Convert two switches to a dual stack, and add outlet - possible here? Here's the setup in our kitchen.  On the left with two brown wires is the disposal switch.  On the right is a switch for an over-the-sink light.

I would like to put these into a dual (stacked) switch, and add an outlet in the other space.  Is this possible?  Secondly, might anyone have a description or pic of how that wiring would look?  Thank you in advance!

The bottom pics are of the outlet under the sink - with the top outlet being the switched disposal and the bottom being for the dishwasher, which has a separate switch in the breaker panel.

pr

First, a cautionary note:

I don't know if there is any code regarding "disposal switch next to light switch". Obviously you have that right now. But two smaller switches is even more "a bit close for comfort". Personally, I am used to the only switch right near a sink being for the disposal. I would be concerned that having two switches next to each other could result in accidental use of the disposal, which can be a bit dangerous to objects that have fallen into the drain.

It all depends on what is currently in the box. There are basically two ways a switch can be wired:

Panel -> Switch -> Switched Device

In this scenario, you have hot & neutral coming in to the box containing the switch. Hot connects to the switch. Neutral connects to neutral going to the device. The other side of the switch is Switched Hot going to the device.

Panel -> Switched Device -> Switch - a.k.a., Switch Loop

In this scenario, you have hot & neutral go to the box containing the switched device. Neutral connects directly to the device. Hot connects to another wire which goes to the switch. The wire coming back from the switch (Switched Hot) connects to the device.

The problem is that a switch loop doesn't, traditionally, include a neutral wire. You need both hot & neutral to power an unswitched device and also for powering many smart switches, timers, dimmers, motion sensors, etc. The NEC now requires neutral in switch every switch box, but older installations are exempt and there are several exceptions for various reasons as well (generally where it would be easy to add a neutral later).

The switch on the right looks very clearly like a switch loop. Two wires coming in, black & white. So you almost certainly can't grab power from there.

However, the switch on the left appears to have additional white wires, presumably neutral, in the back. The "brown wires" are likely to actually be black (though any color other than white, grey or green can be used as hot). So it looks like you have hot/neutral in, hot connected to switch, neutral patched through to disposal, switched hot to disposal. If that's the case then you can:

Replace the 2 single switches with a double switch. But you must make 100% certain that the switch has 2 independent hot connections. If there is a jumper to share the hot connection, then that must be removed.
Connect the switch loop wires on the right to one of the new switches.
Determine which of the black wires is hot and which is switched hot. Connect the switched hot to the new switch. Add two short wires (pigtail) to the hot wire. One goes to the new switch and one goes to the receptacle.
If my hunch is correct (verify before you start this process), the whites in the back should be wire nutted together. Add a pigtail for the receptacle to the existing bundle. As noted by Harper, there is a complication here. With the clearer picture, we can see that the neutral is NOT two wires from two cables nutted together. Instead it is a single wire straight through in conduit to the disposal. You can't break it to pigtail a wire for the new receptacle because that would not provide the extra several inches needed on each wire to make proper (and legal) connections. You need to run a new neutral from this box to the disposal and then nut together that new wire the existing neutral wire coming in from the panel and a pigtail to the new receptacle. See Harper's answer for excruciating (but important) details.
The receptacle MUST be GFCI unless the circuit is protected upstream by another GFCI receptacle or a GFCI breaker.


How to finish dirt floor in a basement? The floor of the basement of our house is half a flat area with a concrete floor where the washing machine and so on are, and half a semi-flat, slightly sloping dirt area, with the dirt area being about 40 cm higher than the concrete area, so there is a little dirt "cliff" between the two halves.

The previous owners seem to have put down random rubbish (boards and stuff) and then covered it with layers of carpet in the dirt area. When we moved in, we sort of thought that was fine since that's how they had it, but we put stuff on the carpet and the carpet has rotted and hundreds of little moths live and die there, eating the carpet underneath the boxes and so on. A strange lifestyle.

Anyway, what can we do with the dirt floor? We aren't wanting to make the room legally or practically livable, we just want to store some stuff and maybe do crafts or woodwork. We want to be able to put stuff on the floor, and we don't want things rotting and random suspicious looking mould-stuff growing in the layers of carpet.

Both professional and DIY answers welcomed. We prefer cheap rather than expensive, but pricey ideas would still be of interest so at least we know what the options are.

You need to see if you can first remove the dirt. The depth of the footers will determine that. If you can remove dirt, you'd want to remove enough dirt so that you can put down a gravel base, compact it, then pour a new slab.

If you can't remove the dirt, you might be able to pour a raised concrete slab.

If you want to go super-cheap, lay down and seal a plastic barrier above the dirt just as you'd do in a crawl space.


How to clean rusty grill grates? Accidentally left grill grates outside during the winter and rust built up.

Tried to search online and ask at Lowe's, but didn't find a good solution.

What worked for you?

Put them in the grill and get them HOT!  Then use a wire brush and scrub the scale and rust off. After that I usually coat them with olive oil but any cooking oil will work.


Can a bathroom vanity be installed higher than 30 inches? "Standard" bathroom vanities are 30", where as kitchen counter tops are typically 36".

For me (6' tall), the 30" vanity is rather low. Is there any reason to leave vanities that height, or can they be installed higher? Is there any practical downside to having a higher vanity (eg, kids)?

I've seen lots of houses that use standard kitchen cabinets as a master bath vanity -- around here at least it's considered an upgrade.  A 36" height is not uncomfortably tall for anyone but small children (which is why they're only used in the master bath).  My wife is 5'2" and loved the 36" double vanity in our old house.


Shed with gaps at the top, wasp nest come back every year I have a nice shed in the backyard but every year wasp nests reappear in there. the shed has these 2x4 sized gaps between the roof and the side walls on the sides of the shed.

I saw a recommendation of using screen mesh, but what should I use to adhere the screen mesh to the shed?

Wire mesh is a good idea in that it maintains the same level of ventilation offered by the current openings. Only you can decide of the ventilation is necessary or desired. I could see problems of blowing and drifting snow getting inside the shed in the winter time and if that is a problem then you may be up to eliminating the openings.

If you do decide to go the route of using the wire mesh then the best method of fastening cut and fitted pieces in place is to use staples. These come in a variety of forms depending upon how they are applied. There are staples that can be installed with a hammer which may be the simplest as you may very well already have a hammer. Many sizes are available. For mesh you will want ones that are fairly small with legs of say 1/2 to 5/8 inches long.

Another type of staple is applied using a staple gun. These can be purchased fairly inexpensive and the staple gun for the type of staples may look something like below. The staples best to use for this application would have rounded tops and have legs 9/16 inch in length. Sometimes a staple gun like these will not sink the staple fully and if this happens just tap it in the rest of the way with a hammer.

The third choice is to use a pneumatic brad nailer that is able to use staples. These are great because they shoot the staples in quickly and with enough force that they will be sunk way in. One slight disadvantage with many brad nailers with staples is that the staples are narrow and the nose of the gun does not typically have a guide to line up the staple over the wire of the mesh. So until you get the eye for it you may get some staples that do not bridge across the wires of the mesh.

photos show examples only and are not meant to imply endorsement for any particular product


How do I determine the exact Nature of my Sewer ventilation problem so that I can correct it? Issue:

When the weather and pressure changes, my bathroom will smell terrible and the sink has trouble draining. Sometimes the sink won't drain until the pressure changes again.

Attempts:

Changed Toilet Flange, this resolved some occurrences of the smell. Refit and sealed the sink's drain into the wall, this added no benefits.

Best Guess:

Seems that the pressure change pushes down on the ventilation forcing gases to seek the path of least resistance, out the toilet but it also pushes back enough to prevent proper drainage on the sink.

I doubt changing or adding to the Toilet Flange is going to solve all my problems, but perhaps a thicker one would at least help with the smell more...

Unfortunately, even after all my research on this problem, I'm not sure what to try next because I honestly don't know for certain what the problem is.

This sounds like the classic description of a blocked vent stack.

Somewhere between your traps and the sewer there is -- or should be -- a connection that is open to the outside air. Because fetid smells may come out of this pipe, the opening is usually placed above the roof, or at least far from where anybody might be.

If this vent becomes blocked, air pressure in the sewer line may force gases past one of the traps into your house. Or, flushing the toilet may create a partial vacuum in the sewer line that will suck the water out of a trap leaving it useless.

In your case, normal weather-related atmospheric pressure changes are driving gases back and forth through one or more of your drain traps. Check the venting of your drain lines.


OK to use plywood instead of hardieplank between two close windows? I'm installing HardiePlank siding to a sunroom. It has lots of windows and some are very close. I'm using the method of putting the white trim over the Hardie Boards not beside them. (This is the way a contractor previously did our garage you can see in the background.) I will be putting trim around all the windows. These close together windows will have just this trim showing between them.

I'm wondering if I can get away with just putting plywood between the close windows instead of little pieces of HardiePlank as they'll be fully covered with the white trim anyway.

Yes, but I’d use an exterior plywood product made for that type of application, like Medium Density Overlay (MDO) plywood and I’d be sure to pre-prime the edges. That is to say, I’d paint primer on the edges before installation.

In order to seal the window edges and building paper, I’d use a peel and stick seal tape.

Jack is correct that trim is customary for spaces up to about 11”.


How can I secure a loose iron railing on a concrete step? My backyard stairs are concrete and the railing has been getting loose.
I can now move it.

What should I do to fix it? Do I need a professional?

Remove the railing completely. Use a hammer drill or chisel to further loosen the material around the posts of necessary.
Clean out the holes. All loose material and old anchoring cement should be removed with a vacuum or compressed air.
Assess the condition of the railing. Often rust will weaken the bases of the posts. You may be able to cut the bad part away, removing an equal portion of each post. Obviously this lowers the railing, so determine whether it's an option in your case. You may also want to repaint it at this time. Modern spray paints are very good and often don't require much prep work other than cleaning.
Mix and apply anchoring cement (for example) to the holes according to the directions on the package, and set the railing in place.
Temporarily brace the railing plumb using rope, poles, etc., while the cement cures.

Optionally apply a sand/epoxy mix over the anchoring cement to give it a coordinating appearance and prevent degradation by weather. Over time rain and wind will wear it away as it's relatively soft.

