Any ideas on how to remove the back part of this fire surround? I’m really struggling to remove the back part of my fireplace. It’s made of marble and stuck onto the wall, which is made of plasterboard as far as I can tell.

It seems like it’s stuck on with a type of adhesive which are placed in big blobs in the corners and middle. It’s quite rubbery / pliable.

I’ve tried using a chisel and a hammer, which isn’t making much progress. I’ve also tried sawing through, but that doesn’t really work either. I’m a little worried that I’ll end up ripping big chunks out of the plasterboard.

Any advice would be welcome, photos below.

Fire Surround

Adhesive

Try piano wire or mason's line (string) in a sawing motion. (Partner helps for this. So does tying a loop and putting a handhold in it, as the pressure you'll need usually hurts bare hands.)

Sadly, you're apt to have to patch the drywall in the end... maybe just a little less if you get lucky.


How to repair this scratch in laminated countertop? I made a silly mistake and scratched the countertop of my kitchen.
Is there any way to fix this?

Short of replacement, I don't think there is much you can do to completely hide the scratch.
You might be able to make it less noticeable by coloring it a darker shade so it doesn't stand out as much. The simplest example would be to draw in the scratch with a thin brown marker, although since this is a kitchen you might consider a food safe dye of some sort (they do make non-toxic permanent markers).


Why does my stud finder detect electrical wires over a large area of my wall? I wanted to install a shelving system into my closet. The stud finder seems to detect live wires over a large area (approximately 4 by 4 feet!) The closet is in the basement, with no power outlets except the light fixture. But the stud finder's signal turns on about 3 feet above ground and continues all the way to the ceiling. I checked it with two different stud finders (same result). Question: is this even possible??? That there is so much going on behind a closet wall?  I don't want to drill through any wires, but honestly, a closet like this, without shelves is quite useless...

Here is an easy method to determine the location of live wires, with a stud finder. I have a stud finder on which there is no means to adjust the sensitivity of the live wire detector. However, you may use paper for the same purpose. Stud finder is sensitive to the electric field; electric field depends on the distance (i.e. how far you are from the live wire) and the medium (i.e. the material between you and wire (air or other material). If you put some paper between the stud finder and the wall you decrease the sensitivity of the stud finder. I use phone book pages for this purpose (they are free and you may add as many pages as needed). The thickness of the pages may go from one page to 1 centimeter or more depending on the current in the wire, and the paint used on the wall. You will see that the stud finder sounds for electricity only when it comes on top of the wire; you can pinpoint the location of the wire exactly. I hope this info helps someone. Good luck.


Why are there multiple receptacles by amperage? I could imagine the various receptacle shapes being a tool to protect you from making a mistake about what you plug in.

Consider a 15A breaker with 14ga wiring to NEMA 5-15R receptacles. The circuit goes to 3 different rooms. In each room I plug in a device that draws 6A, and I overload the circuit and trip the breaker. So, a 15A recep didn't protect me from anything.

If, on the other hand, each circuit had exactly one receptacle, then you could look at the plug configuration and know how much load you can put on that circuit. You might daisy chain a bunch of power strips on that recep and overload it that way (or not, if you're just charging a bunch of Kindles) but you have the information you need to decide if that's going to work for you.

I get why there are different receptacle shapes by voltage. But this is about amp rating of circuits, wiring, outlets, and devices. I'm interested in the codes that govern what's behind the walls & built in to houses, not best practices when plugging in. Assume ignorant/lazy users.

Why do receptacle shapes vary by amperage? What's the purpose?

I'm not really sure exactly what your question is in reference to the multiple room examples you give. Without referencing the exact NEC sections, it basically allows 15amp circuits in living spaces and bedrooms, a minimum of two 20amp circuits in kitchens with home runs (single purpose circuit) for certain Higher draw appliances such as refrigerators, dryers, water heaters, etc.  It has always been working practice to split up some lighting from receptacles and also use multiple circuits to separate higher use rooms such as a living room from bedrooms.   There are limits to the number of receptacles on a branch circuit, but I don't have the reference at hand.

As far as the different shapes of receptacles, 15amp, 20 amp, 30amp etc. This is quite obvious in the fact that the male plug on appliances is slaved to it's draw of amps. These different shapes assure that a machine that draws 17amps cannot be plugged into a 15amp feeder. Granted, one could put several 6 amp devises on one 15amp and overload it, but that is what the circuit breaker is for.  Under normal and historical uses in residential structures, it would be rare to easily overload a circuit with typical household items, such as lamps, stereos, fans etc. if someone is going to use multiple high draw appliances, then common sense has to kick in and design the circuit plan to accommodate the anticipated load. When i design a house plan, I always use a minimum of a 20 circuit panel(most of the time a 40)  and separate branch circuits to each room, basement and garage, as well as a few for lighting or outdoor usage.

I don't know if this really answers your question, but that's all I got for ya!


Multiple GFCI receptacles, Fridge is tripping one it ins't plugged into I recently put a fridge in my garage, the outlet I am using I discovered is on the same circuit as the bathroom indoors across a hall. I believe the previous owner installed it as he is a 'contractor' and did a lot of work on the house.

There are 3 outlets on the circuit, all 3 have GFCI receptacles. I'll call them, A,B, and C. A is in the garage, B and C are in the bathroom. The fridge is plugged into A, nothing is usually plugged into B or C unless we have guests stay with us. When the fridge is plugged into A, within 48 hours it will trip the GFCI on B. A and C remain untripped.

Does anyone have an idea of why this might be happened and what I can do to fix it.

You should avoid plugging fridges into GFCIs any which way you can.  Refrigerators are the exact opposite of the use-case for GFCIs.*

However, the latest version of Code requires GFCI devices in garages.  It's a pity; old installations are "grandfathered" and you are not required to retrofit GFCI.  We are recommending that you use any means possible/necessary, to arrange your wiring so the refrigerator/freezer is on a "grandfathered" old outlet not on GFCI, and this outlet is a single outlet labeled "Freezer only".

You might think "Oh, I'll hit Habitat for Humanity Store and find some old, ugly, painted-on boxes, receptacles, covers, conduit and/or cable, and some rusty screws to make the installation look old".  I couldn't possibly advise such a thing.

Now if "3 GFCIs on one circuit" is true, this guy's either dumb, or so smart he looks dumb.  Generally, fridges notwithstanding, one GFCI device can protect the whole circuit.  There are reasons to put multiple GFCIs on a circuit (like a fridge at the 3rd receptacle), but pressing "test" on one GFCI should never knock power out to another GFCI.  If so, the second one is useless and should be changed to a plain receptacle.  The spare GFCI can then be used to protect another circuit.

* Fridges are 3-prong grounded, metal chassis, all the electrical gear is in the bottom back where it is wildly inaccessible, you are unlikely to drip hollandaise sauce into it, and you probably won't drop it in the sink. They are also expensive (not cheap throwaway countertop appliances) and contain a cyclically operated  large motor that is prone to minor ground faults, which are factors that are anti-GFCI.  Further, there's another life-safety issue: food spoilage.  So you have "dueling safety features", like a low-oil-level shutoff on a fire pump.  Do not sacrifice the warehouse to save the fire pump.


Need help naming / finding drill attachment I have a ZUWA drill pump as seen in the picture but not the attachment to the drill that stabilizes the water pump (the thing that has the metal rod extending out that passes through the water pump)
 It's not absolutely necessary, but a nice-to-have.  I've had some trouble locating one and not sure how common they are, or if they have a common name?

On ZUWA's website I could only find an ID for this part.

Any help much appreciated.

That's just the depth gauge that is built into the front handle of most two-hand drills.

Green is an accessory typically supplied with the drill.

Red is an accessory for the pump, Part 300, Drill adapter 11012300
it doesn't appear tp be particularly complex design you could screw a bracket to a block of wood and put a metal rod through the wood and have something near equivalent


How do I install a wireless remote for a ceiling light without a fan? I have a fan with lights in my ceiling. There is no wall switch, only a wireless remote. I'd like to avoid installing a wall switch if possible. I purchased a chandelier assuming that I could just install the chandelier and ignore the existing wiring for the fan, but am having problems.

The remote receiver that hooks into the box (Harbor Breeze Universal Ceiling Fan & Light Remote Control + Receiver) has 3 output wires, "Motor N", "Motor L", and "LIGHT". No matter how I tested the wires with a meter, I could not get a 120V reading that operated with the light switch on the wireless remote. I could get 100V, 110V, and 120V readings by clicking the fan button, which seemed to correlate with the Low, Medium, and High fan settings on the remote.

Am I able to install only a light with this wireless receiver? With the best of my knowledge, the only way I could get it to work would be to have to use the fan switch, which would require multiple clicks to turn it on and off. Do I need a different type of wireless receiver? I couldn't seem to find any other ones.

The short answer is that it depends on the internal circuitry of the remote. I have a Harbor Breeze fan/light combo that came with a wireless remote, and I know that there are protective circuits inside the receiver that detect if there are non-incandescent bulbs in the system (e.g. CFLs/LEDs, which can cause power spikes, don't work with simple dimmer circuits, etc), or if the wiring is connected incorrectly. This protects against certain short-circuits and against overloading the wiring. From what I know, the basic design assumes you will either use it for a fan only, or a fan with light.

If this is the case, you can't use the remote to control just a light. The receiver will detect that the motor circuit is discontinuous and shut off to protect itself. However, the receiver may not be that "smart", so as long as the Motor Hot wire is capped off to avoid arcing, shorting and electrical fires, the circuit through the Light Hot and Motor/Common Neutral wires should still work. You just have to connect the receiver unit properly; the wires coming out of one side of the receiver should go to the J-box, matching white to white and red or black to red or black, and the wires in the other side should go to the light, again matching white to white and black or red to blue.

If this doesn't work, you're probably going to have to put the light on a wall dimmer. There are models of wall switch that are also receivers for remote controls. Lutron's "Maestro" system uses one wired wall switch, to which a number of wireless controls can be linked and communicate with it via RF. This allows for, for instance, 3-way switching where there used to be none, without having to fish wire. In your case, the Pico remote control works with a Maestro switch and allows similar functionality to what you want with the Harbor Breeze control; a remote you can take in hand and control the lights from anywhere in range of the wall switch. You can get this system at a Home Depot or online. Downside? It's toward the cutting edge of home lighting controls, and so is pretty high-end; the switch and remote control combo is about $80.


