The supplier says I'll be lucky to get 8 years on my new water heater. Is this true? What's up? The water heater I just replaced (bought it new in '95 when I bought the house and started the remodeling) lasted 22 years. (I wish I had known to replace the anode) I purchased a new one from a local plumber/contractor that had done some work for me before and was a bit shocked to find out it would run $600 (vs $239 for the old one). The big shock, though, was when I read the warranty then asking him about it, was informed that I would be lucky to get 8 years service out of this new one. Is this true? If so, what has changed? This new unit does not say "glass lined" on the outside.

The main determining factor for life expectancy of hot water heaters is the mineral content of your water supply.  Although they have improved the heaters to be more corrosion resistant, the drop of the water table in many drought affected areas has caused many water utilities and homeowners to use more mineral rich water sources.

Add to that the highly corrosive fracking waste that is polluting the ground water sources and the water heaters will cry uncle in 8 years.  Hot water is just much more corrosive and reactive with the added mineral electrolytes.

If your water source has not changed, don't worry, you will get 20 years out of it.  If it has changed, or if you are not sure, have the water checked for mineral content and pH level.  If you do have a concentrated soup of minerals in your tap or an acidic or alkali pH, an investment in a water softener might not be a bad idea if you consider the added cost of yearly bottled water over 8 years plus other appliances: dishwasher, washing machine, etc premature lifetimes.

The other important factor is the thermostat setting for the hot water heater.  The hotter you keep your water the less the lifetime of the water heater.  The hotter the temperature of water inside the tank, the faster the corrosive reactions.  Keep your water 'warm' instead of 'hot' and your water heater will last a very long time and you will save alot on your utility bill.  Some water heater are able to be controlled by home automation systems, especially the ones with electrical heaters.  If you are away and won't be using the hot water for a while, just turn it off from your smart phone.

The 8 year lifespan that your technician is referring to is for the worst case where the thermostat is constantly kept at the maximum hot setting and mineral soup in the source water feed.


How can I protect a hose and wire in a high-traffic area? It's about 20' from my RV to the water supply and electric receptacle. This is a high-traffic area, and having foot (and car!) traffic on the hose and wire seem like a bad idea.

Ideally, I'd run them underground, but that will have to come later. What can I do today?

One idea is to cut a piece of 4" pipe in half, to use as a cover. What else?

In the military, we used to make cable protectors out of 2X4's and scrapes of plywood. Simply lay the 2X4's down a few inches apart and attach small squares of plywood every few feet to keep the 2X4's spaced and parallel. run the hose and wires between the 2X4's. You could also run the narrow strip of plywood or a board the full length of the 2X4's and recess the whole thing 1 1/2 inches into the ground so it is flush, not sticking up above the ground grade. Cheap and easy.


update/refresh kitchen cabinets I have builders grade cabinets. They are smooth fronts (sort of modern) they are dark brown and not varnished or stained.  I think sort of melamine front....definitely a man made product...so I can't sand and refinish.

They are worn areas around the knobs...from hand oils and probably from cleaning products from contstantly wiping them.

Is there a way to freshen them up? without replacing all of the doors?

I know that I could paint them....but with smooth fronts...they don't have much character....so painting might show imperfections.

I'm pretty handy...so any suggestions are appreciated

thanks
Heather

Instead of painting, another possibility is to resurface with a new material. You could use adhesive sheet melamine, which probably would be best for general wear and tear. If you dig a more modern look, a thin aluminum sheet (or brushed steel) would also fit in with some kitchen types.

In any case, you would need to take the doors off, remove the knobs, and peel the side strips off each door. Both knobs and strips (aka "melamine edging") would need to be replaced with color-coordinated items, once the main panel finish is in place.

It would probably be quite fiddly to get a good result, but not actually hard work at all. Just precision. ;-)

HTH


How to powder silica gel? We are having serious cockroach problem. I was advised to mix silica gel and boric acid and powder the surfaces where roaches come in. I can't find the silica gel in powder form in my location. I can buy them as crystals in bulk.

I am thinking of using a small mixer grinder jar to powder the crystals. But, I am not sure if it works.

What would be best method to crush silica gel crystals?

Desiccant silica gel is not all that tough. A spinning blade coffee grinder, or a blender should work. When you get it down to powder, leave the top on for 5-10 minutes. The dust will be awful. You shouldn't dull the blades much, unless you make a habit of this. Mortar and pestle would work too, but for the quantities you'll need would probably be tiresome.


Trigger an alarm with wired smoke detector I am looking for a solution that would make the wired smoke detector in the apartment downstairs trigger an alarm. The purpose is to be alerted if there is smoke while the tenant is away/in the shower.

At the moment, the smoke detector downstairs is connected to another smoke detector in my own space. It works, but the detector downstairs also goes off if I burn toast, disturbing the tenant downstairs.

I am looking for a way to replace that wired detector in my place with a simple alarm, since it is it's actual purpose. A solution using a piezo is proposed in a comment here but there are no details on how to procede.

Another possibility would be to neuter the detector part in my unit and use it for its alarm only, but I don't know if that is doable.

It goes without saying you'll want to follow the manufacturer's instructions to the letter, as well as all relevant electrical, fire, and building codes that apply from both a safety perspective and a compliance / legal perspective.  Fire alarms are no place to get creative.
With that said, you may be in luck - if your smoke detectors are compatible with it, Kidde makes a relay module that does exactly what you want:

DESCRIPTION:
This module is only activated by a smoke alarm interconnect signal.
The relay portion of this module can be used to activate auxiliary warning devices such
as external bells and sirens, hallway or stairwell lighting. It provides isolated, (no internal connection to 120 volts AC) normally open, and normally closed contacts.

It should be possible to replace the upstairs smoke detector with this module and a bell or siren.


How can I fix a stripped hole in an aluminum piece? I have a tripod head that is made of aluminum. In the head there is a small hole that houses a small screw that secures a quick-release plate. After some time the hole stripped and the screw no longer holds. I suspect that there is no simple way to fix it, but in case there is, I wanted to see what you guys think!

Depends on the size of the screw and how much material you have to work with. If this is a clamp bolt, cheap tripods use screws going directly into the casting. Quality units either use a captured nut, Nyloc nut and eccentric toggle or a tee-head bolt with threaded knob.

If this is a plate with a fair amount of metal surrounding the hole and it's deep enough, I would get a Heli-Coil kit. With this kit, you drill the hole oversize with the supplied drill, use the supplied tap and then the tool to install the helical insert.

Another thread repair is Keensert which, if you have yet more metal because it's a larger device, a locking insert that doesn't require delicate use of Red Loctite to keep it in place.

All the above probably are not recommended in the case that the threaded hole is in a casting that doesn't have spare metal, so the previous recommendations of drilling oversize and tapping for a larger bolt might be the best. Which might not be a solution if the threads are common photography standard attachments between devices.


Where can I buy this doorbell button? See attached picture. I am not sure if the title is correct. The door bell button (the plastic cover area) broke. Can anyone tell where can I buy this exact doorbell?

I would doubt it that you will find the exact replacement.

All doorbells that I am aware of, are wired pretty much the same, 2 wires, doesn't matter which screw it goes to. You will be able to find a doorbell that may fit the same drilled holes, that chance is better than finding the exact same doorbell.

Any big box store, or local hardware store will have a selection in stock.


Low hot water pressure at kitchen faucet Low hot water pressure at kitchen faucet and first floor bathroom faucets.  Small ba thromm on first floor and upstairs faucets oressure is good.  I replaced the shut valve on kitchen faucet,  thinking it may be plugged, but that did;t make any difference.  Help!

You may have sediment debris in the aerator or the valve assembly. Every few month we have to pull our aerators out and clean them. We have pretty hard water here. When you replace or turn off/on your shut off valves, you introduce debris into the system. Debris like built-up sediment, calcium, etc. This dislodges and makes its way to the tap, plugging small areas along the way.


Do vinyl doors and windows with a foam core promote mold growth? I've had two companies give their sales pitch on vinyl windows and doors.  One has a foam core inside the vinyl frame, the other does not.  One says the foam core helps insulate, the other says the foam core promotes mold growth.

Who is right?  What are the pros and cons of a foam core in vinyl windows and doors?

I've decided to go the foam core route.  I think auujay's reasoning makes sense, and I figure the foam would be a better insulator than air.


Is there a recommended vent for new roof? I am redoing my roof. I already decided to add sofit ventilation which I currently do not have.
I have gable vents, and already decided to go with normal eyebrow vents Vs ridge ventilation.

Question is: which type?
I hear from the roofers themselves that sometimes they leak! (I would think we should have the technology to solve this problem by now...). Anyone knows what type I should use? here are a few main "types" I see:

http://www.ohaginvent.com/products_comp.asp#

1

2

3

Have you considered changing to a ridge vent?  The larger area of venting would give you more efficiency, it can be shingled over to hide it, the filtered ones a piece of material to prevent insects and dirt from getting in, and this one appears to not leak even under high winds:

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100027903/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Since the ridge vent is installed at the top of the roof, you don't have the problem of water running down from above and going around a break in the shingles.


How to wire a single toggle switch/outlet in a GFCI circuit I have installed a single toggle switch/outlet on a GFCI circuit and the outlet is fine, however, the toggle switch for 3 recessed led lights trips the GFCI.

It a Remodel. I have run 12/3 w/grd from source to a gfci outlet. In the circuit is a switch/outlet. The red wire is being used for switch

The circuit as you have designed it will not work. You have routed current from the load hot terminal of the GFCI through the switch and load, then back to the neutral node in your service panel, bypassing the load neutral terminal of the GFCI. The GFCI senses this imbalance and trips.

You cannot mix a GFCI protected path with an unprotected path. You must either power the toggle switch and LED load completely from the GFCI load terminals, like this:

or power the toggle switch and LED load completely from the unprotected mains supply, like this:

One path or another will require a 12/4 w/g instead of a 12/3 w/g cable.


