Tungsten wattage vs resistive wattage for Smart WiFi outlets? What is the difference between both of them? There was a post similar to my question, but there was no answer about resistive wattage.

I want to buy a wifi outlet and I need to make sure it doesn't burn like my last one when I plugged it to my AC.
I saw this new outlet.
The ratings on the outlets are:
15A / 1875W Resistive
5A/ 625W Tungsten
125V/60Hz

my Air Conditionner ratings are:
8.4 A
SCE/EER 9.4
WATTS 851
BTU 8 000

Last time my outlet stopped working but it was 10Amps, will this 15Amps one work?

Tungsten loads have inrush issues resistive loads don't

Tungsten (incandescent/filament) light bulbs have a positive temperature coefficient of resistance.  This means that as the bulb heats up during operation, its resistance increases, and thus the current drawn by the bulb decreases.  This inrush current when turning on a cold bulb can be a significant multiple above and beyond the steady-state load, and thus requires the relay contacts to be derated from their resistive load handling capabilities in order to avoid excessive arc wear/damage to the contacts.

Furthermore, air conditioners are a whole another animal

Your air conditioner is neither a tungsten nor a resistive load, though.  Since it uses an AC electric motor to run the internal compressor, it is a motor load with a very inductive characteristic.  This also means it's quite heavy on the inrush current as well, with a typical AC motor having a locked rotor starting current several times that of its full running current, and thus requires a different rating for the control switch as well.  This rating is usually given in terms of the horsepower of the largest motor that the device can safely control, so it is often called a horsepower rating as a result.

Furthermore, air conditioners have special properties that weigh against controlling them remotely by pulling their plug out.  In particular, this can defeat protection systems in the air conditioner that prevent it from short cycling, and for heat pumps, this can be a more serious issue yet due to loss of power to key accessories, such as crankcase heaters.

As a result, it's generally considered Not A Good Idea to use a switched outlet to control an air conditioner.  You are better off finding a way to hack the controls to do what you want, so that they can handle situations like short-cycling properly; furthermore, since your outlet lacks a horsepower rating, it's not rated to control any sort of motor load to begin with, which makes using it to control this an extra-bad idea.


Creating a dam for the creek in our back yard: I want our little stream to babble and so I need a waterfall. I have the spot picked, but each time I try to dam it up, the water pushes thru and I have to try again. I'm using only natural materials: no rubber or plastic, that's important.

Anyone with experience?  Thanks

The location of a waterfall, rapids etc. is not choosable by humans, it is defined by the lay of the land.  You need to start with an elevation map of the land, i.e. what the elevations are at each point.  That will tell you a waterfall/rapids will be possible.

Once you have located a viable location, then just move your house there :)   Seriously, see if you can re-grade the land so it is favorable for your water feature.

Just don't trifle with water projects...


Grouting Porcelain Tile Walls When I am applying the grout to the tile walls, most of the grout just falls off the wall and the float while I am trying to apply it. I am using a pre-mix grout, so the consistency is right. What am I doing wrong?

The grout should be a creamy peanut butter, so you may need to mix in like 2 tablespoons of water to a full or new gallon bucket. These can sit around for years before you get it & can dry out somewhat. You want your squeegee trowel to be mostly flat against the wall to smear the grout on, instead of possibly trying to just stuff the joints.


What does a single beep and one flash mean when using my Ames non contact tester I have an Ames non contact tester. When get a single beep/light next to a light switch not a constant beep or flash. What does this mean?

Non contact tester will flash over nothing - tap your palm - flashes, slides across the dashboard - flashes, falls out of your shirt pocket, flashes as it hits the floor, and never works again.

It's important to remember that non contact voltage testers are simply not dead solid reliable testers.

There are lots of circumstances that will give you a false negative - it will fail to detect voltage present.  There are not many circumstances where it will give you a false positive - usually it it lights up and stays lit it is seeing something.


What is the minimum distance from property line water can be drained? My city (Redmond, WA) enforces the 2015 International Residential Code, but I could not find any requirements around distances of downspout and/or sump pump drainage from property lines. Perhaps I'm not searching on the right nomenclature.

What is the minimum distance from property line water can be drained? Does it differ for downspouts and sump pumps?

Please refrain from sharing recommended distances. I'm looking for the code.

None that I know of in 'The Code', your Zoning is what determines specific buffers. However, the Rule Of Thumb around me says you can't discharge any water in the direction of your neighbor that would readily flow over the property line...no downspout extension legs directed at your neighbor.

In the few States I've worked it's all the same and I wouldn't doubt you're in the same boat. This includes no flow allowed over pavements and sidewalks and no curb nor sewer outlets. All water must be given the chance to absorb into your property.

Check with your Codes, Zoning, Buildings, Permits or Inspection Department (whatever yours is called).


Determining if there is insulation behind a wall Learning today that some of our walls are a whole 20 degrees colder than others (all facing east) I'm convinced we may not have proper insulation (it's a new house, but we've head numerous problems before). What methods, short of cutting a hole, exist to determine whether a wall is insulated or not?

The easiest way is check behind an electrical outlet in the wall. As a precaution, turn off power to the outlet at your electrical service panel. Then remove the outlet's faceplate. Your outlet will be seated in a metal or plastic electrical box, probably mounted alongside a wall joist. Using a wooden skewer, poke between the front edge of the box and your interior wall board. Make sure to poke outside the box, not inside where the wiring is.

You'll want to use a narrow-diameter skewer, made of wood or plastic so it won't conduct electricity (just in case you bump into a wire). I've used bamboo skewers, which are about 1/8" in diameter and around 8" long, and can be bought in packages of 100 for a couple of bucks.

If you feel you're hitting something soft and pillowy, you've got insulation. If you immediately hit something hard, you're probably bumping into a wall stud -- try the other side, top, or bottom. If you can wiggle the skewer around and touch it to the inside face of the exterior wall -- bad news, no insulation.

If there isn't an outlet on the wall you want to check, you may be able to check by sound. Knock on a wall where you know there is insulation and remember the sound. Knock on a wall where you know there is no insulation and remember that sound. Then compare with the sound your mystery wall makes.

Finally, if all else fails, drill a small hole in an inconspicuous spot and poke your skewer through that. Patch the hole with spackle and a little paint when you're done.


Upstream or downstream breakers for sub panel I have "recently" created an addition to my house here in CA.  The original house had a 200 amp manual transfer switch for a backup generator, but this only feeds the old part of the house via a 100 amp subpanel, and I want to change things to feed the entire house.

The new part of the house also has a 100 amp subpanel.  Each sub panel is fed via 100 amp breakers in the service panel and CU THHN/THWN(-2) wires.

If I feed the 200 amp transfer switch via a 200 amp breaker, ie remove the individual 100 amp subpanel breakers/circuits, is it a code violation to have the 100 amp breakers ONLY at the subpanels, aka downstream of the service panel?

I am looking at a cost effective way to allow the generator to power the entire house and I can't upgrade the transfer switch with additional poles or add breakers to it.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Please see diagram below:

Connections are made from the load side of the 100 amp breaker to lugs in the switch using using  CU THHN/THWN(-2) wires.

The same type of wire is used to connect the lugs in the switch to the orginal subpanel which is about 8 feet away inside the house.

Connections are also made from the load side of the other 100 amp breaker to the subpanel in the new extension to the house using CU THHN/THWN(-2) wires which is about 60' away.

Often the stab rating of the circuit breaker mounting spaces are limited to less than the full rating of the busing, making it not possible to draw a single 200A circuit on the load side of the main breaker. I have seen combo meter panels that the meter feeds what is normal viewed as the load side of the main breaker and the stab connections feed the busing. Those panels usually have provisions for lugs at the top and bottom of the busing that could feed a transfer switch.

The conductors feeding both panels on the load side of the switch would need to be sized at 200A unless the length of wire satisfied one of the tap rules. An alternative might be to change the panel closest to the switch to a 200A, feed it with 200A wire and take a 100A load off it to feed the remaining 100A panel.


How do I seal a garden hose against a nipple? I put a nipple on the end of a garden hose.  It leaks when I close the valve at the other end of the hose.

I have pushed the hose all the way up the nipple.  It's sealed really tight. I could barely get it off. I have tried using one and two hose clamps to seal it even tighter, without any success. What should I do?

The nipple and hose look like these:

Just last month I was attaching new hose ends to repair some hoses at my daughter's house. I was using hose ends like these equipped with barbed ends and die cast clamps as shown:

I found that the hoses being repaired had molded in ridges inside the hose that interfered with the sealing of the barbed fittings. The drawing below shows what a cross section view of the end of the two types of hoses had inside:

I found it necessary to use a narrow very sharp blade to trim away the extra material on the inside of the hose. Without doing that the hose ends would leak no matter how hard I screwed down the clamps around the hose.

It makes me wonder if the hose manufacturers are putting those ridges inside the hose to discourage DIY repair and force more new hoses to be purchased.


Replacing basement door and walls with a hatch I'm trying to remove the structure that leads to the basement. (see sketch 1).

Once removed, there will be an empty space like (see sketch 2)

My aim is to build over it, a simple door (see sketch 3 below)

What are other solutions for that door (regardless good or bad), please?

As you can see from my sketches, I'm trying to gain space.

Thanks

You could build a sloped frame and hinged doors, as @keshlam suggests, this is the traditional style. There are manufactured options that are actually rather reasonably priced. http://www.dashwindows.com/bilco-doors.php


Troubleshooting dropped phase in 240 volt line A 60 amp breaker in our circuit breaker box serves a sub-panel in our barn.  That panel serves 5 120 volt lighting and convenience circuits.  The sub-panel has two bus bars, each attached to one phase of the buried 240 volt cable from the house, which consists of three separate conductors (two hot and one neutral)in a trench.  For the first two years or so of operation, both phases of the drop were energized.  Now, for some unknown reason, only the breakers connected to one bus bar are energized.  I can find no problems with any connections so must assume that one conductor of the buried cable is broken.  I have two questions.  First, is there some way to definitively confirm that a break is the problem?  Second, if it is, how can I determine where along the 80 feet or so of cable the break has occurred?

