ I used the paint Home Depot sold me for concrete. What is going on???

If, after completely cured, the paint still exhibits the same poor adhesion characteristics, you will unfortunately have to scrape or strip all areas that are unsound (probably the entire coating). You must then properly prepare the surface (sand, sand, sand) then repaint.


Can I combine ground and neutral wires before they connect to their bus bars? I finally did my 50 AMP 15-40 Nema wiring. Couple of questions on it.

I don't have enough ground and neutral wire to reach the ground bar of the electric panel. Is it ok to join both neutral and ground together, just before the two wires enter the panel, and take one resulting wire to the panel's ground bar? If both can terminate separately on the ground of the electric panel, why is it even separated at first? I understand one is for fault prevention and one for return path, but ultimately they do connect to common ground bar at the electric panel.
In my 15-50 power distribution gang box, there was an existing wire connected from ground pin to the metal body of the box. I also have the ground wire connected to the electric panel on the same pin. Is that fine or only the ground until electric panel is enough? or should I also separately connect the metal box to the ground surface.

No, you can't do that because a single fault would make it deadly.  Consider what would happen if the combined neutral+ground wire came loose in your panel -- all the current that was trying to return via neutral wouldn't make it, and instead it'd be able to flow back along the ground wire, energizing the chassis of your appliance with 120V.  On the other hand, if they're separate wires all the way to the panel, either one coming loose won't create a safety issue.  What you can do instead is put a junction box next to your panel, as far as the current wires reach, then splice to a short length of new wire to get the needed reach.
You shouldn't put two wires on the receptacle screw unless it's meant for that, and it's probably not.  A better way of doing it is to pigtail the ground to the receptacle: wire nut the box ground, the receptacle ground, and the incoming ground wire from the panel together.


Replacing polybutylene pipe to add a new outdoor spigot (freeze proof sillcock) I need to replace the entire outdoor spigot (sillcock), the shutoff valve that goes with it (because it is old and leaking), and some polybutylene pipe in the process. I have included several photos for reference.

Do I need to replace the entire copper tee that the poly pipe is attached to (and solder a new one), or can I remove the poly connection to the copper tee and add PEX there, keeping the current copper tee (that is good shape)? If so, how do I remove the poly from the tee?

Lastly, can I add an additional PEX line to another spigot from here (I would attach another tee connection next to the current one, with PEX running to the sillcock to the right and PEX running to another sillcock to the far left.

Thank you!

You wouldn't need to remove the entire copper tee in order to replace the poly with pex, but you would need to replace the poly fitting with a pex fitting. This can be done by "un-soldering" the fitting (heating the joint until the solder melts), then soldering the new pex fitting in its place.
If you're not up to trying that, an alternative, and probably much easier, solution would be to replace that entire intersection with pex. I've edited one of your pictures to show what I mean:

Yellow Circles: Cut copper line to remove copper tees. You can cut either side as far back as you desire (just don't forget to leave a place for that clamp and wire if you wish to reattach them). On both copper line ends, solder female sweat x pex fittings like this one:

Blue Circle: Cut the blue pex line to remove the poly fitting, and replace it with a pex coupling like this one:

Green Circle: You can use a female threaded ball valve with a fitting like this in one end:

OR, you can transition right to pex with this:

And then use a pex ball valve instead.
Finally, once all of these pex connections are installed, you will be able to configure this junction just about any way you wish. As long as you have the space, you can crimp in pex tees wherever you want them to serve multiple spigots. Not only will this allow a lot of versatility in your configuration, but it will be easy to cut out and replace sections should you make a mistake or wish to change things later.
Just FYI, if you ever need to remove a pex or poly crimp ring from a fitting so that you can reuse the fitting, the best option is a "ring buster" tool like this:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/SharkBite-1-2-in-to-1-in-Pex-Crimp-Ring-Removal-Tool/1000237123
But you can also carefully use a hack saw and some pliers to remove one. Hope this helps!


Ants everywhere in the bathroom I don't know if this question belongs here but I can't find anywhere else to put it.

In recent weeks, ants have decided to move into my bathroom. At first, there were a couple in the shower stall and I would just wash them down. Last week, they started to appear in more and more numbers. It isn't apparent what they are going after as there is nothing in the bathroom. After constantly washing them down the drain, they are now avoiding the shower stall and crowding all around the shower stall and just piling up, doing nothing. It may be that they are building a nest there but why in such an open place? Anyways, I'm just asking for how to get rid of them safely so that they won't return again.

I haven't used any bug sprays to try and get rid of them as I don't feel comfortable using that in my bathroom.

I'm in Australia and these are tiny black ants if it helps.

Ants need two things, food and water.  Often their normal source of water may dry up due to weather and they will seek out new sources of it.  It sounds like your bathroom has met their requirements and they are invading.

While you can try some remedies available to consumers you may want to bring in a professional exterminator.  They will track down where they are entering and abate them there.