Pressure Tank not holding water Just put in new submersible well pump, pressure tank will fill and once full well pump shuts off all the water runs out of the tank. Everything is turned off in the house, why is water rushing out of the pressure tank?  It’s a well-trol. Also the air pressure gauge below the pressure switch isn't working does this cause any issues as well?

With a new pump it should be good but they ( the check valve) do get stuck sometimes. When this happens I will add a check valve just prior to the tank. Adding a valve is easier than pulling the pump. I did have a line from the pump to the tank that cracked, I tried the check valve and it did work for a while but the crack got so bad it would not pump more than 20 psi, at that point we pulled the pump and found the crack and replaced the line, hope that helps.


Finishing gaps between drywall panels on ceiling Ran some drywall in a room on the ceiling and some of the joints have a gap about 1/4" wide (either at butts or one place by the wall, which may be closer to 3/8"). The gap at the wall was due to its angle and the  other gaps at the butts were from slightly undercutting.
Is something that is still able to be finished?

Those gaps are completely common and not an issue. Pros deal with far worse on almost any job, especially when another crew did the hanging.
You could pre-fill those gaps by skimming and let that dry (or use setting-type compound for a faster job). It'll shrink some, but it'll make the taping coat shrink a lot less. It's not necessary, though.
The fact is that these joints will be stronger than those with just surface finishes. The joint compound pushes through the gap and creates a shear bridge, locking the ends of the sheets together much more effectively than just a thin layer on the face would.


Was coal ever used as an insulator? In pulling off some broken mortar on the dirt foundation (where the actual brick footers rest) of a 1920's house crawl space, I discovered a layer of black coal just under the mortar.   There are chunks of it, and some smaller particles.

Was coal ever used as an insulator?  Why would the original builder install a layer of coal below the mortar?

Coal (especially in cities above a certain latitude) was stored under houses, often delivered down a chute to be handled as little a possible as it is messy & dusty.The cost of removing the leftover coal (an unpleasant job) far exceeded its value, so it stayed, often getting covered up later to stop the dust.
  Heating oil & tanks today face a similar $ dynamic in houses changing to gas, geothermal, electric, etc.


Covering Exposed ICF and sill plate? new guy here.
I am hoping you guys can help. We had a 2x6 built Wisconsin Homes modular placed on top of an ICF basement. Then, we had vertical vinyl board and batten siding installed, it was run down so the J Channel sits a half inch below the sheeting. This left the sill plate exposed.

The concrete contractor ran mel-rol waterproofing up to the top of the ICF. This shouldn't be exposed above grade, so my plan is to peel down the waterproofing barrier and cut it off to remove it before applying sticky mesh and synthetic stucco where the foundation will sit above grade.

My question is, how the heck do I hide the sill plate tastefully?

I contacted styro industries, the makers of Tuff II and FlexCoat synthetic stucco and they don't recommend covering the sill with this product.

I thought about running 1x4x16' lp trim board all around and nailing them to the sill then stucco below that, but not sure if that is a good idea or if there's a more economical solution?

Also, should I coat the bottom of the sheeting boards with something, rather than leave them exposed? See pics for reference.

You could install a trim board, but that doesn't adequately address water drainage. You'll end up with water behind it, rotting out your sill.

I would do your stucco/parge coat, then install color-coordinating Z-flashing over the sill plates. The flashing should be inserted behind the siding channel (and any housewrap or other flashing), so you may need a custom bend to accommodate your dimensions. It should lap onto your stucco a reasonable distance (say an inch). Ideally it will terminate with a hem for stiffness and a finished appearance.


What modern 20 amp breaker is compatible with my Challenger panel? I have a bad 20 amp challenger breaker that I need to replace. Can anyone tell me which replacement to buy. Here’s the info from the breaker:

20 Amp
Challenger
Und.Lab.Inc.Listed
Circuit Breaker
1 pole unit.  E16248
Issue No. MC-1253
Type C 120/240 VAC
36 LB IN. LUG Torque
HACR TYPE SWD
LR 17630   13278-1 K

TLDR: Replace every breaker in your panel with a BR type from Bryant, Cutler Hammer or Eaton, readily available most places that sell breakers.  Nothing else should be in your panel - especially not a Challenger (unless you like fires)!

For the best answer ever on this subject, see here.

Green highlighting added. The breakers don't actually have that.

You must use UL-listed or UL-classified breakers

UL-listed means the manufacturer of the panel makes the breakers using their internal knowledge, and UL certified it as safe.

UL-Classified means a competitor reverse-engineered it.  UL has torture-tested it and confirmed it safe.

Never stick random Brand X breakers in your panel. The bus stabs are different for patent reasons, and will arc and burn when heavily loaded.  We call these "alien breakers".

Challenger is cursed...

Because of the need for backwards compatibility, one cannot change a bus design. But it's a good bus design. Unfortunately Challenger hopped on the FPE/Zinsco crazytrain and made some very bad breakers for that good bus.  That is why Challenger is on the same "remove it" list as FPE/Zinsco, but only insofar as the breakers, not the panel.

... but Challenger is blessed.

This industry runs on mergers and acquisitions.  Challenger/Westinghouse wound up in the hands of Bryant who promptly fixed the breaker problem. They changed its name to BR, so they could outlaw use of the defective Challenger Type C breakers. (The buses remain the same).  As for BR breakers, they cross-listed those Type C, since of course they fit Challenger.  This gives Challenger panel owners a super easy upgrade path; simply swap out the vile Type C for Type BR/C for about $5/circuit.

To be clear: BR/C isn't "UL-classified" for your panel.  It is "UL Listed" for your panel.  And your only legal choice.

BRyant got folded into Cutler Hammer who got folded into Eaton.  The buses are still the same to maintain backwards compatibility and because the original bus is perfectly fine.

You must change every breaker in the panel to BR type

Since the Challenger breakers are dangerous, every breaker in your panel needs to be a Type BR/Type C from Bryant, Cutler Hammer or Eaton.  If it's not, change it now.

Also, where your breaker has failed, look closely at the bus stabs under the breaker.  Challenger never had a bus-stab problem, but lots of people don't know about the BR/C thing, so they run out and grab any "alien breaker" like a Square D HOMeline or GE or Murray.  Those could have burned up the bus.  A burned bus is unusable; that space is permanently dead. Search the panel for any other alien breakers and get rid of em.

An alien breaker can be a sleeping monster; most circuits aren't loaded very hard (until they are, and that's when it fries).


Can I plug a workbench mounted double gang outlet into a single gang wall outlet? I'm thinking about building a workbench on one side of my garage, but I need more outlets for all of my tools. I'm not planning on running everything at once, I just don't want to keep unplugging everything when I need to plug something else in. The most I might run at the same time might be a small shopvac and an orbital sander.

Some solutions I've considered are:

Mounting a separate double gang box on the side of the bench and plugging it into the wall outlet. Is this against electrical code? The cord running to the workbench box wouldn't be enclosed, so it's not considered a permanent fixture, right?
Replace the single gang outlet with a double gang? Do I need to worry about the extra electrical load? (I noticed this question after I originally posted. I hope they're not too similar.)
Just using a power strip. Do they make mountable power strips? It would be nice not to have to crawl under the bench to unplug tools.

I like power strips similar to this for work areas. They are nice because they have an on/off switch, which if mounted in an easy to reach location could save life and limb.

Using a power strip like this should not be a problem, as long as you don't run too many tools at once.  And it should conform to most codes, as it would be classified as an extension cord (I think).


Why isn't my thermostat clicking on/off automatically? My thermostat is not clicking on/off automatically, I have called my landlord and they replaced a very old one with a brand new one and it is still not clicking on off automatically, but will manually. I have called them up again to tell them it still only works if I manually change it and they have been and replaced it again but it's still not working!! So I am going to try and sort it out myself. Can anyone give me any idea as to what is wrong and how I can fix it?

If they have replaced it twice, it is likely that the fault lies elsewhere or the thermostat is miswired.

I replaced mine with one that incorporates an indicator lamp to show if it is on (signalling heating system to provide heat)

This type of thermostat incorporates a "heat anticipator" that receives power when the thermostat is "on". If miswired, the heat anticipator can be on all the time and cause the thermostat to think the temperature is always high - and so never switch on the heating.

This particular thermostat operates at high voltage, so unless you are comfortable working with voltages that can easily kill you, you should get an electrician to do any investigation or other work.

There are a huge variety of thermostat designs, so what applies in my part of the world may not apply in yours.


How can I control several LED strips with one remote control? I want to install several LED strips that cannot be connected to each other. Each would have it's own power supply. Is there a way to control them all with a single remote control? I seen several remote controls, but they all have only one receiver. Would adding a second receiver work with the same remote controls or is there some pairing to do?

I purchased 4 identical systems, each with the same LED driver/controller and remote. Each LED strip had to be wired separately with it's own DRIVER/CONTROLLER.  Only one remote will operate all 4 strips.  The problem however is that the remote can get out of sync with the lights strips and then it's pure h^ll trying to get them all back in sync, only to have it happen again just a few moments later.  I to this day have no solution, unless all 4 strips are controlled by the same DRIVER/CONTROLLER, which they are not and cannot be at this stage of the construction.  Food for thought and something I will keep in my knowledge sack for future builds.


Gap under patio slab I have a home that is 2 years old.   I found the ground settling under the concrete slab for my paver patio in one corner.  About 2-3 inches gap  that goes deep in.     It hasn’t sunk or cracked.   It’s being held up because concrete slab is pinned to the foundation on 2 sides of the rectangle shape patio.

What is the best way to fill the gap and with what materials?

Any inorganic gravel or sand will do the job. The trick is packing it in tightly enough to eliminate all gap. As you can imagine, concrete doesn't flex, and any gap will eventually result in a crack and settling of the concrete.

