Connecting 4-wire supply to 3-wire outlet for bathroom fan timer switch I am aware that there are similar questions on this site. However, because this is about electrical wiring (in the bathroom to boot), I want to make sure I am doing things correctly.
I am attempting to change a push button timer switch for the extractor fan. The current one has 4 wires (black, white, green and red) feeding into it, and it's clearly marked what goes where. The one I bought (https://www.venmar.ca/232-accessories-20-minute-lighted-push-button-12030.html) just has 'OL', 'OC' and 'I'. I have searched online at length and I cannot figure out what goes where.
I think I should just cap the green (grounding) wire, then connect the black (hot), white (neutral) and red (hot) wires to the OL, OC and I respectively. But I wanted to make sure. Hope someone can help me out.
Also, if someone can explain the logic here of the OL, OC and I, that would be welcome. Or direct me to relevant literature.
Thanks!
Edit 1: I'm in Canada, Quebec more specifically.
Edit 2: The fan. I just moved here so I don't know what's the brand or model of the fan. And I am unsure how to find it.

Edit 3: The current switch.

I believe you are in the UK?  Every country has different standards... so not sure how to address your issue.  I went to the site you provided and found their instructions rather lacking... (https://www.venmar.ca/DATA/DOCUMENT/243_5_en~v~installation-manual.pdf) It almost appears that the motor/unit gets the power.  THEN, a "type 22/4" wire (per the installation instructions) goes from the motor to the "push button" controller.  Those strange codes of "OL', 'OC' and 'I" are on terminals in both the motor unit and the controller switch, and all you need to do (if I am correct) is make sure that you connect the OL from the motor to the OL of the switch, and the OC of the motor to the OC of the switch, etc.


help with improving HVAC performance on the second floor of an old house I'm hoping some of you can offer some advice on how best to add a second AC in our home -- or on whether we should look for a different solution. I should say upfront that I've done a lot of reading on this topic and feel more confused than ever. I'm not crazy about the idea of an attic AC (leaks, cost, efficiency). But I also want my pregnant wife and soon-to-be newborn to be comfortable. Some of the more popular alternatives won't work for us, whether they're minisplits (wife hates the look) or a whole house fan (wife has bad allergies and we try not to open our windows because of friction / encapsulated lead paint).

Anyway! We live in central Indiana in a 1920s brick colonial -- no insulation in the walls, a few inches of cellulose in the unfinished attic. The house is about 1700 square feet and currently has a newish Lennox 2.5 ton AC, but while the house has plenty of supplies and returns downstairs there are no returns upstairs. (There is a supply in each room upstairs -- I'll put a copy of the upstairs floor plan, about 750 square feet, at the end of this post.)

In the summer there's a noticeable difference in temperature and mugginess between the two levels, and I really hate the idea of making the downstairs freezing during the night just so the upstairs is bearable. We're considering putting a second AC in in our unfinished attic with the idea that it'd allow us more comfort and more control.

We've received three bids -- the two I'm still considering are in the $4800 range for the labor, second condenser, air handler, and a low-powered electric heater if we ever need to supplement in the winter.

A couple questions in case we go with the second AC. Based on the floor plan below, would you put a supply and a return in each room (one bid's proposal) or just put a supply in each bedroom and a bigger return in the hallway, near the stairs (another bid's proposal)? I imagine we'll be shutting the doors more with kids, but there's a big gap between each door and the floor since the previous owners had thick carpet and tile, which we removed.

Second question: how much do we need to worry about the ductwork and unit being in the very warm attic, outside the house's "envelope"? I've asked both vendors about this, based on my reading online, and they both said it wouldn't be an issue with our smaller house -- and that the AC units will have insulated cabs and that the ductwork will be insulated, too.

Of course, this second AC may be a terrible idea in the first place given the possibility of water leaks and inefficiency and whatever else. So third question: would finding an unobtrusive way to run one return up the second floor hallway and sealing / insulating the heck out the attic be worth trying first? (I don't want to insulate the walls because that's very tricky with brick.) Maybe one return plus a better attic solution and possibly a portable AC unit will be enough.

Or maybe there's a way to do a permanent attic AC smartly (and to make my pregnant wife happy). Curious to hear your thoughts. Sorry for the novel length post! If I've forgotten to add any details please let me know.

Best,
Craig

I've been the HVAC industry for more than three decades. To answer both of your questions: The ideal installation would involve installing a return and a supply to each room. This allows you to accurately and more precisely control the climate in each room. The answer to your second question: Yes, you will need to insulate the ducting outside the insulated envelope of your home. If you do not insulate the ducting it will sweat, causing water damage to your home. Home this helps. Hope I answered all of your questions. P.S. Shop around and hire a legitimate HVAC contractor who will size your equipment properly or you might get stuck with the wrong size HVAC unit. Good luck to you and congratulations on your growing family!


Are BTU's only calculated using square feet? I'm building a 16'x20' storage building with a barn roof, so it's pretty much a 2 story area. Will I calculate the BTU's using 320 sq.ft. for my window unit? (Not for heating, just cooling.)

If you are not scared of math...

"R-Value" on insulation is SqFt•Hr•Degree F / BTU (USA-units)

So 1 square foot of R1 material can be held one degree different for one hour by one BTU. One square foot of R11 material can be held at 11 degrees difference for one hour by the same one BTU, or 11 square feet of it could be held at 1 degree difference.

My inference is that you are, at present, asking about cooling this storage shed. Taking the very rough approximation that it is a 16x20X16 box, you have 320 square feet of floor, 320 square feet of ceiling, 640 square feet of long side wall and 512 square feet of endwall. This is not an accurate assumption, but it will ballpark fairly well for what I assume is a gambrel roof shed. That is 1792 square feet of surface area. If it's uninsulated, R1 is a good approximation for plywood or similar walls, and you would need 1792 BTUs/hr to maintain 1 degree of difference between inside and outside temperatures. So if you want to cool it to 78F on a 98F day, you'd need roughly 36,000 BTUs/hr.

If you insulated it to R11 on all surfaces, 3,300 BTU/hr would be (approximately) sufficient for the same differential.

There are some adjustments for reality that will alter this a bit:

The shed won't be airtight, and as conditioned air leaks out,
unconditioned air will leak in, and need to be conditioned, requiring
additional capacity. Approximately 13.9 cubic feet of air weighs 1
pound, and air has a specific heat of 0.24 (it takes 0.24 BTU to
heat/cool one pound of air one degree F) - there are 5120 cubic feet
of air in my simplified model of your building, and if we assume it's
not very tight and has 1 air change per hour, that means you have to
condition 368 pounds of air per hour, at an additional load of 88.4
BTUs/Hr for every degree difference or about 1800 additional BTUs/Hr
for 20 degrees difference - regardless of insulation value (but
subject to changes depending how well you seal the building, thus
altering the rate of air exchange.)
Insulation installed between studs results in a wall assembly with a
total R-value somewhat less than the R value of the insulation
between the studs, since the studs are not as good at insulating as
the insulation is.

The standard guide on the side of an air conditioner box conflating BTUs/hr capacity to a certain number of square feet to be cooled is built on a HUGE number of assumptions, and is not very reliable as a result.

The same principles apply to the units the rest of the world uses (watts, meters, degrees C) but the numbers associated change.

Likewise, the same math applies to heating, but the amount you might want to use for a differential temperature may be much larger, depending where you live and how warm you want to keep the structure.


hot water circulating pump I have a newer home about year old, ever since we moved in we have had this problem. its a two bath home single level with the master at the far end of the garage were the hot water tank is in the garage. We have a Grundfos UP10-16A pump just for the master bathroom. The plumber installed the pump at the hot water tank return the water into the bottom of the tank were the drain was I looked at the installation direction on line at Grundfos and this one way the show it to be done. The problem is the two lav's sinks in the master work great instant hot and stay hot but the shower which has a Moen shower mixer valve, comes on gets hot fairly quickly but then gets cold and then gets hot again so your adjusting temperature the whole time you are trying to shower. I have rebuilt the shower valve with new cartridge and limit set and handle stop and etc.... but that didn't help like I said its only year old. The pump has three settings   Auto, Temperature, or 100% I have tried all of them makes no difference. Any Suggestions

I have heard of issues like this with Moen "pressure balance" valves, in circumstances where there is a pressure difference between the hot and cold supply (call Moen, they will tell you about it too). You said the valve was fairly new so it is likely a pressure-balancing unit, and this sound like a pressure-balance feature malfunction. Turn the pump OFF and test the system to see if the problem goes away.

If the test proves the pump is the cause then it may be oversized for the small single circuit on which it has been installed, maintaining an increased pressure on the hot-water side even with the water running, whereas optimal would be for the pressure to drop to normal system pressure when the valve is opened. As a matter of fact, removing any restriction to flow, as suggested already by others, might help (though, counterintuitively, for a totally different reason).

Grundfos re-circulators are powerful pumps, putting one on a small loop is not commonly done. More often a thermosiphon circulating loop is established, without a pump, and they work quite well. You could convert yours just by yanking out the pump and connecting the pipes up (make sure there is a check valve on the return line near the boiler, as mentioned by @d.george.

Diagram shamelessly stolen from the internet


Is my kitchen cabinet door beyond repair? My cabinet door became damaged as my sister put all her weight on it to pull herself up :-)

Repairing the door is very tricky as these cabinet doors are on the kitchen island and the particle board panels they attach to are very thin (only 6/8 of an inch thick) and in addition, any repair on the outside part will ruin the look of the island. The hinges on the door side are in good order, and the paneling that needs repair is the one on the island piece.

Our handy man attempted a repair putting epoxy glue or something like that and this lasted only a year and has fallen apart once more (pictures show the white glue-like substance attached to the paneling and the hinges).

Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Would the technique of toothpicks and carpenter glue work on cabinetry that isn't real wood but particle board?

Plan A) I'd try to remove the glue, fill the holes†, let it set and then re-drill the holes

Plan B) Use repair plates designed for this job Example

Plan C) If all fails I'd spend $10 on one of these, put it in my old electric drill's chuck and relocate the hinges.