To determine if there is a break.

Turn off the breaker in the main panel.
Remove the conductors from the breaker, and connect them with each other.
In the barn panel, disconnect the ungrounded  feeder conductors.
Test for continuity between the ungrounded conductors in the barn.

If the test shows open (no continuity), then there's a break in one of the lines. If not, then something else is wrong.

If the lines test as not broken, test for continuity through the feeder breaker.

With the conductors still disconnected, turn the breaker in the main panel on.
Test for voltage at each of the terminals.

If they both show voltage, the breaker is not the problem.  If either does not show voltage, replace the breaker.

If the lines do test as broken. You can either dig them up and look for the damage, replace them (abandoning the existing cable), or contact a local Electrician to see if they can locate the break for you.


Attach Shower Rod with Glue I need a glue that would work on ceramic tiles to attach a shower curtain rod.  I have tried all types of rods and due to the humidity, they fall down.

Please leave names of glue that would work for this type of situation.

Thanks

Before using any adhesive to secure a shower curtain rod, I think you'd have more success keeping it in place with an expanding or screw- type rod. It's the same idea as the chin-up bars that mount in a doorway. The rubber stops at each end of the rod prevent mars and wall damage. I've seen them turned so tight the tile cracked! But if you still need some adhesive types: '100 % silicone' (any brand as long as it is 100%) not only seals out liquids it has surprisingly good adhesive properties. If you have no intention of ever removing the rod then use a 'urethane' caulking. This is silicone on steroids! It is used in the construction sector to positively seal joints of differing materials (forever). Those are the only two I would use in a wet environment. 2 part epoxies might hold for awhile, but any flex in the shower rod will over time loosen from the epoxy. Good luck.


What is this plastic twist in the back of my washing machine? I was poking around in the back of my Inglis washing machine and notice this plastic piece jutting out. It was pretty firm, with the steel back panel plate wedged into the plastic piece's sockets.
I twisted the plastic so that the back panel plate was released, but when I twist it back, it's simply not as tight as before. I'm worried I broke something
Did I? And anyway, what is this piece?

Without opening it up, it's hard to say for sure, but from here my crystal ball says...
It's the mount point for some internal plastic piece.
Since you didn't indicate that it felt like something broke as you were playing with that piece, it's not likely that you've broken anything. Since you say it doesn't fit as tightly as it did before, it might make more noise now as something is allowed more movement than it is supposed to have.
I'd suggest that you use your favorite internet search engine to search for "Inglis <model number> parts diagram" to find the parts diagram for your particular washer. Once you've found it, you'll be able to look through the drawings to see what piece connects to the back of the cabinet, and you'll know how critical it is.
You seem to indicate that it took some force to pop the metal cabinet out of the plastic piece, it will probably take a similar amount of force to get it back in. Maybe, by looking at the drawings, you'll be able to figure out how to jimmy it so it will fit snugly back into place. Of course, if it's not making any additional/unusual noises when it runs, it might not be that critical that you get it firmly attached, but since the manufacturer seemed to think that it was important to attach it here, it would be recommended to see if you can get it snugged back into place.
Take this as a learning lesson - don't go fiddling with bits of machinery just because! The parts diagrams to just about everything are available somewhere online - if you're curious, search for that first. Of course, if you like fixing stuff, fiddle away!
Additional Pro-Tip™: That little white plastic piece to the left of and above your arrow holds some other plastic internal bit in place. Unless you're feeling like tearing down your washer to fit it back in place, don't try pushing that clip back through the metal - it's there for a reason.


Who to call to fix electric oven? My electric oven stopped heating. The range works fine. The digital controls work fine. The oven light works fine. But neither the element at the bottom of the oven nor the one at the top heat up at all.
I've run my fingers over both elements, and there don't seem to be any burnt or rough spots.

At this point, I have no idea what to do. And I don't even know whom to call.  An electrician?  A handyman?  Or would it be cheaper just to buy a new oven?

The oven was here when I bought the house several years ago, so I don't have the manual or know where they got it.

If anyone has any advice, I'd appreciate it.

First I would check the circuit breaker, flip it off and back on then re check oven. If it does not work think about what you have done since last you used it, are you sure the door is latching closed and the controlls are on the right position?  If you know someone who has lived in the area for a long time ask them if they know who to call. An electrican can fix it. Call any local appliance sales place and ask for a recomendation on who to call.


How much can concrete form tube protrude above the ground? I want to build a shed foundation. I will be using these concrete tubes.

The area where it will be installed is kinda shallow and gets muddy in the spring. This is why I want these tubes to be above ground level to some extent. Does anyone know how much are they allowed to be above ground? Is there a building code for that? Location is Connecticut.

What you're really asking is how far your footing can protrude from the ground. Once the concrete is set, the form tube is irrelevant. In fact, you'll probably want to cut it off at ground level so your footing doesn't look like a decomposing cardboard box.

Concrete can protrude any reasonable distance from the ground, as long as it reaches below frost depth (from grade, not from the top of the footing). That said, at some height your concrete footing becomes more of a post, and you'd probably want steel reinforcement (rebar) in case of cracking. I'd consider dropping 2 or 3 bars in each form as cheap insurance.

For example, consider the concrete light post bases you sometimes see in department store parking lots. Those are often poured using form tubes. They protrude several feet, or roughly the same height as their diameter.

In your case I'd probably limit protrusion to 1.5 times the diameter, or about 15". If you need to go higher, use a 12" tube or rebar with a smaller tube.


Circuit breaker won't turn back on after being turned off (not tripped) I turned off all the breakers of my home to work on my electric. When it was time to turn the circuit breakers back on, 3 of them wouldn't: the one for the dishwasher, the one for the dryer and one that says "Kitchen GFI".

The breakers are NOT tripped. I tried forcing them to an "Off" position but they were already off (I turned them off myself). They feel kind of "loose" when I try turning them back on, but they immediately go back to the off position.

I unplugged my dryer, dishwasher and some other small appliances from my kitchen. It didn't help. I tried resetting some GFCI outlets around the house. Nothing.

I called an electrician and he believes the circuit breakers went bad. My home is 12 years old.

Does that sound about right? Why would this happen only when I manually turned the breakers off?

The electricians came over.

The guy pushed the breaker into the wall and switched it towards the on position. That did it.

I guess the breakers weren't exactly 100% bad yet, but the springs inside are not the same as they used to be, so this trick worked.


I have a 50 amp breaker on the wall for my spa, can I come off of it to 30 amp RV service I have a 50 amp breaker at my Spa, can I run a 10-2 w/g 130 feet to my RV and install a RV box with 30 amp breaker and a 30amp RV plug?

No. The spa breaker is almost certainly sized for the spa's needs, and it wouldn't be appropriate to daisy-chain from it. You'd need to set up the new circuit as a subpanel with its own breaker in the spa box.


Are furring strips over insulation in concrete basement strong enough to hold some shelves and a tv? I plan to mount a 55" TV to my basement's wall with some floating shelves on both sides.  Looking at pictures from my house's construction, I can see that furring strips were nailed over the insulation into the concrete (?).

Is this strong enough to hold a TV, shelves and maybe even a floating TV stand?

The strips, absolutely not! At least not for the TV.  You can drill through them and install concrete anchors if the concrete is in good shape.  Just make sure the hold is good before hanging the TV. Since you currently don't have sheet rock up, I would cut a 3/4" piece of plywood large enough to accommodate everything you want, mount it directly to the concrete and sheet rock around or over it.
Tapcons are fairly easy to use, just follow ALL the directions, especially minimum length. Also, if this concrete is actually hollow cinder block, you need to be very careful with doing this.  An empty cavity will not hold.


Mount subpanel on below grade stem wall I am redoing my basement and I am putting in a new subpanel to handle a few extra circuits since my current panel is undersized (I wanted to replace it, but according to the electrician who I’ve been using as a sounding board, that would open a gigantic can of worms).

Is it horrible to mount the subpanel directly up against the below-grade stem wall? (This is a daylight basement in a tri-level house.) I’d like to keep both panels close and we’re replacing the window to the left with a (if circumstances allow) bigger window.  If it’s not kosher, then I either have to nix the window all together or make it much less wide and put the subpanel in where the #2 is.  The new studs to build out the wall are 2x4s so I can’t mount any plywood behind it.

Also, it feels like it would be weird to put the subpanel that low, it just feels convenient.

Immediately to the right is the best place for the subpanel

If I were you, instead of using either location #1 or location #2 marked in your picture, I would position the subpanel in the bay immediately to the right of the main panel, provided it is a full-sized (i.e. 14.25" wide) bay, of course.  This allows it to share the 30" width of required clear working space with the main panel, keeps the subpanel panel clear of minor flooding, and allows the nipple fill and derate rules to be used for the feeder, saving cost.  It also accommodates the desire to expand the window to the left, albeit at the cost of removing the insulation batt and temporary support jack that have already been fitted to that right-hand bay.

Your panel-alcove will need to be 30" wide, and clear from floor to ceiling

Since you are building a wall out from the existing basement wall, and the NEC 110.26(A) clear working space extends out from the front surface of the hardware in question (i.e. the existing panel), you will need an alcove that is a minimum of 30" wide and provides enough space for the doors on both the existing and new panels to open 90°.  Note that while this alcove need not be centered on the existing or new panels (and it won't be, in order to accommodate both of them in the same niche), it will need to extend floor-to-ceiling, due to the height requirements in 110.26(A)(3).

