What goes into replacing a package unit (HVAC)? I have an A/C, Heater package unit on the roof of my condo in Southern California. My unit works but my neighbor's unit just  kicked the bucket and it is being replaced.
The estimates she got varied from $7k to $12k. She picked the $7k unit, 3 ton. Our package units (condo built in 1986) are Rheem 2.5 ton, gas for heater and electricity for the A/C. I have a 40A breaker for it inside my condo. I know we need a crane to do the work (the unit are two stories, garage on bottom, condo on top) so that adds to the installation cost. Besides the electrical and gas connection there is a water drain (PVC) that need to be removed/connected to the old/new unit.
I see some package units from Goodman are about $3k shipped. Other brands are about the same price. Assuming the crane is about $500. Where is the rest of the expense? Does it really cost $2k - $3k to connect the electricity, gas and water drain?
I know my numbers are not exact ... taxes are unavoidable...lol. BTW no rebates being used. I'm wondering because I'm thinking of replacing my unit myself. I can do the electrical, gas and pvc without a problem. I can contract a crane but maybe I'm missing something? Does the weight of the unit keeps it in place or is it screwed on?
Oh the price does not include any modification to the base where the old unit is placed.
UPDATE: Added a picture of my unit

I would look into renting a “reach forklift”, or boom lift forklift, suitable for rough terrain.  They have names like Gehl, SkyTrak, JLG & Genie. The last one I rented was $250/day with a delivery charge of $75.00. A crane requires a certified crane operator which goes for $100/hr in my state with a minimum rate; that’s for just the operator.  So the forklift saves big time. (They go up to 40+feet, depending on model.)
As far as the charge for connections, that is off topic, but I can say on a condo it would require a licensed electrician at a minimum in my state,
possibly adding the required 120v receptacle as well, as I don’t see that.
Possible changes in mounting, power, gas, drains all add time.
With commercial properties, like condos, we usually have to meet current code when there is a change (your neighbor going from 2.5 ton to 3 is a change).
So as far as cost, there may be multiple trades required in your state and some other changes we don’t know about. So the cost may sound steep to me, but I did not bid the job and don’t know all your local requirements.
The more requirements, the higher the cost.


How to clear pool filter pressure gauge that is stuck? I've got an in-ground pool, and a DE filter from Jandy. The pressure gauge is in an assembly bolted to the top. The assembly looks like something like this (image from catalog, mine is pretty much identical):

Today, when I powered the system down, the pressure reading didn't change. I pulled the gauge assembly off and tried blowing it out, removing the relief valve, etc, etc, to no avail. I have to assume something has gotten stuck in the gauge inlet.

Is there any good way to fix this? At the moment I can't even figure out how to get the thing apart.

The ring on the front (where clean/dirty are written) does rotate, and if I have no other answer, I'm going to try prying that off and see where it leads me.

UPDATED: @mikes had the right answer - swap the thing out. I ended up swapping out the whole unit, as I had no idea how to (non-destructively) get it apart. Someone else might like to know how to disassemble the thing in order to get at the actual pressure gauge itself:

Remove the trim ring. I found a notch on the bottom and pried with a screwdriver

Unscrew the pressure gauge. It's normally threaded, however whatever they used as a sealant didn't want to let go for me. Excessive force may be required. Because I wasn't sure of what I was looking at, and thought perhaps it was formed in place somehow, I ended up cutting the thing in half to find out.

Thus, we can see that as long as you can manage to get enough force on it to unscrew the pressure gauge, it should be possible to replace JUST the gauge portion, instead of the entire unit as I have done.

My experience with pressure gauges is that yours is broken and unrepairable. The odds of an obstruction causing your issue is a long shot at best. You may be able to replace it with off the shelf parts. If you can connect a "T" fitting to the mounting hole install a gauge on one side and maybe an automotive radiator petcock to the other side. This will give a pressure reading and a air bleed port.


How to deal with backyard flooding? So I am finally tired of walking through puddles to get to my garage. I am doing research to find out the best way to deal with my backyard flooding problem. I am in a townhouse with a small backyard that runs to my detached garage and it floods on heavy rains. I have attached some images of the issue and the yard. As you can see it has a slope from the house to the garage and a low spot that collect all the water.

I am looking at the best simple options I can do myself to fix the issue. Would regrading the slop and low spot fix the issue? or do I need to do some sort of french drainage? I dont really see a great place to run the drainage since it either goes to the garage or the edge of the fenced yard into others.

Ideally I am thinking of redoing the backyard in some sort of AstroTurf, would using dirt or pebbles to grade then laying over it with astro turf work?

Given the constraints, I'd remove the walkway stones, lower either side slightly (and probably bury a perforated pipe, or several to connect them and speed drainage) raise the walkway (possibly just using soil removed from either side), and reset the stones.

Beware of buried utilities - The official ones 811 (or your local call before you dig option if it's not 811) will mark for you, and the ones they won't know about such as wiring between your house and garage. They should be below the extent I'd expect to dig for this (less than a foot) but always check, and aways be wary (smooth black roots are not roots!)


How much surface area do you need on studs to hang drywall? How much surface area do you really need to hang drywall on studs? I received a shipment of lumber, and most of them have wane on both edges of the studs, which means I can't "bury" the wane on the non-drywalled side.  I think a little bit of wane should be fine, but at what point will the drywallers not have enough width or depth to hand their drywall?

"Wane" is the area on a edge of a board where the bark may have been but flaked so the edge is not a full flat surface. In today's high recovery saw mills the lower grades may have wane on all 4 sides of a 4x4" because the tree top was not much larger than that. Not all lumber is safe for building it should have a stamp on it stating the grade. In my state #2 is the lowest grade for structural lumber and the wane is limited to get this stamp. It sounds like you have #3 or #4 grade lumber I would check local building codes to verify it is safe to use. I will double check with one of our graders on the limit of the wane for structural lumber. I just talked to our planer operator he grades on occasion he said 2/3 the wide side can have wane and 1/3 on the narrow but the other 2 faces should be clean for a #2. He did say there was a small % that can exceed this but we don't push it or we could loose our stamps. The inspectors regularly pull loads and inspect complete units of lumber with the grader.


Sound proofing a waste pipe In our (badly designed) flat the upstairs waste pipes run straight through our bedrooms.

It's a shame as the outer corridor is right next to our bedroom, so it would have been sensible to put it in there.

Any recomendations on sound proofing a waste pipe?

EDIT:

Thanks for BMitch's answer, I forgot to add the information that the waste pipe is already enclosed.

If the pipe is exposed, you can enclose it with a small wall (several 2x4's for the framing and a little drywall).  Make sure at any cleanout openings, you include an access panel in the wall.  Then, before you install the drywall, put a bunch of insulation in there, surrounding the pipe.  Avoid having anything solid connecting the pipe to the wall since that will transmit sound.

Edit: A post construction idea is to hang something that absorbs sound on the wall, such as an acoustical panel frequently used for home theaters or even a tapestry.


Do I need exterior grade cables or conduit to run wire in an enclosed soffit? I'm looking to add some lights on motion detectors (un-switched) and security cameras under the eaves of our house.  I know standard romex is often used in attics, but the soffits seem like they might be more exposed to weather.  Our soffits are enclosed, like so: (picture from wikipedia.org)

So, do I need to protect any wires which reach into the soffit, such as would power the pictured light?  Or should I use wire rated for exterior use?  I'm also plotting some Cat 5e runs of a similar nature, should those be protected/exterior as well?

While soffits usually have some venting in them, the interior of soffits are interior spaces not much different from unfinished attics to which they connect. Attics do not require different wiring from other interior spaces, so it doesn't seem that soffits should either. While attics (and basements) may often be more humid than some other spaces in a wiring scheme, these do not pose significant problems for normal interior cabling and outlet boxes.

The fixture illustrated has a weatherseal around the base (as do all exterior fixtures) to keep water from infiltrating. On the other side of that seal, no liquid water should be present.

It seems likely that the same applies to CAT5e cabling.  However, as has been discussed elsewhere, fire rating of low voltage cable is an issue. Use properly rated cable.


Do small, modern LED lightbulbs require external heatsinks? Circa 2012, I bought an IKEA "Stockholm" LED floor lamp (product info). Its bulb recently burnt out.1 While the product was advertised as non-serviceable, I disassembled the lamp. The lamp's components seem straightforward, except for the heatsink.

The product features a large aluminum heatsink (approx. 3" diameter, 1.5" deep) around the LED bulb. (The lightbulb looks to be PAR16.)

My question is: In repairing this lamp, do I need to replace the heatsink or do newer LED lightbulbs not require an external heatsink? The product's heatsink was glued (or otherwise permanently affixed) to the now-dead bulb, and it seems like I'll have a lot of trouble finding a replacement part.

1 While its light bulb was estimated to last 20,000 hours, I suspect it lasted less than a tenth of that.

Edit: Now you've posted more pictures, I see what you're doing.   Let's take a look at your presumptions here:

Anything that makes light must surely have a "bulb" of some kind.
The bulb is fragile by nature, and it will inevitably burn out.
When a lamp fails, it's almost always the bulb burning out.
Scrapping a fixture when a bulb burns out is insane; it must be replaceable somehow.
If a manufacturer says it's not replaceable, that can't possibly be true.

All those presumptions are dead wrong with LEDs.

That is a packaged consumer product with a permanently mounted LED in it.  It contains several components, including packaging, a power supply which converts AC into the constant-current the LEDs need, a beefy heat sink, the LED emitters proper, and lensing to direct the light.

Yes, you need heatsinks

LED emitters used for illumination make a lot of heat.  Some is from the LED itself, and that is decided by how hard the LED is driven.  Some is from the inherently inefficient phosphors which change blue light into spectral light.

LEDs are much more efficient than the old incandescents, but even so, almost all the watts of energy put into an LED emitter turns into heat, not light.  That means the heat sink must be rated for the wattage of the LED.  The LED wants to be kept as cool as possible, and the cooler it is kept, the better it will run.  But you're still going to have a lot of heat.