† Using maybe something like an "Interior Wood Filler that holds screws and nails".


Furnace blower motor won't turn off I've replaced both limit switches on my Comfortmaker furnace plus the control board. Blower continues to run and the unit will still heat my home. Component changeouts did not make a difference in it's operation. I was thinking that the problem might be in the transformer, but since I am getting heat when called for from the main thermostat, I'm thinking that isn't the source of the problem. Thermostat fan control is set on Auto. All of a sudden, the blower motor would not stop running though it continues to heat the home.
Furnace motor capacitor looks good.
I disconnecting wiring at thermostat but blower continued to run. Wiring at transformer looks good... no fraying or burnt or discolored wiring.
You still think it could be the thermostat?

I have learned to not dispute things Tester has said, it is bad for one's reputation in this part of the world. I will not say he/she is wrong in this answer.
I will not be insulted if you just pass by this answer.
--- WARNING ---
I write too many words and use too much detail in my writing, always have and always will. Even my warning was too long.
Having said that, I offer this simply as data to show how Tester could have reached his/her conclusion and provide some background information. Hopefully it will help others looking for detail.
If anything I write seems useful, but confusing, let me know, and I will do my best to explain my thoughts. I am not an ass, it just seems like that sometimes.
--
Home HVAC control is more complicated than it needs to be, this is because as features were added - Air Conditioning, Heat Pumps, 2 stage heat, more control wires were added to the system.
The advantage is that everything is backwards compatible, clear back to the day that thermostats were invented.
A couple of disadvantages are that some wires are now redundant and there is not a standard for wire colors.
The color code became an issue, because when what was then 'standard' thermostat cable ran out of wires, the solution was often to pull another standard cable. This results in 2 of every wire color. This is where things stop being simple.
Terminal Designations and -- 'conventional' wire colors, don't place bets on them being right --
R - Power - 24 volts, to the thermostat - like the Hot wire in a light circuit - Red
RC - Cooling power -  Air conditioning power into the thermostat - Red
RH - Heating power - heat power into the thermostat - can be the same wire as RC - Red
Y - Air conditioning compressor power - this is the piece outside of the house - Yellow
Y2 - Second stage A/C compressor power - not all compressors have this feature - Light Blue
W - Heating terminal - Heat power out of the thermostat - White
W2 - Second stage heat - Not in all furnaces, for Heat pumps this is Emergency Heat - Brown
G - Fan Power - Green
C - Power to thermostat - this is similar to the Neutral wire in a light circuit - Black
O or B - Power to heat pump Reversing Valve in outside unit - Orange or Dark Blue
E - Emergency heating on heat pump, a different way to get emergency heat - None
X or Aux - Back-up power/auxiliary, another different way to get back-up heat - None
S1 & S2 or Outdoor1 and Outdoor2 - Temperature Sensors, not connected to thermostat wires

Now, to Charlie's question:
I read '... continues to heat the house ...' as the furnace stops heating when expected, and not that is always continues to provide heat. This is confirmed with the statement ... heat when called for ... .'
First, remove the wire on the 'G' terminal of the controller in the furnace.

If the fan stops, the problem is between the wire that was on the 'G' terminal out to the thermostat and the and back to low voltage (24 volts) transformer located inside the furnace.

If the fan keeps running, the problem is from the 'G' terminal on the controller to the transformer. See step 5.

-- 3, and the fan stopped, attach the G wire back at the controller in the furnace. Expected result is that the fan will start again. At this point, go to the thermostat, and remove the wire from the G terminal. Move to step 4
-- 4, If the fan stops the problem is a short on the wire that was attached to the G terminal on the thermostat and the wire that was on the G terminal on the controller in the furnace. Most likely a pinch from something. It will most likely to have happened where the wire is tight. I have found problems in my system just fractions of an inch from the screw terminal in the thermostat.
This will be a short, and not a broken wire, a broken wire would cause something to stop, and not continue running. Since the short seems to only be between the G wire, and a power wire, expect it to be somewhere that the wires are not inside the jacket of the cable.
This is because it would be unlikely for the short to have happened on the jacketed segment, and not seem to have effected any other wires.
Crushing the entire jacket would likely, but not certainly, short more than the 2 wires. If you find the short, either separate the wires, and some tape on them, or use another wire, if you have a spare in the cable.
Hopefully you can find the problem in this 1 one run of cable, and you will live happily ever after.
-- 5. Remove the wires, after marking them, one at a time, starting with red ones, then black, from the controller terminals. If you remove a wire, and the fan stops. The problem is from that terminal on the controller to the transformer.
If all the low voltage wires are removed, the problem is either the controller, or somewhere between the fan harness and the fan. If you disconnect the fan harness from the controller and it continues to run, the problem is a short to ground from the harness to the motor. Or, and this is unlikely, demonic possession. Unless there are many wires, more than than three, then you have a state of the art, electronically controlled fan motor. The problem could be either the motor, or the 'module'. Replace the both parts, you will thank me later.
If the fan stopped when it was removed from the controller, the problem is in the controller. Replace, reattach all the wires, carefully, and live happily ever after.
--- If it is still not working. Then it is time to start drinking.
But seriously, let me know and we will get serious about fixing this thing.
Best of luck to you.


Knee wall separating from rafters in garage attic I have a 24'x24' garage built with standard frame construction. The garage is about 15 years old. There is attic space above the garage bays for storage.

The attic space has a knee wall of 2"x4" construction that attaches to the 2"x6" roof rafters. The knee wall has a bottom plate but no top plate, so that each stud of the knee wall is simply nailed to a rafter with 3 common nails. All of these nails are towed down at about a 30-45 degree angle.

Over time, the studs of the knee wall have been slowly separating from the rafters (see picture). In the middle of the knee wall the studs have separated over a 1/2" from the rafters. The separation decreases toward the corners of the roof, so that there's no separation at all in the corners.

Based on the construction, it looks to me as if this knee wall was not intended to be structural. But, given that there's enough forces on the knee wall to separate it from the rafters, it is structural.

How should I repair this? As a temporary measure, I've used 1/2" steel bolts with fender washers to close the gap between the studs and the rafters, and to make sure that they never separate again. Is this sufficient, or should the knee wall be replaced with a structural one?

It's common for nailed roof components to work loose over time due to seasonal movement cycles. If you're sure that there was never any web bracing built into the roof, which the knee-wall studs now replace, the studs are not structural.

Your solution is probably just fine. I'd have probably used three or four 2-1/2" gold construction screws to save time and expense, but the bolts will do the job.

One caveat is that you've now transferred the movement somewhere else. You'll either see more pressure into the ceiling joists, or the roof may bulge slightly as things expand and contract. I don't anticipate any problems, though.


How safe is it to mount a TV tight to the wall with steel studs? I have a 55" TV that weighs about 37 lbs and I want to hang it on the wall. But I discovered that instead of wood studs, I have metal studs and can't drill into them. Is it safe to mount the TV to the drywall alone, using 1/4" toggle bolts (specifically the Hillman 1/4" Strap Toggle bolts as I am familiar with them)?
I know that usually, the installation manual dictates to use 4 bolts on wooden studs. 2 on each side. But the TV mount comes with a total of 8 or 10 slits (4 or 5 on the top and bottom). Is there any difference, safety wise, to use 8 or 10 toggle bolts versus 5he default 4?
Here is an image from Google Street view history. Hopefully someone maybe has an eye for it, and can tell me if these are actually 3.5" studs.

This is a rental property and I cannot do extensive sheetrock work.

If the TV will be on a pivot arm the answer is absolutely not.  If it will be tight to the wall, as you say, and generally nobody will be physically handling the TV (tilting or moving, e.g. to plug in game consoles or whatever) then it can be quite safe especially if you use several (4?) toggle bolts along the top edge of the bracket.  You don't need them on the bottom edge, use self-drilling drywall plugs.
You don't need a special bit to drill a metal stud, a good wood bit will do it and if you know how to use a toggle bolt you just use it the same way in the stud as you would in the drywall ... but you get a better result.
Why don't you go buy a sharp new drill bit and a metal stud to practice on?  They cost like $4.  If you live somewhere with metal studs it'll be the best $4 you ever spend.  The only special trick you might want to consider is getting the toggle flat against the inside of the stud wall ... you have to spin it and feel that it's not half on the outside and half on the inside of the channel.   You'll need all of 2 minutes of practice to master this.
Here is what the toggle will look like from the back, with drywall and a metal stud and an appropriate hole having been drilled for the toggle.  The model you mention would require a smaller hole.  And you can see here what I mean about spinning the toggle so it rests flat on the metal joist.


One Furnace, Dual Zones -- Install Sensi on each? Just bought a new (<6 years old) house and it's two stories, but only has a single furnace in the attic and a single condenser outside.  However, there are two thermostats that work (semi) independently of one another.

The master on the second floor seems to have more options than the first floor thermostat.  They are Honeywell models and I know there is a damper control in the attic vents to turn off the air flow on one side or the other if it's thermostat is set to off.

I'm sure I cannot have heat upstairs and cool downstairs since it's still just one system.  But I can control the temperature per floor with each thermostat.

So my question is can I replace this master/slave combo with a Sensi programmable on each?  I had them at my previous home and love the ability to easily program and control with my phone.

Will they automatically talk to one another with regard to "heat on" for example?  Is there something else in the attic/furnace area I should be looking at as well?

Any tips or advice would be helpful as well. :)

The most common way that two thermostats work with one HVAC system is through the use of a zone controller like one of these.  They can be installed near the air handler, but it could also be in a nearby closet so it can be monitored or adjusted without going in the attic.

The zone controller makes all the decisions about controlling dampers and calling for heat or cool, so the thermostats don't have to know they are not controlling their own independent system.  The thermostats are "standard" and don't need any extra features or wire connections, so you should be able to easily replace them with a smart thermostat and follow the normal installation instructions.

