Can I pigtail #10 and #14 wires in my service panel? I foolishly pulled 60' of 10/2 cable only to open the cover of my panel to find it has no room for the needed 30 amp breaker.  Can I pigtail the two 14 ga wires from two 15 amp breakers with one of the 10 ga wire conductors?

Don't do that!  What you're proposing, using two 15A breakers as a substitute for one 30A breaker, is called Circuit Breakers in Parallel and is the topic of NEC 240.8:

240.8 Fuses or Circuit Breakers in Parallel. Fuses and circuit breakers shall be permitted to be connected in parallel where they are factory assembled in parallel and listed as a unit. Individual fuses, circuit breakers, or combinations thereof shall not otherwise be connected in parallel.

Paralleling is only allowed for really big connections - typically 100s of Amps, where otherwise wires would be so large that installation would be difficult and the wires very expensive.
What you may be able to do is replace the pair of 15A breakers with a double-pole 30A breaker. Why double-pole? Most 30A devices are actually 240V, not 120V. If that's the case, you actually do need breakers, but they need to be 30A, not 15A, and they need to be common-trip, which means a double-breaker rather than 2 separate breakers.
10/2 is black & white. While generally speaking black goes on hot and white goes on neutral, pure 240V circuits are an exception. Black goes on one breaker and white goes on the other breaker. No neutral because neutral (in a US 240/120 system) is only used for 120V circuits.
It sounds like you may be trying to do something extra dodgy!  Don't!


Can I use a 10/3 cable to supply a sub-panel for a tankless water heater? I am looking to add a tankless ecosmart 27 water heater to my barn. I'm currently running a 60 gallon electric water heater supplied by a 240 line. However, the tankless system requires 3 supply lines. Is there any way use the current 3wire 240 supply line to supply the sub panel?

The existing single cable cannot be used by itself to power the ecosmart 27. You need three separate cables each from its own 40 A breaker. Each cable must be Cu 8-2 + gnd or larger (presumably Al 6-2 + gnd would work if the terminals in the ecosmart are approved for aluminum conductor).

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lQw8Po2H04


LoBase layer of paint resists chemical stripping I fell in love with this vintage door at a local antique shop (100% solid wood, including the panels) and decided to use it for my bathroom. As it is easily 100 years old, it had many layers of paint. I was successful stripping most of it chemically using KleanStrip stripper, except for the base layer. The subsequent layers would turn yellowish after 10-15 min, then wrinkle up and I was able to scrape them off or maybe use wire pad or scotch brite. There were at least tree paint overs as I had applied about half a dozen coats of the stripper.
The last layer resists and does not turn yellow or wrinkle. It almost feels like it is not paint but maybe some kind of epoxy. There are a few patches where it does come off after arduous scraping.
I was wondering if there is a chemical stripping product that is stronger than KleenStrip that I got at Home Depot. Or another method. The door is so beautiful (this picture does not do it justice) that I want to stain and poly it. For example, many years ago, I used PeelAway but that is more high maintenance as you need to apply paper over the chemical and then apply neutralizer. Maybe acetone?

It is likely milk-based paint, which often resists remover.  Unlike normal paints that just need a solvent to remove, milk paints require a caustic, such as lye.
Oddly enough, it sounds like PeelAway 1 could work to remove it, but another option would be Real Milk Paint remover.  It is essentially lye with some added stuff to make it a bit easier to handle.
I haven't used it myself, but as the entire basis of the company is milk paint, it should be good.


Toilet Supply Line and Valve Leaking I had an issue with my bathroom flooding, so I emptied out the toilet (turned off the valve and flushed until it was empty).

Then after 2-3 days, the toilet backed up. Yech.

Anyway, I re-opened the valve, flushed, and cleaned the toilet, and I put newspaper underneath. I noticed now two leaks:

A widening wet spreading underneath the supply line for the toilet valve
A tiny drop-sized wet under the back of the toilet

My question is about the leaking pipe with the shut-off valve; how can or should I fix this? Should I call a professional, or is this DIY material?

Edit: There's a giant nut with two fins where the supply line connects to the toilet. It's wet. Very suspicious.

Knowing where the water lands gets you in the area, but what you really need to know is where the water came from.  Is the tank cracked, is the supply line failing, is there a bad connection on either end of the supply line, or is the valve itself going.

If the tank is cracked, you'll have to buy a new one, and it's a large project if you're not used to working on basic plumbing jobs or are skirmish around an open toilet.

A bad supply line can be easily replaced and it's even easier if it's just the washers.

A bad valve may just have some dirt or buildup in it that will be fixed by opening and closing it once or twice with water running through it (an empty toilet tank).  Though keep in mind any dirt may then get in the toilet valve and could cause it to run slowly until you clean it out.  If that were to happen, just post another question.  It could also be the packing material in the valve, which I've never touched on this type of valve.  If that's the case, you may be able to minimize it by opening the valve all the way.  If the valve is too far gone, you'll likely need a blow torch and solder to replace it.  This can be a DIY job, but if you get in over your head, the water for the whole house will need to be shutoff until you can get a plumber out.


How much does a degree tilt impact the height of the centerline? This might be an engineering or mathematics question, nevertheless giving this a shot here first. There seems to be a clear way, or at least in regards to distance a few, quantifiable explain where to ideally placing a flat mounted tv on the wall. However the title is the question, how much higher may the tv be placed to sit just as even, so the tv lines up similarly to the couch with on varying degree of tilt?

The centerline of the television will change by the sine of the angle of change times the distance from the television.

In simpler terms, for every 12 inches from the television, a one degree change of angle will drop (or raise) the line by 0.209 inches. Realistically, say a 12 foot viewing distance and a ten degree change of the screen, you get a 24 inch drop of the angle of the line.

Most televisions will have a reasonably wide viewing angle both horizontally and vertically, and allow for leeway in the angling of the screen.


Can I use the white from one switch, but the black from another? Some terminology, because I don't know any better:

light-fixture  - An existing, separate, light fixture...currently with dedicated 14/2
vent-unit      - A new vent just installed, has three functions:
    vent-fan        - The fan component of the vent-unit
    vent-light      - The main light component of the vent-unit
    vent-nightlight - The nightlight component of the vent-unit

I just replaced an old bathroom vent with a new one that has a light, nightlight, and fan. The bathroom also has a separate light fixture. There are two switches to control them (one for the light-fixture, one for the vent-unit), and this means there are two 14/2 cables going up into the attic (one to the light-fixture, one to the vent-unit).

The electrical diagram for the vent-unit I bought indicates that the vent-light and the vent-nightlight are tied to the same white, internally. There is a separate white for the vent-fan. The easiest way to get the vent-unit hooked up would be to tie all the blacks (one each for vent-light, vent-nightlight, and vent-fan) to the black of the incoming 14/2, and both whites (one goes to the vent-fan, and one shared between the vent-light and vent-nightlight) to the incoming white. This means that the vent-unit switch would control all three functions of the vent.

What I WANT is for one switch to control the light-fixture, vent-light, and vent-fan...and for the other switch to control the vent-nightlight. I specifically want the vent-fan to come on anytime a real light is turned on, and I specifically want the vent-nightlight to be controlled separately (since I will usually want it on regardless).

This means one switch would control lights/fan, and one switch would control vent-nightlight.

What this boils down to

My first reaction is to run the "nightlight" switch black to the vent-nightlight black, but the "lights/fan" switch white to the vent-nightlight white (since the vent-nightlight white is shared, internally, with the vent-light). Would this work? Would the fire department become unwittingly involved several hours later?

EDIT

Another idea, is it safe to run the whites from BOTH switches to one termination? Could I run the "nightlight" switch black to the vent-nightlight black, the "nightlight" switch white to the vent-nightlight, AND the "lights/fan" switch white to the vent-nightlight white?

EDIT 2

Here's an ugly picture of the situation. What I WANT is for one switch to control the vent-nightlight, and the other switch to control everything else.

The weird box thing at the bottom of the pictures is supposed to be a two-gang light switch.

You either have to replace the Vent wire with 14-3 AWG wire, or run a second 14-2 wire from the existing light to the vent. Assuming both switch circuits are from the same feed, you only need 3 wires to the vent. All the whites get tied to the white neutral of the feed. You could use the black (or Red) to go to the light - fan, and the Red (or black) to go to the night light.

This quick schem shows the connection with adding one 14-2 cable from the existing light to the Vent.

M-L-N can be switched around, depending on which functions go with the shared switch. I assumed the night light gets its own switch.


Is it code compliant to run only a hot wire to a relay used as a 3-way switch? I am setting up a relay to control my 120v/15a pool light. The relay control will be located in a plastic project box near the pool equipment and will be driven by a 24VAC coil. The light circuit will be a dedicated breaker in the nearby sub-panel. (I'm using 24VAC as it is already available in the project box to drive pool valve actuators).
I would like the relay to tie into a normal 3-way switch mounted outside which would serve as a "manual override" in the event someone needs to turn the light on or off and doesn't have access to the automation control that drives the relay.
Normally, I would wire this by running THWN hot/neutral/ground through conduit from the sub-panel to the project box relay, connect the relay NO/NC contacts to two travelers and run those two plus the neutral/ground wires through conduit to the manual switch, then on to the light itself. However, I'd like to reuse an existing switch already mounted adjacent to the sub-panel (it's not a 3-way, but I will replace it with one).

As a simpler alternative, can I safely to run a single THWN hot wire from the sub-panel breaker through conduit to the project box into the relay's common contact, and two THWN wires (travelers) from the relay's NO/NC contacts back through the same conduit (3 wires total) into the sub-panel. From there, the two travelers, a neutral, and a ground in a separate conduit connecting to a physical 3-way switch, then the 3-way switch's single pole, neutral, and ground make their way to the pool light fixture. Is this code-compliant or safe?

This feels very strange (wrong) to me and now that I've written out the question I'm fairly confident it isn't compliant and I should go with my first approach.