Which underlayment, if any, between 5" pine boards, and subfloor with radiant heat? Seems to be a lot of differing opinions on this. I get that having something between the two can offer less squeaking, some noise abatement and depending on material - a vapor barrier which I may or may not need.

Waxed paper? Paper with tar-infused? Some Tyvek-like material? Nothing?

Help would be greatly appreciated. Some professionals I've talked to seem like they're just trying to upsell me on the latest/greatest Microban-infused super layer stuff. Which leaves me with a wide variety of answers.

Nothing. You want the wood to breathe & there are plenty of 100+ year old houses to prove & approve this "method". If you're gluing & face nailing the boards, then forget the nails. Screw down the subfloor & then Finish Screw down the finish floor. You'll never have a squeak & the floor will always be solid.


Why does my shower water temperature creep up? My shower water temperature reaches what feels like an early plateau (warm enough to get in), but then continues to get warmer at the same handle position for the next 3-5 minutes. The obvious explanation would be that the cold pipes are initially keeping the temperature down, but this is the first place I've ever lived where I noticed this happening. Is it related to modern shower valves? Tankless water heaters? Or was I just slower to get in the shower for the previous 40 years?

Assuming a common mixer valve, if the faucet washers are not neoprene, warming may cause the one in the cold valve to expand, choking off the cold water.


Weight load of a hanging 2x4 shelf I am looking to hang a shelf from the ceiling of my garage between two garage doors.  The shelf is 32" x 94" and made from a frame of 2x4 and 3/4 plywood on top.  I've tried to weigh it and I think it weighs approx. 63lbs.  One end of the shelf can be directly screwed into the stud of the garage wall.  The other end (and another mid way) would be screwed to the ceiling joist using 4 2x4 screwed into the shelf and then into the ceiling.  I was thinking of using L brackets with lag bolts to fix the shelf to the ceiling.  I was planning on using #8 3" wood screws to attach the 2x4 that will hang the shelf.  Am I way off or will this hold?

The ceiling joists I am attaching to are 2x4 on end that span approx. 6-7'.  They are notched at the ends where both ends sit on the bottom sill of I beams.  The I beams span the width of the garage (approx. 23') and sit on a stack of 5 2x4 standing on end.  Thank you for your input.

It is possible to get above the I beams but it would entail taking down drywall and then replacing.  I was hoping for the shelf to support approx. 250-300 lbs total.

There's no way to answer this (what will the shelf hold, weight-wise) without knowing what your garage ceiling joists are, if they are part of a truss or just joists, how long the span is, and really, what they were designed to hold up in the first place - many garage ceiling joists are barely in spec to hold drywall, much less a load...

A FAR better attachment method is to place a beam (or more than one) inside the "attic" space across the top of the joists, spanning several, and run threaded rod (steel) through that beam and down through the ceiling to support the item below. In this case it would mean you can spread the load across many more joists (by using a long beam in the attic space.) It also means that you are not depending on wood screws to hold the load directly.


Are there any safety issues with this breaker box? Please point out any safety issues with this breaker box in my shop.

Notes:

has its own service drop and weatherhead

the ground wire is in the center doubletapped and connected to a grounding rod outside

the orange 30amp has no ground  connected to the box because the outlet itself is grounded to its own Grounding rod as it is a single circuit for an RV

Criticize away I would like my shop to be safe.. not having any problems presently
Second area of interest.. the power is coming from a splice off the main service AFTER the meter but before the main panel for my house .. all three service cables are done in this manner which should mean that they are not connected at the main box and serve as their own service I believe.
Don't get me started on the main panel it is an ungrounded fuse box, but the main circuits have a similar breaker box and splice and drop due to a previous addition.. I've had no problems with it..
Let's start with the shop.. if I need an electrician I'll hire one I already had one come out and he didn't seem too concerned with the way it was but he is 71 and said they used to do this all the time.

The RV circuit ought to have a ground wire to the panel. It having a local ground rod means grounded metal parts of the RV won't float up to dangerous voltage levels relative to the surrounding dirt, but without a ground wire back to the panel various faults to ground might not trip the breaker. Grounding might not have been required at the time of installation, but if you have the ground wire back to the panel there's really no good reason not to connect it.
The RV circuit probably ought to have GFCI protection, given that it's outdoors and especially if you fix the circuit's grounding.
The RV circuit cable must be clamped, not loose in the knockout. It could wear against the sharp edge of the knockout and cause a short, arcing, or fire.
You probably have “alien” breakers. All breakers must be specifically listed or classified for use in your specific panel. You may not mix and match at whim. Some types may seem to fit, but may lead to arcing, bus damage, or fire. It looks like there are at least three brands present (Siemens, Square-D Homeline, something else) and so some of them are probably not appropriate. Your panel looks like a GE unit based on the model number starting with "TLM".
It sounds like you said you have no shut-off between your meter and this panel. You need one, to protect the feed wiring and panel bus. It can be legal to have a panel with six breakers and no single main, but you have seven (and room for more).
The feed wires look a bit small for the total loads, especially if there’s no main breaker protecting them.
The wire to the ground rod needs to be the full size required by code (#6 or #8 depending on feed size) all the way to the bus bar lug, not spliced down to a smaller gauge (looks like #10 at most) for any length.
There are five neutral wires coming in the right side of the panel but only four hots. What’s the extra for? If it’s for a disused circuit, it should be disconnected from the bus bar.