Where could all these flies be coming from? Now is the transition from spring to summer. The house I am now living has some strange things happening.

In the daytime of one day last week, I found many flies gather on the inside face of the window in the front living room. I then opened the window and drove them out.
The next day, I found there were still many flies again on that window. Same thing happened again and again in the past week.
Besides that window, there are also some flies flying elsewhere in the first floor. At nights they gather around our lights.
I remember same thing happened in last year's summer as well.

The windows and doors are either closed or have screen on. I cannot think out of some possible way for the flies to come in.  There was an envelop slip on the front door, but it was by default closed, unless people from the outside want to deliver some mails to the inside. There was also a pipe stretching from the basement to the outside, for letting out vapour of heating during winters.

I wonder if this kind of things has happened to you guys as well? Where can so many flies come from?

Like others have said, there's probably a dead thing somewhere. However, depending on the fly type, they could be breeding in very dirty water or in pretty much any organic matter. For example, some will breed in rotting vegetation, some will eat wool or fleece if they have too. So looking for pretty much anything out of the way that could be rotting. You may not find it though - attics, basements, even in the walls if a rat died in there or something.

The life cycle of flies is often very temperature dependent - it slows down when it is cold and speeds up when warm. Some of the common flies found in houses can go from egg to adult in about a day in ideal conditions, so even if you kill them or let them out, this is probably how they are replenishing - new ones are hatching.

I looked up the breeding time and so on a while back, when this happened to my Mum - all these flies showed up in the lobby to the house one morning, on the ceiling. It was kind of creepy. We cleaned out the room, and couldn't find any obvious points of entry from the ceiling or floor, so you're not the only one!

What do your flies look like? Different ones eat different things and have different habits.

This interesting looking chart describes them and gives their "favourite foods" as well.
http://www.jfoakes.com/fly_identification_chart.htm

This site gives many many pictures of flies. If you click on the headers above each row of pictures, you get more pictures of flies in that subgroup, so you can keep getting more and more specific pictures and ID. Not recommended if you are grossed out by fly pictures.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/55/bgpage


Hanging unframed stained glass-type panels I have two stained glass panels that are literally just glass all along the edges.  They are roughly about three feet by about a foot each.  I think they were panels in a piece of furniture originally.  I scored them at a garage sale for like 10 bucks - so I couldn't pass them up.

Anyway - I would love to hang them in my bay window - in the two middle bay window panels that do not open.

My question is - how do I do this?  I am not a glass-maker so am not going to try to drill holes in the glass.  I also do not solder so I am not looking to make a frame and hooks that way.  I would in fact simply lean them against the window - but they are a few inches short and would lean on the actual windows themselves.  Plus I have two cats so I need them secure.

I am open to almost anything that does not require a huge expense and/or weird specialty tools.

The glass bits around the edge are not fully encapsulated without a frame. This is a risk -- damage and / or injury.  I would recommend taking them to a picture-framing business and seeing if you can't get a reasonably cheap metal frame cut to size.  Obviously you wouldn't need a matte :-), but you might want some extra pads/shims to keep the stained glass panels from rattling in the frame.


Are there pet friendly insecticides that kill only spiders? Is there a insecticide that only kills spiders?  I have  a cat and a dog.  So, I have to be careful what I use.

Perhaps you could use spider traps?  Basically a triangular or rectangular pasteboard tube covered with adhesive inside.  Probably safe for pets if they don't chew it.


1/4" quarter round installation I am doing a custom cabinet with 1/4 inch quarter round around the openings in the cabinet.  I think a nail or brad gun would split the molding.  Would glue be acceptable?  If so, what glue would be good to use that will set within a minute so that all the pieces can be fitted together without multiple clamps?  One site mentioned liquid floor adhesive.

There are glues out there that will do what you want (Super Glue comes to mind) but a nice investment would be a 23 gauge headless pinner. I bought one from a discount place for 25 bucks USD and does great for me. If you are staining, be careful how you are gluing.


How to join conduit in a T connection? I'm fabricating a shower curtain rod for a clawfoot tub using 3/4" EMT conduit. The rod will be D-shaped (two legs going to the wall and a crosspiece connecting the legs), something like:

There are 3 pieces of conduit overall: the curve of the D (the main piece), the crosspiece of the D, and the hanging support. The hanging support must be different than pictured, connecting to the ceiling further in towards the wall rather than directly overhead, as there's a light fixture in the way directly above the main piece.
Looking straight up (twine is at an angle), showing how the light globe is in the way (beam runs approximately above twine):

From the side:

The crosspiece and the hanging support must connect to the main piece in T-junctions. I'm looking for (better) ideas on how to couple the pieces. My current design is based around u-bolts running around the main piece, with a washer sandwiched in between the u-bolt nuts and a bolt running through the end of the conduit to join to the main piece.
Pieces (in approximate assembled order):

Assembled:

This involves numerous pieces & contacts:

The u-bolt goes around the main conduit.
The u-bolt goes through (holes drilled in) the washer.
The washer is sandwiched in between the u-bolt nuts and a nut & bolt (in the conduit end).
The nut & bolt goes through (a hole drilled in) the end of the conduit.

Is there a simpler way to couple the conduit ends to the main piece? Ideally, the connection would be adjustable, allowing for the connection point to slide along and rotate around the main piece, and made from components I can find locally. Adjustability is particularly important for the support, as it must come down at an angle. Also, keeping the main curve as a single piece (rather than cutting it and using some sort of T-fitting) is important for strength & stability.
Some other ideas I've considered, but couldn't make work:

Welding: unfortunately, I don't have access to or experience with welding equipment, else I would weld the washers to the conduit ends (creating a flange on the end).
Solder: I doubt solder would be strong enough.
T-fitting that fits around conduit: a black pipe tee almost slides around the conduit, but not quite. This would require reaming out the tee. Also, the tee probably wouldn't slide around the bends in the main piece, even if the tee arms were trimmed down, so wouldn't work to connect the support.
hanger strap (with a bolt running through strap & conduit end): couldn't be tightened, and could potentially snap.
conduit hanger: I couldn't figure a simple way to connect to conduit end, and have doubts about stability & strength.

There are structural fittings for use with steel tubing. The tubing is all the same size, the difference with EMT (Electrical Metal Tubing) is that the insides are ground and finished so as to not cause damage to the wire insulation. Strctural tubing is not, and there are places that sell fittings for structural tubing.


Kitchen faucet has low water pressure but can't identify the faucet I am having trouble with low water pressure in my kitchen faucet.  It started happening gradually over timeIt is a single-handle, with a sprayer nozzle.  From reading other posts here I'm pretty sure its a diverter valve...bear with me as I've never done any sort of work on my sink.  The house was built in 1993 so I'm assuming it was installed somewhere around then.

Since I thought it might be a diverter valve and I don't know what I'm doing I set out to find a manual for the faucet on what parts I might be looking for and instructions on fixing it.  There's a "Kohler" stamp on the side of the sink itself so I assumed that it was from them.  I contacted their support and uploaded pictures of the sink through the Kohler contact page who in turn said that it was not a Kohler faucet.

Side question: Can you have one brand of sink and another brand of faucet?

So I have some pictures of my setup and am hoping someone might be able to either help me identify what I have and/or help me with what I might need to replace or do to fix this.  Or suggest that I just call a plumber.

Kohler logo stamped on corner of the sink:

Full view of the sink:

I think this is the diverter valve?

This is the water line; it's split between the the main kitchen faucet and the dishwasher.

I've created a full album of the handful of pics for this on Flicker if interested.  There's also a video of how the water pressure is working here: video of low water pressure

Whilst this may not be the cause of your loss of water pressure you really should also look into replacing this shut off valve. The corrosion that shows here indicates that this has been leaking some and eating away at the metal of the pipe and fittings. Left long enough this can lead to very serious leak.


how critical are temperature and humidity when installing laminate floors? We have a few dozen boxes of laminate flooring purchased a few weeks ago (Harmonics with Uniclic, if anyone's interested). These have been stored in an unfinished basement in central Minnesota, and are destined to be installed on the first floor. We generally don't use the air-conditioner in summer, unless humidity levels are uncomfortable. Effectively, first floor and basement are mostly similar in local comfort conditions.

In this scenario, how long should we let the laminate planks acclimatize to the first-floor weather conditions, considering that the basement isn't severely different in temperament?

Would just a few hours do, or should we really let the planks sit idle for a couple of days to make sure there won't be any future usage problems?

My intent in asking this question is to roughly figure out what sorts of temperature + RH tolerances are built in to laminate flooring, and how critical differences of a few degrees in temperature or a few percentage points in relative humidity are.

Edit: (hopefully) related questions: Will installing laminate floors in winter show any different results from a summer installation? Will I see any shrinkage around the baseboards, for example? Or will heavy furniture cause gaps between installed planks in winter?

Their install guide says

  "Under normal conditions, Harmonics® flooring requires no acclimation
  period. Normal conditions are defined as a difference of no more than
  25°F and 20% relative humidity between the stocking/transportation
  environment of the flooring and the final installation environment of
  the flooring. Outside of normal conditions, let the planks acclimate
  for 48 hours in the unopened packaging at the normal room temperature
  in the middle of the room where the floor is to be installed.Allow air
  space between packages"

So looks like you can get installing right away.


Fireplace will not turn off I have gas fireplace with a electric switch to turn it on or off. The fireplace will turn on from the electric switch but will not turn off. I replace the switch but I still have the problem. Any suggestions to what the problem is?

It could be a number of different things.  Could be the electronics, could be the gas valve getting stuck open, could be loose/open wire.  You will need to get the manual for the unit and look at it's trouble shooting guide.  If it is not covered in there, time to break out the multi-meter to trace what is going on.  Having a wiring schematic will help with this (should be one in the bay under the unit or in the service manual).