There is basically no way an LED of any brightness is going to function for long without a heat sink.

So why do they fail?

Properly cooled, an LED emtter is likely to outlive all of us.  If there's anywhere cheap builders will cut costs, it'll be in the power supply.  This is the part which inputs 120/230V mains voltage and outputs a constant-current DC for the LED emitters proper.  Capacitors are the most sensitive component - they ordinarily have a finite service life, and you have to go out of your way to spec the really good ones or spend a bit more on a capacitorless design.  The top failure points are:

Power supply (particularly capacitors)
Lamp wiring
Environment damage
LED coming unglued from the heat sink, causing overheat
Blockage of airflow to the heat sink
Lead-free RoHS solder crystallizing over years - reflow the solder or use lead solder
Lenses fogging up or discoloring
Cheaper LED emitters getting dim as they age

The LED emitter is rather unlikely to fail.  What does this mean for fixture manufacturers?  It means making LEDs removable is a waste of time and actually makes the product less reliable, because a socket problem is more likely than an LED emitter problem.

With the very concept of a "bulb" gone, it gives the manufacturer freedom to design fixtures as they please.

This means you were barking up the wrong tree when you took it apart trying to find the mystery replaceable bulb.  There was probably nothing wrong with the emitters proper, unless they came unglued from the heat sink.  Given the age, most likely it was a power supply problem.  You could have tested for this with a voltmeter.

More about overdriving LEDs

LED emitters (the chip inside the "bulb" product) are expensive, a common cost-cutting approach is to overdrive LEDs.  The manufacturers fully expect this and spec the LEDs for this.  For instance this Cree XP-G2 is rated at 1500ma but is specced at 350ma.  Notice most of the charts assume 350ma, or assume 85C.

This unit (in R4 code, nominal 130lm) produces at 85C (and you can follow along on page 11, electrical characteristics and relative flux vs. current charts):

At 350ma, voltage is 2.8, watts are 0.98, lumens are 100% or 130, lm/w is 133.
At 750ma, voltage is 2.93, watts are 2.20, lumens are 195% or 253.5, lm/w is 115.
At 1125ma, voltage is 3.05, watts are 3.43, lumens are 270% or 351, lm/w is 102.
At 1500ma, voltage is 3.14, watts are 4.71, lumens are 340% or 442, lm/w is 94.

This assumes 85C.  Go to page 10 and you can see exactly how cooler temperatures result in more light; 10% more at 25C, and 10% less at 125C.  Now look at thermal design on page 13 and you'll see where the device requires a derate for high currents at high temperatures.

Lamp manufacturers balance the cost of more emitters (to run more efficiently) versus bigger heatsinks on fewer emitters.  Generally they need a heatsink regardless, so making a somewhat bigger heat sink is the cheapest option.


Can my remote-controlled ceiling fan be connected to a wall switch? My Casablanca fan remote control no longer works and I have to turn the breaker on and off every time. They no longer have a remote control replacement. Can I have an electrician connect it to a switch on the wall?

Probably. The receiver is usually just a box that can be removed, and the wires from the ceiling connected directly to the wires for the fan/light.


Finished basement outlets, GFCI or AFCI? I am finishing a basement and I am not sure if I need to install GFCI or AFCI outlets. Is it better to use a GFCI/AFCI breaker instead of the outlets?

NOTE: the finished basement will be used as a home theater/media room. There will be a dry bar also.

If it's officially considered "habitable space", then it's a finished basement and GFCI is not required.

AFCI protection is required.  An AFCI breaker, is probably the cheapest and easiest way to provide the protection.


How to fix bottom of door frame (light puppy chewing) So I live in a rented apartment and some things did not go as planned and ended up with a puppy before moving instead of after. Anyways I just noticed he has been chewing on the frame inside my bedroom and I'm just wondering how to fix this so I can obtain as much of my deposit as possible

Spray it with a very light water solution of cayenne pepper after perfectly sculpting & restoring the frame to new condition with wood putty & sanding &  priming & painting accordingly. Get the pup more or some chew toys & approved rawhide bones to address the teething issues...one's that hold treats will make the pup forget about the door frame.


Filter Air coming through window There is a window in my back side of the house. i wanted to keep open the window of the backside just to keep the house warm. but there is a public bathroom in the backside and i feel very bad smell most of the time.

Is there anyway that i can prevent bad smell coming into my house. wil it be working if i cover the window with a cloth which we used to make Face masking ?

or else is there any other way ?

You could Have an HVAC company install an electronic air cleaner with a charcoal pre or post filter in that window. This would remove most if not all of the smell, but would cost a significant amount. You could also install an exhaust fan in that window if there is another window you could open to allow air in for the required ventilation, say from the front or side of the house. Blowing air out would not allow the smell in. Regular cloth coverings or filters in a window will not take out the smells.


Identifying Knob-and-Tube My parents recently purchased a mid-1920s house and are doing some work on it as a retirement home. We had an electrician out to the house the other day; upon peering behind one of the outlets, he made an offhand comment about the outlet (and thus, probably all the outlets) using knob-and-tube.

This had not come up on either inspection report (my parents' or the seller's), so we were surprised. We plan on having a few more electricians out to get additional opinions, but we were wondering if there are any telltale signs of knob-and-tube, particularly when looking at an outlet?

Everything in the unfinished basement looks fine based on criteria we found online (e.g., breaker box looks like it has armored cable); we have yet to check the attic. There was a major addition added on the house ~30 years ago, so it's possible something was done to remove it then (if the house ever had it in the first place). We would like to be a bit more knowledgeable on this when talking with other electricians.

The best way to see if you have knob and tube wiring is to inspect the attic and see if is running through the rafters up there. Other than that you can open up a switch or receptacle and look for small ceramic "tubes" that will be used for bushing in the boxes. Also knob and tube is an ungrounded system so look for receptacles that have only two slots instead of three and of course ground wires in any boxes.

The areas that are remodeled thirty years ago would have to be wired under the 1984 code which would include ground wires, but that does not mean the areas that weren't touched by the remodel would be updated even though it would have been a good idea. Usually what happens is the Panel is upgraded and maybe relocated and the new addition is run and the existing wiring is back fed into the new Panel.


Fighting mosquitos indoor I'm living close to the sea, so during the summer I'm bothered and attacked by many mosquitos and was wondering what kinds of repellents have been proven successful to get rid of these little critters. Are the candles any good?

Update:

Thanks for the answers provided so far. Maybe I should add that we have them indoor. One thing I don't wanna do is putting these mosquito nets in the windows, because they would destroy our beautiful sea view.

We sleep under a mosquito net, so that is perfect. But I'm looking for something for the 3-4 hours before going to sleep, sitting on the couch and reading.

Maybe I should also add, that I'm living in Spain, so if you recommend specific products they most likely are not available here. But I can try to find something similar.

Not sure how well it works (haven't had a chance to use them, yet) but the Off Clip-on Mosquito Repellent seems quite convenient.  You can clip them on and keep mosquitoes away while you work in the yard, this way you can't mistakenly wonder out of the protected range of candles, and you don't have to spray chemicals on your skin (that wear off as you sweat anyway).

WebMD says

  "Mosquito traps, a relatively new
  product, may be the answer. They work
  by emitting substances that biting
  mosquitoes find attractive -- such as
  carbon dioxide, heat, moisture, and
  other mosquito-friendly byproducts.
  They attract, then trap or kill female
  mosquitoes. When placed strategically
  near breeding spots, "they have
  knocked [mosquito] populations down,""

Placing one of these Mega-Catch™ Alpha Mosquito Traps a little way from your deck or patio, should lure the mosquitoes away from you and into the trap.


Spray foam insulation against metal roofing The context of this question is new construction for a small (28' x 32') outbuilding that will be used for commercial purposes. All work will be permitted and inspected (governed by these codes). I am using a general contractor that will complete the work up to the point of an enclosed shell; I will be managing the completion of the interior of the building (e.g., wiring, plumbing, insulation, drywall, etc.); there are good reasons for this that are not relevant to this question (he is a neighbor that is doing me a favor).

Aside from some aesthetic choices (that I am not allowed to question), we are trying to keep the budget as small as possible.

The plan for finishing the interior of the building includes leaving the trusses exposed (no drywall on the ceiling), for aesthetic reasons that I am not allowed to question. The bottom chords of the trusses and everything above will be spray painted black.

It is my understanding that this plan pretty much requires spray foam between the top chords of the trusses (on the bottom of the roof surface). The building is located in New Hampshire and is subject to lots of winter.

The roofing plan is low-end rib steel panels (ordered to length) in one of the basic colors (that I am not allowed to question).

The contractor tells me that his plan is to place 2x4 strapping 2'OC directly to the trusses, with the metal attached directly to the strapping. No sheathing.

The insulation plan would be to spray the several inches of foam on the bottom of the metal and strapping. There would be no venting. Foam will be continuous from top plate to top plate.

Questions:

Is this a reasonable/acceptable plan? Meets code? Energy efficient? Other?
Does this mean the insulation needs to be replaced if we ever need to re-roof? In other words, if we ever remove the metal, does the insulation come with it? Is it possible to re-roof over the metal without removing it?
Do we need to worry about issues with moisture/rot (e.g., is the strapping going to rot if moisture gets around a screw after the metal has expanded/contracted thousands of times)? The screws have a gasket on them, but I have seen big oval screw holes on old roofing that I acquired for a chicken coop.
Are there reasonable alternatives that we should consider?

One final concern relates to the actual installation of the foam insulation (which will be done by a insulation contractor, not DIY). The building will not be ready for insulation until the middle of December, which means that exterior temperatures will be solidly below freezing. It is my understanding that spray foam must be applied in warmer temperatures. I expect that as soon as a heater is turned on inside the building, we will see significant condensation on the bottom of the metal roofing and I doubt the roofing itself will get very warm, unless the sun is shining on it (the peak of the roof runs basically east/west).

Can foam be applied to cold metal? Or will the metal warm up enough that only the moisture is a concern? Is moisture a problem for the foam during application? Do the insulation guys have magic ways to mitigate any/all of these issues?