As to specifying the subpanel itself...

Given that your existing main panel is an Eaton CH, you are going to be limited to a 125A subpanel/feeder by the fact that the CH line lacks breakers upwards of 125A (CH2150s and 2200s used to exist, but were discontinued a while ago).  As a result of this, and the fact there is no 30-space, 125A rated, main lug or convertible loadcenter in the Eaton CH line, we have a choice -- either you can go with the Eaton CHP24L125X2 (less costly, but shorts you on spaces), or the Eaton CHP32L150X5 (costlier and harder to find).

For either choice of subpanel, you'll want a CH2125 for the main panel to serve as your feeder breaker, along with a 1.5" RMC nipple of appropriate length, a tensile-capable stud shoe such as the Simpson HSS2-SDS1.5 with its full complement of specified fasteners, 3' of 1/0 Al XHHW-2 to connect the feeder breaker to the subpanel, and a NL20 neutral lug for the main panel to connect the feeder neutral to, as well as minor parts such as locknuts and fasteners, and some THHN and wirenuts of the appropriate size to pigtail the wiring for the displaced breaker over to its new home.

...and installing it

The nipple will go through a bored hole centered widthwise in the existing stud, with the stud shoe over the top of the bore to reinforce it, as per the 60% rule for reinforced bores in IRC R602.6, which allows a 2.1" bore vs the 1.9" OD of a 1.5" nominal rigid metal conduit.  Furthermore, this hole will be located and the nipple placed to connect the bottom KO on the right side of the existing panel to the bottom KO on the left side of the new panel, as these KOs are 1.5" at their smallest, and our rigid nipple provides both a grounding connection from the new panel back to the old and 800mm2 of fill for inter-panel wiring as per the 60% nipple fill rule in the NEC, which is ample space for both the feeder wires (at just over 300mm2) and all 24 branch circuits fed from the new panel, if need be (at just over 400mm2, assuming they are all individual 20A branch circuits and they are all being moved over from the main panel). Furthermore, you'll want to invert the new panel's interior when it is installed so that the main lugs sit at the bottom (this will make wiring easier).

Once we have the conduit and new panel installed, then we can move onto the feeder breaker and wires.  You will first need to take the wires off of a 2 pole breaker or adjacent pair of one pole breakers (as well as any matching neutrals), transplant those breakers into the new subpanel, and run THHN pigtails through the nipple from the old breaker's new home to the existing wiring, making the connection in the old breaker panel using the wirenuts, since it appears your existing panel is a 32-space unit that is full to the brim.

Once you have space free for the feeder breaker, you will then install it into the main panel along with the feeder neutral lug, and then run the fat aluminum wires from the feeder breaker and neutral lug in the main panel to the appropriate main lugs in the subpanel.  You will need to ensure that all connections here are torqued to manufacturer specifications, as well, with am inch-pound torque wrench or torque screwdriver.  This is a new Code requirement, found in Section 110.14(D) of the 2017 NEC, and also important to keep your electrical system from pulling a Greg Biffle on you.


How would you winterize this sprinkler system? I typically have a local landscaping place blow out my sprinkler lines for winter, but they went out of business this year so I'm trying to figure out how to do it myself. I've done a lot of YouTube research, but every video & tutorial has a standard backflow prevention device and clear areas to connect an air compressor. I have this Hunter PGV-101-ASV and nothing resembles what I find online.

The water in the house is shut off and drained. I've also opened the manual drain plug outside and drained that as well. Here's what the rest of the system looks like:

The hardware you will want is a valve like the one on your car only shorter. Rainbird and Orbit both used to sell them. Using drill a 32nd smaller than the valve you will need to install.  Punch a hole into the 5 station manifold shown. Screw and glue the valve and then get the compressor . Hook the air hose to the valve with one of the 5 water valves open. Think and remember, one of the 5 water valves open has to be open. Then you can turn on the compressor. Without knowing what you have feeding that manifold, remove the air before you switch water valves.  If you don't, you may find yourself hating life as you dig up your yard to find where the compressor caused the line to fracture.

If your luck is any good and you turn the water back on, you won't find yourself repeating the action of finding the other leak the compressor caused. When your satisfied  the air has cleared most of the water in the line, remove the air. Open the next valve in the line. Now you need to close the valve on the line you just completed. If you are wondering how to open and close those water valves, I'm going to recommend your local Craigs list to find another gardener.


How does 4-quadrant metering of 3-phase electricity work? I have a 3-phase 4-quadrant electricity meter installed because I have a photovoltaic plant on the roof of house. A 4-quadrant electricity meter means it can measure both consumption and generation of energy (forward and reverse direction).

Let's assume I have an home appliance consuming 1 kW of energy and I'm generating 1 kW of energy from a PV plant at the same time. The appliance is connected to phase A and the generator is connected to phase B.

After one hour what will be the change in readings? Will it be 0 kWh consumed & 0 kWh generated or 1 kWh consumed & 1 kWh generated and why?

My location is Slovakia, EU, the meter is Itron ACE6000.

Update
In Slovakia (as of 2013) it's better to consume the generated energy myself than to feed it back to the network, which should be (and is for me) the most important reason to build a PV plant.

As you already know, 4-quadrant electricity meter just means it can measure the flow of power to the customer even if it is a reverse flow.

Your concern is whether generation and demand is recorded separately, or if the meter only records the net power flow. The key is that your meter is a "multi-phase" meter. Because your generator is connected to a different phase than your load, your ACE6000 can record the flows for each phase separately and independently.

You can see that each phase is measured and recorded on page 7 of this manual for the ACE SL7000, a brother to the ACE6000.

http://jocuccok.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/itron-ace-sl7000-tb-gb-0903.pdf


How do I fix a shutoff valve that isn't opening? My dishwasher started leaking over the weekend. I turned off the water at the shutoff in the basement, it's a standard faucet type in the copper piping.

I then replaced the rubber heater hose used to feed water to the dishwasher, which had sprung the leak.

Trying to turn the water back on, I realized that the valve isn't opening. It turns repeated, and I've turned it many many times, but no water is flowing.

Is it possible that while turning off the water I stripped the thread, broke a washer, etc, stopping it from opening?

How can I fix this? Is it like a normal faucet that I can turn off the water to it, remove the packing nut, and replace the valve or whatever has broken underneath?

The valve itself looks something like:
http://i.ehow.com/images/a06/6q/tm/plumbing-water-stop-valve-installation-200X200.jpg
http://www.brass-plumbing.com/productsimages/brassneedlevalve_95381.jpg

Looking at those, what I'm wondering is if I can just remove the handle (which is broken anyway, I got a little rough), remove the packing not, emptying out the body, and replacing the contents with the header, nut, etc from a new valve. So I don't have to unsolder, the whole thing.

Also, valve and shutoff are new tag, so I can't create them, but would probably be relevant.

From the way you describe it, it sounds like it's a regular gate valve.  You might be able to repair it as you describe by removing the packing nut and replacing whatever is broken or stripped out inside.

The only exception to that would be a ball type valve, but those will just have a handle that makes only a 1/4 turn.  Those generally aren't repairable, but then again they almost never fail either.

Personally, I would just remove and replace the gate valve with a good ball valve.  Gate valves have a tendency to rot out or seize up from lack of use.  I actually had one once that disintegrated in my hand when I tried to turn it off (spraying water everywhere and making a nice mess).  Ball valves are just much more reliable.


How can I hang Christmas lights on eaves with no soffit? I have a house with vinyl siding and aluminum trim/sheathing, where the gable roof at either end has no soffit at all.

I'm trying to come up with a way to hang addressable LED light strings very straight, which is pretty easy where I have a soffit or gutters to hang from, but this end of the house has neither. I'm strongly considering "permanently installing" with vinyl J-channel under the soffit, but I don't think that will work on these ends.
Would I cause damage by shoving the long side of a J channel between the shingles and the roof edge, and fastening the curled end against the trim, like in this diagram?

I considered using LED strips instead of strands/strings, but I don't like the look as well and I'd have to run a diffuser channel for them also.
Short of using a shingle clip for each light (75mm spacing on the wires) how can I run lights up and down these peaks?

After trying a few different configurations, I've decided in the interest of keeping things straight and simple, if I mount the long side of the vinyl J channel against the trim edge and drill holes through the short edge, I'll have enough space for LEDs and power injection wires and a good straight line of LEDs through each piece of J channel, and I won't have to disturb the shingles.

Added benefit: J channel comes in 12.5ft pieces and the strands of 50 ARGB LEDs are just over 12 ft so I can take the lights down easily after Christmas if I use a velcro or semi-permanent adhesive to mount them, or leave them up (semi-permanent installation) and mount them with a permanent adhesive or nails/screws through the trim.
To anyone else considering installing any kind of lights on an edge like this, you can either mount each light on a shingle clip (select lights with wide spacing so you don't need hundreds of clips) or mount the lights on something straight (pvc, vinyl/aluminum channel) and mount that to the house so you don't need to secure as many points.


should 30 yr old home have some/all breakers replaced with AFCI /GFCI? If so, which ones? My brother-in-law, licensed master electrician was just visiting us. After looking at my break panel he strongly suggested I should replace most, if not all, of my CBs with AFCI.

I have a 200A GE main panel and have two Square-D subpanels. Both fed by 2AWG and ran from 100A breakers in the main. (one in basement about 35ft from main panel and 2nd subpanel is adjacent to main--added for additional circuit breaker space).

Should I replace any of the original breakers (and those in the subpanels) with AFCI/GFCI CBs? If so, which one(s)? I have never had any electrical issues.

An AFCI is more a protection from "fire issues" than anything you'd typically associate with "having electrical issues."