Why mate two boards instead of using one thicker board? I need to build a footbridge across a creek and, due to soft and low land around it, will need a long span crossing the creek.  I found this tutorial by Ron Hazelton where he makes a bridge with a 12' span with two beams supporting it, with supports only at the ends.

Each beam is made up of two 2x6 boards mated together with construction adhesive and bolts every 2'.  This creates a single 4x6 beam.

Is there a reason for doing this with two 2x6x12 pieces instead of a single 4x6x12 board?  Would it be as strong (or stronger) if I did the same with a 4x6x12?

It has to do more with the quality of the the 2x6s vs the 4x6.  A 4x6 x 12 board would have to be clear all the way through, with no cracks or knots. Most softwood logs won't produce this board, and if it cracks, it is likely to break more easily vs the 2x6.

On the other hand, drilling a bunch of holes in a 2x6 does it no favors, though because the two boards are tied together, weak spots in one board are often compensated by its partner.

So, if you could find a really good 4x6, go with it, but otherwise use the 2x6.  In most cases, the 4x6 will be more expensive due to its rarity.

In colonial times, they would have gone with the 4x6, as they had lots of hardwood timber and each individual cut took a long time.


How to change a switched outlet to a half-hot outlet? I'd like to change switched outlet to a half-hot outlet. The wiring of the outlet is shown below. Is there a way to do this using existing wires?

Update on the wiring: using two-way voltage tester, I determined the following:

voltage between B and C is controlled by the switch
always no voltage between A and B
always voltage between A and C

Yes, you can.

Turn off the power.
Add a pigtail from the twist-on wire connector to the top "hot" receptacle terminal.
Break the little metal tab between the "hot" terminals on the receptacle.
Mark the white wire going to the switch with black tape or marker, so the next person knows it's being used as a "hot".

The top outlet should be always hot, while the bottom will be switch controlled.

Use a multimeter to verify my assumptions are correct, before proceeding.

If the feeder is coming from the other side, then you'll want to rewire it like this.


Why are fire sprinklers and extinguishing systems failing? I just looked at some photos of property destruction from fire in Santa Rosa, CA and I was appalled and deeply saddened at the loss of life.  This photo is the charred remains of the Hilton hotel in same town.  While I can understand wood frame homes with no fire sprinkler system succumbing to total destruction by fire, this should not be the case for commercial buildings such as 4 or 5 star hotels that belong to worldwide chains.  In my district, the fire inspector comes to commercial facilities every year to check these systems, and you cannot get a certificate of occupancy without them.

So how did this hotel burn to the ground?
If I wanted to construct a fire proof building using metal frame and studs, bricks, and concrete; what kind of sprinkler system should I use to fire proof the furnishings and interior?

If you're not from the wildfire west, it's hard to get it.  This isn't a dumpster fire, it's a firestorm.  You might as well be putting the building in an autoclave and expecting it to not burn.

Anyway, sprinkler systems do protect buildings, but from the normal scenario of fires started inside occupancy space.  The goal is to suppress it before it heavily engages the building.  When fire is consuming the rafter holding the sprinkler pipe, it's much too late, and wildfire attacks sprinklers from the wrong side.

Far and away the #1 defense in the firelands is defensible space. Keeping vegetation (fuel) down to bare minimums within 100' of any buildings. When people follow the rules, they tend to do dramatically better.  This is one reason you have random vineyards relatively untouched - this is the heart of California wine country, some say best wine in the world.

The problem is, homeowners and landscapers absolutely hate defensible space, and either neglect it or actively ignore it.

Google Earth tells the tale; fire up Google Earth on the area and go see how well they did with the 100' rule.

Worst of all are eucalyptus trees; these were imported from Australia because they are fast-growing and were thought to make good windbreaks.  They are an extremely oily tree with very high fuel value, and they go absolutely crazy in a firestorm.  For some reason, Californians just love the distinctive smell and love to landscape with them.  Makes no sense.

It's true that endothermic building materials help (materials which aren't fuel). But that only takes you so far; occupant contents are often highly exothermic, which is what finished WTC.  That can be managed in a hotel with good furnishing choices, since hotel guests don't bring much and will take it with them when they evac.

If I were trying to build for wildfire survival, other than defensible space, I would go for reinforced concrete construction with non-flammable insulation on the outside, with non-flammable cladding designed to keep the insulation intact. These also happen to harmonize very nicely with passive solar design, which is precisely my point: the big insulated thermal mass that resists day-night thermal changes, will also resist the fire's heat.

Another scheme, an amplification of the above, is earth-sheltered design, in which case you could let the fire roll right over the building.

There would be a place for water in defending from wildfire, but you've got a big sourcing problem because everyone will want water at the same time, and you're already in a desert. Wine country wasn't a desert, but it became one when a million people moved in.  California water supply is a big-dam problem, so you would have to have a local supply of some kind, e.g. a pool.


ceiling fan rotate slowly in my bedroom only I had one ceiling fan which was rotating slowly.I thought fan might have issues, so I shifted that fan to my shop.to my amazement, the same fan is working fantastic there. Then I bought a brand new ceiling fan of Khaitan & fixed in my bedroom but again it rotate slowly. I guess there must be some problem in my electric connection but again all other fan in my house are working fine ,only my bedroom fan rotate slowly.
  please friend I want your opinion.

You need to purchase a cheap volt meter (make sure it can measure AC) at any hardware or large general store.

At the ceiling fan electrical box you need to measure the voltage.

Here is a good tutorial to get you started.

Once you measure your voltage (depending on where in the world you are) check and see if it is close to what should be reaching your outlet/fan.

I am assuming you will find that it is lower, if you do at this point you are going to have to troubleshoot that circuit. There are a few ways to do this with different forms of technology but the cheapest by far is the old fashioned method of tracing the wiring.

If you can get into the attic or crawl space do your best to trace the physical circuit throughout your house. You want to see what other devices are on this circuit. Are there any dimmer switches or other appliances?

My guess is that you will find something else on the circuit draining voltage. Find this device, remove it from the circuit, and your fan should operate normally!


Is gluing table top planks better than using pocket hole screws? I am learning furniture building. I started by building tables using pocket hole screws to attach the planks together and also to attach the table top to the apron/base.

I am now converting to using fasteners, such as table buttons, z clips, etc., to attach the table top to allow for the top to expand and contract.

My question is, if I am properly using fasteners to attach the table top, allowing for it to expand and contract,is gluing the planks better than pocket hole screws? If pocket hole screws are used, will the table be able to expand and contract properly?

A properly glued panel will be significantly stronger than a panel that is joined only with pocket screws.  That being said, pocket screws can still be useful to eliminate the need for clamps while the glue dries.

A single panel (like a tabletop made of several planks of wood glued/screwed together) will expand/contract as a single piece, hence why the need to join the table top to the apron using a fastener that allows the panel to expand and contract.


How to remove bathroom sink drain with no lock nut I'm trying to get this pipe out but I have no idea how to remove it from the sink.  Any ideas?

Pliers and screwdriver are a poor substitute for the proper tool. ( They may or may not work but are not easy to use and may result in bending or damaging the thin metal of the drain basket without getting it to turn )

The proper tool is a Drain Removal Wrench

It has two ends, one small one large, with nubs that fit into the slots of the drain. It has flat sides so you can get a large adjustable wrench ( crescent wrench ) on it  or It has holes in the handle so you can put a screwdriver through them to act as a lever for turning leverage.

You need a way to keep the pipe and basket underneath form turning and since you do not have a tradition basket with nut you will need a strap wrench or adjustable pliers ( channel locks ) to hold the pipe assembly. It will probably take 2 people, On to hold the assemble under the sink while the other try to turn the drain wrench counterclockwise.

Based on the photo it has some corrosion and If this does not work you may have to cut it off from below with reciprocating saw ( saws-all )


Distance between edge of concrete for anchor bolts? In residential construction, placing anchor (j bolts) for the sill plate, I have always read that it's best to stay towards the outside edge of the foundation and face the J portion towards the interior of the home.  For an 8" thick concrete wall, I have always used ~3" in from the edge.  This allowed a 2x6 plate to have the anchor be about 1/4" off center of the board.

Wondering how you guys do it, and if there is a better way.  I always try to get the concrete guys to provide 10" instead of 8" bolts, and they are typically 5/8" diameter.

Also - Do you actually preset the anchor bolts in blocks of wood or rebar cages, so that the hook part of the J slips under the top horizontal rebar?

The Code requires an edge distance based on the size of the bolt:

1) 1/4” = 1 1/2”

2) 1/2” = 2 1/2”

3) 5/8” = 3”

This is based on standard grade concrete, (i.e.: 2500, 3000, etc.) If you use a “high-strength” concrete it can be reduced. (See ICC Chapter 19, Table 1908.2)

Generally, I see “J-bolts” installed after the foundation wall is poured. This is primarily because we want a smooth surface for the sole plate to rest on. The bolts can be wiggled into the concrete and twisted so it hooks under the top horizontal rebar, which should be approximately 3” clear down from the top of the wall.

Yes, 10” anchor bolts are now required with 3” square washers in any high-wind or seismic area.


Soundproofing bathroom/bedroom wall I have a wall between the bathroom and bedroom.

The sound transfer between the bathroom -> bedroom is huge. Mainly the water sounds from the toilet and shower.

I'm about to tile the whole bathroom, floor to ceiling, so I want to know how I can improve the sound proofing between the two rooms.

The wall is a single layer of brick.

Ideas?

Sound is actually vibrating air molecules. This is not the same as moving air - hence why sound can come through walls, although it is hindered as it does.

I suspect (assume?) that the sound that is bleeding between bathroom and bedroom is low frequency sound. A brick wall is going to be excellent at stopping the sound, unless it's not isolated from the vibration of the water through the pipes.