Your relay-on-a-switch-loop is fine in general...
Your relay-on-a-switch-loop turns out to be up to Code after all -- NEC 300.3(B) only requires the neutral ("grounded conductor") to be in the same conduit as the hots if it's necessary to route the neutral to a location to begin with (note that the wording about "grounded conductor" is prefaced with "where used" in the Code section in question), and in your case its not, as 404.2(C) point 1 is satisfied as long as there's enough spare space in the conduit to pull a neutral thru it later if need be.
But there are a couple of sticky points with your arrangement
However, your plans do have a couple of potential snags in them.  First off, in your project box, you'll need to be very careful about line-voltage/low voltage separation if you want your control circuit to be Class 2 instead of Class 1.  This will include using a relay capable of providing high/low voltage separation while switching a 15A tungsten or ballast load such as a RIBT24Z (you could use a RIBT24B, but that limits you to 10A of tungsten load), as well as having a barrier inside your project box between high voltage and low voltage wiring; in fact, I would screw a 4" square junction box to the side of your project box and use that to contain the mains wiring and mount the relay, thus keeping all that nasty mains wiring safely out of your low-voltage project box to begin with.  Note also that you don't need the NC contacts of the relay here, so you only have to route two wires through your conduit, not three.
The other issue is that while your three-way switch setup will work for what you're doing, it's not often done due to the inability for a local operator to guarantee the load stays in a known state with the wiring you have.
In general, what's normally done in this situation is called a HOA (Hand, Off, Auto) switch; while not generally available in familiar wallbox form, it's still possible to pull off.  This is done by replacing the existing switch with a DPDT, center off, maintained contact switch such as a Leviton 1281, and use one side as "Hand" (with an always-hot feed) and the other side as "Auto" (fed from the relay-switched hot).  You'll have to supply the labeling yourself, but this is probably the best solution for your application as it doesn't limit the load on the circuit any more than the relay does as well as fitting normally into a multi-gang junction box and faceplate. (A 20A circuit can use a Leviton 1284 instead.)
(The more typical "industrial" solution would be to use a 3-position selector switch; while a 22mm selector can be mounted into a junction/gang box using a faceplate with a 1/2" trade size knockout in it, such faceplates are not available in multigang configurations, and 22mm selector switches have pilot duty contacts on them, which means they're rated for much lighter loads than 15A of tungsten or ballast lighting.  One could use a SIB02S from Functional Devices, but the form factor of that part isn't right for your application as it provides its own hub-mounted box.)


Sealing inside of external brick wall We've solid brick, external walls, about 10" thick, and have moisture seeping through. We have plaster on the walls which we'd like to take off to seal the walls inside, then replaster.

So far our best suggestion is to use tanking slurry before the replastering. But is there any, hopefully cheaper, alternatives to tanking which can be plastered over?

I'd like to avoid water soluble sealants like PVA solutions.

We'll also be repointing and rerendering the external walls eventually, but need to do something before winter kicks in.

Ok, I guess you have to acknowledge that preventing water from reaching the wall is the best solution, followed by exterior wall protection, but I read the OP as acknowledging this already and asking specifically for interior solutions to water proofing.  Since you mention being a software engineer, I see it analogous to a question about cryptography, where you're not necessarily looking for something that's 100% unbreakable, but simply what's appropriate for the task at hand.  Really awful images can come to mind when someone says "Moisture seeping through", but it seems to me like we're not talking about standing water on the basement floor, just the presence of moisture on the wall (correct me if I'm wrong), and a partial solution able to be implemented on a short time frame (1-2 months).

I recently did some work on my basement brick wall where I have a little bit of moisture seepage and efflorescence, nothing serious, just a little. I stripped the brick clean and used Quikwall over it with an acrylic modifier, and with a sealer over that.  This has worked well for me since I'm not trying to hold back floodwaters, I just want to limit efflorescence.

I never heard of tanking slurry, but of course I did a quick Google search and can now talk about it like I'm an expert :)  Ok, but really, I have heard about similar products before and understand the science behind them well enough and it's theoretically solid.  It sounds like it'd work well, and I know there are an number of similar products out there (not sure what's best). I may end up trying it myself. You can also coat your floors if you see a need to.

A couple additional notes. Sounds like you plan on finishing with plaster.  Quikwall can be used as a plaster like finishing itself. If you plan on finishing some other way, I've used RedGuard before which helps prevent cracks and is very effective at water sealing, but is bright red so is not a good finish on its own.  Also, the other (although much smaller) cause of basement moisture is condensation, which you can't seal against, so there are situations where insulation is used to protect against that.

The OP also asks about cost. I'm not aware of any cheap solutions that delivery a reasonable level of effectiveness.  From what I've seen, it costs money to do anything you're likely to feel comfortable with.


NM-B insulation repair? I'm doing some work up in my attic, installing plywood decking over my garage for storage.  During installation, I accidentally rubbed the edge of one plank of plywood against a run of NM-B, tearing its outer insulation.  (The inner paper-like sheath is not damaged.)

If both ends of this run of NM-B were accessible I would just replace it completely.  Unfortunately, it is the line running from my garage's overhead light, to the light switch mounted on the wall.   I'm pretty certain this run will be stapled to the stud, a few inches above the switch gang, which means I can't pull it out.  (It is also inaccessible for other reasons, such as: the point at which it descends through the plate down to the switch gang is directly below my A/C unit, in the attic.)

Since neither the paper sheath nor the insulated conductors inside were damaged, I'm wondering if it would be acceptable (NEC-wise) to just wrap electrical tape around the scarred portion.  After the repair, this section will be hidden under the plywood decking that I am installing.  (Not intentionally, that's just the way the cookie crumbles.)

I also found something at HD called 'liquid electical tape'.

I'd trust the old reliable electrical tape over the liquid stuff.

Section 334.116 of the NEC (USA National Electric Code) talks about the sheath in very generic terms: it has to be flame retardant and moisture resistant, etc.  There is nothing particularly special or magic about the requirements.

I'd inspect the wire very very carefully, maybe even remove the paper to ensure nothing is going on below, wrap it, then mention and show it to the local inspector when your job is inspected. Maybe even write a note on the cable in sharpie.

The worst case is you have to splice the cable into a junction box that forever more must be accessible.


Two electric outlets not working UPDATE : SOLVED !!
The problem was in the pigtail wiring. I checked the outlet right next it it, and it was burnt even this one was working fine.   By replacing this guy, the other two outlets start working properly!!

=======ORIGINAL POST================================
Two electric outlets in the kitchen stop working.
The circuit breaker is good; it shows 124v electric supply, but not from the wire on the wall.  Can anybody give me tips on this issue ?

Location: Dallas TX
Year of Build : 1985

It's extremely unlikely that you have a cable failure in a wall.  The only time I've encountered it was in my own home and was caused by rodent (mice) damage.   What's far more likely is somewhere in the chain of outlets there is a bad connection.  As others have often said here, the "back stab" outlets are often the cause...esp. in high power circuits like for kitchens or bathrooms (portable heater, hair dryer, etc.)
With the power off, you'll need to remove the affected outlets and inspect for damage.  Best practice is to pig tail the connections that go from one outlet to the next one and connect the pigtail to the screws on the outlet, never use back stab outlets.   They are a known source of failure. If your outlets are older, cheap grade, just replace them with spec grade or commercial grade outlets. They aren't that expensive and are much more robust than the 99 cent specials!
EDIT:  Meant to ask that you are sure there are no tripped GFCI outlets upstream from the non-working outlets?


Can I buy or make an adapter to hook 2 generators together to run a 220 volt welder? Can I buy or make an adapter to connect 2 generators together to get more amps for my 220 Arc Welder?

No way. If you connect two ordinary generators together, they won't generate the exact same voltage, and even more importantly will be out of phase with each other. The result will be they'll spend all their energy fighting each other. Hopefully this would throw a breaker, but if not it could easily cause a fire.
There are generators that are designed with the ability to be paralleled (e.g. these Honda units, but that's unusual.


How can I remove calcium deposits from a drain? My shower drain has 4 plastic "teeth" that stick out into the center of the drain. From this I have found some stalactite calcium columns hanging down to the U bend. I tried to pull one of them up with needle nose pliers but it broke and the others are too far down to get to. This is starting to block the water from draining.

How can I get rid of this calcium build up?

An answer to a question on DIY suggested using white vinegar. I haven't tried that yet. The calcium isn't in the U bend so it won't be sitting in the vinegar if I pour it in there.

Acid. Vinegar, Citric (aka sour salt), CLR, Barkeepers friend, phosphoric, etc. Keep applying (and re-applying) it, and see if perhaps you can get dry citric acid or barkeepers friend mixed to a "paste" or "slurry" form that might cling to the problem area - or fill the trap with acid and use sections of rope or rags (secured against going down the drain) to act as wicks.

You might also want to install a softener if your water is so hard it's growing stalactites. Yeesh.


Can I connect 12 gauge wire to 18 gauge wire for an outdoor light post and plug? I am replacing a front yard light post that has a GFCI outlet attatched.
The old post has 12 gauge wire connected from the house thru the post and outlet to the the light.
The new post is prewired with 18 gauge wire and also includes a GFCI outlet.
Can I connect the old 12 gauge to the new prewired 18 gauge?
there is a 20 amp circuit breaker.
What is ETL?

The fixture is a listed device and manufacturers don’t have the same limitations for the wiring that electrical wiring in your home has. YES you can connect the 12 AWG wire to your light pole fixture. This is exactly the same as almost every light fixtures in your home mfg’s regularly use smaller wires because the load is limited.
 Note they have a maximum wattage listed for the light(s) when used according to the manufacturers instruction it is safe. So yes this is normal for a fixture.


Can using a washing machine as a water reservoir damage it? Can using a washing machine as a water reservoir at full capacity during several days (during a severe water shortage) damage the machine? I mean, can the weight of the water during several days exert anough stress on the parts (bearings, suspension, seals, gaskets and the like) so as to damage them? .. or is it safe?

It is top-loading, and it's 10 Kg (22 pounds) capacity. I'm not sure how much water the drum holds without any laundry in it.

Just conjecture here, but I think you would be fine for a few days. They needs must design for unusual scenarios, like if you loaded it and then lost power before it could drain.

A top load machine rated for 22 lbs. is a large capacity machine, probably about 4.5 cu. ft. If loaded full of water without clothes (we will run with the presumption that it is designed to handle running with no clothes, because that could easily happen, in theory) 4.5 cu. ft. = like 34 gals. (~270 lbs.)