NEC allows use of NM cable in residences. NM cable is sadly prone to being gnawed at by rodents, and rodents are sadly prone to be in houses, even nice ones. Some folks estimate that a human is rarely more than 15 feet from some form of rodent (mouse, rat, squirrel etc.) I've seen multiple-feet-long sections of NM cable gnawed back to copper in remodeling jobs, and those were live, operational, and not having any electrical issues - because the copper had not touched the next bit of copper in the cable yet. IF a solid connection was formed between them, you'd expect a breaker to trip. But if something not as robust made a connection, you could get a hot plasma carrying current between the conductors without necessarily drawing more current than the breaker was rated for - and that hot plasma can set anything combustible on fire.

An AFCI is looking for the "signature" of a plasma discharge, and some of the early ones were rather terrible at discerning the difference between a fault and a brushed motor, which has tiny arcs between the brushes and the rotor. I believe they are somewhat better now.

People who should STRONGLY consider AFCI retrofitting when not required by scope of other work requiring code updates would be those with 15 & 20 amp circuits on the problematic old Aluminum wiring (1960's era, vaguely) that is a particular fire hazard, and those with other "very elderly and suspect" wiring. Lacking those signature items, consider it, sure, but how critical it is will be a personal call, possibly influenced by your level of thinking your house is utterly rodent-free or otherwise.

Other things can cause arcs, such as poorly done work (loose wire-nuts, using backstab connections) or the classic 'nail into a cable' when it does not trip the breaker.


Wiring problem on 4 gang metal light switch I'm concerned with the current wiring of a bedroom light switch box (4 gang, metal box with 4 on/off toggle switches).

Based on the Wiring Diagram included in the post:

I believe the ground wires need to be corrected. Please confirm if
there is a problem with the ground wires. How should I correct if
needed?
There is a giant wiring nut with 7 wires (6 black, 1 red)
loaded into it... is this safe/up to code? What corrective action,
if any, should be taken?
I want to remove the two left (shaded blue)
switches. How should I do this and maintain electrical connection?

You didn't mention what gauge the wires are, so these answers are generic:

Yes, the ground wires should be tied together although there is some debate on whether this is required by code. In this case all the ground wires should be connected together in this box, and the neutrals should all similarly but separately be be connected together (note: don't mix the grounds with the neutrals). Since you will have only two remaining devices in this box, this should be fairly easy. Collect all the ground wires from any Romex that enters the box and bond all of them connector with a wire nut. (See note about wire nuts sizes below.) Do the same for the neutral wires. For grounding, look to NEC sections 250.148 and 250.148(D) Since this is a metal box, make sure there is a "ground pigtail" connected from a ground screw connected directly to the metal box to the ground wires (which you are bonding together in #1 above), as shown in this example.
The color of the wire nut and the specific manufacturer's instructions tells you how many conductors and of what sizes each nut can be used to connect. But generally speaking, 6 or more conductors is not advisable: it's just too easy for one to come loose. If you need to connect more than 5 conductors, I would recommend a "push-in" wire connector, of which there are 2-, 3-, 4-, 6-, and 8-wire variants. Your particular situation should be aided by your question #3 (below) which will reduce the conductor count.
If you have switches which you're sure no longer control anything, just remove the switches and cap the wires with wire nuts. Make sure you've disconneced the hots from the others that are feeding live devices. (Leave the ground connected.) Opinions will vary about whether to keep the neutral bonded to the others. I tend not to.

A few more notes:

The Code requires that non-functional switches are removed and replaced with blanks. You should be able to find blank inserts to fit into 2 of the 4 gang slots.
Wire nut colors are standardized, but depending on the shape (wings or no wings) and the manufacturer's instructions, some wire nuts hold more than others. I've never seen more than 5 wires successfully in a wire nut that didn't merit replacing. :-)
There are rules about how many conductors and devices can fit inside a box. If you post the size of your box (usually marked in cubic inches inside the box) and a new diagram once you've removed the two left-most devices, we can confirm whether your box is filled or over-filled. At first glance, what you've got seems pretty tight (i.e., likely over-filled according to code) with 4 devices. When you remove the 2 switches, that may change.
Whether to keep the neutrals separate is a little more complicated. For the above advice, I've assumed all of these switches are fed by one circuit from your panel. If not, let us know and we'll advise how to handle the neutrals.


Mounting a sliding barn door without a header I have a hallway that leads into a group of bedrooms.  I would like to install a sliding barn door to close these rooms off.  There is not currently a header of any kind above this opening.  I'm fine with leaving it open for air flow.  But I need to span about 44" to mount the track. This issue is not about cantilevering into an unsupported space.  I have another wall in which to mount, it's just perpendicular...
I am debating between something like hollow square steel across the opening with a flush mount to the wall on both ends...
Or building a header by running a 1" x whatever down the wall on both ends and then sandwiching planks between to build up some stoutness.  The second image kind of shows what I am trying to describe.
Not sure if it's clear.  Any ideas would be helpful. I'd rather not build a full height frame in this location.  One side has door trim that I would need to remove to do that... not something I want to do.  Would rather just span the space.

I could be over thinking it.

Your "sandwich" idea would work, but here's a simpler design that accomplishes the same thing:


What are some effective methods to fix a worn out screw holes of a door hinge? I have a door that was slightly tilted and didnt close properly. I noticed the hinge was a tad loose, and what was holding it was a short 0.5" screw. I replaced it the screws with a new 1" screw and the door was ok for a couple weeks. But now its tilting sideways again, and the screws are loose again.
I assume that the screw holes are worn out and thus do not hold the screws well, and gave up.
The door, and the door frame, is a regular standard US wooden door. The hinges are common as well. Not familiar with exact model, type, or naming convention. In the images you can see the hinge tilting sideways, as well as it pushing the screws out from the screwholes.
I was thinking about using screw anchors. But what other methods are there to fix a loose screw hole?
Attached Images

Thank you

I drill the hole out to a standard wood dowel size, then put in a dowel plug and what's called "Swell-Lock", a product that isn't a glue, it gets absorbed into the wood fibers and makes them swell up and lock into the hole (it's generally sold to repair chair rungs, but it works great for this). Then re-drill a pilot hole in the dowel and you are good as new.


Water being dumped into street from basement? (in western new york)

We have a sump pump, something called a bubbler which is a sealed 2-3 inch pvc pipe coming out in the landscaping (sealed with a twist on cap) and a 2-3 inch pvc pipe coming out of the drive way, right by the street.

At first, the house 2 doors down was spitting out water at this pipe by the street; not a lot, but a consistent run most of the day.

Weather has no effect on water coming out of this pipe; more comes out during a heavy storm, but its been perfectly sunny here for the last 4-5 days and he has water coming out of it.

Yesterday, my neighbor has water coming out of this pipe and now i'm worried. this house is directly next to me. yesterday when i first noticed it, i heard a toilet flushing. the water didnt smell, didnt look discolored.

This can't be normal. Should I have my lines checked? What is the function of this bubbler setup? The only time in the last 2 years our sump pump failed to turn on was after we had a new furnace installed; they inadvertently turned off the breaker for the sump and so it didnt run.

My concern is water damage obviously; we have a lot of stuff in the basement, most of it on pallets and in plastic bins but some of it is exposed...

-- more --

I don't know how its all exactly hucked up; it was done well before we bought the house. The houses on the street are all from the 1940's; no hills, in Buffalo NY.

In our basement we have a floor drain and this has been backing up a little, but nothing major - just around the actual drain. this does smell a bit and the wife has been scrubbing it down with bleach on occasion - (appologies for leaving this out earlier - long day) this is opposite side of the house compared to the sump pump.

and, also, roto rooter has been digging up the house's lawn across the street due to water in their basement apparently. talking to the neighbor, its clay pipes going from the house to the street (sewer)

oh yeah, and last year, they (the town) tore apart a street 2 blocks down; redoing all of the sewers (took them all summer).

I'm gonna call someone I think to have them come and look I think.

What is probably going on is that your neighbors' weeping tile systems are draining into their sumps, which are then pumped out because they're below grade and there isn't a storm sewer at a lower grade that can be drained into. The weeping tile exists to direct water that soaks into the ground away from your house, instead of letting it collect against your foundation walls and leach through, or worse, freeze and heave against your house in the winter. Depending on your soil type, rainwater can stick around for months in the soil, and you may also have an aquifer or water table nearby that provides a relatively steady source of groundwater into the soil.

So, what I'm saying is that depending on how much rain you've had recently (as in the past few months) it's perfectly normal for your neighbors' sumps to still be filling. Depending on the land grade, it may also be normal that your sump isn't yet filling while your neighbors' are (water will soak more into land that is downhill). Just make sure your sump pump is in good working order and don't worry about it any more, unless you start to see damp areas along the walls or floor of your basement; these would generally indicate blocked, crushed or missing weeping tile.


How can I open or identify this lamp? There's a lamp attached to the ceiling of the entrance to the garages of me and my neighbours, and its bulb needs to be replaced. The problem is: I have no idea how to open it.

There is no way to identify the manufacturer or model; it's simply not listed anywhere on the lamp itself and reverse image search doesn't give meaningful results. So finding a manual online is not an option right now.

There are caps with a small hole (less than 1cm) on both short sides of the lamp (best seen in the first picture); I suspect these should be able to move but I'm unable to make them do so.

(click on the pictures to enlarge them)

To me it looks like the white plastic end plates are removable, the cover may be screwed in place below those access plates.


Is it worth adding a 2nd roof vent to an unfinished detached garage? If a "2.5" car (24x24ft) garage has one roof vent near the top, is there any use in adding an extra roof rent? The garage is unfinished/uninsulated, and there is no obstruction of air between the roof and bottom of the garage. Also consider a Northern Ohio climate (hot+humid summers, freezing+snow winters).