Obviously this repair is only as good as the condition of the stairs. If the crack we see is indicative of the shape the rest of the stairs are in, you may need to have them removed and re-poured.


Is my garage safe with a 30amp breaker and some odd wiring I recently bought a house and have found several things wrong and I'm trying to prioritize which to fix first. I have some very limited electrical knowledge but not enough to know if this needs to be fixed immediately or can wait. I live in Texas. I'll try to use correct terminology but no gaurantees
I went into my attic to see about adding a recepticle in my (attached) garage. I find the junction box and see that the romex is just running straight from the direction of the main breaker box over insulation and whatever else is up there no staples. This is very thick 10gauge romex.
Inside the junction box it is wire nutted to three other cables one 10gauge, and two 14gauge cables. The 10gauge is then ran to a ceiling cicle box which holds the recepticle my garage door opener is plugged into, then continues on to be spliced (using only wire nuts and electrical tape). One (14gauge) leads to a switch and the other (10 maybe 12gauge different color romex) to an outside light controlled by the switch.
Back to first junction box. The two 14 gauge romex cables are ran to 15amp recepticals on two different walls (I was wanting a recepticle on the third wall). One of these recepticles has a single red very thickly insulated regency wire ran from it to a switch and continue on to the overhead light fixture. A single white common wire (same type very thick insulated wire) is ran to the fixture from the other receptical for some reason, and no ground wire.
At the main breaker box I find the 10 gauge cable is attached to a 30amp breaker and is just ran out of a hole punched out of the bottom of the box, ran up the side of box, and into the soffit.
I need to know if there are any immediate hazards I should fix this weekend. Then what is going to need to be switched out to get to/near code. I know the electrical taped splice needs to be boxed, but the 30amp breaker i haven't a clue if it's a hazard or if its fine since only 15amp recepticals are attached. The 30amp breaker is not ground or ark fault.

Good diagnostic post!  You have a number of safety issues, chief of which is all those receptacles and 12/14awg wiring should not be fed by a 30A circuit breaker.  How fast you decide to fix them is up to you, but you're right that it is a fire hazard.
For example, a 14awg NM-B cable can carry 15A without exceeding a 60C design temperature (someone will surly correct me if I'm remembering the values wrong.)  The requirements for installing this type of cable (no conduit needed, okay to be in contact with insulation, etc.) are specified with that 15A in mind.  When you exceed it by using a 30A breaker, some person could plug two big space heaters into a receptacle, cause the 14awg cable to overheat, and it could start a fire, all without tripping the circuit breaker.
My suggestion is to start by replacing the 30A breaker.  If you change it to 15A the wiring you have currently (aside from the improper splices) is basically safe.  If you change to a 20A breaker you will need to upgrade the 14awg wire to 12awg.
Book recommendation
By the way, you may want a book to help you get started.  As @ThreePhase explains, there are plenty of other things you want to do to make all this safe and up to code; and it's hard to cover them all in Q&A form.  I like the Black & Decker Complete Guide to Wiring, which is available at home improvement stores and many libraries.  It's heavily-illustrated and aimed right at DIY homeowners.


How to split water current I have a washing machine which uses the only available water valve where it is. I want to add a dish washer. However, there is only one water valve. Is it possible to install an accessory so that I get two independent current of water, one for the dish washer and one for the washing machine?

You can get a "Y" adapter for a water hose connection like this one:

Image from this Amazon product.

Additional fittings could be used if your dishwasher needs something other than water hose threads.  When selecting a splitter such as this, try to find one that is solid brass and labeled for use with hot water.  Valves that contain plastic may not be rated for hot water, so be very careful with them.


Is this mold from a water leak? There was recently a leak in our shower on the main floor that was fixed when it was discovered, but it had to have been there for maybe a month. It wasn't a huge leak, and it ended up mostly draining into the basement below without running into too much along the way. I have no doubt some of it could have gotten into places for things to grow. The leak was fixed at least a month ago.

Just now I was in the basement and noticed what I think might be mold. It's in the general vicinity of the leak and you can see old water stains from what I would assume was that leak. This appears to be fairly isolated as I don't see anything similar to it or what other forms of mold look like. The best way to describe the substance is clumpy or sooty. I accidentally poked it and it fell apart like soot does. I haven't done anything with it yet, but I'm assuming it is mold. There also isn't any smell of mold down there or near it either.

Given the small quantity of it, would it be considered a DIY job, or should I call someone?

Side shot:

Doesn't look like mold to me but hard to be sure... If you're sure it's a small amount, and not the tip of the iceberg it's certainly DIY'able.  Diluted bleach works well as a treatment. Wear a respirator, remove as much as you can and then spray liberally with diluted bleach.  Ought to take care of it...

The way it's running out of the seam it looks more like mastic or something to me but I don't think a little bleach is going to hurt you either way for peace of mind.


No water from certain taps I do not have either cold or hot water from my tap in the kitchen and the one in the bathroom. The shower and the tub both have water but these two have nothing .... possibly an airlock? tried my thumb over it but heard that if your tank has a check valve or something like that that this method will not work? Also don't think I can get a good seal from my thumb over the nozzle? Tried blocking in the water underneath sink and opening it again with no luck. I had just finished draining my hot water tank and flushing the sludge out of it and don't think we purged the air correctly? Now no hot or cold from only those locations ....

Without being there to see the problem its hard to give a sure fire "here's the problem answer" but Tubs do not have aerators. I'm assuming your sinks both do.

This coupled with the note that you indicated you just drained sludge from your hot water tank leads me to believe you are on well water or hard water, or at least, potentially untreated water.

I would suggest removing the aerator on whichever sink is easy to remove on and then try it. I have seen in my mother in laws house an aerator so plugged that it didn't even allow a drop of water out. Since you disturbed sediment in the tank, it likely set larger pieces free and thus clogged the aerator.

You can usually separate the screens in an aerator and clean them and the plastic diverter/distributor parts and reuse them. Eventually its easier to just replace them, they can be had at any local hardware store for a nominal price. Bring yours with you if this is the case because they have different thread types and sizes and depth.

In the future, when you clear sludge from the tank, run the tub for a good while before trying the sinks. Also, it is possible to plug toilet lines with sludge as well.


Wiring Infrared Patio Heating Systems We're thinking about installing an infrared patio heater – according to a local dealer a CD-6024 (2 - 3000 W / 240 V elements for a total of 6000 watts) would do the job. For the controls they recommend the 14-4320 dual-stack switch.
The heater can draw a total of 25A (or 12.5A per element), since the heater could be left on for more than 3 hours, it's a continuous load and the conductors need to be sized at 125% of the load (31.25 A total / ~16 A per element). The indoor portion of the circuit will be NM-B cable, the outside portion will be THWN in PVC conduit.
I have some questions about the wiring design:

The control appears to use a Leviton 5627 (20 A duplex) switch. The switch terminals will accommodate 12 AWG wire. The wiring diagram Infratech provides shows one side of the 240 V circuit going to the switch and the other side going to the heating element. So, question #1 if a common feed is brought to the switch, it would need to be sized for 30+ A, so 8 AWG for the NM-B portion of the circuit. The switch terminals won't accommodate 8 AWG wire, is it safe / to code to feed the switch and the rest of the run to the heater using 12 AWG THWN?

I'm currently planning to use a single two-pole 40 A breaker and 8 AWG NM-B cable for the run to a junction box on the outside of the house, and then from there run underground in PVC conduit with 8 AWG THWN to the controls. Would it be acceptable to treat each element as a separate device, using two two-pole 20 A breakers and feeding each circuit with 12 AWG NM-B?

When transitioning from the NM-B to the THWN how do the temperature ratings work? The individual conductors in the NM-B cable are rated at 90° C, but the cable assembly is rated at 60° C. The run in conduit is THHN/THWN which is rated at 75° C for wet locations. Could I use a 35 A breaker and size the THWN at 10 AWG (35 A @ 75° C) with 75° wire nuts? Or does the whole run have to assume 60°?

You're stuck with the two-circuit approach, although I'd use a single 12/2/2 cable for the homerun for that
As it turns out, the NEC doesn't allow taps off 40 or 50A branch circuits to feed space-heating appliances in a dwelling unit (this is a combination of 210.19(A)(4) and 424.3(A)).  So, you're required to use the "5 wire" approach, running two 20A, 240VAC branch circuits to the switch box and thus onward to the heating appliance.  While you could use the approach of pairing 12/2s to make the homerun, I would use a single 12/2/2 cable for the NM leg of the circuit to avoid silly issues with circuits getting "split" across cables and thus violating Code.


Do we need to install shoe molding? We are removing our carpet to be replaced with locking laminate flooring.  I am pulling the baseboard molding because we want to replace it with 3 1/4" MDF baseboard to be painted.  Some of the reason we are doing this is to avoid having to stain to match and install hundreds of feet of shoe molding.  Now I am told this is necessary contrary to what I was initially. Our floors are level.

The contractor also wants to caulk the top of the baseboard which it wasn't before and believe is not necessary.  The baseboard is somewhat flexible and should bond to the wall so I can get a strait paint edge.

There needs to be a 1/4" gap next to all walls to allow the flooring room to expand.

This gap should be covered with trim of some sort.  The problem with baseboard alone, is that most baseboard is 3/8" thick, leaving only an 1/8" of an inch for the wood to contract without exposing the edge. This also assumes that the flooring is laid with tremendous precision, which it is likely not.

So your options are:

Find thicker baseboards.  Door and window casing comes in 3/4" thickness and can be used.
Use quarter round or shoe molding to thicken the baseboard.
Use door stop in the same way you would use shoe molding.
Undercut the drywall so the flooring can expand underneath and use regular baseboard (thanks Matthew)

I had the 3rd option done in my basement, and it turned out pretty nicely.

I would also recommend the caulk.  It makes everything look nicer.


When does one get a new extinguisher or recharge? Do you have to recharge a fire extinguisher every year even if if still shows some charge?  Is the year the standard or does it depend on whether the extinguisher is showing no charge?  What if it still shows a charge but it is not fully charged?

In other words does one go by what the extinguisher shows or by the arbitrary year?