You can verify this by finding the zone controller, or just look at the wiring on your current thermostats.  If they have the typical R, G, Y, W, C wires and nothing extra then its a safe bet they are standard thermostats.  If they have some additional wires (and you don't have a heat pump or multistage heat/cool) then it might take some more research.  Also look up the model numbers of the current thermostats.


What are common reasons afci circuits won't work? I rewired my house and installed 8 GFCI, afci and dual function circuit breakers on my 120 volt circuits. They all trip with any type of load, however standard circuit breakers work fine.

This almost always results from mixed of interconnected neutrals. If you have a connection between neutrals of different circuits, or the neutrals are switched, then the current through the GFCI circuitry is unbalanced, causing the trip.

The other thing to check is that you moved the neutral wires from the neutral bus to the neutral terminals of the breakers.

To debug this, turn off all of the breakers and disconnect all of the neutrals (mark them to keep track of where they go). Check for continuity between neutrals. If you find any, you’ll need to track down where they are connected.

If none are connected, turn on a load (e.g. light bulb) on each circuit. Go to each hot and find the neutral that shows some continuity. Make sure these are paired on a breaker.


Use 110 thermostat for 220? I wish to change my greenhouse fan from a 110 unit to 220.  I have the fan.  The price was right.  It was free.  The 220 is available.  Is there a way to use the 110v thermostat to power a switch (or whatever it would be called) to open and close the 220 power?  If so what would this "switch" be called?

You're looking for a relay which is designed for use in Electrical Code approved installations.

First, do you want to upgrade to a safer and far more versatile 24V thermostat?  The sky is the limit with those, you can get programmable, touch screen, even Internet connected thermostats like the Nest.  They can also control heaters and even multi-stage.  They also let you place the thermostat where you please, and do the long wire runs with easy-to-install low voltage thermostat cable.

If so, you'd want a 24V transformer to power the thermostat and remotely control the fan relay.  A 40VA transformer should be plenty, and these are readily available for about $12, as they are a common heating/cooling part.

Then you can use an air conditioning relay (about $12 also).   This one works on 24V or 120V and mounts on a junction box knockout, saving you the trouble of mounting it in a junction box.

Here's a combo transformer and relay which mounts on a junction box cover.  This keeps the 24V on the outside and the 120/240 on the inside, as required by Code.


Water leakage through shower wall I have had water leaking through to the downstairs kitchen and have recently discovered a gap between the shower and wall, I was wondering whether mould could have grown inside the wall and that this could of contaminated the water supply I am very worried about this, I have a picture that I have found online that looks similar to this

Because, as you suggested, the leak is likely caused by the gap between the shower and wall (and not a leak in the water supply pipe) it's a practical impossibility that mold in the wall somehow found its way into the supply pipe.  So, "No", mold didn't contaminate the water coming from the supply line.


What can I use to drill dowel holes down the end of a long piece of wood? More of a DIY than Improvement question, but here goes anyway.

We're building a shoe box with slatted sides and base and were thinking of joining the slats to the corner uprights with dowel (excuse the bad art):

The problem we have is getting the dowel hole in the cross piece straight. The hole in the upright isn't a problem as we can use one of these:

(something I've wanted an excuse to buy for years!).

However, the one's we've looked at don't seem to be suitable as there's not enough clearance to insert the cross piece vertically (it's about 18"-24" long), and they don't seem to rotate on the pillar (I assume for safely reasons).

I could use a hand drill, but there'll be 4 cross pieces per side and across the base which with 2 pieces of dowel per piece per end is 160 holes - which is a lot to guarantee getting perfectly straight.

So what can I use to drill the holes in the cross pieces?

Buy a self centering dowel drilling jig. Lee Valley has them, as will virtually all wood working supply sources, Rockler, for example.

The jig clamps to the end of your board, and then you drill through a hardened drill guide into the board, using a hand drill. These dowel jigs used to be much more common in the days before biscuits, pocket screws, etc.


How much weight should a deck of a given area support? How much weight should a deck of a given area support, either according to building codes or convention?

In my local (Massachusetts) building code, I found the answer for floors (40 lbs/ft2 live load), but I'm not sure if that is the same for decks.  So I'm curious what the codes of various areas say about the load capacity of deck, and what people think is reasonable to design for regardless of code.

If your answer references building codes, please state the locality.

I found the following VERY detailed tutorial on determining joist span based on expected live and dead load: American Wood Council

The weight your deck will need to support will depend whether you get snow and how much, whether there will be a roof over the deck, whether the deck will be sheltered by any other means, what do you expect to do with the deck (outdoor kitchen, hot tub, outdoor parties), etc.


What sort of store does one go to to buy stair parts? What sort of store does one go to to buy stair parts?

I want to buy treads, risers, newels, balusters, but Home Depot and Lowe's don't have much of a selection. Are there better types of stores that would carry these parts? Google searches only reveal stair specialists (installers) and I am weary of buying parts online.

I'm in California, it it matters.

The term you're looking for is millwork, which is a catch-all term for finished wood products, and includes the stair parts that you mentioned. From Wikipedia:

  Millwork building materials are historically any woodmill-produced building construction interior-finish or decorative components. Profiled and patterned millwork building components can usually be installed with minimal alteration. Today, millwork encompasses items that are made using alternatives to wood, such as synthetics, plastics, and wood-adhesive composites.

A lot of them will have the word "millwork" in their company names, and if not, should at least show up in a web search.

If they don't carry the exact pieces that you want, you may find some will be willing to mill items to your specification; this can be useful if you're trying to match hard-to-find trim.


Why would the pressure in my kitchen faucet drop overnight? The kitchen faucet has just noticeably decreased in pressure. No leaks anywhere. It did get a lot colder overnight, but that's the only thing that changed.

Any ideas?

You have to work your way back through the plumbing system to track this down, but start with the easy fix of a clogged aerator. Many kitchen faucets have an aerator that can be easily unscrewed and they usually have a mesh that not only aerates the water, but acts as a filter. If there was any junk in the pipes that got to this point, you can just wash it off (just don't drop any parts down the drain).

Beyond that, you are left with checking and potentially replacing each valve from the sink to the next junction that doesn't have any issues.


New Whirlpool washing machine has locked door and non responsive buttons I just installed a brand new Whirlpool front loading washing machine, Model number W10656476A. We put in our first load, pressed start, and realized we forgot to turn on the water supply lines.  We cleared the low water supply faults, but now the machine just makes a humming noise like a motor is running whenever it is plugged in, but not doing anything. The doors are locked and the buttons are non responsive.

What should I be doing?

Also, what size bit driver do I need to take the screws off of this thing to make sure the drain pump isn't clogged?

Double-check that you followed all the installation instructions in the manual, no matter how trivial they seem. If it still doesn't work after that, call the manufacturer; that's what warranties are for.

Re checking the pump: That is NOT a normal maintenance action. You should never need to do so, certainly not while it's still under warranty. If you have to ask, don't.


Furnace Tries 2 or 3 times before staying on until reaching set temperature I have noticed my furnace will cut the exhaust fan before lighting or sometimes start heating for a few minutes then stop.  A few minutes later it tries again and will stay on until reaching the correct temperature.

Twice now I have woken up to 63 degrees in the house which I am guessing it tried enough to lock itself out.  Turning the power off then on it would tried 2 or 3 times then stay on for over an hour to reach the correct temperature.

I have tried replacing the filter, cleaning the flame sensor, securing the pressure switch tube, and checking the connections to the board.

I had taken the panel off a few times to see the error code and every time it has been 3 blinks followed by a pause then repeat.  That is for the case where it was on for a min then stops as well as were the exhaust fan starts for not even 5 seconds and it kicks off.

The manual says that would indicate the pressure switch is open.

Looking at the vent from the ground I don't see anything standing out which would be an issue .. not saying there isn't a problem in the vent somewhere but why would it work for hours at a time and only have the issue when starting up after being off for a few hours.

The furnace is only 3 years old and is a Lennox ml180df 80% eff because we have a metal exhaust vent.

Well, I know this post is old but a simple way to test your pressure switch is to turn off your furnace first and close the gas valve for safety, then gently unhook the air tubing from your draft inducer and gently suck on it using just the suction your mouth creates, I wouldn't inhale it, you should hear the pressure switch click and feel a restriction while sucking on it.  If you do not hear a click, can keep pulling air, or cannot pull any air at all your pressure switch is probably bad.  If your pressure switch tests good, then try cleaning out the inducer connector it could have junk in it.  If it does have junk in it, it may be a good idea to change it out because it is probably rust.  That is what was wrong with mine.  I had a faulty pressure switch and s rusted out inducer fan.  The inducer motor itself ran fine.  After changing out the pressure switch it still would not fire up.  So i pulled off inducer motor and the fan was completely rusted out.


How much NM cable can I fit in a conduit? I am replacing my 55 year old, 100 amp, 12 space outdoor service entrance panel with a new 20 space 200 amp outdoor panel. Since the new panel is 12" above the rim joist, I was thinking of using PVC emt elbows to get the branch circuits into the box. Code says I can run romex in conduit for short sections for protection.

How much NM cable for what size conduit (I have a 2" knockout and 9 @ 3/4" knockouts). And what about strain relief when the cable enters the panel?

This is what I'm trying to do.

The new combo panel with underground service will be just to the left of this panel. There is a 6-3 cloth covered romex (soon to be replaced) in the large conduit. How do I get the other romex circuits into the new box?

For conduit fill calculations you have to treat romex/NM as a ROUND wire of the same size as its largest dimension (ie, the long axis of the oval.) Oddly enough this means that 14-2 is larger than 14-3 for conduit fill. As @SpeedyPetey notes nipple (less than 24") fill is 60%, not 40%, and is a LOT of wire to get into a conduit; but I don't think that's the major issue here if NEC compliance is a desired upgrade. The wire type and location is the main issue.

NM cannot be run in exterior/underground conduit since it is not rated for wet locations. With an outside service box that alone might mean you can't do this and meet code - at which point you'll need a major junction box or a lot of minor junction boxes inside, and some wet-location-rated wire until you are inside.

(And now that I've seen the pictures...)