Which leads me to my second assumption: are your pipes mounted to the brick? If so, that's going to be a big source of the problem. The vibration of water in the pipes will vibrate the brick, which will vibrate the air in your room. It will sound like a low frequency rushing sound.

Additional sources of sound will be the water on the bottom of the tub, which will vibrate the floor. Low frequencies love to go around objects and make things rumble.

All that being said, if your rooms share a door then that's probably most of the problem. Typical interior doors don't stop much sound.

Ideas:

If your problem is pipes mounted on the brick, you will need to remount them using some sort of isolation bracket (search for neoprene isolation bracket).
If you are drywalling over the brick, build a soundproof wall (isolate it from the brick).
If the sound is coming through the door primarily, this is much harder to fix. Interior doors are supposed to allow airflow, which is the enemy of soundproofing. You could weather-proof it and install a heavier door (heavier means better at soundproofing) if you liked, but it will be hard to get good isolation here.


How to harden a sloped grass driveway so that damage does not occur that has some softer spots? I am wondering how to harden a particular soft edge along a driveway so that I can drive on it without damaging the lawn.
Last year I installed a secondary approach by building up my lawn with the recommended soil sand mix and most of it setup great and I am able to drive on it even right after a rain or snow melt with a full size pickup and trailer.  There is however about a 10ft section right off my driveway that is softer than really the rest of my lawn and especially the rest of the secondary approach (which is lawn).. by August it is hard as a rock with the dry weather.. but the first half of the year it is soft.
The problem existed before I installed the secondary approach but thought I was addressing it by sloping it off the driveway at an even angle building up the section with the same type of soil (even though I dug it up a bit and mixed it in) I used to build up the secondary approach.. but it did not help.
I know I could put down some crush gravel and just let it be gravel but I both want to keep it lawn as well as not 'move' the problem. I've used Geoblock in trail building but its expensive and not always practical and not sure how it does with driving on.
I also read that sanding probably wouldn't help and I already installed drainage ditches or slopes on both sides (there is a ditch between the hardened lawn and the trees and a general slope downward side of the hardened lawn in this picture).. what else can I do?
Diagram below

I read other posts that sanding it

It sounds like that soft area has deep water saturation which generally occurs in a low area during wet season. Because it's apparently not just a surface issue I don't think you're going to have a lot of success by adding sand or any other material to the grass surface. The best way to deal with it is to remove/redirect the water. One way to do this is to take up the sod and regrade that area - a lot of work.
However, I would first try installing a french drain in that area to channel the water away. The trick is to get it deep enough  so that it's below the water saturation level and also making sure that you're not simply transferring the problem to another area. It's difficult to do without being on site but I would proceed as follows:
(1) Dig a small test hole in the wettest part of the lawn to see how deep the saturation extends down into the soil.
(2) Determine the source of the water. Assuming your arrows all point downhill it may be (and I suspect it is) runoff from the driveway.
(3) Decide where you want to channel the water. Obviously, it needs to go downhill.    That will determine the length and direction of the drain. It may be possible to run the drain parallel to the driveway being careful not to compromise the driveway base.
(4) The drain should be be installed to the depth of the lowest water saturation point.
French drains are best at channeling water from above and less so from the side. That's the reason you want to make sure it's deep enough. It then redistributes the water through holes along it's length. Depending on the slope you're dealing with you can leave the drain open on the low end to facilitate drainage but it's not necessary.


How can I lower a dirty arm trap drain(outlet) to accommodate a lower sink? Similar to many others, I'm installing a new sink that is significantly deeper than the one it is replacing.  Due to added sink depth and the location the builder chose to install the original drain - I believe I need to lower the drain so that the waste can properly drain.

After the new counter top, undermount 10" deep sink, and garbage disposal, I've determined that the garbage disposal drain will be about 1/2" below the center of the waste drain.

I've determined that the drain is a dirty arm (horizontal style) drain instead of a more traditional trap drain (vertical style).

How would one go about lowering the drain 3" or so specifically with this dirty arm setup?  Tearing into the wall under this cabinet is not a problem, but access to the left of the cabinet where it appears the sanitary tee is would be a significant challenge.

I ended up following Alaska Man's advice and lowered the sanitary tee.  After installing the new sink and the disposal, it was obvious that my only option was to take the sanitary tee route.  The good news was that I did have access to the other side of the wall so getting at the tee was simple.  The unfortunate news was that I really only needed to lower the DWV about an inch.

Here is what my disposal looked like after install - showing the DWV too high by just a bit.  The after shows how far I lowered the DWV.

On the other side of the wall, this is where I lowered the sanitary tee about 3 inches total.


Can I increase the size of my AC compressor with the same refrigerant lines? Friend wants to give me their puron systems 13 sear 2.5 ton AC that they replaced.  It was still working fine but 10 years old they wanted to change it out.  I currently have a York 2 ton unit that was installed in 1992.  It works but I have to add Freon every 6 months or so.  Can you change out the sizes without changing the pipes and duct work, etc

You have a refrigerant leak and should probably replace the refrigerant lines regardless. Depending on the type of refrigerant, leaks contribute to ozone depletion and global warming.

A 2.5 ton unit will require a higher airflow rate (typically 350–450 cfm/ton). Your fan motor may or may not be able to be set to a higher speed by moving the jumpers.

With a higher flow rate, your ductwork will induce a higher pressure drop. This means you may not be able to actually achieve the required airflow rate.

A 2.5 ton unit may be oversized and short-cycle more often. This can lead to worse dehumidification performance (your home cools down but stays humid) because moisture condensed into the condensate tray re-evaporates before building up enough to drain.


How can I install closet doors for a very long closet opening? I have a very long closet opening (about 120" wide and 80" tall) and I'm struggling to find a set of doors for it. Any suggestions for how to add doors to such a long closet opening?

All I can find is closet doors for smaller openings or custom-ordering doors (but those are $$$$).

Thank you!

I would suggest that you make the doors yourself out of 3/4" birch veneer lumber core plywood. Using a conventional double track system for sliding doors you can install three doors, one on the front track and two on the back track. The front sliding door was normally kept in the center position but could be pushed left or right (you pick which choice is suitable for your application) to access the center portion of the closet.

For sliding doors like this it is typical to have the doors overlap some so that floor guides will stay engaged with the doors. In an application like this you install two sets of floor guides and then install a stop on the front track to restrict the slide range of the center door to be left or right only.

For a 120" opening to allow for about 2" door overlap each door would be about 42" wide. This can be easily cut from a 48" x 96" sheet of the lumber core plywood. You would need three sheets total.


What's the best way to leave an air flow shaft in wood chips after removing a PVC pipe? I'm going to be composting a lot of wood chips this winter, and only have one large PVC pipe. How can I remove the PVC pipe from the wood chips while leaving the air shaft in place?

If I understand the setup, the goal of the PVC is to keep the pile aerated so it will be aerobic composting.

Some alternative solutions:

Figure out a way to periodically turn the pile and keep it fluffed-up. Turning the pile has multiple benefits beyond just aerating the pile. It also helps spread the beneficial bacteria. It also moves material from the dryer and colder edges/tops into the damper and hotter middle of the pile where it will be composted.
Get some more pipe. If cost or environmental impact are issues you could try to get some used or discarded pipes. One good trick is to set up an email alert from craigslist. You can also often find good materials at a used building goods store (in some cities these are run by Habitat for Humanity or similar organizations).
Use other materials in the pile to create a structure that has air pockets, like longer branches or stalks from plants like sunflower stems or corn stalks. These materials might not all compost as quickly as the wood chips and would need therefore need to be filtered out at the end to be composted twice. However, they should hopefully help the wood chips to compost.


My VOSS oven makes a clicking noise when cooling down Our 10 years old VOSS electric oven model IEL 671-OT (conventional + convection) makes a loud and fast clicking sound when cooling down. It starts usually around 5 minutes after being switched off and will last until it is completely cool.

You can stop the sound for a period by simply turning the oven on and off again. After a few minutes it will start again though. Then you can stop it again by turning it on an off and so forth, until it eventually stops.

When the noise is sounding, the light in the clock display is considerably weaker than normal, around 50%. It regains the normal brightness immediately if you turn on the oven (which stops the noise) but will again go low when the noise starts.

I guess the sound comes from a relay, but I have no idea what the relay does and why it clicks.

I often fix stuff myself and don't mind disassembling the oven, but I would like to get a few ideas first, if possible.

UPDATE:
Here is a short video where you can both see and hear the problem. Note how the dimming of the display is related to the clicking noise. In thise case the oven only reluctantly turned on when I pressed the switch, this is quite unusual. Normally it starts without problems and then the noise disappears.

It sounds like something's wrong with your oven's controller board. Assuming you speak Danish, you can search for Voss parts here; I believe your specific model's parts will be here. (Note, though, that I don't see a controller board available, although my nonexistent Danish might be misleading me.)


How best to insulate/heat solid brick house (as at 2016) I see this question asked regularly through the years, so looking for some up to date ideas.

I've just purchased an 1890's 2 storey brick house in the UK. The rooms are quite large (3.6m height and most rooms 3-5m across) The brick walls are solid and have no cavity. I can't insulate from the outside (planning approval + aesthetic). Interior walls are plastered.some have lining paper/paint/some weird rough finish. I am happy to hack back to the brick internally. I have recently moved in and am beginning renovation work so open to any change. The Nest is reporting heavy heating usage already and it's only October....

I've looked at a combination of thin and effective insulating material that can be applied to the interior of the external walls. Some cursory research shows many new companies starting up in this space but I don't know what is currently effective. I.e. there is 10mm "spacetherm" board advertised but other companies suggest a minimum of 100mm for effective insulation.

Also open to alternative suggestions.

The awkward truth is that you don't have a lot of great options here. External insulation or cavity fill are by far the preferred options. If those are off the table, you can apply insulation board to the interior if you're prepared to lose some floor space, but it's not a perfect solution: there will be big thermal bridges where interior walls and floors meet exterior walls. 10mm of insulation won't do much. You really need to do at least 50mm of a decent insulator to make it worth it.