It is normal in commercial establishments to have them "formally" inspected/tagged once a year. Generally someone is supposed to make periodic checks that they are still indicating a happy gauge reading more often than that.

If the gauge is not in "the green" then the extinguisher should be recharged immediately (if it is in fact one that can be - many "home" models cannot - those should just be replaced.)

So long as the gauge is in the green, "service" is not required until the tank is due for a hydrostatic test (once every 5 years) which requires emptying it, testing it, and then refilling it. I don't think this really applies to home "disposable" extinguishers, but it does apply to refillable models.

If you happen to have a CO2 type extinguisher, there is not a guage - you just need to weigh it periodically to verify that the charge is still present. The "tare weight" (empty weight) should be stamped on the cylinder, and the CO2 is whatever weight over the tare weight is registered on the scale.


Where can I find straps or hangers to secure/support FMC? I am looking for products to secure FMC (flexible metal conduit). I am having trouble finding any straps or hangers larger than trade size 3/8" that are labeled for anything other than EMT (electric metallic tubing) and RMC (rigid metal conduit)--typically they seem to be combination listed for both RMC/EMT.

UL-listed straps/hangers that accommodate the diameter requirements for FMC (refer to table 9.0 from UL 1 Ed 11.0 quoted below) and pull strength of greater than 228N (refer to UL 2239 Ed. 2.0 Section 7.4 quoted below) should be able to be used to secure and support FMC. Many UL-listed electrical cable ties (i.e. "zip ties") will meet these requirements.

Also, if you're looking for something a little sturdier, you should be able to use straps/hangers double-listed for EMT/RMC. It's still best to double-check with your inspector before starting work because they are technically not listed for FMC. However, it is easy to argue they meet the requirements for FMC based on the following information:

The outer diameters of FMC are typically in between the outer diameter requirements for EMT and RMC per the applicable UL standards (see "UL 2239 Ed. 2.0 - Hardware for the Support of Conduit, Tubing, and Cable" below)
The pull strength requirements for FMC are lower than both EMT and RMC for all trade sizes (see "Standards for Dimensions of FMC, EMT, and RMC" below)

UL 2239 Ed. 2.0 - Hardware for the Support of Conduit, Tubing, and Cable

  UL 2239 Ed. 2.0 Section 7.4: "The force shall be as specified in Tables
  6 – 9 for HANGERS, STAPLES, and STRAPS intended to secure or support
  non-flexible conduits and tubing. For flexible conduits or tubing or
  cables, the force shall be 228 N (50 lbf) for all sizes."

Below is a summary of what I found in the referenced tables 6-9 of UL 2239 Ed. 2.0 as force requirements to be listed as an EMT or RMC staple, strap, or hanger. Note: I list only the minimum force required which is always for the smallest trade size of EMT and/or RMC:

Table 6 - Pull force requirements and LOAD RATINGS for STAPLES and STRAPS: Minimum of 334 N for 1/2" EMT -- this exceeds the 228 N required to be listed for FMC.
Table 7 is the same as table 6, but in units of lbf instead of newtons.
Table 8 Pull force requirements for HANGERS": Minimum of 667 N for 1/2 EMT -- this exceeds the 228 N required to be listed for FMC.
Table 9 is the same as table 8, but in units of lbf instead of newtons.

Standards for Outer Dimensions of FMC, EMT, and RMC

It does appear to be true that the outer diameter of FMC does sit in between EMT and RMC as supported by the tables from the UL standards quoted below.

FMC - Relevant portion of Table 9.1 Internal and external diameters in inches from UL 1 Ed 11.0:

EMT - Relevant portion of Table 6.2 Dimensions and weight in USA customary units from UL 797A Ed 3.0:

RMC - Relevant portion of Table 5.1 Dimensions of ERMC-S from UL 6 Ed 14.0:


How do I secure a copper pipe going through a wall? What kind of clamp would be appropriate for securing a 1/2" copper pipe that's run through a wall to the outside to a hose bib?

I'll accept a general answer. In my particular case it's a stucco wall out there.  I want something strong so it does not stress the caulking that protects the wall. Freezing is not an issue in this area.

Here's the outside view:

Click for full size image

Use a stainless steel hose clamp (sometimes called a worm clamp becasue of the screw it uses) and a couple of L-brackets  - clamp the L-brackets to the pipe using the hose clamp, screw them into the wall with wood screws.

The fussiest, hardest to find and most expensive aproach would be to find copper or copper-plated L-brackets ("pipe strap" would be easier to find but less rigid.)

The practical, less expensive and just as functional approach is to use steel L-brackets and place some durable plastic or rubber material between them and the copper pipe to prevent corrosion. Clamping steel directly to copper will result in galvanic corrosion and an eventual leak.

You can also use stand-off clamps intended for wall mounting on the vertical portion of the pipe.

The "long-gone plumber" certainly does not appear to have worked to normal plumbing standards...


How to connect a faucet to a buried water line? I want to install a sink. There is a buried water line (1" poly) to the site of the sink, with a nice long tail on it if needed. The faucet from an old-fashioned separate faucet system, with one input only, at 1/2" thread.

Note that this is cold water only, just for an easy place to wash hands.

Later I may want to add other fixtures. No specific plans, but it might be nice to be able to do so without digging up the water line again. I guess this means I shouldn't reduce to a minimum size with an underground fitting.

It's about 5' from the faucet to the buried pipe.

One option is to bend the 1" poly line and bring it right up to the faucets. I guess I'd need a barbed insert to 3/4" threaded fitting + a 3/4" to 1/2" reducer. Underground I used brass fittings, so I don't have to worry about steel rusting or whatever, but for this situation, should I save the money and get steel? Or PVC? Or nylon?

One option is to put a 90 degree brass elbow in the ground to a riser of some other material (PEX? PVC? Copper?) that comes up below the sink. There are multiple options for how that riser connects to the sink.

I'm used to sinks having a flexible braided hose between the shutoff and the faucet; is that important, or could a rigid riser connect straight to the faucet?

A shutoff valve below the sink might be a good idea, so I don't have to turn off the upstream valve to work on it.

EDIT: I bought a PVC 1" barbed to 1/2" threaded fitting and a kit with a 2' braided hose and a shutoff valve. So I'll try bringing the 1" poly up to under the sink, and then use these bits. We'll see...

EDIT: I bought a PVC 1" barbed to 1/2" threaded fitting and a kit with a 2' >braided hose and a shutoff valve. So I'll try bringing the 1" poly up to under the >sink, and then use these bits. We'll see...

I would have probably done that as well (caveat: I am only vaguely familiar with poly, aka "Polybutylene." I have never used it for a job or even had to replace it...It's very uncommon here in northeast Ohio. ) although at first thought, I'm not sure whether it makes a difference to put the Poly to PVC underground or above. I'd also probably put that poly above the sink, then put the Poly to PVC fitting > then the shut off valve, and finally, the braided hose to the faucet..

(FWIW, I'd still use copper, but my boss is extremely old-school..).


Ideas for getting into wall I'm installing a new bathroom fan in an old house, it has a fancy switch that requires it's own neutral wire.  The problem is that I am having no luck figuring out how to get a wire from the attic into that wall where the switch is located.  I've drilled in a few spots directly above the wall but not able to get through to the empty space.

Any ideas or tricks of the trade to solve this problem?

You may be helped out by getting a bit extension, it sounds like you have standard tools, I currently live in a 30’ farm house, drilling to put a new sub in took close to 18” I had a son make measurements and thought 12 would be more than enough, ended up adding a set screw bit extension as I had to drill down in this case inside a cabinet . We got the feeder in but it took longer drill bits than any new home could even imagine, so find an extension if drilling straight and this is important straight down, because a slight angle you can punch into a room, not hard to fix but easier if centered and plumb.


Joints between paving stones - A breeding ground for weeds. Sustainable control? I'm looking for a solution to control weed growth on a patio out of paving stone. The weeds are growing the the joints between the stones as can be seen in the picture.
Two methods have been proposed:

Jointing the gaps with mortar.
Remove the stones and ad a fleece under the paving stones.

Method 1. is much cheaper than method 2. So I'm inclined to use method 1.

What are the pros and cons of each method?

Are there any other alternatives which suppress weed growth sustainably and in the long term?

From the picture you already have your patio installed.
To implement the polymetric sand solution or the mortar solution requires that you

Pull up the pavers
Clean out the sand/dirt between the cracks
Reinstall the pavers
Apply polymetric sand/mortar

I've been working on the same issue but I am trying to not pull up the pavers.

The Problem:

Dirt gets into the cracks between the pavers
Seeds blow onto the patio and get into the dirt
Seeds grow and send roots down between the pavers

So, polymetric sand/mortar provides less opportunity for dirt which reduces the chance for seeds to sprout.

Putting weed blocker under the patio fails to address the root cause.

My Solution

I know I'm going to catch some heat for this but here goes.
I have a large paver patio and I hate pulling weeds so I decided to try salt to prevent weeds. Salt gets down into the cracks and makes an unfavorable environment for seeds to sprout.

Bought a 20 pound bag of table salt for $7 (not rock salt, table salt is super ground super fine)
Poured about 3 pounds of it onto the patio
Used a push broom to work the salt into the cracks. Since it was table salt it is very fine and broomed into the cracks nicely.
Using my water hose I wetted down the salt so that it washed into the cracks. Not a major hose down, just enough to get the salt wet and further into the cracks.

The patio looked a little salty for a few days. A rain or two brought the patio back to it's normal color.

The result

Weed free patio all summer
No salt damage to the pavers

If weeds start to grow again I'll broom in more salt. I'm one year into my experiment - so far, so good.


Why did my febco backflow preventer fail? I'm working as a handyman for a non-profit, and they have an in-ground irrigation system that has been off for a while because "there was a geyser."

I successfully determined that the geyser was water shooting out of the top of the backflow preventer. It had blasted the bell off the top, destroying the guts of the poor thing.

Unfortunately, I'm very unfamiliar with in-ground irrigation systems (I didn't even know what a backflow preventer was until last week). So I'm concerned that if I rebuild the guts of the valve, it may also be destroyed by whatever caused the problem in the first place.