My understanding of NEC (which does not seem to have been particularly involved in your current service, with exposed NM running outside) is that you would have to run a wet-rated wire (THW, XHHW, etc.) until you get inside the house, where you would connect to the interior type wire you currently have exposed to weather and sunlight. NEC defines (and reality frequently confirms) all exterior conduit as a wet location.


Drywall skim coat has bubbles. How to fix? I primed my walls yesterday and noticed that there are tiny holes (1mm diam) from bubbles in the skim coat. I primed it anyway thinking that the primer will fill the holes.

What's the best way to hide the bubbles?
Caulk? Speckle? More mud?
Note: I want to paint very soon and want the easiest solution.

Could be that your mud wasn't mixed well and had settled a bit, leaving excess water on top. A firmer application or a more thorough mix might've helped prevent bubbles.

At any rate, just skim it again, and press firmly using the edge of the blade. If you do it right it won't even need sanding (or maybe just a wipe).


How do I choose a router for fitting doors? I need to fit at least 12 doors, 6 of these are fire doors.   So I need to cut out for the hinges on all the doors and frame, as well as fit the Intumescent fire strip in 6 door or frames.

So what do I look for in choosing a router?   (I am in the UK if it makes any difference)

See also What to look for when picking a router?, however that question is aimed at hobby wood working, rather then DIY.

You will probably need a trim router(it will be easier to handle compared to a full sized one), as well as a hinge mortising jig. That's really all to it


How do I remove this dimmer light switch cover so I can paint the wall? I have a dimmer similar to this one.

There are no screws visible from the front.  Looking at it from the side there appears to be two face plates stacked on top of each other.  I can fit my screwdriver between the two and between the last one and the wall.  Gentle prying with a screwdriver doesn't seem to work.

How can I remove the cover plate?

There are screws behind the front cover plate that hold the back cover plate to the junction box.  The front plate snaps into place.

You can see from the diagram that there should be a small indentation and a tab inside of this.  If you push the tab in gently with a flat head screwdriver, then you can just pull the front plate off exposing the screws for the back plate.


Electric water heater stopped working when I adjusted the thermostat I have a Craftsmaster 40 gallon electric water heater that is approximately 13 years old. Once it got cold outside and we started taking more hot showers, I felt like we were prematurely running out of hot water. So, I finally decided to raise the temperature on the heater yesterday afternoon.

When I woke up this morning, the hot water was barely lukewarm. I thought maybe I had adjusted the temperature in the wrong direction, but I checked the potentiometer on the tank and it was indeed at a higher setting. Neither the reset button nor the breaker at the circuit panel appears to have been tripped.

Is it possible that when I adjusted the temperature up on an already old heater, I caused a surge or something that damaged the control circuitry? If so, is it possible to repair it or should I just replace the heater at this point?

Electric water heaters are easily repairable if you can get the old heating elements out of the tank.  If they get too corroded, you may not be able to remove them without damaging the tank.

But, that is a bit premature.  You need to test the resistance of the heating elements to determine if they are good.  You can also check that the thermostats are supplying voltage to the elements.  Note that this requires working around live, unshielded 240v connections, so you need to be careful and be sure it matches your comfort level.

The thermostats and elements are pretty standard and you should be able to find replacements at a typical home store.


Fixing wall mounted towel rail to plasterboard wall I have a narrow ensuite and so am looking for a space saving towel rail solution, such as this.

Unfortunately, I believe the studs in my wall or located such that one is within my shower and the next is in the middle of the gap between the shower and sink where I would like to affix the towel rail.

Are there any plasterboard fixings that would be suitable to achieve this in order to hold to bath sheets and possibly a hand towel? I believe the two strongest are drill in and toggle?

Am I asking too much of my wall?

Thanks

Edit: Or are these better? What is everyone's thoughts on GripIt Anchors?

Towel bars are routinely secured to the wall with drywall anchors, as even wet towels are well within the holding capacity of the anchors. Product recommendations are off-topic here, but any of the types of products you linked would work.

Note that towel bars are not grab bars, and if they are used as such the drywall anchors will fail. Grab bars must be installed into studs.


Is it Code to support Class 2 (thermostat) wires using a gas line? Related to this question.

Our gas furnace, while quite functional, has some quirks in its installation.  One of them is that the installers cut off the old (original to the house) thermostat wires at the ceiling above the furnace and open-spliced (with wire nuts) new thermostat wires to the old.  While not all that neat and workmanlike, this is Code-legal for class 2 control wiring as far as I understand it.  There is also one point where the wires are attached to the EMT feeding power to the furnace, which is covered by 300.11(B)(2) in the 2014 NEC.

More interestingly, though, the majority of the support for the new thermostat wire is provided not by the EMT for the furnace power, but by the black iron gas line feeding the furnace.  Yes, that's right: the furnace installers neatly zip-tied the thermostat wire to the gas line at regular intervals.  Is there anything in the 2006 IRC/IMC/IFGC, 2002 NFGC, or 2014 or 2017 NEC that prohibits this?

Yes it's okay and actually very very very very common. Even the armoured 14 2 cable can be strapped to the gas pipe. Here in Toronto we have the toughest codes around and that's the only way it's done. I'm a licensed gas fitter and electrician. It can't be NMD it has to be armored BX or Tek cable.


Hunter ceiling fan stopped working but is working again We have had our Hunter ceiling fan four about 2 years, no issues. As of yesterday we went to turn on the fan and it would not move, just a faint humming noise like it was trying to work. The lights would still work. From time to time there was a very short click/catching noise coming from within the motor of the fan. I tried to spin the fan manually to get it started with no luck. We left it off over night and all of the sudden this afternoon it is working again, however it is still making the short click/catching noise. I've turned it off and back on today and it works. Any ideas of what could be causing this? I'm afraid it will stop working again.

Thanks

****EDIT****

As of 20 minutes ago we noticed a burning smell coming from the fan. I have since flipped the breaker and uninstalled the fan. There is a very strong burning odor coming from the motor. Contacting Hunter, hopefully they will help...

Contacting the manufacturer is a good call and probably your best solution at this point. Unfortunately after 2 years, any sort of warranty will have expired. Still they may want to know the details of your incident for R&D purposes.

If you smell burning electronics, it is always wise to get them inspected and replaced. That smell means there was heat in the electronics. Heat means damage. Damage means failure. Failure at your household voltages could mean fire or electrocution.

I'm not sure if the click/catching sound was the fault of the fan or not. Something I noticed with one of the fans in my house was that the clicking/catching noise came from the wires from the ceiling rubbing on the fan motor housing and catching on the screws that held the device together. If you hear this kind of sound from a different fan, check the wiring to make sure it's not rubbing the insulation off!

Also inspect the wiring now to make sure the burning smell didn't come from the insulation. If any of the insulation is damaged, you will need to replace the wiring to that fan.


Cheap wood-ish replacement for glass panel in door This question is similar to another one already on SE but this one focuses on the task as a repair issue rather than as a remodeling one.

How can I cheaply and easily (I am a layperson) create a stable, opaque "replacement" for a broken glass pane in a(n inside) door?:

Apparently one of the doors in my flat is partially made of glass and someone (either the previous owner or the renovators-- the house management of course denies that it could be the renovators' fault) decided to simply paint over them in order to make them "unglass". The glass plate itself seems to be 2mm thick and the cutout in which the plate sits is about 2cm deep (measuring both sides).

As @jphi618 indicates in his comment, glass or sheet acrylic would be thin, fairly strong and fairly cheap, then painted to match the door. There is also sheet steel, which would be much heavier and expensive, but similar in thickness.

There are other materials, such as sheet MDF and plywood that are available in 1/4 inch thickness and hardboard that is available in 1/8 inch thickness. These are all thicker than standard window pane glass, but the glass in your door may well be double thickness, which is around 1/8 inch.

Plywood and MDF are fairly easily cut with power tools, as is hardboard, but the latter is tougher. All of them can be painted.

If you use something other than glass of the same thickness, you probably want to adjust the moldings to accommodate the additional thickness. You also may want to replace the other panel so they look similar. This also eliminates the chance of the other panel breaking.

The danger of painted glass, especially if it is not thicker than window pane, is the risk that people push on it believing it is wood or some other non-fragile material. People tend not to push on unpainted glass unless it is obviously very thick.


Moen faucet cartridges repeatedly fail with torn seals My tub/shower faucet had a slow leak a few weeks ago, so I chose to replace the cartridge (after removing the old one and looking at it, it's a Moen 1225). This solved the problem. However, I had a plumber come out to fix something unrelated in my house a few days ago (water meter connection plumbing). After this, for which he had to shut the main water off to the house, the tub where I replaced the cartridge was now "sticking" open. I could open the faucet, but it was difficult to close. I decided to open it up and take a look again.

Lo and behold, there was a piece of rubber stuck in the opening. I removed the cartridge and purchased a new one (because now the rubber seals around the opening were ripped). The guy at the hardware store told me this could be because there was old pieces remaining in the faucet.

So, I cleaned out the pipes by running the water and visually inspecting to make sure there wasn't anything in the faucet and installed the new one. The faucet worked fine for about 24 hours, after which, I encountered the same problem.

Thinking this was my fault again, I removed the "new new" cartridge, purchased a new one, cleaned out the faucet fairly gently with a wire brush, and installed a third one.

The problem is back. I removed the cartridge this morning, and now I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to do. It doesn't appear like there is anything really wrong with the cartridge, aside from some tearing of the black seals around the end. The faucet appears fine, and running the water without the cartridge in it doesn't produce any debris that's in the pipes.

Each time I replace the cartridge, when I remove the existing one, it comes out with tears on the rubber seals around the end of the cartridge. I'm not sure what's tearing these seals (it could be just the force of me trying to remove it, since they have a tendency to get stuck, but I don't think so... I'm not using much force).

Any thoughts on what I might be doing incorrectly? I'd rather avoid replacing the faucet itself, as I don't have access behind the faucet (although I could make a hole if necessary in the drywall behind it), and the bathroom is tile. Even worse, the input piping appears to be right up against a stud or some other piece of wood that doesn't allow me to easily access it. :( There isn't even a shutoff for the faucet at the point of access.