I will not address the concerns I have with actually drinking water that may have residue of detergent, bleach, and all manner of whatever got washed off of stuff. Better than dying of thirst I guess.


How can I fill a screw hole so it can be used again? My dishwasher attaches to the cabinets on the side via a screw.  This hole has become a little stripped, is there a way to fill it in and then screw in to it again?  I can't change the location of where the dishwasher attaches.

If you are lacking a wooden peg or the skills to make one use round wooden toothpicks. Coat the toothpicks with woodglue. Place as many toothpicks in the hole as will fit. Gently tap in one more with a hammer. Break off any bits of toothpick that protrude from the hole. After the glue has dried, reinstall the screw.


raising my existing concrete floor 20cm up How can I raise my existing concrete floor by 20cm up? can I directly add aggregates and sand and finish with concrete, or do I have to chip first the existing floor?

No, The existing slab is an excellent base.  Fill it with the least expensive aggregate you can buy and pour your new slab.  Good Luck and happy finishing.


Any suggestions for incorrectly-wired thermostat? I foolishly got myself into this mess. Any suggestions?

1923 house with original steam heat (gas). The addition (~1998), has hot water (baseboards). I tried to replace the addition's thermostat, and got myself into a situation...

The addition had one of those old dial Honeywell mercury thermostats. After removing it, I was left with 4 wires (here) - black, red, yellow, green.

My new thermostat is a Honeywell RTH2300B, and calls for this wiring, which is white, red, yellow, green. After much discussion with Honeywell's support and some online research, I decided to take a chance and see if the black would substitute for the white. Here's what I did: photo. Yes, I'm an idiot and don't know what I'm doing.

Anyway, I clicked the front of the thermostat on (with the power switch off), and my heat turns on. The only way for me to turn the heat off is to take off the front of the thermostat, so it's like this.

So, my question is: other than trying to get an electrician here on a Sunday of a long weekend, should I try another wiring configuration?

Any suggestions?
Thanks. It's going to get down to 18 deg F tonight.

Since you have baseboards, you don't have a fan.  That means it's probably a 2-wire thermostat.  Check the voltages with a voltmeter to make sure  you're not playing with 120/230V line voltage.  (it's likely either 24V or millivolt).

The thermostat you describe is for a 24-volt system. Those simply short wires together.  To call for heat, they short R, G and W.  To call for air conditioning, Y, G and W.  If it shorted all 4, it would run heat and A/C against each other, which would dry out the air in a hurry.  (your car's "defrost" mode does exactly this).  Here's the upshot: If you short random wires together, nothing terrible will happen. That should remove some fear.

If your thermostat is millivolt, it either shorts the wires, or does not.  Again, shorting will do no harm and probably cause the heater to fire.

Your system doesn't have a fan, so G is irrelevant.  You don't have A/C, so Y is irrelevant.  So, if you short the right two wires together, the heat should fire.  That's it.

Here's the only wiggy bit:  They doubled up the wires.  That's because they're using telephone cable which is maybe too thin for thermostat service.  You should probably double them too.  How do you find the right pair?

First, find the right singles.  Short wires 1 and 2 and see if the furnace fires.    Don't do it for any longer than it takes to find out.  Next, try wires 1 and 3.  Does it fire?  OK, then, logic it out.  It must mean 2 and 3 are equivalent.  Try every combination. If you get it wrong, the heat will run continuously.

Once you have them paired, attach one pair to "24VAC" (R) and the other to "Heat call" (W) on the thermostat.  Doesn't matter which one, since the thermostat just shorts them either way.

(it will matter on a thermostat with 3 or more functioning wires, be it Fan (G) or common (C) for a smart thermostat.)


Why do Instructions to Leviton nylon plugs and connectors say “DO NOT use with solid wire”? I bought Leviton “black and white professional” 20 amp 125V nylon connector(#5369 NEMA 5-20R) and plug(#5366 NEMA 5-20P)for my dishwasher. Both the dishwasher powerline from the panel box and the dishwasher line have solid 12 AWG wire (20 amp). But the instructions to both the connector and the plug both emphatically say “DO NOT use with solid wire”. Why is this? Is it dangerous?

Solid Romex style electrical cable is not designed for use as portable extensions or cords. The main reason for this is that the solid wires are not flexible and will eventually crack if flexed too much. The cable jacket is also not designed for it can be moved around, stepped on or driven over.

So with the understanding that the cable has to be flexible stranded wire it is also a requirement that the plug ends attached to the cable have to be designed for stranded wire as well.


Adding ceiling light to room Purchased a home and several of the upstairs rooms have a single pole switch that connects to one of the outlets. I wish to dissolve that association and install a ceiling light. The final result would achieve:

Switch controls on/off of ceiling light (single-pole swtich)
Outlet switch was previously connected to is always live and switch won't affect

I haven't gotten into the wiring yet but what  should I roughly expect my circuit to look like? I'm assuming source comes in to the outlet and not the switch and additional outlets in the room are loaded from that initial outlet. Or is it typical to have source running top down so it will appear at the switch first?
When I can I'll take out switch and associated outlet to see how the wiring appears.

I've seen it done both ways but the feed to the switch is more common. You'll probably have a black and white coming into the switch the black will be pigtailed to the switch and to a black wire going to the outlet. you'll also have a red connected to the switch going to the outlet. The white coming in will be connected to a white going to the outlet. At the outlet the black will be pigtailed to a brass screw and continue to the next outlet, the switched red wire will be hooked to the other brass screw, and the link between the two screws will be removed. the white wire will be pigtailed to the silver screw and out to the next outlet.
If you're fed from the outlet, you'll probably have a switch loop with a hot white wire going from the outlet to the switch and a black wire from the switch to the outlet.
You'll need to run wire to your ceiling light location. Where it's run from depends on what you'll find out when you remove the switch and outlet for inspection... don't disconnect anything until you take a bunch of pictures.
Naturally, there will probably be ground wires that are connected but I left that part out until we know what's there.


Should I install radiant-barrier insulation in a walk-up attic roof in Pennsylvania? I have a walk-up unfinished attic in an old ranch house in Pennsylvania, where we see summer temperatures over 100F and winter temperatures well below freezing.  Because there is planking over the joists the in-joist insulation over most of the living space is realistically limited to R-25.

The attic/roof is ventilated with soffit and ridge vents.

Right now (it's still 100F outside!) I'm thinking of ways to reduce the cooling load on the central HVAC.  I wouldn't mind moderating the temperature in the attic itself year-round either.

I have a roll of AtticFoil-like radiant barrier.  If I staple that to the exposed roof rafters (without blocking the soffit-to-ridge vent circulation) I understand it will reduce the heat gain on sunny days.

But given that the house also goes through a cold season during which heat gain would be a bonus, should I avoid such radiant barrier insulation in this location and application?  (I'm not sure how to balance the seasonality, especially given that there is less sun exposure during the winter due to shorter days and lower sun transit.)

I have the same situation in Pa but have also tried radiant barrier with the ventilation holes. I am still in a quandry about how to use it. This is what I have experienced: I laid the foil over my insulation as often recommended. In the spring I went into the attic to check on the nature of things. I lifted a section and my fiberglass insulation was short of sopping wet! It took me short time to yank it all off of the fiberglass for it to dry out.

I have concluded that I am not able to put down radiant barrier as I most likely have airs leakage through the ceiling causing heat to meet the cold. I do have an attic fan and could put baffles in for even better ventilation.

I am left with this last attempt to achieve at least some temporary benefit before the big redo: I am tracking the sun and will staple foil in a strategic spot on the attic rafters. The spot that is potentially hot in the summer (in my case the NW corner) but receives little warmth in the winter because of daylight hours. This should help the summer AC.  I am not ready to yank out all my insulation and look for leaks. One step toward betterment at a time.

I keep wanting to believe radiant barrier is wonderful but people with season changes better do their insulation/ventilation/air leakage homework before they think radiant barrier is going to be the best thing since sliced bread!


Lighting fixture: 2 live, 2 neutral, no ground - Is is okay to have the 2nd neutral used as a ground? I live in Germany and I have just moved into a new apartment and started to change the light fixtures, but I ran into confusion. Wires coming out of the ceiling are - two black & two white (no earth), and no grounded mounting plate - just a screw into the celling. Also, none of the wires were tied together.

The light fixture I wanted to remove had one of the black live wires attached to the live terminal of the fixture (cool), one of the white neutrals connected to the neutral terminal(cool), and then... the 2nd white neutral was connected to the light fixtures Earth!?
I plan to replace it with a fixture that also requires earthing.

I believe that at the main power source (municipal), Earth and Neutral are tied together, but is this common practice? Should I connect the second neutral to the earth, or should I rather not 'ground' my light fixture?
(btw: the light is controlled by a dimmer)

This seems to be an old wiring system. What is on the other end of the white wires? Maybe one of the white wires   was used as PE= Protection Earth=Ground already, but it was not marked yellow-green with shrinking tube or other reliable markings at both ends which is mandatory nowadays.

Otherwise a Neutral must not be used as PE for safety reasons. If both white wires are Neutral and none of them can be re-marked and re-used as PE, best way would be to only use lamps that are isolated and do not need PE, i.e. are having the 2 squares (small square inside 2nd square) as symbol (Schutzisolierung, Schutzklasse 2).

Yes, Neutral and PE are connected, but only very upstream close to the location where the incoming provider line is entering the building and at one and only one location. Neutral and PE must not be connected anywhere downstream, and are to be kept separated downstream.

If Neutral and PE are connected at a 2nd (or even 3rd, 4th etc.) downstream location, GFCIs (RCD, Fehlerstromschutzschalter ) could be failing, and sensible electronics may be more likely to fail, since a second connection of Neutral and PE would produce a loop which is an "antenna" resp. 1-turn secondary coil capable to catch distortions (50Hz humming) and will be more likely to catch high voltage surges (from lightning strokes nearby, switching activities at the provider's net etc.).


Are the door closers absolutely needed for storm door? My storm door closer cracked my door jamb and the storm door still opens fine.

And I wonder whether I need replace my door closer? If I don't , is there any bad effect?