Questions:

Q1: Is this a reasonable/acceptable plan? Yes & no...more below.

Meets code? You'll need to run all of this by your local/city inspectors/building code enforcement folks to get the answer.

Energy efficient? Roofing-wise, I believe it is. Several inches of foam will be quite efficient--but that may be undone by what your other choices are for walls/floor and the open ceiling 'choice'.

Q2: Does this mean the insulation needs to be replaced if we ever need to re-roof? YES.
In other words, if we ever remove the metal, does the insulation come with it? YES.
Is it possible to re-roof over the metal without removing it? Possible I guess, but I have never seen this done in my locale. It could be problematic and costly.

Q3: Do we need to worry about issues with moisture/rot (e.g., is the strapping going to rot if moisture gets around a screw after the metal has expanded/contracted thousands of times)?
YES..for the exact reason you  mention.Those gaskets do wear out and relatively quickly.

Q4: Are there reasonable alternatives that we should consider? One thing for sure I would do differently--to mitigate future loss of the insulation investment--use plywood decking over the strapping onto which the metal can be fastened. OR you might consider using a standing seam metal roof with no exposed fasteners. This would be very costly, but would mitigate some of the concerns you mention (and would look GREAT). I assume your use of 'reasonable' is mostly from an economic point of view.  SS metal is most likely a bridge too far, but plywood decking is not in my opinion-- about $2200 material to protect probably $6-12K in insulation investment (depending on actual thickness and type). Exterior walls material and insulation choice will also determine the overall energy efficiency of the building. Personally, if I could not afford SS metal, I would use 3/4" plywood roof sheathing--not OSB. I hate OSB because of sagging potential and it rarely ever snows in my locale. I am certain that is a big concern in your neck of the woods. You should ask your insulation contractor about the install temperatures/etc. You may have to wait for spring or a very sunny stretch this winter. Good luck!


How can I make suction cups stay securely to a tiled shower wall? I am trying to hang a mirror in the shower and it simply will not stay on the wall. It does not weigh more than a couple of pounds. There are two suction cups.

Things I've tried:

Cleaning the tile surface before attaching
Using water on the suction cups
Using soapy water on the suction cups

You could definitely just silicone the suction cups to the tile.  This is kind of permanent in the sense that you will not be rearranging this, but not so permanent that you are hurting the tile.  To take it out a putty knife would do the trick.  Might have to use a solvent to get rid of the remnants but not a big job at all.


2 breakers powering 1 set of outlets this is my first time posting a question to a forum like this.

Electrician added a breaker and ran a line to an outlet that had power from a different circuit but had a short in it that could not be located. Is this safe?

Here is the whole story...

Plugged a vacuum in and it started and then went off right away. Also, lost power to 2 other outlets and lights in another room and hallway. On the same breaker there is the bathroom plug with GFI, light fixture and fan all working as expected including the GFI. The breaker was not tripped but I did flip all the breakers off and on a couple times to be sure. I reset all GFI in the house. I removed and replaced the original outlet that caused outage, then replaced another and before replacing the 3rd I used a non-contact meter to see that the wire to the outlet was not getting power. At this point I decided it was time to call an electrician.

I found the electrician on Angies list - they had an A rating and many positive reviews. They gave me the pricing and told me they start with an hour and that is usually enough time to find and fix the problem but if not that they would be able to give me an estimate for the work required, time and price. They came out the next day, the electrician and his apprentice. They looked at all the outlets with no contact meter, pulled out a few of the plugs on the circuit for this breaker to check for loose connections, took a couple of the lights that were out down and checked connections, traced lines in the crawlspace and attic and were unable to find the break in the connection.

After an hour and a half they had not found the cause of the outage but had found a melted connection on the GFI and had removed it. They told me that they could stop there and not charge me for the time - only the GFI replacement or they could keep going but would need to charge me the hourly rate. I said keep going. They looked for another 2 hours in the attic and crawlspace and were unable to find the break in connection. Said there was a line running down into a wall that didn't seem to have any outlets near it and that maybe there was a hidden junction box (even though I said I don't remember one from the complete gut down to studs that I performed 3 years earlier).

At this point the electrician said that he could not find the problem and that the only thing he could do was to put in a new breaker and run a new line to the original outlet (which only had one hot one neutral running to it).  Since there were unable to find the break they were not able to disconnect the line that should have been powering it. But when I do find it the hidden junction box or loose connection (I told them I was going to be remodeling the kitchen in the next month) to cap it off. Basically they added another breaker to feed power to the outlets that lost power.

He told me 4 times before leaving to make sure that the smoke alarms worked.

After some more research I think that what he did is very unsafe so I turned the new breaker off. Is what he did safe? Can I leave it like this?

After they left I realized they never checked the bathroom light fixture - and that it is about where they said there was a line going down the wall and I had replaced a lightbulb around the same time the issue started (although I am not sure exactly when the power went out only noticed after vacuum incident). I am going to check it out the bathroom light fixture tomorrow but if that is not the problem what should I do. And if it is the problem should I cap off the extra wires here or should I fix connection and then disconnect the new line added?

The new breaker isn't unsafe, the old one is.

The old breaker--which I presume is still powering the original circuit--is still providing electricity to a circuit which appears to have a problem hidden somewhere in one of your walls.

To be completely safe, shut off the old breaker (which will, unfortunately, also shut off power to everything else that is on the old circuit).

But if the electrician installed a new breaker and ran new wire to the old outlet box like you seem to be saying (and capped off the old wires in that outlet box), that new breaker and new line are perfectly safe presuming the electrician is competent.


Should old knob and tube wiring be replaced? I have been doing some electrical work in my house and I noticed it has old knob and tube wiring that is still hot, should this be replaced as found or is it fine to just leave it?  It seems really old and brittle, so I'm a little concerned.

Generally, it is a good idea to replace it, especially if you can easily access it. One thing you don't want to do, is replace part of a circuit. Then the next guy might see the new romex and make some assumptions about the rest of the wiring. The other time you really really should replace it is if it runs through insulation, especially blown-in cellulose. That is a serious fire hazard. Knob and tube was designed to use open space as an insulator.


My kitchen outlets are starting to wear out. My home outlets are starting to wear out.  While I am making arrangements for replacement, I want to use a multi-outlet adapter.  The one I already tried does not work, even though it works in a different location.  Do I need to look for some specific features?

In many kitchens (In USA/Canada, anyway) kitchen outlets are wired as a MWBC with the two receptacles operating on different legs of the service. Rather than being at the same voltage, the hots on each half of the outlet are 240 volts apart (120 from neutral for each.)

If your "multi-outlet-adapter" internally wires the hots together (rather than feeding half of it's receptacles from one, and half from the other) it will presumably make a large nasty spark and hopefully trip the breaker when you plug it in.

Most adapters don't comment on how they are wired internally. Wiring the hots together would in general be a bad idea (as MWBCs to split outlets are not uncommon) and as such might be rare in well-designed products, but not all products are well-designed.

If you are replacing the outlets (receptacles) anyway, it might be worth replacing them with ones that don't need an adapter to give you more receptacles, or to add additional outlet boxes if you are finding the current outlets insufficient to your daily needs.


Installing tile over hardiboard I'm using hardi backer board under my tile, over a wood subfloor, and I will be using thinset between the hardiboard and the subfloor; can I tile immediately after installing the hardiboard?

I spoke with someone at Home Depot, and they made a good point - You're screwing it down on top of the thinset, and therefore you're already on top of the board. The more important part is to let the thinset on the seams (along with the tape) set up for a while (a few hours) before tiling. We did just that, and so far so good - the tiles went down fairly smoothly, though I still need to grout.


Water pressure drops bad when using 2 appliances Just bought a house. When using more than one anything in the house, the water pressure drops significantly.  For exmaple:  flush the toilet.  While it's filling back up, the sink will just trickle water out.  This is true for any 2 combinations of shower/faucet/toilet/washing machine in the house (basically anything that uses water).  Doesn't even have to be in the same proximity to each other.

If using only one thing, the pressure is fine.  I bought a pressure tester and hooked it up to the outside hose and it shows as 58, which from what I've read is normal.

This is a 2-story house if that matters.

Edit: Pictures

I would look at your pressure regulator. The device between the meter and check valve. Since it sounds like your pressure is good it could be debris built up limiting the flow. I have worked on many homes with 1/2" plumbing and a toilet should not take a sink to a trickle in fact 2 sinks open should not affect each other as the orifices in the valves are much smaller so I would look to find what is limiting the flow and in my experiance this has been debris built up at restriction points.


Can I use epoxy putty to patch metal? The outer "frame" of my fireplace is comprised of a thin, sheet-metal-like material that is separating at the seams in some places.  Ants are finding their way up from beneath the fireplace and making their way into my house through these broken seams.  I Googled "metal filler" and happened upon epoxy putty, one type of which is designed for higher temps in the 500 degree range.  Would I be able to fill these broken seams with this putty?  If not, what should I use?

Also, I know that ants are relentless and that many of you will say that I am wasting my time trying to keep them out.  However, I am gradually sealing off all their entry points into my house and have been successful thus far as they are forced to locate another way in.  Eventually, though, I will prevail even if it leaves me with only one arm and one leg.  I have declared war on these ants.  While I could kill the colony with ant traps, a new colony will only replace them.  My home is my fortress, and keep out the enemy I surely will.  As Bruce Campbell would say at a time like this: Come get some.

Edit: Per commenter's suggestion below, I came upon this product:

I would think you would go to an auto parts store and get a filler like Bondo .

Bondo has a pretty high heat rating and is not flammable in your conditions.  You will sand the areas, use mesh for bigger holes and apply.  You can't put this stuff on paint - it won't stick well.  And I would make sure the bonding area is rust free too.  This should be about a 2 hour job.