So what kinds of things do I need to check for to make sure that the new backflow preventer isn't similarly disemboweled? Is this just a thing that happens when they get old? Is there something else farther down in the system that is creating a bad situation?

My hope is that the original failed because it froze too hard, and this one will last so long as I can keep it from freezing. BUT we're in central Texas... it rarely freezes, let alone very hard.

The only way that could happen is if the nut was loose and then pressurized. Those BFPs are serviceable and the nut must have been left loose. If you can find the components from under the bell you can probably reuse them. Otherwise a replacement kit can be purchased. Before reusing anything make sure the threads were not stripped, possibly from over tightening. http://www.febcoonline.ca/Repair_Kits


How should I route my Romex and Network cables and can I safely drill another hole through this joist? I am trying to run a bunch of network cables from my network switch in the basement into the attic so that I can disperse them throughout the second floor bedrooms. At the same time, I needed to repair some Romex cables that squirrels bit and chewed through in my attic. I decided to replace the entire span of damaged Romex. I paid to have the attic "squirrel-proofed" with a one way door and their entrance-way was fully sealed so they wont be damaging things anymore hopefully. Also at the same time that of all this is happening, I am deciding to take the opportunity to run two more 14 gauge and two 12 gauge Romex pulls for a planned attic expansion.

Anyway, I am trying to figure out what the best way of routing all of these wires would be. I had to rip out the drywall because the wires were stapled to the frame when the house was renovated in the early 90's so my only option was to cut into the drywall to unstaple them. So I was able to take a good look at what is going on behind the walls. There are a whole host of "alarm", telephone, and COAX wires running DIRECTLY on top of the Romex. This was likely done by the lazy alarm installer technicians AFTER the electricians did there work in the 90's. I am pretty sure that is not to code to have low voltage wires run through the same hole as 110v. I want opinions on the best practices of how I can go about "cleaning" this mess of wires up. I noticed that when we run our portable space heater in the upper floors, the 14 gauge Romex gets luke "warm" which I don't particularly like.

Finally, I wanted to know if it would be okay from a structural standpoint to drill an additional hole through the header joist for the front facade of the house between the first and second floors  for the network cables and new Romex runs. Or would it be OK to put in a notch with some nail guards?

Here are some photos of the situation. I would just like to get some professional opinions on the matter.  Pictures:

From the basement:

Passing over a stud: (this happens due to the fact that the wires run behind a closet on the second floor. I could technically bypass this and go straight up but I'd possibly have to knock down more drywall on the second floor. )

Going up to the second floor: (the network cables just "float" past the header joist and do not go through it at all)

At the end of the day, I will have a total of SIX Romex Cables, One for the front two second floor bedrooms, one for the back two bedrooms, one for the front attic renovation room, one for the back attic room, and two 12 gauge for HVAC unit and appliances (in the attic renovation))

Well, your pictures have twigged an occasional issue I run into where I can't see them, (likely not your fault) but flying blind....

From a functional point of view you really don't have to worry about separation. Twisted pair is actually quite good at ignoring noise, and 60 Hz noise is of little note to 100MHz ethernet anyway. You can do it all wrong and it will work, 99% of the time. I don't suggest that you do it all wrong, I do suggest that you don't freak out about it.

From a code (and safety) point of view you should not have low and line voltage going through the same hole, and from a hyper-cautious network standpoint they should be separated by a good 12" when parallel, or cross at 90 degrees if they need to cross. Separation matters a lot more in an industrial environment with noisy devices on the powerlines than in a typical single-family residence.

From a "best practices" point of view, network and power in separate stud bays (when running vertical) or between different sets of joists when running parallel to the joists is certainly a best practice, though not required by code - it maintains separation quite aggressively.

Notches are far worse than "holes in the center third" (top to bottom) of a beam, joist, or header. Holes should not be too close to the ends, even in that center third. I'm not sure there's any need for the cables to go through the header if they can "float by" (remember, I'm flying blind here)

Portable electric heaters are nasty, nasty loads. If you are plugging one into a 15 amp (14 Ga) circuit that, all by itself, with nothing else on, is loading the circuit very near to maximum (if it's a 1500w heater, actually more than is permitted for fixed/hardwired loads that might (as with a heater) be on for more than 3 hours. A warm wire is fully expected under those conditions. A 20 amp (12Ga) circuit would be more appropriate if you are in the habit of using one.


How deep of concrete base do I need for a 35 foot I have a 35 foot aluminum light pole that has 4 bolts holes in the base of the pole. I need to know how deep and wide should I pour the concrete into the ground. I'm not going to use the light pole for a light, I'm recycling it to make a flag pole. The base bolts holes are 8 inches apart in a square. The base bolts measure 11.5 inches diagonally. I want to be able to fly two flags from the pole and I want to make sure that I have enough concrete in the ground to support the pole, two flags, high winds, ect. I live in western Kentucky.

There are lots of variables that really need to be evaluated by a Registered Engineer but you can use this site for a quick evaluation:

Flag Pole Calculator

Of course you'll need some details to figure the lateral force at the top of the pole, this comes from the size of the flag and the expected windspeed it will encounter.  You'll also need a figure for the soil characteristics.

Again I encourage you to consult an engineer since the last thing you want is for this thing to come crashing down and injure or kill someone.


Do you need to use concrete for permanent garden fences? I was at the hardware store today, and saw they suggest using concrete for footing the posts. Is this step really necessary as the mycelium in the soil will hold the posts in place, and there won't be a lot of weight on the fence?

I will be pounding the poles directly into the dirt.

It's 6' tall baseball field/skating rink fencing (interwoven) type to hold up vegetables and vines. Minnesota deer probably won't jump a 6' fence.

It depends on what you call permanent
Increasing entropy is really the only thing that's permanent.
Although you can't say with certainty how long something will last, you do have the ability to influence longevity. Some sticks shoved into the ground are destined for early failure and steel reinforced 12" diameter x 6' 6000 psi concrete will surely be around after the house is torn down. I'm sure your solution lies somewhere in the middle.
This is decent compromise

http://mielcentral.info
I disagree with image regarding treating the underground lumber. I would still treat it.
Your frost line also has to be taken into consideration.


Removal of Plastic Vapor Barrier Should the plastic vapor barrier be removed from under or replaced under exterior wall drywall?  I am working on a house which had major termite damage.  The house is located in a town in upstate New York (Erwin) where termites are not common.  It is believed that the moisture in the exterior walls either caused or contributed to the termites entering the structure.  The structure of the wall was drywall, plastic vapor barrier, paper backed fiberglass insulation, OSB board, 1" blue board, Tyvek vapor barrier and vinyl siding on 2x4 studs.  The plastic vapor barrier seemed to hold the moisture in the wall and the termites set up shop under the plastic and ate the studs and paper backing.  They also ventured out in tubes through and under the drywall.  Not all of the walls were damaged.  We are debating on if we should remove the plastic from those walls as well as if we should not replace the plastic on the walls we have repaired.

And this is why you don't put vapor barriers on both sides of a wall

Your problem is that you have a vapor barrier on the inside (the plastic right under the drywall) and a vapor barrier on the outside (assuming the "blueboard" is a foamboard product, that is -- if not, the housewrap may also be acting as a vapor barrier in this assembly).  As a result, whatever water gets into the wall has utterly nowhere to go, and you get a termite party in your walls because they have all the things they need to live.  (Apparently the termites beat the mold to the punch in your case.)

Remove all that interior plastic so that the stuff inside the blueboard/housewrap can dry to the inside.  Also, be glad you're fixing this now, and not in the middle of cooling season after the air conditioner aggravated your water woes.  See BSI-073 for more details about why vapor barriers are like badgers.


Use Doorbird D202 Doorbell to open/close Hormann Promatic Garage Door I have a Doorbird D202 Doorbell and a Hormann Promatic Garage door. I want to use the Doorbird to Open the Garage Door

This is the connection I believe we need to connect the Doorbird to in the Hormann (Image 12):

This is what it says in regard to the Hormann Manual and Figure 12 above:

Would this connect to the Doorbirds "Conventional door opener button" wiring?

Here is the wiring instructions for the Doorbird:

Here is the spec sheet for the Doorbird:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0066/8149/3559/files/manual_d20x_en_de.pdf
and
https://www.doorbird.com/downloads/datasheet_d202bb_en.pdf

Here is the spec sheet for the Hormann Garage Door
https://www.thegaragedoorcentre.co.uk/userfiles/downloads/Hormann%20Promatic%20P%20Fitting%20Instructions.pdf

Without reading all the linked manuals, I will try to answer your question.  Control circuits come in a few forms, but two major types are "input voltage" and "contact closure".

For instance, for a typical air conditioner to turn on, you need to apply 24 volts across the terminals for its relay to make it turn on.  This voltage is supplied by an external transformer.  You can't just hook up a basic switch to the unit and make it turn on and off.  You have to supply an external voltage.  This is probably also the case in commercial entry doors that use a solenoid device to open a latch.

The contact closure control is another major type and is usually what garage door openers use.  If you take the two wires going to your garage door button and touch them together (just like the switch does), then the door opens.  You're not supplying a voltage - just connecting a wire momentarily.

When your doorbell system refers to "zero potential" its talking about a simple contact closure that doesn't supply voltage.  Connecting the "Electric Door Opener" wires to terminals 20 and 21a of your garage door opener should do what you want.  To test this, you could power up the doorbell and use the door opener function while measuring continuity between the two electric door opener wires.  They should be normally open and should have continuity briefly when the door open command is sent.

Terminal 5 on the garage door opener is used to supply a voltage to something like a lighted button or some other "smart" controller that needs power to operate.


Need ideas on putting drywall on old walls with plywood I have old walls with plywood and on top of it there are wood battens. I want to put the drywall to make it look nice, since currently to me it looks more of old style. I have taken off one of the wood batten to see what is underneath. I need suggestions on

Can I just screw the drywall on top of wood battens?
How about if I remove batten and then screw in dry wall?
At one of the wall I would have drywall meeting the brick wall. How would I finish it?
I also have some doors in the room, is there a way if I don’t remove the door frame and just have the drywall flush to the door frame? Since they are 0.5 inch out.