The closer has a few purposes:

it closes the door so that you don't have to remember to every time.  It will also pull the door closed if it opens accidentally (for example, if the wind catches the door).
it prevents the door from moving too fast, and usually prevents it from opening past about 90 degrees. (Anecdote: I know someone who didn't have a closer on his storm door.  The door opened so that it would catch the prevailing winds -- which are often strong -- in his area, but he never had problems until one time he forgot to close it and it swung open, hit the wall next to the door and knocked out a pane of glass.  With a closer, it  might not have been able to move fast enough or far enough to do any damage.)
it provides a second point of attachment to the door frame for the side of the door that opens, which helps to hold the door if the wind catches it.

Does the door close securely, and will you always remember to close it securely?  If not, I'd say you need the closer.


Sticky Euro cylinder lock I have a Euro cylinder lock like below and it has got rather sticky - the key turn isn't as smooth as other locks.

Does anyone know how to lubricate it to make it less sticky? I've read about graphite powder for other lock types, but are they suitable for Euro cylinder locks as well?

Any help appreciated.

Far from being an expert, here is my personal experience: silicon dry spray alone inside the cylinder, and  WD40 on the sliding mechanism.

As for the cylinder, I had been advised to use  graphite dust or silicon dry spray (non-greasy) by different key makers. I first used graphite dust, but it tended to agglomerate, so I finally used air duster cleaning to remove graphite dust and grease employed by former owners, during a hot day so that the old graphite & grease mix was liquid enough to pour out of the lock.

One important lesson I learned to never leave keys plugged inside the lock, because it prematurely ages the mechanisms.

Additional source: LocksOnline : help  maintain  locks


glueing 18 gauge s/s sheets to aluminum honeycomb backing I am involved in a project that requires gluing 18 gauge s/s sheets to 3/4" aluminum honeycomb panels.
what is the best contact adhesive to use that will withstand outside elements?
( extreme cold and extreme heat?)

I would make test samples using Silicone I, Lexel, and metal epoxy to determine the best product for your application.

Permatex Cold Weld is the 2 part metal epoxy adhesive that I would try first. The other two are sealants and technically not adhesives, but they might still work.

Permatex Steel Weld is another option, it says it has a greater temperature range but sets in only 4 minutes so it might be hard to use.


selecting correct stain and varnish/poly/something else for oak hardwood floor I'm going to sand down some oak floors and stain them with a darker color. I'm struggling with finding the correct products and process to do this. (I already have a plan for sanding)

I have two 50lb dogs so I want the most durable end result that I can get in hopes their claws can't scratch anything when i'm done.

According to Sherwin williams website they recommend:

While SW recommends oil based it seems everyone else recommends water based.

Bottom line is i'm confused on what process to take here. Oil based stain vs water based. Use a varnish or dont use a varnish. Some sort of polyurethane protection? Thanks.

It would be great if someone could post the exact products they used (maybe even links too) and the process they took. Thanks.

Your floors are prefinished and likely have an aluminum oxide finish on them which will be tough to sand off and require more time and sandpaper than normal. It also appears to have microbevels as mentioned by previous posts. You will need to either sand to a consistent depth or completely sand these microbevels off. If you do not sand them off completely there will be residual finish in them which will make applying finish to the floor via T-bar or paint pad difficult.

Environmental regulations have made polyurethane less desirable and it levels more poorly than it did previously.

Some of the most durable finishes available for site applied applications include Bona Traffic, Vermont Natural Coatings Polywhey and Basic coatings "Streetshoe". You should choose a finish and then select a stain as recommended by the finish manufacturer. Bona sets up in a few hours and therefore you can seal and do two coats in a day.


Uses of a damp basement I have an old brick house (1960s) next to a river, the ground surrounding the house is normally wet. The basement is very humid and just use to store stuff that can't go bad. I will most likely get rid of the house in some years and build new, since I don't like it very much and it would require a lot of work.

My question is: Are there any uses for such a humid basement? I'm thinking mushroom growing kind of thing, aquaponics... Dont' know, anything a dark, humid basement is good for? It's a huge one, maybe 100 square meters (~1000 square feet)

I've seen a few amazing scenarios where the people turned it into a real plus:

Garage - They were 3' above flood level. Back basement wall restructured for 2-car garage door (for winter only), yard was graded down & toward the river, driveway & boat launch were installed, all windows were left open until winter, ceiling super insulated, vapor barrier, fire resistant fiberglass faced drywall covered with cement board & old garage torn down with slab remaining as new patio.

Indoor Pool - They were 15' above flood level, a lot of foundation work & then same ceiling treatment as the garage above.

Winter Boat Storage Rental - They were 6' above flood level. Took floor down to river flood level for ceiling height, foundation work, boat launch, connecting pavement, major sump pump system, security gates.

Summer Private Park Rental - They were about 3' above flood level. Tree & stump removal, picture taking large gazebo, volleyball nets, small baseball/kickball diamond with backstop, rolling picnic tables & large bathrooms in basement, party could rush into fully cemented, lighted & painted basement if weather happened since tables & all were out.

Outdoor Café & Boat-up Concession Stand - They were at flood level. Collapsible little buildings, bank hugging narrow floating dock, stair for walk-down bathrooms, bathrooms, electrical to river edge, gravel parking lot, outdoor lighting & signage.

I probably left out a few things, but some fabulous stuff along a fairly unappealing brown river.


Which insulation for gap between plasterboard and subfloor? I have a room built under the roof on top of the garage, so eaves are directly behind the side walls. I removed the skirting boards to install the a new flooring and realized that there is a sizeable gap (up to 4 cm / 1.5") between some of the wall plasterboards and subfloor.

I'd love to put some insulation in there as these gaps would definitely allow the transit of cold air from eaves into the room. I would prefer the insulation to be removable if needed, so expanding foam is probably out of the question. What else could I use?

Hard density foam board is probably your best option.  You can get 1.5" panels and cut them to size and get an R-7.5.

You could take batt insulation and compress it but batt insulation works best when not compressed and compressing it down to 1.5" would yield a lower R value than the rigid foam:


How to remove stubborn kitchen faucet mount nut? I tried to remove my faucet from old kitchen sink but the nut is tighten so hard:

I am using channel lock on the nut to turn counterclock wise and I use my hand to hold on the faucet on the other side. It's just NOT moving even after spraying WD-40.

What are the tricks to unscrew this nut?

Since the sink is out, it should not be an issue at all. Just remove the same as any other nut... Perhaps a little more pressure? Try to squeeze the nut only tight enough to maintain a grip, too tight may be deforming the nut slightly to "pinch" the nut tighter than is seems.


Can I change from a mortise lock without buying new doors? I have two external mortise lock doors that will only open with skeleton key.  After several years I'm ready to upgrade.  Will I have to get a new door or can I upgrade these to modern locks.  I've searched the internet over and I'm either not using the correct terminology.  All I can find it swapping out for new mortise locks.  Not interested in that at all.

Any help is appreciated.

There are certainly modern mortise locks which accept pin-tumbler cylinders. Whether any of them will fit in your existing mortise is another question; you may need to enlarge the mortise. You will undoubtedly have to drill for the cylinders; you may need to drill new knob/latch holes as well (though "decorative" brass or chrome plates can hide a multitude of sins).

If you want to switch to a "cylindrical" design (typical modern knobset, mechanism is housed in the knobs and a cross-bore rather than in a mortise), or a rim (surface-mount) lock, you'll either want to leave the old mortise lock in place, or glue in a block cut to exactly fill the space it occupied, since otherwise the empty space would weaken the door. Same issue exists regarding old holes in the door faces; same solution applies.


Is it acceptable to use a 15 A switch to control a 15 A duplex outlet on a branch circuit with a 20 A breaker? I am working on a wiring project at my home, and I have a specific question about whether something I am doing is advisable or allowed by the NEC.

Background

I have a branch circuit with a 20 A breaker and 12 gauge wire throughout. It feeds a 20 A GFCI duplex outlet in the garage. Downstream from the GFCI is a 15 A duplex outlet outside near the eaves of the house, serving as a connection point for Christmas lights. Both receptacles in this 15 A duplex outlet are controlled by a 15 A smart switch inside the home.

The Problem

I am concerned about both receptacles in the 15 A duplex outlet being controlled by a 15 A switch while on 20 A branch circuit. I know not to overload the switched receptacles beyond 15 A, but I have no guarantee that anyone in the future will know that. What if someone loads up one receptacle to 12 A and then the other to 5 A? Then the switch would have 17 A through it, exceeding its rating, without tripping the breaker. Perhaps I am misunderstanding; is the maximum rated current for a 15 A duplex outlet 15 A total, or 15 A per receptacle? If it's per receptacle, then I am in trouble. I think a solution, if this is the case, would be to have only one of the receptacles in the 15 A duplex outlet controlled by the switch.

My Question

Is it acceptable to use a 15 A switch to control both receptacles in a 15 A duplex outlet on a branch circuit with a 20 A breaker?

https://i.imgur.com/v2lHftJ.png

Nope -- swap to a single receptacle

You cannot do this, as you could plug two 12A loads into the switched duplex receptacle and overload it. Oops!

In the Code, this is written up in NEC 404.14(F) (informational note omitted as it's irrelevant to the topic at hand):

  (F) Cord- and Plug-Connected Loads. Where a snap
  switch is used to control cord- and plug-connected equipment on a general-purpose branch circuit, each snap switch
  controlling receptacle outlets or cord connectors that are
  supplied by permanently connected cord pendants shall be
  rated at not less than the rating of the maximum permitted
  ampere rating or setting of the overcurrent device protecting the receptacles or cord connectors, as provided in
  210.21(B).

  Exception: Where a snap switch is used to control not
  more than one receptacle on a branch circuit. the switch
  shall be permitted to be rated at not less than the rating of
  the receptacle.

Switching to a single receptacle (one receptacle on the yoke vs a duplex receptacle i.e. two receptacles on a single yoke) for the holiday-lights receptacle puts you under the Exception though, which makes this all hunky-dory provided the switch is rated to the full 15A (1800W) that can be pulled from the receptacle.


How do I calculate how much sand, cement and water I need for a specific volume of concrete? I am using forms to build a decorative wall. The instructions say I need 38 liters total per form. The form ends up producing a wall section 200 centimeters long x 50 centimeters high.