Can I drain a dehumidifier pump into my dishwasher? Probably a really dumb question.

I handwash dishes and use my dishwasher as glorified storage, so I was thinking I could stick the hose coming out of my dehumidifier pump into the dishwasher and just leave the dishwasher door cracked to avoid pinching the tube.

I admittedly don't know how dishwashers work. Would the dishwasher drain the water coming in even though it's never powered on? Or can it only drain water as part of a cleaning cycle?

Some dishwashers will pump water even when not in a cycle (just poured a litre or so into mine to rinse it and it pumped automatically - the door was open so not a cycle. But it needs to be connected to the electrical supply.

However, I would not suggest that you do this - sort a proper drain for your dehumidifier. As you may end up with a stagnant smell from not cycling the dishwasher, however, it will normally have a cleaning cycle.


Should I use 12/2 or 12/3 to wire a 220V electric baseboard heater and thermostat? When I bought my baseboard heaters, thermostats and 220V breakers I was advised to get 12/3 wire. When I attempted to install the heaters I found that the thermostats, heaters, and even breakers have connections for only 2 wires. I have since read that 12/3 is only necessary for wiring something like a dryer that uses both 220V and 110V over the same wire. My question now is, should I get 12/2 instead of 12/3 to wire these heaters?

I'd use 12/3 -- that way, the neutral is there if you need it (for built-in outlets for instance), and you can use standard color codes.  (Just about ALL /2 NM is black/white/bare.)


What to do with small patch of wallpaper in middle of wall? I have a patch of wallpaper in the middle of a wall I am trying to paint. Its only about 18 inches tall and 6 inches wide.

It doesn't seem to want to come off, I tried using a razor blade to take it off, but its on there too good.

I believe it to be very old, and it probably wasn't put on right (it was there when I moved in) I do not want to damage the wall... What would happen if I just painted right over it?

You can rent a steamer to remove the wall paper.  You might also try wetting it with a spray bottle and letting it soak.  It will be tough to not damage the drywall paper so be prepared to spackle it.


Waterproofing shower help I am just about finished installing Hardiebacker in my 30"x60" shower alcove. The front and back walls have Hardiebacker an additional 6" past the shower door where the tile will end. I also have installed two tile-redi niches. I kind of know how to waterproof, just wondering the exact order. I know I need go silicone the 1/4" gap between the acrylic pan and the hardiebacker. I will also apply thinset & alkali tape over all seams and seams where Hardiebacker walls meet drywall ceiling. The Niche instructions say I should fill in the gap between the niches and Hardiebacker with silicone too. I would assume I would eventually use thinset over these as well with tape? I will finish with Redguard - basically coating all walls up to the ceiling using a brush and roller. Thoughs? TIA

I like the "tilecoach" you tube method.  Foam backerboard (hydroban, keri board, wedi).
In your case where you already have the concrete board up, I'd use kerdi membrane or a different fleece membrane.
I don't trust the roll on water proofing.  You are relying on proper film thickness.  Fleece membrane is just so much more durable and fool proof.
For the kerdi system you'd use unmodified thinset and kerdi band on seams - no silicone.


Mounting wifi access point to lath and plaster ceiling I'm currently wiring CAT 6 network cable throughout my house and am also installing several Ubiquiti NanoHD wifi access points on ceilings. The original house is a 1920s build and has lath and plaster ceilings; the 1990s extension uses plasterboard.
The fixing instructions offer two installation approaches:

wall mount (though also recommended for plasterboard ceilings) - drilling four 6mm holes and using rawl plugs, plus an 18mm hole for the network cable:

ceiling mount for drop ceilings - drilling four 3mm holes plus the 18mm hole and using a plate:

I intend to use the first approach for the plasterboard ceilings in the modern parts of the house, and my inclination is to use the second approach for the lath and plaster ceilings in the older part of the house since I do have access to the space above those ceilings.
However, drilling (in general) into lath and plaster gives me concern, particularly because of  the horror stories I've seen of people trying to install recessed lights and the entire ceiling falling down and electricians saying "never again"!
My questions are:

Am I over-thinking this? Should I just go ahead and use the first approach throughout the home?
If I should use the second approach in the older parts of the house, do I need any thought as to where to drill the holes - e.g. should they be in the plaster gaps between the lath wherever possible, or should they be through the lath? I've seen conflicting guidance on this - arguing you don't want to disturb the lath, but that you don't want to disturb the bond and the "tails" of the plaster between the laths.