It would be best to remove the paneling.  The plywood paneling is probably 1/4" thick.  You can buy drywall @ 3/8" thick, so not a huge change, just an extra 1/4".  In addition to your door jambs, you probably have electrical outlets to account for.  Unless they have exceptionally long screws, you'll run into some trouble there.

Removing the paneling isn't really hard work, or even too long a task.  As suggested in the comments, it might be helpful to see what is behind that paneling so you know where to be careful.  It might be quite insightful.  At a time like this, you also have the opportunity to lay in any structured cabling you may want (cat6, cable, etc).

The paneling may be behind your door jamb casing (the part on the same plane as the wall).  I've seen it both ways.  You'll know pretty quick once you start removing a panel next to a door.  The casing is removed by cutting both sides with a razor knife (cuts free paint and caulk), then using a small pry bar or flat head screw driver to move the casing away from the wall.  It breaks easily, so careful and listen for cracking sounds.  It may be required to shim out the casing when you reattach it.  You can cut strips from the paneling to do this.

Just a thought, and it may not apply to you, but if you're hesitant about removing the paneling based on time, the time it takes to remove the paneling is nothing, absolutely nothingm compared to the time to properly do those drywall joints (oh, and the mess!)

As for the seam where the brick is, some shoe molding should work.  Based on the picture, it will be fine at the ceiling, but I didn't see a picture of your baseboards.  If you're experienced with a coping saw, you should be OK with the baseboards too.

Good luck!


Can I clean my vinyl fence with a pressure washer? I have a fence that I believe to be made out of vinyl. I'm not exactly sure what it is made out of though. I'm interested in possibly pressure washing it, due to a large buildup of material on the surface of it. Is this ok to perform without damaging it?

I would imagine that the pressure setting used matters. Are there any fence types that I wouldn't be able to pressure wash?

It's not a matter of whether, but how. You can cut through many materials with a pressure washer if you go about it like a samurai. I've cleaned soft vinyl boat furniture with one, and I've damaged similar materials when I got careless.

Approach the job carefully and with just enough pressure (controlled by distance and nozzle shape) to do the cleaning and you'll be fine. Experiment on a scrap if you have one available to see just what it takes to cause damage.


Bathroom Ceiling Outlet installation from Attic I would like to install another outlet in my bathroom so I can hookup a smart speaker. I think the easiest way to do this would be from the attic such that I could place a ceiling outlet from an easy to reach power source.

Does the outlet need to be a certain distance from the wall, or could
it be where the ceiling meets a wall?
Does the outlet need to be GFCI (It will be 6 feet or so away from the
sink)?

All receptacles in a bathroom are required to be GFCI protected. As far as the location away from wall there is no requirement on that it could be touching the I have put them in a corner touching or almost touching 2 walls.


What is this knob for on my fireplace? I have the pictured "knob" beside my gas fireplace. Can anybody tell me what its purpose is? I also have an on/off switch beside the fireplace. I'm guessing this is for the gas. Is there any harm in turning the switch off while the fireplace is on to test my theory?

Having built and been specing equipment for all kinds of fireplaces, I would have to say that this key is used to turn a quarter-turn gas valve. If you like to reference it, you can find the same key, with the valve set up, manufactered by Arrowhead Brass.


What can be done about a milky residue left on engineered flooring after cleaning? My wife and I are having major renovations done in our house by a local builder and although he has done a fantastic job with everything up to now, we are not happy with the engineered flooring that they have laid.

It seems to be covered in this milky/chalky finish except for the edges near to the skirting. We called the builder around and he has told us that they were supplied cleaner and oil from the flooring manufacturer and this is the finish that the oil gives. He says that it will wear down/disappear over time.

Believe me, I am no expert with flooring, but I can see that something is not right. It looks terrible...he has said that he could clean the oil off but it would darken the shade of the floor.

Recommendations?

Oh my. That is terrible. I'm assuming the floor was really unfinished. I'd confirm that because putting harsh cleaners on a finished piece can look like that. I've personally never seen a oil/wax finish look that bad before buffing but I'd say it at least needs to be buffed. More concerning is why they wouldn't oil/wax every inch. It stops well shy of the base boards. If it was unfinished,  every inch needs to be finished or will always look multi colored. The more I think about it, the more I would spend the money to have someone come out that specializes in wood flooring to evaluate it. I don't think your guy has much experience with wood flooring.


Can a surge protector prevent electrocution? My pet keeps chewing cords, and I haven't found a good solution. Will getting surge protectors help keep the pet safe from electrocution if they chew through the coating into the wire?

No, a surge protector will not.

An RCD (Residual Current Device) or GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) aka ELCB (Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker) are the devices that can provide protection, BUT you should be aware that nothing is 100% - these devices can fail...

You should get the cords away from access by your pet, shielding or protective strips or even moving the cables out of reach are possibilities.


How do I wire this thermostat? Hello I have a Honeywell FocusPRO 5000 Non-Programmable 1 Heat/1 Cool Thermostat, Large Screen.
The wires it needs are:

Conventional Terminals:

Rc 24VAC power from cooling transformer
R 24VAC power from heating transformer
W Heat relay (stage 1)
Y Compressor contactor (stage 1)
G Fan relay C 24VAC common.

For 2 transformer systems, use common wire from cooling transformer.

The problem is that my brother said he could install it and took the old thermostat out.
Now the situation is the wire colors do not match. It's an older furnace.
The wires I have to the thermostat are:

Orange
Red
Black
White
Green

The box wiring diagram says: No. 17680-1 evaporator control panel
On the furnace panel:

G = Orange wire
R = Red wire
y4 = Black
y = Black (to ac unit)
D = white (to AC)

And the wiring diagram on the box... well I have a picture of it if it helps. I just need help put the wires in the correct order for the thermostat; I do not care if it works or not because I just need it back in the right order.
The green wire to the thermostat attaches to a red wire that goes to the furnace itself and the white wire attached to the thermostat is attached to white wire that does the same.

You're going to have to take a look inside the furnace, where you should find the control board where all these wires terminate. Each terminal on the control board should be labeled, so just make a list of letters and colors. Then go back to the thermostat, and use the list to connect the wires to the proper terminals.

If you post the make and model (model number would also help) of the furnace, or a quality picture of the furnace wiring diagram (should be printed on the inside of the access panel), somebody may be able to offer a better answer.


Can a white (or other color) wire be remarked to serve as a grounding conductor? In a question related to plugging in a device with a 6-20P Plug (240V Ground + 2 Hots) into a 10-30R  (120/240V Neutral + 2 Hots) receptacle, I suggested replacing the outlet with a 6-20R and using the existing Neutral wire as a ground (moving it to the appropriate ground bus if necessary) by marking it as a ground on both ends.

I know it's ok to mark white wire with black tape or a marker when wiring switches, but I can't find any reference saying that it's ok to remark white or black (or any other color) as a grounding conductor.

Is it ever code compliant to mark small gauge (i.e. 10 to 14 AWG) insulated wire as a ground, or is it always required to be bare or green? I know there may be different rules for larger gauge wire, so this question is mainly about smaller gauge wire.

To my understanding, no.

  250.119 Identification of Equipment Grounding Conductors. Unless required elsewhere in this Code, equipment grounding conductors
  shall be permitted to be bare, covered, or insulated. Individually
  covered or insulated equipment grounding conductors shall have a
  continuous outer finish that is either green or green with one or more
  yellow stripes except as permitted in this section. Conductors with
  insulation or individual covering that is green, green with one or
  more yellow stripes, or otherwise identified as permitted by this
  section shall not be used for ungrounded or grounded circuit
  conductors.

Note that 250.119 (A) and (B) do allow marking the wire green at the terminations for wires larger than 6 AWG.


How do I wire a GFCI receptacle using two black wires and two white wires? I recently purchased an older home and wanted to install GFCI outlets in the kitchen.  When I opened up the outlet, there were four wires (two black and two white) in addition to the ground.  I watched a few videos online about installing GFCI outlets, but they only gave guidance about doing it when there's one black, one white and the ground. Currently, the two-prong outlets have all four wires attached - the two black wrapped around screws on one side and the two white wrapped around screws on the other side. What do I do with these "extra" black and white wires on the GFCI outlets?  Attach them somehow or tie them off?

Understand the circuit
A standard duplex receptacle functions as both a receptacle, and as a junction.  It allows you to connect cord-and-plug devices to the circuit, while at the same time allowing other hardwired devices to be connected to the circuit. Ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) receptacles are similar, however, they offer ground-fault protection to all connected devices. To offer this protection, GFCI receptacles have two specific sides.
Line VS. Load
The Line side of a GFCI receptacle is where the feed line connects, to supply power to the device.  The Load side of a GFCI receptacle is used to feed other devices, while offering them GFCI protection.
Find the line
Before you can figure out how to connect the device, you have to determine where the power is coming from, and where it's going to. To do this, you'll need a non-contact voltage detector, and a few twist-on wire connectors.

Turn off the circuit using the circuit breaker or fuse.
Verify the power is off using a non-contact voltage detector.
Remove all the wires from the receptacle, and place a twist-on wire connector on each wire individually.
Turn the power back on at the breaker/fuse.
Carefully, move the non-contact voltage detector near each wire.
When the meter lights up, mark the wire in some way.
Turn off the breaker/fuse again.

In this procedure, only one wire should make the meter light up.  If more than one wire caused the meter to light, contact a local licensed Electrician.
Now that you've located the ungrounded (hot) Line conductor, you'll have to also locate the Line grounded (neutral) conductor.  To do this, simply follow the wire you marked in the previous step back to where it enters the box.  You should notice that the wire is grouped with one to two other wires.  The wire you found to be hot should be black, and it should be grouped with a white, and possibly uninsulated or green wire. These wires make up the Line feeder.
Hook it up
GFCI protection to downstream devices

Connect the black wire from the Line feeder to the brass screw terminal on the Line side of the GFCI receptacle (The receptacle should be clearly labeled LINE), the white wire from the Line feeder to the silver screw terminal on the Line side of the receptacle.
Next connect the black wire from the other group of wires to the brass screw terminal on the Load side of the GFCI receptacle, and the white wire to the silver screw terminal on the Load side of the GFCI receptacle.
Connect all the uninsulated/green wires together with an extra bit of uninsulated/green wire (about 6" long), using a twist-on wire connector or crimp connector.
Connect the other end of the extra bit of wire to the green (ground) screw terminal on the GFCI receptacle.