Fill the gap by tamping horizontally with a piece of lumber or similar tool, and work your way out. A little bit of moisture might help compact things as you work. Once you have the void completely filled, landscape around the patio to retain the material you've installed. This is critical to long-term success.

You may need to hire a "mud jacking" company to inject concrete through the slab to fill the void where it's inaccessible. They'll drill small holes and patch them when they're done.


Use baseboard to conceal wires? I am not a carpenter (programmer actually), therefore I need to know if it is possible to conceal wires in a baseboard. Basically I want a combination of this

And this

But I don't want my entire house to look hideous.

If it is possible, are there any off the shelf baseboards, or do I have to get a carpenter to custom make them?

Yes it's definitely possible. If you have carpeting you often can just push the wire under the baseboard in the gap left for the flooring.

Otherwise the most common option is to remove the baseboards, and then cut out a strip of drywall at the bottom of the wall. You hide your wires in this channel, and then replace the baseboards.  Make sure that when nailing your baseboards back down that you don't hit any of the wires.

The above advice does not apply to line-voltage wiring but can be used for Telco wiring.


Why can I feel my seven pound cat walking across floor of my home? The house is only 9 years old. (I am the second owner)   I know they settle but in the last year I can feel all movement across the floor- year ago I could barely feel anything but did notice that when someone walked across I could feel them go by.  But more recently the cat walking across to go to the chair I can feel that.  What is going on?  I know I should not feel the cat who is 7 lbs walking by or across the floor.
Split level home
9 years old
Minnesota location

Is anyone out there that can explain this?

There are five reasons I can think of: 1) vibration due to over stressed structural floor system, 2) continuous span structural floor materials, 3) high water table, 4) underlying soil conditions eroding away creating voids that the foundation rests on, and 5) footing poured on water in forms at time of construction.

1) The Building Code specifies "minimum" loading requirements. In order to save money, designers and builders will push the limits on these values causing the floor to feel springy. Good design will increase those minimums so that the floor feels "stiff". It makes the building "feel" like its high quality. However, this will be evident immediately at the completion of construction, not several years later.

2) New floor joists material (TJ-I's, engineered joists, etc.) are now used and they can be made up to 70-80' long. This allows a builder to install floor joists in multi - span configurations. (In olden times, a floor joists was a 2x8 or 2x10 and came in 16'-18' lengths and usually stopped under walls. ) Now continuous floor joists allows the structural calculations to include the weight in adjoining spans to "off-set" the required deflection so the live load is actually decreased, which allows for more deflection and vibration. However, again, this will be evident immediately at the completion of construction, not several years later.

3) A high water table will allow any vibration to transfer throughout the house. I live in a high water table area (swamp) in the U.S. and extra heavy trucks driving by our building will cause a vibration on the second floor of our building. If the tide is "out" and it's summer, we don't feel it so much. It's winter where you are and I'm sure the water table is high right now. Is it? However, I doubt if your cat could create such a phenomenon, unless Items 1) and/or 2) are occurring.

4) This is bad. Are there pockets of limestone in you neighborhood? You could contact your local Building Official to see if this is even possible. If it is occurring, you might be noticing some early "signs". If a void is created under a footing, then it could settle causing the wood floor joists to span an extra long distance. The "span" of floor joists is the most critical determination for deflection (vibration).

5) During construction, it could have rained in the footings and the contractor left water in the bottom of the footings when they poured the concrete...and didn't remove the mud so the footing did not set on undisturbed soil. This muddy mess set up when it dried out, but has turned back to mush due to a high water or leaky downspout, etc.  Again, if a footing settles an inch or less, then the floor joists would need to span to the next support.

Note: Most of this does not make sense if your foundation system is a "slab on grade" system or if you have a basement, because you'd see cracks in your basement walls long before you noticed your cat causing the floor joists to vibrate. Are there doors binding and not closing? Are windows stuck that you can't open? Are there cracks in the plaster above the windows or doors? (Look close, because sometimes it's just a "hairline" crack.)


Can I use coaxial cable for audio over 30 feet? Want to buy a mid range AV Reciever model, but my concern is that can I provide input audio from another room(away from 30feet) by coaxial cable (or only RCA audio cable required). 2nd, for output can I use coaxial cable (30 feet) for bathroom (without amplifier) without any qauality compromise.

RCA audio cables are normally coaxial in construction, and are fine out to 50 feet or more, normally. I've run 100+ feet when needed for auditorium A/V setups. While there are fancier ways to go long distances, with modern equipment and cables there's little need for them in most cases.

Most coaxial cable is not particularly suited to use as "output, without amplifier" - ie, speaker cable use. Use speaker cable for that job, it's what it's made for.


Is storing hot water over 140F a regional requirement? It seems to be "common knowledge" that to help prevent Legionella, hot water tanks/heaters should be set at 140F.  This temperature is enough to cause terrible burns and scalding so devices like thermostatic mixing valves are also commonly used.

However, in Texas where I am from, people set their water heaters to 120F for scalding safety.  I've never seen a thermostatic mixing valve installed in a house and haven't known anyone to set a water heater to what I would consider a very dangerous 140F.

I do notice that people that seem to be from colder climates make the 140F recommendation, so does it mainly come from areas with "boiler" systems?  Larger hot water tanks that would hold the water for longer (50 gallon is the max common size in TX)?  Is this a newer suggestion that I just haven't seen implemented?  Is it a commercial thing?

I'm just trying to find out where the discrepancy is between the people that say it's a hard requirement and the other people that would never consider heating water that hot in a residential system.

It's a new problem.

First, do anything you want. It's your health and there's no legal mandate, yet.

The legionella issue is actually quite new.  The disease itself wasn't even identifed until 1976 at the US Bicentennial in Philadelphia, when a bunch of people at a hotel got sick and died.  Only this mass-casualty event made anyone notice and start to look at microscope slides; the disease has no doubt been active for much longer.

It has taken them decades to figure out how it even operates.

Historically, the advice regarding water heaters has been to keep it cool enough that you can't scald people; particularly children or the elderly who may not have the wherewithal to escape/stop too-hot water.  (Consider an Alzheimers sufferer who is protesting anyway; you can't tell a bona-fide "too hot" protest from the rest.)

Only quite recently was it understood that it breeds in water heaters, and can enter your system by breathing atomized/evaporated water in a shower. And it took years more for the science to get solidified to where government agencies feel comfortable making it official messaging.  So "only in the last 5-6 years".

What also slowed the government proclamations is the scalding factor.  Stopping legionella meant a grisly compromise between scalding risk and legionella risk; however this is resolved either a) by tankless heaters, or b) blending/safety valves on all outlets  Only recently have those become commonplace (because the government incentivized these, because of this). So the government was very reluctant to start blasting the "140F/60C" message.

Part of the problem, any time you put out PSA messaging like that on a large scale, is you are speaking to a very, very, very stupid populace, and much of that stupidity comes from the "heard it on the grapevine" method by which information is repeated incorrect or incomplete. That makes the government even more reluctant to blast a message.

As a result, your confusion is understandable.

You cannot conquer the legionella problem without also thinking about the scald problem, otherwise you're merely "out of the frying pan, into the fire".
Legionella grows when water is at a certain midrange of temperature. Keeping water there as short a time as possible is key.
Fit blending valves on all outlets and crank it to 140F/60C; done.
fit a master blending valve at the water heater and crank it up.
Go with tankless heater(s); done.  This assures water doesn't dwell anywhere long enough at the right temperatures to breed legionella. Except if you just slap a tankless where the tank was, that can raise some annoyances and doesn't allow the best benefits of tankless to work in your favor. For that, a little more system design is called for.


How can I know if a self-designed structure I build will be structurally sound? I've recently begun designing and building structural updates to my house. For example, I've built some shelving units and a cabinet space. Everything has gone well so far, but I'm about to tackle something more significant, a self-designed backyard shed, and I want to be sure that it is structurally sound.

The design will have non-traditional elements, such that copying an existing design would not be straight-forward and could not be relied on.

Is there a software tool or online resource that can help an average DIY'er calculate the load capacity for different structures using different materials? For example, if I use a 2 by 4 here it will be able to hold X weight, versus using a 1 by 3 can hold Y weight.

Or maybe there's are rules like 2 x 4 braced every 2 feet can hold 200 pounds. If this is the case is there a book or website that can provide me with guidance like this?

Safe loads are determined through engineering and experimentation. The experimentation is used to gather real-world data, which then is used as input to engineering processes, which then result in guidelines and building codes.

This is all updated over time as new materials are introduced and new experience is gained.

When there's a situation that is non-standard, there are two common approaches to dealing with the situation. The first is to pay an engineer to provide guidance on an appropriate approach. The second is to simply overbuild. An experienced builder will know when it's okay to overbuild, and when you need an engineer.

To get back to your original question, it has no simple answers. It involves the materials used, how they are assembled, and what sort of forces they are going to be asked to deal with. If you can post more detail on your design, I can advise you on any deficiencies that I see, but I'm not a professional.


Other options for an air admittance valve besides underneath the sink? I am re-doing the plumbing in my 1950's house and the ventilation is really poor.  I have replaced the entire cast iron stack from the basement sewer up until the beginning of my second floor with PVC.  Two bathrooms are on top of each other, however, my downstairs toilet gets tons of air bubbles and empties the bowl when the upstairs toilet is flushed.  I have not tackled the plumbing for the 2nd story fixtures, yet, but I will.  There are a nightmare of Y's and T's embedded in concrete mud bath and even with the 1st story bathroom's ceiling open up, I can't see where the pipes run and connect to my vent stack in the attic. I am fairly certain there they are clogged. For now, I am hoping to put a air admittance valve somewhere for the first story fixtures to help with ventilation for now.  I am trying to put it in a place easily accessible in case I need to replace it.

Below is a underneath view of how the plumbing is set up on the first floor:

That bathroom sink line is where I am contemplating putting a AAV. Below is a dry-fit of what I am thinking after it comes out of the wall...

I see that this is a common placement for AAV's, but, it doesn't allow for very much room to hook my P-trap up to my sink drain.  I'm wondering if I can put this AAV somewhere else underneath my first floor and if that will be effective.  For example, could I put it somewhere between the bathroom sink drain line and my main stack... does it matter where it goes?  So long as it is above where the water flows high enough, is that enough?