I could use Command Strips as a last resort as the devices only weigh 300g (10.6oz), but would still require the 18mm cable hole.

My house was built in the 1890's and is predominantly plaster & lathe. I've mounted everything from small pictures to 10' long by 8' tall shelving to the wall by simply running drywall screws into the wall. I've tried using a stud finder to find studs, but the lathe befuddles them. I simply drive a screw wherever I want to hang something and have never had a problem.
When mounting on plaster and lathe, I'd recommend simply driving screws through the mounting holes and into whatever they find to hit behind them. As small and light as these are, even if all 4 screws only find plaster, they'll still hold just fine.


Installing a ceiling fan with remote I have a white, black, red and bare cooper wires coming from ceiling. The fan I bought has a remote and the remote sensor is already installed/attached to the mounting hardware.

The remote sensor has a white wire and a red wire coming out of it and a bundled wire that is blue, black and white and has a cap to plug into the same bundling on the motor; the motor also has a green wire grounded to it.

Any idea which words to connect to the ceiling from my electrical box? I attached the white to white and black from ceiling to red in remote sensor and nothing worked.

I took a picture as well and will try to post.

If this is correctly wired, using the US color conventions, and the old fan had separate wall-switches for the fan and its lights:

Black: Hot (probably switched hot, power for either fan or light)
Red: "Alternate Hot" (probably switched power for either light or fan -- whichever wasn't supplied by black)
White: Neutral.
Green or bare copper: Safety ground.

Check that with a meter or test light, though!

If you're adding a remote-control receiver, see its instructions for how it connects between power and the fan.


Add wire to crowded switch box I have a single-gang switch box (12.5 cu) that has 3 14/2 wires inside of it. I would like to re-wire the switch to be a 3-way switch.

As far as I can tell, the 3 wires are power to the box, power from the switch to the lights and then a 3rd power line to additional outlets (I have yet to 100% verify this).

I was hoping to run 14/3 from the existing switch to the new one and leave the old wiring to the lights alone. That being said, by my count the 3 wires alone should be in a 20.0 cu box so adding in a 4th would be a bad idea.

What alternatives do I have? Do I need to wire the 3-way switch through the lights and to the new switch?

Any guidance is appreciated.

Cheers.

Actually your count is off.
The correct total is 24 cu. in
After adding a 14/3 you'd have 12 conductors...

Tapped current carrying conductors = 9
All the grounds = 1
The switch = 2
12* 2 = 24 cu. in

Update, some of the math was off.  Now corrected.


Can we set up 2 water pumps such that they never run simultaneously? We are planning to install 2 water pumps, with 2 overhead tanks. Water outflow of these tanks will be different,  so the pumps will mostly run at different times. Pumps are triggered based on water level controllers in the tanks. There could be a time when both may start simultaneously or one may start when the other is still running.  We want to avoid this (because we want the output of both pumps to go through one single sand filter, but we don't want water to mix).
Is there a way to ensure the pumps never run together?

There are something called "alternating relays" or "alternating switches", not to be confused with alternators for cars/trucks. The good thing is they aren't a "one off" configuration, they are industry standard. The community water system I helped support used one to alternate between 2 pumps. Worked great.

https://www.macromatic.com/blog/relays/typical-applications-for-alternating-relays


How can I control a bath fan with two lights through a single wire? I have a bath fan with a main light and night light.  It is currently supplied by one piece of 12-2 from a wall switch.  Since this configuration makes the night light completely worthless, I'd like to split the three devices onto separate switches.

I'm comfortable with wiring, and adding another 14-3 line and switches would be no problem if it wouldn't require tearing out, replacing, and repainting a bunch of the drywall.

I looked at Insteon controls, but it doesn't appear that there are any single modules that can control three devices.  I could get three separate modules and a four-device switch, but that would around $220.  Way more than I'd want to put into this project.

So the best I can come up with is to mount a couple of pull cord switches on the fan unit.  The pull cords would control the fan and the main light, and the night light would be direct to the wall switch.  So the wall switch would turn the night light on an off, and with the switch on I could use the pull cords to turn the main light and fan on and off.

Any suggestions for a better way to achieve what I want to do?

Plasterboard Work

It is often possible to run a new cable between a fixture and a switch without tearing up large sections of drywall.

If you can visualize the wire going up the wall from the switch and then from the corner of the wall/ceiling to the fixture, you may be able to snake a new wire.

Cut a small hole in the ceiling in in the plasterboard immediately above the switch.

The issue will be whether the hole in the ceiling allows you a straight run to the fixture box (along or between a ceiling rafters). If not, you nay need to cut more small holes where the cable would have to cross a joist/rafter.

If it is a clear run, you may be able to run a cable  from the ceiling hole to the fixture box. Then you can cut a small hole in the wall immediately below the first hole.

You also need to be able to drill through or notch the framing (without seriously compromising a load bearing wall) to allow a cable to pass through. If this is feasible, you can drop a cable down to the switch box, thread the other end through the hole or notch in the framing, and extend it to the fixture box. If you are notching or if you are drilling at less than 1.5 inches in, you need to put a special metal plate over that spot to protect the cable.