How do I calculate how much sand, cement and water will produce 38 liters of concrete?

A concrete mixture ratio of 1 part cement, 3 parts sand, and 3 parts
  aggregate will produce a concrete mix of approximately 3000 psi.

http://www.everything-about-concrete.com/concrete-mixing-ratios.html

In your case:

38l / 7 = 5.42l. This is one "part" of your total volume.

5.42l * 1 = 5.42l cement
5.42l * 3 = 16.26l sand
5.42l * 3 = 16.26l aggregate (gravel)

Obviously it's not common to mix concrete in such precise quantities. You'll probably use larger, round volumes such as shovels-full or 60 lb. bags as your "parts". For example, add 1 shovel of cement, 3 shovels of sand, and 3 of gravel to a mixing bin. Repeat this until you have the desired quantity of concrete.

Regarding water volume, that depends on the "slump", or flow quality, of the mix desired. Typically you slowly mix in water until the concrete is workable. Too much water weakens the resulting concrete and makes finishing more difficult.


Chemical reaction damaged finish on my dining table I seriously damaged the finish on the TOP of my Ethan Allen Royal Charter dining room table.  The table about 42 years old.
It was sprayed with a aerosol dusting product (which now I know is a NO NO) and then I put a plastic cover on it not realizing the spray had not yet completely dried. I guess there was a chemical reaction as the finish is now soft & it can be removed with a finger nail. Much later I put a plastic table cloth on with a "flannel back"  and the fuzz actually stuck to the table in some areas.
I have tried Murphy's Oil soap on the table top but there of course was no improvement.
How can I fix this?
Elaine

Strip and refinish is likely the only way forward with an acceptable outcome.
The plastic cover is more of a no-no than aerosol dusting products, really. On the other hand, there's no particular need for aerosol dusting products, ever, so...
The combination of the two is obviously bad.


need help with installing window trim We've removed the existing drywall on an uneven wall, along with the trim around a window on this wall.

When we're done making the new wall plumb and even, the window will be more recessed than the new wall.

Here's an image of what I've got:

What are the components that I've marked with a question mark?
I think I should be installing our backer board up to the outline of the rough opening, is that correct?
Will I need to extend out the "?" components and the sub-sill to be flush with the new backer board? If so, can I simply cut pieces of wood to size and nail them onto the existing pieces?
We will be tiling all around this window. The tile is 3/8" thick. Do I need to use thicker trim pieces to account for the thickness of the tile that will be cut around it, to ensure that the trim is proud of the tile? (I am assuming that I should be installing the trim before the tile.)
Should I fill the gap around the window with some kind of sealant or insulation? There doesn't appear to be anything there right now.
I want to use wood for the trim. What type of wood is recommended?

What is the wooden frame around my window?
That's the window "jamb".

Should the wallboard terminate at the rough opening?
Yes. You don't normally extend your wallboard all the way to the jamb so you have room to insulate, etc.

Will I need to extend the jamb to be flush with the wallboard?
Yes, extension jambs are often needed with retrofit construction. Ideally your jamb will be a uniform distance behind the wallboard all the way around. If it varies by more than 1/8" I'd address that.

Do I need to use thicker trim to account for the thickness of the tile?
This is entirely a question of design preference. Normally, tile isn't as thick as the standard trim and therefore whatever is installed elsewhere in the home works fine.

Should I fill the gap around the window with some kind of sealant or insulation?
Yes. Modern practice is expanding foam of the "low expansion" variety. You don't want to bow and bind your window.

What type of wood trim is recommended?
Again, design preference. It can be stained or painted, hardwood or softwood, or whatever you like. It's not exposed to weather, but consider whether it'll be subjected to moisture and choose accordingly.


Trying to Replace 3-Way Light Switch I'm aware that the WeMo light switch does not work as a 3-way switch, but I had purchased it before opening up the existing light switch plate and understanding the wiring I would work with.

Anyway, I removed the light switch plate and discovered what appears to be a 3-way switch.  (I recently moved into this house with a whole bunch of sketchy wiring, and actually DO NOT know the location of another switch that controls that same set of exterior lights on my detached garage!)  A red jumper cable is connected to the common terminal of the switch, and two black cables connect to the other terminals on the light switch.  The box didn't exhibit any obvious sign of a separate (white) neutral cable.

On a lark, I decided to wire the WeMo as follows:

Red jumper cable to the expected white, neutral terminal on the WeMo,
Black cables to black terminals on the WeMo, and
Capped the green/ground terminal on the WeMo.

To my surprise, the WeMo had power and booted up.  However, when I pressed the WeMo button to turn on the lights, none of the garage's exterior lights turned on.  I swapped the black wires and encountered the same dead end, so I restored the old switch and can turn the garage's exterior lights on/off.

I'm certainly disappointed that I didn't successfully install the WeMo, but I'm also confused.  If the WeMo had power, clearly I had both hot and neutral correctly wired to the WeMo.  Assuming the WeMo isn't defective, why wasn't it actually acting as a switch?  What are some theories on how these lights are actually wired?

I'm just thinking out loud here.  It is hard to state anything with certainty in a situation like this where there is no guarantee of what somebody else did with the wiring a long time ago...so forgive me if this suggestion isn't even worth what you paid for it.  ;)

From what you have said here, it sounds to me like that red wire makes its way back to the lights, and acts as the "hot" for the lights.  Who knows where the lights are getting their neutral side connection.  Doesn't really matter.  Obviously it is getting there somehow.

So to make the lights light, your existing switch is getting "hot" from one of the two black wires, and is supplying that to the red wire.

So think of your red wire as the "hot out", and ONE OF the two black wires is your "hot in".

So you need to use a meter to see which one of the two black wires is your "hot in", and treat it that way and cap off the other black.  Then use your red wire as the "hot out".

Again, this is just me thinking out loud about what I would try.  I take no responsibility for any bad stuff that might result from it.  All possible disclaimers apply.  ;)


How do I create concrete or fiberglass outdoor seating that will last? My husband and I have a design for outdoor seating we would like to create that is organic (curvy) in shape and surfaced in mosaic designs. Think of a dragon undulating in and out of the water, the part that appears above the water's surface would be something like what we want to create.

I have experience using chicken wire as an armature under plaster and I know this degrades with use - the bendy nature of the armature causes the plaster to break. I don't have experience with concrete but I suspect it would be likely to degrade in the same way. Is there a way to improve the plasticity of concrete? Is there a particularly good way to create an organic form, or should the seating be solid concrete?

Is fiberglass a better choice?

Concrete will definitely be strong enough if done right.

Make sure you use the right mix.  I would use sakrete 5000 plus, NOT quikcrete 5000, and add a hand full of Portland cement to better hold the mosaic.  Then add superplasticizers.  More water is bad, but you want it to flow into an odd shaped mold and around mosaic tiles, superplasticizers will solve this.  You can get this at http://www.expressions-ltd.com/default.asp You can get some integral coloring for the concrete there too.

The forms will be tricky, but i think i would build a wood box and drape some cloth in it the way you want.  Then spread some glue on it to stiffen it up.  Then use bondo and sand it down to smooth.  Then you can use some spray adhesive or silicone to put your mosaic tiles in upside down.

You are going to need to vibrate it after you pour it.  Maybe just hammer on the wood box.

I am saying this would be solid concrete, but this will be very heavy when you demold it.  You could put something lighter in the mix after you pour it, maybe some empty bottles?

Anyway, yes, this can be done with concrete.  Concrete would be very strong, and no you don't need mesh in this setting.  The tensile strength of concrete is terrible but the compressive strength is amazing.


How can I make a fake ground output? I'm having problems with my electrical oven: I get shocked when I touch it. I think the way to solve this is to connect the ground wire it has (the green wire) to ground?

The problem with that is that my house doesn't have any electrical connection to ground (the copper bar buried in the earth); every electrical outlet in my house has the ground unplugged. I was thinking that I could create a ground for this outlet by drilling a hole in the wall behind the oven, running a copper wire down inside the wall and into the earth, and then connect the oven's green wire to that. Would that make an acceptable ground? Should I do this or is there another option?

I'm also worried about the power consumption, if I did this, the oven would be "on" all the time so my bill would increase?

Other thing I could do is to check every wire isolation, but I don't have a tool for that. What should I be getting? If I did this, would the ground connection be unnecessary?

It sounds to me like your oven has a serious fault.

Disconnect it immediately and do not use it.

(Connecting it to ground should cause the fuse to blow immediately.)

The fault probably lies in the heating element (these often fail and short to ground). Your house should have a ground connection - which jurisdiction/country are you in?  Most have regulations requiring a ground connection.


Is it normal for a sprinkler system to increase water pressure to a house? I'm having a sprinkler system installed and the PSI meter in my garage went from 85 psi to about 105 psi. Is it expected that a sprinkler system increases water pressure to my house? If not, is adjusting the pressure release value a reasonable approach to fix it?

It can, if you live in a hot sunny climate and there is no one-way valve to the sprinkler system. Cold water in, or on their way to the sprinkler valves will be heated by the ground or sun, and expand will a little causing significant back pressure.

If you have ever left your garden hose filled with water with the hose bib shut off on a sunny day, then pulled the trigger on the hose end, you will see the same effect. Lots of water pressure.


Should I vent a porch roof and how to do it? I am having a difficult time figuring out the venting for my open air porch roofing project. This is new construction. I have a 4/12 pitch porch roof, 8ft wide, goes around 9 corners of my 2 story house, and has hips everywhere, 160 linear ft., 145 trusses and about 1400 sq ft of roof deck. It faces, North, West, and South covering 3 of the 4 sides of my square house. Roof shingles will be standard 30 year tar, 3 tab architectural in a darker (but not black) color. Titanium wrap + Ice and water shield underneath.

Should I vent at all?
So, this is western Montana. We get a lot of cold, and substantial wet all at once in the form of ice, snow and thunderstorms totaling about 14-16 inches a year. Overall it's fairly dry. I am in the lowest part of a river bottom valley and my place is often much more humid than others (above 80% for probably 50% of the year) due to fog settling etc. A lot of people don't know this, but we do get 90f+ degree temps for weeks or months at a time (up to maybe 110f on rare occasions for a few days). It's "Hot" from June to mid September. Rest of the year is cold < 50 degrees and down to negative -20s, -30s or colder.