I'm hoping I'm just doing something incorrect with my installation of the cartridge, because, aside from the slow leak, this wasn't a problem prior to my original "fix". Is it possible there is still a bunch of debris hidden somewhere in the pipe? (The second time I removed the cartridge, it did appear to be "missing" some of the black rubber around the end. I'm not sure where it went).

There are really only two things that can damage the seals: stuff in the water, or the valve body itself. Considering the number of times you've replaced it, whatever crud might have been in the water should have flushed out by now. So that just leaves the valve body.

Time for some drywall work!


Grounding metal building power panel I have a question about grounding. The scenario is my shop has a concrete floor with metal framing and siding. The panel is mounted to the wall via struts. A #2 Al ground wire is ran from the meter to the panel. I don't believe they ran a separate ground rod for the panel. I already have a ground rod right outside the building where we had some lightning rods installed. Am i going to hurt anything by running a ground wire from the panel grounding bar to the ground rod? It's going to cost me a few dollars for 6' of copper wire to do it and next to zero effort.

The building is concrete slab with rebar but no way to access it now. They installed metal weld plates into the wet concrete and welded the upright posts to them.

Grounding rods are fairly inexpensive. I think I will tie into the one for the lightning rods, tie the grounding lug inside the
Panel to structural steel and bury one more rod in an open trench in digging today to lay line out to a sub panel

Thank you for your help

Here's a diagram covering the grounding possibilities. There are new clarifications about lighting protection and grounding in the NEC 2017 code. By the way NEC 2017 becomes law in this state today.

Hope this helps. Good luck.


Metal straps okay for hanging PVC pipe We have a PVC outlet pipe in our basement for water from the sump pump to be pumped outside. It was previously hung from the joists using white, plastic straps. Last night a few of them broke, so I replaced those with metal strapping.

After reading a bit online, I'm seeing some people say that you shouldn't use metal straps for PVC pipe since it might rub against the pipe and wear through it, so only plastic straps should be used. Any merit to this claim? Should I instead just use plastic straps?

Only went to metal so they wouldn't break again and cause a big problem if we weren't home to notice next time.

It's not a concern unless you're immediately adjacent to a very vigorous pump or other device. Plenty of PVC pipe is mounted with metal hardware of various sorts, and I've never once seen evidence that it was wearing through enough to be a concern in many years of remodeling old homes and older homes.


Old cellulose insulation holding heat during summer We have a house in Seattle that is 60 years old with 6-8" of blown in cellulose insulation in the attic with an inch of rock wool under that. There is basic ventilation in the attic. The trouble we are facing it seems the insulation is holding the summer heat during days over 80 degrees and in the evening the house is warmer than outside. Is it possible we need to replace the old insulation??

UPDATE: This answer is too simplistic and lacks understanding of the true issue. See a superior, more complete answer here: Ridge vent conversion creating heat problem

The insulation is not holding heat (i.e. acting as a thermal mass). The likelier problem is that your attic itself is what's holding heat. Attic heat gain during the summer is primarily caused by sunshine. The sun hits your shingles and heats them up, and that heat radiates down into the attic. The darker the shingles, the more pronounced the effect.

As a result, an attic during the summer can easily reach temperatures 20-40 degrees higher than the ambient temperature due to this solar gain, even in your relatively cloudy climate. You can see for yourself by going into the attic around noon or 2 PM. It should be punishingly hot.

It's your insulation's job to prevent all that heat from getting through the ceiling and heating up the house. 6-8 inches of cellulose (R-3.5/inch) + 1 inch of rock wool (R-4/inch) works out to R-25 - R-32, which are numbers that are decent but not great for an attic. You need more! Blow more cellulose in there; 10 or 12 inches is a good start.

Another approach involves changing the color or material of your roof. The next time you have to redo it, if you choose light-colored shingles, or even light-colored metal, that will help tremendously to reflect the sun's rays, preventing a lot of that heat from even making it into the attic to begin with. But by the same token, this will hurt you in the winter, when that heat is actually helping to keep your attic warmer than the outside temperature. The degree of the penalty depends on how much of a heating load you have compared to your cooling load. Adding more insulation will help with both and is the recommended approach.


Two GFCI outlets on the same circuit, just for code? I have a condo that hasn't been updated in probably decades, and I am looking to sell it in the near future. As part of my updates, I am installing GFCI outlets in the bathrooms and in the kitchen countertop areas.

However, there is perhaps a situation with my bathrooms. The first floor half-bath and the second-floor full bathroom outlets are on the same circuit. The lights and fans of both bathrooms are on another circuit entirely. This line appears to run just up the wall and power the both bathroom outlets only.

This NEC set of rules says that all bathroom outlets must be GFCI. However, I'm looking at some questions on this site, and it appears that having two on the same circuit might cause some inconvenient, if not unexpected, behavior. This answer seems to indicate that two on the same circuit will cause one to not function properly if the second trips, while this answer says that finding which outlet tripped is an annoyance, when you're not expecting two on the same circuit.

In any case, it seems that one GFCI outlet on the circuit is all that is necessary, strictly speaking, to provide adequate protection.

However, in terms of salability, I would like any potential buyers to look at the bathrooms, see GFCI outlets in both, and not give it a second thought. If they see a regular outlet in the bathroom, they may balk, or have concerns about the property, even if the circuit is adequately wired and protected. I don't want the realtor to say "Don't worry, the owner assures me this is perfectly fine"-- I want it to be a non-issue.

Is there a way to wire two GFCIs on the same circuit, and not have any issue in functionality? It seems like this would be addressed, either in code, or in the hardware itself-- I can't be the only person who has a legitimate, code-driven need for two GFCIs on the same circuit, can I?

Just connect the cable from the second outlet to the "line" side of the first GFCI (or wire-nut and pigtail the first GFCI. Then install the 2nd GFCI normally.

Alternatively, most GFCI outlets come with little stickers to put on the cover plates of downstream protected outlets.   If you choose that route, you would wire the cable to the 2nd outlet to the "load" side of the first outlet.


Stair thread different color from old runner carpet I removed my old stair runner and now the outside looks different from inside.

You can see that from the blue arrow:

It is hard to see with a few steps but if you look 10 steps up, it's very obvious in the afternoon (dark).

What is the best way to address this? Should I sand and stain them again?

Thanks.

What you're actually seeing is the polyurethane that's been exposed has ambered ( turned yellowish ). Sadly, that's a byproduct of using oil based polyurethane. Now that the center is exposed it will eventually amber as well.

If it really bothers you, you could try sanding the treads just enough to remove the existing finish. Just be careful not to sand thru the stain. Then clean the treads, with a rag lightly dampened with water or paint thinner, to remove any dust left behind. Finally recoat with fresh polyurethane. I'd recommend at least 3 coats with a light sanding in-between each coat to remove any bumps or bubbles and to give the next coat something to grab and stick to.


How to attach light with two ground wires to fixture with one ground wire? I'm trying to replace a ceiling light and I'm unsure of all the connections to make because the light has 4 wires coming from it, but the ceiling only has 3.
The ceiling light has black, white, green and bare wires:

The mounting plate that came with the light has a green colored screw, that I believe is some sort of ground screw:

Finally, there are 3 wires from the ceiling: white, black, and a bare one. Here's a crudely drawn diagram from MS Paint:

My assumption is that I should make the following connections:

Black wire from light to black wire in ceiling
White wire from light to white wire in ceiling
Green wire from light to bare wire in ceiling
Bare wire from light wrapped around green screw in mounting plate.

Am I correct?
I'm a complete noob with this stuff, but I want to be safe when it comes to electricity. I'm in the USA, if it's relevant.

Connect the white wire from the ceiling to the white wire on the lamp. Secure it with a wire nut sized for two conductors.
Connect the black wire from the ceiling to the black wire on the lamp. Secure it with a wire nut sized for two conductors.
Connect all the other wires to the green screw on the mounting plate. Use a pigtail construction with a wire nut sized for four conductors.
To make a pigtail, cut an extra piece of wire about six inches long and connect one end of it to the green screw. Wrap the end clockwise around the screw - in the direction that the screw tightens - so that when you clamp down on it with the screw it will be pulled in instead of being squished out.
This hookup wire can be insulated or bare (if insulated it should be green or green/yellow striped). The bare wire on the lamp is ridiculously long so you can cut it in half and use the excess as the hookup wire.
You now have four ground wires: one bare wire from the ceiling, one bare wire from the green screw, one bare wire from the lamp, and one green wire from the lamp. Twist the four ends together and secure with the wire nut.
Each wire nut has different kinds and sizes of wires in it so check carefully. Try to pull each wire out of its nut.
The reason for the pigtail construction is that wrapping three wires around the green screw would result in an unreliable connection.


How many shock absorbers are in washing machine LG F1480QDS? I would like to disassemble my washing machine in order to replace all dampers. I would like to do it only after they get delivered because the appliance is not easily accessible so I want to save some effort doing the manipulation and disassembly twice. But I cannot figure out how many dampers actually are inside – how many I have to order. Two or three? (Or more?) I am unable to find reliable source.

Suitable shock absorbers have part number 383EER3001G.

Answers based on similar LG models can fit, too, I assume that they have similar design in the inside.

There are 3.

I opened the washing machine and found three shock absorbers. Unlike on older LG models, these are now placed below the tub on sides: two on the left and one on the right.


How do I replicate this drywall texture? It's on my ceiling and we can't figure out what they used.

It looks like the material was applied with a wide notched trowel then gone over with a roller. The way all the ridges are lined up, makes it appear that was part of the technique. Then a roller whether it was dampened with water, or lightly set with texture, was run one way to get the ridges to point in one direction, then it was moved over or angled over to get the ridges to go the other way.

It also appears that the texture wall finish was applied thinned out pretty well and applied with a roller. How thick the nap on the roller or how thin to make the texture will all depend on trial and error. But I would start with a 3/8" nap roller and thin the texture down to about cake batter consistency.