Help with wiring in an old house! I have a house built in 1956. I am trying to put in a new LED mirror where there was an old medicine cabinet with florescent lights. The wiring has a black and white coming out of the same tube, but there is a separate white wire off to the side. I got in the crawl space, and it looks like this was the previous owner's attempt at a ground wire. The new mirror has black (hot), white (neutral), and green (ground) wires for the light. Think it's safe to hook the green up to the separate white wire for the ground?

Retrofit ground is allowed, so you should be OK. There are 5 possible issues with that ground wire:

It is stranded (though rather thick strands). That is a bit unusual for ground. One of the pros can speak up as to whether that is a code issue or not.

It might be aluminum. For a bunch of reasons, that would be a problem. However, from the picture it appears that it may be either coated copper (in which case it is fine as long as you have a good connection) or just dirty (also fine, once you clean it off). If it is aluminum then the dissimilar metals problem comes up, but if that is the case then I think there are bigger problems as a single aluminum wire would not normally be installed as a retrofit ground, so that may be an indication of improper installation.

Where does it go? It must go back to something connected to the primary ground (i.e., in the main panel). That could be direct, or it could be via another circuit (which is OK). But you need to find out. While technically it may be OK, connection to a copper water pipe is not a great solution here, because plumbing could be changed at some time that would end up leaving the ground disconnected.

Color. Grounds are normally bare wire or green. There are exceptions at really large sizes, but that does not apply here. Electrically the color makes no differences (electrons are color-blind), but it does matter for code. From a practical matter, wrapping the exposed white area and the white area on the other end of the wire where it connects to the building ground takes care of making sure that the next owner doesn't get confused.

Is the ground working? Simplest way to check that is to check for continuity between the ground wire and the neutral (white in the cable) wire. But remember that even if you have continuity, the concerns noted above still apply.


Proper gas pressure for Samsung DV457GVGSGR natural gas dryer What is the proper gas pressure leading into my Samsung model DV457GVGSGR gas dryer?  The Gas Requirements section of the installation manual doesn't specify pressure.

I found this in a google search, but the page is now missing (goes to 404 error).  The text snipped seems to recommend 3.5 to 5 inches of water column.  Is that correct?

Can I damage my dryer by sending 2 PSIG of gas pressure without a regulator?  How much should I send to the dryer?

5" WC is a reasonable pressure which is about 0.18 PSI. There should be a sticker on the dryer that will say what the max inlet pressure.

Sending 2PSI without a regulator will likely damage the dryer or not have it work correctly. It'll probably blow the flame out and never dry your clothes.


Will my floor support our bathroom remodel? We recently decided to remodel our upstairs bathroom (5 x 11 ft) and I have a lot of concerns about the amount of weight that will be added. I have had a contractor check it out and he says it should be fine, but I am still a little worried. I realize it is hard to give a definite answer based on the information I can provide, but I am more curious if I need to seek a second opinion.

Basically we will be adding around 1,100 lbs of stone tile to the back, sides, and top of the area around the bathtub. My rough estimates of the total weight when the tub is full of water and an adult is in it comes to around 900 lbs. Combined, that is approximately 2,000 lbs in the small area around the bathtub. Based on some research, the typical home is constructed (US) to support 40 lbs/ft. Using this value brings the total weight limit of the entire bathroom to around 2,200 lbs. So unless I am missing something, I feel as though this too close for comfort.

The bathtub is against an outside wall, as shown in the photo below. Also attached is a photo of the joists directly below the tub - note the black pipe where the drain comes down.

That looks to be an "engineered" truss system, not standard floor joist construction. If it were me and I did not know the original specs from the truss supplier, I would hire an engineer to determine the strength.


Add manual light switch to Genie Garage door opener Currently, my genie Is550a garage door opener functions as intended, opening and closing my single garage door by pressing the single button (similar to a doorbell) activator.

Upon opening the door, the lights in the garage door unit remain lit for several minutes, but eventually turn off and cannot be turned back on without pressing the activator again to close the door.

I would like the ability to control the light contained within the unit manually, to be able to turn them on without having to open or close the door. With this unit, is it possible to wire in an additional light switch to manually control this?

Lights on garage door openers are normally controlled by a proprietary wall console like this:

Genie Wall Console (I have no idea if this is the one you really need, just an example)

They use the same two wires as the pushbutton does, but send special signals for other features such as the light and lock functions.  The wall console wires might even need to go to different terminals on the opener depending on brand.

So, if the question is "can I wire up a regular light switch to control the opener light", the answer is no, but you can probably make it work with the right accessories.


Circuit to make Nest thermostat think there are separate heating and cooling systems I have a Nest thermostat that I am trying to wire in a simple but unique configuration.  My apartment uses fan coil units for heating and cooling.  The building changes over from hot to cold water for the summer months and back to hot water for the winter months.  The old thermostat jumped the Y1 and W1 terminals.  When the building changes over for the winter months, the mode on the thermostat is switched manually so the display shows the heating set points, but the same fan that blows air over the cold coils in the summer will now blow air over the warm coils for heating.

Unlike the old thermostat, the Nest does not allow the Y1 and W1 terminals to be jumped.  It is programmed to see separate circuits on those terminals that turn on cooling and heating systems, respectively.  I want to create a circuit that, when the Nest closes the circuit between the R and Y1 terminal, the fan turns on but the W1 terminal does not have a current.  When the Nest closes the circuit between the R terminal and W1, the same fan turns on but Y1 does not have a current.  After reading about diodes, I thought that I might be able to use two diodes to make the circuit perform as I described above, but then I became (more) confused when reading about using diodes on AC circuits.  Can the circuit be built similar to my picture with the diodes below with a resistor to stop the diode from burning up or am I totally on the wrong track.

Original Answer Deleted: Can not support over on this forum.

You really have a couple of conflicting requirements here.

1. The NEST Wire Detection

Since the NEST is "smart" enough to figure out what wires are connected to it via some method and algorithm in the controller, which no doubt is proprietary, and since said testing happens only when it powers up, you can't just use a simple summer/winter switch.

Without knowing exactly how that works it is foolhardy to try to design a solid state circuit to augment the thermostat to monitor both lines and turn on your fan when either comes on.

Though I am fairly sure there will be a way to fool the thermostat into thinking there are two contactors attached.

2. Space

The "add two AC relays" approach will fix the issue, but suffers from the fact that 24V AC relays are rather large and you are adding a contact life issue into the equation. As such, unless your house or apartment wiring has an extra line that is not being used so you can hook up the relays inside, or close to, the heater/cooler unit, this is an "ugly" approach.

Recommendations

You really need to do some experimenting.

First: Despite what they are telling you, I'd be trying a jumper between the W and Y terminals. They obviously don't want to recommend that connection, but I don't see why it should not work. The isolation between two relays is not that great in the first place.

With your fan wire connected to one terminal, jumper the other with a small resistor say 10R. If it works and the resistor does not get really hot with no demand from the thermostat, you are golden. If the resistor gets hot, remove it immediately! If the NEST pops up an error code, or simply does not switch the line, then you know for sure it's a no-go.

Second: Failing the above, then you need to figure out how to fool the thing into thinking there is a wire connected. I would start out hooking up a fairly large resistor, perhaps 100K, between the Y pin and the C pin. If it does not fool it, try smaller resistors down to about 1K - 2 Watt. If you still can't fool it you will need a more "relay like" dummy load with inductance.

If you can`t jumper it and you can't fool it, you are stuck with the two relay solution or finding a different TSTAT.

If you CAN fool it, then you have two new choices.

Hook the fool-it resistor or circuit to both the W and Y pins so it powers up thinking both are connected, then use a summer/winter switch to connect the appropriate one to your fan as need be. Since the resistors will be in there always, the bigger the resistor you can use to fool it, the better.
Have someone design you a solid state circuit that incorporates the fooling device, monitors the W & Y outputs, and turns on the fan when appropriate.


What prevents the water from flowing in a 13mm garden hose? I'm harvesting rainwater with this kind of device:

The same shop was also selling a rather expensive, clear, wide (maybe a diameter of 4cm) (like 200€+ for 25m) hose designed to work with it.

So instead of buying it, I decided to give it a try with what I had already: a cheap 13mm/15mm green, opaque garden hose.

The cistern where the water is flowing to is lower than the collection point, but still it doesn't work. I would like to know why.

Meanwhile, I kinda solved the problem by adding a 120L barrel just next to the collection point, and I drilled a hole and put a tap at the bottom of this barrel and plugged the 13mm hose in it. So as long as this barrel is filling slower than it is emptying, the problem is solved. I think it's rather unlikely that one day it will rain so much that it will fill faster than it can handle it.

So is it because of the air trapped inside the hose that the water won't enter in it ?

You've basically got it. Garden hose under low-to-no pressure is VERY sensitive to any dips and will stop flowing. I have personally run into this problem with dehumidifiers that have a hose drain on the outlet, where the hoses were extremely sensitive to how they were arranged, or they would just not flow. You also run into this when trying to start a siphon - if the hose is full of water, the siphon will work, but too many air bubbles breaks the siphon.

You seem to have arrived at a satisfactory solution with your barrel (which allows adequate pressure to build to push the air out of the hose) - you should also be able to make it work by (rather tediously) carefully arranging and supporting the hose so it has a constant downward slope with no dips and rises. If trying that, rigid pipe obviously makes it easier, being more amenable to maintaining a constant slope.


How can I reduce a tool's shaft size to fit a drill chuck? I am trying to build a 12" disk sander salvaging a metal disk with an attached 3/4" shaft, and electric hand drill that has 1/2 inch chuck. What is the best way to reduce the diameter of the shaft? Is there a compatible adapter- sleeve/reducer that is available?