Later you can patch the small cutouts, tape over and paint.

Wiring

You can continue to use the existing cable to power one circuit and use a 14-2 cable to provide the hot leads for the other two circuits (they will all use the neutral already on the circuit. Since both wires in the new cable will be hot leads for a circuit, the white wire needs to be marked at the switch and fixture to show that it is hot.

You can find three switch units that fit a single gang box, or expand the switch box to double gang.


Why does my shower have low water pressure? The water pressure from my shower is low, we've been using it for several years but it's only in the last couple of weeks that we've had the problem. I've cleaned the showers head and hose, don't know what else I can do before getting a plumber. We've had the shower nearly nine years but didn't want to buy a new one and have the same problem. It is an electric shower if you hadn't already guessed.

Does the pressure return to normal if you reduce the output water temperature?  Some electric showers will regulate the amount of water flowing through them to allow the water to reach the set temperature; at higher set temperatures, the flow rate is reduced so that the water remains in the heater longer.  Given that your symptoms appeared recently, it could be that a heating element failed.


Modifying load bearing studs The builder of our house put two double load-bearing studs in the middle of the media room wall where we want to install an in-wall center channel speaker. Would installing a box frame with double 2x4's for the top and bottom plate to distribute the load as shown in the picture below compromise the short or long-term integrity of the load?
The orange box in the picture is where the speaker would go.
This room in the only room upstairs in the 1 1/2 story house. There is attic space behind this wall up to the diagonal studs on the left side. Above and behind the diagonal studs is outside/roof/bricks.
I wouldn't do the work myself, but before I reach out to any contractors, I wanted to get the folks' opinions on this forum.
If it's too much of a risk/hassle, I may opt for a different option for the speaker. Such as mounting it on the wall or a shelf.
UPDATE:
Well I just found out the builder has already hung the sheetrock along with mudding and tapping it! They won't allow me to fur it our at few inches as K H pointed out below. Which I think would have been a good option.
Now I am back to the drawing board. So it's either cut the drywall or go through the attic to access the studs to put in re-enforced headers (a couple of 2x10's or 8's).
I've reached out to a residential structural engineer to get his opinion. I'm waiting to hear back.

A header will need to added in that area. Perhaps for the short span, it needs a triple 2X4 on their edge will work for that, 2X6 would be best. This is assuming  2X6 wall. They can be directly above the speaker or even as high as the underside of the top plate if the angled blocking does not complicate anything. Some blocking will need to be added for the joint between the foam board and OSB.


How can I remove smeared latex paint from a wood floor? I recently had some painting done, and the people who were responsible did not use anything to protect the floor from paint dripping. It also looks like they walked all over the paint, smearing it on my wood floors. See the following photo:

Now, if the paint were in little droplets I'd be able to scrape it off with a little effort. With this I'm just not sure. How can I remove all this paint from my wood floor?

How old is it? A few days and you should be able to remove it with some a lot of elbow grease, hot water, and a non-abrasive cloth.

If you own a random orbit sander (if not, go buy one) you should just put a fresh coat on the entire floor. I recommend 150 grit sand paper, and a lambs wool applicator on a pole. Try not to sand completely through the finish; you just have to open it up so it can key into the existing layer.

Try w/e you want, as long as a complete refinish is in the cards if that doesn't work - because you'll have messed up the floor trying to find out.

If all is said and done, and there's dull spots in your floor, are you going to be satisfied? Just skip straight to the part where you make it look better than it did.


How to organize multiple electrical wires going into an ultra thin recessed light? I am installing ultra thin recessed light in the basement and it comes with a very small metal box (probably 2x4 in in size). Due to the old wiring of the house, there are 5 wires coming in totally: power to light 1, power to light 2, 2 switches, and the light itself. It's going to be very "crowded" because the wire nut will have to fit like 4-5 wires.

I would like to "connect" everything" outside of the ultra thin metal box and only leave 3 wires (white, black, ground) coming into the box itself.

I am thinking of a few options:

Use an electrical box and connect everything in there but leave 3 wires out to go into the recessed box. Then close the box with a lid and just sort of "throw" it up in the ceiling somewhere (no screw or mount into joists).
Tear up the ceiling to find a joist and install a Round Hard-Shell Ceiling Box then connect everything there. However, the hard part is to connect existing wiring since some are not long enough. I may have to create additional lumber support. Either that or I have to use the ceiling box that has a metal bar to mount both joists. Regardless, this is major ceiling work and drywall fixes.

I am leaning toward Option 1 as I doubt there is any unforeseen issue. What are your thoughts?