If I need to vent, I know how to do this in the soffit, but no clue on the roof deck since the trusses join to a wall of a 2 story house. There is no ridge area aside from 7 or 8 hips, but mostly these are all in one area going around a turret and on 2 ends. Most of the roof area has no hips in 3 of the main sections, for 30-40 ft. I have looked at a few products which seem to go underneath your "wall to roof" metal or replace it entirely. No one in my area sells them or is aware of them. No one in my area as far as suppliers seems to know what roofers are doin to vent in this instance. I suggested we use ridge vent (black, plastic mesh) underneath roof-to-wall metal and one supplier thought that sounded crazy and would look ugly. Possibly correct about that.

Is it typical to just not vent? Realistically, how bad is this?

Various  versions of a roof vent that comes up through the surface. There are several variations - this type has an internal part that comes up from the base sheet that is flashed in place over a hole, so that water does not get down inside despite having all those louvered openings.


Mount ceiling fan to joist on sloped ceiling I need to mount a ceiling fan to a ceiling joist in a sloped ceiling. I recently installed an electrical box onto the joist for this. The problem I have now is that the ceiling fan bracket is intended to be bolted left-to-right whereas the mounting holes on my electrical box are top-to-bottom along the joist.

If I mount the fan bracket vertically, the little key, which needs to be at the bottom of the bracket, is on the left side (see pic below). I don't think that mounting the bracket sideways is an option given the way that the joist and box are oriented. So should I modify the bracket - by attempting to hacksaw off the key and JB weld it onto the bottom (best idea I can think of)? Any other ideas?

Sloped ceiling

Electrical box

Hanging ball

Mounting bracket with key on the left (normally on bottom).

I would consider getting a metal plate adapter similar to this:

You can mount this to the screw holes in the ceiling electrical box. Then in turn you can mount the fan hanger bracket in the correct orientation. As shown you can see there are plenty of options to adjust the positions of everything including the possibility to install captive bolts and nuts to which you could attach the fan bracket.

Edit:
There are various places to acquire plates like this. Google search for "ceiling fixture adapter plate" and you may locate a source such as here:

https://www.platt.com/platt-electric-supply/Metallic-Box-Accessories-Mounting-Brackets-Universal/Dottie/SP34/product.aspx?zpid=674218


Is it safe to mix LEDs and incandescents in a chandelier? I've been having an issue for a while now where my chandelier light fixture installed with six Cree 60W LED replacement bulbs flickers when I raise my traditional dimmer to max brightness.  As I understand it, the reason for this flickering is because the Cree bulbs can not handle the high current induced by the dimmer. My budget is pretty small right now and I would like to avoid buying $25 led dimmers (since I have several fixtures with traditional dimmers that would need replacing).

So, one possible solution I was thinking of was to simply use one or two incandescent light bulbs in place of the LEDs to increase the resistance of the circuit and hopefully end the flickering issue.  My only concern with doing this is whether it will damage the LED bulbs in any serious way (I'm okay with any funny colors that may result).

Thanks.

The flicker is likely because your dimmer is indeed incompatible with LEDs -- it was designed to drive electronic low-voltage "transformers" used with 12V (typically halogen or low-voltage LED) lighting systems.  Switching to a dimmer made for CFL/LED or incandescent/halogen service should cure it.


toilet intermittent runs I live in high rise condo with identical units on each floor.  Only when my neighbor directly above me flushes his toilet does my commode run briefly.  My toilet functions correctly.  Our building engineer has no answer for this.

It's normal. Your "out pipe" and his share a connection. As the water rushes past your connection, suction is created, and a little water goes "out" your toilet. I would get one of those "refresh" kits that replace the flapper, just to be sure and call it done.


propane line installation I have a cottage in Connecticut that is gutted and being re-built. It is on a slab. There are 2" x 4" studs (stringers) lying flat over plastic on the cement floor. I wanted to install conduit now, along a stringer, that will be under the not yet installed  plywood and oak flooring. This would be for future installation of an LP line, for a propane fireplace. There is a 1 1/2 inch clearance between the cement and the flooring. If I put a 1 1/2" sleeve, will that be large enough to run a LP line through, and what is the best type of material to use
?
Thank you

Is that the only thing that will run on propane?

The amount of other appliances and length of run determine pipe diameter.

I have propane in my place and it starts with 1" outside the house @10 PSI, then it hooks to a regulator that goes down to 3/4" Corrugated stainless steel (CSST) and 1/2 PSI. Then from there it branches out to all my appliances in 1/2" CSST by means of connectors that allow the branching off to other sizes. That does not mean it will work with what you need, these systems are usually designed, but you could prep for the largest possible diameter...


Elevating a Gas Hot Water Heater We just bought a major fixer-upper, our gas hot water heater is in an unfinished basement (storm cellar) on a dirt floor with nothing protecting the bottom and providing for runoff.  We do have a tube we installed from release valve which extends almost to the floor just in case.  We would like to elevate the HWH to protect it from surrounding dirt and provide for runoff.  What do you suggest?

You don't necessarily need to elevate it to protect it from the dirt.  They make a water heater drain pain http://www.homedepot.com/p/24-in-Plastic-Water-Heater-Drain-Pan-15021/204834496 for this purpose.  (I have no affiliation with home depot, they just have a conveniently searchable site).  They're 1) cheap 2) solve your problem and 3) have a hose fitting to attach a line to your sump pit or floor drain.


Has anyone installed pavers using a mat? I have seen these "paver mat" products in a few places. They claim it replaces most or all of  the crushed stone underneath the pavers. Has anyone installed pavers with one of these? They do claim they are only for walking traffic, not driveways.
http://www.lowes.com/pd/Brock-36-in-L-x-24-in-W-Interlocking-Paver-Base-Panel/3609858

Any thoughts by someone who has experience with pavers?

Since your question asks about someone with experience in regards to pavers, and I do, I will answer this.

While with any pavers I do not recommend heavy equipment, I do not consider a car to be heavy equipment as much as I do a forklift.

Gravel as a base is used for a foundation that withstands most shifting and prevents most sinkage. So the idea that you can only walk on this tells me it is pretty much worthless for what is being replaced. The cost of this material is high and to top that off, I can only assume laying out these mats and leveling the ground with sand will be more difficult than just leveling off one paver stone at a time over sand.

I use pavers all the time in driveways and the process is simple. Base gravel, sand, paver, backfill cracks with sand.

I would not recommend the paver mats.


Reattach carpet to one wall - looking for advice/suggestions First off, some pictures of the carpet I am looking to re-stretch:

I recently finished remodeling a bathroom, and in the process moved a wall, so in the adjacent room we pulled up the carpet along that one wall. Now that we're done, I need to re-stretch and attach the carpet.

I had a quote from a company to re-stretch the carpet but I am also curious what sort of time/frustration it might take for me to try it myself. I'm fairly handy. I can get some tools from Harbor Freight (I know, I know) for fairly cheap, but wondering if this is a job that's just worth having a professional do. If I do it myself, I might save some money but if it's going to take me several hours, it may not be worth it. So, my questions are:

Can this be done using only a knee kicker, or would I need a stretcher too?
Is it possible to get the carpet taut without weird loose spots given that it's only one wall
Any advice on tooling, tack strips, etc. would be appreciated

Looking for any advice, experiences, anything. I have a tentative appointment for the carpet company to come tomorrow afternoon so hopefully can cancel and save some money. Thanks!

No that quote is too high, especially the 300 side of the quote. You are paying a company, not the installer who gets less than half of that. You should seek out an installer and be able to get that done for ~100, which is reasonable.

Doing the job yourself will be a little more difficult than you might want to get involved in.

First you need to get the knee kicker, then tack strip, some reinforcement nails, something for the room transition (metal, wood, etc.).

Second you are dealing with Berber carpet, which will be difficult to stretch and cut. The berber carpet is stiffer than regular cut pile carpet, so any bubbles/wrinkles will be harder to kick out. The continuous fiber strand will be prone to snagging if not fully cut, pulling across the room and leaving a gap. Plus the chance of leaving cut marks on newly finished baseboards.

But this can be done if competent enough.

When cutting the tack strip, you can use tin snips. It won't damage them for the few cuts you will make. Lay the tack strip against the wall with a distance of 1/2" (approximately the width of your finger). Make sure the tacks are leaning towards the wall, so as to catch the backing of the carpet when stretched over it. The gap you left is where the carpet will be tuck into when trimmed.

If nailing into concrete,  make sure you use smooth deliberate hammer strokes so as not to have nail deflection. If nailing into anything harder than concrete,  use a 5/16" masonary drill bit and use 3/4"stub nails to secure the tack strip down. Use reinforcement nails where ever necessary.

Before laying the carpet down,  make sure the padding is up to but not on the tack strip. Trim if necessary.

When stretching the carpet with the knee kicker,  try not to drag your knee or you'll end up with a really sore knee/carpet burn. After each knee kick you will rub/press the carpet onto the tack strip, using a hammer that is clean, to secure it. Keeping the knee kicker perpendicular to the wall, when kicking.

For trimming the carpet,  you will want to have a very sharp knife and take your time. For this small of a job you can use a utility knife. Fold the carpet back from the wall without pulling the carpet off the tack strip. Without pressing down too hard on your knife, make a cut a 1/2“ from the fold along the wall. If you have trouble cutting the Berber strands, you can cut them with a scissor. When done with a section, tuck it in with a spackling/paint tool (a 3-n-1 will work as well).

Just take your time if you do this on your own.


Should I attempt to get to a potentially damaged trap and check it out myself? I have a back up in my garage drain.  I mopped it up and today I returned to see the same, nasty smelling liquid had returned to almost the exact same level and quantity that was previously there.  Questions/thoughts/comments?  Some initial research says that it is linked into the kitchen, and use of the kitchen is what backs it up.  It then Ys to the main, and the main was tested as good to the road.

I was told by one plumber that it's probably a crushed pipe seeing as I and he was unable to snake it.  Should I attempt to bust the cement up and get to the trap and check it out myself?  What is the level of experience needed for that?