I'm thinking a 2nd vent could help with flow/cross-breeze, but it may also just add to the probability of leaking somewhere down the road.

If a 2nd vent should be added, where? If there were two vent near the top, I feel like that wouldn't do as much as one near the top and the other near the bottom of the roof. But I also think it would look ugly to have a vent that low.

You do not need roof vents for non-insulated open roof garages.

FYI: For attics, the typical ratio is 1:150, so for every 150 sf of space then install 1 sf of venting. You have 576 sf so if you were to need them, you would need a minimum of 5.8 sf total.


Looking for drill bit tapered to match pencil sharpener I saw this once years ago, but can't find it now. It's a drill bit that drills a conical hole whose taper matches the cone left by a pencil sharpener.

The idea is that you can repair stripped screw holes by reaming them out with this drill bit, and then plugging them with a dowel sharpened with a pencil sharpener.

This seems like a really elegant way to repair a stripped screw hole.

You may have seen a taper reamer, there are a few different tapers. They are made to cut steel so wood is easy.

They would need a 1/16 to 1/8 pilot hole as they do not cut in the center. I have a few from when I worked in a bit factory. I expect they are very expensive to buy.

However, I would drill a regular hole and use a dowel.


can I attach electric cable to underside of rafters I am rewiring several fixtures in the basement.
Can I attach electrical cables to the underside of the rafters in the basement?

Joists actually, but I get you. Otherwise, only if you want to nick them & have to re-wire after every electrocution. To do wire on the joist bottoms you have to use Armored Cable or some kind of approved conduit. Really just not a good idea, much easier yes but definitely not better. Plus, drilling through the center of the joists isn't that bad & the basement could be finished in the future with less corrections to make.


How do you shut off this water softener bypass valve? Post title says it all.  I am stumped.  It's the knobs on the left and the right side in the photo.  However, I am unable to turn them.  I have tried to pry the red clips up and then turn, but that doesn't work.  I haven't been able to remove the red clips, either.

Does anyone here know how to operate one of these valves?  They are unlike any I have seen online.

I don't know if you found an answer elsewhere, but I found a Youtube video addressing this issue.  The trick is that there are holes in the knobs where you can insert a screwdriver to give you more torque.  No need to pull out the knob or remove the clips.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKVvOCaGQJc


What is the proper way to remove plywood subfloor? I need to remove old plywood subfloor from a bathroom (the flooring above it is already gone).  What's the preferred/proper way to remove it without damaging the floor joists?

One of the methods I've heard of is to a circular saw and cut through the plywood in between the joists. If that's the case though, I'm confused on how to determine exactly where the floor joists are to begin with (presumably just look for screws/nails?).

If you find the lines of nails/screws hard to spot, try a magnet. They should be pretty easy to figure out, as they will spaced much more closely along the joists, and should make lines that show you where the joists are.

Don't set your saw too deep - it's problematic to cut where you can't see.

One method is to use a small hole saw and drill around the nails, just the thickness of the floor. Then (after getting the sheet of plywood up) you end up with a bunch of small plywood plugs you can break off the screws/nails fairly easily, and enough nail/screw to get a grip on for removal.


Leaving a pool covered for a season and through another winter So over the course of the year we've been remodeling the house and left the pool covered for the season. With winter approaching I'm curious to know if I should pump out all of the now green water remaining in the pool and replace it to the normal winter fill height with fresh water, or if I can just leave it until next year when we re-open the pool.

My primary concern is that the green untreated water will possibly permanently stain the liner of the pool. It's a 10k+ gallon pool and I wouldn't want to open it next season with an ugly green stain stuck at the level the water sat at all season this year.

Is that a valid fear? Or will it be fine remaining covered through the winter with the current water and opened next season without trouble?

There should be no permanent cosmetic damage unless you have something seriously wrong with your liner (in which case the damage is already done).

Replacing water is very rarely the solution for algae.  In practice you can just leave it until next season.  Of course make sure it's winterized — i.e., if you're in a freeze zone ensure all lines, pumps, and filters are clear of water; and pump the water level back down.

If it were me I'd probably also dump in a "winterizing" dose of KemTek 60% algaecide, and if you have any metal in your water or pool also a winterizing dose of stain preventer.

But there's nothing you can do to have clear water when you open it in the spring: It will have to be started up, vacuumed, balanced, etc.


wall outlet when bottom is tiled and top is drywall Our handyman may have planned poorly when tiling the bottom half of our bathroom wall.  The light outlet's bottom is within the tiled area, white the top half is within the drywall.  There is a space of about an inch behind the switch and the drywall that needs to be filled with something.  Another tile?  I would love to send you a picture and hear your suggestions for this design nightmare.

There are only three options:

Move the light switch.
Install the tile differently.
Live with it.

The first and second options require additional tile work and possibly work to the gypsum board and the electrical system.


How do I repair a concrete driveway that has been damaged by salt? When we moved into our house the driveway was pitted due to salt use. We would like to repair this, but we are looking to know what the best method would be. Can a new layer of concrete be added over the damage or does the entire driveway need to completely pulled up and relaid?

If it's just pits and general ugliness, you can try some concrete resurfacer.

Just make sure to wash and rinse the driveway well like the directions say.  After it cures you can coat it with a sealer, and try not to use too much salt in the future.


Closet door too short I'm looking to install a sliding closet door in my office. The height of my doorway is 100 inches but the only standard sliding door I was able to find was 96 inch. Theres a 1-2 inch adjustment but its still too short by 2 inches.
I'd like to get some suggestions on how I can make this work?
Thank you for your help!

Even though someone is using it as a closet, that is an "alcove", so it was not built to have a door. So you will have fitment issue no matter what you do; the crown molding at the top is a problem, the baseboard on the left side it another, where a sliding door would slide to is a problem, etc. etc. etc.
Were it me, I would make a new top header extending down just below that crown molding and add some right side trim to give a straight edge for it to close against, then use a "barn door" external track system on the wall to the right. Ignore the color and style of this door, but here is an example of the type of slide system.


What's the best way to repair or replace window sill & apron that's been sawed off? The previous homeowner installed built-in armoire cabinets and bookcases that I plan to remove. In order to facilitate the opening of the armoire cabinet door, they cut into the window sill and apron with a Sawzall.

See photo here:

The way I see it, there are three options for repairing this:

1.) Try to replace the entire sill and apron. I'm not a carpenter, so this might prove to be impossible.

2.) Use some kind of filler compound / putty to rebuild the sill and apron to an acceptable level.

3.) Use compound / putty to rebuild the sill and replace the apron, which should be easier to replace than the sill itself.

I would appreciate any advice or help you can give me in making this determination. Thank you!

Drop the wood putty idea. That is just not workable for this situation. I believe you are on the right track with the apron...just replace it...but fix the sill as below before installing the new apron.

For the sill I would recommend getting some paint stripper and taking off the existing paint on the sill. Once you have exposed the cut off area of the sill you can evaluate whether the cut is nice and straight and smooth. If not it may be necessary to make it so. The next step involves getting a piece of nice wood of the same thickness (pine would be good to work with). Cut out a triangle of the wood that will be glued to the cut off area. When you size and cut this piece leave it a bit larger in the direction facing into the room so that once attached you can plane and and sand the front edge to match the existing sill.

For attaching the triangle of wood to the cut corner of the sill you will be using a good quality carpenters wood glue. Success with this is going to depend on several things:

How nice of a match you can get between the edges of the mating parts.
Ability to clamp the triangle piece into place.
Consider the possibility to screw or nail the triangle piece into place although this could be very difficult due to the approximate 45 degree angles involved.
Consider the possibility to use dowels or biscuits to hold strengthen the joint when it is glued. Using these does require special tools and may be tricky to use when dealing with the still installed existing sill board.

Once you have success in attaching the new piece you can plane and sand the the corner till the surface and edge merge points are smooth and even. After that you can prime and repaint the sill area. (Remember the stripping recommendation at the beginning...you will appreciate that when it comes to repainting and how you can get it looking nice. It would be a pain to try to make the corner look good if you just tried to patch paint the corner).


Does lengthy refrigerant line between indoor and outdoor unit affect AC performance and result in higher utility bill? As part of basement renovation, I am moving the HVAC indoor unit for about 30 feet, which means the refrigerant line has to be extended by same length concealed within basement ceiling.
Now, I have the option of moving the outdoor unit as well to place it closer to the indoor unit's new location. But, this involves additional cost. Am trying to find out if this additional cost is worth moving the outdoor unit.
Would having a lengthy refrigerant line affect AC performance? Would I incur higher utility bill compared to keeping the outdoor unit closer to indoor unit?
My guess is since the coolant travels longer distance, there could be more energy loss, resulting in less cooling in the house causing the AC unit to work harder.

Each manufacturer has installation recommendations for their equipment, including distance, vertical height difference, size of line, etc. I’d follow their directions.
30’ does not seem unreasonable for total length, including distance plus height. See Trane’s installation guide starting on page 18-21.
https://www.trane.com/content/dam/Trane/Commercial/global/products-systems/equipment/unitary/split-systems/odyssey-6-to-25-tons/SSP-SVX14J-EN_07112018.pdf
Obviously when you push the limits of their recommendations, the efficiency will go down.


wall mounted switch to control a motor I have a motorised shutter and I need to buy a in-wall switch to automatically stop when the shutter reaches the floor or the ceiling by only one push and not keep holding the switch.

You'll want a controller circuit then, so a pulse will activate the motor going down and will deactivate when a limit switch has been activated or the button has been pushed again (using another button for going up). The design of such a circuit is out of scope on this SE.

When you do install such a controller circuit make sure the relays for driving the motor are rated for its power.


Do I need an expansion gap around concrete laid inside a building We are laying a concrete floor inside a room in an old stone building. Do we need to leave an expansion gap around the edge? The room is open at the front so we are not insulating or anything.