This approach will be very expensive or labor-intensive (or both) since you'll need to redo all the trim and cabinets, extend electrical boxes and plumbing lines, possibly replace toilets, and things like that. You'll also need to finish the new interior walls with plasterboard or skim coat plaster, if the insulation board you use is cementitious, like Ytong autoclaved aerated concrete insulation panels. The problem with those is that they aren't very good insulators for their thickness--not as good as the plastic foams. But foam boards will need substantially more finish work.


Is it up to code (anywhere) to have a ground wire poking out the end of a wire nut? A few days ago there was a hot question about wiring with several pictures, here's one. Ignoring all the other issues with this wiring job, on the right hand side we see a green wire nut with the ground to the switch being stabbed through the top of the wire nut. I've only ever seen connections where all ground (or any conductors at all really) exit from the same side of the wire nut. Is this at all to code, and if so where?

Yes, it's up to code, and you will only find the top hole on green wirenuts that are only used for ground connections.


Connect new footings to old footings I have a 7 foot section of an addition that has no footing. It is a square addition, so 3 walls on the back of the house. It is about 13 x 12. One of the side walls is missing about 7' of footing and is just blocks in dirt.

I want to go ahead and pour the right footing for it. Can I just pour it right next to the existing footing or do I need to some how join the footings with rebar?

I'm in Raleigh, NC.

Put it in with some rebar dowels to be sure that there won't be any differential settlement of the foundations.

You might need to underpin the missing foundation to properly support the blocks.


Why do phone and cables companies leave their cables behind, and what to do about it? Lately while walking the dogs I've noticed a lot of unused cable dangling down from the (quaint) phone poles all around our town.  As far as I can tell from both its position on the pole and the appearance of the cable end that it's mostly POTS or coax.  In some cases there might be 20-30 yards of the stuff left behind.  When I first noticed I thought it was a one-off, but since I've been noticing I've found examples all over town.
Why do the companies do this? Can I snip it off / tape it up / dispose of it?  I'm glad to post a photo if anyone thinks it might help.

Downed wires are downed wires! STAY THE HELL AWAY
You are talking about a wire which comes down from the pole and comes near the ground.   That is a "Downed Wire".  They are dangerous as all getout, because they can have live voltage on them.
You should not even be close enough to tell if they are cable TV vs phone wire!  STAY AWAY - STAY ALIVE.
Even if they were telecomm, you have no idea what they are attached to (or what they got tangled up in) on the other end. Technology changes are obliging phone and cable companies to fit powered equipment on the poletop, and having to take whatever power is available there, be it 240V, 277V or 2400V.
I do work on overhead lines from buckets and towers.  The golden rule of not getting dead doing that is that the bucket/tower lives in "poletop world", and that vs ground world is matter vs antimatter.  Nothing ever, ever is allowed to drape or be let down from "poletop world" to "ground world".
Call the power company and report a downed line
Pardon the sarcasm, but it illustrates the point: "Before you call us, step really close to the wire and see if it's phone line or coax" said no power company employee, ever.  That would be a deranged thing to tell the public, because sooner or later one would turn out to be energized.
The PoCo will come out and deal with it, with extreme prejudice.
If it is indeed a telecomm line, they will remind the telecomm company of the terms and conditions of their lease of space on the pole.   And maybe send them a bill for the service call.  So, profit center for the PoCo lol.


Possible to fill in porcelain sink depression so that water stops pooling? My porcelain kitchen sink somehow got a slight depression in it, causing water to pool in a roughly 7" x 7" area. I'm considering replacing the sink to solve this, but I'm hoping there's instead a cheap, quick hack I can do on the current sink. I don't really care about aesthetics, and I use a sink grid in case that makes a difference. I was thinking I could fill in the depression with some kind of waterproof substance that can adhere to porcelain.
EDIT
Using a level app, I confirmed that the sink is itself perfectly level. The depression rises upwards towards the drain at an angle of about 0.5°, while the non-indented side slopes downwards towards the drain at an angle of 1°.
Here are pictures showing the water pooling. In the second picture you can actually see a dark part of the reflection curving upwards from the bottom, cutting across the lighter reflection to its right. That's the edge of the depression.

Sure, you could fill it with an epoxy, or you could tile it.
Note: Only since you don't care about aesthetics, since I suspect either will look awful in short order, if not right out of the gate. My mind's eye makes a beautiful tile sink bottom (like a shower floor) but the real world experience part of my mind doubts that the detailing at the edges could look good, not to mention mold potential.
Additional Note: First check if you may have a "lifetime warranty" or other applicable warranty on the sink, since some makers do have that sort of policy, but it's out the window if you attempt to fix it yourself, normally.


How should I fill 1/8" nail holes in a hardwood floor? After an anti-squeak effort, we've got a bunch of 1/8" holes in the hardwood floor.  These are aligned with the original nail holes, so they will blend in if darker than the wood.

What putty should we use?  After that do we apply a little dot of polyurethane? Sand? I spent some time at the hardware store, but none of the putty or products mentioned floors as an application.  The existing floor appears to be a semi-gloss, but I can't be sure (it was refinished prior to our home purchase, but the contractors did not leave any stain or supplies).  I'm more concerned about feathering the poly layer, compared to matching the color.

My floors have 8mm of hardwood, 1mm of paper spacer, on top of 18mm of old growth Douglass Fir boards.  The house was built in 1938, and everything is obviously stabilized from a moisture point of view.  The floors bow slightly as the beams below are overspanned.

Most engineered and laminate floor installations come with a repair kit such as this. They can also be found in home centers.

It usually consists of wax crayons color matched to the floor to rub into small nailholes or other imperfections.  These are rubbed over the hole to fill it, scaped flush and then buffed slightly with a dry cloth.

Because they are wax, they cannot be coated with a finish, but for small holes this generally is not an issue

A hadware store can provide the wax crayon fillers such as these:

Pick a few colors.  They can be blended and will come in handy later on.

The kits also usually contain a small bottle of a polyurethane type finish matched in sheen to the floor for scratches.  In theory, you could fill, stain and then seal small nail holes with this finish, but usually not done.

Finding a small bottle of matching scratch filler will be tougher than wax fillers and the process more compicated.


RCCB tripping while checking the current between neutral and ground Normally, when the panel is working, it means Residual Current Circuit Breaker (a type of GFCI) can be in the on stage, but while checking the current between neutral and ground the RCCB is getting tripped. Can anybody please explain why this happens?

This is normal. There can be a slight potential difference between the neutral and ground at a receptacle. (This would be due to a load on the circuit.) If you provide a current path to ground, then current will flow in the neutral path and there would be no corresponding current in the hot. A difference in the current between the neutral and the hot will cause the RCB (GFCI in the US) to trip.

EDIT Another way to look at it is that connecting the neutral and the ground at a receptacle divides any current flowing in the neutral path thereby reducing its value below that flowing in the hot path. This causes a difference in the current flowing in the hot and neutral paths. This will trip a RCB if it is in the receptacle or in the circuit breaker for the circuit or the master breaker.

EDIT2 There has to be enough current flowing through the RCB for a connection between neutral and ground to trip the RCB, that is, the circuit must have a load somewhere causing current to flow through the RCB.

If a circuit is completely unloaded and a low resistance path is established between the neutral and the ground (such as a connection with an ammeter), then the RCB would not trip.

In the case of RCB receptacles they can be in a loaded circuit, but on spur (as they would be if they are connected by pigtailing) or they can be "distal to" (beyond) the location where the neutral and ground are connected. I think the RCB receptacles would trip in those cases, but I doubt this is relevant to the OP's question here. He is probably asking about an RCB breaker.


Repairing leaking DWV vertical 3" thin wall PVC While painting, my wife discovered some mold on top of the baseboards, and being curious I investigated. What I found pulling the baseboards is they were covered in black mold on the backside, as well as the bottom of the drywall. On further investigation, the source was the joint of a 3" vertical DWV pipe, which had a slow (but consistent) water leak.

I cut out drywall to access the joint, then cut out an 8" length of the pipe, including the joint section. I bought two Fernco shielded couplers for 3" PVC (P3005-33), and a short section of 3" PVC pipe. When I went to replace, I realized the vent pipe was NOT 3" PVC Schedule 40 pipe, but something smaller (I measure about 3.25" OD). I thought it was Schedule 30, but one supply store said 3" PVC wouldn't go down that far.

For the life of me I can't find this small of 3" pipe at any of the big box stores, or local plumbing supply stores (I have one plumbing supply store left to go ask, though), let alone the shielded couplers I was planning to do to make this repair.

So my questions are:

How would you repair this vent pipe? (about 8" run that is currently cut out)
Where can I get shielded couplers and repair pipe, that is 3.25" OD? Anywhere recommended online?
(an aside) Is there any problem with leaving the vent pipe open currently? We won't be using the bathroom until everything is repaired.

UPDATE
Thanks for the help. I found from a local plumber that it was an SDR 30 pipe, which I found at a local plumbing store (big box stores didn't carry). No shielded couplers, but used some slip couplers and seems to work well. But now water coming up from the slab where the pipe comes through... will create new question.

The smaller diameter pipe is because it is specified for in-wall use.  The socket end of a standard 3" PVC pipe coupling is 3.97" which is wider than a 2 x 4 stud wall cavity, which is 3.5".  The 3.25" pipe OD on the in-wall pipe allows for a smaller coupling which can fit inside the wall cavity.

Depending on the size and type of leak, you might have been able to seal it up without having to cut it out.  I put a nail for a picture frame through a drain line once.  To repair it, I scraped some shavings from some scrap PVC, mixed it with a little bit of PVC solvent until it formed a paste and then filled the nail hole with it.  Note, that I would never do this on a pressurized line.