Reference: the light I bought is

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079GLKCV7/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Use an old work box to house the splices

There's a simple way out of this, and that's to use an old work box mounted into the ceiling drywall to house the electrical splices.  A 3 gang switch box will do the trick, or you can use a 4 11/16" square box that's 1.5" or deeper if you can get an old work mountable version of that.  (Really, anything that supplies more than 29.5 in3 of space will do.)


garage door button on the wall does not work but remote control does open and close garage door My remote control opens & closes  the garage door but the button on the wall does not work.

There are a few possibilities, you can eliminate them one by one:

Take proper safety precautions to ensure that you are not injured if the door operates while you perform the following tests

The wiring is loose at the opener.  Depending on your opener, you may have screw terminals or push in connectors.  Check that the wires are secure by gently tugging on them.  (Note that most openers will have two sets of wires -- one going to the button, and another to the photocell safety mechanism.   If the unit operates correctly with the remote, the ones going to the photocell are probably OK).
Bad wiring or button.  If you have screw connectors, touch a screwdriver to the two screws that the button connects to.   If you have push-in connectors, remove the wires (they may be color-coded, keep track of which is which) and briefly connect a wire to the two terminals.  If the door operates, the problem is in the wire or button.
The button is bad.   Disconnect the wires from the button and touch the bare ends together.   If the door operates, either the wires weren't securely connected to the button, or it's gone bad.   If the button is bad, you can replace with a like replacement, or a simple doorbell button (although you will lose the ability to control the light or turn on security mode if your button offers those features).

If you've eliminated the above, the control board in the opener may have gone bad, possibly as a result of a voltage surge.   On some models, replacement boards are available online and are easy to replace.  Search online for the model number of your unit for leads.


Keeping hot tub (spa) circuit line inside attic properly I have a house with a circuit for a backyard SPA that is no longer present. I want to remove all wiring coming down from the attic, but want to leave the fat 220V line in place (in case I need in the future) and terminate it in the attic.

Which of the following would be the proper way to terminate the line inside the attic according to electrical code?

Just tape the wire ends, hang wires around to a stud, etc..
Add wire nuts/caps to wire ends instead of taping.
Add wire into a closed junction box, mount box in stud.
Add disconnect box (pull type, for future use) and mount in stud.

Any code-required location for box? Does it matter, should it be at any height?

In my area if the cable is for future use the current carrying conductors in the panel board must be capped and marked for future use.
The ground conductor if bare secured to the ground buss, if insulated capped. The conductors at the other end must be in a box and capped.
I have lived and worked in 4 states and all 4 had different rules. 1 required future use to be marked and all conductors capped together.
If you remove the wire from the panel it could be considered abandoned and in most states it is to be removed. Is your panel is in the attic or a junction box?


Lights start flickering on Luminous inverter when I connect my Desktop CPU I am using luminous solar nxg 1100 solar inverter. At my home, I have 4 fans, one tv, 10 led lights, 3 laptops and a desktop. All the equipments work fine when there is main supply. If there is no main power, everything works fine if I do not connect the destop . But as soon as I connect my desktop ,all led light starts flickering.First I thought, it may be the overload problem of the inverter. But later I see if I switch off all the lights,disconnect all laptops & Tv, after that if I connect only an LED of 12 watt and the cpu, the led starts flickering. The flickering only starts when desktop is powered by inverter.

PCs, especially cheap PCs, have pretty big power supplies.  The "850 watt" power supply actually draws over 1200 watts.  It sounds like your PC is simply too much for the system.  It may be necessary to downsize the PC, maybe get rid of performance video cards, get a smaller power supply, etc.  One of the "micro-PCs or a Mac Mini would be a great choice.
You can also look at a DC power supply for the PC, so it draws directly off your battery instead of needing to go through the inverter.


Mobile welding - need a specific generator? Do welding units, such as a Multimatic 220 AC/DC (PDF spec sheet), need a specific generator to power it? For example, does that unit require the Miller Bobcat 260 (PDF spec sheet)? Or can cheaper generators be used?

A welding unit needs a power source compatible with its power requirements. For the Miller Multimatic 220 AC/DC, that varies with your intended usage and amp draw. If you're intending to stick weld heavy steel at 200 A (welding current), you're going to need a 240 volt power source rated at at least 32 amps (i.e., 40 or 50). Also keep in mind your duty cycle; the welder is only good for a 15% duty cycle at that heavy power draw...10 seconds welding, 50 seconds resting.
On the other hand, if you keep your stick welding amp draw at 90A or less (40% duty cycle) or TIG welding at 130A, the welder will be perfectly happy with 120V power. (Not from a regular wall outlet, though, not at those amperages...you'd need a special 30 amp 120V outlet).
Now, while Miller very well may want to sell you their generator (and it might be worth considering to have equipment you know will work and play well together), the welder really won't care where the power comes from as long as it meets the voltage and current supply requirements. If you have another generator which is capable of supplying the load, by all means use it (Do make sure you have compatible plugs and cords first, of course!). If you're just using the machine in your own garage or shop, you really don't need a generator at all...just call an electrician to have the proper outlet installed wherever you plan to use the welding machine.
Editing To Add: I see that the Bobcat is a welding machine as well as a generator, so if you purchase it you will only need the one piece of equipment. It's up to you if you would rather have two separate machines (the Multimatic welder plus whatever lower-priced generator you choose).