Concrete has about the same expansion rate due to temperature as steel [this is why reinforced concrete does not break apart from thermal stress]. A stone walls are likely have another coefficient of thermal expansion (and perhaps some other constraints).

It is sound practice to isolate  slabs from existing structures absent a compelling reason to tie them together. A compelling reason would be structural necessity. Apathy is at the other end of the scale. Other reasons, may fall in between but generally toward the non-compelling end.


What are these dead insects under my kitchen cabinets? After removing kitchen cabinets we found these dead insects underneath?  What are they?

There flooring in my kitchen isn’t completely covered.  For example kitchen cabinets have no flooring underneath them.  I notice they exist around these areas perhaps at the edge of the vinyl.  Why so?

Hard to tell from that dark grainy picture, but blowing it up, they might be dead "pill bugs", also called "roly-poley" bug, "doodle bugs" "wood louse", etc. etc. If so, they are harmless, don't spread diseases, don't destroy anything and are about as benign as you can get. They hide in dark moist places and eat decaying plant matter. So likely someone had garbage rotting under the cabinets at one time and it attracted them, then once it was cleaned out, they died of starvation. To be sure you can take a dead one down to a nursery and see if anyone there can tell you.

Enhanced capture:


What is the danger of a bootleg ground on a 110 outlet wired from a 3 wire 240 circuit? This is not a question about whether it is in code, or safe to wire a 110 outlet with its neutral to the ground of a 240 circuit. I accept that it is unsafe, and it's certainly not up to code, I'm trying to get my head around what makes it unsafe. What exactly could happen with this type of bad wiring?

Neutral is not ground.  Neutral is the desired current return, ground is a safety device only.

Let's look at some fault conditions, and we'll lead up to the problem with the bootleg ground.  First, consider a broken neutral wire (near the service panel) with no loads on the circuit whatsoever.

Nothing is connected to the neutral; it's floating.  That's not the same as being at zero.  Nothing pulls it down to zero (neutral) but nothing pulls it up to hot either.

But what if something did?

This is concerning.  You see the broken neutral is being pulled up to 120V.  Not toward 120V - all the way, because absolutely nothing pulls it down to real neutral.  This is deadly if you have a NEMA 10 dryer or stove circuit, where they intentionally attach chassis to neutral as a substitute for ground.  But other than that, this situation is not that hazardous if everything is perfect and to code, and probably wouldn't even trip a breaker.  And since neutrals stay with their mated hots, this problem is contained to a single circuit.

Now to your hypothetical: a bootleg ground.  Same, but substitute ground for neutral.

Holy smokes!  We've now lit up every ground downstream of the break.  Unlike neutrals, grounds may be cross-connected, so it can affect every circuit.  Every screw in every outlet cover, any metal conduit, any appliance which properly grounds its chassis (particularly NEMA 14 connected dryers and stoves), the exterior of your metal power strips, maybe even the chassis of your PC.

In fact a single point of failure - the ground-neutral bond in your main panel - combined with a bootleg ground, will create the worst case scenario: energizing every ground in your house including the service panel itself.

Other than that, I see ground breaks all the time - especially in EMT conduit, where those flimsy zinc couplers can snap off.

Here's why the grounding rod won't help.  Dirt is a lousy conductor, except when it's not.  Grounding is done to force the house's ground system (and neutral) to be near earth, to reduce shock hazard.  It's not meant as a current return, and it works so badly as one, that using it that way creates the hazard!

Power wants to get back to neutral, not ground.  The only place ground can reach neutral is back at the transformer pole, and that current path goes through unreliable dirt. Code says a single ground rod must be 25 ohms (but if you have two, you don't even have to test!  This is because of the practical difficulty of getting good earth connections in some places.)  Run the math:  E=IR, 120V=4.8A*25Ω.  In other words a dead short would flow 4.8 amps.  That's not going to trip a breaker, and can't be counted on to reduce shock hazard from that bootleg ground.  The bootleg load could be considerably less than 25 ohms, so it's going to pull ground up toward 120V better than earth may pull it down.

I know it's a busy drawing, click to zoom. Here's what else is going on there: High voltage 3-phase delta (yellow orange brown) feeds a single-phase neighborhood transformer, whose secondary is 240 volts center-tap. The center tap is Neutral, and it's bonded to a grounding rod at the transformer. Those 3 wires, hot-neutral-hot, are bundled together and carried to each house via its meter.  Each house has a grounding rod bonded to ground, which is also bonded to neutral in the main panel.


Concrete Deck Falling Apart from Bottom The concrete deck on my build-in-1937 house seems to be falling apart from the bottom.  The deck itself is a 4.5 inch slab connected to the front of a brick house, and by two brick pillars in the corners.  Someone added another cinderblock pillar in the middle of the falling apart area (pictured), and tried to patch the damage, but most of the patch has fallen away.  (There's wiring indicating an AC compressor used to reside under the deck.)  The falling apart area is deep enough in parts to expose whatever 1930s rebar looks like, which is flaking away.  Pictured is the worst part, where it's more than an inch deep.

This looks like more than a simple patch I could cover with epoxy.  Does anyone have any advice on how I should proceed?  Can I recover this with new cement?  I'm worried (without any actual evidence) that the edge of the deck may not be as stable as it looks from the top!

Water penetrates the concrete and rusts the rebar which then expands and cracks the concrete.  It's an age-old problem and considering the age of this slab, its lifetime is over.

From the looks of the photos, it's severely compromised and should be removed immediately.


Updated How to secure electric mast to wooden siding I need to secure a 10 feet service mast that will past through the roof on the outside. From grade to top of roof is just over 10 feet. Utilities company has stipulated that the mast must be at least 14 ft high from the ground. I have overlapping wood sidings so the surface is not flat (see updated photo).
Second photo shows the PGE's utilities spotting. The service line is surprisingly well clear of trees, considering it is OR, so I might be able to get away without guide wires if I keep the total mast height below 24 inches. Concrete tiled roofs make for extra work! The service feed line comes in from the left frame of the photo.
Two concern with using Kinkorf straps:

The overlapping siding is not a flat surface. Mounting the channel tube on it would result in about a 10-15 degree tilt.
The service line will be pulling from the left and the channel tubes also run left-right.

I can locate the studs, figuring that I can secure the Kindorf rails directly to them. This would avoid tearing out the wall panels on inside. Would these factors still result in a stable mounting using Kinkorf bracing? A second related question is, can I use the Kindorf braces to secure the meter socket? PGE's handbook says that the meter support backing should be a 2x4.
Thanks]1

I do use strut channel and straps Kindof is one brand, uni strut, super strut are others that may be less expensive, I believe I usually use 3/4” steel and cut each piece 18”-20” long or what is needed to span 2 studs then lag into a stud on each side.
at 14’ (quite normal) you will have enough above the roof to justify a guy wire in the direction opposite the pole.
I do this quite often in Oregon as it is common to have a tree limb take out a feeder a little extra protection now may pay off and break the guy wire & splices verses tearing up the roof and mast.
It may be required depending on your wall and foundation heights but thought it should be mentioned.


Gas furnace kicks on then off frequently A few times in the past week I will wake up to my furnace turning on, hearing a click when it tries to ignite, then turn off. This will happen for a couple minutes before the furnace quits trying.

However, after a certain period of time, it will turn on again with no issues.

What should I do so it doesn't happen ever?

WARNING:
Furnaces are expensive, complex pieces of equipment. If you don't have the proper tools and/or knowledge, it's often best to let the professionals handle maintenance and repair.
Gas Furnace Ignition Sequence:

Thermostat calls for heat.
Pilot gas valve opens.
Ignition control starts (spark or glow).
Pilot gas ignites.
Flame sensor detects pilot flame.
Main gas valve opens.
Main burners ignite.
Blower timer starts.
Flame sensor detects main burner flame.
Blower starts.

High Efficiency Gas Furnace Ignition Sequence:

Thermostat calls for heat.
Draft inducer starts.
Vacuum switch detects negative pressure.
Pilot valve opens.
Ignition control starts (spark or glow).
Pilot gas ignites.
Flame sensor detects pilot flame.
Main gas valve opens.
Main burners ignite.
Blower timer starts.
Flame sensor detects main burner flame.
Blower starts.

Ignition Problems:
Vacuum Switch Not Closing
In a high efficiency furnace, if the vacuum switch does not close after a certain timeout. The furnace will shut down, then possibly retry a few times depending on model.  If after a given number of tries the switch still does not close, the furnace will enter lock out. Once in lock out, the furnace has to be manually reset (depending on model).
The vacuum switch will look something like this...

And will have a rubber tube connecting it to the draft inducer. This part cannot be repaired, and must be replaced if it's faulty.
Pilot Not Igniting
If the pilot does not light, you'll first want to check to make sure there is something trying to ignite it.  Typically a spark or glow ignitor is used, so first you'll want to determine which is being used.
Glow Ignitor
A glow ignitor looks similar to this, though may not be visible without further disassembly.

It works by passing a current through it, causing it to heat up and glow. It should heat up enough to ignite the pilot gas. If it doesn't heat up, it should be replaced.
Spark Ignitor
A spark ignitor looks like this.