Could I put it like the picture down below?  Could I branch off the sewer drain after it goes through the wall and down in the basement like what I've shown?  Would that be better? Worse?

You can (in some less strict locales, like rural areas) put an AAV inside a wall or ceiling. The catch is that you will have to have some way to service it, meaning you need an access panel of some sort.

A lot of cities, however, may frown on an AAV that's not readily accessible. Your mileage may vary.

If I were you, I'd simply leave it as you have it dry fit and get creative with some fittings to make it work. It's the path with the least questions (virtually all jurisdictions allow them under-sink).


What is the best tool for cutting up scrap wood? I have some wood left over from building a patio, mainly some planks.  Normally when I'm creating firewood, I just use an axe a split the wood, but these are too long for that.  I really don't want to try and cut them with a wood saw or an Axe.  The only tools I can think that make sense are a Jig Saw or a chain saw.

So what I'll probably do is cut them down with the jig Saw (and maybe split them with the axe)

What other alternative are there?  Should be something hand held, I don't think a band saw or a circular saw would make sense.

Reciprocating Saw
Most fun.

Miter Saw
Fastest.

Circular Saw
Most likely to have on hand.

Jig Saw
Slow.

Hand Saw
Slower.

Butter knife
Slowest.

Pruning Saw
Longest reach.

Fire
Cut right to the chase

Beaver
Requires lots of training, food, and cleanup (thanks @SteveJackson for pointing this method out).

Chain saw
By popular demand (don't use on PT wood)

No affinity to Ridgid, just the first brand in the list when searching for reciprocating saw.


How can I control 2 lights, that are controlled by 1 switch, independently without having to re-route wires? My contractor installed 2 beside lights dropping from the ceiling but only provided 1 switch to turn both ON/OFF simultaneously.  Obviously that's a poor design because one person may want to go to sleep and turn OFF their light, while the other may want it ON to read, etc.

Are there any wireless solutions out there that can fix this issue without having to rewire the lights and wire new switches in the wall?

There are remote controlled switches that fit a light socket, and LED lamps that have remote controls. These are just two examples; you may need a different base to fit the fixture.


Blower Motor Heat and Cool Control Board I’m an electrician by trade but i have a friend who needed his blower motor replaced. The parts store sold him a motor but it only has one hot leg. The control board has a hot for cooling and a hot for heating. What would happen if I wired them both together to the hot for the motor? I’m afraid back feeding the control board might fry it? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

It'd be fine, simply because I can't think of a 120 volt AC relay that would be damaged by getting back fed power. Mechanical and solid state can both handle it as far as I know. That's not a 100% you're good though, maybe 90+% confidence?

Worst case it passes current backwards through to hot and won't be able to shut itself off, but you'll catch that during testing. Nothing should blow up.


Can I switch my bathroom light and fan separately with two conductors? Currently our bathroom light/fan combo is running on one switch. Want to change to two single-pole switches. One to run the fan and one to run the light. There are only one black, one white and a ground coming from the light/fan unit. Is is possible for me to change to two switches? FYI- there is a double box because I changed the box before doing the switches assuming I would be able to do it.

Yes, but you'll need smart devices to do it

In the smart-switch wiring, you also have a controller module up in the fan assemblt.   The smart switch and controller both get always-hot and neutral.   The controller then outputs switched-hot-fan and switched-hot-light.

The smart switch and controller must be a matched set.  You probably won't need a 2-gang box for the smart switch.


Are these signs of bed bugs? I find these bugs crawling from under the bed :

I don't know what they are. I haven't seen them on top of the bed just on the floor. But I've been getting rashes all over my body even though I didn't see anything on me.

That does not look like a bedbug but more like a Kissing Bug, or some other variant of Assassin Beetle. They bite (people) and sometimes spread disease.


Likelihood of asbestos under newer ceiling texture? Edit: Adding some up-front clarification because people seem to be fixating on the "asbestos" part of this question.

This is what I am asking for: help determining what prior work may have been done in my house based on the context I have and some visual clues.

If that's not appropriate for diy.stackexchange, that's fine! But the provided answers and comments have not made it clear if the problem is with the asbestos part of the question or the fact that I'm asking for opinions about previous work.

What I am not asking for: determination of asbestos content based on photos or discussion of the varying degrees of danger that asbestos exposure represents.

OP follows:

We moved into our house about 2 years ago, and at the time it had 2 bedrooms with asbestos popcorn ceiling texture (that we've since had removed). The rest of the house has either a (poorly-done) knockdown or orange peel texture that was done sometime before we bought it.

I'm trying to figure out how the previous owners dealt with the popcorn ceiling that was very likely throughout the house (besides the 2 bedrooms we know about). If they did it right, they would've scraped it, repaired the drywall and re-applied texture, then painted. There's one area where the ceiling meets the stone fireplace, that makes me wonder if they could've instead just covered it rather than removed it.

This photo is from the top left of the fireplace. There's a little bit of texture that looks like popcorn texture to me, to the right in the photo. To the left, where the ceiling meets the wall, it looks like there's some drywall tape?

This is basically the same shot, but from a little further away for context. What's the likelihood they covered or contained the old asbestos popcorn texture, rather than properly scraped? The knock-down is pretty thick and not very well done. Seems possible that they sprayed on a bunch to contain the old texture, but I don't really know how common that is.

To clarify in response to some of the comments - the popcorn ceiling we had removed was tested independently and contained asbestos. I'm trying to determine the likelihood that the previous owners removed vs covered the popcorn ceiling in the rest of the house.

The only way to tell if a ceiling contains asbestos is to take a sample and have it tested.  There is lots of "popcorn texture" (Artex in the UK) which doesn't have asbestos and some that does.


How to detect where water is coming from on external wall I have recently moved into a new house and when it is raining two patches of water can be seen on either side of the front door:

The pointing has been recently done around the area and I cannot see any holes nor cracks in the brick work.

The only thing I can think is that there is a concrete step on the out side however this have been painted so water would not be absorbed? any suggestions to narrow where this could be coming from would be much appreciated.

I have used a flir camera to find leaks in roofs the water trails show up as cold areas and the thermal image even works to some extent through the wall. In 1 case the water was coming in more than 20' from the wall running down a rafter then down the wall I could not see it with my eyes but the camera made it quite easy to pinpoint. I use the camera for other things like finding bad electrical connections and leaks in ductwork so they can be a handy tool for a home owner there are quite a few models on the market for 200-400$ that work with some smart phones.


Should a washer go on nut side, or the bolt side? Often I take something apart and when I go to reassemble it, I don't remember which side the washer was on.  When there's only one washer, does it generally go on the nut side (pressed up against the nut) or the bolt side (pressed up against the bolt)?

Washers are used for multiple purposes when mechanical parts are assembled using bolts and nuts. Here are some usages and as you can see it is not likely that a generalized answer can be devised to directly answer your question!

Some washers have a special design that attempts to help keep the nut and/or bolt from coming loose. Known as a lock washer these may be a split ring type, star type, wavy or any one of a number of other designs. A lock washer will be used with the part of the assembly that most likely could turn such as the nut. It could be used under the bolt head in instances where the bolt screws into threads in one part of the assembly.
A washer is sometimes used to protect the surface of the assembled parts. A nut or bolt head being turned during the tightening process can mar the part surface around the hole and a washer can be used to take the abuse as opposed to the part. This may be particularly applicable when the parts are a softer material such as plastic, brass or aluminum and a washer made of a harder material is used.
Sometimes a thin material is part of the assembly and a larger diameter washer is used to help distribute the pressure of the tight bolt across a larger part of the thin material. In these cases the washer would be used against the thin material. It can help to keep the material flatter or to prevent pullout of the fastener.
There are times when a large diameter washer used as in #3 above may be used with yet another washer smaller in diameter washer on top of the first. This would be done for cases where the larger diameter washer may tend to mushroom when the bolt is tightened.
Assemblies often have a slotted or oversize hole on one side. This is designed to allow for tolerance in the hole size and location in the parts being assembled. Another variation of this would be a long slotted hole that permits the adjustment of one part relative to the other before the bolt and nut are fully tightened. A washer would be used over the slotted hole to allow the pressure of the tightened bolt to be spread across the slot and up onto the part itself. In some instances the washer will also help to prevent the turning bolt head or nut from deforming the slotted part during the tightening process.
Some assemblies are designed to have the parts move with respect to one another when the bolt is actually tight. The travel of the nut may be restricted by a shouldered design of the bolt or a sleeve can be installed around the bolt in the hole. In these cases a washer is often used to keep the moving part from wearing the bolt head or nut. The washer may be made of a material designed to reduce the friction between itself and the moving part. This can also help to keep a turning part from trying to loosen the nut through friction.

Many times washers will play a role that is a combination of the above usages. One common example is to see a lock washer used along with a larger diameter flat washer.


Exterior wall framing - Safe to remove 2x4 that was part of soffit/bulkhead? I've removed all the soffits in my kitchen, however, there is one 2x4 that I have left until I could consult someone more knowledgeable.  I'm thinking the 2x4 was there just to hang the drywall underneath, however, it seems to run along the bottom of 2x10's that make up my exterior wall (sill?) that supports the floor joists of my 2nd floor. The house is a 2-story, brick home built in 1940.

I'm thinking the 2x4's that run up the wall should be toenailed into a single 2x4 that runs the bottom of those 2x10's but I can't see without taking out some more drywall.  Is it possible that this stud is structural in any way?  Thanks.

The 2x4 looks to be the the nailer ,to the soffit drywall. You should be able to remove it. Looking at the rest of your frame, i see a leak or a old leak.  You should look into that a bit.


Replacing recessed lights with pendant lights I bought "conversion kits" which supposedly do the job in 5 minutes, but the I discovered that the kit is designed for the current type of can, and is not suitable for the ones that are up there (22 years old).  So I decided to remove the cans completely and patch the drywall.  After removing the can there is still a mounting bracket up there, which seems to be firmly stapled to the adjacent 2x4, and looks as if it is too wide to go through the 6-inch hole.  Do I have to cut a much larger hole to get it out, or is there a secret way to collapse the bracket in some way?  I cannot access these from above.