Metal and Plastic Bathroom Faucets are the Same? Today I spoke to a highly reputable bathroom faucet company, and they claimed that their all metal faucets and plastic faucets (internal parts) are generally the same when it comes to quality and how often they break.

And when they do break, they generally have the same issues.

Is this true? From my understanding, all metal faucets cost more because they are of higher quality.

The washerless faucets usually have a plastic disk with rubber seats and most are spring loaded but not all.
The last part is the pivot this is usually plastic also in both metal and plastic faucets.
The rubber is the part that fails and is the same in both plastic and metal framed faucets.
The seats are easy to replace and many are color coded for size.
I have not seen much difference with the exception of hard water deposits. With hard water the plastic frames break much easier than the metal.


Porch construction: orientation of flooring boards (perpendicular or parallel to siding) We are are planing to replace our 3rd floor porch and I have a question about the orientation of the boards. What is the purpose of the board that is parallel to the siding and perpendicular to all the other boards (marked in yellow on the picture). Is to ensure a proper seal to the siding? Is it required? I am mainly asking because it complicates construction.

Picture from below

That's a "breadboard end", and it's simply a design element.
There is no requirement for it that I'm aware of. If you do an internet search for deck images, you'll see a wide variety of decks with and without this type of breadboard edging, and the ones with it will have it in varying widths. It's purely aesthetic.
The most important thing is to have metal flashing that runs up under the last piece of siding above the deck and across the top of that tripled ledger board. The metal will help shunt water off the top of the ledger instead of letting it sit there and rot it out.


Bathroom sink occassionally backs up into tub My bathroom sink and tub are directly adjacent. The tub drain appears to connect to the sink drain line. Photos follow.

Under normal use, there is no problem and both the sink and tub seem to work normally. However, if the sink is allowed to drain from full (for example after shaving), water backs up into the tub.

This has occurred for as long as I have lived in this house, which is only for about the past 3 months.

I have read a number of posts indicating that backflow of this type could indicate a blockage in the line. But I thought a blockage would cause backflow all the time. So could it be a partial blockage? Or is it a problem with slope on the drain line? Inadequate venting?

The tub drains from a horizontal line, under the vanity. It then connects in with the sink drain.

Fixture Layout

Sink Drain

Tub Drain (under vanity, at tub end)

A partial blockage allows some draining, but will backup when the water flows fast. It's not unusual.

You can clean the line with a snake - let the water run the whole time (to wash the dirt away, and keep down the smell), and go back and forth with the snake letting it spin and clean the walls of the pipe.

I also don't see a vent, but it may be hidden.


Spark/Arc observing while connecting battery to charge controller I have the solar system as shown in below diagram. When I connect my battery terminals to the MPPT charge controller, I am observing an arc immediately and due to which I am afraid to connect. Does this arc/spark is expected, is this because of some capacitor present inside the MPPT charge controller?
Also I have doubt on ratings of panel, charge controller and battery too.

Because you're doing it with the power on.
That is to say, during daytime.  The arc should go away if you turn off the solar panel.   Either throw a tarp over it or wait til night.
Also, try to get out of the inverter business.
Try to arrange things so your loads run directly off 12V instead of off the inverter.  The worst sin I see is people running cell phone chargers off inverters.  Every gas station, big-box and 7-11 sells cell phone chargers that run on 12 volts.
Certain loads like a refrigerator need to be on inverter. But try to find a way to spin up the inverter only when needed. An ideal setup would be to spin up the inverter hourly, and then have it shut itself down when current draw stops (after the fridge has cycled and quit).
Ratings
As far as quality ratings, that's on you. You can choose to buy quality stuff or save money, and you endure the result of that.   I can tell you "cheap Chinese" isn't anymore; they now charge retail prices as high as 95% of the genuine/quality units. Paying a lot is no longer an assurance of quality.
As far as sizing the system (how big solar vs how big battery vs loads), that is the usual place people go wrong, because they have not bothered to learn the concepts.
It takes some time. Hang out on off-grid solar power forums and such. (SE isn't the right forum; we don't field nearly enough questions about off-grid). You'll get exposed to a lot, such as "don't use more than 1/3 of a lead-acid battery's capacity", what a watt-hour is, how much common loads take (modern refrigerator: 1000 watt-hours per day), how to size solar panels to allow for winter and cloudy days, battery versus your expected draw, etc.


Tips for nailing aluminum fascia cover I noticed the other day while replacing some shingles that the aluminum covering my fascia board was bent a bit.  I think part of the problem was I sparingly used the soffit nails to attach it, and kept them high to avoid any possible drips.  It looks to me if I just added a nail lower where it bent out everything should be fine.  This led me to a few minute details on fascia nailing which I thought I'd ask.