Big mistake reducing that shaft.
First, you have a serious misfit between the application and the drive motor.  A 1/2" drill simply does not have the torque or overall power required to turn a 12" sanding disc.  The tool is going to bog and stall out anytime you try to use it.
Now, you see lots of Youtube videos where people make bench sanders out of 1/2" drills... that's great, except those guys are using common 5" sanding discs (you can tell by the 5 or 8 holes)*.  To drive your 12" disc, you will need a much larger tool.  In fact, if you look at 12" disc sanders, the nameplate on the motors, you'll see what is a good fit is for those discs - a big 1.25 horsepower 8A motor spinning at 1750 RPM.  (which isn't a good match for a 9" angle grinder either, since it spins much faster9" angle gr).
Anyway, the result is that torque will be so high that you're gonna need the 3/4" shaft.
I recommend you use an adapter that will let you leave the 3/4" shaft intact, so you can put it to use once you get a good sized motor.
Also, it's not going to work as a handheld tool.  Too small a motor and it won't sand.  Too big a motor and it'll kick way too hard.


Light wiring confusion I’ve bought a new place and it’s a Sunday morning I accidentally smashed a light. Ducked up to Bunnings to try and replace he glass part but they don’t have anything similar so the Bunnings fellow convinced me that this DIY light fitting was easy. I used to do electrical studies at school and remember basic circuitry so I thought it would be fine but it wasn’t what I was expecting.

I thought I was undoing line earth and neutral and then feeding those back into the holes on the new light. Unfortunately this light has 2 neutrals going into separate holes on the light and this new light only has one neutral.

Before I blow something up can anyone give me advice on what to do with the second neutral?

It seems that in Oz, ordinary folk are not trusted to make electrical connections ...
According to OzLighting.com

Whilst the laws do vary slightly between the different states in Australia, it is clear that only licensed professionals are authorised to install new light fittings in your home.
Lights that are classified as “DIY” generally do not require an electrician. For example, you can buy a DIY Pendant light that has a batten-fix attachment at the end of the cord. This is designed to connect directly to your batten-fix lampholders in your ceiling, the same way as you would install a globe into these lampholders.

According to some installation instructions for a Hamilton lamp

This fitting is a DIY (Do It Yourself) product, no
electrical wiring connection or disconnection is required.
The service of a licensed electrician is not required.
This fitting is designed to be used with a batten
holder (not included).
The installation location must have an existing bat
ten holder (not included) pre-installed.
If you don’t have a batten holder (not included), please contact your licensed electrician.

A Batten-Fix Lamp-Holder from the Bunnings mothership

Before I blow something up can anyone give me advice on what to do with the second neutral?

Meekly show it to your licenced electrician as you hand over a large bundle of Boonies.
You could, as a matter of scientific interest only, edit your question to include some good sharp photos of the wires, the old lamp and the new one. You might then get some suggestions for what you might hypothetically do if you were allowed to do anything.
In many parts of the world, you can't 100% trust wiring colours to tell you which wires are live and which are neutral. For example, sometimes a neutral-coloured wire is used for a switched-live. Often you can work out what wire does what (and needs to go where) by carefully studying the arrangements before disconnecting everything. Otherwise you may need to use a voltage tester, carefully, to work out what wire does what.
Often, wires that are part of purchased lamps don't have specific colours because, with AC voltage and no exposed metal parts, it doesn't matter which is connected to live(line) and which to neutral.


LCD TV blinks when freezer blinks My LCD TV, which I use as computer monitor, is connected to the same electric socket as the freezer (I do not have other sockets nearby). Whenever the freezer engine starts working, the TV blinks. This is uncomfortable, and I am also afraid that it may damage the screen.

Is this really dangerous for the screen?

What can I do to prevent it (other than installing another socket)?

It could burn down your house. That shouldn't be a problem for good wiring, so I'd say you have a wiring problem to the outlet.  The momentary demand of the motor starting is making voltage drop enough to bother the TV. The voltage drop is making heat somewhere you don't want it.

Worst case, it's at the location of a wiring fault. There won't be enough heat for you to feel it on the outside of the wall, but potentially enough to kindle a fire if it's near anything flammable like dust bunnies.

Most likely it's one of the outlets.  Not necessarily this outlet, it could be another outlet upstream - outlets are daisy-chained. If you turn off the breaker to that outlet, check what other outlets have also gone out.  That will show you the "daisy chain" that is involved.  (it goes without saying to shutdown your PCs before you start shutting off breakers.)

Can you borrow a socket checker and a Kill-a-Watt and look for anything funny electrically?  Once you've identified the daisy-chain of outlets, a significantly different voltage from one outlet to the next (while the freezer is running) would mean you're close to the problem.

Outlets are $4 for a good one (58 cents for a cheapie) and it's a reasonably easy DIY project if you school up and are careful.  Food for thought.


How can a ventless (gas) fire box be put in a wall safely? It (ventless fireplace) is currently sitting on the floor, taking up needed floor space and I would like to have it placed inside the wall? I need to know any and everything that would need to be done to make this possible. Step by step please and thank you.

Since you already have the ventless appliance, you should have a carbon monoxide (CO) detector in your home. Ideally, there would be more than one per floor with detectors located near the primary inhabited areas.

Under ideal conditions, both propane and natural gas (since you didn't specify) will combust to produce pure water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2). However, this is rarely the case, even in ventless-rated appliances. Typically, the combustion is not ideal, and some small amount of CO is produced, but is not of a level high enough to cause health concerns. Most homes are not 100% air tight and there is enough air exchange to prevent CO build-up.

The largets concern with placing the ventless appliance in the wall is going to be trapping the combustion gases. Trapping the CO can cause a significant build-up of CO in an isolated area which could cause health concerns or even death. Trapping the H2O could provide an enviroment suitable to mold growth which can pose a health hazard.

If you are determined to install this ventless appliance in the wall, you will need to ensure that the appliance receives sufficient intake air to maintain complete, ideal combustion, and that combustion gases are vented into the room rather than into the wall. Whether or not this is possible will depend on where the intake and exhaust vents are located on the ventless appliance.

Please consult the owner's manual for any warnings before doing any work or modifcations.


Bathtub starts draining normally but then slows down I have a bathtub in an upstairs master bathroom. I recently noticed (couple weeks ago) that when I go to drain the tub it starts draining like normal but then after about 5 seconds it slows down dramatically. While it's draining slowly there will be an occasional sound like a big gulp of air was taken. What could cause this and how could I try fixing it?

The plumbing is about 20 years old, made from PVC. It's connected to a septic. There are two sinks nearby and a shower as well. I'm not positive if the shower shares the same drain pipes but I think they do. The only other issue I've had is that recently my kitchen island sink was burping when the dishwasher was draining. It has since stopped doing that though.

I should also note that directly beneath the tub is the laundry room.

Sounds like the kitchen sink line has a 'fat berg', albeit a mini one. If the water is backing up along the sink line it could easily affect other connected pipework i.e. the base of the vent stack etc. I'd be tempted to start at the kitchen sink anyway as it's very often the cause of problems due to the gunk which goes down it. Hot greasy stuff goes into the sink, but as soon as it hits the cold pipes a few metres away it solidifies and builds up; often where the pipes head outside.

Grab yourself a spiral drain cleaner and remove the trap under the sink and gently clear out the run away from the sink. Finish off with a chemical cleaner if you like and plenty of hot water to flush away any remaining debris.


Installing new T8 ballast Lights stopped working on a 48" 2-lamp fluorescent fixture in the laundry room. Figured this to be a ballast issue, but I bought new LED tubes in addition to a new T8 ballast.

I put the new bulbs in first, just in case, and one bulb would briefly flicker once - and that's it. Switched the bulbs, and the same bulb briefly flickered while on the other side.

Started to then wire up the new ballast, until I realized the coloring and wires are different from existing ballast to new. The existing ballast is IG230ELSX, and has a black and white coming from on the left of the ballast, and two reds, two blues, and two yellows from the right side of the ballast. Two reds go directly to two reds on one socket of the right side of the lamp, and two blues go directly to two blues on the other socket on the right side of the lamp. The two yellows go to a socket on the left side of the lamp, and then a black jumper wire from that socket to the other socket on that same side. Black and white go to hot and neutral from the ceiling.

Now, the new ballast from Lowes is a GE PC16112, and is indicated to be appropriate for 120V 2-lamp T8s. But, it has black and white coming from the left of the ballast, and only two blues and one red on the right side of the ballast. What am I left to do with the yellow wires that are wired to the left side of my lamp, and the lack of an additional red?

Not sure if this is coincidental or not, but I replaced the light switches for new rocker switches a few weeks prior to this happening. It's on a three-way switch, so I uninstalled and reinstalled new ones, just to eliminate that as a variable.

Thoughts???

This is what happens when you walk into Home Depot and buy a bunch of random parts.   Which is why I do not like Home Depot.   That, and their prices are outrageous.

Currently, you have a genuine fluorescent fixture, with a rapid-start ballast.  (Or possibly the even better programmed-start type).   Hence, the 2 wires to each end of each tube.  The 2 wires use the little filaments in the tubes to preheat the tube, which makes it easier to start (strike the arc). A fluorescent makes a Tesla-coil style arc through a tube of argon gas. In fact Tesla invented this.

What you bought was an instant-start ballast, which only has 1 wire per end, because it ignores the filaments and strikes the arc with a violent voltage surge.  This is hard on the tube, so don't use them where tubes are hard to replace.  I'd call it a cheapie ballast, but in fact it is not cheaper.

You have not told us if this was originally a T8 or T12 ballast. (It is an option to stay with T12, and today's tubes are excellent due to new quality standards). I have been switching to T8 because my old T12 ballasts are failing, and I'm not buying new T12 ballasts. Nope.

You have no idea if the fluorescent tubes are bad, or if it's the ballast.  OK.  Are there black marks a couple inches from the ends of the tubes?

Staying real fluorescent and switching to T8 is a good plan.

For that, you need to buy actual fluorescent tubes with the argon gas. Sylvania has some 90CRI tubes that I absolutely love, and I pay about $1.60 a tube in 36 quantity.

You need to sort out whether you want to stay with rapid-start or the deluxe programmed-start ballasts; or switch to the poor instant-start type.  Instant-start does have one advantage, implied in its name.  It is not as likely to work well in very cold; for that go programmed-start.  All will not flicker.

Your fixture's wiring can handle any type.