Should I apply termite preventative products to pressure treated wood? There are pressure treated (4"x4") fence posts (set in concrete) nearby to a house. In that area there were previously termites (professionally treated in-ground). This is in a humid region, along the Ohio River (USA) valley.

Is it desirable to apply a termite preventative product (e.g. a borate solution) as well?

Would this be beneficial or purely a waste of money?

It's beneficial. Here in Texas, where it is humid and wet and we also have a lot of ground-based termites, I use TimBor for posts and rot sills in fences.

The problem is, you want to have put that treatment on the wood before it goes in the concrete. At this point, your best method of preventing termites from getting into the structural portions of your fence are to keep dirt, grass, and yard debris away from the fence, and make sure that the concrete 'caps' stay above the level of dirt and grass so that there isn't organic material or termite "straws" along the concrete leading to the posts.


Building a deck without help I am planning to build a deck but it has been difficult to find contractor.
My question is - how difficult is it to build a deck without another set of hands ?
Are there any devices available which can do such as supporting a beam at one end etc.

A lot depends on what you are building. There are two different types of decks:

Traditional Deck

This involves (typically) some sort of footings to hold the posts, a ledger board on the side of the house and a lot of very specific rules designed to make sure the deck doesn't fall down and hurt people. The deck has to be extremely rigid - you can't have it move away from the house.

Floating Deck

A floating deck (typically) has posts fit into specially designed blocks:

which simply sit on the ground. The entire deck may move a bit over time. As a result, there are limits (which may vary by jurisdiction) as to the maximum height and other constraints. But a big difference is that you do not attach the deck to your house. That actually removes a lot of the usual concerns about how everything is connected together. End result: a floating deck is much easier to build than a traditional deck.
In some cases, a floating deck may not even need a building permit, which is a big advantage. However, that is dependent on jurisdiction (in my area, OK up to 200 square feet).
Check with your local building department (county, city, etc.) and find out if a floating deck is permitted and, if so, what the constraints are. That may go a long way towards making this a one-man project. I built mine (< 200 square feet, very short posts) together with my evil twin. I could have done it myself, but an extra set of hands is really useful when you are placing 10' or longer boards.


How to fix bar stools that are too short I bought bar stool chairs but they are too short for the bar area. Is there a way to make the chair stools longer in length?

Um, not really. Unless you got the stools from a mix & match furniture store like Ikea where you can buy the legs separately from the seat.

There are approximately 3 standard chair/table height combinations:

Table height (e.g. a standard dinning table; seat height ~18 inches, surface height ~30 inches)
Counter height (e.g. a kitchen counter; seat height ~24 inches, surface height ~36 inches)
Bar height (e.g. a bar or "high-top" tables; seat height ~30 inches, surface height ~42 inches)

Sounds like you have "counter height" stools with a "bar height" surface.


Can i use a 9w led in a 6.5w lamp My lamp has a label on it that says Max 6.5w 120v 60hz, but I have bulb that I wanted to use that is 9w LED. The bulb that was in there before was also an LED 6.5w.
Would I be able to use a 9w LED bulb in this lamp or would it be too risky?

Well, it's not likely to set the lamp on fire.  That used to be the concern with people over-lamping incandescent fixtures; you'd see a ceiling light with scorched wires and a now-brown "60 watt max" sticker - they had used 100W bulbs there.
The issue with LEDs is the ability of the LED to cool itself.  Unlike incandescents which are deliriously happy inside an oven... LEDs are electronics, like a CPU or video card, and need to keep inside a working operating temperature.
The manufacturer is probably concerned there isn't enough airflow around the bulb to keep a larger LED cool, and that will cause premature failure of the LED.  (like the way you could fry a CPU if the heat sink got loose, though today, they just downclock to a crawl). LED lights lack the sophistication to "down-clock" aka "dim", because that costs money, so they just burn out.


Splicing electric in attic properly I am installing ceiling lights on my attic that has only fiberglass insulation. I needed to splice some cables half way to the fixture box. I just want to verify that I've done so properly.

Here is what I've done: I've spliced the cables with the plastic caps and encased the plastic in this box (which is a metallic fixture box):

Then I secured the cables using the clamps in the box, secured the box to the joist and put a lid on the box.

Is this okay? I know some say that one should use a junction box but I had the fixture box with the lid handy so I figured it doesnt make much of a difference but I just want to make sure.

That qualifies as a junction box. Provide you did everything else correct, (affixed the box to something a rafter, stud, etc., connected the box itself to the ground wire inside, covered any previously knocked-out knock-outs, etc.) then you're fine.


Why will my pilot light on the gas water heater not stay lit for more than 15 minutes? The pilot light went out on my gas water heater.  I followed the instructions and had it lit three times now for about 15 minutes each time but it wont stay lit.  Not sure what to do at this point?

It could be that the Thermocouple has failed or is failing. This would cause the system to think there is no flame present, and shut off the gas supply for safety (so it doesn't fill the house with gas).

If you don't feel comfortable working on the heater; or you don't have the knowledge and/or tools to do so, call a trained professional to come take a look.


Small soft spot on ceiling below shower Appreciate some help here before i spend money in calling an expensive plumber because i think the problem can just be poor caulking in my shower. I noticed a small soft spot on my ceiling today. I pressed it and could sense the softness, except for that small spot all areas around it was solid. I dont see any staining in the area. Hence i think there maybe a small drip from my shower above (because of poor caulking) in that area. How can I confirm this. One way is to caulk and just see if the spot becomes worse but that may take a long time. Is there anything else I can try? Any suggestions

Please see pic below. The bulb and trim is in the picture to give an idea on the size of the soft spot

That's an odd place for caulking to be applied.

Chances are very good that you have a leak above this that is dripping water down onto the drywall and softening it.


What do I need to remove and replace this recessed faucet aerator? I've got a bathroom sink faucet with a recessed (cache) aerator that needs to be cleaned or replaced, but seems to require a special tool to remove it.  There is no obvious branding on the faucet, so I don't know what removal tool to ask or look for.

I've tried some of the "standard" removal keys they sell at the big box stores, but they don't fit.  Those keys seem to be a little too big and you can tell that the tooth pattern is not quite right.

I've included pictures of the faucet, the aerator, and a key that does not fit.

Wondering if anyone knows what kit or tool I need to remove and replace this aerator?

Image of faucet here:

Close-up of aerator:

Example of key that did not work:

+++ Update +++

Thanks to @Alaska-man, it turns out the tip of the faucet itself was threaded and, once removed, gave me direct access to the aerator (which is not itself threaded).
Don't know why I didn't think to to try this.  Perhaps because the visible part of the aerator had grooves that convinced me that it was itself threaded.

Images of tip and aerator removed. Also, it's apparently a Delta faucet (discovered after removing tip and observing lettering on underside).

The flared part of the faucet, the ring around the end, should turn. It should be threaded and holding the the aerator in.

Meaning the the aerator is not threaded in but is being held in by a threaded retention ring. ??


Determining property lines using actual measurements and county survey records I am currently in the process of determining the exact dimensions of my property in order to install a fence.  I have located three marker pins, though not the fourth one yet.
After searching through county records and talking to a private surveyor, I have laid my hands on two plat maps, which are different in some important detail.
Imagine a uneven rectangle, which is taller than wider. Sides west, north, east and south appear respectively as W, N, E and S below:

W = 107.5'
N = 65.1'
E = 114.5'
S = 65.1'

In the county map, only W and N side measurements appear, whereas the surveyor map shows all four.  Angles are as follows:

W/N = 96 deg
N/E = 84 deg 46 min
E/S = 89 deg 98 min
S/W = 89 deg 56 min

County map shows no angles.  Surveyor map shows first and the last angles.  I calculated the remaining two angles by extrapolation using angles for the adjoining property. The angles do add up to 360: 96 + 84.46 + 89.98 + 89.56 = 360 deg.
However, do the property line lengths make sense geometrically speaking? If N and S are both 65.1', then wouldn't W and E would also have to be identical? But one is longer than the other by 7 ft.
Either the angles are incorrect or the sides are. I basically need to draw a rectangle with these lengths and see if the angles come out right.
Edit1: Picture of original survey from 1960
Edit2: The actual measurement between the NE and NW rebars is 66'5", which is little over a foot longer than what the map says.  I wish I knew trigonometry better so I could precisely calculate the difference made by the two angles (90 deg vs 96 deg.).
Edit 3: I tried to find the S/W marker pin again.  Measured roughly 65' from the S/E pin and dug up very carefully with hand tools.  All I have found is remnants of the previous chain link fence post in concrete.  It's exactly in the same spot where I was hoping to find the pin.  The current fence doesn't quite extend until there (space for trash bins etc.). The metal detector continues to provide very strong signal next to the post in the hole.  I must call 811 before I continue on.

If you can find the 4th pin by poking around where the measured distances from the other two pins adjoining it indicate, it rules (the actual pin, or traces thereof, if extant, is the highest form of land surveying "here it really is.")
Why yes, I did read Breed and Hosmer for fun once upon a time...
You basically pin a tape measure to the adjacent corners, mark an arc, and go looking with your metal detector near where they cross. If you can rent or borrow a transit and set it up properly you could do the same thing by turning the angles between the opposite pin and where the missing pin should be from each adjacent pin.
In neither case is it legal for you (in almost any jurisdiction) to set a replacement pin if you can't find the original, unless you were already a licensed surveyor (and you wouldn't be asking if you were); however, it is perfectly acceptable for you to refine your search for the missing pin.