This is how I would attempt to reproduce this. Start by getting a practice surface ready, If you bought a sheet of 1/2" drywall for this solely as a practice surface, I think the 15 bucks is money well spent for a ideal practice surface. You can use the actual ceiling to practice on, if it is sealed with primer, so the potential repeated attempt at texturing will wet the surface too much to have the ceiling come down for being saturated over time. If it is not sealed, the paper on the surface will get really weak, and start tearing with repeated troweling.

Apply the texture with a roller and get it on the ceiling or practice surface. Using a notched trowel, comb the surface to remove the texture to the drywall, leaving texture in "lines", then with a water dampened roller go over the surface once over the surface, not going over the same area twice, with the exception of make a small lap over the previous pass. I imagine if the roller get too much texture transfer from the ceiling, that the "lining up" of the ridges will become more and more random, since the texture is possibly being redeposited over the entire surface.


Can I replace my bathroom's floor tile before replacing the tub? I am doing a complete upgrade in a bathroom. Money is a huge factor. But, I'd rather hire a contractor to rr the tub surround (currently one piece). I'll do everything else myself.
Can I put a tile floor BEFORE the old tub/shower is taken out and replaced? Then do the tub surround months later?
Or should I have the shower/tub (4 pc) installed before I do the floor?

Sure, but the problem is that you don't know that the new tub will be exactly the same width. Usually flooring is one of the last things completed in a bathroom remodel.

If your current tub is fiberglass (and not cast-iron) you may be able to cut out the lower portion of the face to allow you to run tile underneath for a short distance. You'd then install your new tub above tile level, using filler plywood or whatever.


Leaf stains on fresh concrete driveway not sealed yet My driveway was poured when I was on vacation and leaves fell on it and they made a black mark I believe it's called tar leaf in about 20 places in the driveway and before they come and seal it I wanted to know how to get it off before the winter comes and the Salt destroys it

Tar leaf, simply known  as tar, is caused from the organic pigments that give leaves and pine cones their color get embedded in the micro-pores and small voids on the surface of the concrete. They can be hard to remove without a good detergent and some scrubbing action. The best detergent to use is one with bleaching action or ammonia. Typically detergents designed to remove organic stains (blood, food stains, etc.) work best. OxiClean is one example. Granular detergents offer an added benefit, because they provide additional friction when you scrub the surface.

Here are the basic steps to follow:

Use a pressure washer to remove all solid leaf matter and debris from the concrete.

Apply a household detergent (as recommended above) to damp concrete. Let it sit and wet out for a few minutes.

Scrub vigorously with a stiff broom or scrub brush.

Rinse the concrete with water until you remove all the soap.

If this procedure doesn't completely remove the stains, repeat the process.


How to Seal leaks on an air compressor system My air compressor machine is leaking at its clamped joint area where the red plastic tubing is connected to a metal joint.

I see products on the market meant to seal leaks such as teflon tape and pro-dope pipe thread sealant, but it seems like both of these are only for use with piping that is threaded. This piping is not threaded and is just held together by the clamped joint, is there any other products on the market that anyone would recommend? Or would one of those other products also work in this situation??

Thanks

Rubber (better, usually) or plastic tubing on a barbed joint is not a suitable place for any sort of sealant, and none should be required.

If the tubing is cracked, either cut off enough tubing to remove the cracked end (if it's just at the end) or replace it.

Otherwise, push the tubing fully onto the barbed fitting and tighten the clamp(s) - in some cases adding a second hose clamp with the clamping mechanism rotated from the first hose clamp (so if one has the clamp screw at 3 o'clock the other would have it at 9 o'clock) may help - often the barbed fitting is long, and clamp used is short.

Oversized clamps wound down too small may have excessive not-roundness near the clamping mechanism; a properly sized one will work better in that case.


What size wire to use from house to wood shop? What type/size of wire should I use for running power from the 200Amp service panel at my house to a subpanel at my wood shop? The length of the run is 300 feet. I need 220V service at the shop and would like to run a 70 amp circuit. I would like the wire to be direct burial, +/- 2 ft deep. Voltage drop limit is 3%.

I was told that I could use #1 THHN copper wire in conduit OR aluminum wire rated for a 100 amp circuit, but was not given a gauge/type of aluminum wire.

What size wire should I use?

Here's a good calculator that will answer your question.

It says #1 copper, 2/0 for aluminum.


What kind of wall bolt/anchor is removeable? What kind of wall bolt/anchor will allow me to remove and replace it as many times as necessary?

I am looking to attach a couple of 2x4's flat against a brick wall, however they would only stay there for a few weeks each year.  How can I fix them firmly to the wall in such a way that I can put them back each year using the same fixings?

I already have some expanding sleeve anchors if they would do.

(Nothing should be left sticking out of the wall when the wood is not there)

Expanding sleeve anchors are probably not the best anchor to use for this - they use the bolt to secure the anchor in the hole.  Female drop in anchors would likely work much better, as they fasten independently of the bolt.

Note that they require a setting tool (although some brands I've used include the set tool in the box of fasteners).


Wall mounted Heated towel rail plug not marked Looking for correct wiring configuration as this plus has not colour coding like others I have wired. I sure there must be a standard for these.

[]1

Brown/blue and green with a yellow stripe are an EU standard.
More information on the coloring scheme can be found here:

Wiring color codes

Brown is the phase (hot; black in the US), and blue is the neutral (white in the US). The green/yellow wire is the ground wire (green or bare in the US).


Options for fixing outside cement staircase? We have a below-grade basement and a exit door.  There are concrete steps to the door, parallel to the house (so on your right is the house) and on the left is a brick wall.  The steps appear to have been poured as one unit.  However, over time it appears the whole assembly has shifted, both to the left, and then the top has sunk down.  The effect of this is that water pools in some of the steps (away from the house).  As part of a landscaping project, we were able to put in a little drain on the top most step, but it is not optimal (and also doesn't do anything for the other steps).

Here's a picture of the area:

Seeing as how a similar condition persists on almost every step, what are the options for fixing this?  This area does not get a lot of sun either, so it doesn't dry naturally very well.

Here are some options:

Keep a broom nearby and sweep away excess water.  While this does not actualy fix anything, it will eliminate the excess water.
Create a drain.  Drill a hole at the lowest spot of each step for the water to escape to.  This solution is not optimal and may only alleviate the problem.  One will need a masonry bit and hammer drill to get through the step.   Also consider the effects of having water being drained under the step, which also may not be optimal.
Level the steps.  There are some low spots, so another layer of concrete on top should allow the water to escape to a drain below the steps.  However, getting a consistent and durable finish across all the steps will be a challenge.
Refinish the steps. Add a new finish on top of the concrete and in the process eliminate the low spots so the water does not pool on each step.  As a plus the drab lichen colored gray would be updated.
Rip out the entire thing and replace/redo with a better step/drainage solution.

I'd probably go with step 4 provided the settling has stopped.  If the foundation is no good or drainage is not adequate, then option 5 would probably be the best.


How do I add a light fixture to an existing 3 way circuit when the existing one is powered directly? I am trying to add another light fixture to an existing 3 way circuit. The power source feeds to the ceiling light fixture which is connected to the first three way switch using a 2 wire cable.

That cable in turn connects to the second 3 way switch. Here is a schematic, but without the additional fixtures wired from the light:3

Current wiring:

I tried to wire the second light off of the first 3 way switch thinking it had the power source, but when I turned on the breaker, both lights were dim. I am thinking that the second light is in series with the first light, which obviously is not what I want.

Is there a way to fix this without the running cable from the first light fixture to the second one. It is a royal pain to fish wire across the ceiling. My hunch is that it can't be done, but It doesn't hurt to ask.

I cannot see it being able to be done. Theres just not enough wires. Basically whats missing is after you get your switched power to your light you need a path back to the main (source) neutral. Or any neutral really. You do have white wires in the 3 way switch boxed but they are acting as travellers and not neutrals. Sorry for your bum luck. I hate being short wires!
If you could pull a 3 wire to replace the 2 wire between the source power light fixture and the 3 way switch box on the right, than you could then feed a light fixture off that 3 way. I am not sure if thats easier for you...


Sealing/Repairing Window Drywall Bought a new house and noticed discoloration near the top corners of the drywall (Where the drywall meets the window). I chipped away at the moldy drywall. Wondering what type of product I should use to seal between the window and the wood frame (Would some type of caulk be appropriate?) Also how should I replace the drywall? Would using hot mud to deep fill this area work?

These look like aluminum windows. Most likely the problem here isn't water intrusion, but the windows "sweating" in the winter. The water then gets wicked up by the drywall about 1-2" from the window itself.

Your first option is to replace the windows with vinyl. That will provide you with better insulation overall and you can eliminate the sweating entirely. This is also expensive and difficult.

The second option is to tear down the drywall next to the windows and put up, say, 1x4 vinyl planking. Since you'll be tearing out the metal casing along the edge too, what I would suggest is casing the wall around the window in door casing. It will hide the ripped-out drywall damage and, once caulked, it will look quite attractive.


1/4" joist difference I recently bought 2x8 to beef up some floor joists before framing in my basement.
I noticed the wood that came in measures at 7.25" where as my existing floor joists are 7.5".
I am curious if wood shiming is a good practice for this if the gap is .25" and if so, can I do this using 2x4 and stripping out .25" shims running with the grain of the 2x4.
I am only using shims on one side as the other side is being hung with joist hangers.

Your idea to use shims on the ends will work fine. No need to get too critical on how they are made. They can be 1/4" all the way through or they could be tapered.
If I may make a suggestion, if you left the end that will be shimmed lay on the beam to be shimmed and set the other end with the joist hanger, and nail the center of the new joist, once it is roughly in place, so to speak to the existing joist. Te joists when finished should be nailed together with 4 nails every 16" +/-. Back at the center of the span.... Nail 2 groups of nails to attach the joists together firmly for now only as part of the finished product. Once those 8 nails are in, then shim the end with the shims you choose. This will "pre-load" the joist so it is already taking on some of the load the floor has and will not need to allow the floor to sag anymore before it takes on it's own load.
FWIW, you will enjoy the idea of the joists being slightly smaller than the originals. Since the floor system will sag over time, that process make it quite difficult to install new material beside the old. You still may have to drive them in with a block of wood to protect the new joist from being damaged by the heavy hammer. Lay the new joist in so the top is leaning against the joist you wish to sister and drive in the bottom to meet it fully. Nails going through the subfloor above will give you a hard time if you don't get them out of the way too.