To switch ballasts, if the old ballast is known-bad, cut the wires flush at the ballast.  Otherwise leave 6” so it could be reused. Don't tear too much wire out of your fixture, sourcing legal 18AWG 600V wire is hard, and sourcing the wrong wire is too easy.

If you replace with a rapid or programmed start ballast, it's real simple - yellow to yellow (interchangeable), blue to blue, red to red, done.  Use blue sized wire nuts.   Don't bother fiddling with the sockets (lampholders/tombstones).

If you replace with an instant-start, then one color (blue or red) has only one wire.  Both yellows go to that color.  Both blues from the fixture go to one of the remaining wires.  Both reds to the other.

Don't worry about the excess wire, just fold it back and put the cover over it, there's room in there.  It does no harm.

Now having ballasted it for actual fluorescent tubes, you could put LED replacement devices in there if you really want to, but ...facepalm... Why.  Modern real tubes are better light.  If you do this, you use LED types called Plug-n-Play, and you must make sure the subtype of plug-n-Play LED matches your ballast type - instant-start, or rapid/programmed-start.    But this is stupid, because you are forcing a ballast to drive something it was not designed to drive.

Or use direct-wire LED replacement "tubes"

In these, you wire 120V straight to the LED "tube" and remove the ballast entirely.  These come in two types.

Power on each end of the tube:  in this case you wire both yellows to supply neutral, and both blues and both reds to supply hot.
Power on the same end of the tube: in this case you wire supply hot to one yellow, supply neutral to the other yellow, and cap off each red and blue wire separately. If you install the LEDs and they don't work, flip them around so you're plugging in the opposite end.


Do you strip the outer sheath on romex when it enters a load center / breaker box? I am doing all my own wiring on a new outbuilding (my well pump house) to save money.  I want to have an electrician come in afterwards and simply verify that it was done correctly.

When you run romex from an outlet back to the breaker box, do you strip the yellow outer sheath off where it enters the breaker box, or do you only strip the last few inches to expose the hot, neutral, and ground so you can strip them and make your connection?

In other words, does the yellow outer sheath extend well into the breaker box?

Typically it is stripped back to where it enters the enclosure. There is a code minimum, 1/4", but no maximum. It could be argued that leaving most of the sheathing on is poor workmanship.

Sometimes I leave an inch or two to write the circuit ID on the sheath.

  NEC 2011

  312.5 Cabinets, Cutout Boxes, and Meter Socket Enclosures Conductors entering enclosures within the scope of this article shall be
  protected from abrasion and shall comply with 312.5(A) through (C).

  C) Cables. Where cable is used, each cable shall be secured to the
  cabinet, cutout box, or meter socket enclosure.

  Exception: Cables with entirely nonmetallic sheaths shall be permitted
  to enter the top of a surface-mounted enclosure through one or more
  nonflexible raceways not less than 450 mm (18 in.) and not more than
  3.0 m (10 ft) in length, provided all of the following conditions are met:

  a) Each cable is fastened within 300 mm (12 in.), measured along the sheath, of the outer end of the raceway.

  b) The raceway extends directly above the enclosure and does not penetrate a structural ceiling.

  c) A fitting is provided on each end of the raceway to protect the cable(s) from abrasion and the fittings remain accessible after
  installation.

  d) The raceway is sealed or plugged at the outer end using approved means so as to prevent access to the enclosure through the raceway.

  e) The cable sheath is continuous through the raceway and extends into the enclosure beyond the fitting not less than 6 mm (¼ in.).

  f) The raceway is fastened at its outer end and at other points in accordance with the applicable article.

  g) Where installed as conduit or tubing, the allowable cable fill does not exceed that permitted for complete conduit or tubing systems
  by Table 1 of Chapter 9 of this Code and all applicable notes thereto.


Ideas for building a foldable rake I play beach volleyball and on certain parts of the beach we have either a lot of stones/sticks or waste. And sometimes we hurt ourselves because of it.
Therefore I want to make a foldable rake, as I don't want to carry around a 2m broomstick all the time. It needs to fit into a large backpack.
I found these broomsticks that are foldable and come with a screw-on connector:

And I found such a detachable rake:

I specifically chose these two as my idea is to remove that screw-top connector of the broom and insert the rake inside it and use a screw and wing nut to fixate the rake head.
But I want to enforce its stability from the inside with epoxy. But how can I "mold" the inside to the rake head without it sticking inside, so I can pull it out again?
Any ideas? Or maybe you have a different approach to make my foldable rake?

I look at those parts, and I think that your broomstick (which might work fine for a broomstick) will probably snap in fairly short order when used with a rake.
A rake handle has much more significant bending forces on it than a broom handle does, in normal use.
If the detachable rake comes with a handle, I would cut that in sections to fit in your backpack, and then I would cut sections of hardwood to be bolted across the joints, pretty much the same length as your handle sections (not shorter pieces) and drill holes to bolt them together with wingnuts. If the handle is hollow, you might be able to use sections of hardwood dowel (or wooden rake handle) inside the hollow handle, but my base assumption is that it might be solid wood itself, so an overlapping bolted series of sticks is my thought.


Identify strange wall fixing Can anyone please help me identify what the fixing below is and how to remove it?

Four of them attached a wooden gate post to the side of a masonry wall. The wooden post is gone - it was rotten so came off with a crow bar. Now I'm left with these and they're very firmly embedded in the wall. Some have half broken off due to rust. There doesn't seem to be any screw or nail in the middle but maybe there is one and it's deeply embedded inside.

I believe that is called a spring pin anchor or express nail

To remove it, I'd try these:

or any nail puller.

Spraying some Liquid Wrench or other light lubricant might make it easier to pull out, but also slippery to hold onto, and might make an oily rusty stain.


Is there an online tool for designing kitchen layout? I am looking at having my kitchen replaced. It is a tiny room no bigger than 6ft by 6ft.

I would like to find an online tool that will let me drag and drop appliences and fittings into the room so I can see what it will look like.

The reason is that I am useless at drawing and would like to take something with me to shops etc.

We will not be having a designer come over or a builder install it as my partners dad is capable of doing a good job.

I know of these two free tools:

One by Ikea
One by a kitchen cabinet company called Mei

You might find more by searching "Kitchen layout tool" on Google.


It is normal for glass-ceramic cooktop to be hot? I just bought a stove with glass-ceramic cooktop and I'm frustrated because when I use one hot plate the whole cooktop is hot (even the metal corpus around it). Is this normal or the cooktop must be cold except working hot plate?

No, it definitely sounds like there may be an issue with the contacts. If the cooktop is relatively new, contact the installer/manufacturer to decide if you have received a faulty product.


Can I power a two-phase home service with a single-phase generator? It is hurricane season here in Florida, so naturally I pulled out the generator to check it and had a question.

The generator I have says it can output 30amp single phase.

Let's say you wanted to add an interlock to the breaker panel to feed in power when the mains goes out. But, the refrigerator is on 1 phase, and the tv is on another. Since these 2 (or more) devices need to be powered by the generator, and since it is single phase, is it possible/safe to get it to work on both phases?

Was thinking of a double pole breaker interlock with the hot wire split in to each pole.

Note: this is out of pure curiosity, I will not be attempting to do this.

Generator: http://www.manualsdir.com/manuals/216212/troy-bilt-030245.html?download

Phases and poles

The question of "phases" comes up when dealing with 3-phase power.  The 3 phases are equally spaced: like runways at an airport arranged in a star or triangle pattern, one aiming north (12:00), southeast (4:00) and southwest (8:00).

What if 2-phase power existed?  That would be runways aiming due north (12:00) and due south (6:00).  Wait a minute, that would be the same runway!

So 2-phase power isn't really a thing; it's just single-phase power stacked on top of each other for at twice the voltage.  With a common middle (at neutral), it can be tapped end-middle for 120V or end-end for 240V.  And now you understand our 120V/240V split-phase system!

Note that your generator has a NEMA 14 receptacle which is designed to power a split-phase system.

You need a generator interlock.

Your setup must make it mechanically impossible to backfeed onto the electric grid.  Of course you'd have no reason to want to do that; so some people think "Oh, I can make it a checklist procedure", -- nope, not allowed.  Because that never works in a stressful emergency.

Several companies make a variety of interlock kits with sliders or pivots that block the main breaker from being on at the same time as a double breaker in a particular position.

You may notice that most regular breakers flip inward to be on.   The simplest interlock puts two breakers opposite each other, and inserts a spacer block so they can't both be inward (on). These two breakers are then back-fed, either from the utility or from the generator.  Siemens/Murray makes a $23 kit for their panels that also straps down those breakers, a Code requirement, and works with the covers removed, a Code requirement in some areas.  Square D also makes a very inexpensive one for their "QO" (not Homeline) panel line, but I'm not sure it provides all that.  However this only works on smaller panels where the utility side can be back-fed, e.g. Subpanels.

Maybe put it in a subpanel

One easy way to provide the generator/interlock solution is to put a subpanel right next to your main panel, with one of the Siemens/Murray style interlocks on the top 2 breakers.  Then relocate each of your loads you want the generator to support into this panel.  There is no limit to the physical size of the subpanel; feel free to use a 42-space and put every circuit here.  This trick can even be used to solve a separate "my panel is full" problem!  That is why we are big fans of big panels.

All in all, such a subpanel is far, far cheaper than a "Reliance" style multi-circuit transfer switch, which allows you to switch up to 6 or 8 circuits between line and generator individually (why would you want that?).  It also place nicely with AFCI and GFCI.


Central heating [uk] thermostatic valves I'm the UK in case that matters.
I have a traditional gas central heating with radiators.

As is common, the radiators have thermostatically controlled values, except for one of the radiators which does not. I believe this is necessary to have one that is not controlled?

The problem is that the one that is not controlled is the one in the main living room which is also where the main thermostat is. This room is also the one which heats up most quickly in the house. So what happens is that this room reaches its temperature before any of the others and the whole heating turns off before any of the other rooms are warm enough.

I have two options :-
1) Be cold in the rest of my house
2) Be far too hot in the living room but comfortable elsewhere.