As long as you disconnect the wiring to them, nothing says that they can't just stay in the ceiling.  I'd try reaching through the hole with a flatbar to detach them from the framing, disconnect any wiring, and then just push them out of the way.


Would this fridge fit in this space with required clearance? What is the best way to determine if a fridge of certain dimension will fit into a set space?

I have a inward kitchen cabinet space for a fridge which is 37" wide and 70.2" high. I figured it should have some margin, so in my mind the ideal dimension of a fridge should be around 34" wide, 69" tall, and 31" thick (but thickness isn't an issue).

However, after looking at the internet, I would like to get this fridge. Its dimension is 35.75" wide, 68.38" tall, and 33.75" thick. Does it look like it will fit in the space mentioned on paper? Is there another way to really be sure?

Just our luck. They provide a handy-dandy manual on the page you linked to, and here's what it tells us on page 15:

  Too small of a distance from adjacent items may result in lowered freezing capability and increased electricity consumption charges. Allow at least 24 inches (610 mm) in front of the refrigerator to op en the doors, and at least 2 inches (50.8 mm) between the back of the refrigerator and the wall.

This corresponds with my personal experience, wherein the only things that really matter are door clearance and a bit of space behind for warm air to circulate via convection. Whether that gap vents out the side or top isn't terribly important in most homes.


Multiple circuits in the same conduit to outbuildings We currently have a single 15 amp circuit feeding the pool filter, then the pool shed and then the gazebo. We recently buried a new conduit from the house to the location of the pool filter receptacle.

I know that I can't have more than one circuit feeding an outbuilding, but can I feed the outdoor receptacle for the pool filter, the pool shed and the gazebo as three separate circuits? And can the wires for the three circuits travel together in the same conduit? I would need to dig another very short conduit from the pool filter location into the shed.

If the circuit for the gazebo traveled through the pool shed but wasn't connected to anything inside the structure would that be ok?

Feeding three different uses with three different circuits to the same building is precisely what is not allowed. The fact that they go to different places does help.  The issue is whether that gazebo circuit is allowed to stop at the shed on the way to the gazebo, since now you have a segment with two redundant circuits.

Actually, you can have more than one circuit feeding an outbuilding if it has different purposes or operating restrictions; or it has different voltages; and several other exceptions described in NEC 225.30.  You are welcome to contrive these.

For instance, the pool pump can have a switch in your house to turn it on and off.  Now, that is a different characteristic as per NEC 225.30D.
Gazebo lighting could also have a switch in your house, or an "auto-turn-on-after-dark" switch in your house leaving on-demand control out at the gazebo. - another different characteristic.
You could run a multi-wire branch circuit, which is a method for getting 2 circuits for the price of one (well one additional wire).  Under 225.30, a multi-wire branch circuit counts as one circuit.  (however your inspector may say it counts as a 120V circuit, so it'll be your only one if so.)  For instance you could have one leg feeding the shed, and the other the gazebo.  In this case be careful about GFCI protection - putting GFCI on a MWBC is hard. Easier to put GFCI protection on each leg of the MWBC after they split.
The pool pump (or shed) could have a different voltage, i.e. 240V because of specialized equipment it may have.  A pure-240V circuit (no neutral) is different than a MWBC.


Can a tiny leak get worse? I replaced my shower arm with one that has a universal 1/2" male end so I could install a Culligan water filter showerhead. I did a fair amount of research beforehand and made sure to teflon tape the ends in the direction I would be screwing so as not to unravel the teflon while screwing. On the outer end of the shower arm, there is a tiny leak that, after about 10 seconds, forms a single drop that falls from the head and then repeats after another 10 seconds. I have tightened it as much as I can, and it seems harmless, but I have no idea.

Will it get worse? And is there anyway to know if I am leaking on the other end, inside the wall?

Of course it could get worse, but does it really matter? The leak is inside of your shower area and should not be a cause of huge concern.

That portion of pipe is normally not under pressure except when the shower valve(s) is opened, and then only subject to back-pressure created by the restriction of your shower head (unless you have installed one of those "shut-off" type devices upstream of your shower head; which I do not recommend using, BTW).

Your second question, "is there anyway to know if I am leaking on the other end, inside the wall?", concerns me a bit. If you have reason to believe that the shower-arm thread connection inside the wall is anything less than perfect, you need to take action. Pull away or remove the trim flange (sometimes called an escutcheon) which covers the hole in the wall where the shower-arm passes through and inspect the threaded fitting with a flashlight. Chip away additional material from around the shower arm if necessary to get a good look (don't chip too much, make sure the trim flange will still cover the hole). You need to ensure 100% that there is no leak inside the wall.


Do I have to increase the water line diameter all the way to the water meter? I have a 1/2" water line into my house from the meter.  I would like to change that over to use a 3/4" or a 1" line into my house.  Do I need to replace all the 1/2" pipe back to the meter with my larger line, or can I just start replacing it inside the house?  I'm concerned I will lose pressure if I don't replace it back to the meter.

I'll disagree a little - LESS 1/2" pipe has less restriction than MORE 1/2" pipe. Now, in most cases the pipe outside your house is far more than the pipe inside your house but depending where the meter is, if it's a short run from where you increase it to the meter (one of those deals where it's sitting on the outside wall of the house, say, and is fed by a larger line)  and it was formerly the case that the entire water service in the house was a single 1/2" pipe, you might well see a noticeable improvement (though it is of course better to have a larger pipe all the way back to the meter.)

Now, if there's 100 feet of 1/2" pipe from the house to the meter, or from the water main to the meter, you're not going to see much improvement if you change 20-30 feet inside the house.  But if it's 3 feet to the meter and 30 feet inside the house, you will notice an improvement.

And, if you want to get sneaky, you can have a huge improvement (for a set number of gallons) by installing a pressure tank (as for a well pump) in the house (along with larger pipe, or a PEX manifold and a lot of home runs), so the 1/2" line is not required to supply water as fast as you use it, until you draw down the pressure tank. Not much help in filling the tub, lots of help in refilling the toilet when it flushes without dropping pressure to the shower precipitously. How many gallons would depend on how big of a pressure tank you buy, and how much your pressure varies with use (now.) Just to toss one out there, especially for the folks with a charge by size of line into house. More extreme setups might throw in a booster pump, too; I'm not going to suggest that without more data suggesting it would be worthwhile...


adding electrical GFCI plug can a GFCI outlet be added to the end of a circuit? if so do you need a 3 core wire? we have tried to install with 2 core wire but it dosent seem to work

Of course, the ground wire or 3rd wire is desirable & preferred. If you can't ground the circuit or can't afford an Electrician to do so or to re-wire the circuit, then it's fine to use. A GFCI will work anywhere & still provides protection without the ground wire. They're specifically approved for ungrounded old homes, but it won't pass a plug-in tester's scrutiny.

Here's a good article on the subject for your understanding.


Am I missing some obvious way to change this lightbulb? I thought I'd be able to lift the plastic shade and angle it out of the trim, but it doesn't lift at all.  It slides side-to-side a bit, but the flanges are large enough to keep it firmly behind the trim.  The trim is attached on the two rounded ends and doesn't seem to slide down or unclip in any way.  The long sides of the trim will bend down a bit if I pull on them.

I just want to see if anyone has any obvious suggestions I'm missing before I try prying the trim off the ceiling.  A lot of things in this house seem to have been done in the cheapest way possible that wouldn't be immediately noticed by a potential buyer, and I'm guessing this bulb that can't be changed without reinstalling the trim around the fixture might be one of them.

After an hour of searching google

Home Depot

Looks like your light

Taking the description from the Home Depot page, I found this PDF for installation instructions

PDF

Looking at the PDF and the photos, it looks like there is a white trim ring around the glass. Instead of prying from the trim that touches the ceiling, see if theres another lip closer to the glass where it flattens out. It is probably held in via compression.


Bathroom fan with no outside vent What's the purpose of a bathroom fan with no outside venting? One of my bathrooms is set up this way. I'm about to redo the ceiling, and I'd like to replace the fan unit with something better looking, but confused why a fan would not vent to the outside?

Is it ok to replace with another no-vent unit? Should I look into other solutions?

IMO, and IME, bathroom fans should always be vented outside. Bathrooms are one of the biggest (if not the biggest) producer or water vapor in your home. When water vapor is trapped is can cause things like mold, mildew, damage to furniture, added difficulty in conditioning the air, and many more.

Just because a bathroom vent is not currently vented to the outside, does not mean it can't ever be. The house I'm currently living in had no ceiling exhaust fan or light (just a vanity light).

In this situation I was able to wire in and install a new unit, with manufacturer recommended vent line and exhaust this line through the closest soffit.

Depending on the layout and positioning of your bathroom, you could run through above joist spaces until you reach a soffit, run into the attic and then out a vent, or simply through the nearest exterior wall. Many times the shortest route is the simplest.

If this is something you aren't comfortable with, I highly suggest finding someone who can like a general contractor, trusted handiman, etc.

Keeping excess moisture out of your home will pay large dividends in the problems you're preventing.


Is it normal for caulk to let go around my new home's tub and kitchen sink? Master bathtub caulking is already separating after 1 year after we bought this house brand new. It's also happening in the kitchen but nowhere else. Is this normal?

The answer is yes but with a caveat.

The caulk was not correct for the application.
Not enough caulk was used.
The caulk was an inferior make.
The caulk was placed "outside" the gap, not binding in it.
Incredibly high variances of temperature or humidity.
The caulk was messed with.   When cleaning an area you cannot just scrub hard against caulk.   Eventually you will loosen even the best caulk job by pushing/scrubbing on it.

Each of these could easily cause an issue within a year.  If the builder used a good silicone caulk which should have been used in these areas and that said caulk failed in that short of time it is most certainly one of the issues above or a combination of them.


AC power leaving the circuit breaker, but no AC power to AC power supply line in bathroom (and this bathroom is head/lead in daisy chain) Background:

1)  Guest Bathroom lone receptacle is GFCI.  This lone receptacle is the lead receptacle in daisy chain to 3 downstream receptacles in Master Bath.  House built in 2001; builder did it this way.