Once you restore the power to the circuit, all the devices downstream (on the Load side) from the GFCI receptacle will be GFCI protected.  If this is not the desired outcome, please follow the steps below.
No GFCI protection to downstream device

Connect the black Line feeder to the other black wire and an extra bit of black wire (about 6" long), using a twist-on wire connector.
Connect the other end of the extra bit of wire to the brass screw terminal on the Line side of the GFCI receptacle.
Connect the white Line feeder to the other white wire and an extra bit of white wire (about 6" long), using a twist-on wire connector.
Connect the other end of the extra bit of wire to the silver screw terminal on the Line side of the GFCI receptacle.
Connect all the uninsulated/green wires together with an extra bit of uninsulated/green wire (about 6" long), using a twist-on wire connector or crimp connector.
Connect the other end of the extra bit of wire to the green (ground) screw terminal on the GFCI receptacle.
Leave the sticker covering the Load side terminals of the GFCI receptacle.

WARNING: If you lack the tools, knowledge, and/or confidence to complete this task, please do not hesitate to contact a local licensed Electrician.


SunTouch underfloor heater without floor sensor? I have purchased two SunTouch UnderFloor 16" x 6' long 120V 0.6A to retrofit a radiant floor on the one-level-above bathroom without having to remove the floor. The instruction manual (page 4) indicates that the SunStat floor sensor "must be installed in the floor with the mat". However, my preference would be to control the heating using a 3rd-party thermostat which would trigger based on the ambient temperature in the bathroom.
Does anyone have experience with such system, or explanations as to why the SunStat floor sensor would be absolutely required, as opposed to an ambient temperature thermostat?
Thanks for the help!

Because the radiant floor could get too hot while the external temperature sensor still indicates below required T.
This could damage the element or part of the floor.
The underfloor heating (water) I fitted had two temperature sensors - one for the ambient and one at the output of the mixing valve to shut down the pump if the output was above a certain value so the pipes did not get damaged through overheating.


Sharkbite fitting connection is leaking around painted pipe I just installed this sharkbite valve. 1/2 copper pipe. The right side of the valve is dry, but the left side is leaking. What could be the problem? I tried pushing more of the right side of the pipe into the valve but it won’t go any further. What can I do from here? Cut it out and get a longer valve to make up the space difference?

It looks like the paint on the pipe is causing your problems. I'd recommend shutting off the water, removing the shark bite connector, and stripping the paint for a couple inches on either side. The hardware store will have chemicals to help strip the paint so you don't have to do it all manually.

Here is a video of how to use emery cloth to clean a copper pipe. The video is a bit long for the topic but covers it well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4LvzHt4m3M

When you reinsert it, SharkBite recommends 15/16" insertion depth for 1/2" pipe.
 Typically you should measure that distance from the end of the pipe and mark it with a permanent marker so you have a sight line for reference when pushing the fitting on.


Finding replacement upvc door keeps We've recently moved into a new house and we've found that some of the doors are not closing properly. We had a locksmith in to change the locks and he mentioned that we needed to get a 'keep' for each door with the problem but I'm having trouble sourcing the replacements.
There are a couple of doors that don't need replacing and the keep in them looks like this:

Some candidates that I've found online are here:

Avocet Replacement Centre Latch Keep (58 mm)
Lockmaster Mila Master Upvc Door Centre Latch Keep Strike Plate (52 mm)

When I measure the screw centres on a working door, it looks to be 56 mm as shown here:

So I guess my questions are:

Am I measuring the screw centres correctly?
Does anyone know where I can source the above keep?
Is there some tolerance around the screw centres where it could work with a distance slightly more or less?

It looks like you're measuring the screw distances correctly, centerline of screw to centerline of screw. If you can't find exactly what you want online, try hitting a few locksmith shops.
There is some tolerance in mounting these. Depending on the type, you can drill new holes or with a small round file, turn the existing holes into slotted holes. I have seen some that had no holes and you just drilled where you needed them to be.


What can I use as a thread "tightener" compound for a free-running bolt? (I'm familiar with thread "locking" compounds, purple, blue, and red, but that's not what I'm looking for here.  They lock once and then upon breaking the joint, do nothing further.)

I'm looking for a way to tighten up a free spinning clean, easily threading bolt in a threaded hole.  Basically I want it to behave as if there is a locking fastener like a "nyloc nut" or an "interfering thread nut" etc.

Any thoughts?  The best idea I have right now is sugary syrup or something.

EDIT: to clarify with some examples

Example 1: I have a metal pen, with a threaded metal cap that screws on.  The cap screws on like butter, very nice and clean threads.  The problem is sometimes I find it has unscrewed in my pocket.  I would like the threaded connection to always feel like it has a slight interference fit.

Example 2: I have a folding pocketknife with a single small torx screw that adjusts the tension required to fold out the blade.  This screw loosens occasionally and then knife doesn't work properly.  Common wisdom is to use blue threadlocker and tighten the screw to the perfect torque.  However, I'd like to adjust it frequently without disassembling the whole thing and adding more threadlocker.

Based on the clarifications, I would recommend using a reusable thread-locking liquid.
Here is a link to one I found that may work. I have not used it.
Vibra-Tite VC3 Threadmate  http://www.vibra-tite.com
(I am in no way affiliated with the Vibra-Tite Company)


How to open old under cabinet halogen light? How do I open this to change the bulb?  It is an under cabinet 12v halogen fixture installed in 2001.

What have you tried so far? On those type of lights, I've seen two different ways to get the light out. First method is to twist the glass counter-clockwise by pressing on it and twisting. It will then pull straight out giving you access to the bulb. The other method I've seen is where there is a tab and you put a screwdriver in and the center cartridge pulls out.

Once you get at the bulb, remember to never touch a Halogen or Xenon bulb with your bare finger. The oils from your skin can weaken the glass of the bulb and shorten its life. Use gloves or a cloth to hold the bulb when removing it from the package and inserting into the fixture.

This video looks similar to your photo and shows how to open it using the screwdriver method.


Can I slide out pieces of laminate and replace? The short edge of 10 planks is open from the family room to the kitchen.  No kitchen floor yet.  I want to change the curve to straight so that the kitchen tiles will have a straight edge. We Were not going to do tile when the laminate was laid. Can I pull out the 10 planks & push in 10 that are longer & then cut the edges straight across the opening instead of curved?  I cannot go to the long edge & remove planks until I get to the  ones I want changed.

Yes, you can do that. But remember that there's a tremendous amount of friction between adjacent pieces, and getting ones that have longer edges in contact out is going to need a lot of elbow grease.

I had to do this when laying laminate. Had about a dozen pieces that stopped short of the front door (we originally planned vinyl there and changed our minds), so had to remove these  shorter pieces and lay laminate across the entire area.

It helps to cut out a notch in the piece you're removing, then slot the smaller edge of your pull bar in, and use your hammer to remove the laminate. It's a long and noisy process, but can be easily done.


Can anyone tell me what kind of hinge this is? I saw it on a folding table I'm planning on copying.. It looks pretty thick- see the couple pictures below;

Cheers guys and gals!

I know it as a butler's tray hinge, or drop-leaf hinge.


Why would a central vacuum breaker trip once every time I used it? This will be a hard one to find out. I have a central vacuum Drain Vac 2G20028-c , 12.5 amp at 120 volts.

It has a mini 15 amp breaker on the unit. The power going to the vacuum is on a normal square D breaker 20 amp breaker.

After a few weeks of being installed, every time I start the unit for the first time in the day, after about 30 to 90 seconds the 20 amp breaker in the panel trips (not the vacuum 15 amps). Then after resetting the breaker, I could vacuum all day long without any more trouble. The problem is still there (every time I use it !) after having done those thing :

Change the panel breaker for a news 20 amps
Change the 20 amps, 120v power outlet
Having check by the repair shop the vacuum, apparently all is fine
Change the entire cable between the power outlet and the main panel 20 amp breaker
Change the location and again the breaker in the main panel

Except changing the brand of my vacuum, I can't think of anything else. Could electric charge be a problem ? Could moisture be a problem ?

My vacuum outlet is pipe outside with a weather protection flap outlet, similar to those for laundry dryer.

It is likely your breaker type...

The CVS Power Unit is engineered using a high-performance motor. As with all power units, it is recommended
that the CVSPU have a dedicated circuit to ensure consistent operation.

ISSUE: Standard Square D Circuit Breakers May Cause Tripping
Several dealers have reported nuisance tripping issues with the CVSPU.
We have discovered that the some circuit breakers trip more easily when used to power the CVSPU.
In discussions with a circuit breaker manufacturer, we were advised these breakers are not designed to operate high-performance appliances like
central vacuums, air compressors and even some microwave ovens.

SOLUTION: Use High-Magnetic Breakers to Power CVSPU’s
The manufacturer recommends using high-magnetic designed breakers like those listed below for dedicated circuits
connecting to high-performance equipment. High-magnetic breakers can tolerate the high in-rush of current that occurs when high-
performance appliances start, preventing nuisance tripping.

Please be aware that if you experience nuisance tripping with the CVSPU, replacing the breaker should eliminate the issue. For new
construction, however, it would be preferable to discuss this issue ahead of time with the builder or electrician.

Recommended Breakers
The recommended breakers to use with the CVSPU are listed below:
• Square D (#QO115HM) for a 15 amp circuit
• Square D (#QO120HM) for a 20 amp circuit
• Square D Homeline (#HOM120HM) for a 20 amp circuit
These breakers are available where electrical supplies are sold.


Is graphite lubricant safe for metal parts? I've heard an opinion that using graphite lubricant on door hinges can lead to metal abrasion and damaging the hinges. The idea is that graphite has abrasive properties and thus can damage metal.

Is this true? Should I use graphite lubricant on door hinges and similar metal parts around the house?

While I am not a chemist, this goes against anything I understand about carbon and its common chemical forms. In the crystalline diamond form, carbon is extremely hard and quite useful as an abrasive. However, in the form of graphite, carbon lies in sheets that are very loosely bonded to each other. These sheets can easily slide against each other under shear stresses because of the very weak bonds, so graphite forms an excellent lubricant.