If the livingroom had a thermostatic value, I'd at least be able to turn that one off when if got warm enough giving the rest of the house chance to heat up.

My question is, can I move the valve from a different radiator and have(say) the one in the hall be the one without a valve? Or is there a better solution?

I'd get a plumber in most likely to do this unless it's really simple to do, but just wanted to know what was possible? Thanks!

It sounds like the system is out of balance.

Every radiator usually has two valves, one at each end. One valve (the lockshield valve) is used to balance the system at installation time and is not adjustable without tools, the other is used to vary the output and can be turned by hand.

See radiator valves explained

You should be able to reduce the rate at which the room warms up by adjusting the lockshield valve slightly.

I'd try a quarter turn clockwise each morning until the system seems to be behaving as you want.


How does this axial-flow propeller pump work? I am trying to repair my aquarium pump. It is an axial-flow (rotary) propeller pump. It accidentally drew air when I was refilling the aquarium after moving it.

After that it didn't pump anymore, but made an unhealthy noise.

As I had to work with (MUCH MUCH) bigger rotary pumps some time ago, I know that those pumps have a bearing that is lubricated using the water flowing through the pump (and not by some lube). When big pumps draw air, the heat melts the bearing. Fortunately, this didn't happen with my (small) pump.

I know that because I opened it.

Looking at the drawing, how is it possible that the magnetic cylinder, to which the propeller is attached, can rotate around its own axis (resulting in the propeller turning) and its tilt direction (resulting in a circular movement of the propellers center)

Do you have any idea how this is used to pump the water (I know how a rotary pump works, but am unsure here because of the complete open top. Is a circular movement of the propellers center necessary?) ?

And: What do you expect to be in the surrounding "black box"? I guess there must be some sort of electromagnet.

BUT: Even when the pump is turned off, there is some magnetic force on the cylinder (resistance against pulling it outside of the surounding box).

Any hints on this?

I am trying to understand how the pump is working, to then be able to locate the problem and fix it.

actually you have a centrifugal pump with magnetic coupling

but your problem seem a bad priming job, ensure the entire pump does not have any air in it. if you are confident in the cleanliness of the water put the other end in your mouth and suck it up. then move the pump around to get all the air bubbles out.


How to modernise this raised concrete drain in the middle of patio? I'm planning to take up an old garden patio and lay a new one. However there is an ugly raised drain cover in the middle. This is for inspection of the property's drain at the point where it connects to a communal drain.

The drain sits 4" above the current level of the patio, so I would like to a) modernise the look of this drain, and b) lower it so that it's flush with the new patio. Raising the patio is not an option as the current level is ~17cm below the damp proof coursing and I've read that it shouldn't be any less than 15cm below.

The drain cover measures 20"-26" (imperial because it was built in 1969). The frame (which I believe is called the crown?) measures 24"-32". The top of the crown is 4" above the patio level.

Now I seem to have two options:

Remove the crown and replace with a flat manhole cover. Raise the patio level fractionally to get it flush.
Remove the crown and replace with a recessed manhole cover, which will look nicer because it can be filled with slabs to match the patio. However I would need to drop the height of the drain to do this, as being recessed it would need to be based lower than the patio level.

So my question regards the process of doing this:

I have read that the crown should just lift off (2 man effort). Is this likely to be correct? I'm going to assume worse case and it's secured somehow - how can I safely remove it without damaging the drain (and making me unpopular with the neighbours!).
Presumably I can lower it by removing one of those concrete "rings" in the picture and then building it up again to a lesser height? How would I go about this? It feels a bit beyond my capability (no building experience).
What size manhole cover should I be looking for? Most places only seem to stock ones like these that state 18"-24" which seems too small, but that is perhaps the cover size? And then they don't state the frame size. I did find this recessed one which states size including frame and would fit, but would require lowering the drain.

My preference would be to have a nice recessed cover but I think this may be beyond my capability. I have somewhat basic DIY experience (fixing things to walls, painting and decorating, replacing toilet flushes etc - no actual building work).

Yes that appears to simply be set on top of a spacer which is then set on top of the buried box.  You should be able to lift it off, with some effort, and also keep in mind that some adhesive or mortar might have been used to secure it.

It looks like you should be able to remove the spacer under the lid and drop the thing down a few inches to make it flush with your surface.

A local concrete product supplier may be able to provide a nicer lid but some adapting may need to be done it order to get it to fit right.


What the white part is on the ceiling in this tutorial? there is a tutorial demonstrating HOW TO INSTALL DRYWALL ON A CEILING.

That guy is putting a screw into the ceiling.

Is the white part pointed out by red arrow drywall? If yes, where is paper. That guy said want "drywall screw to be flush with the paper"

Drywall is made of gypsum surrounded with paper.  The paper is the front and back surface of the drywall.


Which product do I use to treat garage walls that " sweat "in the winter Which Product do I waterproof the garage walls with in winter as they are sweating

You don't need waterproofing, you need insulation.
Unless your garage is underground, "sweating" is actually condensation, and it's due to the walls being cooler than the air, and below the dew point.  One way to prevent it is to dry the air, but dehumidifiers consume energy (= cost money) to run, and chemical air driers cost even more over any significant time period.
The better way to prevent this problem is to ensure that the interior wall surface doesn't get below the dew point, by keeping it close to the inside air temperature -- and the way to do this is to insulate.  Reduce the rate at which heat is lost through the walls, and the warm, moist air (presumably infiltrating from the heated house) won't have a place to deposit moisture.
This isn't a super-easy DIY job, unless you're the sort who could build the garage in the first place -- but if it can be done from inside (by removing drywall) instead of from outside (removing siding, vapor barrier, etc.) it's not terribly difficult, especially if you don't mind seeing joints and nails or screws in the inside dry wall.
The inexpensive product (in my experience, which is pretty old, so check behind me on this) is "rock wool" or fiberglass insulation batting, and a recommended R value for an unheated garage is fairly low -- R-14, perhaps, to R-18 -- but if the garage is connected to the central heating, it should have been insulated when built, and the recommended values today are something like R-24 to R-32 (again, check me, I'm neither a contractor nor a young fellow and these values tend to rise with time as energy costs and environmental concerns rise).


What is the best tool for cutting large lumber lengthwise? I have 6 of 2.4m x 250mm x 125mm railroad sleepers (ties) and I want to cut them in half so they will be 2.4m x 250mm x 62.5mm

I'm looking for suggestions on the best tool to achieve this, I accurate cuts.

I initially totally misread this and was thinking the pieces were 2.4 millimeters thick, not 2.4 meters long. To that end, I've removed comments about hand-sawing - that's... impractical for this type of operation. Power tools are the appropriate answer here.

I'd recommend a band saw for resawing operations like this. Generally, band saw blades take a thinner kerf than a table saw will, so if you need each piece to be as close to the 62.5mm as possible, this would probably be your better bet.  I believe you'll find it easier to find finer teeth on a band saw blade than a table saw blade, and for cutting a piece that's only 2.4mm thick, you're definitely going to want something with very fine teeth if you're looking for a reasonably nice finish - 2.4mm is in the "thick veneer" range.

Upon my reread of the dimensions in question, you will not be too terribly concerned with a fine-tooth, narrow blade for kerf minimization. You'll want a wide blade for straighter tracking, and few, big teeth for fast cutting in tough wood.

Additionally, you want a 250mm (~10") deep cut. On a normal table saw with a 10" blade (fairly standard in the US, not sure about other locales), you won't actually be able to cut all the way through this depth. A band saw will be your only option. You'll need a big band saw that can handle that depth of cut.

The hand-held circular saw mentioned in the comment to this answer:

Will not have the depth of cut you need.

The blade is 190mm in diameter, you'll only be able to cut with the 95mm radius, but you don't get full access to that - the depth of cut is only 66mm according to the specs on the page linked.
flipping the sleeper over will only get you a partial cut on the other side.
You'll still have plenty of wood (250mm - 66mm - 66mm = 118mm) left in the middle that you'll have to cut another way. You're only going to cut 1/4 of the way through your sleeper with each pass!

Will not have the control necessary for getting an accurate cut. The sole plate of the circular saw will only have 62 mm (~2.5") to sit on the wood - it will be way too easy to tip the saw, ruining the vertical cut you're trying to make

You don't indicate how many of these pieces you've got to cut, but you might actually want to consider using a hand saw for this - you're only cutting through a 2.4mm depth. A Japanese-style saw can be had with very fine teeth, and for that thickness thinness of material, you'll find that the cut will go pretty quickly by hand.

Also, don't forget that you'll want to measure and cut to take into consideration the kerf if you need both pieces to be the same to the 10th of a mm.

In either powered-saw case (band saw or table saw, as mentioned in another answer), be sure to take great care that you don't lose any fingers (this remains as generally good advice). - you're working with some fairly small pieces...

You will need a band saw to resaw these sleepers.
You're dealing with pressure treated lumber, so they will be heavier than non-treated lumber
You'll want to make in-feed and out-feed tables to help support the work.

All-in-all, you may want to consider asking the sawmill if they can resaw them for you - they'll have the proper tools and the know-how to do this quickly and safely. Don't just "ask" them to do it, but be prepared to pay for the service - it will be far cheaper than investing in a band saw that will have the capacity you need. Unless, of course, you want a new toy tool. ;)


Use existing neutral wire for ground and switch neutral to ground in breaker panel? My garage has an existing receptacle for NEMA 10-50 which has hot-hot-neutral. I plan to install a NEMA 6-50 which requires hot-hot-ground. Can I just use the existing neutral wire as ground at the outlet side AND change neutral in breaker panel to connect to ground bus bar?

Not quite.  You also need to destroy all the insulation on the neutral-to-be-ground wire which is accessible.

That's a subtle distinction in Code.  You can't convert a hot to a neutral because the wire must be white its entire length.   However, you can convert a hot or neutral to ground, because Code only requires you strip the insulation which is accessible.

However, don't do that.  Convert to NEMA 14.