Incident:   Wife plugged hair dryer into the end of line receptacle in Master Bath; circuit outage occurred.  The dedicated circuit breaker (labeled “Bath GFCI”) for this circuit did not appear to trip. Reset Bath GFCI circuit breaker regardless AND every other individual circuit breaker AND then the master breaker.

2)  Used multimeter to test (3 times) the dedicated circuit breaker for “Bath GFCI” in the panel (in addition to every other circuit breaker in the panel)  – all appear to functioning.

3)  Mutlimeter shows 120V leaving the “Bath GFCI” circuit breaker for this circuit.   However, no AC power to the Guest Bathroom wiring.

Special Note:  Cannot locate an upstream receptacle to Guest Bathroom - we checked every other receptacle in the entire house – all are functioning (including those that are GFCI) except of course  for the three receptacles in Master Bath (which are downstream to the Guest Bath for the GFCI daisy chain configuration).

Question/Issue:  If proper 120v AC power is leaving the  circuit breaker that is dedicated for this “Bath GFCI” circuit, why is there no AC voltage/power coming into the Guest Bath power supply/hot/lead line wiring (which ultimately feeds the Master Bath receptacles)?  Note that I removed the GFCI receptacle/outlet from the Guest Bath and there is no AC power coming into the actual power supply/hot/lead line wiring. Tested with multimeter and voltage tester.

I have since put wire caps on the exposed wiring in the Guest Bathroom and shut off the circuit breaker in case the power to the line is miraculously restored by divine intervention (or an electrician).
This is nuts.  And thanks for any insight anyone can provide.

First, I want to thank those of you who responded with the excellent advice.  And after checking the continuity as suggested, there was continuity!

However, there was no continuity of the neurons in my brain until when I realized that the two upstairs bathroom receptacles may be upstream on the same daisy chain 20A circuit for the two downstairs bathrooms. They were- I am an idiot.

But in my neophyte defense, the electrical panel had two separate circuits dedicated to these two upstairs bathrooms labeled "Upstairs bath #1" and "Upstairs bath #2".  I assumed they were for the receptacles and lighting.  Clearly the upstairs bathroom lights and receptacles don't share the same circuit as most don't want the lights to go out when the GFCI trips the receptacles.

To keep two separate GFCI branches on the circuit (one branch for the two upstairs bathrooms, and one branch for the two downstairs bathrooms), the hot line and neutral wire from the electrical panel goes to upstairs bath #1 GFCI receptacle.  The lines are inserted into the proper respective line holes on the back of the receptacle (they are clamp and screw, not pure backstab).  However, there is also another neutral/hot pair (from/to the downtairs guest bath GFCI receptacle) that is connected into the respective line holes on the back of the upstairs bath #1 GFCI receptacle. So I have two neutrals and two blacks into the line side screw/clamp holes of the upstairs bath#1 GFCI receptacle. And on the same upstairs bath #1 receptacle is the load wire connection to provide GFCI protection to the downstream bathroom #2 receptacle.

This was maddening to figure out, but I understand it.

I had to replace the upstairs Bath #1 (the "workhorse" supply power splitting, load carrying) GFCI receptacle because the hot/black line insert/hole carrying power to the downstairs guest bathroom was shot.  Why was it shot? Likely because of my wife taxing, for the past three years, the 20AMP circuit and our master bath 15 AMP outlet (on the same circuit) with: (1) her overpriced salon hair dryer (which could dry a Wookie in seconds flat and sounds like an F14 engine), (2) and a "hair flattener" curling iron device, and (3) a clothes iron - all on and running at the same time!  She had a small mini three outlet strip plugged into the 15Amp outlet to run all of these items at the same time.  The mini three outlet strip is now in the trash. I had no idea she throwing that many amps (at the same time) at the circuit and the outlet! And I installed a 20AMP receptacle in our master bathroom and explained why we don't want to turn all those high amp items on at the same time on the same circuit.

Sorry for the long post, and thanks again for the excellent advice.

thanks.


What to try next when pipe joints leak with both thread sealant and with teflon tape? I am plumbing a couple fixtures (a water heater and a shower) with pex and a few threaded fittings (at the heater and shower fixtures only). At first I used teflon tape (3-5 turns in direction of thread), but all the threaded joints were leaking. So I removed all the tape and replaced it with some T2 thread sealant I had laying around. Again, all the joints leaked and some worse than before.

I've also played with different levels of tightness to no luck. Am I missing an essential step in my joins?

What other solutions exist to seal threaded iron pipe or brass joins?

Never put pipe dope on the threads of the female fitting. It will allow pipe dope which is not water soluble to clog aerators and put contaminants into the water. If the threads on both male and female fittings are threaded correctly and with sharp dies the threads should hand fit up to 2-1/2 threads.Pipe dope and tape can be applied in excess. 4 wraps of tape on the male threads with a quality Teflon tape is sufficient, wrapped over itself clockwise looking from the narrow end of the threads. Or paste pipe dope should be applied to the first 4-5 threads of the male threads and not gooped on. No pipe dope whether tape or paste should get inside of pipe. Not a good thing. Tighten the joint until it is snug, not until it can not be tightened any further. It is a feel or touch thing you will aquire with practice. Turn on pressure whether liquid or gas and test for leaks. If there is a leak and you didn't tighten the joint so tight you hurt yourself you can tighten it little more to stop the leak. If you tightened it so tight there is no more tightening you must untighten the joint completely and start over. PITA. Have been doing this for 48 years and has never failed if threads are good quality threads. Problem today 50% of threads are crap. Remember the fit up. If to loose or to tight get rid of bad fitting.


Can a Backup Generator SubPanel Neutral be tied to the Main Panels Neutral bus, if both panels are energized at the same time from different sources? Im new here, and Ive learned alot from many of these posts, although I have not found my exact issue yet, so I decided to upload this.
I have a question regarding my installation, if its safe, and if I were to have the generator running whilst the Utility Power eventually "re-energized" the Main Panel, would the Neutrals balancing loads from different sources (Utility and the genny) cause a problem of some sort at their shared Neutral/Ground busses at the Main??

I BELIEVE a legitimate Transfer Switch uses the same principle here as it just extends the hot/line wires from the Main to the Transfer Switch, whilst leaving the Neutrals tied to the Main Panel (which would mean that when the Utility Power comes back on, the Genny is still powering the Backup Circuits, whilst its Neutral is tied to the Main Panel, which has ITS circuits powered from the Utility Company. (so they are sharing the same Neutral/Ground point..?)

Heres the info i have so far. I hope Im clear enough.

I Rewired my Main Service Panel (120/240V Homeline 150A - white panel) a couple years ago.
The Main panel is Grounded from the Service side of the Panel, to the Main Copper Water Pipe 6 feet away. (that #6 at the bottom of the Main Panel is bonded to the gas lines, and the #10 under it is the Backup SubPanels bond)
I had no thought for backup power in the future, which is why there are 7 extra unwired 15A breakers in my new Main now.
I extended my "black side" of the split-phase wires with black wires to my SubPanel, and the "red side" with white wires, to keep the same balance, more or less.
The Backup Generator Subpanel (Siemens - gray panel) is my "economic" version of a Transfer Switch, with a mechanical interlock between the upper "30A generator" breaker and the lower "30A subpanel feed" breaker.

My Generator cord is a L-14 30A "4-prong" cord with an adapter that has the two "hots" tied together because my genny is only 120V with an TT-30A RV plug; and all I found was this type of inlet plug for the exterior of the house (which I "economically adjusted"). I wired a 10/3 with bond from the 4-prong inlet through the top of the gray SubPanel.

My generator is a 120V with a Floating Neutral, which, i believe, is proper for this installation, since the Neutral and Ground are only connected at one point - at the Main Panel. (or does it have to be at the "source" of the power (the generator) only? gee, i hope not)
The SubPanel's Neutral busbar and Ground busbar had NO continuity when i tested them BEFORE I connected the Neutrals and Grounds to them, coming from the Main Panel. But since the Neutral and Ground wires are now connected ONLY at the Main Panel, the SubPanel's Neutral and Ground/Bond busbar now has continuity when I use a continuity tester on them at the SubPanel, which is okay, since they make a full circuit through my tester now, right?
There are no MWBC on these 7 circuits.

I hope I gave enough info, and I really appreciate any help with this, as Im still leery to "test" the Backup generator power by engaging the 30A upper "backup" breaker, which would disengage the "Subpanel feed", powering the 7 SubPanel circuits via the genny, BUT yet the Neutrals are still tied to the Main Panel, STILL powered by the Utility company.
Thanks again for any and all help with this.

We see a lot of really horrid transfer switches on this forum, believe you me.

The Backup Generator Subpanel (Siemens - gray panel) is my "economic" version of a Transfer Switch, with a mechanical interlock between the upper "30A generator" breaker and the lower "30A subpanel feed" breaker.

What you did there is absolutely excellent.  This is one of the best generator subpanels I've seen.  Now there are some tune-ups we can do to improve it; some trivial and some rather critical, but those are only because you understood how those hokey $350/$450/$550 6/8/10 circuit "transfer switches" work, and copied too much from their design, which is a bad design. **It isn't a matter of "economic", what you did here is actually a much better design than what you were trying to imitate.   Honestly, this is what we recommend people do, and they rarely listen lol.
Tidying it up
What you actually do have there is a subpanel.  So it needs to be wired like a subpanel, which will dictate a few changes.  Other than that most of these are just recommendations.
Mandatory: Must bring neutrals over.  When you bring a circuit over from another panel like this, you are required to bring over both hot and neutral.  It's OK to leave ground behind, in fact, since you wisely used a metal conduit nipple, that takes care of grounding.

"But transfer switches don't do it that way" - yeah... I know they don't... and it boggles my mind, because it's contrary to all modern Code practices. Not least, those hokey transfer switches break AFCI/GFCI! Your method can support them in both utility and gen mode.