I would suggest your source is incorrect.


Turn Lights On/Off Without Having to Hit 3 Switches in One Room I just moved into a new place and I'm having an interesting lighting problem in one of my rooms. I've looked at a few things on the internet, but my lack of experience in this matter makes me feel intimidated by potential solutions.

There are multiple ceiling lights throughout the room and there's a single switch at the entrance, another at a wall, and yet another at a different wall. If I want to turn all of the lights on or off in this particular room, I need to walk around the whole room and flick each switch. I am anticipating getting very annoyed with this.

What I would like to do is have ONE panel at the entrance that will allow me to turn ALL of the lights on or off at once; no walking around the room.

I'm about to buy new light fixtures/bulbs to replace the old ones in the ceiling. Any solution to my issue could potentially involve some sort of smart fixture as well. However, I'm looking for a solution that is relatively inexpensive but still elegant.

Please see my diagrams below to help you understand what the current situation is versus what I would like it to be.

This is the current setup:

This is what I would like it to be:

Ideally, I'd like a solution that allows me to control each light or light "section/circuit" individually. I think being able to dim the different portions of the room would be great. Additionally, being able to remotely control the different sections would be useful. However, I could live with control from one panel and nothing fancy.

Your suggestions and expertise are greatly appreciated.

In my experience, Lutron Pico/Maestro line of remote switches work very well and aesthetically very pleasing.  I would not use nor recommend any other.

In my area Home Depot sells them in white.  For more colors choices you'd need to go through an authorized dealer i.e. a lighting design center or search the internet for availability.


Why is CFL bulb life terrible in a three-stage off/low/high lamp? I have a floor lamp with a three-stage turning switch: off->low->high. I use the lamp only on the high setting, but need to pass through the low setting to get there. It's rated at 150W and I've been using CFL 150W equivalent. The bulb life has been terrible. Do I need dimmable CFLs?

There should be no ill effect from using a standard CFL in a normal three-way lamp; it's just switching another contact, not acting as a dimmer.

Bulb orientation, or heat entrapment, might be concerns. Or there might be something else causing that lamp to run at lower than normal voltage.


Screwing off Showerhead I've been trying to unscrew off this showerhead. I've tried two things but neither have worked. I just want to check with the DIY community before I break something drastic.

[Red area] I've twisted this area counterclockwise but I don't think it has had any effect. I think it's just a ball and socket that allows the showerhead to be aimed.

[Blue area] I've also tried to rotate this part but it doesn't turn. I suspect I may need to get a wrench to do it.

My question is are there any other possible ways to remove that showerhead or is #2 the most likely course of action?

You can see the connection because it has a wrap of PTFE (Teflon) tape (just above the blue section). Someone used a pliers on it and boogered it up, but there are flats for an open-end or adjustable wrench. You can see one of them on the lower edge facing the photographer.
Support the pipe nipple as you turn the fitting--don't crank on it or you might damage the nipple or the plumbing in the wall.


Want to change a half switched outlet to constant power I have a half switched outlet that I want to change back to a regular outlet.  When I am looking at the wires, there are 2 neutral (white) wires going to the silver screws, a ground wire, and a red and black wire going to the brass screws.  Is it as simple as replacing the outlet with a new one and not removing the brass tab?  Would the wiring be the same?  This wall switch controls many different outlets in the room, not just the one I want to change.

One of the sets of hot/neutral wires are switched (probably red/white) and one is unswitched (probably black/white).  You only want one set connected to your new outlet. If you connect both, you'll short them together. Best case, your whole switched circuit will become unswitched. Worst case, you'll connect together opposite legs of your 240v feed and blow breakers or start a fire!

Try connecting the black and corresponding white to the new outlet and cap the other two wires with wire nuts. If the whole outlet ends up switched, exchanged the connected wires with the capped wires.

Edit: as Michael Karas points out (thanks), check the side of the old outlet where the white wires were connected. If that tab was not broken, go ahead and connect both white wires. The outlet may have been used as a jumper to extend the neutral to other outlets/loads. You still never want to connect both the red and black wires.


How to fix bathtub blemishes? How can I take care of this bathtub blemish? It is as if a small part is missing, less than an inch in size. Also, I have a couple scratches that I'd like to hide, but I wasn't able to get a focused picture on them. Thanks,

This might sound crazy but what I have been seeing used in a residential and commercial setting of remodeling, is Bondo.

I have seen it come with some really great results.

I have seen it used on everything from wood to metals.

Simply apply it, Let it dry and sand it smooth.


What is the proper wiring for a NEMA 14-30 240v receptacle? We moved into a resale home, the previous owners had a Gas Dryer, we have an Electric.
The laundry room has a NEMA 14-30 receptacle installed.  I hooked up our brand new dryer and it didn't get power.

Went to the Panel and checked the breaker, 30AMP Double Pole, everything checked out.  Dig out my voltage meter and didn't get any reading from the receptacle.  Head down to the panel and test there, reads 120V.  Do some reading tells me I should have 2 hot wires both 120V to make 240V, head back to the receptacle and removed it from the wall to make sure I am getting good contact, still zero volts.  Head back to the panel, this time I realize that there is only one wire going to the breaker and it's not as thick as the 3 wires upstairs, I then see a red and black with marrets on them tucked in the back that look to be the same thickness as upstairs.

Hmmm odd, I flip the breaker off and head upstairs to see if I can find out what is connected to the breaker, but I can't see anything that doesn't have power.  Head back down to the panel and I removed the single red from the 30AMP Dual breaker and connected the thicker Red to the top and the Black to the lower.  Flip the breaker back on and test the voltage, both reading 120V, head back upstairs and test the receptacle, reading 240V.

Connect the dryer and viola we have power!

So two questions really:

Is the wiring of the NEMA 14-30 done correctly?  Red/Black went to the 30AMP Dual Pole Breaker, White went to Neutral, and Ground went to ground.
How do I find out where the other wire went, I mean it was a single connection to a 30AMP Dual which was marked on the panel as Dryer?

Yes, you wired the NEMA 14-30 receptacle correctly. That receptacle has two hot connections, each 120V but on different phases, resulting in a 240V potential. So if you take a voltage tester you will find it reads 240V between the two rectangular slots on the outlet, and 120V between either rectangle and the neutral or ground. You can check this using your voltage tester, but it sounds like you did it correctly.
Figuring out where that wire went is going to be tricky. If you can't find it visually or by process of elimination, the best tool to help would be a tone & probe kit. You'd hook up the tone generator to your mystery wire (after double-checking that it's not live) and take the probe component with you. When the probe is near the toned wire, it will beep, even if it's a few inches away inside a wall.


How to remove trim caulk orange peeled wall We're replacing the trim in our room, but the trim that is there is taller than the trim that we want to replace it with. So after removing the old trim, there's a caulk line for the original.

The wall is orange peel textured, and I would love if we didn't have to repaint.

The texture of the caulk is kind of dry, I don't think it was a silicone caulk, but I don't really know.

So, I'm looking for advice on how to remove this old caulk.

How do you plan on not painting if the new trim is lower than the old trim?  Personally, I'd go with the same if not larger trim to hide any imperfections left by the old trim, but maybe that's just me.

To remove old caulk, just use the flat edge of the painters multi-tool to scrape it away.  Be careful not to dig into the wall or pull up the paper from the drywall.  For anything left, sand it down.  You'll probably want to have some extra drywall mud or spackle available to fix any spots and to cover any screw/nails that were previously covered by the old trim.

And then, yes, you'll need to paint.  It's easier to do a first coat on the trim and the walls before installing the trim.  Then all you have to do is touch-up any nail holes or scrapes.


Waste pipe connector identification I've purchased a dishwasher supposedly with exact same dimensions as the previous however swapping out hasn't been as straightforward as I imagined.  The issue is a waste pipe, ever so slightly in the way and preventing the dishwasher from a flush fitting.  There's about 25mm in it.  The connector pipe appears to have an unnecessary T fitting (see pic).  I was thinking about swapping out the connector and have 2 questions:

1) Is that T unnecessary? Or is it some type of non-return valve

2) If it's solvent welded I've read that I'll have to saw the pipe off. If so do I cut, insert a new length of pipe and then solvent weld with 2 40mm Straight Coupler's?

Thanks!

That kind of T-connection low down suggests that it joins the wastes from two P-traps.

It is probably more usual for dishwashers to connect above the P-trap of an adjacent sink.

An "appliance P-trap", the tapered nozzle on the left is to connect the outlet hose from an appliance such as a dishwasher.

You can also get a "standpipe appliance trap"

I've not used this type but your appliance hose would be hooked into the top.

If you can remove one of the outlets that your T-joint combines then you might be able to plan a new layout for the waste pipes that provides more space for your appliance.

It isn't clear to me from your photo, exactly what the problem is and what exactly feed the two inputs to that T-join.

In principle you can cut through the pipes and push on a new solvent-weld (or push-fit or compression fitting) joint. But you need enough pipe remaining after the cut to fit into the coupling. The more times you cut and remake these solvent-weld joints the less and less pipe you have to work with.

As you suggest, if there is nothing using the vertical waste pipe above the T, you could cut out the T and cut back the existing pipe far enough to fit a new section of the same type of ABS pipe with two straight couplings.


How deep do the footings have to be for a gazebo? I am building a free-standing hexagon gazebo around an existing circular concrete pad, so the gazebo will not have a wooden floor.  The only weight that the footings will support is the weight of the roof.  I plan to have footings around the outside of the pad to support the posts.  My question is how deep do I need to dig the footings?  I had planned to use 8 in. quick-tube forms for the footings.

How deep is the frost line in your area? Deeper than that. You may also need to use post-footing-base flares to get adequate load capacity on the bottom of your footings, depending on the soil bearing capacity (what it can hold per square inch, in pounds) and the weight of the roof and any roof loads, such as snow.

This type of thing, possibly:

Image is from bigfootsystems, but lots of places make something similar, and the old-fashioned way is to pour a pad in the bottom of the hole and then set the sonotube on top of it (no fancy plastic flare required.) In "good" (from a load-bearing point of view) soils you may not need anything, if the area of the sonotube (about 50 square inches for an 8" tube) is adequate for the soil and loads. Bumping up to 12" at the bottom more than doubles the area, thus halving the soil loading.