I question whether busting up the concrete right away is the correct thing to do, it seems a bit premature to me.  I would try to get a camera with a locator down there so you can at least get an idea of where the sewer goes and then break up a localized section of concrete if the image is too poor.

Most of what is required to do this is just manual labor - busting up the concrete and hauling it away, and then digging until you get to the sewer - could be a few inches or several feet deep and your concrete is probably about 4" deep.

You would most likely want to rent a jackhammer from your local tool rental.

Assuming it was a crushed pipe, you'd need to remove the old section and replace it.  You don't mention what the sewer is made of, but this might involve cutting and gluing PVC, or be more complicated and involve connecting different types of materials like clay or cast iron to PVC (as the patch).  Each one of these would be a good candidate for a new question.

You'll need to be mindful of any other buried utilities and if it is clay, expect to find some tree roots (sometimes really big ones!).

Definitely DIY-able but be prepared for a lot of back breaking work, and assuming the backup doesn't drain on its own (usually some liquid can still move), a lot of filthy sewage water.  Make sure you take precautions to protect yourself - gloves, eye protection, mask, rubber boots.


Can I run power from inside cabinets to an externally mounted fixture? I want to install wall sconce fixtures on the outside of my bathroom cabinets. I have power inside from the wall already. Would it be to code if I cut a hole in the cabinet, mounted a metal box, and ran EMT from the wall to the box? See pictures.

Yes, when doing in-bench or in-cabinet work like that, I am very comfortable with EMT, provided it is anchored properly and not used as a hanger for other things.


Removing a GFI outlet in laundry room I had an electrician come and add an outlet so that the washer could have a dedicated outlet. They added a second outlet (GFI) that trips both outlets when I run the heavy duty washer on a big load. The washer is a Maytag and is brand new-had them out to check it-and the repair man said this is common with this model. Can I simply pull out the new gfi and install a standard outlet? Washing machine is currently running on an extension cord without interruption . Thoughts?

NEC 2017, which is the most adopted version currently, requires at least one dedicated 20A circuit to at least one or all receptacles in the laundry room and all require GFCI protection -- 210.8(A)(10) and they should be accessible where they can be tested and reset as per the manufacturer instructions.  This means not stuffed behind the washer at the bottom where you can't reach it without having to remove the washer.

Also worth noting is the laundry room lights are NOT allowed to be on the laundry circuit.  I know a lot of people have their washer and dryer in the most odd places so this is a often overlooked code for older homes.

For your current situation I'd recommend getting a different model washing machine as safety from GFCI protection can be the difference of life and death.


TP-link Kasa 2 way HS200 only controls 1 of 7 lights HELP for a SmartHome / Electrical noob here
Our kitchen has 11 recessed lights - 6+4 on the main roof and 1 over the sink. The 6+1 are controlled by one 2 way switch (A). The other 4 by a 3-way setup (switches B and C). Switch (A) and (B) are in a 2 gang plate. (C) is on the other end of the kitchen.
I replaced (A) - the 2 way switch that controlled 6+1 recessed lights in the kitchen - with the 2 way HS200 V3. It turns on fine, but only controls 1 of the 7 lights now - the one above the sink. The other 6 stay turned off. Switches (B) and (C) are working fine as usual and controlling the other 4 lights.
(A) had 3 wires as shown in the img below. The "white" wire was connected to the side screw and had black tape around it, so likely "hot". How do I wire this thing?

The bulbs are all LED rated 8-11W / ~96mA. The HS200 I believe is rated 600W / 5A Incandescent and 600W / 15A LED.

This won't answer the reason why it worked-sort-of, nor exactly how you're wired - I'll leave that to the real electricians - but, I don't think you can use the HS200.
The HS200 requires a neutral for itself.  Because it's a smart switch, and not just an expensive detachable piece of metal, it actually consumes current; so it can't just have a hot wire passing through it.
TPLink's page on installing the switch covers this in some (poorly written) detail.
If the black-wrapped wires (B1,W1) were solely going to the breaker, and the yellow-wrapped wires (B2,W2,copper) were solely going to the lights, then you could make it work - you'd have your neutral.  But, that doesn't seem to be what you have, based on what you wrote - if that were the case then you'd not be able to turn on only the one light and not the others.
The yellow wrapped wire is irrelevant here - it is relevant to the lights it feeds, of course, but from the point of view of powering your switch, you need three wires plus ground: two wires that go back to the circuit breaker (one each, hot and neutral), and a third (hot) wire that goes to the light (with the light also having one go back to the breaker's neutral).
Consult an electrician, who can install a neutral wire for you to the switch, and fix the wiring of the current switches as needed.
You also could consider a smart switch that doesn't require a neutral, though I would bring an electrician in to make sure your wiring isn't wrong in other ways; but see for example this article about smart switches which do not require neutral, which also does have a nice bit explaining what your setup probably is like (disregarding the yellow-wrapped wires, which seems like they're just piggybacking on the black-wrapped ones).


Removing IKEA "Vikarn" shower-curtain rod I need to remove my IKEA "Vikarn" shower-curtain rod. The screws are covered by a piece which is shown on page 10 of the assembly instructions. This piece clicks on, as shown, but how can I get it off?  Neither twisting nor pulling seems to do the trick, and I've forgotten what the inside of the piece looks like.

The cap is very similar to a most any plastic lidded container with a tiny lip clicking over another tiny lip. UnhandledExcepSean would be correct that a little pry with a thin stiff device should pop them apart.

Sometimes in just 1 spot is all that's needed and other times you'll need 2 devices and walk the prying halfway around before they pop free. It just depends on precision and quality control differences between the caps, if any.


Can I wire my guest bathroom on one circuit? I am remodeling a small bathroom attached to a guest bedroom and I am wondering if I can wire the whole thing on one branch circuit.

The bathroom is divided into two parts:

a 5x5 room, behind a door, with just a toilet and a shower.  This part has an overhead LED light and a wall-mounted fan.

just outside the 5x5 room, a sink with a mirror.  This part has two wall-mounted lamps, one on each side of the mirror, and a GFCI receptacle.

Can all of this be wired safely and code-compliant on one circuit?  Would I use 12 AWG wire throughout, and a GFCI breaker at the panel?

Thanks!

Yes, in the US under the NEC you can wire a single bathroom on a 20A circuit, provided that circuit feeds ONLY loads within that one bathroom. This circuit cannot be shared with other rooms or other bathrooms.
This is not to say this is best practice, but it can be done.

210.11 Branch Circuits Required
(C) Dwelling Units.
(3) Bathroom Branch Circuits.
In addition to the number of branch circuits required by other parts
of this section, at least one 20-ampere branch circuit shall be
provided to supply bathroom receptacle outlet(s). Such circuits shall
have no other outlets.
Exception: Where the 20-ampere circuit supplies a single bathroom, outlets for other equipment within the same bathroom shall
be permitted to be supplied in accordance with 210.23(A)(1) and
(A)(2).


Why does the overflow pipe on a water heater open to the floor? See here, in a standard home water heater, how there's an overflow pipe which would just dump the extra water on the floor if activated.

Why is this? Why does it not go the same way as the drain on a sink or bathtub, or a toilet? (I am not sure what those output pipes for drains are actually called....waste pipes? drain pipes?)

Why would you ever want it to pour out onto the floor?

A- This is not an "overflow" pipe.

B- It is not connected to an "overflow" valve.

C- It is a drain pipe connected to a Temperature & Pressure Relief Valve which is not only a legal requirement, but a critical safety device to prevent an over-pressure event (boiler explosion- google it)

For years and years, it was common to see no pipe at all. The pipe is a great idea whether or not it is plumbed to a drain or alternative location because if the valve activates it is less of a hazard to humans when scalding steam and water are directed downward and away from hapless victims. Some (if not all) localities require that they be plumbed to the exterior of the building or to a floor drain if the appliance is located in the home. Appliances outside of the home (as yours appears to be) may not be subject to the same requirement. Check with your local building code authority office.

P.S.- there should not be water coming from that drain pipe. If there is you may have a defective TP Valve (or worse, a malfunctioning boiler). Call a plumber.


How do you block cold air flow from an AC vent without blocking the vent? From what I've read it seems that it's a bad idea to cover central air conditioning vents. So what can I do to control the cold air coming through one vent without lowering the AC for the rest of the house? It needs to be easy to put on and take off as needed.

Is there any type of insulation or absorbing material that would absorb the cold part of the air and not block the airflow?

(Additional non essential info: We have one small room in the house that has a central AC vent, and because it's a small room it gets cold very fast. No window in the room.)

They do make sheet magnets if your register is steel and not aluminum. Generally they have dampers in the registers for just such a reason. Just a word of caution, the heating and air conditioning system does require a certain amount of air to operate properly. If the system and duct work has all been sized properly then shutting off a small vent will probably not be a problem. But if the ducts are too small to begin with you could run into issues with the cooling coil freezing or liquid refrigerant getting back to the compressor. Or the furnace overheating. It is basically the same problem as a continuously dirty filter.


How to replace a light fixture that has a 3-way light switch Box] I have a light fixture above a stairwell. There are two live switches that control it, one at the bottom of the stairs, one at the top. The wiring is relatively new about 25 years old (all copper, no knob and tube).

I removed the existing light fixture, which functioned well, with the intention to install a new fixture. I forgot to make notes on how the existing one was connected to the ceiling box. There are two black, two white wires, and one bare copper ground wire. One black wire is always live, it seems to be independent of the two switches. The other black wire and the two white wires are not live, independent of the two switches. I have a multimeter to measure the current.

I am confused as to how I am supposed to connect the new light fixture. Please help!

Ok first you're going to have to take the cover plates off the two switches and take photos.

Chances are two of those wires are meant to be hooked together as the "traveler" between switches.  Or, perhaps, that one hot wire is power feed to this setup, you need send hot down some line (maybe the other black) for the circuit to work.  In that case one of the whites is neutral, the other is switched hot to the bulb.

You can see a bunch of wiring options for 3 way switches at https://www.easy-do-it-yourself-home-improvements.com/3-way-switch-wiring-diagram.html

Next time, take photo before!