Take notice of the thick, often orange or red wire that is typically used to connect the ignitor to the ignition control module.  This device works by generating an electrical arc between the two probes, causing the pilot gas to ignite.  If there is no spark, you'll have to replace the ignition control module and/or the ignitor itself.  If the ignitor is not igniting the gas, but there is a spark. You can try cleaning the electrodes with fine steel wool, to remove any carbon buildup.
Pilot Not Proving
For a pilot to "prove", it simply means that the flame sensor has sensed the pilot flame.  If there is no pilot or the sensor doesn't detect it, the furnace will often purge the system and then try again. Furnaces will often try a set number of times, before entering lock out.
If you can see the pilot flame, but the sensor is not detecting it. Try gently cleaning the sensor with fine steel wool, to remove any built up carbon. Also make sure the sensor is in the proper location with respect to the flame (Check the owners manual for proper placement), and adjust as necessary.  If that doesn't work, replace the sensor.
Main Burner Not Proving
If the main burner ignites, but the furnace shuts down before the blower starts.  You'll want to check the main flame (or rollout, high limit, etc) sensor(s).  If your furnace has error code indicators, check those and compare to the owners manual for translation.  In this case, you'll want to test and/or replace each sensor and/or contact an HVAC technician


How to start investigating the source of this leak in the bathroom Today I noticed that the bottom two/three inches of particle board on the side of the sink cabinet in the bathroom are soaked:

I immediately suspected a leak from the sink, but that proved to not be the case:
There are no visible leaks from the sink

The vinyl i put down is completely dry

And the wood underneath the vinyl is also completely dry (although you might be able to see a little bit of mold growing in the bottom left hand corner of the cabinet, possibly from the leak).

One thing I have been hearing over the past 2 weeks or so are noises from the toilet (similar to the noise a toilet makes when it is done filling the tank with water, but the noise will occur 5-10 minutes after the tank is full, and occurs randomly).  The toilet is located to the left of the cabinet and is just out of shot in the first picture.

I don't know what to do next to investigate where the leak is coming from.  Do I try and take the cabinet apart?  Should I try and cut into the drywall on the side of the cabinet?  For what it is worth the drywall near the cabinet feels completely dry, but the grout near the baseboard/shoe molding look like it has some water stains.

The fact that it runs periodically usually means a worn/sticky/slimy flapper valve, but it could also indicate a leak in the tank. The discoloration of the gout may indicate moisture, and the particle board cabinet would suck it up like a sponge.


Diagnosing frequent trips on arc fault / ground fault (dual) breakers During recent work we've been upgrading breakers to dual arc-fault / ground fault. Square D QO series (USA).

I've noticed a couple of them tripping pretty frequently when certain appliances are used.

Specifically:

Kitchen circuit consistently trips when the Keurig coffee machine completes its cycle
A different circuit often trips when a power saw is used; not as certain but it may be when it is powered off

So the question is: are these faulty breakers? Faulty equipment? Something else?

If its bad equipment, OK so be it, I'll replace them, maybe warranty issues. But I'm skeptical they are the problem - eg the coffee machine is pretty new-ish. Neither item had any (evident) problems on the older circuits.

Is there some kind of tester, perhaps, which could tell me why the trips are occurring? Or some other diagnostic method? For one thing I can't tell if this is the arc-detection, ground-fault detection, overcurrent, or some other reason.

Thanks

Trip diagnostics a-la QO

The QO dual function and combination arc fault breakers use a somewhat peculiar procedure for trip reason readout, as detailed in the installation instructions:

Turn the breaker OFF.
Push and hold the TEST button for the remainder of the procedure
Start a stopwatch at the same time you turn the breaker back ON
Stop the stopwatch when the breaker trips:

Immediate trip: ground fault or arc to ground
Trip after 2s: arc fault
Trip after 5s: no fault or overcurrent/short circuit

Further diagnosis if this doesn't yield anything

If the diagnostic procedure above doesn't yield anything, I would turn the breaker ON with the culprit load plugged in and switched ON (running), but no other loads on the circuit, and then measure the time from turn-ON to breaker trip.  A fast trip (within a second or two) would indicate a short-circuit somewhere (bolted fault), while a slow trip (several seconds to minutes) would indicate that the load in question is overloading the circuit.

You can also try plugging the Keurig into a GFCI outlet on a different (non dual function protected) circuit and seeing if it trips the GFCI there; if it does, then it's definitely toast.  If you get an arc fault reading for the kitchen circuit, though, I would focus on the wiring as the source of the trouble; you can use classical "divide and conquer" troubleshooting to isolate the faulty wiring run if need be, by the way.


Can I put drylok over older drylok I've got an old 1953 basement that I want to finish.  The walls are in pretty good shape.  Looks like the previous owner used drylok.  Some areas show some signs of staining, and efflorescence.

Can I use a wire brush to remove the bad spots, and put a cost or two over the existing drylok?  Btw...basement is dry.

Yes, drylok can be recoated easily. Depending how bad (or not-bad) the spots are, you might think about whether the super-thick "masonry waterproofer" or the "concrete floor paint" is more appropriate. If staining appears to indicate leaks, probably the thick stuff.

Ease of re-coat is one of several reasons the concrete floor paint is on my shop floor rather than some fancy epoxy product. 5-6X cost differential and not being slippery (without having to add some surface treatment) are two of the others that spring to mind. And, of course, not being gray concrete...


How can I make the radiator heat my room more efficiently? In my room at Uni my radiator gets really, really hot, yet the room stays pretty cold.

Is there anything I can do to make it more efficient without losing my deposit?

You could try using a portable fan to blow air across the radiator so that the room becomes more evenly heated. The moving air will actually extract more heat from the radiator than still air would, so you may find that this makes the room noticeably warmer.


What to do about a rotten top plate in the wall of old home addition? This week's rainstorms brought a leak in my roof above a set of windows that are at the low end of a single-story addition with a shallow roof.

Our search for the source of the leak (which turned out to be a small hole in the EPDM membrane roof) revealed rot in the framing of the house, probably mostly from a previous leak from before we acquired the house. That leak was shoddily fixed — the owner sistered the rotting roof beams (see photo) but did not deal with the top plate, which is in pretty bad shape.

What can we do about the top plate?

It looks to me like the proper fix for this is going to end up being a lot more work that what you probably want to hear about. If I was the contractor recommending the repair scenario I would be saying to remove whole upper structure and replace it anew.

Such a flat roof is always a recipe for a mess like this. It it was at all possible to rebuild the roof to add some rafters above to give some more slope it would be the right thing to do.

Short of that, if you end up deciding that the rest of the roof structure is basically sound except in the area where these leaks have been then repair probably entails supporting the roof on temporary supports and then removing the window and the wall covering back to the corners. It may then be possible to fit in complete new plates and rafter / joists to completely replace the wet and rotted materials. Still a pretty sizable job. :^(


How can I deaden the vibration noise of a box fan? I have a closed box fan motor above an insulated false ceiling. I asked the builders to put acoustic absorbing material around the motor to absorb its sound but am not happy with the deep resonant sound which still existed.

Today I investigated and found that the cause of this sound is the vibration of the bottom wall of the fan box which as you can see in the photo is where the fan rests. I can actually stop the noise by pushing the wall with my hand from underneath and causing it to flex inward.

Can anyone suggest a way to deaden this vibration and subsequently this noise?

If you can access the bottom of the fan you might be able to wedge something in there to put pressure on the box and stop the vibrations, but I've found that often with fans like this, they only vibrate at certain speeds regardless of how it was mounted.   Something easy and relatively inexpensive you can try is adding a fan speed controller (not a light dimmer!) and turning it down slightly to see if this stops the vibrations.

Side note: If you want a quieter fan, a trick is to buy a larger fan then required and run it at a slower speed.


How do I change light bulb in flush mounted fixture? I just moved into a new house and don't know how to change this flush mounted light:

I've tried removing the piece at the bottom and that didn't drop the light as I would have expected. The other lights in the house seem to be Murray Feiss lights and the closest one I could find isn't the same.

The glass seems to extend up into the metal ring at the top and I am unable to rotate the glass separate from the ring. There appears to be some insulation or foam above the metal ring.

I have tried rotating the whole thing (it moves but doesn't loosen), prying at the top ring (it appears there is a screw that goes down from the ceiling plate that seems to be holding it up, but that makes no sense.

It turns out that the previous owner had 3 100 watt bulbs in a fixture only rated for 60 watt bulbs. This caused the paint on the metal to peel/adhere to the glass. It eventually fell off on its own since I left the bottom screw off.

One of the sockets was blackened from the heat, so all 3 of these things in my house are getting replaced ASAP.


Wires Physically Move When Breaker is Enabled I was working on the wiring in an outlet of a home from the mid 1950s. This kitchen outlet connects a switch to the garbage disposal. I connected the live wire from the circuit breaker directly to the wire leading to the appliance and then had the circuit breaker switched back on. At that instant, the wires physically moved a noticeable amount. I repeated this, and the result was the same.

What explanation can there be for the wires moving when the power at the breaker was applied? (Because of how the wires are routed, I don't think the disposal torque pulled the wires, but I could be wrong.)

While I am an electrical engineer, and can sort out connections fairly easily, this has me concerned.

Is the disposal starting? If the disposal is stuck it could be drawing locked rotor current many times the circuit breaker rating causing the wires to jump even if it is starting a motor normally draws 3-5× its FLA or full load amperage for a fully functional motor. This combined with possibly a longer than normal length distance to the first staple it could be somewhat normal. If you hacer ever watch welding leads jump my big welder when on high the leads may jump a couple of inches with a heavy or thick rod. To further explain your home circuit breakers are inverse time they will hold 10x there rating for a very short time 150 -200 amps in that 14 or 12 awg wire will cause to jump. Hope this helps.


Advice for repairing shaped glass cabinet doors Background:
I am upcycling a glass display cabinet and have found one of the doors has glass that was broken/cracked so I decided to investigate removing all of the glass from this door and think about how I can replace it.
Here are some photos of the door that has no issues, to give you an idea:

Full front of cabinet door
Closer up view of the more detailed area of the front
Reverse side of this detailed area including how it is affixed to the glass
Detailed view of the glass/wood interface

When I chiselled away the dark material that helped affix the glass to the wood it revealed that each of the sections of glass were in fact separate and not one curved sheet as I had initially thought (see image below for profile shape.