E/S = 89 deg 98 min

No. 89.98 degrees, perhaps. If you see more than 59, it's not minutes or seconds of arc; it's fractional. Surveyors do not write 90 degrees and 38 minutes as 89 degrees and 98 minutes. Since it adds up correctly as fractional degrees, that's two indications that fractional degrees are what you have here.
Edit: But now that we can see the survey map, you "calculated" the number in question. Incorrectly, I do believe - since you just subtracted from 180 you got consistent, but incorrect numbers that added up nicely. 96°+ 89°-56'+ 89°-58'+ 84°-06' is the correct set of angles that correctly adds up to 360°-0' (96+84 =180 and the 6' split into 2' and 4' gets the other two angles to 90 is the way I do it in my head, use paper if it helps you.) So the angles on the survey are in degrees and minutes. This will matter.
As for "geometrically speaking" note that you do not have a rectangle. You have something vaguely rectangular, with no actual 90 degree corners. 96 degrees makes a rather large difference compared to 90 degrees...as does 84°-06'.


Does low voltage cables cause interference against parallel cat5/6 ethernet cables There is a similar question where someone is
building a new house and is planning to hardwire network cables into each room.

Can somebody run CAT5/6 cables parallel to low voltage  (5v, 9v, 12v, 15v) wires without introducing any general safety issues or losing much in connection quality?

What bothers electronic signals is oscillating magnetic fields.  DC power cables create an unchanging magnetic field like a refrigerator magnet.

However, if you are hauling 5 volts DC across a house, that's probably a mistake unless you are using huge wire.  Voltage drop will kill you...


Mount TV above baseboard heater I need to mount my tv on a wall, or maybe just leave it on the stand, but the only wall that works has a baseboard heater on it.

I've seen other questions about TVs over fireplaces, but my TV is going to be at least 24" above the heater (the stuff in the entertainment center under it, though...).  Should I rig some sort of shelf just above the heater?  For when winter finally gets here.

Your best bet is to check the actual maximum heat coming off of the baseboard heater, and compare that with the operating temperatures of your TV in the manual.

I will admit, if the baseboard heater is at the baseboard, I'd imagine you'd mount the TV much higher than two feet off the floor? If not, I think you may be a bit close.


How to finish this wiring? We hired electricians to install some recessed lighting in our living room.  For complicated reasons, they will not be finishing the job, which only involves installing the dimmer switches and plugging in the new lights, something I'm capable of doing.

They ran two pairs of romex wire (there are two separate sets of lights to be controlled) to a gang box that holds a switch for a light that will no longer be used (I capped the wires and put a plate over it).

In my mind they were planning on using this switch to send power to the lights.  However, upon looking in the box, the switch that controls the old light seems to be just completing the hot wire, as there is no neutral wires twisted in there.

Here is a picture of the gangbox where I need to install the two dimmers:

Here is a picture of the junction box that held the old light - it was connecting to the wires capped in orange:

Does anyone know what might be going on here?  Here's my best guess, as a crudely drawn schematic:

In my head if I twist together the black/black and white/white wires at the old light's junction box, the black/white pair in the gang box will give me the hot/neutral that I need.

Yes, your black-black strategy in the old junction box sounds right to me.

However, I am concerned about grounds. You need to find out if this junction box is grounded.  As you have established, the left cable is only a switch loop, and therefore it must be totally separate from the other switches in that box.  The other switches must be supported by other cable(s), and maybe one of these has a ground wire back to the main panel.   It is also possible the junction box is independently grounded.   If not, then either

retrofit a ground back to some grounded point of at least the same conductor diameter as these (don't extend a ground from a 15A circuit to ground a 20A circuit).  Or
don't connect ground wires from the lamps inside the switch box. Insulate them (don't cut them off).  The problem is if a ground fault occurs up in a light, current will have nowhere to go on ground, so it will sit there energized at 120V.  We don't want to electrify the cover plate screws on the switch!

—

You  will never be able to bury the old junction box in drywall. You can finish the drywall up to the box and install a blank junction box cover plate, but that cover plate must forever be accessible without tools.

Also do not shorten the now-supply cable any more e.g. by snipping off old wire nuts instead of un-twisting.  You don't have any length to spare.


Need help designing a circuit layout and wiring diagram for a garage I'm renovating the electric in my detached garage. The previous owner ran 12/2 direct burial and it shorted. So I put a 20 amp breaker in, dug up the direct burial,  ran 1 inch pvc at 18 inch depth, and pulled 12/3 through. So I'm inside the garage now with the 12/3 and ready to start branching.

Power receptacles: I'm going to install 2 garage door openers, and would like to have receptacles for them. Additionally, one receptacle on each side wall,  and 2 receptacles on the back wall for my work bench.

Light fixtures: I'd also like to have 2 standard light fixtures up in the loft on one switch, and one light fixture (flourescent?...suggestions?) at the back wall above the work bench controlled by its own switch at the bench. And I have an existing flood light fixture mounted on the outside of the back wall by the roof that has a motion sensor switch, no physical wall switch.

I have basic electrical knowledge for working with 12/2, but my GFCI and 12/3 experience is very limited.  Can anyone help me map out how to wire this up, and how to run the line and load wires between and at the receptacles/fixtures/switches terminals?

I understand best with diagrams, I get lost with electrical text descriptions.

Thanks so much.

Evan

Breaker

Be certain you are using a double-pole 20A or two handle-tied 20A breakers for your 12/3 multiwire circuit.

Share the load, Frodo!

What I have drawn can essentially share your potential loads equally between your two branches if you wire half the garage receptacles to the LOAD side of one GFCI and the other half to the LOAD side of the second GFCI. I would focus on splitting up the two workbench receptacles between the two branches since they're likely to see the most load with power tools, etc.

Lighting

You can opt out of splitting your lighting if you'd like because your lighting load should be minimal. I drew it as split just for further example.

I also drew both light switches in a single junction box. This obviously will be determined more by where you want to physically locate the switches. However, the two gang box works well to handle the wire and wirenut fill that I drew. Again, this can be distributed depending on where you locate your switches.

Diagram

It's no work of art, but I hope I made it understandable.

Neutrals are dashed lines.
Grounds are implied. (don't forget them!)


Can I safely reduce the height of this tub stopper? Re-doing a bathroom, original plumbing c. 1963.  That tall silver thing stops the tub.  You lift and turn it to stop water from flowing out.
As you can probably guess, the stopper is preventing us from putting our desired vanity in.

Questions!

What is the name of that thing, so I can research it further?
Does it have to be that high?  One solution is simply to reduce the height.  I can't think of why it would need to be that high, but I also don't totally understand the mechanism underneath.
Do we need to get a plumber involved to reduce the height, or is this something that our contractor should be able to tackle?

It's a tower drain, aka standing waste, and you can't make it shorter without limiting the water level in the tub, since it's also the overflow for the tub. Looks like there's already a pretty good description of them at

How does an external tower style bathtub drain work?


How should I paint around my newly hung doors? I just replaced my old doors with some new pre-hung ones.

Taking out the old ones ripped some of the thick paint off. Also, in some cases, the new trim doesn't reach to where the old trim was, so there is a gap that needs to be painted.

My main concern is how think my existing paint job was. It tears off like paper. Can I simply paint over it? I would HATE to TEAR my existing paint off, and repaint my ENTIRE HOUSE!

Here is the picture where my old paint meets my new doors.

Sounds like someone didn't clean the wall adequately, and/or didn't apply primer, before the previous coat of paint. If it doesn't adhere well, paint can flake or peel off.

However, if there isn't evidence of that the problem is propagating outward, I'd say the answer is just to do the touch-up properly: Clean with a mild degreaser, apply a good quality primer, and paint in matching color.

(The good news is that you can take one of those torn-off pieces into a paint store and say "match this color"....)


Is insulation on 30cm concrete wall worth it? It is for a house in Portugal (where temperatures during the day roughly vary from 15 degrees  celsius to 40 degrees celsius), where the walls of the house are 30 cm of concrete, with no insulation at all.
I am going to repaint one room, and I am wondering whether I should make the effort of insulating the outside-facing walls (from the inside) of this room.
30 cm of concrete feels quite big to me. While the walls are slightly cold to the touch right now (winter), I am wondering whether it is worth insulating for the summer. Will that make a noticeable difference?

Someone else can feel free to edit in the SI unit R and/or U (=1/R) values, I have a conversion stashed somewhere but it's not handy. Off the top of my head, in "English" units mostly only used on the USA now, 30cm (12") of concrete or stone is roughly R1 ([1 square foot•hour•°F difference]/BTU) while 2.5 (1") cm of foamboard is roughly R3.5-6.5 (depending on the foamboard type) and 2.5cm (1") of rockwool or cellulose is R3-3.3
So merely adding 2.5cm of insulation (not much at all) to the 30 cm of concrete would roughly quadruple (or better) the thermal resistance of the bare wall. Being only one room, and only the walls, it may not make much difference until you do more (the heat will leak elsewhere), but it will make a difference.


What percent adjustment is left for this chain saw bar? Chain saw bar adjustment pin closeup.