Faint sewer smell in highrise bathroom during high winds in one direction? I rent an apartment in a highrise, and often smell a faint sewage smell when there are high north-westerly winds with gusts.  Following suggestions on a past Stack Exchange posting, I did the simple test for a dry P-trap under the bathtub, i.e., putting my ear to the bathtub drain and listened for the flush of the adjacent toilet.  The P-trap doesn't seem to have dried out.

What are some other possible explanations of a faint sewage-like smell in a highrise bathroom, occurring only when there are high winds coming from a particular direction?

Strong wind gusts here in Toronto will cause the water level in my toilet bowl to move up and down, almost as if it were being plunged. I'm on the second floor of a century factory loft. The wild variation in air pressure during strong winds must put pressure on the vent stack. Sometimes the water level in the toilet drops low enough to allow air from the stack to gurgle into the apartment. This is the kind of scenario that could be alowing sewer gases into your apartment, either through the toilet, tub, lavatory sink or kitchen sink.


Preserving cracked concrete I have a garage built with concrete blocks and the walls are surrounded on the outside by a layer of concrete rendering.

The problem is that large cracks have built up in the rendering over time, probably as there are no expansion joints anywhere.

I'm considering what might happen in the winter if water/ice gets into/behind these cracks and starts to make some of the rendering fall off.

I was going to paint over the cracks, however is there a better way than this that I can preserve the current state of the rendering?

(P.S.: I'll post some pictures if it helps)

Update: pictures now added:

There are stucco crack patch products out there. For lack of a better explanation, they are essentially sanded caulk:

Use that to fill in the cracks, then paint over with proper stucco paint (breathable latex).


Does it make sense to paint floors prior to installing laminate flooring? I am building a new home & am taken aback by all of the never ending dust. Does it make sense to paint the subfloors prior to installing the flooring, in order to seal the dust. We have swept & vacuumed repeatedly, yet the constant drywall & grout dust persists.

I have always painted my own subfloors. My reasoning is that what ever finished floor material I use will be more easily removed if the subfloor is painted. The carpet underlayment/pad doesn't stick as firmly, Press and stick vinyl tiles adhere  better. My biggest reason is spills are less likely to penetrate into the plywood and cause odor or mold issues later.


Feasibility of using corn seed as a sandbox For an outdoor sandbox, how feasible is it to use corn seed instead of sand?

I rather enjoy how corn seed feels compared to sand, but I have a couple of concerns:

Rot: How long would it last? How much of a difference would covering (with a pavilion) make?
Price: how expensive is it compared to sand?

So you want to spread a viable, sprouting, organic product several inches deep in a container exposed to the environment?

Hope you like birds, 'cause every flying creature for kilometers will be coming by for lunch.

Also hope you like small rodents, at least the seed-eating types. The local squirrels will love your place.

Also hope you are in a rather arid area. Rain will soak everything and it will start to rot, high humidity will cause things to start growing.

This might be practical if it is indoors. As in climate controlled. An open (or fabric) sided gazebo in the back yard is not "indoors"


EMT Conduit Strapping to a Narrow Joist I going to run 1/2" EMT conduit on the bottom of a joist. The standard straps I have are too wide to get both nails/screws in. I would prefer to run the conduit down the center of the joist. I wouldn't be able to do this with a single nail/screw strap. I was thinking of using a thick metal tape with holes every inch or so in it. I have some holding up my gas line. Do they still make it? If so, what is it called? Or could I used plastic zip lock ties instead?

Try using a minerallac strap. I really not much for perforated strapping. See image although it is legal.

Hope this helps.


Does it make sense to work on the hardwood floor first, not last? The standard wisdom, as mentioned by the fellow renting floor sanders at the local big box store, is to paint the ceiling first, paint the walls second, and finally sand the hardwood floor and paint with polyurethane.

I'm concerned by the dust generated during sanding. Even if I wait several days for the walls to cure properly, I'm sure some wood dust will need to be wiped.

And so I'm wondering: It seems that sanding/painting the floors after painting the ceilings, and painting the walls last, is the more sensible approach. Is it?

What about the ceilings? Since I'll anyway have the floor carefully covered with plastic sheets (or lots of newspapers?), does it make sense to also paint the ceilings after doing the hardwood floor?

No. Modern "dustless" sanders are quite clean, and if you have to wipe some walls it is still likely less work than protecting the floor perfectly. And while you can always clean up dust, you can't touch up paint drips or floor scratches nearly as easily.

I made this mistake. I painted after doing floors in my kitchen renovation, because the floors were hired out but I did the painting myself later. There are some small drips of paint still visible on the floor. Not a huge deal, and I could have been more careful and avoided them, but if the order were reversed it would not have been a problem.

So bottom line, you can do either approach, but all other things being equal, it's preferable to paint before refinishing floors.


Aprilaire 500 humidifier on an Amana AMS8 furnace I have a new furnace that did not come with a humidifier and I'd like to put one on - I've done some basic wiring in the past, but it's not my strong suit and I'm a little confused :)

Here's where I'm confused. According to this wiring document for the humidifier, it says to use the 110v -> 24v converter to power the solenoid (bottom right of the left hand diagram):

However, I've read a lot of articles online that say that some furnaces already have a dedicated 24v connection I could use instead (as long as it's not the blower connection) - does that make sense? The furnace is an Amana AMS81005CXAC, and the hookups are here (thermostat wires come in on the right):

The circuit board says "Emerson Climate Technologies" and has what looks to be an unused/unusable humidifier hookup on the left? I don't have a manual for this board, so I don't know.

The AMS8 manual has only this to say about a 24Vac humidifier: "The yellow wire connected to the ID Blower pressure switch is powered anytime the pressure switch is closed and provides 24VAC humidifier control. Remove the yellow wire and connect a field supplied jumper wire with a piggyback terminal to the pressure switch terminal. [...] Connect the COM side of the humidifier to the C terminal on the furnace control board or to the COM side of the 24VAC transformer."

So I guess where I'm at is:

Do I need to install a 110v outlet (there isn't one on or near the furnace) and use the included 110v -> 24v converter to power the solenoid? Do you see any places where I can hook up the solenoid power on the circuit board instead?

For the automatic humidistat, aka what you have

Since you're using the automatic humidity controller, this gets somewhat...interesting.  Wire up the R, C, W, and Gf terminals as directed to the furnace terminal block -- you will need to pull the G wire from the thermostat off the terminal block and send it to the G terminal on the auto-humidistat as well.  Then, jumper the R terminal from the furnace to one H terminal on the humidity controller, and connect the humidifier valve wires to the other H and the C terminal on the auto-humidistat.

If you were using the manual humidistat

There is a yellow wire going from pin 10 of the 12 pin control board connector to the blower pressure switch i.e. the yellow wire that goes into the pin on that connector closest to the terminal block -- you'll need to tap into that wire and send it off to the humidistat as well as to the blower pressure switch.  Your other wire from the humidistat goes to one terminal of the water valve, with the other terminal of the water valve getting spliced into the blue C (Common) wire from the transformer.

In general, a wire tap like that would be done by cutting the wire, crimping a female tab terminal (faston, quick-connect) on one end and a male tab terminal on the other, and then using a female/male tab terminal tap connector to make the 3-way connection.  (So called "vampire tap" terminals aren't as reliable as properly made crimps.)


Can I install a switch on my overhead door opener's circuit for added security? Garage doors in our neighborhood are being opened by a master code. Can an electrician wire the light switch to shut off power to the garage, so the door doesn't open at night or when we are away? I have seen the locks you can install on the door itself.

Yes, a switch that shuts off power to the garage door opener would make it unresponsive to commands from a remote (or anything else, such as a hardwired button). In some models, it may be possible to wire a separate switch to disable only the remote receiver while maintaining the functionality of wired buttons.

You may also look into setting a new code for your opener - this may not help but you should at least ensure the current setting isn't simply the factory default.

Another option, aside from replacing the whole opener with a new model that is more secure, might be to get an aftermarket remote kit and replace the built-in remote system. These are wired like a button control, but come with their own remote receiver and transmitters.

An electrician or garage door specialist should be able to help you with these.


Should I attempt to save 4" cast iron DWV fittings and pipe? I'm in the process of ripping out an old cast iron drainage stack that runs clear from the roof to the basement with a few elbows and wyes in the mix.

I'm in Portland, Oregon (west coast USA), and my question is basically "is this cast iron worth keeping intact?" If the answer is "no", then I can save myself some time and just go at it with a sledgehammer and bust it all up. But, since I'm on a tight budget with this remodel, if I can recoup some of my expenses by cleaning up and reselling the cast iron, I would like to do that. There is a total of perhaps 2 wyes, one cleanout wye, two closet elbows, and two 90" elbows, and about 18ft of straight pipe (HxS).

I am in Portland too.  Hardly anyone uses cast iron pipe anymore, so there is little demand for it.  Possibly you could donate it to the Rebuilding Center (on N. Mississippi) and take a tax deduction for it.  Otherwise, it is scrap cast iron.

There is wide variation of pricing between scrap buyers.

Bulk prices nationwide are estimated at $205 to $235 per metric ton, or $0.09 to $0.106 per pound.  It does not matter how big or small the pieces are.

None of the Portland area scrap dealers advertise their prices online.  Here is a list of contacts so you can call around and/or visit.

However, in negotiating a rate, it is better that the cast iron be relatively pure and free of mud, crud, waste, and other metals.  Hosing it down should be good enough.


Can I provide a secondary power source for my thermostat? The thermostat at my home is set up with only the 24 power and return through the relay. I would like to add a 'smart' thermostat, however the line is fairly well buried in the wall/basement ceiling and will not be fun to rewire to add the 'c' return path. However, I have fairly easy access to all walls via the main ceiling. If I were to add another 24v transformer, could I run an independent line to power the thermostat? My concern is that the input power for the thermostat and the relay will be common, this thwarting my plan. Would the inputs be jumped that I can remove, or is my screwball idea hopeless?

If there's an easy way to get from the basement to the main ceiling, then you could just run an entirely new cable for your thermostat. There's nothing that says you have to follow the existing path. Just abandon the old cable.

You could even take advantage of this to move the thermostat to a better location, if you were so inclined.