I also found, with the fixing agent removed, I could see that the glass was being separated be thin splines of wood (I have saved these) that fit into grooves in the facia struts (as can be seen below).

Same view as image 4 above, this time with the brown fixing agent & spline removed (and painted of course)
image of the thin wooden splines
Area with the spline placed back in place as example

Advice required
So basically, I am wanting to either add glass back to the newly painted door to almost restore the orignal pattern with shaped pieces of glass, or I am wanting to alter the design of both doors to match such as a simple centre divider with 2 pieces of glass.
What would be the best way to go about the first of these options? I ask for the first only as I can imagine the second will be relatively simple to achieve.
Follow up questions would be things such as:

What would be the best glass for this? The original was pretty thin but not too delicate
How would one go about shaping/cutting the glass accurately?
Should the splines be replaced? If so - with what?
How would one go about affixing the glass to these splines? I have seen wood putty can reproduce the original 'look'.

As always, many thanks in advance to the wisdom can impart on me :-)

If the curve is formed by the framing (only) and the glass itself is flat, the realm of "reasonably possible without breaking the bank" is active.
Actual curved glass is typically insanely expensive (if you are not a furniture factory buying a large amount of it) for reasons that are not hard to figure out - each radius of curvature would be a different item to stock, it's harder to store and handle than flat sheets, etc. etc.
I have successfully made intricate shaped cuts in glass using a "grit-edge" hacksaw blade (a round one, specifically - can cut any direction) - there are also a variety of powered wet-grinding tools made for stained glass work, for instance, or you might simply pay someone who does stained glass to make the cuts for you. Score and snap with curved cuts is possible but experience makes the odds much better (thus the stained glass practitioner might have much better luck than the average person. Or know when and where to "cheat" with alternate tools they probably already own.)
If you saved the splines, re-use them - if some did not survive, replace them with similar wood.
I'd probably use ordinary window glazing putty to set the glass - that's what it's made for - it can be painted if you want the color to be similar to the other door.


Proper placement of thermostat I am building a new home and the question of where the thermostat for the upstairs should go has risen. It was originally wired to be place in my daughter's bedroom but I had requested that it be moved to the hallway at the top of the stairs.  The home is approx. 4300 sq ft with about 700 sq ft being a mother'n'law suite.  So there is one thermostat downstairs in the family room, one in the inlaw suite and one upstairs.  There is 2 ac units and we are on a dual zone system.  The supervisor of the job said that it would be fine to move it and the inspector I hired to go through pre dry wall orientation said it should be in one of the upstairs bedrooms.  There are 2 bedrooms/ each with their own baths, a small laundry room and a storage closet upstairs.  Not sure where the best location for the thermostat is?

The thermostat is what senses the temperature so you want it where you want the most accurate temperature which would be in the bedroom however all other rooms will be a little off. The hallway may provide a good mix of temperatures or all the rooms may be hotter or colder than the hall. I have been using the Honeywell 8000 series thermostat with remote sensors and getting good results. You can add up to 6 sensors and they will all average. Put the thermostat in the hall for easy access and install wireless sensors in the bedrooms. There are of course other brands with remote sensors, I am just not to familiar with them.


How much compaction should I get from crushed rock? I was in the middle of moving rock into the patio area till the wee hour of midnight last night when I realized I knew my 4" mark for the paver base depth. But I have no idea how much the base is going to compact when I use a mechanical plate compactor.

The rock I'm using is 22A Stabilized Gravel. Any ideas?

Don't put down a zillion inches of stone, then expect it to compact nicely anyway. You simply won't get as good of a result, as solid compaction as you will by laying down a couple of inches, compacting, then more stone. And you will spend less time compacting each layer anyway.

If you do it in layers, it will be clear how much you need to lay down to get your desired depth.


Extremely porous concrete to act as water drain? Want to create a six to twelve inch wide porous concrete strip about thirty feet long in our backyard over a drain pipe.  Normal concrete is porous but the concrete i want is extremely porous.  So porous in fact that you could pour a 5 gallon bucket of water on it and it goes directly thru the concrete.  Extremely porous concrete is not as strong especially for heavy vehicles, but i will not have vehicles and the strip would be no more than a foot wide.  Is there a name for this type of concrete?

Why?  We have 3 "shower" drains six inches in diameter to drain a concrete backyard.  The problem is the drains clog easily with leaves and other natural debris blown around in a storm.  A downpour may leave inches of standing water in our backyard.  A strip of concrete should not clog.

There already is a pipe that drains the water away, but that would need to be a half pipe, right?    How would you form the porous concrete so that it drains into the half-pipe?  Is there a recommended impervious underlayment for the porous concrete that would direct water into the drain pipe?

There is a concrete that I have used, and it is regular concrete, and perhaps it can have gravel in it, but the type I have installed did not use any gravel/aggregate. Dry pack is what I have learned to know it by, and stone setters use it for building walls and laying flagstone sidewalks. I have used it for shower bases over PVC liner and coated it with Redguard for waterproofing. That is where I learned that it took on water real fast. I was to dampen the dry pack slab I set 2 days before. What water I poured on to move around just fell into the concrete, did not stand at all. I even had a decent troweled surface.

The mix is the same, just add enough water to get the concrete to form a ball when compressed in your hand, and I mean just enough, too much will screw it up.

This may be worth a shot, but be careful, this may clog too from atmospheric dirt, decayed debris settling in etc.

The pipe since it is covered with concrete can be black corrugated drain tile or perforated sch 35 set in a gravel bed. Holes in the pipe are slits in the black drain tile and gravel size will not matter. In the Sch 35 the holes are larger so you do not want to use a small gravel there, #57 crushed stone or something larger than 3/4" washed gravel depending on your area. You may want to consider using a different type of area drain. The way you describe "shower drain", sound like it get clogged pretty easily. Replacing the drain you have with something that has a much larger grate or trap included that allows debris to collect, but not clog, may do you well too.


Replacing two pronged outlet with GFCI not grounded...is it adequate for electronic devices? We have one room in our house that only has two-pronged receptacles and they are not grounded.

I've read that you can install a GFCI outlet on a non-grounded junction box and that would be okay.

My question is, is it really safe?

Can I plug in a surge protector and then plug in my laptop and smart phone and not worry about electrical issues?

You can get a 3-prong plugin at locations that only have  2 wires by installing a GFCI.  There should be a label in the box with the GFCI that says "No Equipment Ground" which must be applied to the face of all 3-prong outlets protected by the GFCI including those downstream.

It's perfectly safe for your power tools, plug your drill, etc in as much as you want.

A surge suppressor plugged in at that location will NOT work. The wiring fault light on the unit will be on, because the is no actual ground which it need to suppress a surge.

Your smart phone probably isn't 3-prong.

Edit: (thanks to @craig in comments) Laptops with a ground pin should not be used in a GFCI labeled as "No Equipment Ground".  There are varieties that may need Equipment Ground for effective static discharge. I can also find examples where I don't believe that's the case, but it's better to say laptops should not omit the equipment ground.

"Other" electronics may vary by what and why it's a 3 prong plug. The consideration is that the human safety from electric shock is covered by the GFCI, if however the device needs ground to dissipate static charge, or has built in surge suppression, it should not be used in an outlet marked "No Equipment Ground".


How do I stop a sliding door from squeaking? I have a sliding door which makes quite a loud squeaking sound when it is opened or closed. As best I can tell the sound is coming from the door rubbing against a metallic guide at the bottom as shown in the photo below.

What can I do to stop the door from squeaking?

It looks like you should be able to adjust the "guides", if that's the case you could try just backing them off a tiny bit.

Try turning the screw looking bit, and see if you can slide the guides away from the door a bit.


Gable Vent Fan to Make Usable Attic Storage Space - Useful or Trouble? We have a "mini attic" in addition to the main attic.  The mini is above the 1st floor kitchen and on the same level as the 2nd floor.  It has an access door in the bedroom closet.

My wife would like to use it to store off-season clothing and other items.  But during the summer months, it's probably 120 degrees in there, so I'm concerned about using that space for storage.

We recently had the shingle replaced and the roofer cut a ridge vent, but it still gets pretty hot in there.  There's a small (8" x 11") gable vent in the exterior brick wall.  I was thinking of attaching a gable vent fan to exhaust the hot air.

But I just read something that said that's a bad idea.  The concern is that you'll end up pulling conditioned air in from the nearby rooms and cause the AC to work harder.  Because the mini attic is not air-tight, that sort of makes sense.

So should I skip the vent fan?  Is there another way to cool that space bit?  Should I be concerned about using it for storage if I can't cool it down?

You'll increase energy costs and only make it marginally cooler. The only way this could work is to fully insulate and make it part of the conditioned space. But the kitchen ceiling/attic floor is not designed to support any kind of real loads, so it's only practical to store very lightweight items anyway.

So what lightweight items can you store there? If conditioned space, anything that will fit through the access. If not conditioned, only items that can withstand extreme heat without degradation could be stored there. I would not store any valuable clothing in that kind of environment.


Leak at Main Shut Off Valve I've dealt with a little bit of plumbing fixing toilet valves, but now my main water shut-off valve seems to be leaking in a very particular spot. Not sure what steps I should take to resolve this one or at least remedy it in the near future. I'm going to try duck taping it, but I just wondering if there is something else I should be doing.

"Duck" or duct tape is pointless here. You MIGHT get some temporary slowdown from using a self-fusing silicone overwrap, but it's not a solution, and will be difficult to use effectively on an active leak, especially with an elbow involved.

You need to contact your water company and arrange for the water to be shut off from outside the house so this can be fixed correctly. If you get lucky they might be responsible for the pipe up to the shutoff valve.