Can't open the light covers in the fan Tried opening the light covers but it's not opening in the conventional way, even two of the electricians were not able to open it. Please need help. The globe is held by three tension clips and turning it counterclockwise or other way nothing is working. Need to change the bulb because the lights are out. Hampton bay sidewinders model AC4054-5.

As shown in the manual Jeff Cates provided a link for

The manual suggests turn anticlockwise while pulling lightly downward (i.e. the opposite of installing it).


How to move my fridge for easier cleaning? I'd like to be able to move my fridge easily so I can clean under/in back of it. I got these "sliders" for it ez moves

and put them under the fridge, but since the fridge has casters, the casters just "rolled off" the sliders. I tried using the sliders different ways (with just the plastic part or just the felt/rubber part), but it was the same problem. Even though the fridge has casters already, it is hard to move. Is there a way to improve the casters it already has? Or is there a better way to use the sliders? Or should I use something else under the casters, like something cup-shaped? Thanks:)

On some refrigerators the casters are adjustable up and down.

There is what looks like a bolt head or the top of a screw that you can turn with the appropriate tool that will raise or lower the casters. You may or may not have to remove the grill at the bottom of the fridge that covers the casters to access them.

Whether or not yours has this option,  Emptying the fridge will help greatly in allowing it to move better.


PC to TV connection goes black when furnace or stove turns on The pc is connected to TV via HDMI and it keeps going to a black screen when the furnace blower kicks on or off and also when the stove top oven is in use and making it clicking noises when its cooking food. It never does it when its just on the cable box or when using the PS4. It only happens when I am trying to use the TV as a second monitor. I tried different ports and different cables no change. Works just fine as long as nothing extra comes on. The furnace is in the hallway and stove is in the kitchen obviously. I doubt they would be on the same circuit and why would only one part of the TV be effected. The actual computer monitor has no issues with the flickering.

You said as a second monitor.

This typically happens when there is no signal to drive the monitor. Your PC is losing power via a "brown out" caused by a greater current draw.
Is the TV plugged into the same outlet as the PC or a different outlet ?
Your HDMI connection -is it a cable or a HDMI transmitter , if it is a cable - How Long is the Cable ?

Measure the voltage in your PC's outlet, do the same for the TV (maybe you have a splitter - 6 way or something) make sure you measure with the components ON - that voltage should read above 108V [USA], if it is not your line voltage is low (check other outlets to be certain), the cause could be something in the home or something with the incoming power - the power company will need to boost your voltage via a tap if the latter is the case.

The reason the TV sees the problem and not the monitor - I am guessing you have a cable, the cable is probably 12 feet long, lots of resistance - lower signal level (voltage drop because of resistance). Furnace kicks on draws a heck of a lot of current (blow dryer on high might do the same), then your TV goes dark because the voltage dropped in the PC which was driving the HDMI across that cable, or your TV input for the HDMI dropped level or both, hence black flickering.

Get a 3 foot cable or an HDMI transmitter/receiver, that might tell you all you need to know - given the above explanation.

EDIT 3/7/2017

It is a voltage drop caused by the current requested by the furnace or oven. So that is the real culprit. It hi-lites the secondary issue you are facing one of your devices is unable to sustain proper regulation of power during the drop - I suspect the PC (a new PC power supply might be in order) - but it could as well be the TV, and it could also be that both have difficulty. Testing the AC line voltage level is the first thing I would do - if the voltage is 110 or lower - you might want to call an electrician or the power company and have that fixed. While 110 is acceptable - the furnace / oven kicking in drops that - and that reason alone it needs to be fixed (how is that done - the power company taps your transformer up a notch.)
In reality this dropping is bad for all of your electrical devices.
Plug an INCANDESCENT lamp into the computer outlet or tv outlet does the light dim when the furnace or oven comes on ? [don't look at the light directly -just look to where you can notice if it gets dimmer for a split second, like a quick flicker. - Make sure it is an OLD SCHOOL INCANDESCENT not an LED or Compact Fluorescent].


How hard is it to replace a hollow-core door with a solid one? The pantry door in my kitchen is a hollow-core door. There's quite a lot of wasted space between the door and the existing shelves, that I'd like to utilize by hanging full-width, full-height, 8"-10' shelves on the inside surface of the door.

The plans I've worked up suggest that the shelves, when full, would be supporting quite a bit of weight, and I'm concerned that the hollow-core door won't be able to support it adequately.

How difficult is it to replace one door with another using the existing frame/jams, etc. It seems pretty straight-forward, but something tells me that there's more to it than I imagine...

Is this something that is worth doing, or is it a rabbit-hole of pain and disappointment?

I have hollow core doors on my pantry and I have full height wire shelves on the inside, each one chock full of canned goods. No problem. Just be sure to use hollow door anchors to mount the shelves though, not just screws and not just the cheap little plastic inserts.
This type that expands behind the door skin:

As to changing them to solid, the thing that you may find challenging is in getting the hinges in the right place. I've found that pantry doors often have less standardization than bedroom doors and setting hinges is a skill set that is not for the uninitiated (in my opinion). I'd try to not change them first.


Can I have an MWBC plus another circuit in the same junction box? The conduit coming in on the left carries a 15 A MWBC. In this junction box, it splits to the brown-to-black wire for the furnace, and the orange wires to some basement lights (top) and an upstairs bedroom (right) where there is an infrared sauna.
Problem is, the orange side of this MWBC also runs some outlets in the kitchen, and the outlet in our data closet. So when the furnace, sauna, and toaster all happen to be on at the same time, the circuit trips. Generally this only happens when someone is in a very important zoom call.
I would like to move the bedroom to its own separate circuit. Ideally I would take the connection out of this junction box into a new one. Problem is, there are no more accessible junction boxes on that branch -- to the right of this photo, the conduit goes into a wall and gets buried.
Is there any issue with bringing a completely separate circuit into this same junction box as a new run of NM from the panel? This approach has been used elsewhere in the basement when adding new branches, but not for new circuits, as far as I can tell. Would I need to cut the conduit back and add a new junction? If so... how do I cut the conduit off without cutting through the wires inside?
Some additional info...

The house is 100 years old, in Madison, WI.
Electrical is a mix of conduit (which is often full), BX, and NM. I haven't seen any knob and tube in use yet, but there's evidence of its existence in the past.
Conduit is only used on the basement ceiling. Basement is unfinished and too shallow to ever be finished.
The conduit leading to the junction box shown here follows a circuitous path of very full conduit and two other junction boxes, also full.
The MWBC is handle tied, but in such a way that one side can trip at a time. However, I do have to turn both legs off to reset the breaker.

EDIT: I think I figured out why this is so messed up...
There is a dedicated 20 A MWBC for most of the kitchen outlets. But at some point (probably during kitchen renovation) a junction box was buried in the wall -- for one outlet, the cable in the box is 12 ga, but where the other end comes out in the basement, it's 14 ga. So that outlet has to be on a 15 A circuit.
To solve my problem, I'm going to move the furnace to a dedicated circuit, and put the bedroom/sauna to this leg of the 15 A MWBC, so it will be on the opposite leg from the kitchen outlet. The sauna is rated for a 15 A circuit.

Yes - but you must carefully mark the "Sets of wires" to associate them - specifically to tell the next installer which hot(s) go with which neutral.
I'm a little gobsmacked that you know all about MWBCs but you seem stymied by not knowing how many amps a sauna draws vs how many amps a toaster draws.  Not rocket science.
You have some "dedicated circuit" problems here.
First, the furnace requires a dedicated circuit, as per NEC 422.12. It can be one half of an MWBC, but the downside is, if something trips the other half of the MWBC, the furnace is out for the duration.  MWBCs must land on handle-tied or 2-pole breakers.
Getting the furnace off the MWBC might be a worthy addition.   Make that a simple 15A circuit.
Kitchen receptacles also must be on dedicated circuits, and they must be 20A.  But they can still be one leg of a MWBC.  You may ask "Can I run a MWBC with a 15A and a 20A leg?" The neutral would need to be #12 wire, but - aw heck, who cares? Since your house is conduit, you can simply upgrade both legs of the circuit.  Certainly the (12A?) sauna will be better off on a 20A circuit than a 15A.
The wire typically used is THHN wire, and it's readily available by-the-foot many places.  Note you cannot remark a white wire to be hot, so you'll need appropriate colors.  Gray is an acceptable "alt" neutral color, but not all places sell that by-the-foot.


How to wire 4way hot at 4way How to wire 4 way switch, Hot at 4 way and light fed from 3 way on end. I have found similar picture by searching however it also fed light from 4 way.

basically like this, with romex there will be an earth wire replacing the metal conduit so be sure to hook that up at each junction and to each box if metal,


What tools and techniques are required for moving & re-sloping a cement slab walkway? My next "shape up" project for my house is moving and re-sloping the concrete slab walkway that goes around my house.

I am wondering what tools would be handy for this job.

I'll need to get a pry bar of some sort to lift them up, is there a particular model of prybar that is good for lifting up cement slabs?

What can I do about preventing weeds and grass growing between the slabs?

Is there a particular angle that I should be aiming for? Or just away from the house?

Is there any other things I should keep in mind for safety?

The best pry bar model that I know of for lifting concrete slabs is "big" (as in, the bigger, the better). Use a block of wood or something else that's large, to distribute the weight on the ground, for your pivot. You'll likely have to dig out one, if not two sides to pry and maneuver these blocks. Avoid putting too much pressure on a single point, since that can cause the paver to crack.