Are these termite droppings (aka frass)? Are these termite droppings. If so, can I do some sort of localized treatment?
This house was tented in the past 4 years. This is the only place I’ve seen any kind of pest.

It's hard to say for sure as the photo gives to size reference but I think these are mouse "pills" or dropping and not termites.
Set a couple of mouse traps after cleaning this up and you will know.


How should I apply brick to an interior wall? I don't want to use veneer, I want to use real brick. Is it as easy as using tie-ins to the studs and setting the brick as one would normally?

The existing wall is drywall, So I was thinking of leaving this in place, screwing in the tie-ins and laying up the brick to my desired height.

If you don't have the proper structure under the area, you're not going to want to use full sized bricks for this project.  Brick walls require proper concrete footings to support the massive amount of weight, if you don't have the ability to add the footings you won't be able to build a brick wall here.
In situations like this, veneer will likely be your only option.  There are different types of veneer available, depending on the look you're going for.
Faux Brick Veneer
If you're looking for cheap and fast, you'll want to look at faux brick veneer. This is typically a sheet material made from plastics, which is molded and colored to to look like brick.

This is very easy to install, goes up fast, and is cheap-ish.  Though it tends to look just as cheap as it is, so it may not be suited to your tastes.
Installation
Follow the manufactures instructions.
Real Brick Veneer
If you're looking for an authentic look and feel; without all the weight, real brick veneer is where it's at. It's simply really thin brick (usually ~1/2" thick), and comes in many different varieties.  Some veneer bricks are made by cutting actual reclaimed bricks, which can make matching older existing brick much easier.
Choosing real brick veneer over a full brick wall will save you a huge amount of weight, and allow you to have a brick wall almost anywhere you want.
Real Brick Wall
A 14' x 2' wall made from real brick, will take about 182 standard size bricks (3/8" joints).  At about 6 pounds a brick, this is going to weigh 1092 lbs + the weight of the mortar.

That's a massive amount of weight for your floor structure to support.
Veneer Brick Wall
Since 1/2" veneer brick only weighs about 0.8 lbs, you can cover the same wall with a fraction of the weight. That same 182 bricks, is only going to weigh about 146 lbs. Not to mention the load will be spread across the wall, not sitting directly on the floor.

Installation
There are a few different ways to install it, but it's going to be quite a bit of work either way you choose to do it.
Wall Tracks
One method of installation, is to use a track system.  This involves attaching specially designed channels to the wall, then attaching the bricks into the channels.  This method takes a bit of extra prep time, but getting straight, even joints is made easier by the track design.
Wire Mesh
Another way to install brick veneer (or any masonry veneer), is to use a wire mesh backing.  You'll simply attach wire meshing to the existing wall, apply a scratch coat, then install your veneer on top.  This method takes more prep time (since you'll have to wait for the scratch coat to set), and will require more time and skill to place the bricks.
Directly on the Wall
Some types of brick veneer can be applied directly to a wall, in the same manor as tile is installed. This method is going to involve the least amount of prep, but will require a lot of time and skill to set the bricks (Hint: Start at the bottom, and work up).
Whichever product or method you choose, make sure to follow the manufacturers instructions. And as with all DIY projects, don't ever be afraid to ask for help.


Why does my central heating system get so much air in it? We have an old system with a header tank in the loft.  Over the last few days I have bled the radiators many times.  However one section:

Took a few hours until any water got to it,
Its radiators were then filled with air (I bled them again at this point)
The next few times the system was turned on, this section heated up as quickly as the rest of the system.
Now this section is not heating up (I think due to an air lock)

I can’t see any leaks, whenever the pump starts up for the first half an hour the system make a lot of noise.
What do I need to do?

Update:

Closing the valves on the all other radiators, got hot water to the section that was not heating up, but how do we stop this happening again?

Back in the day when I lived in a house with a hot water heating system, I usually had to bleed the air out of system a couple time every winter even though there wasn't any leaks.  I just thought that was normal behavior.


How repair a joint that should have been joined by screws I've built a 12 by 8 platform that's 8 feet up in the air, and there's no way to get behind the outer beam now without complete disassembly (custom cut around a chimney). I should have followed my intuition and used 3 inch lag screws to join the cross beams, but I followed a contractor's advice and used nails. Now that the joints are pulling apart, I need to add screws from the inside, down the length of the Cross Beam, into the outer beam. What kind of screw and length would be best that will grip the outer beam and close the gap?  I tried to add a picture, but site won't cooperate.

* <---------- nail locations -----------> *
____________________________________________ <-- no access here
____________________________________________
| |                                      | | <-- gap forming here
| |                                      | |
| |                                      | |

Where the gap is forming you may be able to you put a couple 90° angle brackets on the inside and then use lag screws or construction screws to hold it together. First screw should go on the side and then the 2nd to the back. I would first try to pull the wood back together if you can. The lag/construction screws may pull it together but I wouldn't expect it to given the size of the deck. I'd then go along and do this on a few other joists to ensure they won't pull out.


Power drill caused lights to flicker I was cleaning my bathroom due to limestone being everywhere with a corded power drill (with a brush-like drill bit) and suddenly the lights began flickering when I was powering it on. I began to feel a minor electric shock when pressing the button. Since then whenever I plug in appliances and turn them on, the lights are flickering. Especially if it draws a lot of power like the drill mentioned.
The drill getting wet was most likely the cause of the problem as this was not occuring before. What happened to the circuit and is it easily fixable? I am throwing this drill out and have already ordered a new one.

This could be a "floating neutral," which is a serious electrical problem. See this other question here on stackexchange. In my case I resolved the problem by calling the power company. They asked "Do your lights flicker?" They replaced a nearby power pole within a few hours.
You could also have a poor/ineffective electrical ground. Does the drill have a three-pronged plug?


Do you need to oil the bushings in a doweling jig? I got a second-hand doweling jig with no directions. It just seems wrong to spin a drill bit inside the bushing without some lubrication. I found several sites that don't say anything then one that suggested a few drops of oil; that reinforced my suspicion and shook my confidence in the non-oil sites.

This is a good question for the woodworking site, but I would not oil the guide, the oil will stain the wood. Do use care while using the guide, use sharp drill bits that will not need to be forced to hard to drill. The more force you use the better the chance of angling the bit in the guide, wearing it out prematurely, and making the dowel go in holes that are not in line with each other. Brad point bits are preferred here. Purchase drill stops too, if you don't already have them...


Is URD #4 Appropriate for 100ft run for generator hookup? I have a remote cabin with grid electric, and I have installed a generator interlock on the panel, and a 60A input breaker. My generator is a DeWalt DXGNR7000. I am contemplating using 4/4/4/4 Aluminum URD in 1-1/2" gray PVC.
This pipe will be in the exact same trench as a HomeFlex propane line, and 10/3 UF to my shed. Both are about a 100ft run, all told.

I bumped the conductors up for safety margin and voltage drop.

Link to Generator

Link to Cable

Link to Gas Line

The generator has two independent 25A breakers on the unit for the 240V hookup. I am concerned about what may happen if just one of the breakers trips. Then only one of the phases will be killed. As of now I have no 240V loads, but ...
Should I be running that gas line alongside?
I think I should perhaps bump up the conduit to 2" and just run all the electric inside it. Is that a bad idea?

Running all the wires in the conduit is fine, but there are better choices than that URD cable!
Bumping up to 2" Schedule 80 and putting all the wires inside it is more than fine (there is an 80% ampacity derate because of this, but it won't bother you one bit here); however, that 4/4/4/4 URD cable is probably not going to be the easiest thing to pull through the conduit.  Using individual 4AWG Al XHHW-2s for the generator feed instead would be a better choice, and you can also save fill by running a 10AWG bare copper ground wire that's shared between the generator feed and the shed circuit.  The remaining wires for the shed can be 10AWG copper THHN/THWN-2s -- this will make your conduit-pulling job quite a bit easier than trying to stuff cables down your conduit.
TORQUE LUGS TO SPEC (so you don't come off looking like a loose lugnut)
In addition, that URD cable uses AA-1350 aluminum conductors -- while legal for URD cables, it would mean that you would have to take extra care to make a perfect termination on your lugs at each end.  Getting individual aluminum XHHW-2s instead would mean you are getting AA-8000 series alloy conductors, which are somewhat more forgiving than the old AA-1350 stuff.  Even with AA-8000 series conductors, though, it's still highly recommended (and even required if your AHJ is up to speed with the 2017 NEC, see 110.14(D) for details) to use a torque tool to torque the lug setscrews to the manufacturer's specified torque values.  Considering that a mistorqued lug can lose you your house, not just a race, an inch-pound torque wrench, applied correctly, is cheap insurance, no?
Temperature ratings matter!
Last but not least on the electrical front, in order to use 4 AWG aluminum cable for this run, you'll need to pigtail it to some copper (10AWG is fine, given that you can change the pigtails out if you get a bigger generator and inlet) at the inlet end, presuming that you're putting a NEMA L14-30 inlet in, that is.  This is because most inlets that size a) can't accept 4AWG aluminum wire and b) are only rated to a 60°C termination, not a 75°C one, which won't limit you at 30A, but would keep you from using the full 60A of your wire should you get a bigger generator and inlet.  You'll need to use set-screw type splice blocks (rated Al7Cu/Al9Cu) to connect the pigtails, not wirenuts, by the way -- don't forget that these need to be torqued to spec, too!
As to that gas line...
Co-trenching of dry utilities (electric/gas) is not an uncommon practice, although it does carry some risk of gas migration into the conduit system for a conduit run in case of a buried gas leak.  You'll need a yellow-insulated, direct burial rated, single conductor (minimum size 18AWG) laid atop the gas line in the trench with a stubbed-up termination at one end to meet IFGC 404.17.3 tracer wire requirements for the gas run, by the way.
If you do wish to run the gas line in a separate trench, I would recommend a minimum of 36" separation between the trenches, so that it's an effective barrier against digging both up in one go with an excavator.  (The NESC specifies 12" of radial separation, which isn't sufficient to keep that from happening.)