1) Should the nails be kind of loose to let the fascia float a bit?  My understanding on siding was that you don't want to nail it down too tight, is fascia done the same?  I'm wondering if a bit of the bend was from nailing it too tight

2) Should I keep the nails high when nailing it?  If they are lower, should I be going back over with a good exterior caulk it?

Ideally you should punch the fascia with a slotted punch then set the aluminum nail loose so the fascia is free to expand and contract without buckling. Nail about 1 inch from the top and also on the bottom of the horizontal bend to hold the bottom in. This works for vinyl too.


Locating a leak, water on top of kitchen cabinents, under two bathrooms and drain stack I am trying to locate a leak that has reappeared.

The leak appears on my kitchen countertops, it actually is leaking on top of one of my corner cabinets. Theres a bit of a gap between the cabinet and the soffet and I can see it.

Immediately above the cabinet there is:

master bathroom - Original to 1970s house.
guest bath - redone this century
associated drain/vent stacks

The original 'fix' for this leak was a year ago under my home warranty. Plumber determined that the tub, drain, etc. were sealed but there was a leak/gap in the linoleum floor in the master bath. The leak was not leak, rather just people being wet or splashing in the bathroom. This was not covered by the warranty (different topic), so I got a tube of silicone caulk and sealed the gap and the entire edge of the linoleum floor.

This leak reappeared today. I pulled the tub drain and overflow cover and resealed with plubmers putty. Its raining, so I went in the attic and checked that the vent stack was dry. I also filled and drained the guest bath tub.

My primary suspect is this unsealed floor again. What else should I investigate?

I could care less about the master bath, I do care about the nearly new cabinets in my kitchen and inside-the-wall water damage.

Options include looking for discoloration on surrounding areas and even putting a paper towel or Kleenex in suspect areas in order to detect a small leak that may not have been sufficient to create noticeable discoloration.  Depending on the volume, you may be able to hear dripping in order to help trace the leak.  And you may wish to reconsider whether the initial diagnosis was correct or whether the repair was sufficient.

Here are three causes that weren't obvious to us that you may wish to consider:

(1) Around the tub spigot: We had a situation in which we had a leak from a bathroom on the ceiling of the dining room beneath it.  We re-caulked the tub and shower surround, did a small test, didn't see any water leaking, and thought we'd taken care of the problem.  The next time someone showered the leak reappeared.  We eventually figured out that the problem was around the spigot: Water from the shower was hitting the spigot, and because there was not a good seal around the spigot, water was running behind the spigot, down to the floor, and eventually into the dining room below.

(2) The actual copper supply line connections--if you're fortunate enough to have access to them without tearing out the wall: In another house, one with only one floor, we thought we had a leak in our shower pan, but during a remodeling discovered that the hot supply line had not been soldered correctly and water had been squirting out between the wall and eventually out through the brick in the adjoining exterior wall.

(3) Diversion due to insulation: We had another leak that we thought was due to a problem with the flashing between the roof and adjoining siding.  After tearing up the roof and the ceiling of the room being damaged, we discovered that the problem a poorly-sealed nail in the roof itself.  However, this location was several feet away from where water damage showed up.  In this case, the insulation directly below the small leak was sufficient to keep the water from running straight down.  Instead it wound around and into another room.


How to install tile over area with no drywall Plumbers made a mistake by placing a mixer vertically when it was supposed to be horizontal. I had to remove 3 tiles and some cement board in order to the mixer. Now what everything has been positioned properly, there is no base to install the tile onto. What can I use to create a base for tile installation? Foam?

Patch the hole with cement board. This may require removing addition tiles and cutting more cement board to reveal half a stud on the right and most of a stud on the left  but it will be a better solution then a quick fix. Once you have the cement board make sure adequate waterproofing, per regulation where you live, is also done. Then re-tile.


Old PEX tube is larger than new I'm about to tear out a bathroom and want to install some shutoff valves in front of the supply for that room.

I have not used PEX before so before cutting the existing line I bought a small section of 3/4 tube some plugs and clamps to check out the functionality before getting myself in a jam.

The problem I have is that the old PEX is about .020 larger in diameter than the new pex.   I'm afraid I'll cut the old tube and not be able to slip the crimp clamp over the old tube.

Has anyone seen this kind of size related issue?   How have you handled it?

If the old stuff is grey, its Quest. Pex A is a little bit larger I.D. than regular Pex.

They make change-overs for such cases.


Leaking hose from new bathroom faucet I bought a new faucet by Glacier Bay.
The faucets has 2 hoses attached to it.
I tightly connected the hoses to another hose using a male-to-male adapter.
When i turn the water on i see water leaking, but it looks like its leaking from the hose end joint. Not where the actual connection is.

Coukd this be a defective product?

Those are o-ring connectors and shouldn't be installed "tightly". You've probably damaged the rubber or deformed the metal. Take them apart and have a look.

They should be tightened hand-tight plus maybe a turn.