For the level, away from the house is good if this is draining against the foundation. You don't need much, but keep it consistent by using a level and measuring the rise over the run.

When resetting the paver, don't just build up one edge. That would leave an air gap in the middle that can result in cracking. Don't disturb the ground below the paver other than to remove any high spots, you don't want it to settle after you're done. Just add stone dust to make a level surface. Then replace the paver, wiggle it a little to work the stone dust into a tight contact, and replace any ground that you dug out from the sides.

For weeds, I'd ask over on the Gardening Stack Exchange, but they make lots of weed killers. You can also place a barrier in the ground, or just go with hand pulling. I've also seen suggestions to mix some cement and sand, brush it dry into all the cracks, and spray it with a light mist of water, but that would make any future repairs very difficult.


Can insects get into a house through the ducting? I have a study that normally has the door closed and all the windows are very tight, modern windows, yet I keep finding insects, especially flying insects like lady bugs and wasps in the room.

Can insects get into ducting from the outside? Is there some kind of external vent in an HVAC ducting system?

They can come in with you, on your clothes in or on bags etc.

Unless you have an airlock entry system with strip and new clothes etc.

They will also come in through any gaps and there are few constructions that are 100% sealed. There are tests that can be done to check this.

As for vents they are easy routes for insects, unless there are grilles or filters on each vent which have to be fitted properly - any gap and they get through.

As for HVAc, that depends on the system, if there is a heat exchanger to prevent outside air and inside air from mixing then insects cannot cross but if the outside air is heated or cooled and there is no filter or the filter is damaged or poorly fitted then insects can get through.


Use sheets of 4'x8' 3/4" plywood as top hung sliding doors on shed? I'm thinking of replacing hinged doors with 4ft wide top hung painted panels as sliders. In northern Ohio. Is there a 4x8 sheet type that is stable enough to not warp? Would ACX or marine grade suffice, or maybe a siding material? Would steel or aluminum u-channel fastened to the long sides provide enough reinforcement?

When I built a shed earlier this summer (located in central Indiana), we purchased and had all the materials delivered. One sheet of pressure-treated 3/4" plywood was more suitable for boat-building than the flooring it was intended for. i.e. it was well and truly warped - sitting flat on the garage floor, each end lifted 3-4" off the floor. (Hence my emphasis on "had delivered" - it's a piece that would have never come home with me if I were picking my own lumber.)
I don't recall off the top of my head if this was ACX or not, but plywood, even pressure-treated, can warp if left to its own devices. I wouldn't count on your doors staying flat without some sort of bracing or reinforcement. Yours will be free hanging with nothing to resist any warping forces and exposed to the elements on one side - mine was somewhere in the middle of a stack of plywood (not on the top/bottom as evidenced by the lack of damage from the banding), presumably kept basically flat by the weight above it.
Adding a "frame" of PT 2x4 on the outside in a "barn-door" type pattern (frame around the outside, one or more diagonals inside the frame) would go a long way toward keeping the plywood flat while adding some visual appeal. Worst case scenario - it would be totally unneeded structurally but would still dress up the otherwise drab slab of a door made from a sheet of plywood.


Why are ground and neutral bonded at the main panel? I realize that the only time the grounds and neutrals can be bonded is in a main panel, not a sub-panel. What I can't figure out is why could it be allowed in the first place? What were to happen if the neutral somehow were to get broken, wouldn't the current flow through the smaller ground into a grounding rod and burn it up? I also realize that the resistance of the earth is greater, but isn't that still dangerous? Thanks.

The reason they're allowed to be mixed in a main is a convoluted tale.
In principle they're supposed to be separated there too; however panels need a feature to keep 120/240V power from floating at some unnaturally high voltage to earth, e.g. 9600V from a transformer leak. That would cause problems for insulation in devices.  So they take one of the active conductors, name it "neutral", and bond it to earth. The transformer then forces the other conductors to be the appropriate distance (120V) from earth.  This bond is called the Neutral-Ground Equipotential Bond.
It would be perfectly OK if neutral and ground were merely close; so for instance a 1-volt transformer would be a fine N-G bond, giving neutral a 1-volt bias from ground and the other legs 121V and 119V biases.  That is certainly better than the alternative, a 9600V, 9720V and 9840V bias from ground!  However a piece of copper is the cheapest available bond.
At that point, manufacturers said "Wait, since they're all connected anyway, why not just let people use all the same bar?"  There was no reason why not, so NFPA allowed it.
You're absolutely right; in a lost neutral situation, which happens a lot, current starts flowing across the N-G bond into the earth to the transformer's ground rod and back to the transformer.  However the grounding electrode wires are plenty large enough that the limiting factor will be the conductivity of the earth.


What type of underlayment should I use for an above ground pool? I recently bought a non-inflatable, steel frame above ground pool (12 ft diameter, 3 ft depth).  I want to set it up on a slab of concrete, but I have a couple of concerns about the wear on the bottom liner of my pool:

Joints in my concrete may stretch the liner to fill the joints (under water pressure)
Roughness of my concrete may scratch the liner

Are these valid concerns?  If so, what type of underlayment should I use?  I'm considering 1/2" thick foam insulation, but I'm not sure if that minds getting wet or not.  Also, I'm not sure if I can put the legs of my pool on top of it without the legs tearing through over time.

Any suggestions?

Per request, I'll expand my comment into an answer:

as for the joints in the concrete, I'd use polymeric sand (typically used for locking pavers).

Then the key is to create some sort of smooth pad in between the concrete and the bottom of the pool. Some options:

roofing felt (tar paper).
Ice and Shield roofing membrane
rubber pond liner
epoxy (if it's not terribly rough, a few coats of epoxy concrete sealer might smooth it out)


Mounting a pull-up bar on drywall and metal studs? I live in a high-rise that utilizes metal studs. My roommate wants to hang this pull-up bar above a door frame. Is it possible, and via what options, to hang this without a high chance of ripping out drywall?
The door frame itself appears to be painted metal, guessing by the sound it makes when I hit it with my finger nails and looking inside the latch. I am not sure if there exists a wooden header on it, but my stud finder does not seem to indicate anything solid behind the top of the door, except a slugger in the middle. The door frame is flanked by two metal studs as expected.
Here's some options I've considered:

Place two 2x4s behind the bar. Toggle bolt the 2x4s into the studs and drywall, then lag bolt the pull up bar to the 2x4s. This will give some distribution of the weight and give me more points to bolt onto drywall, as well as some horizontal support. Per this question, it sounds like it won't make a major difference if I toggle bolt into the drywall between studs.
Option 1 will hold the bar up (about 33lb), and potentially the weight of my roommate (~120lb, so 155lb altogether). However, it does not seem safe for handling the torque caused by lifting one's self up on a bar that extends ~6 inches from the wall.

Use the 2x4 method in option 1, but also add an exoskeleton to the sides that extends vertically down (basically, two 2x4s going a few feet in each direction vertically. Toggle bolt these 'skeletons' to the studs and mount the outside of the pull-up bar to them, and the middle to the interior 2x4s. This will distribute the torque vertically and give more mounting points.
Option 2 is inspired by this other style of pull-up bar that I think my roommate should have bought instead. Not clear if it would work with just drywall either, though.

Is this workable with some clever mounting technique, or are we SOL?

My in-laws bought my son a pull-up bar last year and I found that, despite, their insistence on the box that we needed 16" studs, the fully assembled bar had holes 17" apart. With there being a major math problem there, I took to solving it by adding a 2x4 behind the top and bottom. I attached the bar with a 4" lag bolt on the top of both sides (to limit roll) and added 3" screws on the side I couldn't put their large lags into. It holds me up just fine. If you want to go the 2x4 route, I think it could work.

The bar you linked, however, has 6 lags on a track for lags (which is smarter). With 3 anchor points available for top and bottom, you shouldn't need 2x4s, unless you're worried about the top rolling and want to better anchor the 2x4s themselves (which shouldn't be necessary)

Your Option #2 won't work at all, because if it falls, it will roll off the top (the force is cantilevered so the top will come forward first), not fall straight down.


Pool skimmer drain suction I have 15k gallon pool with a 1.5hp pump,  1 skimmer and 1 drain. I have a Float valve assembly over the skimmer. If the skimmer is fully open does that mean there is no suction in the drain? I don't want suction in the drain. How does this work?

Here's a picture of a pool pump that I've worked on:

See the gray valve right before the pump/basket on the left?  That's a three-way valve.  It can be turned a couple of different directions in order to adjust the flow of the water.  If you turn it one way, it will pull entirely from the drain, and if you turn it the other way, it will pull entirely from the skimmers.  In that picture, it's positioned halfway in between -- 50% drain, 50% skimmers.

If you want to pull from the drain only, you're going to have to move the three-way valve that's positioned in front of your pump.  If you have a spa, it will have two three-way valves.  You'll have to figure out how it works by messing with them.  If the pump starts making bad noises, it's either pulling in air or you've turned the valve in such a way that it blocks the pump's inlet, which is something that you don't want to do.  If it happens, turn the valve 90 degrees in either direction to open up the pipe going to the pump.


Can I just seal a leak in the shower? I have a shower that's leaking from the corner. Basically, as can be seen from the picture, it falls through into the crack and then the water goes behind tiles and comes out the floor right outside the shower cubicle.

The house is 8 years old and I've just bought it. It doesn't look like there's any damage I can see from inspecting the wall. Should I just seal up the hole with silicone sealant? Do I need to somehow dry the inside behind the tiles?

Picture of bathroom
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xW0ckLSo4b0QXIdUqG6KpbL8GH0tSIom/view?usp=drivesdk

As @JimStewart mentioned, in tile showers there is a waterproof "shower pan" usually either rubber, plastic, fiberglass or some other fabric that contains the water that manages its way through the grout joints.  If there is a leak in the pan, any attempt to fix it inside the shower would be futile.

It's hard to see what's going on from the picture, but if you say the water is making its way past the shower curb, you can try to strip all the old calk, re-calk and see if the water still leaks past.  If it does, you may need to tear up some tile for more investigating.