Mandatory: the neutrals will require fatter/more conduit. If any of the 1/2-3/4" conduits above align, feel free to add some.  Otherwise knockout the lower conduit to the biggest hole both panels can take (be careful not to over-knock; I hate adapter rings) and fit that size of nipple.
Mandatory: Use THHN wire for the interconnects.  You just took Romex and shucked the sheath off of it to get individual wires. That's fine for pigtails but this work requires real THHN.  Also: Hot can't be white.  Hots must be other than white, gray or green.  That's because you're working in individual wires; remarking a white wire to be a hot is only allowed in cables.

You're also required to group or mark hot-neutral pairs; but you have that covered.

Mandatory: Backfeed breakers need tie-down so they can't be rocked out by accident.  That'd be the two breakers on the interlock. You can buy tie-down kits, or since you're in the Siemens world, the ECSBPK01 interlock inherently provides that tiedown by placing the breakers at the top across from each other.  It's $27.
Suggestion: Upsize the utility-side feed.  It can be any size you like up to wire limits (rounding up). Remember THHN uses the 75C ampacity rating, so #8=50A..... #6=65A (use 70A breaker).... #3=100A... #2=115A (round up to 125A).
Suggestion: Upsize the panel. While you're in there, think about a panel swap to a much larger panel, e.g. 30 space.  Seriously, pretty much our slogan on this stack is "Go BIG or go home" - spaces are dirt cheap, and running out of spaces really sucks.  As said, there's no trouble whatsoever sending as much as 125A over to this panel, so you can put any circuit you please over here, you're not limited to 6/8/10 like those transfer switches.  You're also able to use AFCI or GFCI on this type of setup (once neutrals come over), but those are full-space breakers so you need lots of space.
When I'm mocking the 6/8/10 circuit transfer switches, I typically choose a 24-space panel at around $55 just to show people they can have 3 times the spaces for 1/3 the money lol.
Suggestion: Blank cover plates.  I hate them, I find them fragile, hokey and dangerous. I just fit real breakers there and just stick red electrical tape across them to indicate they are unused.
No alien breakers - you have Siemens breakers in the Siemens box and Square D breakers in the HOM box.  Well done.  By the way if you have need for a "universal" breaker that fits both, Eaton CL series is UL-approved for both panels, and they do come in AFCI/GFCI (1-pole only). Do not use Eaton BR.
Wiring up inlet for 240V + using 120V adapter cable is excellent and the correct way to do it.  That way on the happy day you get a 240V generator, it'll just plug in.  You are on top of the MWBC issue.


Which Transformer for 220v to 24VAC for Heating Smart Thermostat I have a 220V electric baseboard heating system which is controlled by a 24 VAC 2 wire thermostat (RH, W). There is a 220V to 24VAC relay in the circuit from the thermostat to the heating system.

I plan to replace the thermostat with a WiFi enabled smart thermostat so I can control it remotely. The Smart thermostat (Emerson Sensi) needs a C wire (return ?) so the thermostat can be powered.

My choices are
1. Use an external 110V to 24VAC adapter from an outlet to power the thermostat (connect to C and R terminals on the thermostat)
2. Replace the existing relay with a transformer that has a common wire and pull a 3 wire thermostat cable through the floor & wall.

I plan to do option 1 now as it's zero risk in the middle of winter and follow up with Option 2 in the summer.
I'm not sure which transformer I need to get for the 3 wire (RH, W, C) application.
Any ideas ?

Also, the current thermostat has a backlight feature operated by a button to light up the dial - so, it is able to use the power from the RH wire to close the circuit. Can I simply jump the RH connector to the C connector in the thermostat ? I have a feeling this will cause a short.

Thanks, V

My plan worked perfectly and I called Emerson Sensi customer service to check that it will not cause any issues and the confirmed.
The 2 wires to the 24VAC relay that control the baseboard get connected to the Rh and W terminals on the thermostat.
I cut the jumper between Rh and Rc to ensure I wouldn't cause a short by adding another power source
I used an external 24VAC transformer, connected to Rc and C to provide power to the thermostat.
In essence this is not a parallel circuit situation, but 2 independent circuits.
One circuit from the external transformer provides power to the thermostat. The other circuit controls heat activation.


How do I change/paint the color of a closet door floor guide I can only buy this from the store. I have made two pairs of Shoji doors, the frame is black, the screen is made of rice paper. I need the guides shown below to be black. Any idea what I need to do to have that color? I think that using paint for this might not work on long term.

You are probably right, spray painting is not a long term option. But if you can't find this piece manufactured in black, spray painting might be your only option. That being said, I would make sure you prime it first (just google spray paint primer) followed by a couple thin coats of black paint. Over time the inside "tracks" will probably wear down, but you shouldn't see much of the inside once the doors are installed. The outside facing bracket should hold up fairly well, though. Sorry I'm not coming up with a better solution, but sometimes it just helps to talk through your project. Good luck!


Widening a garage door I have a garage and I'm planning to buy a new car. The problem is that the width of car is 5 feet and 6 inches and my garage door width is 6 feet.

So I want to know that what can I do to broaden the width of my garage door.

I called an architect. He told me to trim both the walls around 4 inches each side. But my wall is only 10.5 inches each side so can I trim the wall?

My house is double story, so can I trim my walls and my house will be still be OK?

The professional service you need is that of a structural engineer, in combination with a contractor or builder.  Each professional has a contribution to make and can enhance the work of the other.

Internet advice does not suffice for altering structural members in a home.

You can get general advice on feasibility by posting photos annotated with dimensions.  Ensure that if you widen the door, that the garage itself is large enough that you can open the car doors (unless you enjoy exiting via the sunroof).


Why are my new roof shingles showing these lighter patches in cool weather? New roof shows patches of lighter shingles. Is it heat loss? Installation error?

The roof area that has the lighter color is insulated closer to the roof than the other areas. Insulation is keeping the frost from melting in the lighter areas. The stripes you see between the patches are the location of the rafters, which do not insulate as well.


After Lamp Blew and Circuit Breaker Popped Light Won't Go Out (USA 120v) There are two recessed ceiling lights in the bathroom.  The switch is a modern code one that senses if somebody is in bathroom but for years it seems to have been in a mode where it just works like an on/off switch.  The switch is in a three-way receptacle that as well as the sensor-type switch has a regular on/off for some wall lights in the bathroom and a timer switch for the bathroom exhaust fan.
Yesterday one of the two ceiling lights failed with a bang which blew the circuit breaker.  I replaced both lights.  Pushed circuit breaker back in.  Everything else on that breaker and the other two things in the receptacle work, but the ceiling lights won't turn off.  Suspecting that the power surge that popped the breaker damaged the sensor switch I replaced it with a new one, but still I cannot turn off the ceiling lights.  Pushing the switch causes the lights to toggle between bright and dim, but they never go out.  They're new LEDs.
I'm not sure what to do.

They're new LEDs.
An ordinary switch turns power totally on and off. However, many special types of switches, often (but not always) including:

Dimmers
Smart Switches
Motion Sensors
Photo Sensors (a.k.a. dawn/dusk)
Timers

need to have power flowing through constantly in order to power their electronics. There are a few different ways to do this:

Batteries - easy, always works, but means changing batteries every year or two, which is something people forget to do.
Leak current through the circuit - Easy to design, but very much not compatible with LEDs. Typically results in LEDs blinking or dim.
Neutral to complete the circuit - this is, IMHO, the best solution. Except that if you don't have neutral in the box then it doesn't work. Which is why neutral is now required in new installations in most switch boxes.
Ground - this is permitted if designed appropriately and very low current used.

Most likely if you swap the sensor switch for a simple switch, everything will work correctly. If you really need (or want) the sensor, then look for one that:

Requires ground to function. This will be described in the installation instructions.
Requires neutral, provided you have neutral available.
Specifically claims "LED compatible". That should mean that it doesn't leak current through the circuit when off.

This problem does not happen with incandescent bulbs, which is likely why you did not have a problem previously.


270 feet subpanel feed I need to connect a 100Amp subpanel at a guest house that I am building in the back of my property.  My main panel is 400Amps. I need 120/240V at the subpanel to run a couple of mini split ACs that are on 240V plus your usual lighting and kitchen stuff (cooking and hot water is gas).  The distance from the main panel to the subpanel is 260f.  I plan to run the wires in conduit, some underground but majority of conduit is along a block fence. I live in the Phoenix, AZ area.

I had planned to use 1/0 aluminum or 3AWG copper wire but it looks like this will not be sufficient to allow for a 3% maximum voltage drop and I should use 3/0 aluminum or 1/0 copper which the online calculator recommends.  NEC seems to suggest no more than 5% voltage drop.  For 5% allowable voltage drop 1/0 aluminum looks sufficient.
Should I use 1/0 aluminum, or use 2/0 or even 3/0 for the guest house?
Thank you for your feedback.

3% and 5% are there in the form of Fine print notes. These are not enforceable. If your max demand (power used at 1 time) is 100 amps 1/0 will be fine. We would really need to do a load calculation to provide a real value but 270’ 1/0 aluminum is only 4.68% since you have gas cooking and water heater I would guess your demand will be below 60 amps and that would even allow for 2awg at 3.96% so there is no need to go larger than 1/0. : added  Aluminum wire is a must for cost here copper would just be nuts for this.


How to mount toroidal transformer in metal chassis I bought a Hammond 300VA Toroid transformer with these parts:

And this is the common installation method:

Complete setup of mounting it to the metal chassis is (the bolt is needed here):

Some say that if you connect this as instructed.. then the toroid transformer will short and get destroyed even without covering it wirh metal chassis cover. This is because the top and bottom would form close circuit surrounding the flux in the core via the bolt shorting the winding.

Is it true? If true, why does manufacturer give you mounting accessories that can just short it?

So the right way to install it may be just to put it at metal chassis without any metal mount? If you just put it at the bottom of the chassis, would there be flux intermingling with the metal chassis bottom?

A bolt placed through the middle of the transformer effectively acts as an extra secondary. This secondary can produce very little voltage but potentially very high currents.

As long as this parasitic secondary is open circuit there is no problem. So you can mount a toroid in this way. However if the parasitic secondary is shorted through a low resistance path (e.g. the case) things could start to get very hot.