Is the short space at the top of this image the remaining amount left for adjustment? What percent of the range is left? What amount should the new setting have been?
This is a totally new saw, less than 30 minuets of use. Opened up to tighten the chain a little. If this is not the way a new saw adjustment screw should be,I would like some reference to meet the manufacturer with to back up such a claim.
Parts diagram

Given new information that reveals details not disclosed in the original question:

So, nothing in there about taking the bar off to adjust the chain, though it is just after the point where they describe removing and replacing the chain. Since you appear to have (from your linked parts diagram, where I found the model number so I could find a manual) an electric pole saw, not a normal chainsaw, and it evidently has a complete lack of oiling system I kept that in the picture when taking a clipping from the manual for the purpose of this question. You'll want to be dedicated about oiling the thing. The adjustment range is likely plenty, since the bar and chain are tiny by normal chainsaw standards.
End of edit from New information provided
The pin moves the bar. The movement of the bar tightens the chain. The position of the pin, diassembled, is mostly irrelevant, though it might indicate a nearly worn-out chain. The odds that you've worn out a bar (yet you are asking this question) are minscule.
When assembling the bar and chain onto the saw body, the pin is normally as far back as it needs to be to allow easy assembly. At that point, one tightens the chain, by moving the adjuster, either via a screwdriver or using one of the complex "easy" mechanisms that have crawled all over homeowner saws in recent years. For the screw adjustment you typically have the blade nuts snug but not tight, and adjust so the chain moves easily but does not come all the way out of the slot when you pull on the chain at the bottom of the bar. Regardless of the mechanism type, the adjustment procedure is detailed in your owner's manual, which is almost certainly available on the web if you don't have a copy you can find at home. Follow it. Mine requires me to hold the tip of the bar up while tightening the nuts after adjustment, for instance.
As noted in my comment, one way to kill a chain is that as you use the saw, the chain heats up, gets longer, and becomes slack. You need to tighten it to continue to work safely. But when you stop working for a while, you need to slack it off, or it will shrink as it cools, and having been tightened while hot it will stretch as it cools - this also stresses the sprocket/shaft more than is desirable.
A used-up or worn out BAR is assessed by the depth and condition of the slot the blade teeth ride in - that assessment has nothing to do with the chain adjustment pin. Few people who are not using a saw professionally wear out a bar.
Chains are a consumable item. You should have at least one spare, and perhaps several if you don't do your own sharpening - or even if you do. In the event of chain damage, it's usually less disruptive to swap to a sharp chain and keep working, rather than having to fix the teeth that ate a rock (for example) while in the woods.  When a chain is worn to the point that it's either past more sharpening, or can't be tightened due to wear and/or stretching, retire it.


Can I safely plug a two prong plug into an extension cord with a ground socket? I have a plug for a wireless router that ends in two prongs (no ground). Is it safe for me to plug this into an extension cord that has the ground prong, which would be left empty? I believe it is but want to double check.

Yes you can safely plug the appliance into a 3-wire cord and plug set, as long as that is the factory installed cord and plug on the router.

Appliances that are  double insulated do not require an equipment grounding conductor to earth because the live electrical parts are specially separated/insulated from the case in a way that prevents any single failure from electrically charging parts that the user can touch.

There should be the words "double insulated" on the chassis, and/or this symbol:


How can I trace the path of plumbing lines inside walls without cutting holes? I am looking to install a shutoff valve for an outdoor faucet, and to do that, I need to locate the pipe leading to that faucet. I tried to trace it by listening for the hissing sound when the water was running, but that doesn't seem too reliable. Any better ideas (other than cutting holes in my walls)?

Metal detector? Thermal imaging? There are utility locators that pick up a signal conducted through metal by a transmitter. Even with non-metallic pipe sometimes you can remove the faucet and push a wire down the pipe. Acoustic detection via electronic means is also a method used.

There are contractors the offer location services that have sophisticated equipment. Their fees are proportionate to their equipment costs... high. It's likely much cheaper to cut and patch holes.


How to reseal wiring coming through roof after adding an additional coax drop My AC condenser unit is on the roof. The wiring and refrigerant lines run through a PVC pipe in the roof. That pipe is sealed with what looks like some sort of foam product:

I would like to put a TV antenna on the roof and was thinking that using this existing PVC pipe channel would be the best way out to the roof. I can just follow the existing lines and create another hole through this grey foam.

My primary question is: what sort of product is this and/or what sort of product would be best to use to "reseal" the area where I push the coax through?

Secondarily: Is there any reason I should not run the coax out this way?

Here are some additional photos:

before you go poking holes in that check what it looks like from the underside. there may be a solid barrier that you'll need to drill before you can feed the co-ax through.

I see the gray flexible conduit transitioning to a solid white conduit keep clear of the power wires, but being close to the thermostat/control  wire should not be a problem.

I'd go with a urethane caulk sealant, this stuff is really sticky, paintable weathwerproof, etc... And should be compatible with what you have there which appears to be some sort of urethane foam.  it costs a bit more than silicone caulk though.

squirt some in beside the co-ax and then work the co-ax up and down to spread it out, then add some more in a little cone aroun the top side of the co-ax

Clean up with white spirit (AKA mineral turpentine, Stoddard solvent) so have some handy (and a few rags) because a mess is pretty much guaranteed.


drywall detached in corner It appears that two sheets of drywall in the corner have detached (see image attached). I can't access to the framing behind it, but I would think that the sheets have to be pulled to a wooden post and tightened with a screw. Or probably easier is to apply a special tape (which one?) and paint it over then? What would the be the best way to get it fixed?

It looks as though one or both sides have not been adequately fastened to a framing member or "nailer" (nailer being a wood board that is not a framing member but instead was placed specifically to facilitate the fastening of the wallboard).

You could check by gently pushing against each side along the cracked corner. If you push back and the wallboard stops up against something solid then you may have something to nail/screw to; if not then it was improperly installed without something to nail/screw to.

Tape and mud alone will not work because the wallboard will continue to move and will crack again at that spot.

The best repair option (some may say the only option) is to cut back to the next stud and remove the wallboard, allowing you to install a nailer. Then replace the wallboard and mud/sand/mud/sand ad nauseum...

I had the same situation in my own home, as an experiment I installed 4 small steel corner braces along the crack. I traced their footprint and cut and scraped the wallboard so they sat almost flush, using short drywall screws to anchor them; this held the two panels together at the corner. Then I mudded over them and sanded and primed and painted and it still looks good today (3 years later), no further cracking. This is definitely not the preferred repair method but hey, it might be worth a try if you don't want to tear out the walls.


How can I remotely trip a RCCB? Is there a facility to remotely trip a RCCB/RCD?  I'd like to put an emergency power off button on my server room and am wondering if I really need an RCCB/RCD /and/ a contactor?

You need an extra option for this

Assuming your EPO switch is a normally open type, the typical way to do this at the panel uses a breaker with a shunt trip or shunt release option fitted, which will trip the breaker when power is applied to the shunt trip's terminals.  Most North American panelboard-type MCBs can be ordered with a shunt trip as a factory option -- however, it's limited in nature, and often cannot be applied to specialty breakers such as GFCIs/AFCIs.

However, what you can do is provide GFCI, GFPE, or AFCI protection for the branch circuits, and put the shunt trip on the main or feeder shutoff breaker.  That way, you only need one custom-ordered breaker instead of several, and also circumvent the incompatibility between specialty breakers and shunt trip accessories.

If you were back home...

If you were on the European system, however, DIN rail breakers are rather modular (compared to North American loadcenter/panelboard-type MCBs), so shunt trips for RCCBs are available as a general rule.  Most can be either factory or field fitted depending on the situation and breaker make/model.

(If you had a normally closed EPO, you'd need an undervoltage release option instead -- it's the inverse function of a shunt trip.  These are not as common as shunt trips, especially in North America although some European breaker lines have restrictions on the employment of their undervoltage release options that aren't present on their shunt trips.)


How do I know if my service panel will accommodate a 240v circuit breaker We are looking to install a hot tub and are trying to find out if our service panel will accommodate a 240V circuit breaker.
This is what our panel says, but I do not know what all of this means:

CAT NO
SC1624M100C
RAINPROOF TYPE 3R ENCLOSURE
MAINS 125 AMP. MAX.
SEE SERVICE DISCONNECT FOR RATING
120V/240V. AC. 1PH. 3W
METER SOCKET RATED 200 AMP CONTINUOUS
MAX. BRANCH BREAKER - 100 AMP

Will we need a service change (like $2500), or just able to add a 240V circuit breaker in the panel (that would be much less expensive)?

The panel can indeed support a 240V breaker. The question you should ask is, is there space in the panel to physically accommodate additional breakers?
Based on the model number, your panel should look something like this.

Notice how this example image has lots of blank spaces. In a panel like this, there's no problem at all installing a new breaker (or double pole breaker in your case). However, it's not likely your panel looks like this. More probable, is your panel has all or nearly all the slots full.
If there are not two free spaces in the panel, you'll not be able to install a new breaker in this panel. You have a few options in this case.

Install tandem breakers where possible to free up slots.
Install a subpanel.

The other problem you could have, is that your current service will not handle the additional load.  This panel can handle 100 amperes, but that does not mean you have 100 amp service. You'll have to check with the local utility to determine the size of the current service. If
Lastly, the panel might already be close to being overloaded. If you have all electric appliances (Range, Dryer, heat, water heater, etc.), adding a hot tub could cause the main breaker to trip from time to time. This will completely depend on your current consumption of power, which is not possible to know based on the information you've provided.
tl;dr
Contact a local licensed Electrician to determine what's required with installing a hot tub.


What kind of compound for taping with paper tape? I’ve got a ton of EasySand 45 left over from a project, but everything online I can find ways to use a taping compound. But what is that? Should I be using All Purpose or some mix of All Purpose with EasySand?
Would be all hot mud, not premixed. I use premixed Plus3 for topping.

The initial 1-2 coats should be with All Purpose joint compound. It will set slower than fast set, but dries much harder, too. Use fast set on top if you need more coats.


Salt free and low maintenance water softener I want to install a water softener for my house.I am using a salt based softener now which requires me to change salt frequently.Is there any salt free and low maintenance softener exists ,is it effective and how do they work?

The only thing that comes to mind for a practical "salt-free-softener" is a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system. You could also distill the entire water supply, but it's not practical unless you happen to be sitting on a lot of excess power/heat.

An RO system is rather costly and wastes a considerable quantity of water, so they are more commonly used for drinking & cooking water rather than for the whole house. The principle of operation is that the water is forced through a membrane that does not allow dissolved minerals to pass through it, but a significant amount of water has to be diverted to carry that material off.

I don't think they normally are set up this way, but it's always seemed to me that the waste-water from the process could be collected and used for toilet-flushing, irrigation or the like.

Depending on the age and condition of your salt-based softener, and the hardness of your water, you might find that you can reduce salt use considerably with a more modern unit - many older units simply recycle on a time switch, while newer ones actually pay attention to the amount of water used.