NEMA 14 is the "Universal solvent" receptacle that will power whatever went in that 10-50 (hot-hot-neutral) and also anything that takes a 6-50 (hot-hot-ground).

I presume your neutral wire has white insulation because if it was already bare, you wouldn't need to ask about making it a ground.   I am saying leave it neutral, and add a ground.

Grounds, unlike any other wire, can be retrofitted.  They can follow a different path back to the panel, they only need to reach anywhere that has a 10 AWG or larger ground path back to the panel, or even a conduit pipe.  Or even the grounding electrode system, those copper wires going out to ground rods or water pipes.  (You can't use water pipes, though).


Hardwood floor split and bulge I had some water damage a couple years back and my floor was completely replaced after drying the sub floor. Both the people who dried it and the new floor guy said it was dry enough to put new floor on.

But since then I heard a popping sound once in a while which started at my feet and spanned the replaced area. It happened for a month every time the temperature was changing (spring / fall). I'm in New England.

Just now I heard the popping and noticed that the floor had popped up like a mountain range. It's getting colder now and I'd imagine the dry air would make the wood shrink. It's red oak. The closet which had been popping is popping less now that the floor erupted.

What is the cause? Should I fix this myself? If my entire walk-in closet is popping, should it all be replaced as well?

You stated this is red oak.  Are you sure it isn't engineered flooring with a thin red oak veneer?  It looks to have some sort of particle or pressed fiber board under the veneer.  Either of the latter is subject to warping via moisture expansion but I don't think that's your situation.  I think the fractional expansion of all the boards across the room are expressing themselves at this one length where it meets an anchored (nailed) section.

I would consider using a circular saw, since these don't appear tongue & groove (T&G), to slightly widen the current gap.  Using the saw, while the boards are uplifted, should widen the gap less that the width of the saw blade but be just enough to let the boards lie flat.  A second pass might be necessary to allow the boards to lie flat afterward.

At some point, during the Winter, there might be a noticeable gap.  If so, I'd suggest using either: a) clear or tinted rubbery caulk (not wood filler...which doesn't allow for expansion/contaction) or, b) sufficiently thick twine stained in matching floor stain and pressed into crack.


What will I need if I remove a broken garbage disposal from my kitchen sink? I have a dual sink tub, with a broken garbage disposal attached to one drain. I just want to take the disposal off, and hook the dishwasher to the sink drain. Will I need to buy any extra tubing and such before i start?

Depending on your current setup, you may need a new basket.

You may also need a new tailpiece with a dishwasher hookup, to bridge the gap between the bottom of the sink and the existing plumbing.

The old basket can be removed by, removing the locknut then lifting the basket out of the sink. This might require some extra effort, since the old basket will be held in place by plumbers putty.

Once the old basket is removed, scrape any left over plumbers putty from the sink. Place a new bead of plumbers putty on the lip of the drain hole, and seat the new basket in the bed of putty.

Slide the rubber gasket, cardboard friction ring, and locknut onto the new basket, then tighten down the locknut. Wipe up any excess putty that squeezed out from under the basket lip.

Reconnect the plumbing, and your done.

For more information on replacing a sink basket, The Family Handyman has a great article on How to Replace a Kitchen Sink Basket Strainer.


What nails should I use to attach Hardie plank lap siding to 3/4" furring strips in concrete wall? I want to attach Hardie plank fiber-cement lap siding to my concrete garage walls. It's a very small surface which requires something like 3 boards altogether. I am only covering it for decorative purposes to hide old ugly concrete and stucco.

The garage door is trimmed with 2x6 boards and so I am attaching 3/4" (actual thickness) furring strips to hang siding. Hardie plank is 5/16" thick, so I will have 1-1/16".
Is there any usable nails that I can use in finish nailer for that? I can't find anything shorter than 1-1/4". Will regular finish nails work?

Am I stuck with hand nailing those boards?

Also, they recommend 1-1/4" nails. So how bad is it if I use 1" nails?

I'm a little lost. First, what are you using to attach the furring strips to the concrete? I'm  hoping some construction adhesive and a few concrete screws/anchors to bear the weight You could use the same thing to attach the Hardee-board directly to the concrete (with a layer of moisture barrier separating them to keep moisture from the concrete seeping into the siding). I'm also not sure why you're telling us what the garage door is framed with if these 2x6s aren't a substantial part of the anchor for the furring strips.

Anyway, assuming it cannot be done any other way, I'd say that using 1" nails where 1-1/4" is recommended is acceptable; maybe use a few more along each furring strip to compensate for the decreased "bite" of the shorter length of each nail. Understand that a pneumatic nailer will drive the nails down beneath the surface of the Hardee-board, so even with 1/16" clearance that 1" nail may contact the concrete. The only additional recommendation I would give is to nail in at a slight downward angle where possible, as if you were hanging a picture. The angle will not only give you a little extra depth to drive the nail, but the angle will increase the leverage the nail has to hold the siding, like using a nail to hang a picture.


Two ovens on one breaker: NEC says OK, but installation manual wants dedicated circuit I have a situation very similar to using two oven in one outlet. I'd like to install a 30 amp GE Advantium 220v oven and a 20 amp GE thermal oven on an existing circuit with a 50 amp breaker. However, both installation manuals ask for dedicated circuits. Quoting the Advantium manual here: "Power should be supplied from a separate, dedicated 30-ampere branch circuit."

Ordinarily I'm a follow-the-instructions kind of guy, but I did notice that the manual used the word "should" in this sentence rather than the "must"s which were liberally sprinkled elsewhere. Pulling a new circuit is possible but a lot of work. I'd appreciate feedback from experienced DIYers or electricians. If I follow my instincts and install both ovens to the existing junction box with the existing 50 amp circuit, what risks am I taking?

You can normally connect 2 ovens on 1 breaker per the NEC but the manufacturer instructions over ride the NEC per 110.4.B ,
 listed or labeled equipment shall be installed in accordance with any instructions included in the listing or labeling.
 This means you have to follow the manufacturers instructions.  I agree with @JReaf that the control cycling of the elements in one oven may damage the controls in the second oven. We see this in industrial plants all the time and put spike suppressors (MOV’s or diodes on relays depends on if ac or dc) control.  But with the mfg instructions stating they need to be on separate breakers a code compliant install requires 2.


Is this algae or moss? How to remove it without damaging the shingles? I live in the Seattle area. Below is a picture my roof. What are the green traces on the roof.

Is this algae or moss? What is the easiest way to remove it without damaging the shingles and the paint?

It's algae now & will become moss later & it will come back until you properly pitch the gutters &/or clean the gutters. Any wetness that continues long after everything else has dried, like you have, indicates a drainage problem. However, a tablespoon of bleach to a cup of water with a gentle & light brushing (don't scrub the shingle granules off the shingles) will remove it. Bad gutter installer, as indicated by lower gutter.


How much does EMT conduit installed vertically on a poured concrete interior basement wall have to extend beyond the top of the concrete? I'm installing outlets in my basement on poured concrete walls and will be using EMT for conduit. How high over the top of the concrete walls must the conduit extend?  The original wiring has conduit that extends about four inches, but that was 15 years ago. Thanks.

4 inches was a good call.  It gives you room to get above the schmutz from pouring concrete and get an EMT coupler on the pipe, and gives you some spare distance in case the pipe's end gets damaged and needs to be cut back a bit.

The ruling factor is whether you can get an EMT coupler on it. For that I'd recommend at least 2".


Will snow/water damage my floating deck? I'm planning to build a floating deck over some patio stones in my backyard, but I would like a second opinion since I have no previous experience on this.
My idea is to set it directly on the ground(patio stones) and it's a 12x10 floating deck.
So I would buy:

8x  - 2x8x12        spf dimension lumber
2x  - 2x8x10         spf dimension lumber
25x - 5/4 x 6 x 10"  treated wood decking

I live in southern Ontario(Zone 6) so we do get snow here, will snow damage it? If yes, what should I do to avoid it?
This is the frame that I have in mind:

A floating deck is typically, as I understand it, not "lumber on the ground". It is lumber on "Dek Blocks" or similar, with posts as needed (which could be anywhere from nothing (on the highest natural spots) to several inches to a few feet tall) sitting in the Dek Blocks to support the deck frame in a level manner.
A floating deck is definitely a DIY project. It is quite different from a traditional deck: No footings to pour, no critical connection to the house, often no permits required. Permits are almost always required for a traditional deck. For a floating deck, the rules vary by jurisdiction - e.g., in my area (at least when I built my floating deck), no permit required up to 200 square feet.
As far as snow & rain, there are two issues - top and bottom. For the top, make sure that there is enough of a gap between the decking boards for water/melting snow to drain. For the bottom, if the boards are pressure treated and on top of blocks, you should be fine, as the rain and melting snow won't collect underneath. But if you put the frame directly on the patio then you could easily have sections where water would collect and cause problems, even with pressure treated wood.


Is it okay to use rain to rinse off a deck after applying deck cleaner? I'm planning to refinish my deck soon. Here are some pictures of the current state of it.

I bought this Cabot wood cleaner. The instructions say to:

  Apply cleaning solution liberally to problem surfaces using a brush or pump-type sprayer.  Allow to set 15 to 20 minutes. Stubborn areas may require scrubbing with a stiff bristle brush.  (If surface begins to dry quickly, lightly mist with water.)  Rinse off using a garden hose with nozzle at maximum
  pressure or use a high pressure power washer.  Repeat procedure if necessary.

Currently the one spigot we have outdoors is shut off due to some plumbing work that is on pause, so using a hose is not an easy thing to do. It's supposed to rain tomorrow. If I apply the deck stripper before it starts raining, can I let the rain do the work of the Rinse off using a garden hose with nozzle at maximum pressure or use a high pressure power washer? Or would that cause damage to the deck since it will probably be raining all day?

No it’s not the same. Getting it “wet” isn’t the same as “rinsing it off”.

Boards are not perfectly flat. They cup, twist, have small crevices, etc. and will “hold” rain water. Rinsing the boards off will “wash” residue, particles, etc. away.