Depending on the application it may be considered wise to fit an insulating plate to the underside of the top of the case in which the transformer is mounted so that even if the cover is crushed it can't short the parasitic secondary.


Damp concrete floor in bedroom Had water overflow into bedroom and closet. New laminate floor removed.
Concrete floor has glue strips from another flooring that is sticky in some
places. Will thoroughly clean with as little water as possible

Q. When all cleaning is done and floor dries for a week, Can I seal the concrete and begin covering? I know the floor will not be completely dry in a week.

I am thinking of painting the floor or trying the paper floor as water
seems to be a problem 3rd time, no children. Is Dry Lock or Bone Dry best as I
have serious allergies.
Thanks

Had the same issue, used a sealant (couple of coats), then an underlayment (vapor barrier), which worked well on my laminate flooring. Suggest you use a fan and dehumidifier during those high humidity days.


Replacement fan LED light I'm trying to replace an LED light in my fan but I can't figure out what search terms to use to find a replacement bulb.
Based on the documentation my fan came with, the this appears to be a 14 watt bulb.
Does anyone know what these are called and/or where I can find a replacement? I'm in the US if that matters.

When they say fixtures are "bulbless", they really mean it. There are no replaceable bulbs in the fixture.
The reason is simple: LED emitters are the most reliable thing in the lamp... probably more reliable than the enclosure.
The typical failure point in a 120V LED light product is the electronic driver module, which is responsible for delivering a constant current to the LED emitter.  Those go bad  because of cheap construction and the finite life of capacitors.
You've managed to pry out the emitters, but they're really not made to be replaceable because the builder never imagined they would fail.  They are not a "bulb" in any sense of the word; there is no non-proprietary source for "ones just like that".
The driver, however, is a different story.  You will find an electronic driver module with 4 wires going to it, and fairly easy to exchange.  It will have a semi-standard form-factor (physical shape).  It will have a very specific current output of a relatively standard value, e.g. 350ma, 700ma, 1050ma or 1400ma commonly, and a working voltage range at which it's designed to do that.  If you shop carefully at electronics supply houses, you have a pretty good chance of finding one that ticks all the boxes of form-factor, voltage input, exact current output and output voltage range.
After all, the light manufacturer is not in the business of making drivers; they just grab a commodity OEM driver.


Replacing compression fitting with push-to-connect I have a 1/2" compression fitted toilet shutoff valve.  If I remove this, and the compression ring, is it safe to us a push-to-connect fitting to replace the compression fitting? Has the copper pipe been deformed by the compression fitting so that the push-to-connect will leak?

If possible I would cut the copper right below the compression ring as most times the pipe deforms slightly or worse if it was put on at an angle and then tightened. This might cause it to not seal properly when the push fitting is installed.

Otherwise its a gamble -- but not a bad one, if it leaks just pop off the push on connector and the cut the pipe.

If you have never used the push on connectors make sure you have the little plastic tool so you can pop it back off otherwise you'll be stuck.


Oven light bulb fitting problem The light bulb broke from its casing when I tried to remove it to change the bulb on my Hotpoint oven. I cannot get the fitting out as it has got mangled up by me trying to remove it with pliers. All I have managed to remove is the glass bulb as it has broken away from the metal casing which is still inside the oven. Is it safe to turn on the oven? It did trip the fuse and some of my kitchen appliances did not work which were on the same circuit as the oven. They work now as I turned the fuse lever on again. When I did turn the oven on after trying to get the metal casing out there was a small pop and a light spark darted from the casing ! I am not sure if it is safe to use. Please advise.

The wires that support the lamp filament may be shorting out causing the breaker to trip (assuming there is no damage to the socket itself).  This can create a less than safe condition because there is a live exposed wire in the broken lamp base. If used, when the oven heats up the wire could move around and short again. If the lamp can be turned off the oven could be used. I have had success using a raw potato pressed into the broken lamp base, power off. Some times turning both clockwise then counter clockwise working both directions can loosen the lamp base so it can be removed.


multi light 1 switch each, and one switch for the all light in my garden i have 6 lights each one have a switch, last week i connect all the lights to one switch so all the 6 lights will turn on with one switch, but some time i don't need all the 6 lights on, and other time i want them all on. so, is there a way to have a switch for each light and a master switch for all the light.
(for example:if tow light on, and than i click on the master switch all the other 4 lights will turn on and if i click on it again all the 6 will turn off)
(another example:if all the light on and i turn off 3 of them then use the master switch the other 3 will turn off)
is that possible?

You could use smart switches and have a lot of versatility... but you can also do it with manual switches easy enough.

At the first switch point, you have the "master switch". You bring in always-hot and neutral.  Pass through neutral, connect always-hot to the switch, and switched-hot to the other side of the switch.

Then at the second switch point, you have 6 switches.  Switched-hot goes to each of the switches.  Then branch-switched-hot comes off the other side of the switch for each of the six branches.

Annnnnd... this is why there are 8 legal colors for hot wires.

In this diagram, black=always hot, red=master-switched-hot, and all other colors are branch switched hots.  Grounds not shown because, enough.


Which side of a shelf liner faces up? I have a shelf liner that has bumps on one side and is smooth on the other side. It is non-adhesive. Which side faces up, or what are pros/cons of each? It looks  like this:

The bumps face up to provide air flow.

This felicitates the complete and continuous drying of tableware which helps prevent the growth of bacteria, especially useful if you like to store your cups upside down.

There is a con to that type you have. Unlike others I've seen that are a sort of nylon web, yours is a solid sheet of plastic. If any water gets under it, it has no way to evaporate. You could put one sheet upside down to protect the cabinet, with another on top for the glassware (or just use one and be sure everything is relatively dry before stowing it).


Is it possible to detect and repair a refrigerant leak in my HVAC system? While replacing the blower motor in my HVAC's air handler, the technician mentioned that the refrigerant in the system was also low and that most likely there was a leak.

Is the leak something that a typical DIYer can find and fix, or is this something I should let a pro handle?

Working on the refrigerant lines requires special tools and skills that most DIYers don't have. And you'll likely need a license to get additional refrigerant. Therefore, fixing the problem will require a professional.

I'm a bit surprised that you didn't say he made any attempt to locate the leak for you. I would start searching for the leak by applying some diluted dish soap over all the joints in the coolant lines. One other place to check are the caps on the valves. If you don't see any bubbling, then turn on the AC and see if any of the joints start to bubble. The vibration and pressure changes may set off a leak. Some of these joints may be within the inside and outside units, so if you don't feel comfortable disassembling these, you can get a professional to find the leak for you. Otherwise, be very careful working around the coils, the metal fins are very thin and easily damaged.

Since it was only low, I would wait for a year and have the system serviced before the next cooling season starts. They can check the levels and let you know if the levels dropped. If they find it dropped again, they should be willing to find and fix the leak for you. Since the first person didn't seem to want to do this, you may want to get a different company to service the unit next time.


Use cement board without plywood for outdoor kitchen For outdoor kitchen, do I need to use plywood on top of the framing, then cement board? Or can I put cement board directly mounting to the frame like this?

Source: http://www.homedit.com/how-to-build-outdoor-kitchen-cabinets/

The reason I am asking because cement board doesn't seem that strong to hold. It might crack. But I also rather not to use plywood and THEN cement board because that makes it too thick.

For a vertical application movement is a bigger concern that weight carrying ability.  If the cement board is framed well (studs every foot) with no load I think it would be fine.

For what it's worth:

I did a woodstove surround on 1/2" drywall spaced from the surrounding wall by 1/2" using 1" wide scraps of drywall every 8 inches.  used mastic and 1/4" tile.  No problems.
Later did a kitchen wall/backspash using tile, mastic on 1/2" oriented strand board, textured side out.  No problems.

I'm not sure in this application if you need even backer board.  I'd be tempted to make a frame that would hold the granite slab in location, with some bottom support, and keep it from tipping out with a bead of silicon at the top.


Best way to parge exterior stone foundation wall I have a 1894 house with a stone/rock wall (limestone I think). The foundation is in decent shape for the most part but I would like to parge the exterior visible portion to give it a more modern look and to also make it easier to maintain. Currently each fall I go around and try to seal up any little cracks that developed through the year.

Anyway my plan is to dig down about 6 inches around the exterior. Then attach some diamond mesh to the rock wall. Use the first coat to fill to the level of the mesh, then skim coat that layer to give it a smooth look.

Questions:

1.) What kind of cement/mortor to use for parging?

2.) Can anyone offer a better suggestion on how to go about this?

I should mention too that part of the reason for doing this is that with a couple layers of siding (the most recent is LP smart siding) it sticks out a 1-2 inches over the foundation. I  know I can't parge nearly that thick, but having a good 1/2" of parging would help narrow that gap.

Any input is appreciated.

I have used wire mesh attached to stone to stucco stone walls, I doubt your wall is moving after all these years but the mortar possibly could use some repointing but the stucco layer would take care of it by taking the weather.

Added to answer OP questions. The stucco mix is sand, lime,cement and water on larger jobs I pick up a trailer load of sand & bags of lime and Portland cement, for smaller jobs I pick up a couple of bags of pre mix. When Covering stone work I use expanded metal mesh because it requires less fasteners than wire, I have tried to use concrete nails but they don't hold well the reason we doing this in the first place was because the exterior had similar problems like you are having, a powder set driver just blew out chunks of mortar. What I did have very good luck with was tapcons screws, I was able to drill the mortar and if not overtightened they held fine and drilling the pilot holes was quick in the mortar. Where there were large stones at the corners I drilled the stone but that takes much longer than the mortar. We mixed our batches 5 gallons of sand about a gallon of lime, and a small coffee can of Portland cement maybe a quart , mixed by hand in a mud tray maybe 2'×3' about 8" deep. Mixing in small batches is important if just 1 person is applying just enough water so a trowel load when placed in a pile will stand up 4-5" damp but not wet, with the expanded mesh only 2 coats was needed the first worked into the mesh then the top coat. I am not a pro at this because I don't do it all the time but have done complete houses and a bunch of foundations where 1 job lead to 1/2 dozen more in the same neighborhood.